Protector(34)

So she did just that — shut her eyes, took a deep breath, followed by another, and tried to will herself to a stillness she certainly didn’t feel. In fact, it seemed as if the harder she tried to make her mind go quiet, the more her thoughts churned one after the other…fear for Roslyn and Danica, the hell she was probably going to catch when all this settled down and her parents had the leisure to read her the riot act about hiding her gifts, worry that the warlocks might decide to snag a few more unsuspecting witches and she’d have to track them down as well. And, above it all, and the last thing she should be thinking about, the young man who sat a few feet away from her, the way she thought she could hear him breathing, could practically hear the beating of his heart in his chest…and how much she wished she could go to him and lay her cheek on that chest, feel it strong and sturdy and reassuring against her skin.

Her eyelids snapped open, and she saw Alex still sitting there, his gaze seemingly fixed on something outside the window. She guessed, however, that he had been watching her right up until the moment she opened her eyes.

“Anything?” he asked.

“No,” she replied, not bothering to keep the irritation out of her voice. “I know I’m supposed to relax, to let myself be a conduit for the visions, but the harder I try not to think about anything, the more I think about everything. Now I wish I’d taken that yoga class Danica tried to get me into. Maybe that would’ve helped with my focus.”

Alex made a sound that might have been a chuckle, but which morphed into a throat-clearing as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, you’ve had a rough day. It’s early, but maybe you should try to sleep. Try again tomorrow when you’re better rested.”

That sounded like good, practical advice. She knew she should take it. She just wished she didn’t feel like such a failure for doing so. “Okay,” she said reluctantly. “You’re probably right.”

When she got up from the couch, she could feel the heaviness in her limbs, the ache of weariness all through her. The wine had erased it for a little bit, but now it was returning, worse than ever. Why had she thought she could accomplish anything useful tonight? Her body was clearly telling her that it needed to rest.

Alex stood as well, but she noticed that he kept a careful distance from her. If she stumbled, would he put out a hand to steady her?

Probably, and no way was she going to attempt such a transparent ploy. Acting the helpless female was just not her thing. Chin raised, she walked out of the living room and down the hall to the guest room where Alex had dropped off her luggage earlier.

He stopped on the other side of the door, then asked, “Is there anything else you need? Toothpaste, whatever?”

“No, I’m good. I packed all that stuff.”

“Okay. Well…good night, then.”

A quick smile, probably meant to reassure her, and then he was moving away from her, going to his bedroom. He let himself in, and she got a quick glimpse of a room decorated in soothing shades of brown and blue before he closed the door. That was probably for her benefit, as she’d have to go across the hall to use the bathroom, and it seemed like he wanted to give her as much privacy as he could.

Which she appreciated. She closed the door to her own room, picked up the smaller bag, the one that held all her toiletries, and got out the cosmetic case that contained her toothbrush and toothpaste and the glycerin bar she used to wash her face. After setting those aside, she went into the other suitcase, pulled out the tank top and yoga pants she’d brought to sleep in, and got into them quickly. The jeans she’d been wearing could be folded and set on top of the chair in the corner, while she hung up her top. In a pinch she could wear it again, since she’d only had it on for half the day.

Then she darted across the hall to the bathroom and closed and locked the door, then performed her usual going-to-bed rituals. In the past she’d found following the routine to be vaguely reassuring, but now she could only keep thinking of Danica and Roslyn, of where they were, of what those warlocks were doing to them. Would they be allowed to sleep, to eventually wash their faces and brush their teeth? Or did Matías and his two buddies plan to only use them for a day or two, and so didn’t care whether the girls would have a chance to take care of themselves?

Those thoughts tumbled around in her head, and when she looked into the mirror after she’d washed her face, Caitlin saw how bleak and frightened her eyes were, how drained of color her skin. Well, who cared? She wasn’t here to win any beauty contests.

Even so, she put on some moisturizer and lip balm, then returned the products to the cosmetic bag when she was done. Afterward, she found a sponge under the sink and wiped down the granite counter. Everything here was so clean, so new and shiny and perfect, that she didn’t want to leave even a water spot behind.