Garda - Welcome to the Realm (29 page)

“Neither do I.” I turned my head away from her. I didn’t want her to see the pain on my face.

“Mitch, can you just be happy that we have these few moments together.” She put her hand under my chin and turned my face back to hers.

“But how long are we going to have them, Corey? Do I have to die to be with you forever?” Shock crossed her face as the words left my mouth.

“No! Mitch it isn’t your time to die. Please don’t say those things.”

“Why not? I want to be with you, Corey. If I were dead, we could be together. Maybe you should have let Joe kill me.” The thought of dying didn’t frighten me, not as much as the thought of living without her did.

She pushed away from me, “Mitch, stop! Don’t talk like that. You are going to die, but not now. You have a long life to live—and what about Beth and Chase?”

“What about them?” I challenged back to her. “Chase isn’t mine, wait—” he stopped talking and stood up, “you don’t want me with you because of Brock. Is that it?” I felt the anger pump in my veins as the thought occurred to me.

She stood up and faced me, “Mitch, your brother has nothing to do with this.”

“He doesn’t, does he?” I spun away from her, wiping my hands over my head. “Tell me you don’t care about him.” I waited tensely for her to speak.

“Mitchell, you are making more out of this than there needs to be. Of course, I care about Brock, but it’s not like you think.” I felt her hand on my back and shrugged it off.

“It’s not what I think!” I snorted a laugh, “Not what I think.”

She stepped around me and grabbed my forearms to hold me still. Her grasp was stronger than I imagined it would be.

“Mitch, there are things that you just don’t understand, a lot of things that you don’t know about. Brock is my Garda. He watched over me and protected me for years. He didn’t pick me, he was assigned to me. This is just destiny that we all came together the way we did.”

“Destiny?” I couldn’t hold back the hard laugh, “Are you buying your own words, Corey?”

She stepped back as if I had slapped her. “Yes, I do believe in destiny, Mitch. I believe in fate, I believe in things happening for a reason. What’s wrong with that?”

What was wrong with believing in fate? I hung my head, as I tried to calm myself down.

“I’m sorry,” I stepped closer to her and put my hands on her hips. “I’m sorry. I just miss you so much, and I don’t understand where things go from here. Seeing Brock with you was a shock.”

She put her hands on my chest, “I know. You need to speak with him. There are things that he needs to tell you, things that he needs to explain to you.” Her eyes were pleading with me as she spoke softly to me.

“Maybe someday, but not right now.” I pulled her into my chest and held her.

“Just think about it, okay?” she whispered into my chest.

“I will.” My stomach growled loudly just after the words left my mouth, and we both laughed.

“Looks like you need to eat.” She pulled away and I glanced around us, darkness had begun to settle in. I hadn’t even noticed.

“Do you eat?” I asked her as I took her hand, and we started walking away.

“I sure do, and I would love a hamburger.” She winked at me, and I pulled her close to wrap my arm around her waist.

“I think I know just the place.” By the time we got back to the motorcycle, the sky was getting really dark.

We climbed on and hit the road. She snuggled up to my back again, and I tried not to think about what would happen in our future. Instead, I concentrated on the bike and the feel of her arms around my waist.

I felt her sigh deeply behind me. I took one hand off the handlebars and reached down to squeeze her hands that lay against my stomach.

I glanced down at our hands touching for only a moment, but when I lifted my head back up, two headlights were coming straight at us.

~ Brock ~

For the first time since Coralenna had joined the Realm, I felt that we had peace between us. The fact that she didn’t judge me for what had happened but instead seemed to sympathize with what I had done made me feel almost inadequate in her presence. What an incredible woman she was.

I sat next to Billy, he was one of my newer charges, and he needed some direct assistance from me. I glanced over at him and, while he was drunk, he appeared to be doing alright behind the wheel of the car.

I leaned my head back on the seat and stared out the window. The stars were coming out in the heavens above, and I smiled. I closed my eyes as I remembered the sincere expression on her face.

When Billy made a noise beside me, I turned from the window to see him messing with the buttons on his dashboard console. He punched one preprogrammed button after another on his radio, taking his focus off the roadway while he did.

A sound registered in my mind just as a flash of light struck the windshield. A motorcycle was coming straight towards us. The fact that a crash was imminent was not my concern. The real concern was that the people on the bike were Mitch and Corey, and Corey was in a mortal body.

Without another thought, I phased out of the car to Corey and yanked her from the bike and into the level above just a split second before impact.

The shocked expression on Corey’s face as she met mine sent a pulse down my spine. My arms encircled her tightly and her hands had gone to my waist.

We stared at each other. One electrical burst through my body quickly became two and then three. Her mouth opened, and she dropped her head back as if it were too heavy to hold up.

If I felt them, then she felt them, too, and they were quickly becoming overpowering. I glanced to my left just long enough to see a motorcycle wedged under the front of a car and a body lying on the side of the road. Before I could realize what the scene was, both Corey and I phased back to the Realm.

~ Corey ~

Yanked from the serenity I had felt while riding behind Mitch, my body was suddenly a minefield. My nerve endings burned through every inch of my body. A surge traveled with each beat of my heart.

I barely saw Brock’s face in front of me, his features contorted in a similarly painful way as mine. The random thought that my body would combust into a bright fireball twisted through my mind.

My head dropped back, and I felt myself falling. The landing was soft, but the body that ended up on top of mine was anything but.

“Coralenna,” a husky pain-filled voice reached my ears, and I struggled to open my eyes as the intensity rushed through me. Brock’s face came into view as my lids opened into slits.

His jaw was clamped tightly, and the urge to kiss his lips to relax him filled my mind. My hands reached for his face, sliding over the hot skin of his cheeks and into the hair on the sides of his head.

I pulled his lips to mine, the urge a sudden need that filled me from the bottom of my toes to the top of my head. Our lips met, and colors exploded behind my eyelids. I heard him groan as he slid his hand around the side of my ribs and pulled me tighter to him.

The kiss deepened, both of us allowing this insane hunger to sate the other as our tongues tangled and our lips crushed against one another’s.

The pain started to recede and pleasure slowly replaced it. His body called to me, and mine responded. There were no thoughts, no questions to ask. There was only the need to feel what we had.

My arms slipped over his shoulders, pulling his body as close to mine as it could get, but not sating the need to feel him.

His lips left mine and traveled down to my throat, my pulse raced under his lips and my eyelids blinked heavily. Stars filled the sky above me. I closed them again, wanting only to feel the passion we had together.

As he kissed my neck lower, I turned my head to allow better access and cracked open my lids again. With a start I jerked, and Brock lifted his head.

Fifty or so people stood watching us. I gazed around and realized we were lying on the beach in the Realm—and we had an audience.

“Some privacy, please,” I whispered, and while Brock started to laugh, we phased from the beach and landed on the bed in my quarters.

“Better?” he said as he stroked my face.

“No,” I pulled his head down to mine, his lips just a fraction of an inch away, “now it’s better.” He closed the distance between our lips, and all other thoughts melted from my mind.

~ Brock ~

The pain sliced through me, and I struggled with the feelings that grew in me. Corey would be upset that the connection was being made against her will.

With her under me in the sand, I felt every inch of her body touching mine. She shifted and reached for me. Afraid to do anything wrong, I allowed her to lead. There was no hesitation when our lips met. The strongest emotions I had ever experienced burst forth in me, arching like rainbows around my heart.

I pulled away from her lips only long enough to attach them to her neck. Her startled jerk had me lifting my head. We had an audience, and more would come. This was a huge moment in the Realm. The connection of two spirits into one, a total consuming and twisting of their lives together, it had not happened in several years, and many had only heard of such a thing.

I understood their wanting to watch as our bodies joined physically and mentally, this was a beautiful thing, but as Corey begged quietly for privacy, I realized that was exactly what I wanted also.

Her blue eyes sparkled in the soft light of the moon as it came through the window, “Better?”

“No,” she replied as she pulled me closer, “now it’s better.”

With just a slight movement, I closed the gap and took her lips in mine again. Joy filled me as I released the fear that we would not connect, that it could have all been a lie.

Ribbons swirled like satin around our bodies as with each kiss, each touch, her memories invaded my mind. Her feelings, her likes and dislikes wound over and into me. Everything about me would be pouring into her, I knew. When our connection completed, there would be no lies between us. We would know each other better than we did ourselves.

Corey pulled my shirt over my head, running her hands over my shoulders to cup my face. “Brock,” she whispered as she raised herself up to take my lips again.

After kissing her, I needed to know one thing, and I pulled back, “Corey, are you alright?”

Her drawn brows displayed confusion for only a moment, then a slow sensuous smile spread out over her lips and her brow smoothed out. “I’m wonderful, the pain is gone now.” She touched my bottom lips with her thumb, and I kissed it gently.

“There will never be pain again, Corey.” My mouth returned to her neck and nibbled. A soft sigh wafted into the air and we allowed ourselves to join on the wings of passion and fly high into the heavens.

We made love over and over, and I had never felt as content and fulfilled as I did now.

We snuggled beside one another, and I tried to keep thoughts of what had happened to make this event transpire out of my mind.

“I’m hungry,” she spoke as her head lay on my chest, her hair fanned out around her. My fingers tangled in her soft locks.

Laughter rumbled through my chest, “I thought I had sated your hunger.”

She laughed and lifted her head, “One of them, but with the workout we just had, I could use some nourishment.”

She rolled back on her elbow to view me better, pulling the sheet up to cover herself gracefully.

“I love your eyes, the color is so unique,” she whispered as she reached out a hand to caress my cheek.

My hand rested over hers, “I love you, Coralenna.”

“I know.” She smiled almost wistfully and pulled her hand away, “I felt it. I felt everything.”

“That was pretty intense, wasn’t it?” I cleared my throat and sat up against the headboard.

“Intense? No, I’d call it earth-shattering.” Her hand rested over my chest, her finger gently tickling the hair that grew there. “Why were people watching us?”

With a quick glance around the room, I turned back to her. “There has not been a strong connection in a long time, since I first came here. It is an amazing thing, and everyone understands how powerful it is. They all wanted to watch it, to share in the joy.”

“Doesn’t that seem kind of freaky?” she asked hesitantly.

Laughter shook the bed, “The first time I saw it, I was so entranced, I couldn’t look away. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen, but when we were on the beach, the only thing I wanted was privacy with you.”

“I’m glad. That’s all I wanted, too.” She placed a kiss on my chest and then threw the sheet back to climb out of bed. “I’m taking a shower and then getting something to eat.”

“Do I get to join you?” I teased as she paraded naked to the bathroom door.

She called out over her shoulder, “No. If you join me we will never get to eat.”

My shoulders felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off of them. Things were finally falling into place, everything except what had happened to Mitch.

I climbed out of the bed and phased to my quarters where I turned on the water for my own shower. Corey hadn’t mentioned Mitch once since we’d connected. Did she not remember what happened? If she didn’t remember, what was going to happen when she did?

The weight that had appeared to have been lifted suddenly felt like it hung over my head.

This was the first time we had been apart since the connection, and I felt like something major was missing, like a limb had been cut off. After a quick shower, I pulled some clothes on and phased back to her.

~ Corey ~

When Brock phased from the bedroom, I felt it and shivered. He was only one floor away, I knew he went to his own quarters and yet I felt alone. Would it always feel that way when we were apart now that we had connected?

Connected—wow, how had it happened? I couldn’t remember us having a conversation. I don’t know who reached out to whom, or what we were doing when it started. The feelings had slammed down on me so quickly, taking my body by complete surprise.

The peppermint shampoo I used tingled my scalp, reminding me of the penetrating burning I had felt all over my body earlier. The pain had come to an end when we had started kissing and had been replaced by incredible elation. The knowledge I had gained during the connection made me better understand Brock in a way I had never known another person.

The bathroom was steamy when I finished my shower, and I dressed quickly and went to the kitchen. What should I make? I wondered as I pulled open the fridge. I had no idea what he liked to eat, but just as the thought crossed my mind, I realized that I did.

I pulled out some lunch meat and closed the door. Inside a cabinet I pulled out rye bread and took out four pieces. Back in the fridge, I pulled out the mustard and mayonnaise. I didn’t like mustard, but I knew for a fact that he did.

Brock phased back to my quarters just as I was about to slice the sandwiches. I could relax. The sensation of being alone dissipated, and I felt whole again.

Brock pulled out a stool from the counter bar and sat down, his brown hair darker since it was still wet and brushed back off his face. I pushed his plate over to him. He lifted the top slice of Rye and smiled.

“Makes things a whole lot easier to know exactly what you like.” We shared a smile, and I slid onto the stool next to him and dug into my sandwich. Ham and cheese had never tasted so good. “So, what now?” I mumbled with my mouth full.

He reached for the napkins that stood in a chrome holder on the counter, placing one next to my plate and wiping his mouth before he casually shrugged.

“I have no clue. I guess we just go back to doing what we were doing before.”

With another bite in my mouth I thought about what he said. After I had swallowed I turned to him, I wanted to ask him something, but I didn’t know how.

“What?” he muttered around the food in his mouth. He set his sandwich down and returned my gaze. “What’s on your mind?”

“When you went to your quarters, did you notice anything strange?” I bit my bottom lip, waiting for his reply.

He smirked and picked up his sandwich, “You mean like I was missing my right hand?” He took a big chunk of his sandwich and peered at me from the corner of his eye.

So he had felt the same thing. “Yeah, like that.” I reached for my own food.

“Yep, I felt it. Why do you think I came back here without drying my hair?” He pushed the last piece from the first half of his meal into his mouth.

“Oh, that’s right, you’re Mr. GQ. I know that about you now.” I threw my head back and laughed, trying not to choke on my food.

“I’m not that bad,” he said as he tried to swallow and almost choked himself when he laughed at his own words.

“We’ll see about that, I guess.” I set my sandwich down and wiped a small glob of mayonnaise off my fingers onto my napkin. “Will we always feel strange being apart?” I changed the subject back to the more important issue.

The muscles in his jaw moved up and down as he finished chewing. “I’m not exactly sure, but I think yeah.”

“So how do we deal with that? I mean, we both have different charges, and won’t we want time apart?” Brock raised an eyebrow. “Not that I want any time away from you right now, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying if we are here for eternity, won’t we get tired of each other?”

Brock leaned over and placed a small kiss on my lips, “Corey, I’ve been with you for years already, and I can’t imagine not having you around me now.”

“Yeah, we’ll see how you feel in another forty years.” I turned back to finish my sandwich.

He laughed beside me and picked up his second half. We spent the afternoon snuggled on the couch, listening to music, and talking about the things we knew about each other, trying to better understand what some of them meant.

Around dusk, Montgomery phased onto the balcony where we stood watching the sunset.

“Well, you two look happy.” He had a bottle of champagne in his hand. He raised it up to us, “A little toast to our new couple?”

Montgomery’s arms opened wide, and I stepped into them, giving him a tight hug. “I’ll go get some glasses. Is David coming?” I glanced over my shoulder as I walked to the sliding door.

“Afraid not, he’s busy watching over someone right now.” His voice held more tension than I had ever heard from him, but he had his back to me, so I went inside to get the glasses.

When I came back with the glasses, Brock seemed as tense as Montgomery. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing you need to worry about right now, my dear.” Monty started to untwist the metal cage over the top of the cork, and dropped it on the side table. With two thumbs under the cork, it took little pressure to pop it. Champagne bubbled up and over the side of the bottle. He poured the three glasses and set the bottle down.

“Here’s to the new and incredible couple.” He raised his glass high and we all clinked them together. Brock and I exchanged smiles over our glasses. Just as the champagne touched my lips, David appeared.

“You have to come now. He’s trying to cross over.”

~ Mitchell ~

My brain had shut down, and when consciousness started to click back into place, I found myself deep in the dark recesses of my mind. I thought my eyes were open, yet I could not see anything. My heart beat slowly in my chest, I heard it inside my head, but I couldn’t feel it.

There was only silence around me. I felt like I was all alone inside a sound proof dark chamber. I tried to move, but my limbs would not listen. Frustrated, I allowed the darkness to swallow me again.

I noticed beeps, high-pitched ones that I wanted to swat away from me, yet once again my body would not comply with my mind. Dry air tickled the inside of my nose, and I wanted it to stop, but there was no way to make it go away.

Mumbled words twirled around me in the air, but they meant nothing to my ears. Confused by all these feelings, I searched for the darkness and moved back into it.

A third time I found myself on the fringes of life. My body would not respond when I asked it to. I could only listen, and the hollow words spoken beside me mentioned coma and paralysis. They couldn’t be talking about me, could they?

I went off to find the dark silence once again, finding more peace there.

The beeping continued, a shuffling sound over the floor was muffled in my ears. Something touched the tip of my left finger. Something else touched my right hand, and I could feel a swirl of movement over the skin. Was someone touching me?

The sound of a door opening reached me. A masculine voice spoke, “Mrs. O’Reilly, the test results just came back.”

“Was there anything different?” a soft worried feminine voice answered.

“Not really. There is very little activity in his brain. We will continue to monitor him, but I’m not sure if things will get better.” The male voice sounded as if it were closer.

“But there is activity, right?” her voice was garbled.

“Yes, a slight amount, but his brain had some major swelling, and we aren’t sure if he is going to come out of the coma. It is a good sign that he can breathe on his own, but you have to prepare yourself for the fact that he might never come out of this.”

The sound of muffled crying reached me, and I succumbed to the peaceful place I had found earlier.

In my secluded darkness I could walk, I could see, although there was nothing, nothing but memories, recollections of my life, of my family—and of Corey.

Where was she? The last thing I remembered, she had been on the back of my motorcycle. A car had come around a bend, and I’d had no chance to avoid it. Just before the crash, it had felt like she had been torn from behind me, or had that been because of the crash?

She was an angel, right? So she couldn’t be killed again, could she? Could something have happened to her? If she was alright, wouldn’t she be here with me?

Maybe I needed to go look for her. I turned in the darkness and started to walk. I did not know which way to go, I only knew to follow my mind’s path.

If I had counted the steps, maybe then I would have known how far I had traveled before the space in front of me started to lighten. My feet moved just a tiny bit faster.

From just beyond the light, a shadow appeared. I squinted to try and see it better. My steps slowed as the figure emerged and moved towards me.

The light silhouetted the figure, and I knew the movement and lines of the person coming towards me.