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Chapter 6: WORDS OF REDEMPTION WERE NEVER SO SWEET

Den was pacing but he couldn’t help himself. The tension was eating him alive. As soon as he’d gotten Aria through the door, Greg had taken her to a back room and left him out here imagining all the things that were probably wrong that he’d missed. She’d kept the pain in her chest from him. Between that and her leg, she must have been in quite a bit of pain but she’d never said anything. Never hinted at the discomfort she must have been feeling. And if there was no discomfort… that was killing him even more than her pain was. Lack of pain in cases of injury were never good. That meant the body couldn’t feel what it was supposed to feel and it was all his fault.

Greg’s house wasn’t built for pacing in mind. This was his main room where he met people but it didn’t look like any doctor’s waiting room he’d ever seen. Not that he’d been to many to know the difference but this looked so normal. There were several needlepoint pillows on the couch that Alma had sent over to give the room a homey feel. Several magazines were stacked up on a small end table. Flowered curtains flowed down the windows to pool on the ground. Another of Alma’s touches since Greg wouldn’t have had any idea what to do with material to make it look right.

Thinking of Alma gave him a respite from his worry. The woman was like a mother to him. She was one of the central figures of the Idaho family in ways that he knew most people wouldn’t understand. She gave them a reason to be a family. Without her, Den knew he would have ended up a rogue, wandering around the mountains and deserts were he was least likely to encounter people who needed him. Needed the gift he hated most of the time.

Knowing he owed Alma a phone call to explain himself, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and pushed a series of numbers he knew without even looking at the touch pad. “I’m at Greg’s,” he answered as she picked up the phone with a quiet inquiry to his location. “The girl I found today needed to be patched up. Someone hit her with a truck.”

“The same person that held you at gunpoint.”

He blushed. “Yes. The same one. I didn’t incapacitate him as well as I thought I had. Since he couldn’t come after me, he chose her. I should have stopped it.”

“How? You obviously didn’t feel you needed to be there.”

“But I was fighting it. I was irritated with her. She refused my help.” There was silence on the other end of the line. “I should have been there.”

“Tell me, son, what made you think she still needs your help now. Why are you worrying? Don’t deny it. I can hear it in your voice. Remorse and worry. You’ve brought her to someone who can help her. Come home. We need you here.”

“I don’t know why I can’t walk away.” He stopped pacing to stare out the large front window. “Alma, I don’t want to leave her. I can’t… I can’t leave her.”

“Is it the burning you feel to help her? Is there something unfinished that you could do and be done with it?”

This made him stop and consider his words because it wasn’t the same sort of sensation he normally had. And always it went away if he was able to distance himself from the person he felt compelled to help. Earlier, he shouldn’t have had to stop and turn around to come help Aria again. He should have been safely away. This was very strange.

“It’s different,” he admitted.

“Will Greg be able to help her? Can you be home tonight?”

“What’s going on, Alma? Why do I need to come home? You’ve always let me take these trips before. Are you angry that I didn’t leave you a message this time?”

“And why didn’t you?” There was no accusation in her voice, only the question, but still he felt guilty. He was the perpetual prodigal son.

“I didn’t plan to be gone long. Only a day and I would have been home by tomorrow’s moon rise. No different than before.”

“Your compulsion sent you?”

He frowned. “No. Not this time.”

“Have you been struggling lately? Did I miss something? You’ve seemed so calm. Was I just not noticing signs I should have seen more clearly?”

There was a sound from the other side of the room but Den was concentrating so hard on Alma’s voice and the questions she was asking that he only turned around. Seeing Greg towering over Aria, his face set in a stern line, didn’t irritate him the way it normally would have. “I’ve been fine, Alma. It was just… just in case it got too bad. What with fire season coming up, I knew I’d be busy. What would have happened if I couldn’t leave when it got bad later on?”

Even he could suddenly see how weak that reasoning was. He’d never had a problem before. Why had he suddenly been so easy to convince?

“Come home, Den. We’ve need of you.” The line went dead and Den knew it would be useless to try to reach her again. A cold fear stole over him but he fought the urge to text Beau to see what she knew. If Alma was unable to talk about it, he knew Beau would also be held to the same silence.

“How are you?” he asked as he put the phone away in his pocket. “Has the doctor given you a clean bill of health?”

Her smile was tight, as if she was angry with him for leaving her to deal with the pain alone. He didn’t bother telling her he wouldn’t have walked in the back room without Greg’s express permission no matter her pain. He didn’t have a good relationship with the man during the best of times when there wasn’t a patient in the way. That did remind him of the money he still owed Greg from the last patient he’d brought. They’d had a bet on what the injuries of the man had really stemmed from. He’d lost but it had turned out for the best because Greg had healed him and Den had taken him into the police for questioning of a murder not a week before.

“That bad?”

“She’s angry because I’m forcing her to stay nearby so I can check up on her in twenty-four hours. One of her ribs has punctured her lung and I’m not fond of the way she’s trying to keep the pain stoically to herself.”

Even though he’d told her he’d help get her bike fixed, he’d never thought of her actually driving away from him. His face must have showed some of the panic he was feeling at the thought of leaving her while he drove back home because she started to limp forward, her leg in a cast from the tip of her toes to her hip. It made her awkward and he stepped forward to catch her as she got ahead of herself and started to fall.

“I can’t stay here,” she growled through clenched teeth as he belatedly remembered her ribs and dropped his hands from her torso. “You told me you’d help me. You promised.”

“A few days won’t hurt. I know someone who can fix the bike for you. Better than it was before, even. You’ll get some rest and good food and there will be someone to watch over you.”

“But not here. There’s no….” She thought better of what she was going to say, biting her bottom lip with her teeth to keep from blurting something out that might betray her.

“I’d prefer she stayed in Boise, Den.”

Without thinking, he moved to position himself between Greg and Aria. The last thing he was going to do was leave her here with him. “Home will be a good enough place for her recovery. Grace can keep an eye on the healing and report back to you.”

“I’d-“

“Take it or leave it. You can stay here and get phone calls or you can come up yourself.”

Aria was leaning into him, her breathing so regular and deep that he thought she might be asleep. He wasn’t sure what kind of medication Greg had given her but he hoped it would help her sleep on the two and a half hour ride home. He was hoping, this time of night, to shorten it to two hours.

“Where are we going?” Her voice was faint but still strong.

“The farm I live on. The whole family lives there. Someone will work on your bike. Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten that promise. Something has come up and I need to get home. I’d like it if you’d agree to come with me until you’re better. Will you?”

“You’re asking me? I can say no?” Her eyes were wide with wonder and Den realized how gruff he must have sounded earlier. When he smiled, she relaxed against him again.

“Of course I’m asking. I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

“But I can,” Greg asserted, ruining the moment by walking over and pulling Aria away from Den just enough that they weren’t the comfortable couple they’d been just a moment ago. “For the time being, I’m still your doctor and I say you can either go to the farm or you can stay in Boise at a nearby hotel. I need you to be somewhere I can keep an eye on you.”

She sighed melodramatically and stood completely still as the tall man held onto her upper arm, her face a mask of subservience that Den knew was a charade. The thought that she could take Greg in with her act brought a smile to Den’s face. This girl had a talent for turning herself into any person she needed to be for the moment.

“Then I chose this farm Den keeps talking about. But only until my bike is fixed.” Her glance back at Greg was full of meaning and she sank back against Den again. The vague look in her eyes told him that she had something working in her bloodstream that would knock her out sooner or later.

Before she could fall asleep standing up, he reached down and snagged her under her knees. At first she was stiff in his arms but she soon got to a position that was comfortable for all her injuries.

“Tomorrow she’ll be sore. Here are a few more of the pills I gave her tonight.” Greg tucked the amber vial into the crook of her arm. He glanced at her face with a scowl but saved the larger frown for Den. “Those should keep the pain at bay but I don’t want her feeling comfortable just yet. Those ribs still concern me. For tonight and tomorrow, don’t let her fall asleep for more than three hours at a time. She doesn’t have a concussion but it’s always wise to keep an eye on her regardless. Tell Grace to give me a call tomorrow morning and again just after dark tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you call her and ask her to call you with an update?” Den grinned because he knew the answer but it was always amusing to goad Greg to do something he didn’t like. If there was someone Greg liked less than Den, it was Grace.

“Just have her call me. And I’ll be expecting double payment next time.”

“I have it with me now.”

“Next time,” Greg growled over his shoulder as he walked into the back room.

Den had some difficulty getting the front door opened and closed but he wasn’t about to call Greg out to help him. Neither did he want to put Aria down. She woke up slightly as he put her into the front seat of the jeep but only enough to curl into a more comfortable position and fall back asleep again. He found a blanket in the back and pulled it over her, worried that it was too dusty but she pulled it to her chin and kept breathing deeply. He watched her pulling in a breath through her nose and pushing it back out again through her mouth.

With a start he pulled himself away, irritated that he was wasting time staring at her while she slept when he should be fighting to get through the traffic that still populated the Boise streets. This sprint to the other side of town was always a challenge as he tried to get by the numerous challenges that called out to him. Come help me! Make it right! Do what you must!

Every time he felt the pull, he glanced over at the girl sleeping in the passenger seat and sighed with relief at the slight tug her still felt from her. It was slight but enough that he could ignore his compulsion.

They were in Mountain Home before too much more time had passed. The bright lights revived Aria and she uncurled from her nest to glance out the window.

“Are we there?”

“No. Just another town we have to pass through before we get to the mountains. Do you need to stop?” He hoped she said no but knew that he would do whatever she needed and hoped nothing went wrong while they were there.

“I’d like some water.” Her tone was wistful and he slowed down in automatic response. “A bottle.”

“You’ll let me buy one for you? No throwing it out the window as we drive away?”

She frowned at his teasing tone and he nearly apologized when she turned to face the window. “If I thought I could get this window down, I’d think about it but I don’t think you’ll have to worry about it right now. Maybe next time.”

“Are you trying to be funny?”

“Did it not work? It sounded funny in my head.”

He was still chuckling as he parked the car and went in search for a couple bottles of water. Since he wasn’t sure if she liked it cold or room temperature, he got two different bottles as well as a cup of ice. A sleepy clerk didn’t bat an eye as he barely let her ring up the purchase before throwing a ten dollar bill on the counter and rushing out. The jeep was still where he left it but he held his breath until he opened the door because he couldn’t see her dark hair in the window. She was stretched out flat, snoring slightly.

“Kid, you’re going to have to move if I’m going to drive this truck anywhere.” When she didn’t move, he placed the ice cold bottle against her cheek. It was a wicked joke that he would have played on a sister to get a laugh. It was the first thing he thought to do and he immediately thought better of it as she shivered and her eyes opened wide.

She didn’t flinch back from the cool liquid. When he tried to move it aside, she brought up a hand to hold his in place. “That feels good.”

“I bought a couple bottles just in case you’re thirsty.”

He helped her sit back up again and watched from outside the truck as she uncapped first one and then the second bottle and poured them down the front of her. Her sleeveless shirt was soaked through and plastered against her skin in a way that made Den swallow and wish he’d had time to prepare himself.

“Do you need more?” he asked, wondering what had just happened but not wanting to ask. If he was supposed to know, she would tell him.

“No. Thank you, though. I feel better now.”

She was holding the cup of ice close to her chest in both her hands. He pointed to it. “Are you going to throw that at me? I’d prefer to stay dry.”

“That would be silly. If I suck on these, I’ll be able to stay awake.”

“You’re supposed to be asleep. Is that why you doused yourself? I’ll be fine on this trip. It’s one I’ve made a hundred times before. We come over to Boise regularly.”

“I’ve driven most of the way across the continent in the last couple of days and missed it all. For the first time, I want to enjoy the view.”

He looked at her, skeptical that she would be able to keep her eyes open, but he got into his seat and started the jeep. If she wanted to talk, he’d humor her but he really hoped she drifted off to sleep so he could stare at her without her notice. When he got home, he’d have to all but ignore her or his family would give him grief about his feelings.

She smiled up at him in time for the last streetlight to catch it. “Thank you, Den.” He shivered as she said his name. “You could have left me for someone else to find. After how I treated you today, I was sure I’d never see you again.”

“I didn’t have much choice,” he murmured but she shook her head.

“Yes, you did. Just like I had a choice whether or not to come with you tonight. We all have choices. Some of them are just easier to decide on than others. What? You don’t believe me?”

“I don’t. I never have a choice. It’s made for me.”

She nodded, the movement sluggish as her body fought her idea to stay awake. “I thought so, too, until a couple of days ago. I thought I was trapped in my life. Someone else told me what to do all the time. But I’d given him the right to make those choices. As soon as I’d decided he didn’t have that power anymore, it was gone.”

“It’s not the same thing. You and I are different.”

“Not so different. Wait and see. I bet I’m right.”


Chapter 7: A CASE OF NERVES IS BAD ENOUGH

They’re close now.

Alma glanced at her phone before putting it on the table. She had spent the last two hours staring out the front windows, waiting for the familiar headlights of the jeep to turn off the highway and down the long drive. Even as she’d hung up the phone with Den, she’d taken up her position here and hadn’t moved.

The darkness was not as absolute as it had been right after sunset now that the moon was up. It had been full last week and still had enough surface to reflect back a good amount of the earth’s light. But it wasn’t enough to set her mind at ease.

“Come away, my dear. You’re making the children nervous.”

“Good,” she retorted but only because it was Constantine. He was the only one she allowed herself to show the anger and frustration she felt right now. It was a relief that she didn’t need to watch her words or control her facial features even if it was only for a few moments. “They should be nervous.”

“No, not nervous. They should be prepared. There’s a difference. I don’t want them thinking we aren’t prepared for this. They don’t like that you’re worried.”

“Den isn’t here where he should be. He went off without a care for what we might need.”

“And you’re bitter because he isn’t here to single-handedly protect us? He’s not a lap dog to be ordered around from place to place. He’s always been his own man. You were the one to first make him realize that.”

Alma’s face crumpled with despair. “Yes, I know. It’s not fair of me to depend on him. But I do. He is equipped for this fight. The others… the others have no idea what we’re up against.”

“That’s not true. Just because they’re new to this battle doesn’t mean they aren’t prepared.”

Even with the yard lights on, Alma could still pick out the stars above. She had been aware of the constellations from an early age, always following the paths of the stars through the sky as they moved with time and season.

Constantine moved to wrap her in his arms and she let herself sink into the warmth of his embrace. “They’re always out there, aren’t they? Even when we don’t feel them coming close, they’re always just within reach.”

“Always. There’s never a time I don’t feel them. Even now, they aren’t close. Not as close as I thought they would have to be to attack.”

“Do you doubt me?”

“Never.” She smiled at the firm matter-of-fact strength in his voice. From the moment she had met Con, she had valued his firm resolve. Nothing he did was halfway and he didn’t understand gray areas. Right was right and wrong was wrong and there was nothing in the between for him to worry about.

Even if he didn’t doubt her, she doubted herself. “I still don’t understand what Vert did. How he tricked Den into leaving.”

“Evil doesn’t have to be overt to be evil. It just has to be what good isn’t. Vert didn’t know he was being manipulated which means Den never knew. For all we know, any of us could be manipulated into doing their work. Like you said, they are always out there.”

There was a chill in the air as a breeze blew in through an open window. Along with the typical earthy tang the air always held, there was something more. Something dark and dank that smelled like rotten vegetation.

“An hour. Maybe two. I need to go see about the watch fires.”

“No back burn?”

“This is what Robsen has decided to do. He’s alerted dispatch but I expect to get a call from the Chief within the next half an hour. To burn so late at night and at such a dry time of the year isn’t what I would have liked. We don’t have many more excuses left before people start to question what exactly we’re doing out here.”

“Will they come at us with fire again, do you think?”

Con kissed the side of her neck. “It was nearly effective last time. There was nothing left to use in rebuilding the barn. That was only an assault on one flank. They discovered a new weakness.”

“Which is why we need Den,” Alma ground out, her panic making the words sharp and biting.

“No.” Con shook his head and backed away from the love of his life. “You think we need Den which is what makes him the very weakness they are attempting to overcome. Even if he comes in time, they will be ready for him. There is nothing he can do this time. They know what he is capable of. You cannot continue to hold him here in hopes that they will forget his presence. We must rely on ourselves this time.”

Alma shivered as the warmth that had surrounded her disappeared as Con left the room. He was right and yet she didn’t want to hear him. The panic roiling inside her body was making her sick. Taking one deep breath and then two, she attempted to calm down. Grace would be barging into the room soon no matter that she demanded her privacy, trying to heal the effects of her despair.

Instead of concentrating on Den and his ability to take care of his family, she thought of the others that stayed on the farm full time now. Grace could heal anything but open wounds. Her abilities stopped with blood that had been presented to the foul air outside the body. Unless life threatening, those kinds of hurts could be bandaged up and left to heal on their own. No matter what, they would survive to fight another day thanks to Grace.

Xander had an affinity with the earth that allowed plants to grow at nearly three times the speed they normally did. While they had to hold him back or be forced to hack through a jungle to get to the highway, he had been able to build up the hedges that surrounded the main house where they would wait and watch through the night. He was assisted by Heather who knew where every rock and stone was located in a three-mile radius. She was most useful in the mountains but that was always hazardous. When her emotions got out of hand, those same rocks trembled and shifted. If it happened too often they had to contend with scientists nosing around their mountain range, trying to find out the reason for the tremors.

Closer to home were Delaney and Gretchen. Both women were normally found in the kitchen but they were very different in what they could actually do besides cooking and cleaning. Delaney was a counterpoint to Harris' aptitude with finding patterns in chaos. In any situation, she saw the chaos and used it against her opponent. Gretchen was able to levitate small objects with her mind for short distances but using her ability for too long made her tired and out of sorts for days. She was kept close to home and only used if absolutely necessary.

Becca was kept at the foot of the stairs up to the top floor. She had no obvious means of defending herself or others but she would know where Blake was at all times which meant she could find Alma at a moment’s notice. She was small and wiry and could run faster than anyone else on the property. If Harris needed help of any kind, she would make sure to find it for her.

(if you're reading this, do not read the rest and just go to the next entry.)

There were others that were stationed outside. Most of them had varying degrees of strength or speed or could throw things great distances. Vert was on standby in case they needed cars but Alma fervently hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She didn’t want to know if Vert had been compromised in any other way. It was bad enough what he had done already. She was glad that no one else but Con and Beau knew what he had done. It would hurt the others so much if they thought he was so weak. Better that he be able to redeem himself if he truly didn’t mean what he had done.

She could smell the burning wood on the breeze….