Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance (4 page)

“Why didn’t I listen to my dad?”
she thought.

Emily tried to concentrate on her breathing. She knew if she passed out he could do anything he wanted with her.

With her attacker’s body weight still pinning her to the wall he took his hand from her back and moved down to her waist. Emily hadn’t been carrying a purse. As an alternative she had a small wallet on the inside of her coat.

“If only I had a purse, he could have snatched it and been gone. But what if he’s not just after my money?”
The thought sent chills down her spine.

The man’s rough hand began hunting her outside pockets, searching. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he eased his weight off her just enough so that he could squeeze his hand between the wall and the front of Emily’s waist.

“No, no please no
.” Emily was terrified with what this man’s intentions might be after he robbed her. A sick feeling moved through her stomach as though she was about to vomit.

“Get your hands off her!” a loud voice boomed.

Emily felt the weight of her attacker being ripped away from her. The sudden movement caught her off guard and it flung her down on her side. She was gasping to catch her breath. She wanted to burst out and run, but she couldn’t. She needed air, lots of air and that was all her body could focus on.

She lifted her eyes but was still having a hard time seeing clearly. The alley spun in every direction. In the distance Emily could tell that there was a fight taking place, but it wasn’t much of a fight for one of the men involved. One man was raining continuous punches down on the other. Emily could only hope that the one winning was not her attacker.

The beating was over before Emily caught her breath. Her eyes were focusing better now. She had gotten enough oxygen to allow for things to right themselves, even though she still gasped. A tall figure approached her. Before she could make out any features, he was behind her, lifting her to her feet. His movements were quick but gentle.

“I need to get you out of here. Can you walk?”

Emily was still breathing hard. “Yes,” she mumbled, taking a few steps before her hand flew to the large knot that was forming on her head. She stumbled.

“Let me carry you.” The stranger was not going to ask for her permission. In one smooth motion he scooped Emily up like she was a five-year-old. He hugged her tight into his chest and began walking at a brisk pace. She would have protested to such ridiculous treatment, but her head throbbed, and she wasn’t sure anymore about her ability to walk a straight line.

She cradled her head in her hands in an effort to ease the pain. This prevented her from seeing who carried her, but she didn’t want to look up anyway. She was embarrassed. If she looked into this stranger’s face she would see the same disapproving expression like the one she was bound to get from her father. She wasn’t ready for that.

They didn’t walk very far. Emily heard a door open and felt a wave of warm air rush over her. Before she could fully take in the scenery, she was sitting up in a soft booth. There was a small rectangular table in front of her. She was in a diner of some sort.

“I’m going to get some ice for that,” the stranger said, quickly turning to the counter where a waitress stood gawking at the recent arrivals.

Emily sat still, her head hanging loosely. The pain was bad but that was not what occupied her thoughts. She was trying to process what had just taken place. It had all happened so quickly, her mind was still trying to convince her body that it was real and not some nightmare.

“I need you to call the police. Inform them that there is a mugger in the alley just around the corner.” Emily could now overhear the faint conversation.

“I doubt he’s still there,” the waitress replied with pessimism.

“Oh, he’s still there. Believe me, he’s not going anywhere for a while. Thanks for the ice.”

Emily could hear the man’s swift footsteps coming her way.

“Here you go, this should help a little.”

She slowly looked up as she reached for the ice. If Emily was in any other setting, she might have let out a gasp as her eyes surveyed the man before her. He looked like he was in his early twenties. She estimated he was about six feet tall. He was broad and muscular. His tight sweater and long wool coat hardly masked the size of his build. It was obvious to Emily that this man spent a lot of time at the gym.

But that was not what was captivating about him. Emily was struck by his eyes. They were a large almond shape, with the greenest iris she had ever seen. He had a rich olive tone to his skin and his dark brown hair seemed almost black. These dark features made his eyes stand out all the more. She must have looked like an idiot as she stared at him.

“Now I am definitely embarrassed
.”

“Umm, thank you,” Emily stammered as she grabbed the ice from the man’s hand and looked down again.

“You’re welcome. I just wish I could have intervened sooner before you grew that goose egg.” His voice was rich and soft. Yet, Emily knew it could sound powerful as well. When she heard his voice in the alley it was almost like thunder and if her hands would have been completely free she might have covered her ears.

“No it’s not your fault, it’s mine. I know better than to be out walking streets like this alone. My father told me not to, but I did it anyway. I should have listened to him.”

“Well that’s usually what these experiences are for. They teach you something.”

Emily looked up to meet the stranger’s gaze.

“What an odd comment, is he lecturing me? Weren’t knights in shining armor supposed to be more charismatic? That comment almost felt like a scolding.”

But Emily somehow knew that was not his intention. The comment was made without scrutiny. There was more sympathy and empathy in his voice than anything else. No, he wasn’t lecturing her, he was expressing something else, she just wasn’t sure what. Emily pulled herself from her thought process. Once again she was just staring at him. He smiled at her and then broke the awkward silence.

“I’m Alexander.” He extended his hand toward her.

Emily reached for it with her left because her right hand was holding the ice to her forehead. This made for a slightly uncomfortable handshake. He squeezed her hand very softly. His touch stunned her. His hands were so warm. It was cold out and she hadn’t seen him take off any gloves. Her hands always got ice cold the second she stepped outside in the winter, and then took forever to warm back up when she got indoors. Her mother had always said it was a sign of poor circulation. But it seemed pretty normal to Emily. She pulled her hand back and gave a slight smile.

“I don’t think I can thank you enough, Alexander. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what might have happened.” Emily used all her strength to suppress the familiar sobs she felt developing at the base of her throat. She was embarrassed enough without bawling like a baby. She could do that later. Besides she already felt inferior around this man. He radiated strength and confidence. He had not shown any anxiety or given any indication that this was a stressful experience for him. It was like beating up muggers was something he did every day.

“Like I said, I’m just frustrated that I couldn’t do anything sooner,” Alexander replied with sincere remorse. He was staring at her. He had never taken his eyes off her, not since the moment he had come back with the ice. Normally, that would have made her extremely uncomfortable. But there was something oddly familiar about Alexander. She knew she had never seen him before. His face was so unique he would undoubtedly stand out in any crowd. His features were soft and smooth, delicate for a man but still stronger than you would see on a woman.

Yes, there was something she recognized about him. She just didn’t know what. Emily felt drawn to him. It was similar to the effect the violin had on her. Emily suddenly remembered the case she had dropped.

“My violin,” Emily gasped. “I have to go back and get it. I hope it hasn’t been taken.” Emily began to stand up but Alexander was quicker.

“I don’t think so, you aren’t going back there. Stay right here where it’s warm. I’ll go back and look for it.”

Before Emily could argue, he was out the door. “Okay, I’ll stay here,” she whispered, as she sat back down.

Her head was still throbbing. She wondered what on earth she was going to tell her father. He would have a heart attack if he knew what had just happened to her. Emily wasn’t sure telling him was the best idea. But she absolutely hated lying to her father. She had never told her dad the truth about what had really happened that night she had her accident. There weren’t any other cars on the road so it was only her BMW and the guardrail that was damaged.

It was two days after Emily’s mother had died and Emily was beyond upset. She needed a quite place to think, away from all the funeral preparations and visiting family so she headed to her family’s vacation home in Cooperstown. She was crying most of the way and her eyes were swollen and blurry. Emily had not been paying attention to how fast she was going down the steep curvy road that ran along the lake. All she was aware of was the literal pain she was feeling in her heart.

When the deer jumped in the road, she slammed on her brakes and turned the wheel, immediately regretting the decision. Her actions sent the car into a spin and Emily instantly had a strong feeling like that was it, she was going to die. She had never been as shocked as she was the moment the car came to a stop right before it went over the edge.

The story Emily had told her father was that once at the lake she had stopped at the local country store. While shopping for groceries, someone had hit her car and taken off. Her father had bought the whole story and never asked any questions.

“Do I need to lie to him again?”

She compared the recent incident with the memory of her car accident and determined that telling him would ensure her being placed on house arrest. He was already paranoid about her safety and this would just make it worse.

Emily looked up as she heard the door open and Alexander came striding through holding her violin case. He had a big grin, looking as though he had found hundreds of dollars.

“I believe this is yours.” Alexander presented the case to her as if it were a fine wine.

“Thank you so much. I can’t believe it was still there.” Emily examined the case.

“Not many people walk these streets. They’re sane enough to take a cab.” There was a touch of humor in his voice, but he quickly grew more serious as he continued. “I waited by the alley for the police to show up, just to make sure your attacker was taken into custody. I figured they would need a witness if they were going to arrest someone.”

“That was smart. I would hate to think of the guy doing that to someone else.” Emily looked up from the case to meet his gaze.

“They need a statement from you, if you want to press charges. I let them know where you are. An officer will be here shortly. I hope that’s okay, I understand if you don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“No, no, I’m fine; I would rather get it over and done with.” Emily wasn’t completely telling the truth but she figured it was best to do it like a band aid. Just be quick and get it over with; at least that was what her mother had always said.

The waitress interrupted by setting down two steaming cups of hot cocoa.

“I am real sorry ‘bout what happened to ya sweetie. This is on the house. I hope it helps.”

“Thank you so much.” Emily smiled at the waitress.

“Yes, thank you.” Alexander nodded.

“No problem.” The waitress turned and walked away.

Emily wrapped her cold fingers around the mug and released a soft “hmmmm” sound. All she needed now was her mother’s mug and she would be feeling much better about everything. Emily looked up to see Alexander staring at her again, this time with a big smile.

“You love hot cocoa don’t you?”

“How could you tell?” Emily was truly curious how he would know that.

“Your face and shoulders relaxed when you touched the mug. The ‘hmmmm’ was a dead giveaway.”

Emily gave a slight chuckle. She hadn’t realized she was so easy to read. It often embarrassed her to be observed so closely, but Emily felt oddly comfortable with Alexander. She sipped her hot cocoa in silence for a few minutes, glancing up to see Alexander’s warm smile every so often.

The diner’s door opened once more and an officer walked through. Alexander stood up to greet him and shake his hand. He motioned toward Emily.

“This is Emily, the woman you need the statement from.” He moved to the side to allow the officer to step in beside her.

“How did Alexander know my name? I don’t remember telling him. I must have though; there is no other way he would know my name. I’m just in shock, I’m not remembering things clearly.”

“I’ll need to speak with her alone,” the officer said.

“Yes of course, I’ll just wait over here.” Alexander pointed to a booth about three tables down.

“All right miss, do you want to tell me what happened?” the officer asked as he sat down and opened up a little notebook he pulled from his breast pocket.

Emily told the officer, in short non-descriptive sentences, what had happened. She figured he didn’t need to know details. She wasn’t ready to relive the raw feeling of complete fear. His questions for her were brief. When it was apparent that he had all the information he needed, the officer stood up, thanked Emily for her time, and walked out the door. As soon as he left Alexander made his way back to the booth.

“I’m sure you must be ready to get home. I would feel best if you let me accompany you in a cab so that I know you arrive there safely.”

Just as before, it didn’t seem as though he was asking her permission. Emily didn’t even think about arguing that it was a silly request. She liked having Alexander around. It was calming to her and she was afraid of the emotions that might flood her mind when she no longer had the distraction of his company.

“I would appreciate that. Although you really have done more than enough for me already. I have no idea how I can ever repay you.” Emily felt herself blush. She hoped the fresh color in her cheeks wasn’t noticeable.