Page 69 of Rekindled Prophecy

His expression fell and a nerve twitched in his jaw. With a sigh, he reached across the table, pressing his lips to her forehead. Leaning back in the rickety chair that was much too small for his tall, muscular frame, the chair let out a muffled groan under the burden of his full weight.

He abruptly stood up and started rifling the kitchen cabinets. A genuine smile crept up the corners of Greylyn’s lips as she realized what he was doing. “I got it.” She made her way to the liquor cabinet she had noticed her first night here that was tucked away in a corner of the hallway. In a few moments she was back with her trophy, a half-empty bottle of potato vodka and two small shot glasses with engravings of seashells, sand dollars, and the words, “Sunning at the Seaside,” apparent purchases from a long-ago beach vacation.

After filling the tiny glasses to the brim, she pushed one over to Jasper while she raised her own glass in a salute. Without a word, they both lifted the glasses to their lips and chugged back the clear liquid. It burned going down, but the heat was welcoming and soothing.

Jasper started to refill the glasses. Greylyn anxiously eyed the clock again. She needed to get back to Gaelic Haven to check on her charges before claiming a temporary victory. It was not a victory at all, just a lull in the fighting. For now, she needed a check mark in the win column.

Her stomach muscles clenched though. She knew there was something else important she had to deal with … Kael. How exactly was he involved in this demonic endeavor? How much did he know? Had he kept his promise and protected Kelly, or had he laughed when she had left at her gullibility.

It was agreed that Jasper would stay there the rest of the night to keep watch on Sofia. Walking her to the door, he uncharacteristically crushed her in a big bear hug and squeezed her so tight she could not inhale. He had always shown affection before but something about this time seemed unusual. He enclosed her in his embrace as if truly afraid to let go.

As the grandfather clock in the foyer struck 5 AM, she reluctantly pulled away from him. Turning to leave, Jasper whispered in her ear, “You will tell me when you’re ready to talk, right? I couldn’t stand it if something bad happened to you when I could stop it.”

Without answering, she turned to leave. It was not until she was out the front entrance of the building that she heard him close the door and her unshed tears scorched down her cheeks.

Chapter 27

Last Dance

Gaelic Haven

The Camaro made record time getting back to the inn. To avoid being distracted from the road by all the chaotic thoughts running around in her mind, a Def Leppard playlist blasted through the speakers the entire ride back. There was nothing like eardrum-splitting decibels of rock-n-roll music to eradicate all negative thoughts. The highway scenery blurred as she gunned the gas pedal all the way to the floor. With the glamour still intact to shield her speeding muscle car from the police, she arrived in less than an hour.

Creeping up the long gravel driveway in an attempt to not wake anyone, Greylyn caught a glimpse of a human-shaped shadow on top of the metallic roof of the main house. Without having to glance twice, she knew that it was Kael. How long he had been up there she could only imagine. At least he had taken his assignment of watchingovereveryone seriously.

Now her only hope was that he had been honest with her when he said he was there to keep Kelly and her child safe. If he was working with Olivier, of all foul miscreants, she needed to know. If he was working for other Hellish forces that did not maintain the same objective of keeping them safe, she needed to know that too.

A deep, hollow pit seemed to open in her gut as regret washed over her like a tsunami wave for having placed her faith in him. At the time she had not seen another choice available. He had lulled her into a strange sense of security. It was time to find out the truth.

After parking the car, she quietly tip-toed over to the main house and soundlessly climbed up to the roof using the smallest edges around the brick exterior. In the past, she had scaled more perilous heights, but not with her heart racing like this.

Their newfound intimacy unnerved her. She was grateful that they had never interacted so closely with each other in previous encounters considering all the rotten decisions she had made this weekend.

Despite the ordeals of the last couple of days, and extreme fatigue setting in, Greylyn knew she had one last loose end to wrap up before she could rest. It just so happened that loose end was an insanely sexy, yet infuriating, dark guardian. As stealthily as possible, she hauled herself up and over the edge of the forest-green roof and came face to face with the eyes of a tiger.

Kael’s rich, husky voice whispered, “Well, it’s about time you returned. Where in hell have you been?”

“Actually, you answered your own question. Hell, or close to it.”

He reached out to pull her closer, but the electric shock of his touch made her flinch and tumble back over the side of the roof. As she clutched at the roof tiles with her legs dangling in the air, strong hands wrapped around her wrists to haul her to safety.

“Damn, Greylyn! You are such a klutz,” Kael cursed without letting go of her wrists.

Recovering her footing, she shrugged in agreement. They looked at each other for an awkward moment then burst out laughing. For the third time this weekend, he had saved her. No wonder she was so confused. With a wicked grin, Kael motioned for them to climb down where they could talk without the risk of falling.

Once back on solid earth, he reached for her hand again. This time every nerve in her hand pulsated with energy. He led her over to the gazebo by the koi pond. Just a few short hours ago, she had performed a wedding ceremony there. There had been joy and laughter and love. So much had happened since the wedding.

All evidence of the celebration had been cleared away except a pair of wireless speakers and two champagne flutes perched beside a vase of yellow and purple calla lilies – quite the romantic setting.

Oh no! This does not look good. Time to bail.

“Listen, it’s been a long day …” She edged towards the Carriage House. “I … I appreciate your … your help, but …”

When she turned, Greylyn ran into a wall made of Kael, eye level with his broad chest muscles, rippling through his thin cotton shirt.

How did he move around me so fast?

“Considering all the assistance I’ve provided you this weekend, the least I deserve is an update on what you’ve been up to all evening. Not to mention you owe me a dance.” He reached for the champagne bottle and filled the flutes with the golden bubbly liquid. Once filled to overflowing, he handed her one and then raised his own, clinking the two together.

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