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I closed my eyes.
His free arm encircled my waist, his hand slowly sliding up my back. His breath was hot on my face, his lips hovering over mine. “Do you feel this?” His mouth pressed softly to mine, and he ran his tongue along my bottom lip.
My chest burned with desire that shot straight to my core.
He placed gentle kisses along my cheek and down my neck, finding the spot that made me squirm. “How about this?”
My hands gripped his back, holding him in place.
He returned to my lips, his tongue exploring my mouth. My tongue joined his and an explosion of need erupted inside me. My grip on him tightened.
David lifted my tank top over my head and pushed me backward on the bed, leaning over me on his elbow. His free hand cupped my breast, his thumb softly brushing my nipple through my bra. His mouth hovered over mine, making me desperate for him to kiss me again, while his eyes watched my face. “You feel this, Ellie. I can see it in your eyes and the way your body is reacting to me. You want this and so much more, but I’m not Collin. I won’t coerce or cajole you into anything you don’t want. I want this to be just as much your choice as it is mine.”
He placed a soft kiss on my lips and then got off the bed.
I rose up on my elbows, confusion replacing lust. “Where are you going?”
He picked up his bag and smiled softly. “To bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I stared at him in disbelief as he left my room, my body crying out for more. Was David right? Was there a chance I could feel something with someone else? To my surprise, I realized how badly I wanted it to be with him.
Chapter22
Iwent into the bathroom to brush my teeth, glancing at the closed door on the other side of the hall. David’s demonstration had left me wanting more. I considered going into his room to finish what he’d started, but I’d been the pursuer in my last several relationships, and I liked that I was the one being seduced this time. David was taking things slow, so I’d wait for him.
When I headed back to my room to get my bag, I looked down the long hallway, my gaze inexorably drawn to the place where my mother had died. I squeezed my eyes shut as the memories of her ragged dying breaths filled my head. I stepped back into the bathroom and flipped on the light, leaving the door cracked open. I knew it was babyish to need a night-light, but there were too many memories in this house.
I stood in the doorway to my old room, wrestling with whether I should get my bag and move into another room. But maybe it was time for me to face the demons of my past as well as the demons of my present. After I changed into a pair of pajamas, I left the door to my room open so I could see the bathroom light. I pulled the dream catcher from my bag and hung it on the bed over my pillow. I lay there for several minutes, listening to the wind blow tree limbs against my window as I began to get drowsy.
I thought about David in the other room, probably happy to be sleeping in a real bed for the first time in several nights. I wondered what it would be like to be curled up next to him, his mouth on mine, his hands roaming my body.
Fatigue had taken over and my mind hovered in the purgatory between wakefulness and sleep. A bird squawked repeatedly outside my window. My foggy mind struggled to identify the creature. I blinked and tried to focus, then gasped.
Wapi was sitting on a tree branch watching me through the window, a ghoulish smile on his face.
Had I put fresh markings on the doors? Was there still salt on the window ledges?
I tried to sit up, but the tentacles of sleep refused to let go, pulling me deeper. Panic exploded as I was pulled under. This was no normal sleepiness. Somehow, supernatural forces were controlling me. “David,” I called out, but the sound was drowned out by Wapi’s cries.
“Witness to creation, Okeus is ready for you,” Wapi said, and then everything turned to darkness.
I came to in a dark earthen tunnel, the smell of dirt and mildew flooding my head. I lay on my side, and tiny rocks poked my legs and arms. I sat up, feeling groggy and unsure of where I was or what I was doing. A dim light shone at the end of the tunnel.
This was a dream.
I climbed to my feet and held onto the wall to right myself.
A scream echoed through the tunnel, and I pressed my back against the earth wall, my heart racing. This felt more real than any of my other dreams, even those with the spirits and the ones about my mother.
The scream echoed again, and I had two choices: find a way to escape or help whoever was screaming. I really wanted to leave, but I couldn’t live with myself if I made the decision to walk away. Still, I wasn’t sure I could purposely make myself go toward the screams either. Especially after the way Ukinim had tricked me at the lighthouse.
But I took one step forward and then another. The light grew closer and closer as I moved toward it. The end of the tunnel opened into a big room, and when I was only a few feet away, I stumbled on a pile of bones. I covered my mouth to hold back a cry of fright, while another scream came from ahead. The smell of decay and blood hung heavy in the air.
I was in the badgers’ lair.
Trying to stay in the shadows, I pressed my back against the wall and edged closer to the entrance. A woman stood in a corner, her feet spread in a defensive stance, her face a mask of terror. The badgers paced in front of her. Each time she tried to slip by, one of them would slash at her with their claws.
I couldn’t stand here and watch this. I held up my palm and began to recite the words of protection, keeping my voice low.
