He reached his hand toward her but let it fall away before he made contact. “I am so sorry,” he said. “The need of the moment overwhelmed me. Jesus.” But as she looked into his eyes, the power of the breh-hedden began to descend on her once more, especially as another wave of his erotic chocolate scent swamped her.
His gray eyes grew wild once more.
“Yes,” he said, his gaze smoldering, boring into her. She felt herself falling back into the experience, as though to do anything else would be to defy the heavens.
“Vela,” Havily called sharply.
She drew in a deep breath and shifted her gaze back to Havily. “Oh, dear God.”
“You’ll be okay. That’s it. Just breathe. And if you can move away, it will be even better for you, or at least easier.” Vela scooted a few feet back on the mats. She reminded herself that she didn’t know this man and that he was the last thing she wanted in her life: a warrior.
She closed her eyes and forced air deep into her lungs. After a moment, when she opened them, she spoke to Havily.
“Could you give us a minute? We need to sort this out?” Havily nodded and disappeared, though a faint glow, like a trace, remained behind, an after-signature.
“If we’re going to talk,” Samuel said, “I’ll need more distance. I’m barely holding on here because all I can think about is pulling you into my arms.” She jumped to her feet because if she didn’t she’d let him do whatever he wanted to do.
“Thank you,” he said. He crossed his legs, his kilt looped into his lap. He stared at the black mats on the floor then shaded his face with one hand. “Jesus H. Christ,” he muttered.
She took another step away from him, but couldn’t keep from staring at him. He was incredibly handsome with strong cheekbones angling to an equally powerful jaw. His nose had a slight curve, maybe not as marked as Warrior Santiago’s, but for her much more appealing.
Samuel. The word floated through her mind. She caressed his name again, Samuel.
He looked up at her. Telepathy?
Her cheeks grew warm again. Yes.
You heard me call your name?
He nodded.
You spoke into my mind earlier, she sent. You called me your woman.
At that he shook his head, and with his forearms resting on his knees, he said, “I only vaguely remember. The moment you stood up, I had to go to you, to get to you.”
“ T h e breh-hedden.” She said the word out loud so that she could start making sense of it. The call to him was still there, a ferocious beast that for now she had caged, but she’d never felt anything like this, like she had to be with him, be near him, touch him, take him into her body in as many different ways as she could, and do it now.
At the same time, she felt compelled to tell him of her dream. “I saw you battle last night.”
“What?”
“I don’t know how, but I think I was in the darkening and I felt called to the Superstitions. I watched the battle, how you saved Santiago. I just didn’t know who you were.” She told him several details of the terrible encounter, that he hadn’t been in wing-mount, and that he’d used both levitation and folding skills to slay the enemy.
“My God,” he said. “Do you do this often? I mean do you have these kinds of visions about other warriors?” Her heart sank. “Never. This was the first time.”
“Then we’re connected somehow.” His jaw worked a couple of times. He pressed his lips into a grim line.
Unfolding his legs, he rose , towering over her not just with his height but with his powerful physique. She was five ten, so she wasn’t exactly short for a woman, but he made her feel petite.
“You don’t need to worry,” he said, his brows pinched once more. “I won’t come after you. I’ll leave you alone.” She sensed a deeper meaning behind his words, behind his intention, that he’d just spoken his natural state, his isolation.
What had her friends told her earlier, that Samuel never came to the workout center, that he’d been held captive for a decade and tortured, that though he was back, serving the Militia Warriors, he essentially kept to himself?
“I’m sure that would be for the best.” Yet doubt squirmed.
The past few years suddenly ripped through her mind. She realized that what had just happened between them, this sudden onslaught of the breh-hedden, had somehow illuminated what now looked like her dreary existence.
And yet, she didn’t want a man like Samuel in her life, never again. She and Jeff had been married for over six decades and all that time, day in and day out, she’d lived with the possibility that he would die in the line of duty. Then the night had come when he’d been ambushed by death vampires and her life with him had ended.
She hated the war, its seemingly endless nature. Even getting rid of Greaves had only shifted the ongoing conflict and in some ways had made it worse. In one month, the activity at all the Metro Phoenix Two Borderlands had quadrupled, putting heavy pressure on those warriors assigned to Borderland duty.
“This was my last day at HQ,” she said. “I’m transferring to Fiona’s rehab center to begin my counseling internship. I start next week.” At that, he met her gaze. She knew the tight set of her lips matched his now.
He nodded. “You’ll be doing important work.”
“What I did here was important work, just different.” She drew a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.
“I’m committed to building a new life for myself and that doesn’t include connecting with warriors on any level. I’m…I’m not built for this. Do you understand?” He nodded and his frown deepened.
“Okay.” She believed they’d reached an understanding. “But I’ll probably have to touch you to take you out of this place.” Her instincts told her that much.
“So where are we exactly? Do you know?” Vela thought about Havily and all that she’d said. “I’m pretty sure we’re in the darkening.” He whistled. “You have that kind of power?” She shrugged. “Apparently, but I’m not happy about it.” At that, he smiled, a kind of weary smile that squeezed her heart. He huffed a sigh. “I can relate,” he said. “Oh, boy, can I relate.” In this moment, she knew two things; Samuel was too damn attractive and she actually liked him.
Without giving him a warning, she closed the distance between them, grabbed hold of his arm, and took him on a quick ride out of their hiding place.