Shadows in the Silence
Page 10

“Are you okay?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Where am I?” I demanded, ignoring his concern.
“Relax. We’re back at my apartment. You fell asleep on the drive so I brought you here. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn’t respond. I figured you were exhausted so I let you sleep in my bed. Are you upset? I’m sorry if I—”
I realized that tears soaked my cheeks and I wiped them away. “No, it’s okay. I had a bad dream, or something. I didn’t know where I was for a second. Just freaked me out a bit.”
He sat down on the bed beside me and smoothed my hair back. “Do you always sleep like that?”
“Like what?” I asked defensively. I touched the corner of my mouth to check for drool.
He studied me curiously, his opal eyes bright in the dim light pouring in from the doorway. “You were practically out cold. I was pretty worried about you.”
I shook my head. “Just a deep sleeper sometimes, I guess.” I wasn’t about to confess to him what had really happened. How I had been sucked into Will’s dream was a mystery, but part of me wanted to fall immediately back to sleep in case I could be with him again. I could still feel the ocean wind, his touch on my skin, my lips numb from his kisses. I closed my eyes at the memory and inhaled, but instead of Will’s scent, I caught Cadan’s.
“You should go back to sleep,” Cadan offered. “Stay here a few more hours and we can figure out a plan once you’ve had some more rest.”
“Sleep…here?” I asked, suddenly remembering I was in Cadan’s bed.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got a couch.” He gave me a kind smile that made me feel a little reassured.
“I don’t mean to take your bed.”
“Sleep. Just come on out when you’re ready. The world won’t end if you sleep a bit more.”
I wanted out of my dirty clothes, but I was too tired to think of an alternative. I crawled back into the bed and sank into the silk sheets. Cadan rose and walked toward the door. I rested my head against the pillow and watched him.
He paused with one hand on the doorknob. “Sleep sweet,” he said softly and closed the bedroom door behind him.
I could only muse over the strange, almost archaic phrase for a few moments before I fell into a fitful sleep, one in which Will was noticeably absent.
4
WHEN I WOKE IN THE MORNING, I WAS FAR TOO aware of the blood on my skin and clothes from the night before. My hair was crusty and stuck together in clumps with the stuff, and there was even blood under my nails. I was so used to gore by now that instead of being as grossed out by it as I used to be, I just found it annoying. I felt sorry for sleeping in Cadan’s bed while covered in filth. The afternoon sun poured across the carpet and walls through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I bathed in the warmth for a few precious seconds before the task ahead of me tore into my thoughts.
I left the bedroom and found my way to the living room, which was overlooked by the kitchen. Beyond the bar counter, I saw Will rummaging about several cabinets and my breath caught in my throat. I blinked, and then it wasn’t Will I saw; it was Cadan. I stood frozen, unable to approach him until my pulse settled. A memory hit me hard, the memory of waking up late after that stupid college party to find Will cooking breakfast. When I looked at Cadan, now that I knew that Will was his younger half brother, I could see how strongly he resembled Will. It was the curve of his lips, the straightness of his nose, the heavy line of lashes over his eyes. But they weren’t Will’s emerald-green eyes. The fire opals that made up Cadan’s irises flickered when he saw me, the prism flames spinning for a heartbeat.
“I hope you slept well,” he said, and focused back on the food in front of him. “I can’t cook, so I had lunch delivered. You’ve got to be starving.”
As a matter of fact, I was. But when I glanced at the blood caked under my fingernails, I couldn’t imagine eating before I showered. “That was generous of you,” I replied, “but I’ve got to clean up. I’m so gross right now. There’s still blood and…stuff…everywhere on me. Do you mind if I get a shower first?”
“No, of course not.” He led me to the bathroom and offered me a clean towel. I took a scorching-hot shower and scrubbed myself until my skin was raw but clean. I gingerly stepped back into my dirty clothes, unhappy I had nothing else to wear.
Back in the kitchen, Cadan and I made small talk while I ate. It was obvious how hard he’d tried. “Thank you so much. I ought to get going.”
He nodded. “What do you think should be the plan? Regarding Antares?”
“We find her,” I said clearly and surely. “If she’s in the Rocky Mountains, the same place you saw her last, then we go there. I’ll pack and we can get going today.”
“Tonight,” he corrected. “Sunlight and I don’t get along.”
“Right.” I surprised myself with how easily his demonic nature escaped me. “Okay. Why don’t you arrange travel plans for us? I need you with me. You’re the only one who knows where Antares is.”
He stared at me, his gaze firm and drilling. “Are you sure you want me along?”
“Absolutely,” I said, recalling how well we fought together last night. “We’re a good team.”
He watched me a moment longer before tearing his eyes away, and he put the food away in a bag and slid it across the counter toward me. “I hope you liked the stir-fry. It’s from my favorite Thai restaurant. A little hole-in-the-wall downtown. You should go there sometime.”