Whisper Cape (35 page)

Addie stopped talking and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to find the courage to go on, to talk about it, to release the anger, the fear, the filth, the humiliation, and the hate from taking over and consuming her for life. Would she ever be the same?

“Cael ...” she hesitated, looked out the window and closed her eyes.

***

A rock developed in Cael’s gut as he stared at her. “What is it?”

Addison kept her gaze on the window avoiding his and he wanted to yank her out of the shell she suddenly withdrew into until she finally said, “He touched me.”

“What ...? Where?” Fury rose in his veins as heinous thoughts skated through his mind.

“My breast. He …”

“What else did he do?”

“I can’t … I don’t know if I can.” Addison lowered her head into her hands and sobbed. “He stuck his hand down my pants and yanked at my crotch and ... and put his fingers in me. God, I feel so dirty.”

He rose and turned toward her—his one hand fisted into the other—and felt the unchecked rage rise in his eyes.

“Cael?”

“I’m not handling this very well. You have no fucking idea.”

“Please, don’t. I can’t bear it. You found me. You were there for me when I needed you.” Her voice quaked through sobs, almost incomprehensible.

“No! Fuck! I wasn’t there! I should have been there! He touched you! He touched you, for Christ's sake!”

“I’m okay,” she said, trembling. 

“No, you’re not. I’m not. I’m not okay. God, why didn’t I sense him? It’s one of my abilities. I swear I’ll kill him.”

Cael's voice shook with each word, with each quiver of every muscle in his neck. His veins pulsed, threatening to burst. Addison sat still, staring at him, her cheeks blotchy and tear-tracked. The vehemence behind his eyes ignited and he felt dangerous. He’d been so calm and steady, so attentive to her needs—staying centered for her—and now he paced the floor like an angry tiger in a cage. He took another look at her and, not wanting her to see his rage, dematerialized.

Materializing down at the beach, he kicked sand into the air. He ran to the wall of the cliff and pounded his fist into it, making a hole the length of his arm. He had no control over Eidolon and his abilities and it scared the hell out of him. God, he wished he had the power to give Addison back those last few hours; he would never have left her alone in the truck.

Shit. What did he just do? He’d left her again. Leaving her, even for this short amount of time was detrimental, unforgiveable. Standing down here sniveling like a two-year-old wasn’t helping anything. He shook his head, swiping tears from his cheeks with the backs of his hands, then closed his eyes and disappeared, praying she was still safe and would forgive him for abandoning her again.

***

Addie had forced herself to think of Cael, standing to comfort him, but he’d vanished without a word. The room spun around her and she sank back down on the bed. She wanted to wash the filth off her body, but couldn’t make the world stay still long enough to get undressed. She buried her face in her arms and cried, wondering if Cael hated her now or thought she was dirty.

She looked up at the distant sound of his voice whispering her name and blinked as she watched him materialize in front of her. Red-rimmed eyes suggested he’d been crying.

Weren’t they a pair?

She sat up, waited, unsure if he would still want to touch her.
Did
he think she was dirty now? Damaged goods? Oh, God. Would she be able to accept his caresses?

He sat next to her, his hands in his lap. “I’m sorry. This isn’t about me. You don’t need me ranting and raving right now. I … I’m sorry that happened to you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. God, Addison, I am so sorry.”

Somehow, she found the strength. “You have nothing to be sorry about. You had no idea it was a trap.” She sniffled, wiping away tears with her fingers. “You and I both know—even if you had been aware of him, with the raging fire and the little boy—you had to save him, no matter what. The child would have died if you hadn’t gone in for him.”

“I know you’re right. I had to save him, but at what cost—the life of a kid for yours? Either way, I don’t think I could live with myself. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how you feel, but
please
don’t feel dirty, baby. You have no reason to feel that way. You’re beautiful.” He pulled her close and stroked her hair, then brushed his lips lightly on her forehead.

“I think I’d like to … clean up now, take a shower” She needed to remove every trace of Eidolon from her body.

“Sure, but better make it a bath,” he said.

“Why?”

“Stitches.”

Cael covered her neck with plastic wrap and secured it with tape so the stitches didn’t get wet. He helped her bathe, being careful to keep the water away from her neck. He washed her hair, massaging her head, and she almost fell asleep in the tub.

He carried her to bed, lay down beside her, and held her close. She accepted his arms, the gentle tugging reassuring.

“Cael?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t let go.”

“I won’t, baby, just hold on as tight as you want.”

He held on to her; his arms were strong, protective and gave her courage. After a few silent minutes, Addie said, “Eidolon said the dog that bit you wasn’t actually him, but he was controlling its actions somehow, the same way he controlled my mind.”

“Then I was wrong about him; he’s not a shape shifter after all, just a mind controller.”

“You mean like Raz?” she asked.

“Similar, but Raz can’t control what people do. He can only make them see things. What a person does while seeing them is up to the individual. Eidolon must be far more dangerous than we thought. He must believe that if he has the power of the crystal and steals everyone’s abilities, he’d be able to control everyone in the world that way.”

“What? You mean like puppets?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“I’d rather die.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

He kissed the top of her head as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

***

Cael did as the doctor instructed and roused Addison every couple of hours. She woke once on her own, screaming from a nightmare, but he cradled her in his arms and she soon drifted off again. He didn’t know what he would have done if she had died. He was supposed to protect her. How could he have just left her there?

He let her sleep while he showered and dressed, and then went down to start breakfast, hoping she would wake soon from the aroma of bacon and coffee swirling up the stairs. The powers of a hungry stomach were on his side; he looked up from the stove and saw her standing in the doorway wearing only his shirt. He thought of scooping her up in his arms and carrying her back to bed, but considering what happened last night, he went back to cooking. Damn fucking bastard. He would kill Eidolon if it was the last thing he did.

He pasted on a smile and said, “Look at you. You have a near death experience less than ten hours ago, and you still manage to tempt my manhood.” He flinched slightly as the words left his lips, thinking that it might be too soon for that kind of talk. The vision of her not only had him spilling eggs over the counter as his whisking increased with his blood flow, but his sense of timing and lack of appropriate behavior deserved a serious flogging.

“Your manhood doesn’t require much coaxing.”

“Lucky you.” He smiled, relieved when she smiled back. “Hmmm, you do look delicious in my shirt.”

“See? I rest my case.  I hope you don't mind. I took another bath and didn't want to get dressed yet.”

“Not at all. That shirt probably reeks of me, though.”

“That’s a good thing.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “It is a bit chilly in here.”

“Go spark up the fire. I’ll bring breakfast to you.”

“You’re spoiling me. If you keep this up I’m going to expect this when we’re old, you know.”

He froze and stared at her, not sure he heard her correctly. “Old?”

“If we get to be old, that is. Um ... I’ll just be out here.” She gestured toward the living room.

***

Careful, Addie, you might scare the man away; as it is, you damn near rendered him speechless.
The fire crackled, and the sofa felt cozy as she curled up on it, pulling the small blanket off the back and covering her legs. She touched her hand to her stitches and tried to keep from thinking about last night. She hoped the scar wouldn't be too noticeable.

The journal Cael had stashed under the cushion poked her in the rear. Pulling it out she examined it and considered how a little book could cause such chaos.

Cael strolled in carrying a tray with two plates of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast; two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, and two cups of coffee completed the meal. He had even put a beautiful pink rose in a little white vase.

He placed the tray on the table, then bent down and kissed her softly on the lips.

“This is wonderful, thank you. You must have grown up on another planet because the men I know from Planet Earth don’t usually know how to crack an egg, let alone scramble one and present it with such elegance.”

“Oh, sure they do, what about Jared? I’m sure he can scramble up a couple of eggs. Maybe the flower’s a bit much?” He scrunched up the corner of his mouth, giving her half a grin.

“No, the flower’s perfect, but where do you keep finding them this time of the year?”

“You forget who you're talking to.”

“Right. But I’m beginning to feel guilty; you’ve been doing all the cooking.”

He handed her a fork. “I don’t mind. I enjoy cooking. It’s a nice stress release.”

She took a bite and then a sip of coffee. “I’ll cook tomorrow night, since we’re going to Maia’s tonight.”

“You can cook?”

“Of course I can cook, I just don’t do it much. I don’t like to cook for just me—it seems like too much work for one person—but I’d love to cook something for you. You know, Thanksgiving is Thursday. Maia’s going to want us over there for dinner then, too, if that’s what you’d like to do ... I mean ... I don’t want to assume anything here, and with what’s going on with Eidolon and all, but if we’re still alive, would you like to go over there for Thanksgiving? I’ll bake a pie. What’s your favorite pie? Do you even like pie?”

Cael chuckled. “There you go again, asking all those questions without waiting for an answer. Let’s see if I get this in the right order ... yes, any kind, and yes, I love pie.”

Addie grinned then winced when a shooting pain ran down her neck. Touching the bandage, she thought about the scar.

“I don’t think you will scar badly. I’m sure it’ll enhance the sexy warrior princess look you have going and if that’s the case, I’m doomed. When I look at you, I see a very brave woman, a woman I am very proud to be with.”

Addie was surprised, in light of what happened last night, that her relationship with Cael was as vibrant as ever, and he still wanted her as much as he had before. At least she hoped he wasn’t putting on a ruse just to make her feel better. “Well, don’t expect me to wear a sexy little costume.”

“Aw, why not?”

She shrugged and grinned.

“Does that mean maybe?”

She shook her head.

“Now you’ve shattered all my fantasies.”

Addie smiled and took a bite of toast.

After they ate, Cael took the tray back to the kitchen, refilling both of the coffee cups before coming back to settle next to her on the sofa. He sat with one arm around her and sipped at the strong brew.

“Cael, maybe we should destroy the journal.”

He frowned. “The book is very valuable to our people.”

“I don’t see why.”

“It contains our history, our purpose and the passage for change—maybe not for our generation, but for a future one. Without the journal, the words would be lost, and without the words, the change can’t occur.”

“It seems to me the book’s just going to destroy humanity. Why don’t we throw it in the fire and let it burn?”

“Well, darling, it’s true that if it fell into the wrong hands, it would be lethal, but some day, when society is ready, it may be very useful.”

Addie stood, picked up the book, and glanced at the fire, then at Cael.

He shrugged. “Go ahead.”

She tossed it in the fire. It rested on a log, flames encircled it, but the book remained intact. “The flames don’t seem to be penetrating the cover. You knew that’s what would happen.”

“Well, now you know, too. Come, sit here,” he patted his knee, “enjoy your coffee because we need to leave soon to get your truck.”

She sat on his lap and watched the flames dance around the unscathed book.

Chapter 35

“I
am
ready.”

“I don't want you to get over-heated. We'll take it easy at first, okay?”

Sitting in the cab of Addie’s truck waiting for the towing service to arrive, Addie argued with Cael, certain she should start training again. Trying to convince Cael was another story. Fog shrouded most of the copse to her left, but toward the ocean, the haze thinned and a small whirlwind made its way across the road. She opened the window and a swoosh of cold air blew in, robbing the cab of the warmth from the heater Cael had just turned off.

“What are you doing? Close that window before we turn into popsicles.”

“You said you didn't want me to get over-heated.”

He sighed. “You're an incorrigible little weasel. Okay, you can train today. Just close the window.”

Once the towing service arrived, it took thirty minutes to pull Addie’s truck from the ditch since it rained during the night, burying the front tires in two feet of mud.

They went to the Sectory, and stopped in to see Red, hoping that maybe he could do something to speed up the healing of Addie’s neck wound and perhaps avoid the dreaded scar.

They entered the medical facility and saw Red standing at a white counter cluttered with microscopes, a variety of borosilicate glass beakers, boiling flasks, graduated cylinders and test tubes full of different colored liquids.