A Wicked Beginning (37 page)

“It could just be a phase, bro. She’s never had a man like me.”

“No doubt. I didn’t know you were interested in Zuri. I could’ve hooked you up a while back.”

“Timing, bro…it’s all about the timing. And my timing says that I’m through with celibacy.” He reached into the cupboard and pulled out a bag of dog food. “Come on, Severe, let’s get you some chow.” Severe wagged her tail eagerly and barked. “You approve? Glad to hear it.” Mano placed the stainless steel dog dish on the counter and poured in a scoop of dry dog food. Then he got a defrosted raw meat patty out of the ‘fridge and placed it on top, followed by a drizzle of salmon oil. “Ready, mutt?” he said to Severe. She wagged her tail wildly and barked. “That’s not how you ask for breakfast, where are your manners? Manners, Severe, manners…” Severe sat down and quieted. “That’s better,” Mano said, placing the bowl in the corner of the kitchen.

“You’ve got a good dog, Mano,” Cam noted, taking a bite of toast. “Plus, she eats better than I used to.”

“She’s coming along. And you can see I have a way with the beasts,” Mano added, raising his eyebrows up and down. The tattoos on his face appeared to writhe. “Zuri will be putty in my hands.”

“Well, good luck with that.” Cam finished up his breakfast, rinsed his dishes, and put them in the dishwasher. “Wish me luck with the wily teens.”

Mano looked up. “Yeah, man, good luck with
that
. And when you get back, we track the beast.” He rubbed his hands together with glee.

“Glad one of us is so eager. Anyway, later, man.”

Cam walked back to his bedroom and looked around to make sure he had not missed anything when he’d packed the car last night. Satisfied, he picked up his keys and headed towards the door. A loud thump and a clatter sounded in his closet.
What the fuck was that
? he thought.
Had the shelves in his closet disintegrated?
The way he saw it, his world was so warped, anything was possible. Turning around, he walked towards the closet. The closet doors burst open and out leapt Chérie. Cam jumped. “Jesus Christ, Chér, you scared the shit out of me! What are you doing in there?”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“I wanted to say goodbye. I’m going to miss you a lot.” She brushed off her shorts and her shirt, covered with dust and debris from the closet.

Cam peered into the wardrobe, noting the crumpled boxes, hangers, and clothes that now covered the floor. “I don’t really have time to clean this up, Chér.”

“I’ll take care of it,” she chirped brightly.

“How long have you been in there? Were you hiding in the closet while I was out in the kitchen with Mano?”

“No,” Chérie said coyly, turning away from him. “Actually, I just got here.”

Cam reached up and scratched the side of his head. “New skill? Fabio taught you, right?”

Chérie ignored him and surveyed his face instead. “Oh, Cam, what happened?”

Cam stood facing her, his mouth in a tight line. “You first. Then, I’ll tell you.”

“Yes, it’s a new skill. Yes, Kayden taught me. It’s kind of cool, don’t you think? I need to work on my accuracy, though. I tried to aim for the garden.”

“Let me guess – he taught you this morning.” Chér nodded. He thought about the dream three-way sequence and groaned. “I guess I should get used to this,” Cam said, shaking his head. “Life with you has always been chaotic, but now…” His voice trailed off.

“Your turn,” Chér said. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder with her fingertips. “I’m really going to miss you, Cam.”

Cam noticed that her eyes were tearing up. Puzzled, he said, “Let’s walk out to the car. I’ve got a ferry to catch.” He grabbed her hand and walked outside, locking the door behind him. “I had this crazy dream last night. The same woman was chasing me. Mano thinks its Angela.”

“Oh, no, Cam, that’s awful!”

“Yeah, and this time I was bound by my arms and legs, my mouth was taped shut, and I was being dragged through the woods. I woke up and looked like this.” He circled his face with his fingers.

Chérie winced. “This is getting serious, Cam. What are you going to do?”

“Hell if I know, Chér. Between that, coping with all your ‘new skills,’ and the dreamling, I’ve got my hands full don’t you think? It’s a lot to deal with.” He turned to her and stopped. “Let’s back up a bit here. I’m in such a rush, and I was so stunned by your entrance strategy, I forgot to say hello.” Pulling her close, inhaling her fragrance, he uttered, “Just let me connect with you for a moment.” He brought his lips to hers and kissed her deeply, delighting in her responsiveness. “There,” he said, leaning back. “That’s better. I’m really in a hurry here, Chér. I wish I had more time, but you know how it is with the ferry system.”

“Yeah, I know. I could ride with you. I’ll pop back to my house when we get to the ferry terminal.”

“I don’t know, Chér. All of this stuff takes some getting used to. I don’t know how I’ll respond if you are sitting next to me in one moment and gone the next.” He paused, considering. “Okay, why not? Bring it on.” He opened the car door for her. “I may as well embrace this crazy new life of mine with all its surprises.”

“Might as well,” Chérie said with a smile, sliding into her seat.

As Cam and Chérie made their way through the highways and byways of Seattle, Cam reached over and caressed her thigh. “I’m going to miss you, too, babe.”

Chérie’s eyes moistened again and she looked away.

“What’s the matter, babe? What’s going on? I’ll only be gone a week.” Cam stroked her smooth skin, noticing the tiny whirls of light flicker on her skin.

“Oh, Cam, I’m scared, that’s what. Kayden had a talk with me.”

Cam stiffened. “About what?”

“About you. About how deeply in love I am with you this time.”

“This time…” Cam said, rolling his eyes. “How about how deeply in love you are with me, period? I feel the same, babe.”

“There are no guarantees that you’re going to make it through this situation with the dreamling, Cam. Or, with Angela…” Chérie gripped his hand fiercely and turned her teary gaze in his direction. “I can’t do this. I can’t stay here without you. Not this time.”

Cam thought for a moment. “I’m touched, Chér. I’m no expert, but it seems since we are both genuinely all the way in love with each other…well, it seems natural to fear the loss of one another. I notice it sometimes too.”

“You don’t understand, Cam. I’ll still be here, whether you are here or not. Dancing through the galaxy; that’s apparently what I do,” she muttered sardonically. She looked so sad, Cam wanted to pull over and hold her.

He gave her hand a squeeze. “Well, you do love to dance. And you have Fabio, anyway.”

“Yes,” she said with a smile. “I still have Kayden.”

Cam’s heart clenched a bit, wishing he hadn’t brought up Fabio. He pulled his hand back and placed it on the steering wheel. He was obviously just an extra in Chérie’s life. She
was
his life. It didn’t seem fair to have it be so unbalanced.

“It’s so not like that, Cam.”

He glanced over to see her looking at him intently. “Reading my mind again, huh?” He gave her a wan smile.

“Yes, I am. And you are not an extra. You are an essential.”

Cam warmed at that. Then he looked at her ring, the one that Kayden had given her. He noticed that it was pulsing with light. “What makes your ring pulse like that?”

Chérie extended her hand in front of her. “It usually glows when the ka’kriyayaga has unfolded or my heart is full of love. Or when I’m with…” She quickly changed the topic, but not without Cam picking up on what she was about to say. “Haven’t you ever noticed it before?”

“I don’t pay much attention to it. If I did, it would remind me that Fabio gave it to you.”

“Returned it to me,” Chérie interrupted.

“Gave, returned, it’s still the same.” He grimaced and thrummed the steering wheel with his fingertips. He sure didn’t like the thought of Chér and Fabio exchanging rings and all. It made him feel like an outsider. And that did
not
make him happy. An inspiration came to him. “How about if I give you a ring too? Since we’re all this freaking package deal, how about a ring from me? Maybe mine will shoot stars or squirt water,” he added with a chuckle.

She frowned slightly. “Are you asking me to marry you? I’m not sure if I can do that. You know, as the ka and all that.” She looked over at Cam, considering. “But that idea sounds lovely, actually. It makes me all warm inside.”

Cam swung the car to the side of the road with squealing tires, causing Chérie to fall against the window. Her head hit the glass with a thump. “Ouch, Cam, what gives?” she said, rubbing her scalp.

“Oh, babe, I’m sorry.” He yanked the parking brake on and turned the car off. “I just thought I should act on this impulse without distraction.” Cam reached over to soothe her head. “We’ve known each other – what – two-plus years? It feels like so much longer. So let’s do this. Let’s just call this a commitment ceremony…something like that. When I get back, let’s have a gathering of friends to state our intentions to one another. You can call it whatever you like. But I intend to declare my intentions for the entire world to see and hear. I intend to be committed to you for the rest of my life.”

Chérie gave him a coy look. “What about other lifetimes?”

“As many as you’ll have me,” Cam boldly declared.

“Oh, Cam, I love it! I love that idea! Let’s do it.”

“Is that a yes, babe?” Without waiting for an answer, Cam kissed her then, long, slow, and deep. He thrust his tongue inside of her, and they both engaged in tongue swirling caresses mingled with muffled moans. That feeling of not being able to get close enough to her roared through his body. God, he had never experienced this with anybody before - ever. He wanted to be merged with her, inside of her, her inside of him, one giant bundle of bliss. Remembering the ferry, he pulled back with a groan. “Oh, God, babe, you’re wicked hot, but I’ve got a damn ferry to catch.”

Chérie responded with an “Mmmm,” before pulling him in for another kiss.

This time he felt like she actually did enter him; that she slipped her spirit inside of him and snaked up inside of his spine. “Oh, God,” he growled. “Oh, sweet Jesus, Chér. What are you doing?”

She moved back just a little and a sweet, saucy smile played at the edges of her mouth. “I guess that’s what a heartfelt commitment does to me, Cam. I intend to declare myself to you too. Actually, I believe I already have, many eons ago. But I love a good ceremony!”

Cam loved her. He desired her. And man, oh, man, he wanted to be inside of her, plunging into her with voraciousness. This craving to penetrate Chér, to push himself inside her core was driving his brain, his body, and his being wild with intensity. As vague thoughts of catching the ferry pulled at the edges of his mind, he whipped out his cell phone and pressed a few numbers. “Lightning Rod? I missed the ferry, man. Yeah, you know how it is. I’ll be on the next one for sure. Okay, later.” Tossing the phone on the floor he said, “Where can we do this?”

“Right here, love.”

“For the entire world to see?”

“I may not have all my skills back, but I think I can manifest some kind of illusion.” She thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. “Got it! We’ll make them think a vacant building is standing here.”

“Right on the side of the road?”

“Right on the side of the road.”

“That’s seems a bit odd, but…” He glanced down at his throbbing erection. “…do it.” Cam watched her concentrate, and then he jerked in surprise when a small dark building appeared around them. “Interesting skill set you’re developing,” he said, looking around at the small enclosure. “It’s kind of dark in here, don’t you think?”

“Okay, wait.” She furrowed her head in concentration and a huge skylight appeared.

“That’s better,” he said, opening the car door. “Come here, you ka you.” He grabbed a blanket out of the back of the car and laid it on the hood of the Land Rover. When Chérie walked over to where he stood he placed her palms on his shoulders, grasped her butt, and hefted her onto the front of the car. Their lips connected with delight as he unbuttoned her shirt and eased her shorts off of her hips. He slipped his fingers under her panties and stroked her tender skin. “Remember I told you I have a whole bunch of skills?”

“Mmm hmm,” Chérie said.

“Well…” He began kissing her tummy, kneading her hips with his hands. He moved his hands up her sumptuous torso, kneaded her breasts, grabbed her nipples, and rolled them between his fingertips. She hummed with delight. “Oh, hell – wait here,” Cam said. “Don’t move.”

“I won’t,” Chérie said dreamily.

He bolted to the back, opened the rear hatch, and plucked out a pillow. Then, dashing back to the front of the car, he placed it against the window and leaned her back into it.

“Why, thank you, Cam, you think of everything.”

“I try,” he answered. With one last gaze at her lying there in her panties, he pulled off the small wisp of fabric. His mouth made its way to her tummy again while his hands explored her breasts, her arms, and her slender hips. He moved his mouth down to the edge of the curly red hair between her legs. With gentle hands, he pushed her thighs apart.