Burden Of Blood (20 page)

He nodded as he turned his back to her and began to lift his shirt revealing lines of jagged scars covering most of his back.  “Did I tell you how fast warriors heal?”

“No, I don’t think you did,” she whispered, her voice was choked by the sight of his horrific scars, all raised and overlapping one after another in long lines.

“Well, it’s pretty damn fast.  In most cases, a cut that would send you to the hospital will be healed completely on me in a hour.” He flashed her a weak smile as he lowered his shirt back down.  “My punishment was being whipped continually until my father was found or until he turned himself in.” Luke sighed as his face took on a faraway stare.  “Word was sent out that I was being beaten in an attempt to lure Loch back to save me.  Warriors took turns whipping me for ten days.  Ten whole days of my wounds being opened over and over again while my father hid like a coward.” A weak, sarcastic laugh escaped his mouth.

Nicole didn’t know what to say or do when Luke got quiet.  She wanted to know more but was afraid to ask.  She could see the tightness of his jaw and the stiff set of his shoulders as he thought of his past.  She tried to imagine the pain of her own father turning his back on her but the image eluded her.  She realized in that moment what Luke had been talking about when he said that she was lucky to have wonderful parents.  Slowly the wall between them began to drift away as her fear of Luke faded, to be replaced by a deep sorrow.

Luke gave Nicole a soft smile.  “Do you know who stopped my torment?” He paused as Nicole shook her head, “Your grandmother, the Queen of the Fae.  She returned from hiding and showed me great kindness.  She said she understood my love and loyalty to my family though it was wasted on a father who was undeserving.  That’s when she told me about the child she was forced to hide.  She asked me to protect her bloodline with my life and I did not hesitate.” He reached forward, catching a curl that had been windswept then tucking it behind Nicole’s ear being mindful not to touch her skin.  “Now my loyalty falls to you, my princess.  I will protect you with my last breath, then my soul will find you again.  I am forever yours.”

Nicole’s brows knitted together as she thought about his words, she turned her face up to the night sky.  The stars seemed dim tonight and the moon wasn’t impressive but maybe that was how she felt on the inside, devoid of happiness and beauty with a grieving heart.  “I don’t want you to be with me because of your word to the Queen,” she whispered.  “I want you to be here now, because you want to be with me.” Nicole’s eyes met his, her heartbeat was deafening to her own ears as she watched the emotions play across Luke’s face.  She moved closer to him, reaching up to run her fingers along his face.  Luke turned his head softly into her hand, reveling in her touch.

“I’ve never wanted anything more in all the centuries I’ve walked this world than to be with you.” He reached forward to touch her but his motions were hesitant as he searched her face for permission.

Nicole sensed his turmoil.  She pulled his hand up to cup her cheek, her eyes never leaving his.  “I know these feelings are my own.  I don’t doubt us anymore.” She watched as Luke’s eyes misted over and a smile stretched across his face.  He placed a tender kiss on her lips sending a joy into her soul she had never known.

“You don’t hate me because of my father?” he asked cradling her face in both of his hands.

“You’re a great man and a great warrior, Luke.  I can’t say what I would have done if it were my dad.” Her eyes closed as she thought of the pain Luke had endured for his fathera father who didn’t deserve such a wonderful son.

“Don’t do that, Nicole.” He brought his forehead down to lean against hers, “Don’t feel bad for me.  The path I took was hard but it brought me to you,” he traced her lips softly with the pad of his thumb as he spoke.  “And you are worth every breath I wasted without you.  He pressed his lips against hers as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Nicole lost herself in his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as happiness filled her heart.  Having given up on the dream of falling in love long ago, she felt like a whole new world had just opened up to her.  Sure, it came with some strange ancient powers and unusual acquaintances but this life had brought her a chance at happiness she had forgotten was possible.

Luke pulled away from her kiss, laughing softly, “We have really got to get you trained.  Those fiery eyes of yours are going to get us in trouble.”

Nicole gasped as she noticed the glow reflecting off Luke’s deeply tanned skin.  “Damn it, that’s twice tonight you’ve caused me to glow like a lightening bug.” She could feel her cheeks heating with embarrassment.

Luke lifted her chin to his face, a sly grin played across his full lips, “I love that I make you feel this way, just don’t go glowing for any other guys,” he winked then kissed her.

Nicole pulled back from his lips giving him a sarcastic smile.  She started to speak but her body froze as images started playing across her eyes.  Kat’s house flashed to the front of her mind.  The normally pristine living room was littered with papers, overturned furniture and pieces of blue glass from a shattered vase.  Kat’s oversized purse lay on the floor.  Keys, lipstick and her checkbook strewn a little farther away like the bag had been thrown as a weapon.

“Nicole, what is it?”

Nicole forced her eyes to focus on Luke as she pulled herself out of the vision.  “Kat.” she gasped.  “Something is wrong,” she said moving toward the car.

Chapter 12

Nicole and Luke pulled to the front of Kat’s house, parking beside her dark green Jeep.  They jumped out of the car and Luke stopped, touching the hood of the jeep.  “It’s still warm.  She hasn’t been home long.”

She nodded then turned up the stone path that led to the front porch.  Luke pulled her to a stop pointing to the front door.  It was open with the door frame busted.  Easy for anyone to see that someone forced their way inside, powering their way past the dead bolt she remembered Kat had installed a few years back.  Kat had feared living alone even though Nicole had reassured her that she had nothing to worry about.  Most people in this small town never locked their doors.  They trusted their neighbors and for the most part, people held true to treating their neighbors as they would want to be treated.  Nicole felt like this ease of living was what kept her in her small town but as she looked at Kat’s smashed locks, a bit of that security was lost.

“Try feeling inside the house.  Can you tell if anyone is inside?” Luke asked in a whisper as he put his body in front of hers protectively.

Nicole forced herself not to run inside to save her friend from an unknown fate and did as he asked.  She closed her eyes and tried to listen for any thoughts, plans, ideas or hell, even a hiccup that would hint of a person waiting to ambush them but all she got was silence.  She opened her eyes and shook her head at him.  “Nothing.” she whispered.  “Do you feel anything?”

He shook his head but still crept up to the door in a slight crouch, ready for anyone that might have slipped under the radar.  He moved into the doorway, eyes searching the room in front of him.  “Do you have your gun?” he whispered.

“Yes.” she was glad she remembered to pick it up at her apartment now.

“Okay, wait here.”

Before she could protest, he was gone.  A blur of motion was all she caught, then he was out of sight.  She could feel a slight tug in her mind as he moved around the house from room to room.  Her brows pressed together as she tried to figure out if she was following his mind or if this, too, was another ability just now surfacing.  She knew the second he started back to where she was, she could feel the pull as if there were an invisible rope tying them together. 
Was this what Luke was talking about, how one warrior could feel where another warrior was in battle? 
Before she could finish her thought, Luke was standing in front of her.  She pushed the issue to the back of her mind to revisit later when there wasn’t a life or death situation nipping at her feet.

“There’s no one here but there is no doubt there was a fight.” He moved out of the doorway so she could enter.

The living room was just as she had seen it, right down to the placement of the blue shards of broken glass.  She moved down the hallway where pictures had been knocked off the walls.  She picked up one, shaking the picture loose from the crumpled frame.  It was of Kat and herself on Fourth of July a few years back.  They had decided spontaneously to head down to Panama City, Florida.  She remembered the fun she and Kat had that weekend, lying on the beach, drinking Margaritas, checking out hot guys and laughing until their sides hurt.  That was the weekend her abilities started to emerge, causing her to do away with the fun side of herself.  The picture made her heart ache to see her best friend’s smiling face again.

“I bet she really hates me now.  She’s in trouble because of who I am or better yet, what I am.  I will make this right.” She spoke to herself placing the picture on the hall table that stood untouched amongst the damage.  Luke placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she moved further down the hall.

Nicole stepped inside of Kat’s bedroom.  Kat took so much pride in decorating.  The walls were a crimson red, matching her bedcovers perfectly and the queen-sized bed sported a large black, leather headboard that took up most of the space on one wall.  There was a large dresser on the other wall, also in a modern black style, and the floor was covered in the plushest white carpet Nicole had ever seen.  It made you want to take your shoes off just so you could feel it under your bare feet.  But on the far wall, near the door to the walk-in closet, Kat’s large vanity and everything that it held was flipped over.  The mirror had managed not to shatter but several bottles of perfume had crashed together spilling out onto the luxurious carpet.

Nicole stepped around the mess making her way to check the closet.  Maybe Kat had time to leave a note before she was found.  She glanced down at the floor spotting something red.  At first she thought a bottle of nail polish had met its demise too but as she drew closer she realized her mistake.  “Blood,” she gasped.

Luke had stayed in the doorway as Nicole walked the room but when she spoke, he moved to her side, examining the spot on the floor.  “Looks like she tried to hide in the closet but whoever took her drug her out by her hair,” he pointed to a clump of black hair on the floor in the open doorway of the closet.  “She must have been fighting by the looks of the vanity and quite possibly, someone ended up with a bloody nose or a bad scratch.”

Nicole’s worry lessened a bit since she knew Luke was right.  There wasn’t enough blood for someone to be badly injured but the fact remained that her best friend was kidnapped and she didn’t have a clue where to start searching for her.  “You’re right,” she sighed as she ran her hand across her forehead.  “But now what?  We don’t know what to do next.  I mean we have a good idea of who took her, but how in the hell do we get her back?” Her voice started to quiver as hopelessness filled her.  “This is entirely my fault.  I should’ve made her talk to me.  I should’ve forced my way through that front door and made her hear me out, then she would have been prepared.” She started to pace the room, blinking rapidly to clear away the tears that were threatening to spill over.

A loud beep sounded in the room causing Nicole to stop her pacing.  She stood still for a second then started searching her pockets, pulling out her cell phone.  “Someone sent me a text,” she flipped the phone open and hit a button.  “It’s from Kat’s phone!” She pressed another button then read aloud, “I don’t give up that easy.  If you want your friend back alive, keep your phone close.  I’ll be chatting with you real soon.”

Luke took the phone from Nicole’s shaking hand.  “What kind of bullshit is this?  Why would they make us wait?” He ran a hand through his hair as he read the message over again.  “What are they up to?” he mumbled, brows crumpled together in thought.