Illumine Her (23 page)

“When a natural disaster occurs, there is always tremendous suffering—loss of life and homes, grief and anguish. But where there is a crisis, there are also small miracles occurring at the same time. While people are capable of causing pain, they are also capable of relieving it too. There is far more collective empathy and compassion when one is affected by a tsunami, an earthquake, or cyclone than at any other time here. It’s for this reason that drives them to come together and act together to relieve the pain.”

Chase reached out and squeezed her hand. The sensation shot tingles up her arm. “There’s something I’d like to do for you now.” He nodded towards her injured ankle. “If you’ll let me?” he asked, raising his eyes to hers.

He was seeking her permission to heal her. The thought suddenly scared her. Alana gazed at his face and blinked.

“Will it hurt?” she whispered.

His smile warmed his eyes as he shook his head. “No, it won’t hurt.”

She was definitely nervous and despite her training as a nurse, this kind of healing was way beyond her scope of understanding. It was completely foreign to her and that alone frightened her. But as afraid as she was, she accepted that a part of her was beginning to trust Chase. He had been nothing but patient and kind with her.

“Alright,” she said tightly. “If you don’t mind, that is.” She swallowed. “I mean, if it’s really not an inconvenience to you. Wait, this is not some natural disaster,” she babbled on. “Are you sure you’re supposed to be doing this? Is this allowed?”

He laughed low. “Alana? Relax. Trust me.”

“Okay.” She exhaled loudly.

He broke eye contact and examined her ankle in quiet concentration before he finally spoke.

“Oh no.” He groaned.

“What? What is it?” she asked anxiously.

“It looks like you’re going to be hobbling around for a while,” he said regretfully.

She looked at her ankle in confusion. “But I thought you said—”

Alana’s speech was suddenly cut off when she felt a warm pulse. The feather light touch emanating from Chase’s hands circled and engulfed her ankle, wrapping it like a blanket. There was no visible light as she expected, but a heat that left her tingling from head to toe. Alana was immediately reminded of the comforting feeling she had felt when Chase touched her on the face near his vehicle at the hospital. She closed her eyes and allowed his touch to ease and heal her. Then it disappeared as quickly as it began.

“All done,” he barely whispered.

She opened her eyes and eyed him suspiciously before her lips curved upwards. He had teased her to make light of the situation and she fell for it.

“I forgot to mention that magenta can also stand for being extremely gullible,” he said with a smile that made Alana lose her breath. She laughed out loud and swatted him against his arm.

“It does not,” she tossed back.

“Stand up and test it out,” he said smiling, motioning towards her foot.

Alana exhaled on a breath that came out with a whoosh and stood up tentatively. She took a few careful steps forward, half expecting to bunch in pain. When she didn’t feel any pressure, she straightened her shoulders and walked some more. The ache was completely gone, and when she bent over to examine her ankle, the bruises had disappeared. She half turned and beamed down at Chase.

“This is incredible! Thank you.” She flashed him a brilliant smile, and Chase inhaled sharply, taken back by her radiant face.

“We should head back before it gets dark.” He stood and motioned to the front of the cave.

Together they walked through the spray of water and edged along the black rocks that covered the side of the pool. The afternoon sun was retreating slowly behind the trees sheltering the grassy path they were trampling on as they retraced their steps back to the sliding rocks. Chase and Alana walked in comfortable silence, and at times when the path became narrow, he took the lead while she followed closely behind. Alana couldn’t help the coy smile that graced her lips as she looked at his back, his muscles contorting as he walked steadily over the brush.

When they reached the sliding rocks, the area was deserted and quiet save for the sounds of rushing water and the tweeting of birds overhead. Malia and Kane, together with their posse, had left and abandoned them to make their own way home. Alana stopped and looked around.

“I can’t believe they just left us.”

“We were gone a long time,” Chase said as he started to climb up the steps that led to the parking lot. “Come on, we might as well start walking if we want to get home before it gets pitch dark.”

That idea would have appealed to her if they weren’t stuck out in the middle of nowhere, the closest point of civilization miles away. With the impending darkness and no street lamps to light their way, the mosquitoes were going to devour them.

“Walk? We’re catching the bus.”

She hoped there was still one running this late in the afternoon. Did one even come this way? She began to ascend the multiple stairs. The bag that contained her towel, spare clothes, and cell phone were missing from the spot she had placed earlier. Assuming Sera must have collected them, she sighed and followed Chase.

When they reached the lot, Alana’s legs were shaky from the steep climb, but she soon forgot all about her throbbing thighs when she spotted a shiny black Land Rover parked on the grass. Chase retrieved a set of keys from his shorts’ pocket and opened the two-door LRX with a click. Her eyes widened before she chuckled out loud. Chase looked over his shoulder and flashed her a sly grin.

“You’re just full of surprises,” she said shaking her head.

He shrugged. “It’s a rental. I like to be independent when I travel.”

They settled into the car’s leather seats, which still smelled brand new, and he revved the engine to life. With one hand on the steering wheel, he expertly maneuvered the car out of the grassy lot and drove onto the main road. Alana turned to look outside her window at the passing trees and bushes and smiled to herself. Chase had revealed himself to her. He had healed her. She thought about what he was capable of doing and her heart rate picked up. As much as he intimidated her by reading into her emotions, he fascinated her with his abilities, and she was looking forward to learning more about him. He was drawing her in, and Alana couldn’t help but feel that she would be okay if he did.

Chapter 16

H
er stomach grumbled loudly. When was the last time she ate? Sucking in her breath and pressing her arms tightly around her stomach, she prayed he hadn’t heard. One corner of his mouth rose slightly. Of course he had. The lights from the car’s dashboard illuminated his profile, accentuating the hard ridge of his jawline and the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“Let’s get some food,” he stated. Alana admitted she was hungry—bottomless-stomach-could-eat-a-cow hungry. A day of sun and swimming easily did that to her.

“Yes, please. I’m starving.”

“What do you feel like? Hotel fancy, market grease, BBQ from the road side, or fast food?”

“Wow. I didn’t realize there were so many choices.” She laughed.

“Well?” he asked, smiling.

“Let’s go for something simple and quick? I could really eat some fish and chips or a burger right now.”
Or maybe both
, she added to herself.

“I know just the place.”

Chase pressed on the accelerator and they took off and arrived in town a short time later. He clicked on the indicator and turned onto Beach Road where tall buildings—an architectural mix between modern and colonial—rose on one side while a salty breeze from the Pacific Ocean blew in from the other. The car purred along passing large
tamaligi
trees, its flaming red flowers not yet in bloom, and the sea wall where people meandered along in sneakers and work-out clothes.

Chase drove to the marina and parked under a tree. Small sail boats bobbed on the water in front of them, and a team training in an outrigger canoe could be seen in the distance, its spectators squinting from the sun on the sea wall. A large cruise ship was anchored at the wharf, its name,
Pacific Jewel
, emblazoned proudly on the side. Seafood and local fast food restaurants trailed near the marina, the aroma of grilled fish and steamed lobster wafting through the gentle breeze. Sunsets were always the prettiest in this spot, but Alana always avoided looking at them. Pushing through the ache, she distracted herself with a group of women dressed in tight strapless dresses in bright shades to match the sky strutting nearby, their heels clicking on the concrete pavement as they made their way to the waterfront. Their laughter filtered through the closed windows of the car as they held onto their sparkly clutches. Alana looked down at her damp swimsuit and muddy shorts and frowned.

“Your bag is in the backseat...” her head snapped up and her mouth dropped a little “...I asked Kane to put it there if we weren’t back in time. He has spare keys.” Chase grinned at her reaction.

“You planned this!” she exclaimed.

“Your
stomach
planned this.” He grabbed a white T-shirt from the backseat, pulling it over his head in one swift move. “I’ll step out so you can change. The windows are tinted so you’ll have privacy.”

Alana narrowed her eyes at him. “How do I know you don’t have some Superman X-ray vision thingy?”

“Thingy?” He gave her a broad smile.

“Chase, I’m serious!” she exclaimed, laughing. It was nerve-racking enough that he could see her aura and decipher her emotions.

He grinned and held his hands up in surrender. “I assure you that I do not have that ability, Alana. Look, I’ll even turn around to make you feel better.”

He opened the door and stepped out, walking to the hood of the car with his back to her as promised. Alana furrowed her brows and shook her head before climbing over the arm rest to the backseat. The windows were tinted black, blanketing her in a dark cover, but she couldn’t help looking uneasily outside anyway. The idea that she could see out even if random people couldn’t see in did little to comfort her. She quickly shuffled through her bag, moving her towel and moisturizer out of the way, and pulled out a wrinkled maxi summer dress. It wasn’t fancy, just a simple navy dress with spaghetti straps that was easy to throw on after a day of swimming. She fingered her cotton panties and black lace bra but decided against changing into those. Despite what Chase said, there was no way she was going to strip down naked in his car. She tugged off her swim shorts and threw the dress over her one-piece swimsuit. She opened the lid to her moisturizer—something that smelled like rain kissed leaves and cucumber—and spread the cream blend onto her legs, arms, underarms, neck, and face. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she brushed it out with her fingers as best she could before braiding it loosely and letting it hang over her shoulder. She took some money out of her wallet and tucked it under the strap of her swimsuit. Feeling refreshed, she climbed over to the front seat and put her feet back into her black flip flops.

Alana opened the door and stepped out. Chase turned around and gave her a slow, sexy grin—the kind that shot butterflies straight to her stomach. Together they walked to a restaurant that served everything from sashimi to fish burgers and fried calamari. The aroma coming from the kitchen made her stomach grumble again. The restaurant had an open design that faced the waterfront, a welcoming breeze drifting in from the sea, and sailing paraphernalia tacked to the walls: a ship’s wooden wheel here, rope and fishnet there. It was just the kind of eatery Alana liked—it could be casual and easy going but also swanky all at the same time. The place was buzzing with people, the atmosphere uplifted by the upbeat of the music overhead with chattering drowning out the lyrics. Some people surfed the Web with their laptops while others talked on their cell phones. Chase and Alana stepped up to the counter to order their food—he a seafood combo that included everything from fried shrimp to mussels, and she a fish burger with all the toppings and a side of fries. The lady behind the counter grazed her eyes over Chase appreciatively, and Alana couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride.
Yes, I came in with this demigod
. When she took out the money from her swimsuit, Chase gently restrained her arm and handed over his credit card.