Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

Thomas, Judith couldn’t help but hug that small gift to her. She had given him something he obviously treasured. She could hear it in his voice and feel it in his mind. If he was using her, his emotions for her were still very real.
     
     
    THE intruder lurched to his feet the moment the owls backed off. He cast one wary look toward the sky and took off running again. His shirt was torn in several places, long slashes that had cut into his skin. Bloodstains spread rapidly across the taut material. The man was in good shape, but the birds had rattled him. Suddenly, he veered away from the road and made for the far side of the meadow where the taller grass grew.
    The sudden departure from the fastest route warned Stefan this was no peeping Tom who had come to spy on the women who lived on the farm. The fact that he’d chosen Judith’s home meant he hadn’t done so randomly.
    Cut the engine, Lev. He can hear you coming and he’s up to something. Do you have a visual?
    The man had disappeared into the thick, tall grass and there was no movement to give him away. Stefan halted the chase abruptly and slipped back into the shadow of the trees.
    Who is he? Ivanov?
    Hell if I know. He doesn’t move like Ivanov, but he’s up to something. Watch yourself. Stefan studied the grass as he replied to his brother. What the hell was the intruder up to? He had to be crawling through the grass, staying low, making certain there was no ripple to give his position away.
    Overhead, the owls circled. One gave a cry, and instantly Stefan’s vision blurred. He pulled away from his brother immediately. Judith was still feeding the energy, boosting the power, and he was picking up remnants of his brother’s craft. He took a step to his left, looking for a better visual and something spat wood splinters into the side of his face. He dropped to the ground and rolled, then, on his belly, using his elbows and toes to move fast, scuttled across the open ground to the patch of small boulders at the start of the meadow. There was a shallow depression and he fit his body inside it.
    You hit?
    Don’t sound so upset. Stefan knew he sounded irritated, but truthfully he was annoyed with himself. Once he was certain they weren’t dealing with Ivanov, he’d minimized the danger in his mind.
    Yeah, you’re all right.
    Stefan felt rather than heard the relief in his brother’s voice. It was hard to let yourself care when you hadn’t for so long. Emotions were worse than rusty, they’d become so thin and tattered, feelings were hardly recognizable.
    Did you just get shot at? Judith’s voice reverberated through his mind, shocked, frightened. Thomas. Levi. I’m calling Jonas.
    No! both men answered simultaneously.
    Stefan took a breath. Who the hell is this Jonas character to you?
    There was a moment of silence. Stefan cursed inwardly in a mixture of several languages. He’d just displayed a man’s worst trait and he’d never known he even had it. Jealousy. Pure, black jealousy at the absent and unsuspecting Jonas.
    Lev’s laughter spilled into his mind. He is the local sheriff.
    Judith gave a little sniff. I told you I was making a kaleidoscope for his wife. Ordinarily when someone starts firing guns, a civilized person calls the sheriff.
    The anxiety in her voice belied her words. And what the hell was she doing still connected to them? He was going to have to do some fast explaining. Another bullet whined through the air like an angry bee and smacked into the tree where he’d last been and this time he located the intruder. He’d made his way into the middle of the field.
    Where’s he going, Lev? He’s got to have an exit plan. We cut off his retreat to his car.
    Stefan’s heart began to pound. Even as he asked the question, the answer came to him. The intruder was circling back around toward Judith’s house with the intention of taking one of the vehicles there, or using her as a hostage. He was a distance away, but there was no doubt now, that was his only real option to a successful retreat.
    Judith, you’d better have that fucking security system on. Are you armed? When she remained silent, he probed further. With a gun?
    Stefan moved to cut the man off, picking a route that would intercept him long before he reached Judith’s home. Still . . .
    Judith is a terrible shot. Lev put in his two cents.
    I am not. The stupid gun is always jumping at the last second, Judith defended indignantly.
    I fucking told you to practice,