Chapter Twenty-Nine
The low crackling of the bonfire was hardly the only noise on the beach, but it was the one that I reveled in. Yesterday, I thought that the only fire I would ever see again was the one burning next to the Aztecan altar. The sounds of laughing and the sound of the waves breaking in the moonlight went unheard by my ears as I moved closer to Tanner. He responded by wrapping me in his arms and pulling me into his lap.
Looking up at him, I watched the flames of the fire reflected in his eyes dance merrily. His lips turned up into a smile before leaning down and pressing against mine. Unlike the kiss we shared before I was pulled away to the temple, this one held no fear or desperation, only peace. Tanner pulled away sooner than I would have liked, but the adoring smile he gave me made up for that.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked.
After that kiss, I was plenty warm. “I’m fine.”
His smiled widened into a playful grin. “But you’re shaking.”
Color flooded my cheeks and I was glad for the darkness. “That has nothing to go with the temperature. Ever since yesterday that seems to happen to me every time I get near you.”
I expected more teasing, but Tanner’s face softened. “I’m glad you are near me,” he said. “I was scared yesterday. It only lasted a second for me, but I was terrified of what you were going through.”
I told him later that night the details of what happened on the temple mesa. Tanner stayed quiet the whole walk home from the church, which I appreciated. Dinner and a movie with my parents in honor of my birthday temporarily banished his questions and worry, but as soon as we were left alone in the living room he begged me to tell him everything.
Telling him was the last thing I wanted to do, but the guilt in his eyes that he had not been able to follow us convinced me in the end. He listened to every word, and even though he knew how it ended his hands were clenched in fear the entire time. In the end, we held each other until we were both convinced that it was really over. We were on the couch for a long time. Maybe not long enough given the look on Tanner’s face.
“It’s all over, Tanner. I promise,” I said. My fingers came up to his face and drifted back into his hair, curling the short strands around my fingertips in an attempt to soothe him.
“I know it’s over,” he said. “It’s just hard not to think about how close I came to losing you.”
An owl hooted in the distance as it searched the woodland floor for little mice. The owls had unnerved me the first few nights we were here, but now every sound of life I heard reminded me that I was still alive. So much had changed since moving to Grainer.
“Do you want to know what I dreamed about last night?” I asked him.
I can still see the fear in his eyes, but he attempts to hide it from me by pulling me against his chest. “What did you dream about last night?”
Pulling in even closer, I said, “You.”
“You dreamed about me?”
“Uh huh.”
“What happened?” Tanner asked, his body relaxing.
My grin is thankfully hidden by the darkness, and my giggle swallowed up by the sounds of the fire and ocean. Or at least I thought they were. Tanner’s warm breath rippled across my neck as he leaned closer to me.
“What happened in this dream?” he asked again.
“I’m not telling,” I said with another laugh.
“That is not fair.”
“Neither was showing up at my house with a bow as a birthday gift. My mom nearly had a heart attack when she saw it.”
Tanner scoffs and pulls back in mock hurt. “How was I supposed to know you shooting with me was a big secret. You could have told me,” he argued.
I kind of had a lot on my mind the last week. It’s a good argument, too, but I don’t use it. I’m done talking about what happened. Thankfully Tanner picks up the sudden slack in the conversation.
“But you have to admit I did a pretty good job of convincing her archery was perfectly safe. She let you keep the bow, at least.”
“No, you convinced my dad it was safe. My mom was still pretty upset about the whole thing. I think she might have tried to hide it last night if I hadn’t slept with it under my pillow last night,” I said.
Tanner’s deep laugh broke around me. “You slept with the bow under your pillow? Why?”
“Because I know my mom all too well, and…” I stopped myself, not meaning to add anything to that sentence. The and caught Tanner’s attention, though. His eyebrows rose expectantly and I knew there was no chance of him letting me squirm out of this one.
“Because I was a little scared of going to bed last night, and since I couldn’t have you with me again I had to settle for the bow.”
I couldn’t believe I just admitted that to him. My embarrassment had me looking down at my toes squiggling around in the sand. Tanner’s hands pulled me back up to meet his eyes. The soft, playful, sensuous glow in them froze my breath. Slowly his hands dropped from my face and pulled the sweatshirt he’d been wearing against the cool ocean breeze off of his body.
In one smooth motion he pulled it down over my shoulders. Autopilot alone made my arms work to push them through the sleeves. Tanner placed his hands back on my face, and said, “Since I’m guessing my chances of getting to sneak back into your room for the night are pretty slim…”
He paused and waited for my confirming, if not much too slow nod. My grandpa made it pretty clear to both of us he’d spill everything if he found out Tanner stayed over again. Whether my grandpa understood why I asked Tanner to stay or not, I was still his to protect.
“Well, now you have something else to keep you company if you need it,” Tanner said, rubbing his hands up and down my now covered arms slowly.
A sweatshirt wasn’t nearly as good as having Tanner, but it was a lot better than an uncomfortable bow. “Thanks, Tanner.”
Back in his arms again I closed my eyes with no fear for the first time and what seemed like years. I had planned very specifically to hate everything about Grainer. It really shouldn’t have taken a near death experience at the hands of ancient Aztec gods to realize how lucky I really was to be here. Somehow I had escaped my centuries old fate and landed the best boyfriend ever since moving here. Not bad for my first week as The New Doctor’s Kid. I just hoped the next two years aren’t nearly as exciting. Boring and small sounded pretty perfect right now.
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Also by DelSheree Gladden
Twin Souls: Book One of the Twin Souls Saga
Shaxoa’s Gift: Book Two of the Twin Souls Saga
Qaletaqa: Book Three of the Twin Souls Saga
Inquest (Book One of the Destroyer Trilogy) Coming 2012
Check out this Sneak Peek of
Twin Souls
Book One of the Twin Souls Saga