Like turning on a switch, I woke immediately and sat up in bed, panicked. Eyes wide, my gaze searched the room as I tried to find the source of my emotion. Warm hands gently tugged me back to the chest on which I’d been resting. Morik. My hammering heart started to slow as I willingly lay down. I’d never before woken so disoriented from a chanted sleep.
“Shh. It’s okay. You’re safe,” Morik assured me as he gently ran his hand over my back.
The panic felt so real, and it took me a moment to remember why. The trees. The dark. Ahgred.
“Brian. Is he okay?”
Morik hesitated for a moment, and I lifted my head to look at him. He’d set aside the hat and sunglasses so I could see his eyes clearly.
“Yes and no,” he said. “Ahgred didn’t do anything to him after we left, but he’d already done plenty before that. Ahgred’s been using Brian to watch you. And Brian remembered everything. He needed help. I took him to the same hospital that Clavin’s staying at.”
Poor Brian. No wonder he’d freaked out when he saw me. The times that I thought I saw him in a crowd, like at the mall, weren’t just my imagination then. Ahgred must have been using him for a while.
“And Ahgred?”
“Gone for now.”
I rested my head on Morik’s shoulder. He continued to stroke my back, and his touch gradually relaxed me as I thought everything over. So Ahgred, like Morik, was tied to me through the deals made by Belinda and her father. Ahgred had found me first, but I’d narrowly escaped him. Then Morik had come into the picture, and for whatever reason, Ahgred had played it cool and had just watched. Why had he made his move last night, though? If Morik hadn’t whisked me away, I might have more answers. I didn’t doubt that Morik could protect me. So why pop me home like that? And why bark out orders and leave again? He’d left Ahgred behind, after all.
“Why did you have them chant me to sleep?”
“Ahgred is only free at night. He can’t touch you when you are protected by your family’s chant. Mine isn’t as strong.”
The mad race to the house the first time I saw Ahgred made more sense. I wasn’t out after dark. Ever. Well, except now because of the deal with Morik. Maybe that explained why Ahgred made his move. He was running out of time because my deal with Morik was almost up. Then, I wondered how my family was even able to chant me to sleep. The deal I’d made should have prevented it. Not that it really mattered since tonight was the last night of freedom, anyway.
“Doesn’t that break our deal?” I wondered idly.
His hand stilled on my back, and I lifted my head to look at him again. The warm brown that swirled in his eyes abruptly receded, and I idly wondered what colors had dominated his eyes last night when I’d kissed him. Glancing down at his lips, I wondered what he’d do if I kissed him again.
“I’m asking you to release me from our deal.”
The way he said it, so formally, forced my attention back to what he said.
“What does that mean exactly?”
“It means you are no longer bound to spend time with me. It also means you will have no choice but to sleep if your family chooses to continue to use the chant on you.”
The chanting didn’t bother me. I’d gone into the deal with the knowledge my freedom would be short lived. The whole purpose of the deal had been to test whether I could trust Morik. And I did. But to stop spending time with him? He was the reason I’d been able to walk away from the vision with Brad. I needed my time with Morik.
“What if I don’t want that?” I asked.
“I will owe you a blood debt. My life for breaking our deal.”
“Then, of course I release you,” I said, pulling away from him. “I’d rather have you alive and miss you than not have you at all.” Maybe I’d be able to make a different deal to spend time with him.
He frowned for a moment before smiling crookedly at me. “You don’t have to spend time with me, but you can still choose to.”
The sadness that had weighed down on me lifted as he spoke. I wouldn’t have to give him up, just the stars again…for a while. I slid my hand under his shirt to curl my arm around his waist as I contentedly laid my head back on his chest.
“Perfect,” I said, happy with his answer. “What does Ahgred want with me, anyway?”
“He wants a way to interact with humans. If you choose me, we will be connected. You will be my anchor, tying me to your life and giving me purpose. When you choose me, he won’t try to touch you.”
I definitely didn’t want to be Ahgred’s connection to this world.
“Will Ahgred try to use someone else to watch me?” I asked, suddenly worried for my family and Beatriz.
“No. He wants to persuade you to choose him. He won’t do something that will upset you.”
Relieved that everyone would be safe, I idly drew circles on Morik’s skin as my mind wandered. We enjoyed a few moments of relaxed silence before Gran knocked on my door.
She didn’t open it, but spoke from the hallway. “Since you two are up, you can shovel your mom’s car out while I make breakfast.”
My eyes rounded in shock. Oh my God…Mom. How would she react when she learned Morik had slept in my room? I almost suggested that we pop to his house but discarded the idea. We’d need to face her eventually. Besides, she seemed to be the only person who had a problem with him.
“Okay,” I called back as I scrambled out of bed. “Be right there.”
Morik grunted when I accidentally elbowed his diaphragm.
“Sorry,” I whispered as I bent to grab the insulated pants from my bag on the floor. Morik must have brought back my things from Beatriz’s place.
I tugged them on over my pajamas then paused. Pajamas? I looked at Morik, who watched me, and struggled to remember anything after Aunt Danielle had started the chant. Coming up blank, I decided not to ask who’d changed my clothes. Some things were best left unknown.
“You going to lie around all day?” I pulled a hoodie over my top and arched a brow at Morik.
He grinned at me and disappeared. Shaking my head, I left the room and took a quick detour to the bathroom before I headed to the kitchen. I’d expected to see Morik there but found Gran at the stove, cooking another big breakfast.
“I thought we were out of bacon.” The heavenly smell filled the room.
“Me, too. You weren’t the only thing that appeared unexpectedly last night,” she said.
She moved to the refrigerator and opened the door. Even after shopping, the shelves never looked as crowded as they did now. I even spotted soda. We never spent money on soda. It was milk or water from the tap.
The faint scrape of metal against the sidewalk pulled my attention from the abundance of groceries.
“I better get out there before Morik finishes the whole thing.”
Gran closed the refrigerator and winked at me. “I’m letting your mom sleep in. She had a rough night after talking to Morik about what happened. We’re all very glad he was with you.”
So Mom knew Morik “saved” me. The day seemed a little brighter even though snow continued to fall outside.
After I bundled up, I quietly let myself outside. Morik, as I suspected, already had the path to the stoop clear as well as most of the driveway.
I scooped up a handful of heavy snow and lobbed a ball at him. It hit him square on his back. I’d been aiming for the ground in front of him so it would startle him.
He turned, eyeing me with surprise through his yellowed lenses. Without taking his eyes from me, he leaned to the side and grabbed a handful of snow. He took his time shaping it.
Laughing, I held up my hands to ward off the impending missile. He launched it at me with frightening accuracy. As I tried to move to the side, he disappeared only to reappear right in front of me. I heard the ball hit his back.
The meaning behind the gesture wasn’t lost on me.
His eyes met mine, and my smile faded as he lowered his head. My heart leapt in anticipation. Just before his lips met mine, I remembered why I should avoid a second kiss. Too late to pull back, I closed my eyes and braced myself. And nothing happened. Well, not nothing.
His lips brushed lightly against mine, smooth and warm. He gently touched my face, his fingertips tracing my jawline. There was no tingle of pain, only a current of excitement. He tilted his head and pressed closer, distracting me from my concern. Blood rushed to my head. I set my hands on his chest to steady myself, and he moved his lips to my cheek, kissing me there before pulling back.
It took a moment for me to open my eyes. When I did, I saw his satisfied grin. I fought to regain my breath.
“I’ll get the other shovel,” I said but didn’t move. Instead, I stared at his lips.
His grin widened, and he dipped his head again. How was I supposed to think or breathe if he kept doing that? Not that I minded.
A knock on the window near us startled us both apart. I looked over and saw Gran holding up a piece of bacon that she then proceeded to eat with a smile.
“I think that’s our warning. If we want food, we better get shoveling.”
We worked side by side to clear the snow. When we thought we were done, we turned and saw what he’d shoveled first already had an inch of snow on it. I put my shovel away as he quickly scraped that part again.
Shaking off the snow, we walked inside. Mom and Aunt Grace still weren’t up.
“You two have a seat,” Gran said, pointing at the two cups of hot chocolate that waited for us on the table.
Morik sat next to me and watched me curiously as I took the first sip.
“Don’t tell me,” I said. “You’ve never had hot chocolate?”
Gran clicked her tongue in dismay as Morik shook his head. “Then, I should have done it up,” she said. “I wonder if we have any whipped cream.” She opened the refrigerator, mumbled to herself for a moment, then remorsefully reported that we didn’t have any.
Just like that, Morik disappeared.
Gran looked at his empty chair and steaming cup. “Does he do that often?”
“With increasing frequency. Makes me wonder why he has a motorcycle.” I blew gently on the chocolate and only managed three sips before Morik reappeared by the door. He handed a can of whipped cream over to Gran.
She smiled at him and patted his cheek. I caught a fleeting look of surprise on his face at the contact, but he quickly suppressed it. He followed Gran to the table and watched her add a mound of fluff on top of his hot chocolate. Gran and I both watched him take his first sip, which was more of a gulp. I wondered if it burned his throat, but he didn’t seem fazed by it. Based on the look on his face, he enjoyed the drink.
By the time we finished breakfast, Aunt Grace had joined us. Morik and I listened to Gran and Grace make plans for a day filled with cooking and baking. It left us with nothing to do but stay out of the way.
“Do you think Mom would mind if we went to Morik’s house?” I asked Gran.
“No, she won’t mind. Be back by three, though. She’s invited Stephen over for dinner as long as you won’t be sleeping early.”
I felt Morik glance at me. “Gran, because of what happened last night, it’d be best if we went back to the way things were.”
“That’s smart of you both,” Mom said, walking into the kitchen. “I’ll call and cancel. It’s snowing too much for him to drive out here anyway.”
She couldn’t quite keep the disappointment from her face as she fixed herself a plate.
“Mom, if he’s willing to drive, we can make this work.” I looked to Morik for support. “Before dark we can say we’re walking to your house. I can spend the night there.”
“Is it safe?”
Her question caught me off guard. I had anticipated an immediate no. Did this mean she was warming up to Morik, or did she want to spend more time with Stephen enough that she could put aside her distrust of Morik?
“Yes,” Morik answered before I could. He stood when Mom sat. Old world manners by today’s standards, which I found endearing. “Although your chant is stronger, my home is safer.”
“Then, if you’re willing to take on that responsibility, I’ll agree to it. Just for tonight, though.” She gave me a “mom” look with that last part. After that, conversation switched to dinner and preparations.
I excused myself from the table and took my plate to the sink. Morik followed suit, helping me clear the dishes. I washed while he dried. Behind us, the conversation didn’t flag, and they started to talk decorations. When we finished, Mom shooed us out of the house, telling us they would handle everything else.
Morik followed me to my room, and I packed myself a bag. When I had everything I needed, I called good-bye to my mom and stepped close to Morik.
In a blink, we stood in Morik’s living room. This time, toasty warmth enveloped us. He’d turned up the heat for me.
He led me to the guest room, which had changed since my last visit. A large bed with a thick, white down comforter occupied the room and contrasted with the deep brown walls. Heavy white panels covered the room’s only window.
He’d changed the room for me, and it looked beautiful. I would have been just as happy to sleep with him in his bed, though, like we’d been doing in my bed the last several nights.
I set my bag down and turned to him.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He watched me for a moment as if waiting for something more from me. Not knowing what he wanted, I quickly thought of a question that had been bothering me.
“Morik, if you’re supposed to be an option for me, why doesn’t my touch work with you?”
“A future with me isn’t natural. What will happen can’t be predicted.”
That didn’t sound very comforting.
“What did you see when Brad kissed you?” he asked quietly.
I hesitated, not really wanting to talk about it but knowing I owed him an answer.
“Beatriz, really. I would confide in her. Instead of turning away from me, she’d embrace my secret and help me raise the kids and prepare them for what would come. We wouldn’t hide them from you.”
I looked at him with concern. “But it wasn’t just about hiding from you, was it? Belinda must have known Ahgred wanted the same thing. If he’s only out at night, that would explain why she added that bit about shuttering the windows. That’s the only rule that hasn’t made sense so far.”
“It’s possible,” he agreed quietly, studying me. “So friendship calls to you?”
“I’ve had a pretty solitary life,” I said, shrugging. Only after I said the words, did I connect them with his existence and his quest for companionship.
He glanced around the room, lost in thought for a moment. When his gaze settled on me, he said, “I want to show you something.”
Without waiting, he wrapped his hand around mine, and all light winked out. Cool air surrounded me as if we had stepped outside on a fall morning. Only, it didn’t smell crisp and fresh. Dusty, stale air filled my lungs when I breathed deeply. Under my feet, the ground felt hard and uneven. I shifted slightly and heard the slight sound of grit against stone.
“Hold on. Let me find the light.” He moved a little, but his hold on my hand remained steady and sure.
A flashlight clicked on. Pointed at the stone wall to my left, the bright beam still blinded me. Blinking, I saw a rough stone floor in the circle of light. The floor and wall of a cave. No water dripped eerily nearby or anything equally creepy, just a cool, quiet cave.
Morik moved the beam of light slowly around the cavern. Items filled the area while walkways trailed through the stacked collections. There were tables, old and new, paintings, pottery, metalwork, hutches, things that looked like old woven sacks, fishnets—was that a bowling pin?
Absently, I held out my hand for the flashlight. He surrendered it with a smile and followed me as I walked among his treasures. Finally, I had a glimpse of his history, the pieces of his life that helped shape him into the Morik I now knew.
“Morik, this is amazing,” I said softly, looking everything over. I had a hard time imagining all the things he’d done and seen. A painting caught my eye, the texture of it and the swirl of colors drawing me closer. It reminded me of his eyes.
“I thought we might find something here to add to your room,” he said beside me.
I turned with a small smile, knowing he’d seen my interest.
“I’d like that.”
He let me browse through his things for a while, moving what I liked to the side. I found a vase, an old shell comb that I couldn’t quite surrender to him, and a beautiful old chair.
I was still searching for more when I heard something in the back of the cave. Inching closer to Morik, I watched the silver swirl in his eyes as he focused on the area from which the sound originated.
“She is of the line?” a feminine voice asked from the dark.
My heart stuttered. I didn’t know if I wanted more attention from any others of Morik’s kind. Ahgred’s appearance had pushed me enough for the weekend. Make that a lifetime.
“She is. Lurel, come meet Tessa. She is dear to me.”
He said the last part quietly, and I thought he meant Lurel. My eyes searched the darkness for her. When she spoke from nearby, I jumped a little.
“Dear to you? Of course she is,” she said with a slight giggle.
I didn’t like the way she said the last part. Apparently, Morik didn’t either.
“Be nice, or leave,” he said abruptly, taking me by surprise.
Worried about the reason for his anger, I moved closer to him. Just who waited out there in the dark? He reached out and twined his fingers through mine.
“Ah. I see. Not just a link to your future existence,” a tall curvy woman said, stepping out of the shadows.
Dark hair, like Morik’s, fell in waves down her waist. I wondered if hers hid horns, too. Wearing a long diaphanous dress, layered over a simply spun, fitted tunic, she glided further into the light. Her stride was so smooth, I looked to the ground to see if she actually used her feet to move. Her skin didn’t carry Morik’s reddish tone. Instead, her ashen-hued skin made her look sick.
Her eyes swept over me, and she gave Morik a small smile. “I’m truly happy for you, brother.”
Brother? My eyes bounced between the two of them. Other than the hair, there wasn’t much resemblance. Her eyes lacked the amazing colors that Morik’s possessed. Pale white orbs, they lacked any color at all.
Morik seemed to relax. “Tessa, this is Lurel, one of the few of my kind that I can tolerate for more than a minute.” Though his tone was affectionate, he didn’t claim her as his sister. Interesting. I nodded a mute greeting, not sure I wanted to risk the standard “nice to meet you” greeting. It’d be a lie.
“So what are the two of you doing in Morik’s cave of wonders,” she asked me, maintaining her impish smile.
Shrugging, I looked toward Morik, unsure how to answer.
“Doesn’t she speak?” she asked.
Glancing back at her, I struggled to maintain a pleasant face.
“Yes, I speak. We’re picking out things to take to Morik’s home.”
Her gaze flicked to Morik, her smile growing. “She is adorable.”
I didn’t particularly care for the way she spoke as if I were his pet.
“Yes,” Morik said softly. “I believe Ahgred finds her adorable as well.”
Sparks of red drifted into the liquid mercury of his eyes. Fascinated, I watched the change. Starting from the outer edge, the color began a slow spiral to the center as he spoke.
“He lured her into the dark, using another human.” He glanced at me, and the red’s saturation in his eyes paused. “I prevented his touch in time.” The way he said it sent shivers down my back. He noticed. “We should return,” he said to Lurel.
Her brow furrowed with concern. “Call on me if you have need.”
Morik nodded and flicked off the flashlight. I blinked at the dark, and when I opened my eyes, we stood in my bedroom, the things I’d pointed out piled at our feet. I glanced at the alarm clock. We’d spent more time than I thought wandering his treasure room. My stomach rumbled as soon as my brain knew it was lunchtime. Funny how that worked.
“So, what’s for lunch?” I grinned up at him and noted red still held his irises. “Hey. None of that.”
I gently reached up to smooth his hair back. It was a simple touch meant to comfort and distract him. I didn’t want him to dwell on what could have happened.
My fingertips brushed a horn. The ridged surface begged for further exploration. I traced it, and he held still for me. The sharp tip scratched against the pad of my finger, and he whispered for me to take care. Yellow replaced any trace of red, and I smiled at him, lowering my hand and accidentally brushing the tip of his ear.
He closed his eyes with a shudder and hoarsely said, “Let’s look in the refrigerator.” Then, he vanished, leaving me with a hand still raised in the air.
“Morik?”
“I have many ingredients but am not sure what they could make,” he called from the kitchen.
Shaking my head, I wandered out to him. Bent at the waist, he inspected the contents of his refrigerator. The position didn’t give me an opportunity to study his eyes, and I wondered what color would dominate them.
I inched closer and looked over his shoulder to see what he had for food. When I rested a hand on his back, the muscles under my palm quivered then settled. His reactions confused me, but I refrained from asking, fearing another rule.
Focusing on the food, I pointed out what we could use to piece together a sandwich. He even had an avocado.
Morik began gathering ingredients and passed them back to me. I stacked them on the counter, and we worked together to make lunch. I noted his eyes once again swirled silver with veins of brown. Struggling to recall all of the color patterns during our time together, I turned to openly study him while he spread mayonnaise on the bread.
Whenever I looked at his eyes for long moments, they pulled me in. The particles of color blended and swirled in soothing patterns. Captivated by the single fleck of violet that appeared, I moved forward. It drifted in from the outer edge and began its slow spiral to the middle. The middle acted as a drain or something because all the outer colors moved toward it. Never away. When they reached it, they disappeared. I inched closer to observe. His breath brushed my face. More violet flooded the iris, and I made a puzzled sound as I watched the center. No, it didn’t disappear because there was never a void of color.
His low chuckle broke the spell, and I pulled back with a wry smile along with a mumbled apology. “Your eyes pull me in. I love the way the colors swirl.”
He looked at me oddly for a moment. The violet drained, and black and brown crept in.
“I think I know most of them,” I said. A wisp of violet came back, confirming his curiosity. Distractedly, I closed the sandwich he’d just finished and handed him the plate. In my mind, I sorted through the colors I’d witnessed.
I expertly assembled a second sandwich, only slightly aware of his intense scrutiny as he ate. Yes, I did think I knew what they meant, but I’d need to test them before I shared my thoughts. Just in case I’d made a mistake.
Putting away thoughts of colored particles, I asked what we should do for the rest of the afternoon. We still had three hours before my mom wanted us home. Once there, we’d decorate the tree together while the meal finished cooking. After that, presents. The thought of presents brought me up short, and I stifled a groan. I’d completely forgotten about Morik. What could I get a four-thousand-year-old man that he couldn’t get for himself or didn’t already have?
He suggested a movie, and I agreed. It would give me some time to think. Before he led me downstairs, I peeked out the window at the gently falling snow.
“We should go back early and make snowmen in the front yard,” I said. “Mom would like that. It could be our gift to the family.”
He nodded his agreement, clearly amused by me. Moving away from the window, I followed him down the steps and stared around in amazement. He obviously spent a lot of time down there. There was a huge television centered on the wall; and on the shelves beside it, there were various gaming devices. A pair of recliners sat right in front of the TV.
In awe, I approached the chairs while he used a remote to dim the lights and pull up a movie menu. One chair was well worn, and the other appeared new. He’d gotten it just for me. No bow or ribbon adorned it. It wasn’t a gift. He’d bought it, hoping that I’d spend enough time with him to use it.
Settling into the chair, I suggested a Christmas classic. He started the movie then sat beside me. We watched in silence for a moment. The question of his gift bounced around in my skull until I gave in and revisited a topic that had made him run once already.
“I asked you before what you wanted besides a companion, and you disappeared on me. I’m still curious.”
He quirked a smile, still looking at the screen. “A kiss.”
“You already asked for that and can kiss me whenever you want. Isn’t there something else you want?”
His eyes flared in surprise, and his gaze flew to mine.
I quickly backpedaled. “No. No, not that! I mean—” I lost my voice for a second as a neon blush decorated my face. I tried again, slightly subdued. “Is there something else, material, or food, or something that you’ve wanted to own or try?”
“Nothing, Tessa. You are what I want.”
Yeah, I’d figured as much. It would make for a crappy Christmas for him. Then a spark of brilliance ignited a plan. We had one tradition in our family for the men we chose. I just hoped my mom wouldn’t throw a fit when I asked her.
