Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

We all tend to protect Rikki.”
    “We protect ourselves as well as each other. Bring him. We all need to be shaken up a little. It isn’t good for any of us to hide away. Maybe at first we needed a sanctuary, but it isn’t living—not really.”
    “I’ll call Lexi right now,” Judith said.
    “She’ll be very understanding,” Blythe assured.
    “So will Rikki.”
    Blythe nodded. “That’s true, but Levi, not so much. We think Jonas is bad, but Levi has a protective streak a mile wide and it’s extended from a wide circle around Rikki to the rest of us. He’ll be watching out for you, Judith.”
    “I’m not certain Levi’s way of watching for us is something we want to look too closely at,” Judith admitted.
    They exchanged a small smile of understanding.

6
     
    HIGHWAY 1 was beautiful, the ocean lapping at the cliffs on one side, the other with forests spreading up the mountains and ribbons of silvery water cascading over rocks through the variety of trees. Stefan had never really appreciated the beauty of his surroundings as he did in this particular place. He loved the color, vivid greens in various shades and splashes of bright flowers vying for space on the rising mountains. In spite of the bruising across his chest and the thin knife wounds on his arms, he felt surprisingly good. Ivanov wouldn’t be in any shape to follow him and he could have this one day with Judith to himself.
    He shook his head at the absolute absurdity of what he was doing. Spending time with Judith Henderson was far more dangerous than chasing Petr Ivanov in the dark of the night but the need was too strong to resist. He’d never for one moment dreamt of meeting a woman like her. Falling in love was a fairy tale. He hadn’t believed in such things, and certainly didn’t believe he was capable of falling under a woman’s spell. He was not a man who put aside who and what he was to indulge himself. For him, this peculiar behavior was just one more sign that he’d been in the business too long.
    In the end, all the recriminations in the world didn’t matter. He’d lain awake most of the night and thought about her, all the while rubbing his left palm along his thigh. Strangely, his palm had itched most of the night and this morning there was a strange burning. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the weird problem with his palm had something to do with Judith. Part of him hoped that when he saw Judith again, the terrible longing in him would subside and he would realize the momentary madness was over.
    The moment he turned onto the road leading to the farm, a shadow passed over his car. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a bird in flight, performing a lazy circle above him, glittering eyes watching his every movement. His heart jumped and then settled to a normal rhythm. The bird watching him didn’t mean Lev was alive. He knew his brother had many gifts, and one of those gifts allowed him to use the animals as spies.
    The farm was a perfect place to hide. Judith had five sisters. Men like Lev looked for a woman who stayed below the radar—women such as those residing on the large farm. He would have to ask Judith about each of the women and make a guess as to which one his brother might choose to shelter him while he laid low and built a new cover for himself, one that permitted him to remain dead to his past life.
    Was his brother close by? Was it possible he lived near Judith, that she actually knew him? He didn’t dare question her about a man, she’d close down. Lev would have made it understood that someone was hunting him and a woman like Judith would protect him. A slow exhale of anger shocked him.
    He slowed his car and looked around, contemplating his reaction to his logical conclusions. Why would it make him angry that Lev would use one of these women—one of Judith’s sisters? Survival was paramount and any means used was considered justified. But was it? He had no real answers, or maybe he did, but he didn’t want to look too closely at what he was doing.
    His gut knotted as several birds settled in the trees lining the drive as he went through the open, very ornate gate that guarded the farm. The moment his body actually came parallel to the metalwork of the gate, he felt the shift in energy and power around him. The energy field was tremendous, the power coming in waves and spreading throughout the acreage. He could actually feel his body responding, the pull was that strong.