Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“No!” Rachel shouted again, aloud and in her mind. “No!”
But she knew he was gone–departed to a place where she couldn’t follow.
With that terrible knowledge, she felt her own heart fracture, her own spirit die.
She was still screaming, still enveloped by the terrible agony of losing him. It was the worst pain she had ever felt. But out of the unimaginable grief came a new kind of resolve. She would not let it happen. Not now. Not when she had finally filled the terrible void in her life.
She must bring him back--or die trying. And maybe that was better, because she couldn’t imagine going on by herself. Not after the joy of what they’d found together.
Determined to shut out the world, she squeezed her eyes tight and clung to him with her arms, her hands, her legs, and her spirit. His soul was drifting upward, and she went with him.
No longer able to feel her own body, she stayed with Jake.
He hadn’t answered her cries when he lay on the bed, but now he did. At least she had that much.
Go back, he shouted in her head.
Not without you.
I can’t.
Are you a coward?
How can you ask that?
You’re leaving but we have work to do.
They killed me.
Don’t let them win. If you let them win, we’re both dead.
A long, empty silence followed. It might have lasted for seconds or minutes or hours.
She didn’t know precisely where she and Jake were. They must be suspended somewhere between life and death. It could still go either way, she knew. But if she could pull him back to the world she would.
She clung to him with everything she had, trying to bring them both back to earth.
By tiny degrees, she felt something change. The balance was shifting. At first she couldn’t be sure it was working. Then her heart leaped as she felt herself coming closer to the earth, bringing him with her. Against all odds, he was coming back, too.
Gradually she felt her own body, felt her arms wrapped around Jake, felt her breasts pressed to his chest.
And then the biggest miracle of all. She felt his arms come up and clasp her. Not tightly, but it was enough.
She opened her eyes. Through a film of tears, she found herself staring down into his face.
“Rachel?”
“Thank God.”
“I was . . . dead. I should be . . . gone.”
“I couldn’t let it happen.”
You brought me back.
Thank the Lord.
As she clung to him, more tears welled in her eyes, and she struggled to hold them back.
She had won. They had won.
When he rolled to his side, cradling her against him, she lost the battle and began to cry, the sobs wracking her body.
His hand stroked over her back, tangled in her hair, giving her comfort.
Finally, she was able to get herself under control.
I thought I’d lost you.
You brought me back, he said again, awe and admiration in his voice.
What happened? What did they do to you?
Hit me with those energy bolts. I don’t know what they did, exactly. Weakened me. I felt myself fading away.
You’re still weak, I think.
He raised his head and looked around. “We’re at Kendall’s?” he said aloud, and she knew that the mental communication was draining him.
“His spare room.”
“I’ve stayed here once or twice.”
“Hiding out?”
“Yeah.”
“From whom?”
“Those business associates I told you about.”
“I thought he was going to shoot me when I first came in. He didn’t want us staying here.”
“He’s got to be cautious.”
He skimmed his lips over her cheek. “You were very brave.”
“I just did what I had to.”
“More than you had to.”
She didn’t try to explain her overwhelming panic; she simply snuggled in his arms as they talked.
“Mickey and the woman. . .”
“They’re like us. I mean, they bonded–mentally.”
“But they can’t stand the idea of sharing their power with anyone else,” he muttered.
“It’s not sharing! We have nothing to do with them.”
“Maybe they can’t think in those terms.”
“Why?”
“I think it’s coming from Kira. I caught the edge of her thoughts. She’s needy, and she never learned to share.” He cleared his throat. “But it’s more than that. I think she may be a psychopath.”
“And she controls Mickey?”
“Apparently.”
“Both of us were needy.”
“Not like her.”
“Thank God.” She dragged in a breath and let it out. “They didn’t even try to be friendly. They just attacked.”
“They’re a lot stronger than we are. We were lucky to get away.”
“Did they?”
“I don’t know. I was pretty out of it by the end.”
“There was a lot of smoke,” she murmured. “I couldn’t see them.”
“If they escaped, can they find us?” she asked in a voice she couldn’t hold steady as she remembered the attack.
“I don’t know,” he answered, his voice weaker, and she knew he didn’t even have the strength for this conversation.
She wanted to drag him out of bed, out of the city. Away to some safe place.
“They knew we were in New Orleans,” she whispered.
“But they had to tell Patrick to call me,” he whispered.
That calmed her a little. They were safe here. At least for now. “You need to sleep.”
“Yeah.” When he closed his eyes, she felt her chest tighten. But she reached out with her mind, feeling him with her. It was all right. He was just going to sleep. It wasn’t like when he had slipped into unconsciousness.
“Let me cover you.”
Mmm.
He raised his legs, and she pulled the quilt free before spreading it over him and settling down beside him.
She was exhausted, too, and she was asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.
For a long time, she was at peace. Then she slipped into a dream that she and Jake were far away, on a tropical island, lying in the warm sun. He leaned over to kiss her, and she smiled in her sleep.
When she felt his hand on her breast, she knew that the dream was part of their reality.
You’re awake.
How are you? she asked.
He slid his hands around her bottom and pulled her against the erection straining at the front of his pants.
Fully recovered.
You need to rest.
I need you.
She might have argued, but she needed him, too. Needed to reaffirm everything that they had built between them.
When his tongue played with the seam of her lips, asking her to open for him, she did, closing her eyes as he explored the line of her teeth and stroked the sensitive tissue on the inside of her lips.
She heard herself make a small sound deep in her throat, telling him she liked what he was doing. But he knew that already, knew it from her mind.
She was open to him in a way that thrilled her. When his tongue dipped farther into her mouth, she felt hot, needy sensations curling through her body. And through his.
She sighed as his hands stroked over her hips, then upward to find the sides of her breasts, making her nipples tighten.
She needed more. So much more. But she knew from his mind that he wasn’t going to rush this.
You brought me back.
I had to.
We need to celebrate. She heard the grin in his voice, and more. His silent words were like a solemn commitment.
An affirmation of what they had found together, and almost lost.
She reached up to run her fingers through his thick, dark hair. Then she slid one hand down his back, slipping under the waistband of his shorts.
They’re in the way.
So are your panties.
She saw him grinning as they both rolled away so they could kick off their underwear, then come gratefully back into each other’s arms. The length of their bodies pressed together.
Sensations bombarded her. What she was feeling. What he felt.
“Yes,” he murmured, his mouth still on her.
She was dizzy with desire for him.
When he gathered her closer, words of gratitude rose in his throat.
It was difficult to draw in a full breath, difficult to think.
She made a small sobbing sound as he rolled her to her back, playing his hands over her throbbing nipples before taking one hard peak into his mouth, drawing on her as he used his thumb and finger on the other side.
Please, now.
Soon.
He slid one hand down her body, into her hot, moist folds as he lifted his head to look down at her.
She saw passion mold his features, felt her hips lift restlessly against his fingers.
Her eyes met his, and everything inside her clenched.
When his body sank into hers, she cried out at the joining.
She was so overcome with emotions she couldn’t speak as he began to move inside her. But they didn’t need words.
She threw her head back onto the pillow while she matched his rhythm. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as they both climbed toward orgasm.
She felt him holding back, felt him waiting for her to reach the peak of her pleasure. But she moved her hips in a frantic rhythm, pushing them both toward climax. Finally it rocketed through her, and through him, and they clung together, feeling the universe tilt and sway around them.
They came back to earth gently, still clinging together.
Oh, Jake.
I love you.
She had longed to hear those words from him. Now she wondered . . .
Not because you brought me back. I knew how I felt. I couldn’t say it. I didn’t dare think it.
The words trembled at the edge of her mind. She clung to him as he rolled to his side and settled her against him.
I knew it, too. Even when I never expected it in my life.
But it’s not enough, he finished the thought. Not yet.
I need to feel safe.
I know. We will.
When?
She knew he couldn’t answer, and she also knew that they time together might be limited.
No! he protested.
We still don’t know about the clinic. The man who killed Evelyn Morgan is still chasing us. The police still think we’re involved. We’ve assaulted a detective. And now another man and woman have shown up and tried to wipe us from the face of the earth. They almost killed you.
It sounds bad, but we’ll figure it out.
She desperately wanted to believe him, but too much had happened too fast.
We’re strong together, his thoughts told her.
Strong enough?
Yes.
She knew he would have given her that answer, no matter what he really thought.
We will be strong enough. You were right. We have to practice.
Yes.
“I’m going out to get us something to eat.”