Illumine Her (17 page)

Alana blanched. No. It wasn’t possible. It was too dark to make out anything in the truck, let alone how she was feeling.

“Please don’t be afraid of me,” he added quietly.

That’s exactly how she was feeling. “How?” Her quivering voice trailed off.

“I’m a very perceptive man, Alana.”

“Does this have something to do with your ability? With what happened to Mr. Filipo?”

She saw his dark profile nod once.

“Tell me,” she said hesitatingly.

“How I healed him? Or how I can see you now?”

“Both.”

“I will tell you something, if you tell me what happened to you.”

Alana stilled. Why was he pressing to know what happened?
Why couldn’t he just drop it?
He was bargaining with her, and she wasn’t thrilled about the stakes. If she let him in, she would lose what little pride she had left. She could not allow him to know the full extent of her story. Maybe she could lie, but perceptive Chase would probably pick up on that. Perhaps she wouldn’t tell him the whole story. Yes. That was what she’d do.

“Alright. But you have to go first,” she said.

Chase studied her silently. “Okay. But you have to give me your word that you will tell me. Everything,” he added firmly.

“Yes. I will tell you what happened.”
But not everything
. Alana willed herself to sit still and cleared her mind of anything that would signal to Chase that she wasn’t entirely truthful.

Chase sighed heavily. Perhaps he didn’t believe her, but he started to tell her anyway. Alana sat motionless, ready to listen.

“The reason I can read you as clear as day right now is because I can see your aura.”

Alana stiffened. Her heart rate picked up at this revelation and her innards did a flip flopping sensation in her stomach. Did he just say he could see her aura? Did that mean he could see what she was hiding?

Chase continued, “I can read people’s auras and because it’s a straight path to their emotions, I can tell exactly how a person is feeling.”

What?
Alana did not like the sound of that. That was the last thing she ever expected to hear from him.

He hesitated before continuing. “It’s pitch black right now, but for me, I can see light radiating from you. Light from your aura.”

Alana seized and began to panic. If he could decipher her emotions through some light she was sending off, he could probably uncover her weaknesses and fears. It was about as close to being naked in his presence as she could be, and she wanted nothing more than to escape. With his knowledge, he had too much control, and she felt helpless. Suddenly, the inside of the truck became too small for his overwhelming presence, and she had to get away. Her mind screamed,
Get out! Get out!

“Alana, relax. You’re freaking out all over the place.” Chase reached out to touch her arm, and she recoiled as if she had been burned.

“Oh God, no!” She choked and fumbled for the door handle.

Agitated, she pushed it open forcefully, and Alana scrambled out of the truck. She needed to put as much distance from Chase as possible. Blinking rapidly in the dark, she walked unsteadily to the lookout, the wind picking up from the vacuum the valley created and pushing her sideways. Behind her she heard the truck’s door open and shut firmly, and she picked up her pace. He was coming after her. This could not be happening, but where could she possibly go? There was nowhere to escape. She realized too late that she should have run down the main road towards home. She shuffled hurriedly along the dirt path, completely blind to her surroundings.

Chase’s deep voice carried in the wind and reached her ears. “Alana, stop, you’re going to fall and hurt yourself.”

She refused to stop. Stumbling on some rocks, she righted herself and kept going. She heard him curse behind her.

“Dammit, Alana, just stop,” he said forcefully.

His footsteps were getting closer, and then he was suddenly upon her grabbing her waist to halt her movements. Alana swung around to get out of his grasp and he let her go. She was so scared. Scared he’d discover what she truly was. Scared that he would figure out her failures. That he already had.
Oh no
. She reacted in the only way she knew to protect herself. Alana raised her arms and wrapped them around her head, bracing her hands like a football helmet. She must have looked ridiculous, but she didn’t care.

“What are you doing?” She heard the puzzlement in his voice.

She took several steps away from him. “I’m blocking my aura or halo or whatever it is you can see,” she responded sharply.

How dare he violate her personal space by deciphering her emotions? Curse him for having the ability to read into her vulnerability like she was an open book. She tried to recall every time she was in the same room with him and how she would have been feeling at that particular moment. He would have picked up on the attraction she felt earlier when he arrived at the house. Oh God, the shame.

She heard his low laugh. Was he making fun of her? The nerve! “Are you laughing at me? How can you possibly think this is funny?”

“You’re trying to hide your aura from me?” he asked with a smile in his voice.

“Yes! Now can you please go away and leave me alone?” she whined.

“Alana.” She saw his dark figure approach her. His presence under the cushion of ebony trees was so overwhelming, so looming. She cursed the black cocoon they were wrapped in and trapped under. She felt vulnerable without her sight and wished she could see his face.

“Your aura... It’s not around your head.”

What?

“Then where is it?” she demanded desperately.

Chase slowly stepped closer to her. Alana felt warmth radiate from his body, and she inhaled his crisp, musky scent. Raising his hands, he gently grasped her arms that were wrapped tightly around her head. Alana tensed, her pulse picking up at his proximity. He removed her arms gingerly, his touch searing heat through her skin, and lowered them slowly until they rested at her sides. He took one of her hands in his, his large one swallowing her own. Alana lifted her gaze in confusion and searched his features in the darkness. Raising their hands together, he gently placed her palm over her chest where her racing heart lay.

“Here,” he spoke softly.

He removed his hand, and Alana’s breathing hitched at his closeness. She was soaring inside even though her feet were planted firmly on the ground. Drifting momentarily from a feeling she could not understand, she forgot why she was upset earlier.

And then realization dawned on her. “Have you been looking at my breasts?” she asked horrified.

Chase chuckled on an exhale. “No, Alana.” His voice was laced with amusement. “Your aura’s light is powerful and radiates outwards to cast a soft glow around your body. The strongest light emanates from the pulse of your heart.” He paused, and her guard lowered. Slightly. “But lately, that light hasn’t been as vibrant,” he added quietly. She cast her eyes down; she knew where this was leading. Chase’s voice turned to concern. “Something happened to you. Someone hurt you. It’s still affecting you, and I want to know why and how.”

Alana turned her head away and shriveled where she stood. She did not want to have this conversation. She remained silent for several heartbeats, finding some relief in the dark, even if he could see her. Chase stood quietly, sensing her inner turmoil, and allowed her some space.

“Look,” she finally said. “The idea of your reading my emotions... Honestly, that scares the hell out of me. A lot. I don’t like it. It’s unnerving and disconcerting, not to mention the fact that it completely violates my privacy.” She swallowed thickly. “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise to not press further. I’m dealing and I want you to know that. My family has been put through enough, and it’s better for us all to carry on preparing for the wedding...for me to be there for my sister right now. I’m fine and the best way for me to continue like that is if you keep your distance after tonight.”

Alana felt Chase still at her words, the atmosphere around them quieted. She sighed heavily and continued. While the branches of the banyan trees above swayed silently as if it too were listening, Alana recounted the night at the party. She told him about the man who approached and assaulted her, but purposefully left out the details. She conveyed the fight she and Manu put up, how they ended up at the police station, and finally how she withdrew the assault charge. Chase stood motionless and listened intently as Alana’s voice surrounded them. She became aware of his tense demeanor and the air straining around them. When she was finished speaking he remained still. Several minutes passed like this, and Alana became anxious to break the bruising silence.

“I’m fine, Chase. Really, I am,” she reassured.

“You are not fine,” he answered back, his voice threaded with suppressed fury.

Alana drew in a shaky breath.
Please
, she pleaded wordlessly,
let this go
.

Chase straightened and measured her silently. He finally nodded in comprehension. His voice was hoarse with tension. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

Turning towards the direction of the truck, Alana let out a sigh of relief. She was suddenly tired and wanted nothing more than to curl into bed and drift off to sleep. Chase gently grasped the small of her back to guide her through the dark. By now her sight had adjusted to the dark, but she was too listless to protest the assistance. Without a word, he led her to the passenger door and she climbed in. Chase entered the driver’s side and adjusted the seat to accommodate his height before he started the engine. They drove to her home in silence, but her mind was anything but. Her head began to throb as she recalled everything that had occurred that evening.

Chapter 13

P
ulling into the grassy driveway that snaked its way around her home, Chase turned off the car and shifted so he was facing her. The house was dark and devoid of the happy company that was present hours earlier.

“Alana.” His serious voice drew her attention so that she turned to face him. “I want you to know that I respect you, and I wouldn’t do anything deliberately to hurt you. If you want me to back off, I’ll back off. But this doesn’t mean that I don’t condone what that bastard did to you. That was wrong, and I’m sorry he hurt you.” He exhaled loudly. “I can see just how much it’s affected you. Just please...don’t be uneasy around me.”

Easier said than done
, her thoughts echoed in her mind. “Alright, I’ll try,” she said quietly. She stepped out of the car and he came around to her and passed the keys to her.

“How are you getting to the hotel?” she questioned.

“I know my way. Now go to sleep,” he chided gently, encouraging her in the direction of the front door.

Alana half turned and smiled shyly up at him. For all her emotional hang ups tonight, he was incredibly patient with her. “Good night, Chase,” she said softly before she turned and walked away.

Alana had been gone a long time because the house was quiet and most of the lights were turned off. She sneaked into the living room, which was illuminated only by a warm lamp in the corner, and saw the makeshift beds on the floor. Two foam mattresses were cloaked by a large mosquito net that hung from strings attached to a wire that ran the length of the room. The couches had been pushed back to make room for the beds. Alana saw Sera sleeping and could hear her heavy breathing. Tiptoeing, she made her way to the lamp and switched it off. Too exhausted to change, she slipped under the netting. Sera was facing away from her, her body propped to her side, curls tied firmly in a bun. “To avoid the biggest ‘fro in the morning,” she had told Alana when they were roommates in university. ‘Fro or not, Alana loved her wiry curls. She eased onto the mattress and buried her face in her pillow.