“You won’t. There’s a backrest behind you, and you’re doing a great job holding on to me, which I must say I like. Just lean with me into the corners.”
She didn’t know where they were going, and she didn’t care. At this moment, she wasn’t even sure if she was doing the whole leaning thing right. It was more fun than she had ever had before. The wind was cold on her face as her arms reached around his waist and she pressed against the back of his leather jacket.
It was a gloriously sunny day with not a cloud in the sky, and yet she shivered with a mixture of excitement and the chilly air passing them by. They veered off the motorway and down a country road past cottages and village greens. The corners were sharp, so he would lean the bike over, and she moved with him. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her breath caught in her throat. The more bends he took, the more she gained her confidence and found herself laughing and loving every moment of it.
Time went by, and the scenery changed as they made their way along a coastline of high cliffs. It reminded her of visits to Cornwall when she was small. Dad had never had much money to spare, but he always took her to the seaside in the summer. Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of him being gone forever. She missed his sense of humor and terrible jokes. Most of all she missed being able to hug him whenever she needed.
Eventually, they wound their way down a steep road, onto a dirt track, and through trees until they came to a small beach. Heath turned the bike off and put the side stand down, but Evie still held on tight around his waist. She had an inkling her legs would not hold her up if she tried to stand at the moment. He turned his head back toward her.
“As much as I love you hugging me, you need to let go so I can get off the bike.”
She unclenched her fingers so the blood could come back into them as Heath leaned forward and got off the bike. He held his hand out, but she still couldn’t move as she gripped onto the seat in front of her. He scooped her up in his arms and let her feet down. Her legs were shaking, but she reckoned she would be able to stand. Heath took off his helmet and placed it on the bike and then helped her with hers. Then he took her hands in his.
“You’re shaking. I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t−well you did, but it was a good scared if you know what I mean. I was more scared when I thought you were dying.”
“Come on, let’s go for a walk. There is a little shack not far away at the other end of the beach.” Heath grabbed the bag off the back of the bike then reached out and took her hand.
It didn’t matter that this was not real. She had spent so much time inside her house after the darkness attached itself to her that being out in the open felt magnificent. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. They found a little shack hidden amongst the trees at the back of the beach.
Heath walked up onto the creaky front veranda and opened the door. She followed him inside to find one large room that had a makeshift kitchen to one side and a couch and a bed against the other wall.
“No bathroom then,” she said.
“There’s a toilet out the back, and you can use the ocean to wash. What more could a person want?”
“I have to admit, I like my bath and plumbing, but for today it is perfect.”
He pulled out a bottle of champagne from the bag and popped the cork. He poured them drinks and motioned for her to follow him outside and sit on the rocking swing. They sat quietly, listening to the waves hit the shore. She could almost smell the salt from the water as she took in a big breath of air and sighed. How could Heath make things sound, look, and smell so good. She took a sip of the champagne, and the bubbles went up her nose, making her giggle. It was something she had not done for a long time−neither the champagne nor the giggles.
“We’ve not had a moment when we’re not fighting foes or trying to heal each other, so I decided we should have some time together where no one can interrupt us.”
Evie could feel her skin warm with a blush at the thought of being alone with Heath and where it would lead. He was looking at her and shook his head.
“I didn’t mean to presume we would do what happened the last time we shared minds. I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be sorry. I don’t regret what happened then, and I’d love to talk. I have questions. I need to know what is going to happen if you can’t get me clean of the darkness.” The way Heath peered at the sand instead of her face didn’t do much to boost her confidence.
“It’s not something I’m prepared to accept. I’ll not deny I don’t know how we will rid you of this affliction, but when we do I believe getting you a guardian will not be difficult.”
She didn’t want to talk about getting a new guardian at the moment. “I thought I hated the shadow in my mind, but it saved you, so I feel like I don’t understand it anymore. For so long, I thought I was mad, but since I’ve met you I realize it’s something completely separate from me.” She drained her glass and put it out for a refill. “By the way, I don’t want an imaginary hangover.”
“You won’t have one, I promise.”
“Tell me something about yourself. We’ve been thrown together so quickly, we haven’t had a chance to really learn much about each other.”
Heath emptied his glass and refilled both. He went back inside, searched in the bag again, and brought out a box full of fruit. Evie grabbed a strawberry and dropped it in her glass. She had a feeling Heath was delaying his response while she nibbled on more fruit.
“After I lost Elizabeth, I wanted to die. I tried to kill myself as you’ve seen by the scars on my wrists. Midworlders heal quickly on Earth, so I went to Pergor. I used a crystal up there to slice my skin. The people in control back on Homeworld decided to save me. They needed me to search for a killer alongside some of my friends. The years went by down here, but we never found him. I grew to live again, but was never really alive. When she died, I lost a part of me.” Heath stared out at the ocean as if lost in thought.
“What was she like? If it hurts too much to say, then don’t worry.”
“She was petite, blond, and had beautiful blue eyes. She also had kindness of heart. She would take in any stray animal and always wanted to help. For a gentleman’s daughter, she didn’t mind getting her hands dirty if people were in need. I was going to marry her if she agreed and hoped to eventually bond with her. After she was gone, I became a person who liked to be alone. I live in a house with many people, but I’ve never let anyone near.”
Wow. She hadn’t expected him to be so open, but then they had nearly died in the past few days. A part of her wanted to know more about Elizabeth’s death, but she sensed now was not the time to ask.
“I lived in a house with Dad for five years, never went out, and certainly didn’t let anyone near, so I understand. Now I have a guy bonded to me. That, I have to tell you, is still a weird thing to say. Plus, I have an aunt I had never met. I also have a bunch of new friends and enemies that have wings. This is crazy, but I don’t want to go back to my old life, though I wish Dad was still here. I’d love to know what he’d think of you.” She reckoned he would have approved.
“Suzie told you about our race, I believe. We can live with and love humans, but then we watch them die while we live on and strive to find someone else. I’ve never wished to push my intentions upon you, though it may have seemed different the night we first spent together.”
She wanted him the same way she had that night but had a feeling it was not going to end well.
“You haven’t pushed yourself on me in any way that has upset me.” She was blushing again, thinking about the sex, and needed to change the subject. “Tell me about your friends in America who bonded. What happened to them when they first met?”
“Her name is Nicole, and her partner, Ridge, saved her from a Demonic. When he took her to Pergor, they had trouble as well. She didn’t have anything stopping a guardian from connecting with her, but Homeworld wouldn’t allow it. They said the Angelic attached to her had been damaged and they wouldn’t risk attaching another one. One of the Elevated was involved, and it is difficult to obtain information in such a scenario. Midworlders are workers, and we are told we should keep quiet and do what is expected of us without question.”
“So, we have people up there and down here after us, plus some other weird guy with poisonous knives. We really are up shit creek without a paddle. Before the darkness came, I had a life when a lot of the time I didn’t fit in because I wasn’t white. Dad sent me to an all-girls private Catholic school. He wanted the best for me. He could just about afford the fees, but not the extras like the snow trips to Switzerland. I don’t blame him, but I didn’t fit in. One girl even asked me what I was doing there. I said money. It was the truth. We had every denomination you could think of. The nuns didn’t care, as long as you paid the fees.”