CHAPTER 21

Kasey slept until noon, when Ashwin's gentle voice finally roused her from her much-needed, extended slumber. “Kasey...”

Kasey opened her eyes and blinked up at him, and he smiled as he sat down on the bed. “Hi there, sleepyhead. Are you going to sleep all day?”

“What time is it?” Kasey inquired as she slowly sat up and pushed the hair out of her eyes.

“It's a little after twelve.”

“You're kidding.”

“Nope.” He eyed her slender frame before he shook his head and added, “It's lunch time, and you definitely need to eat. What would you like?”

Kasey shrugged as she got out of bed. “Surprise me.”

Ashwin smiled as he suddenly pulled her into his arms and murmured, “I think I did that this morning.”

Kasey smiled up at him and purred, “Yes, you did. I happen to like your surprises.”

Ashwin laughed softly as his arms gently tightened around her. “You do, huh?”

“Yes...as long as they're good surprises.”

“That's all I intend on giving you from now on, if you can handle it.”

“Oh, I'm pretty sure I can.”

Ashwin smiled as he lowered his head, and moments later Kasey's desire was instantly ignited as Ashwin captured her mouth with his own and proceeded to skillfully simulate with his tongue what he'd done to her that morning, as well as what he planned on doing to her later. He drew her tongue into his mouth and slowly sucked in a tantalizing back and forth motion, and Kasey had to grip his shoulders before she sank to the floor in a steaming, melted heap of desire. Her fingers slowly moved from his shoulders to the back of his neck as he continued his slow, gentle assault on her senses, and she couldn't stifle her moan of pleasure as she curled her fingers around his silky-soft, tantalizing ponytail and held on for dear life. She gave another low moan of pleasure as Ashwin's hand began moving back and forth between her legs, and the fact that her panties had been missing since early that morning meant instant access for him as he slowly slid his middle finger deep inside her. Moments later Kasey gasped again as he used his thumb to tease and tantalize the taut, pink little button that was just begging for his attention. Kasey let go of his ponytail and reclaimed her desperate grip on his shoulders as he slowly caressed her with his finger, all the while moving his thumb in a slow, maddening circle around the little bud that was impatiently waiting for his touch. His mouth never left hers as he finally delivered a light, slow stroke across the now-swollen, prominent bud, and he swallowed her ragged moans of pleasure as her body shook violently before she went limp in his arms. He groaned softly against her lips at the rush of wet heat he felt against his palm, and as he slowly eased her onto the bed he murmured, “Kasey...”

She slowly opened her eyes and blinked up at him, and her voice was barely more than a whisper as she said, “Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

Kasey nodded and closed her eyes again as she basked in the afterglow of what they'd just shared, but the moment was cut short when her stomach rumbled rather loudly in the relative quiet of the bedroom. Ashwin slowly straightened and pulled Kasey off the bed, then put his arm around her shoulders as he laughed and murmured, “I see you've worked up quite an appetite.”

“You're a very perceptive man,” Kasey replied as she got dressed and followed Ashwin into the kitchen. He simply smiled and shook his head before he kissed the tip of her nose, and after setting a plate of food in front of her, he sat down across from her and proceeded to satisfy his own raging hunger. After eating half of what he'd put on his plate, he finally leaned back and took a sip of tea before he inquired, “When would you like to go home?”

“What happened to my apartment?”

Ashwin sighed as he slowly fingered the rim of his glass. “It's my understanding that Holly had the place completely remodeled.” He glanced across the table at Kasey and softly added, “Do you still want to live there?”

Kasey sighed and bit her lip as she pushed her food around on her plate. “Where else am I going to go? I don't have much choice BUT to live there, Ashwin.”

Ashwin folded his arms across his chest and pinned Kasey with that smile of his that always made her breath catch in her throat before he said, “Ah, that's where you're wrong, sweetheart.”

Kasey shot him a puzzled frown. “What do you mean?”

Ashwin gave a nonchalant shrug and replied, “I figured you'd move in with me, but...”

Kasey's face lit up like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza, and Ashwin's smile was just as bright as he casually finished off his tea before he teased, “I take it that's a yes, then?”

Kasey gave an emphatic nod as she got to her feet, and moments later she threw her arms around Ashwin's neck and murmured, “Thank you...you have made me a very happy woman, Ashwin.”

Ashwin laughed and pulled her down onto his lap, then gently nipped at the side of her neck before he murmured, “I can see that...and you have made me a very happy man. I promise to do everything in my power to make and keep you happy, sweetheart.”

Kasey sighed as tears welled in her eyes at his tender, heartfelt words. “You already have.”

Their tender moment was interrupted when Ashwin's mother came rushing into the kitchen, and Ashwin frowned at her red face and flustered demeanor as she exclaimed, “Ashwin! Come quick!”

Ashwin got to his feet and inquired, “What is it, A-lu-li?”

Goga shook her head. “There's no time for questions, just come with me!”

Ashwin's frown deepened as he glanced at Kasey. “You stay here. I'll be back soon.”

Kasey gave a firm shake of her head. “NO. I'm coming with you.”

Ashwin set his mouth in a straight line at her stubbornness, but he said nothing else as they followed his mother out of the house and through the woods. Ten minutes later they came upon a house, and Ashwin felt his stomach twist when he realized it was Silver Moon's house. He stopped and turned to his mother, and as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders he inquired, “What is this all about, A-lu-li?”

“She's suicidal, Ashwin. She has the chief in there, as well as her baby..”

Ashwin's face darkened as he remembered everything that Silver Moon had done, and he clenched his hands into fists as he fought to remain calm. His mother was looking at him expectantly, and Kasey's pale face had taken on an expression of utter shock and terror at his mother's words. Ashwin sighed deeply as he was suddenly engaged in an age-old battle of right versus wrong. The man who had suffered immensely at the hands of Silver Moon was in direct opposition to the doctor and Shaman in him, and as he closed his eyes he was grateful when his spirit guide made a sudden appearance. The owl ruffled its mighty feathers and spoke in a commanding tone. “Strong Horse, your compassion and skills are needed to deal with this woman. She needs your help.”

“I have tried to help her before, and she refused. What else am I to do?”

The owl showed him just what he needed to do regarding Silver Moon, but Ashwin was still hesitant as he said, “She tried to kill me, O Wise One. What if she tries again and succeeds?”

The owl ruffled its feathers again. “She won't try to do that again, Strong Horse. She thinks you are dead. In her ill mind, she will think you have returned as a spirit. That will temporarily stop her from carrying out her plan of self-destruction. But you must act quickly to prevent her from realizing the truth.”

Ashwin suddenly realized what had to be done, and as always, he bowed his head to the owl in a gesture of respect as he said, “Thank you, O Wise One. I will act accordingly.”

The owl nodded and suddenly flew away, and when Ashwin opened his eyes, his mother and Kasey were standing there looking at him with puzzled expressions on their faces. He turned to his mother and said, “A-lu-li, I need you to go to my office and retrieve a few things for me, and I need you to act quickly.”

Goga nodded. “Whatever you need, son.”

Ashwin told his mother what he needed, and after she'd disappeared into the woods, he turned to Kasey and murmured, “Please, sweetheart, don't look at me like that. I'll be fine.”

“But Ashwin! She tried to kill you! What if--”

“Shh,” he said as he gently drew her into his arms and dropped a gentle kiss to her lips. Kasey wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him as if this was the last time she'd ever see him. Ashwin frowned when he felt the sudden dampness on the front of his shirt, and as he slowly raised his head he murmured, “Kasey, sweetheart, I promise I'll be fine. She thinks I'm dead. She isn't going to do anything to me. But there IS something I have to do for her.”

“What? And why? You don't owe her anything!” Kasey exclaimed as frustration and fear welled up inside her. Ashwin knew that Kasey didn't understand, and as he gently stroked her face he said, “She's ill, Kasey, and she needs my help. The doctor and the Shaman in me demand that I help her.”

Kasey sighed and shook her head as Ashwin's mother returned with the items he'd requested, and the two women watched in silence as Ashwin broke the seal on the small vial his mother had brought before he slid a needle into the clear liquid and withdrew enough to fill the syringe. That done, he replaced the cap on the needle and tucked it into his jeans pocket, then turned away and walked through Silver Moon's front door.

Silver Moon looked a mess—her hair was tangled and hadn't been washed in days, and the wrinkled, dirty clothes she wore hung on her pathetically skinny frame as she feverishly paced barefoot in her living room. Ashwin glanced over at the chief, whose pale face was unreadable as he kept an eagle eye on Silver Moon. She didn't know that Ashwin was right behind her, and when he cleared his throat, she whirled around and gasped at the sight of him. She took a few steps backwards and whispered, “Ashwin? No! It can't be! They buried you the other day! I—I was watching from across the cemetery! How--” she stopped speaking as a terrifying thought suddenly occurred to her, and she took a few more steps backwards as all of the color drained from her face. Ashwin was aware of the gun in her hand, but he kept his voice calm and reassuring as he said, “Put the gun down, Silver. You can't shoot a spirit, or didn't you know that?”

Silver Moon gasped again when he confirmed her worst fear, that he was a spirit come back from the dead, but instead of relinquishing the gun, she tightened her grip on it as tears welled in her eyes. She suddenly shook her head and said, “No, Ashwin! I'm not going to put the gun down! I have nothing left to live for!”

Ashwin sighed and calmly tried to reassure her. “Sure you do, Silver. You have the rest of your life ahead of you. You also have that baby to take care of.” He nodded toward the infant that was sleeping peacefully in the playpen before he added, “I'm sure there's someone out there for you, Silver. There's someone for everyone in this world, and you're no exception to that.”

Silver Moon angrily swiped at the tears that were streaming down her cheeks as she exclaimed, “YOU were my someone! You were my everything, Ashwin! So I made a bad decision ten years ago! I shouldn't have to spend the rest of my life paying for one mistake! And believe me, I do pay! I've been paying for the past ten years!”

“If you changed your mind, Silver, you should've come to me and let me know. Why didn't you do that?”

Silver Moon gave a pathetic sniffle and replied, “I guess I'm just stupid.”

Despite his serious misgivings regarding what he was about to say, he said it anyway. “No, Silver, you aren't stupid. Everyone makes bad decisions and mistakes.”

Silver Moon suddenly dropped to her knees as tears continued to stream down her cheeks, and her voice was desperate as she said, “The sooner I do this, the sooner we can be together in the spirit world! That's all I want, Ashwin, is to be with you! It's all I've ever wanted!” With that, she suddenly got back on her feet and whirled around in one smooth movement, and Ashwin's hoarse, “NO!” was drowned out by the deafening blast of the gun as she fired a single shot on the sleeping baby. The bullet whizzed directly above the playpen and lodged into the wall beside the Chief, and Ashwin nearly collapsed in relief when the baby woke from the loud blast of the gun and began to wail.

Sylvie stood rock-still as the gun dangled from her fingers, but her shoulders heaved with the force of her sobs as she brokenly cried out, “I can't deal with this! Can't you see that? I'm poor! I'm an outcast! I'm just a bad, bad person! And—and I never wanted him anyway!”

Ashwin frowned at her crazed outburst, and his stomach churned wildly with fear as she continued to stand there, her gaze fixed on the innocent child she'd just tried to kill. She finally sighed and slowly turned to face Ashwin, and his heart thundered in his chest when he saw how cold and bleak her eyes looked. She gave a slow shake of her head and finally glanced down at the gun, then looked back up at Ashwin and said, “Let's just see if you really ARE a spirit. If so, this bullet won't harm you in the least.”

Ashwin clenched his hands into fists as he watched her slowly bring the gun up and point it at him, and a sick smile spread across her face when she saw Ashwin go frightfully pale. Her frightening, sick smile slowly widened as she raised the gun even higher, but at the last minute she quickly slid the barrel into her mouth and cocked it.

“No, Silver! I can't let you do that!” Ashwin suddenly stepped forward and forcefully knocked the gun out of Silver Moon's hand. It went off as it tumbled wildly across the floor, and the Chief instinctively ducked as another bullet lodged into the wall behind him. Silver Moon stood there sobbing as she looked up at Ashwin, and Ashwin's face darkened even more as Silver Moon softly said to no one in particular, “A life for a life...” She suddenly dove for the gun, but before she could get to it, Ashwin's arm wrapped around her, effectively holding her hostage against his chest as she weakly struggled to get free. He smoothly retrieved the hypodermic from his jeans pocket and yanked the cap off with his teeth before he plunged the needle into Silver Moon's thigh. “You need help, Silver,” Ashwin said as Sylvie gasped softly at the stinging pain in her leg, but she had no time to reply as she suddenly went limp in his arms.

Ashwin sat with his arm around Kasey's shoulders as they watched the unnerving chaos surrounding Silver Moon's house. He had told the police officers that he felt it would be best if Silver were sent to a psychiatric ward for evaluation and treatment, due to major postpartum depression and some other serious, unresolved issues that were plaguing her. As he and Kasey watched the paramedics load Silver Moon into the back of the ambulance, Kasey softly inquired, “So what happened in there?”

Ashwin shook his head and shuddered as he remembered what Silver Moon had tried to do to her own child, and his voice caught in his throat as he softly replied, “It was bad, sweetheart. Silver Moon tried to kill her baby.”

Kasey nodded and pressed herself closer to him as she wrapped her arm around his waist and exclaimed, “That's horrible!” She watched as the paramedics firmly shut the doors on the back of the ambulance, and as an afterthought she added, “So what's going to happen to Silver Moon's baby?”

Ashwin followed Kasey's gaze, and his voice was resigned as he explained, “Little Bird said she'd take the child. I think Sani would love to have a baby brother.”

Kasey nodded again and watched as the ambulance slowly pulled away, and her voice was soft as she murmured, “I'm just glad you're alright.”

Ashwin smiled down at her and said, “I plan on being alright for a long, long time, sweetheart.”

Kasey couldn't bring herself to meet his kind gaze as she said, “I certainly hope so. When I thought you were dead, I—I--” tears welled in her eyes at the wrenching memory, which prompted Ashwin to gently wipe them away with his finger as he pulled her even closer to him and kissed the top of her head. Kasey sighed and closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder, but Ashwin gave her a gentle nudge as he said, “Let's go back to my mother's. I think she invited the Chief over for dinner again.”

“Please don't tell me she's having venison stew again.”

Ashwin laughed and said, “No, I think she's having venison roast.”

Kasey groaned at his words, which made Ashwin shake his head and laugh again as they walked toward his mother's house. Kasey laughed and gave him a gentle nudge in the side at his teasing, but her laughter turned into a surprised moan when Ashwin suddenly pulled her close and kissed her full on the mouth right there in the middle of the forest. He groaned as he instantly sprang to life, but Kasey had no complaints as she pressed herself even closer to him and covertly stroked him through the soft denim of his jeans. Her actions made him groan again and roughly grab her ass, and as he pulled her even closer he could feel the heat of her as he gently situated his knee between her legs. He finally forced himself to end the kiss before he ended up taking her right there in the woods, and as he reluctantly raised his head he murmured, “How do you feel about being dessert tonight?”

Kasey's already-flushed cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink at his softly spoken question, and Ashwin laughed at the expression on her face before he took her hand and led her back to his mother's house.