Finding Abigail (17 page)

Together, they had a chance.

He’d just closed his eyes to rest for a moment when the first smell of smoke reached him.

He opened his eyes and cursed. Smoke filled the house, and he pulled Abigail into his arms and ran out the door, yelling to his brothers as he did so. 

Abby woke at the first touch and startled. “What, Tyler?” 

He put her down and watched as the rest of his family ran out the house behind him, coats in their hands. Thank God his family thought of things like that. He’d only been thinking of Abigail and getting her out of there.

“What’s going on?” Jordan asked as they pulled on their coats.

“Where’s the fire?” Matt asked as they all looked around.

“Is this Aeneas?” Justin asked.

Tyler didn’t know for sure, but he thought it had to be. Something didn’t feel right.

“Over there!” Rina called out and pointed to the ridge across the large field.

“Oh, hell, the fire wasn’t in the house; it’s in the field,” Tyler said as he ran a hand through his hair.

“But there’s snow on the ground. How is the fire spreading like that, and why is there so much smoke in the house?” Abigail asked as she gripped his hand.

“Because it’s not a normal fire,” Jordan said as she anxiously cracked her knuckles. Sparks of magic flowed off of them with the movement. "It’s magic. We’re not going to be able to stop it with water. I might be able to stop it from spreading if I have Matt’s help with his energy.”

“Rina and I can get the other end,” Justin said, and he gripped Rina’s hand.

“But we can’t put it completely out if Aeneas is there to keep adding onto the flames.”

Tyler nodded, purpose setting in. “Then Abigail and I are going to have to find him and his arrows.”

“Arrows?” Matt asked.

“If we hit him with his own arrow—” Tyler began.

“You can take away something from him and hopefully stop him,” Jordan finished, a smile on her face. “Nice. Okay, we have a plan.”

“I just texted Jackson to keep everyone at Ally’s house. No use adding more people who can’t help because they don’t have magic.”

“At least not yet,” Rina said. She waved her hand at the questions on their faces. “So not the time. Come on, we have a crazy non-Cupid guy to take down.”

Tyler nodded then turned to Abigail. “I’d rather you were safe at Ally’s.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. “But I know you’d only come back. That’s why I want you by my side where I can keep you safe.”

“And I can keep you safe as well.” 

He kissed her hard; trying to let her know every emotion and feel every ounce of love he had for her. He pulled away, both of them panting. 

“We’ll finish that later?” she asked.

“Deal.”

The six of them ran toward the ridge as the smoke flowed around them and the flames got bigger. God, he didn’t want to put his family in danger, but Aeneas wouldn’t stop unless they took him down.

“It’s about time you got here,” Aeneas called from the tree line, near the fire.

Of course the bastard wouldn’t want to be hurt by flames.

Rina, Justin, Matt, and Jordan ran off to deal with the flames, and Abigail gripped his hand as the faced off against Aeneas. 

They would fight, and they would win. Together.

They had to.

“We got your call. Now stop this and leave.”

“If I can’t make you lose the one you love through your own actions, I’ll make sure you lose her when my fire touches her.”

He squeezed Abigail’s hand. There was no way in hell he’d let her leave him.

He looked around Aeneas, trying to see what the man had on him, but he didn’t see the arrows. That didn’t mean they didn’t exist though. Abigail had said she’d seen them in the room before she’d been shot with one meaning they weren’t like his own, invisible unless in the presence of their true love or another…whatever Aeneas was.

The arrows would be around him somewhere. The man couldn’t afford to be without them.

Of this, Tyler was sure.

He leaned down to Abigail and whispered in her ear, “I’ll distract him. You find his arrows. They need to be here. Try looking in that copse of trees.”

She nodded, never removing her gaze from Aeneas.

Tyler let go of her hand, even though he never wanted to leave her side. 

“You can’t break us, Aeneas.”

“I can, and I will.”

Aeneas came at him, venom in his glare. Tyler braced himself and pulled deep on that newfound energy and strength. The other man pushed at him, and Tyler ducked, knocking the man in the head with his arm. Aeneas shifted, reaching out to punch him.

Tyler ducked again, but too slow, and winced as the other man’s fist connected with his jaw. But he didn’t stop; he couldn’t stop.

He lashed out, clipping Aeneas in the cheek, and the other man punched, throwing Tyler to the ground.

They wrestled, each equal in weight and strength. 

At least for now.

Tyler didn’t want to think about what would happen if he suddenly lost the strength he had.

“I’m going to kill you for what happened to Dido,” Aeneas screamed.

Apparently, Aeneas didn’t want just Abigail to suffer anymore.

“She killed herself. We didn’t hurt her.”

“But you did. All you fucking cupids did.”

Tyler tried to slam Aeneas's head into the ground, but the other man rolled and kicked him. They fought harder, punching, kicking, but not getting anywhere.

He hoped to God that Abigail could find that arrow.

Aeneas pulled back and smiled then moved faster than Tyler thought he could. He heard a scream as Aeneas gripped Abigail by the arm and tossed her into the flames, her voice fracturing as the fire burned her. 

A shot of magic hurled in the air as Jordan slapped Aeneas with a lick of flame. The other man screamed in agony as Tyler hurried past him.

“Abigail!” Tyler ran toward where she lay on the ground, the flames around her licking, burning. She stood but almost fell into the flames again.

Tyler pulled her out, setting her on the snow.

“Oh, God, baby.”

Burns covered her arms and legs, but nowhere else since her clothes were fine elsewhere. They didn’t look to be past first or second, and he knew her new healing abilities would help, but he didn’t know if it would be enough.

“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt that bad,” she said as she winced.

He kissed her forehead. Tears were running down both their cheeks. “I’ll finish him.”

A hand gripped his collar and pulled him back. He fell to the ground with a wince. Aeneas stood over him, a smile on his face.

“Your darling is in pain. Good. She won’t die. Not yet. I want her to watch me kill you. I don’t care which one dies, as long as the other lives to feel pain.”

Aeneas struck out, punching over and over again. Tyler covered his face and tried to get away, but the other man was faster.

He rolled to the side, grunting as a fist connected with his kidneys, and kicked out.

Aeneas fell to the ground, and Tyler punched again. 

Okay, this was getting old.

Tyler reached out, grabbed the other man by the shoulders, and rolled, flipping Aeneas onto his back. Aeneas kicked, and they rolled again, this time with Aeneas landing on top.

The other man wrapped his hands around Tyler’s neck and squeezed. Tyler tried to claw at him, but it didn’t work. He couldn’t break free.

His vision blurred as he struggled to breathe.

Oh, God, this couldn’t be it.

He couldn’t die. Not now. Not when he’d just found his Abigail.

Aeneas grunted, his eyes wide, then he screamed in pain.

Tyler quickly pushed the bastard off and stood over him. He looked to where Abigail stood on shaky legs, a bow in her hand, and a sad smile on her face.

“Found it,” she whispered.

Tyler left Aeneas where he writhed in agony on the snow. He felt more than saw the flames die down and the rest of his family run to his side.

But he had eyes for only Abigail.

He cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly, not wanting to hurt her, even though he wanted to take her in every primal way to make sure she was okay and to prove that she was his.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, and he shook his head.

“You’re burned,” he rasped out.

“I’m already healing.”

“I’m going to take care of you.”

“You already are.”

“Nice shot!” Justin said as he kicked Aeneas in the side when the bastard tried to stand up.

Abigail gave a pained smile. “Thanks.”

Even though his body hurt like hell and he was pretty sure every part of him had a bruise, Tyler picked her up and held her close to his chest.

“How is everyone else?” he asked as he took a good look at all of them. They all looked worse for wear with slight burns and sooty faces but otherwise looked healthy.

“Good,” Matt said as he glared at the man on the ground. “Now what are we going to do with you?”

Jordan narrowed her eyes then grinned. “You’re human now. You know I’m a witch and can tell these things. Well, how about that?”

Rina shook her head. “The one thing you didn’t want to be. Powerless.”

Tyler set Abigail on her feet and leaned over the man who had almost cost him everything. 

“I’m not going to kill you. No, I’m going to make you live this way until you die. Which will happen. You’re not immortal anymore. You’re human now.”

Aeneas glared. “I’ll find a way to come back for you.”

Abigail shook her head and spoke softly. “Just quit already. She can’t come back. But if you move on and try to live your life without the pain in your heart, maybe you can live again.”

That was a much nicer way of saying what thoughts Tyler had in his head, but he wouldn’t disagree with her.

“Stay away from us and you’re safe,” Tyler said. “If you come near me or my family again, I’ll kill you. Make no mistake by our actions here that we’re weak.”

Aeneas tried to get up, but the Coopers pushed him down. Finally, the man nodded, defeated.

“I don’t have my magic anymore,” he whispered. “It’s done.”

Tyler nodded. “Then leave. We don’t want you here.”

They let the man get up and stumble away. In the distance Tyler saw Jackson pull up, and Tyler nodded toward him. 

“Make sure he get’s out of town,” Tyler yelled.

Jackson nodded and walked toward the beaten man.

His brother would make sure the bastard would leave town.

He lifted Abigail in his arms and inhaled her rose scent that was now laced with smoke.

“Let me take care of you.”

“It’s over, isn’t it?”

“Well, we’re just beginning.”

Matt groaned, and Justin laughed behind him. 

“Smooth,” Abigail said as she kissed him.

With her soft lips beneath his, he could do anything. And now it looked as if they had a future, so they could plan it.

Chapter 13

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Tyler whispered into Abby’s ear as he rolled his hips against her.

She smiled, utterly content, if not a bit sore. They’d slept the entire day before, not caring that they probably had work to do. Jackson had left a note saying Aeneas had left town, and for some reason, Abigail felt confident that they were safe from the man who’d lost his powers.

Tyler had bandaged her burns, and she had soothed his bruises. They hadn’t made love, though she knew they’d both wanted to. But sometimes those aches and pains were a little too much to get in the mood.

It seemed so surreal that they were in her home, in her bed, wrapped naked around each other. It had been only two weeks since she’d cut Tyler with the arrow and her life had changed forever.

Now she knew he loved her, even though she’d loved him for much longer. Now she wasn’t moving, and she’d have her job back in the fall if she wanted it. She was part of the Coopers in every way possible except for her name, and she loved it.

Aeneas had tried to kill them, keep them apart, and break them, but it was all over. He wouldn’t be hurting them, not anymore. Now they could find their own way through their relationship and figure out how to love each other and grow together.

A scary thing for a girl who had never had a boyfriend before.

Tyler Cooper was her boyfriend.

The little cheerleader in her head did another dance then a hip thrust in excitement.

Well, Abby was pretty darn excited about it all. 

“What are you thinking about?” Tyler asked as he nipped her ear then licked her neck, rocking his erection against her ass.

“You.”

“Oh, really?” he growled as he snaked his arm around her waist to palm her breast.

She panted as he took her mouth, rolling her nipple between his nimble fingers. She moaned into his mouth and wiggled her hips, aching for him.

“Hold on,” he gasped. “I need to get a condom.”

She gulped and bit her lip. “Only if you want one.”

He froze. “What are you saying?”

“We’re both clean, and I want you bare within me.”

“But what if we make a baby?”

“Then we do,” she said, scared to death she was going too fast. 

They weren’t married, and they hadn’t talked about it beyond wistful conversations of a future they both wanted to have. 

Tyler smiled, a real smile that brightened his whole face. “I’d like that,” he whispered.

He lifted her leg and entered her from behind, his gaze never wavering from hers. He filled her so completely that she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

He was hers.

They made love at a leisurely pace, careful of their hurts but warming just the same. When she came, her body thrummed, and he followed soon behind her. Filling her with his seed…and maybe even their future.

Scary and thrilling to think about.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, Tyler.”

They lay together entwined until life called and they had to get ready, eat, and head to Jackson’s. The Coopers were having a family meeting to make sure everyone was okay and to celebrate the holiday as a group before they paired off. Allison and her kids were even coming because they were part of the group, even if Brayden didn’t exactly see himself as the fatherly figure.