which effectively shut out any leftover illumination. She was plunged into a total and complete darkness so thick she found it hard to breathe.
Her head pounded. She gingerly explored the small lump that quickly formed and frowned. “Bastard.” He’d only kissed her to shut her up—again. Heat flushed her cheeks at how easily she could be manipulated by him. But she couldn’t help the small ribbon of pleasure that slithered through her gut at the thought of him. Even now, as she pondered the dimple in his cheek, warmth spread through her body.
Annoyed, she banished him from her mind.
Moving to the limestone door, she expelled good energy in an attempt to move it. Her wish to see Edwin fight was thwarted by her lack of upper arm strength. She dropped to her hands and knees, exhausted. She felt around the relatively cool limestone floor of the small cave for her bag, and she sneezed once at the fine dirt she disturbed.
The cave itself wasn’t large, just as he’d said. Being only an approximate ten feet in length, Hannah located their bags quickly enough but banged her forehead on the low ceiling in the process. She stretched her hands above her head. She couldn’t stand to her full height, which meant it was probably more difficult for Edwin.
She hated being alone in the dark. As she strained her ears to hear outside, she was rewarded by the intermittent sound of the locusts as they performed their mating rituals. With one last hope that he could indeed handle the disturbance, she stretched out as comfortably as she could on the stone floor with her bag a cradle for her head, and then drifted into a fitful sleep.
*****
“Hannah, come to me. I’m waiting for you.” The voice called to her through the haze of her mind, the gentleness betrayed by the plague of darkness it conjured. “You can be a very powerful woman if you join us.” She shook her head. The man before her laughed, a terrible, grating evil sound. “I’m giving you the opportunity to join with me because if you do not, there will be more deaths.” With a slight movement of his finger, a door to her right opened. Edwin fell forward into the room to land on his knees, his hands tied behind his back. “Let’s just say that if you don’t join me, I’ll start by killing him.”
Edwin stirred as Hannah thrashed in his arms. In her relaxed state of sleep, he had been able to tap into her thoughts with ease. The dream troubled him, not only because he was in it, but also for the simple fact that Andre was becoming aggressive in his pursuit of her.
“Please, let him go . I’ll do anything you ask, just leave him alone.”
His chest tightened with an unidentified emotion. Even in sleep, she strove to protect him. But, he would do the same for her. “It is all right, spatzi . You are not in danger. We are safe for the time being.” He whispered the words near the shell of her ear, pleased when she relaxed against him.
“It was a dream?”
“Yes. Andre appears to be very concerned. He now uses me to get to you.” He pulled her flush against him so his body cradled hers from behind.
“When do we leave?” Fatigue colored her voice. Her tiredness in his mind left lavender streaks.
“It is raining . You would not wish to hike through the rain, so I did not wake you when I returned.” He shifted her in his arms and let his fingers drift absently over the curve of one hip. “You may as well catch up on your sleep.” Something akin to contentment filled him as they rested together. She would not be easy to dissuade.
“What happened last night? What was out there? Was there a fight? Were you hurt?”
His laughter echoed around the cave. “I am unharmed and unhurt , but yes, there was a fight. I had a run-in with a werewolf I know.” He paused long enough to brush his lips against her ear. “He was merely lost. Once I got his attention with a few well-directed punches he went on his way.”
Hannah sucked in a breath.
Her head pounded. She gingerly explored the small lump that quickly formed and frowned. “Bastard.” He’d only kissed her to shut her up—again. Heat flushed her cheeks at how easily she could be manipulated by him. But she couldn’t help the small ribbon of pleasure that slithered through her gut at the thought of him. Even now, as she pondered the dimple in his cheek, warmth spread through her body.
Annoyed, she banished him from her mind.
Moving to the limestone door, she expelled good energy in an attempt to move it. Her wish to see Edwin fight was thwarted by her lack of upper arm strength. She dropped to her hands and knees, exhausted. She felt around the relatively cool limestone floor of the small cave for her bag, and she sneezed once at the fine dirt she disturbed.
The cave itself wasn’t large, just as he’d said. Being only an approximate ten feet in length, Hannah located their bags quickly enough but banged her forehead on the low ceiling in the process. She stretched her hands above her head. She couldn’t stand to her full height, which meant it was probably more difficult for Edwin.
She hated being alone in the dark. As she strained her ears to hear outside, she was rewarded by the intermittent sound of the locusts as they performed their mating rituals. With one last hope that he could indeed handle the disturbance, she stretched out as comfortably as she could on the stone floor with her bag a cradle for her head, and then drifted into a fitful sleep.
*****
“Hannah, come to me. I’m waiting for you.” The voice called to her through the haze of her mind, the gentleness betrayed by the plague of darkness it conjured. “You can be a very powerful woman if you join us.” She shook her head. The man before her laughed, a terrible, grating evil sound. “I’m giving you the opportunity to join with me because if you do not, there will be more deaths.” With a slight movement of his finger, a door to her right opened. Edwin fell forward into the room to land on his knees, his hands tied behind his back. “Let’s just say that if you don’t join me, I’ll start by killing him.”
Edwin stirred as Hannah thrashed in his arms. In her relaxed state of sleep, he had been able to tap into her thoughts with ease. The dream troubled him, not only because he was in it, but also for the simple fact that Andre was becoming aggressive in his pursuit of her.
“Please, let him go . I’ll do anything you ask, just leave him alone.”
His chest tightened with an unidentified emotion. Even in sleep, she strove to protect him. But, he would do the same for her. “It is all right, spatzi . You are not in danger. We are safe for the time being.” He whispered the words near the shell of her ear, pleased when she relaxed against him.
“It was a dream?”
“Yes. Andre appears to be very concerned. He now uses me to get to you.” He pulled her flush against him so his body cradled hers from behind.
“When do we leave?” Fatigue colored her voice. Her tiredness in his mind left lavender streaks.
“It is raining . You would not wish to hike through the rain, so I did not wake you when I returned.” He shifted her in his arms and let his fingers drift absently over the curve of one hip. “You may as well catch up on your sleep.” Something akin to contentment filled him as they rested together. She would not be easy to dissuade.
“What happened last night? What was out there? Was there a fight? Were you hurt?”
His laughter echoed around the cave. “I am unharmed and unhurt , but yes, there was a fight. I had a run-in with a werewolf I know.” He paused long enough to brush his lips against her ear. “He was merely lost. Once I got his attention with a few well-directed punches he went on his way.”
Hannah sucked in a breath.
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