Crane (27 page)

“I figured.
” Her gaze flicked around the room. Settling on the bed, the tacky curtains, anywhere but at him. “You’ve seen the monster. You know it needs to be stopped.”

“
No
.” The firm, uncompromising rise of his tone snapped her head around. “I mean, yes—obviously—but that’s not why I’m agreeing to this.”

“Thanks for clearing that up
,” Ireland muttered, pulling down the drifting hem of her fitted tank.

Noah
raked his fingers through his hair, leaving it a disheveled mess. “I remember
everything
.” The words exploded from his mouth, tripping over his tongue as they rushed to be free. “I remember how they—
we
—felt about each other. How Ichabod and Katrina struggled, and ached for just a few more seconds together. And I … I don’t want to have to live with that same loss.”

Ireland’s hands
tightened into fists at her sides, hope building within her that she tried to extinguish before getting burned. “I’m going to need you to spell out what it is you’re trying to say in small words, because I feel a bout of dense coming on.”

“
I’m saying that there was a reason Ichabod and Katrina chose each of us and blood had nothing to do with it!” Noah rubbed his hand vigorously over the late-day stumble on his chin, finding a less anxious tone beneath a deep, cleansing breath. “There’s something undeniable between us, Ireland, and it’s been there since the moment you threw scalding coffee at me. Tonight, for one amazing minute, I experienced the perfection that could be
us
. It’s the same connection Ichabod and Katrina had. When they lost that, it
wrecked
them! Their own deaths paled in comparison! Well, I’ll be damned if I’m going to go through that. From now on, I want it to be you and me,” a half-smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, most likely at the sudden realization he should give the lady a choice in the matter, “if you’ll have me?”

Ireland’s gaze scoured his face, her heart thudding in her chest
. Still, her feet stayed planted, maintaining a safe enough distance for a clear head. “And if I say yes? Then what?”

Desired brewed in his eyes, sparking flares of b
old citrine. Taking another step into the room, he kicked the door shut with the side of his boot. The curl of one finger gesturing her to him. “Then, come here.”

Ireland stared out into the night, the tips of her fingers fiddling with the edge of the thick polyester curtain. The moon illuminated the scarcely filled
parking lot with the potency of a lighthouse beam. She should have been sleeping, like Noah was. His hair ruffled and his handsome features mashed into the mattress. The sheet slipping down to expose his bare back, while selfishly hiding the perfect curve that lay just beneath it. Unfortunately, that blissful state of calm eluded her.

The
need
swelled within in her, building in intensity from the moment her head hit the pillow. Not for blood, or violence—thankfully. But an anxious itch beneath her skin, longing for the moonlight’s kiss as she raced through the darkness with the wind whipping around her. Gnawing on her lower lip, she dropped the curtain and went searching for her jeans. Even as she wriggled into them, she braced herself for the possibility that it wouldn’t work. After all, she’d left the Hollow and hadn’t felt Regen’s presence since. Even so, the tremble of her hands proved she had to try.

“Going for a ride?” Noah
mumbled, his voice low and gruff.

Retrieving her cloak from the back of the green paisley-print upholstered chair, she flung it over her arm. “That was the plan, but I can stay …” Her sentence trailed off, primarily because she
wasn’t sure there was an ounce of truth behind it.

Noah
propped himself up on one elbow, his free hand grinding the sleep from his eyes. “If we try to stifle what you are, it’ll fester and build out of control. Do what you need to do. But …
uh
…”

“What?”

“
Put my mind at ease by leaving the weapons here?”

Ireland
yanked the door open, smiling at him through night’s veil of anonymity. “My sword is in the closet, the axe is in the back hatch of my car.”

“Then, go.”
Scooting further down on the mattress, he flopped back on the pillows. “Conquer the night, make great haste, or whatever the hell you plan to do at this hour.”

“
Be back soon,” she promised before clicking the door shut.

Her cloak came alive in the breeze, curling and snapping in giddy anticipation as she fastened it around her shoulders.
Shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other, she filled her lungs, then stepped under the moon’s glowing reach. The familiar twinge came quick. Skin tightening, glossing over bone. Nerves, raw and exposed, becoming abnormally attuned to her surroundings.

The victorious moment of awakening was tragically tarnished by two mini-explosions. One raining toothpick
-sized kindling across her boots as her sword burst through the closed door, finding its own way into its sheath. The second, by the axe blasting through safety glass. Ireland caught it in midair, shaking her head in dismay at the shards of glass that tinkled to the ground.

Noah’s
face appeared through the bowling ball-sized hole in the door, any traces of sleep chased away.

Curtains parted as other guests peeked out at the ruckus.

Ireland raised her hood to cover the flaming red blush of her skull. “We’re gonna need to call maintenance, and a body shop.”

In the distance
, hoof beats thundered closer, moving in fast.

“You’re footing the bill for this,
Destructo-Girl.” Noah scooted across the bed to snatch the phone from its cradle.

“I can
’t be bothered with such things!” she crowed with mock conviction.

Gravel kicked up under his hooves as
Regen skidded to a stop in front of her, offering his nose in greeting.

She g
ranted him a loving pat before hoisting herself into the saddle. “For, I am an enigma! A creature of the night!”

“
Just remember who’s holding your wallet and car keys, creature of the night,” Noah called, his grin audible.

Ireland cued
Regen forward, infectious laughter bubbling in her chest. She reveled in the sensation of his muscles pulling back for a beat before exploding forward, the lurch taking her breath away. Leaning into his gait, she let herself fall into the rhythm of his wide strides. The world whipping past in a blur of shapes and colors—at least for her.

Regen
, on the other hand, saw everything. Each leaf that fluttered to the ground. Every stick that cracked beneath his hooves. His head twitched at a flash of black, finding a raven perched high atop the glowing neon of the hotel sign.

The stallion’s ears perked as the raven’s chest swelled to
release one, lone caw, “
Nevermore
.”

The Adventure Continues

with

Raven,

Legends Saga Book 2

by

Stacey Rourke

releasing

Fall 2014

About the Author

RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012l

Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012

Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best Teen Book & Best YA Book of 2013

Stacey lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction, and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of the Legends Saga as well as other literary projects.

Visit her at:

www.staceyrourke.com

diaryofasemi-crazyauthor.blogspot.com

Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stacey-Rourke/

or on Twitter @Rourkewrites.

Also by Stacey Rourke:

The Gryphon Series;

The Conduit

Embrace

Sacrifice

Ascension

Nonfiction Work:

I’m Not Crazy, I’m on Lupron; a Journey through Infertility