Burning for You (Blackwater) (20 page)

My eyes widen and it feels as
though my stomach has been hit with a brick.  “What do you mean?” I whisper.  “Not
again?”

Gabe smiles and shakes his head. 
“Nothing, really.  I have to go deliver these to Eleanor.  I’d love to stay
around and chat some more, but I have some work to attend to this afternoon. 
Pleasure seeing you, Leah,” he finishes, stressing on the word “pleasure”.  He
puts his hand on my cheek and pats my skin, making me gasp and shudder, leaving
me alone in the hallway feeling cold and exposed.

*

Erika and I are sitting at a table
in the middle of Camille’s for lunch, and I’m relaying the details of my
encounter with Gabe.  If it’s possible to look annoyed and horrified at the
same time, Erika has completely nailed it.

“He wants you to trust him,” she
says.  “Don’t do it.”

“But really, what has he done?” I
ask her.  “How does everyone know he’s a reaper?  Is he walking around reaping
people’s powers on a daily basis?”

“Not exactly,” Erika says.  “Have
you heard of the Order?”

I shake my head.  “Like the order
of operations?  Please excuse my dead aardvark Sam?”

“I always heard it as Aunt Sally,” Erika
says, hiding her smile by taking a sip of her coffee. 

“I embellished it,” I reply with a
straight face.  “I don’t have an Aunt Sally.”

“Oh, but you have a dead aardvark
Sam?” she asks.

“Doesn’t everyone?”

We are slowly relaxing through the
lunch and less on guard than we were.  I have a feeling she asked me to lunch
to break the ice and it’s working beautifully, much to my relief.  I really
like Erika, but I feel like I should hate her just in case she hates me.  The
more I talk to her, the less I feel that it’s the case.  “Okay,” I say,
stabbing into my spinach and bacon salad.  “I’ll bite.  What is the Order?”

“The Order is what was put in place
to eliminate the Coven back during the original witch trials,” Erika explains. 
“It’s the anti-Coven, so to speak, and the members have one goal in mind.  They
want to  rid of world of crafting and those able to do so, lest powers be used
to change the order of the universe.”

“So they’re Puritans?” I say,
sipping on my Diet Coke.  “Religious fanatics?”

Erika shrugs.  “They aren’t
always.  In case you haven’t noticed, Blackwater is pretty void of religion.”

“Of course I’d noticed,” I say. 
“But I never really cared or questioned it.  My ex wanted to get married
formally in a church for his family.  I flat out refused.”

“Well to some people, that’s the
equivalent of being a Satanist,” Erika says.  “I think when the Order first
came about, it was a Puritan thing, intent on ridding the world of Satan
worshipers that people tended to view crafters as four hundred years ago.  It’s
evolved over hundreds of years, though, into something personal and more
dangerous.”

“So what does this have to do with
Gabe?” I wonder.  “Is he part of the Order?”

“Gabe’s father Oscar is the Order,”
she explains.  “One day the Order will be Gabe.”

I try and absorb this.  “Here’s
what I don’t get,” I finally say.  “Perhaps you can talk slowly or something
for my benefit.  Gabe is technically able to craft, right?  I would say the
ability to reap and who knows what else would be considered crafting?”

“True,” Erika agrees, her dark eyes
solemn.  “But wouldn’t the Order value that type of crafting over all other
crafting?”

“I suppose they would,” I say. 
“What else do you know about the Order?”

Erika shrugs.  She stirs her coffee
and tastes the moisture off of her spoon.  “The Legend has most of the
information.  Like you and most other Coven members in our generation, we lack
a lot of the education that older generations had due to the Legend being
gone.”

“Because of my dad,” I say dully. 
“Of course.”

“Hey,” Erika says, reaching across
the table and putting her hand over mine.  “We’ve gotten by for a while without
the Legend being readily available.  People like Lisette and your mother help
to fill in some major gaps in our education.  My mother has taught me what I
need to know and you’ll learn what you need to know.”

“Who’s going to teach me?” I ask. 
“The only fire crafters I know besides myself are Ash and my dad.  My dad isn’t
around and Ash doesn’t seem to know all that much about fire craft.”

Erika smiles.  “I think you and Ash
will be able to discover what you two can do through each other.  That’s the
fun part.”

My eyes narrow.  “That’s right, you
would know,” I can’t resist saying.

Erika rolls her eyes.  “I thought
we were past that.  I’m done with him, Leah, you need to understand that.”

“Well that doesn’t mean I don’t
need to hear it seven times a day.”

I drive us back to the hospital
after a long lunch.  Good thing Gwen is a relaxed boss and already told me to
take my time, knowing how connected I am with Eleanor.  When we park in the
employee lot, Erika swings her head around.  “That car has been following us,”
she says.  “The blue Honda Pilot.”

I freeze, knowing of one person in
particular that owns a blue Honda Pilot.  “Michael.”

“Who?”

“My ex,” I say, leaning my head on
Betsey’s steering wheel.  “He just happens to be stalking me, and Ash just
happened to beat the shit out of him yesterday.  It’s like he has a learning
disability.”

“Ash beat the shit out of him?”
Erika says.  “And he came back?  He must really be stupid.”

I nod, and lean back in my seat. 
“Got any mace?”

Erika looks at me, her dark eyes
widening.  “Is he dangerous?”

I sigh.  “Yes, but apparently only
if you’re me.  I think you should just go back in and leave me to deal with
him.”

She shakes her head.  “Absolutely
not,” she replies.  “I’m not leaving you to deal with a maniac by yourself.”

I look at her and smile with
relief.  “Thanks,” I say.  “I’m not really sure what the plan is, though.”

“The plan is to get out of the car
and walk to the entrance of the hospital,” Erika says.  “There are police
everywhere.  More now because of the kidnapping.  He won’t try anything.  And
then you’re going to explain to me why you’re so afraid of this man when we’re
safely away from him and I’m going to take care of it.”

I nod and shut off the car and the
moment I step out of the car, Michael is at my side, grabbing my arm.  His eye
is swollen shut and his cheek is bruised considerably.  I withhold a smile that
he looks worse for the wear and Ash is still as pretty as can be.  “Come with
me now, Leah,” he growls.  “We need to talk.”

“Don’t touch me,” I hiss.  Erika
comes right to my side. 

“Get away from her,” Erika says. 
“This place is crawling with cops.  You wouldn’t want one of us to scream,
would you, asshole?”

“Bitch, this has nothing to do with
you,” Michael retorts, his green eyes blazing in fury.

“Bitch, I’ll make it about me if
you don’t take your hands off of her,” Erika says back.  Her full height is
unremarkable, but she makes herself as scary as possible, making me mentally
note to never be on her bad side.  “Now get your nasty hands off of Leah and go
back from where you came, or I’ll make sure you never come around again.”

Michael blinks as though he’s stunned
into silence.  He steps away from me, allowing me to breathe a deep sigh of
relief.  Erika takes my arm and begins to lead me to the entrance of the
hospital.  “Need.  Inhaler.”  I feel an attack coming on and the world is
spinning around me.

“Keep walking,” Erika says.  “If
you show weakness, he’s won.  Then you’re going up to my office, and I’m going
to get rid of that asthma for you once and for all.  It’s starting to get on my
nerves.”

*

I get home after work and jump
immediately into the shower.  I’m wary of Michael following me but he’s nowhere
in sight, to my relief.  All of the frustration and sadness and anger I’ve felt
through the day rinses off of my body and tumbles down the drain.  When I step
out, I feel refreshed and relieved.  I saunter back to the bed in my bathrobe
and flop down and close my eyes, letting out a long “fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck”.  I
have no idea what Ash has in store for the evening but it ought to involve an
entire bottle of wine.  For me.  He can get his own.

My eyes wander over to my
nightstand where the bottle Erika gave me is sitting.  I unscrew the dropper
and smell inside.  The clear liquid has no odor whatsoever, and while I watched
her mix it, I have no idea what it is she gave me.  I took four drops on the
end of my tongue and will take four more every evening and morning until it’s
gone, as she instructed.  Supposedly it will cure my asthma, though I haven’t
really noticed any effects so far.  I’m okay with that, considering most of my
attacks are stress induced and I’ve been having them a lot since I got back to
Blackwater.  Today the stress can take a hike, though, I’m done with stress.

My phone rings and I set the
dropper inside of the bottle carefully and smile when I see Ash’s name pop up
on the caller ID.  “Hi,” I say.  “I missed you all day.”

“I missed you too,” he says in his
deep throaty voice that seems to set me on fire when I hear it.  “What are you
doing?”

“I just got out of the shower,” I
tell him.

“Are you naked?”

I blush.  “Sort of.  I have a
bathrobe on.”

“Are you alone?”

“Jeez,” I reply.  “What is this? 
Phone sex?”

“Maybe,” he says, chuckling.  “I
missed you today.  In every way.”

“Smooth,” I answer, grinning like
an idiot.  “Yes, I’m alone.”

“Take off your robe,” he demands. 
I sit up slightly, smiling and feeling the heat from my cheeks flush down to my
chest.  I do as I’m told, untying the knot around my waist and opening the
robe.  “Are you doing as I say?”

“Yes,” I reply softly.  The flush
creeps down between my legs and I’m starting to feel how much I miss him as
well.

“Good,” he says.  “Describe your
breasts to me.”

“Why?” I want to know.

Ash sighs.  “I miss the feel of
them filling up my hands.”

“Mmmmm,” I moan, a thrill moving
through me from his words.  I roll my tongue along my lower lip.  When I answer
back, my voice is husky.  “I miss your hands on them, and on me.  I love your
hands.”

“So describe them to me,” Ash
pleads.  “Tell me what they look like right now.”

“Huge,” I say honestly.  “Swollen
from the hot shower I just took.”

“Put your hands on them,” Ash tells
me.  I do as he says, feeling the cold skin of my hands against the warm flesh
of my breasts, making my nipples shrink and tighten.  “Do you feel your nipples
getting hard?”

“Yes,” I reply. 

“Good,” he says.  “Take one of your
hands and put it between your legs for me.”

“Ash-“

“Just do it,” he whispers.  I
comply, shocked at how wet I am already.  “Do you feel wet and warm?”

“Mmmhmmm,” I reply, biting my lip
to keep from moaning too loudly. 

“Does it feel good to touch
yourself?” he wants to know.

“Yes,” I say breathlessly.  “Tell
me what to do,” I beg.  “Please.”

“How do you feel when I tell you to
pleasure yourself?” I hear him whisper.

“I feel like I’m on fire,” I moan. 
“Like I want you inside of me.” 

“I want to be inside of you,” he
assures me.  “I want to be where your fingers are right now.  I want to feel
how wet and warm you are.”

“Ash,” I gasp, feeling the pleasure
start to mount inside of me.

“Don’t come yet,” he warns me. 
“I’m getting so worked up thinking about you lying in your bed and touching
yourself.”

“Play with yourself,” I demand. 
“Are you doing it already?”

“I’m stroking myself as I listen to
you,” he tells me.  “If I were with you right now,” he whispers, “I would be
touching you with my fingers to feel how wet you are, and making you feel with
your hand how hard you make me.”

I can’t hold back anymore and gasp
as a huge orgasm courses through me.  My own juices surge forth onto my already
wet fingers between my legs.  “Leah,” I hear Ash say and I know he’s doing the same
thing on the other end of the line.  We’re both silent for a minute.  I can
hear Ash panting on the phone.  “I need you, Leah,” he finally whispers.

“Ash, come to me,” I plead, turning
on my side and tucking my legs up to my chest.  “I want you and can’t stand
being away from you.”

He sighs deeply.  “I can’t come to
see you until much later.  I want to, believe me, but it’s going to be late
tonight by the time I can come by.”

“Why?” I want to know.  I’m
surprised at this sudden change of plans.  He’s been putting me off all day,
and after what we just did, I didn’t expect this.  He’s sending me mixed
signals, making my heart pound in anxiety.  “What’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you right now,” he
says.  “But I don’t want you telling anyone else that we were supposed to see
each other and I can’t see you.”

I sit up, confused, alarmed, and
annoyed.  “Why would I tell someone else anything?  What’s going on, Ash?  What
are you up to?”

“Can you trust me?”

“I’m not sure,” I reply.  “Can I?” 
And idea flashes into my head and I want to push it far, far away, but it will
nag at me all night if I don’t.  “Are you with another girl?”

“Leah, we just had phone sex.  I’m
alone right now.”

“You’re not answering my question,”
I say through clenched teeth.  “I just left someone who was cheating on me and
I need to know.  Are you going to see Erika tonight?”

“Leah, I can’t tell you anything,”
he says, his voice raising in aggravation.  “I promise you, I’m not cheating on
you.”

“I’ve been promised that before,” I
say.  “A lot of good it did me.”  I hit the “End Call” button and resist
throwing my phone across the room.  When I set it on the nightstand, I see the
texts fly through from Ash, but I turn the phone off, determined not to make my
day any worse.