Birthright (Residue Series #2) (3 page)

His actions gave the impression
he was keeping me from being seen
,
yet
no one
else was
on the street but us…

With Jameson’s back to the makeshift wall, he cautiously peered around the corner
;
I was fighting the
urge to do the same.
I lost…leaning
forward
and cautiously stretching
my neck
around him for greater distance. Without even turning in my direction, Jameson’s arm came up
,
softly
insisting
I stay back.

I almost sighed at the unfairness but had an inkling that
wasn’t
the best idea right now
…and
I was correct.

Suddenly, a set of footsteps became audible
, as if
someone
dropped from the sky.
The footsteps
quickly grew louder, carrying
their
owner along the opposite side of the hedge from
us.
I judged the person to be heavyset
,
with long legs
,
given the
booming
thuds and
the
spaced placement of their footfalls
, which
gave the impression the owner’s legs were prone to marching.

We waited as the sound of the footsteps
faded,
until they were gone entirely.
When all was clear, Jameson’s shoulders visibly relaxed
and h
e
took the first breath in
,
what I knew had been
,
a very long
time.

He only needed to say one word and his curious behavior made sense. It came through my head, urgent and distinct, and I knew he was channeling to keep us from being overheard.

“Vires.”

The mention of that name should have
alarmed me, sending
a wave of panic
coursing through my body. Even so,
I barely comprehended the meaning of it. Jameson’s voice,
after not hearing it for
days, sounded so charming
and was
so enchanting
;
it ignited a bundle of heated excitement that burst inside me.

He didn’t seem to notice. His head was ducked toward the street again.

“They’re doing their rounds,” he explained, still channeling.

“How did you know?” I asked, sending the question back to him the same way.

“I’ve been watching them. They follow a pattern. They’ll keep an eye on our houses until they think we’ve fallen
a
sleep
,
and then
,
they walk the perimeter. That’s how I could tell they were coming.”

“They’ve been watching our houses?” I asked, stunned.

“Yes. They’ll be discreet about it until they no longer have reason to be.” His answer
sounded
so informed
,
I wondered how he knew it. As if reading my mind, he explained, “They’ve done this to others we know.”

We were being watched and I had no idea. My family didn’t either. That realization brought a wave of resentment over me.

“They have no right to stalk us,” I hissed under my breath.

Jameson shot a glance over his shoulder, stunned
by
my recklessness. If
my voice carried and any
Vires found Jameson and me together
,
it would mean the end of our ruse and
put us and our families at
far greater risk
.

A few seconds passed
,
and I channeled again, distracting him. “Jameson, how did you know I was here?”

Finally, he turned toward me, his beautiful face belying the effort to come up with an answer. “I didn’t. You surprised me.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Well, that’s a first.”

“Not really.” He sounded more amused than upset.

Even though he’d again turned his attention back to the street, I felt pride swell in
side
me. To have someone so rational, so analytical,
and
so seemingly prepared for every unknown
,
be taken aback by me was a thrill. With his head facing the other direction, I allowed a brief smile to creep up.

A few minutes later, he straightened to his full height and turned back to me. “They’re gone,” he announced.

Neither
of us moved or spoke
,
or even drew in a breath. A breeze stirred the sandy
blond
e
hair
falling across
his forehead
while
everything else remained motionless. We stood there, our taut shoulders stationary, our arms trapped stiffly at our sides. Our silence was for one simple reason. We realized the very same thing.

We were finally alone.

What happened next left me mesmerized, breathless, numb with a surge of passion.

No sooner did his chest sink with a soft exhale did his hands find my cheeks. Cupping them gently
as
he stepp
ed closer, his shoulders curled
up and around us as if to encircle and protect me.
His
lips tenderly settled on mine, o
ur fervor
breathlessly escalating as
we made up for the
time we’d
been forced to spend apart. The
longing
stares over the last
few weeks, the intentional brushes, the ache at watching the other from a distance
,
all
culminated in
to
our passion
right now
.

Yanking his head away, he faced the direction of
the street, and my body froze, seeming to have heard something I didn’t.

“Nothing,” he exhaled with relief
,
again
returning
to me.

Leaving his hands resting lightly on my hip – the pressure tickling beneath my skin – he bowed his head until our foreheads touched. “I’m sorry for that. I-I couldn’t…stop myself,” he said,
with
the sweet scent of his breath surrounding us.

My answer
coaxed
a grin
out of
him. “I’m glad.”

Laughing quietly, he
pulled back and
stared at me, fascinated but not bothering to mention the thoughts
running
through his mind. He blinked a few times
,
as if
clearing
them away.

“I’ve missed you,” he said
.
His
voice
was
hoarse,
and radiated
the truth to those words.

“Me, too.”

His eyes softened
as
he insisted, “Say that again.”
His
striking
,
clear green eyes bore through me
, settling
in to wait.

I drew out the moment
by
gripping the fabric of his jeans and lean
ing
forward to place my mouth against his ear. As
I spoke, my lips gently caressed his skin, pleasantly eliciting a labored breath from him.

“Me, too.”

I stood back
to find
him smiling - part
ial
ly entertained
and
partly elated - once again giving me brief
confirmation
of how my behavior
influenced
him.

As if
he was attempting
to throw me off course, he shrugged arrogant
ly,
but joking. “I thought so…”

I
n return, I
scoffed
,
s
lightly amused but trying not to show it.

Yet,
I
knew
he
recognized it as his hand slipped into mine.
Pulling our hands
upward,
he paused to
glance at the white metal bracelet embedded with my
clear white, crystal
quartz
family stone, and
he
tenderly squeeze
d
my fingers. Only a few weeks ago
,
the sight of the bracelet had sent a shock of inhibition through him
; though, now
he embraced it
…knowing I came with it
.

“Come on. I’ll make sure you get home,” he offered
,
as an
afterthought
immediately follow
ed.
“What are you doing out this late anyways?”
Then h
e
came to a stop, slowly rotat
ing
around and rais
ing
his eyebrows
incredulously.

He knew the answer without any assistance from me. “The hospital
.
”

I nodded. “The one on-”

“I know which one,” he replied
.
I knew he
figured
it
out after he considered
our current location. There weren’t many emergency rooms
in close proximity to where we are standing.

His
hand dropped mine, lifting to fold his arms across his powerfully built chest. Although seemingly defiant, he watched me
,
bemused. “So you thought…Vires are now in the city
,
but I’m going to leave the safety of my home…alone…at night…to go on a healing errand?”

“Don’t patronize me.”

“I’m not. That’s actually what you thought.”

I fell silent, uncomfortable
that he knew me so well
.

“You didn’t want me to go with you?” There was a tinge of disappointment in his tone.

“No…Yes…” I stopped to sigh and collect myself. “Yes, I wanted you to come. I thought you were asleep.”
Keeping our eyes averted,
I
intrinsically
brushed my fingers across the vine next to him
, watching the leaves spring back to life as if they were taking a deep breath.

Jameson
’s
stare was unrelenting, as he quietly assessed me further.

I couldn’t believe how fast our conversation turned
,
and
I
didn’t have any idea how to get it back to
a
point of more seduction and less melodrama.

“Did you consider what happened in the bayou before making this decision?” He was genuinely interested
…
upset
…
but interested.

I lifted my chin, indignant.

“Jocelyn,” he said, firmly. “That was seven days ago. The Vires will have
already
learned that Frederick and Anastas – the ones sent to supervise us - are missing. We are the ones with the most to gain by their deaths
,
so we
will be
their first suspects. I can guarantee they are looking for a way to link us to their
associates’
disappearance. Once they do,” he stressed this
,
as if it was a
n inescapable
conclusion, “they won’t think twice about taking out their vengeance on us
…on
you. They won’t think twice about taking out their vengeance on you, Jocelyn.” He ended
, letting out
a sigh of frustration.

He was trying to
be logical and
warn me,
because
if I were to cross paths with a Vire
,
he couldn’t step in to protect me. I
would have
to be responsible for myself. We both knew this as much as we
also
knew I wouldn’t be nearly as good at it as Jameson.

He exhaled sharply. “I don’t want you hurt, Jocelyn.”

My heart fluttered, the
sincerity of his words
striking
me
deeply.

“I won’t be,” I insisted, even though the rattling coming through my words made them seem contestable.
I lifted up my chin,
for an extra show of confidence.