Darkness Unknown (11 page)

 

Gwen had the phone in a death grip, waiting for Jarvis to call her back. He'd probably think she was crazy, but she had to ask the question. She hadn't been able to sleep after coming back in from the pasture, worrying about what had stirred the dogs up so much. Even though neither of them had howled anymore, she'd heard Dozer whining every so often.

She'd finally given up on sleeping altogether and gotten up well before sunrise. After a small breakfast, she'd started on her chores, figuring on getting them done before the day's heat set in. But the whole time she'd been near the back pasture, the two dogs had ranged backed and forth between her and the woods, their dark eyes sensing something out there that they didn't like.

She considered herself to be a strong, capable woman, but something about this spooked her pretty badly. Would Jarvis scoff at the idea that there'd been something strange going on out in the woods? She really hoped so, because then she could laugh it off as the result of too little sleep. What was taking him so long to call her back?

To keep busy, she filled the sink with soapy water to wash the breakfast dishes. She was almost done by the time the phone rang. She wiped her hands on the dish towel and grabbed the phone.

“Hello? Jarvis?” She sounded breathless to her own ears, like she'd been running laps around the barn. “I'm sorry to have to bother you.”

“Don't apologize, Gwen. I told you to call me anytime. What's up?”

He sounded distant to her, sort of cool, but that was probably her imagination. “I have something to ask you that's a little odd. Crazy, even.”

There were a few seconds of silence. When he spoke, he sounded more like himself, a hint of laughter in his voice. “Don't stop now that you've piqued my interest.”

How did she ask a man if he'd been roaming her woods? Especially since, the last time he'd done so, he'd almost died?

“Gwen, I won't bite. Ask me.”

“Were you in my woods last night? You know, like you were the night we met?” It all came out in a rush, on one long breath.

“No, I wasn't. Why do you ask?”

The humor was gone, but she couldn't decide if he was angry or really interested in what she had to say.

“Last night the dogs started howling, like they did the night you were hurt. They were locked in
on the porch, so I got up to see what was wrong. When the three of us walked out to the pasture with a flashlight to check on my animals, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. But the whole time we were back by the pasture, both dogs kept watching the woods, as if someone was out there.”

She leaned against the counter, her eyes closed as she tried to recall exactly what happened. “They whined and growled down low in their chests. Then just as quickly, it was over and they were back to normal.” Now that she'd said it all out loud, it sounded stupid. Obviously she'd overreacted.

“How did the rest of the night go? Did the dogs act upset anymore?”

“Dozer whined some now and again. Other than that, it was quiet.” She walked over to the door and stared out toward the pasture. The alpacas were all grazing or sleeping in the sun. She couldn't see Dozer anywhere, but Larry was rolling on his back over by the barn, kicking up his usual cloud of dust. Everything looked peaceful and normal.

Maybe the fear she'd felt had stemmed from her nightmare, but it hadn't felt that way. “I'm sorry to have bothered you, Jarvis. It was obviously nothing.”

“It's no bother.” He hesitated, “Look, I was going to call Chase to let him know that Jake would be by to practice with him today. I'll ask him to take a look around while he's there, if it's okay with you.”

She ignored the flash of disappointment. Jake was a nice guy and all, but he wasn't Jarvis. Obviously she'd been right about his mood when he'd brought her home last night. Despite how right the evening had gone for her, something had gone wrong for him.

“Don't worry about it. Chase is working down at Mr. James's farm, but he's due home in an hour. Tell Jake that he's welcome anytime after that, but he doesn't need to waste his time hunting shadows out in the woods. I can do that myself.”

“Gwen, I'd like to come myself but I…”

Oh, God, this was awful. “No, Jarvis, don't apologize. Like I said, I shouldn't have called.”

She hung up before he could sense she was on the verge of tears.

 

Jarvis stared at the phone, thinking about what to do next. He wanted to drive like a maniac to Gwen's farm to make sure that she was all right. Next would be to order an all-out search of her woods, to make sure they hadn't let some Others escape last night.

He shuddered to think of her out in the middle of the night, armed with only a flashlight and a pair of coondogs against crazies armed with swords. He couldn't very well order her to stay inside at night until further notice. Oh yeah, that would go over well with her. He'd be lucky if she didn't come after him with her twenty-two or her cast iron skillet.

He started to punch in Jake's number. There were a few things that needed to get done before he could leave. As long as the sun was out, there was little danger that any Kalith running loose would leave the cover of the woods. Just in case, though, he'd send Jake to Gwen's to ward off any investigating she might do on her own.

He headed for his office to deal with whatever needed immediate attention on his desk. Hopefully that new schedule didn't include him or Jake for the next twenty-four hours. Once he had put out any fires, he'd follow the same path he'd taken before through the woods and look for fresh signs. If he didn't find any, so much the better.

If the Kalith crazies
had
been there again, he'd have to notify the Regents about this new peril. But regardless of what he found, he'd be spending the night in the woods near the farm. Something had spooked the dogs, and he wouldn't rest until he knew what it was.

He caught sight of Jake just as he turned the corner toward his office.

“Jake, we've got problems.”

 

Chase sucked down half a bottle of water and then dumped the rest over his head. “I think every muscle in my body hurts.”

Jake laughed. “And we're not done yet.”

He held his hand out, offering a hand up off the floor, but Chase shook his head. He might feel like he'd been run down by an alpaca stampede, but he had his pride. If Jake still had the energy to continue, then so did he. He tossed the water bottle to the side and slowly climbed to his feet.

First, though, he had a question he'd been wanting to ask since Jake had arrived. “Where's Jarvis?”

Jake had delaying tactics of his own. He took his time finishing off his own bottle of water. “He's working today.”

“And you're not?”

Jake's expression hardened. “I did my fair share.”

“Of what? You're both pretty damned secretive about what you do for a living. When my dogs found your buddy cut up and half dead in our woods, Gwen thought he might have some answers about why I'm the way I am. She didn't call the police, but I'm thinking maybe she should have.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “It's no skin off my ass what you and Jarvis are into, but I won't have Gwen hurt.”

Jake sat down on a bale of hay. “How did you sleep last night?”

Chase fought for control, figuring losing his temper wouldn't get him anywhere with Jake. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Just answer the question. It's important.”

“I didn't. Not much, anyway. If Gwen hadn't been up wandering around herself, I would have taken the dogs out for a late walk. Why?”

Jake leaned forward, his eyes staring straight into Chase's. “Does that happen often? The urge to head toward the woods?”

“Often enough. I don't want Gwen to know, though. She'd have a fit if she knew I do that sometimes. I try not to worry her if I can help it.”

“I don't doubt that.”

Finally, Jake looked away, nodding perhaps over a decision he'd made. “You already know that Jarvis heals like you do. Like I do.”

Chase nodded. Where was all this going?

“I can't tell you what we do, Chase, because it's not my place to do so. I will tell you that it's all tied together: the way we heal, what we do for a living, that powerful draw you sometimes feel but can't explain. When Jarvis can tell you everything, he will. Until then you'll have to trust us both, if you can.”

“I'm not worried about me, Jake. It's Gwen. She acts differently around Jarvis than she has with any other guy she's ever dated. Excited, happier.” He fought to find the right words. “Will these secrets you're both keeping hurt her?”

“I can tell you this: Jarvis is the best, most honorable man I've ever known. But whatever happens between him and your sister is their business. It will either work out or it won't, same as any other
couple.” He stood up. “Now let's finish our workout before we stiffen up.”

Chase wanted to argue, but it was clear that Jake wasn't going to say any more on the subject. He would have been tempted to use his fists to get the answers he needed, but that wouldn't work with Jake or Jarvis. Both of them were more than capable of flattening him unless he got in a lucky punch.

But there was also something about the two men that made him want to trust them. Rather than admit that they couldn't answer all his questions, they could have made up a plausible lie. And Jake was right: he couldn't protect Gwen from life, any more than she could him, as much as she tried.

Time to get back to work. He assumed the beginning position and concentrated on getting the moves correct. At least that was something he could control.

 

Jarvis slapped his neck, trying to kill the damn mosquito that was plaguing him. His mood had been crappy to begin with, and the irritating buzz wasn't improving it any.

As far as he could tell, the only signs of Kalith warriors passing through these woods were the same ones he'd seen before with Jake. Of course, there was too much territory for one man to cover thoroughly, so he could be passing within a few feet
of incontrovertible evidence and not even know it.

Pausing at the top of a small rise, he studied the surrounding woods. He was pretty sure that Gwen's farm was half a mile up ahead. The closer he got, the higher the risk that he'd run into her dogs or Gwen herself. That would be a major mistake on several levels.

First, he'd told her he was too busy to come, which was why he'd sent Jake in his place. If she caught him in a lie, she'd be angry. Second, it was time to put some emotional distance between her and himself. It would be too easy to let things get out of hand. Having her fly apart at his touch had set him on fire. And just the thought of burying himself deep in the welcoming heat of her body made him hard.

But there was no future for the two of them, and the more time they spent together, the worse the risk of her getting hurt badly. He'd vowed to protect her, and that included from himself—which really sucked.

But at the moment, protecting her from the Others was foremost. He started down the slope, heading for the farm. He needed to know that no Kaliths had come close enough to do her harm. As long as he was careful, he shouldn't get caught. Even if her dogs caught his scent, she'd have no way of knowing it was him and not some critter.

He started a zigzag pattern, widening his search
area. The ground was rocky with only a thin layer of topsoil, making it difficult to pick up any trace of someone passing through. He turned back to study his own trail and found that his tracks were almost impossible to see. At this rate, the only way he'd know if an Other had come through was if they actually crossed paths. That was extremely unlikely in broad daylight.

The trees thinned as he approached the edge of the woods. Slowing his steps, he moved from tree to tree, hoping the dappled shade would help disguise his presence.

Just his luck—Gwen was walking out of the pasture gate. As she turned to close it, she almost tripped over Dozer. She scolded the dog, patting him on the head at the same time. It was a sad state of affairs when he was jealous of a dog.

He needed to get away before the dog noticed him and started barking. Jarvis had almost made it into the deeper shadows when the sound of stealthy footsteps on his left made him spin around. He yanked his sword up and prepared to defend himself.

W
hen he saw who it was, he immediately dropped the sword back down to his side and cursed.

“Damn it, Jake, are you trying to get yourself killed again?” He closed the small distance between them, ready to rip into him, when he noticed Jake was looking past him and shaking his head.

Jarvis closed his eyes and prayed for deliverance. “We're not alone.”

“Nope, we're not.”

Jarvis turned to Chase, standing a short distance behind him. Could this get any worse?

Yeah, if it had been Gwen instead of her brother standing there.

“Hi, Chase. How'd your lesson go?”

The boy moved up next to Jake, his eyes glued to the sword in Jarvis's hand. “Fine. Is that thing real?”

“Yeah, it is.” He held it out to Chase, pommel first. “Take a couple of practice swings, but be careful because it's sharp.” As if Chase couldn't see that for himself. “Your sister will skin me alive if you whack off any important body parts with it.”

Chase held it up in front of his face, studying the pommel, then ran a careful finger up the flat side of the blade. He looked all too right standing there in modern-day clothes and holding an ancient weapon. Jake reached over and adjusted the boy's grip a little before standing back to give him room to try a few maneuvers.

“This is cool. Heavy though.” He reluctantly handed it back to Jarvis.

“You get used to the weight. Just like any other kind of weapons training, it takes practice to learn how to use swords correctly.” And now wasn't the time to tell Chase just how much practice he'd be getting with one.

“What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming today.”

“Wait until we're closer to the river before we talk.”

Jarvis led the way back toward the deep pool where he'd recovered his sword. Once they were safely out of Gwen's and Dozer's hearing, he stopped.

“I'm here because evidently your dogs heard something in the woods last night. Gwen didn't
want to worry you, but she thought they were acting like they did the night they stumbled across me in the river.”

Chase frowned. “Why did she tell you and not me?”

“Because she wanted to know if I had been here last night. Which I wasn't.” How much should he tell the boy? He'd stick to the truth as much as possible. “I offered to come take a look around, but she didn't want to bother me. I decided what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Jake did your lesson today so I could do some scouting around.”

“Did you see anything?”

Jarvis shot Jake a telling look. “Nothing I didn't expect to. As far as I can tell, some animal must have spooked the dogs.”

Chase clearly wasn't buying it. “Is this one of those situations like they joke about on television? You know, ‘I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you?' Because I'm getting pretty sick of half answers.”

The boy's bullshit detector certainly worked fine. “Yeah, it is, and I don't blame you for feeling that way. I will gladly tell you everything you need to know when I can.”

“And when will that be?”

“It would be better if we waited until you're out of school, but legally you'll be an adult on your eighteenth birthday. We'll talk after that.”

“That's a month from now. What if I don't want to wait that long?”

“Once you cross that line, there's no going back. Besides, you're still a minor and you do
not
want me to have to ask your sister's permission. I doubt she'd even give it. She's protective of you, and rightly so.”

Chase pointed toward the sword. “If it involves me using one of those suckers, she'd definitely refuse. Either that or she'd come after you with those big shears she uses on the alpacas.”

Jake snickered. “I assume she wouldn't be giving Jarvis a haircut with them.”

The boy's grin was wicked. “Hell no, and she wouldn't sharpen them first, either.”

Jake and Chase cracked up, but Jarvis didn't find it quite so funny.

“Go ahead and yuck it up, you two. Just remember: I don't get mad, and I don't get even. I get ahead.” He walked away, calling back over his shoulder. “Don't forget—I was never here.”

 

The knock on his office door was a welcome distraction. Jarvis closed the file he'd been reading and called out, “Come on in.”

Jake stuck his head in the door, looking a bit sheepish. “Thought you'd want to know that I'm back.”

“I expected you two hours ago.” Not that they'd actually set a specific time.

“Gwen invited me to stay for dinner.”

Jarvis gripped the arms of his chair to keep from lunging for his friend's throat. It wasn't Jake's fault that he'd spent the evening exactly where Jarvis wished he'd been. Instead, he'd eaten a cold sandwich while he read reports and tried to squeeze a few more dollars out of the budget.

“Did Chase say anything to her about running into me in the woods?”

“Nope. He kept his mouth shut.” Jake came the rest of the way into the room. “I felt guilty letting her cook fried chicken for me…”

“As you should have.” Damn it, if anyone should have been sitting in Gwen's kitchen eating her cooking, it was him.

Jake gave him a disgusted look. “Jarvis, my man, you need to quit feeling sorry for yourself. If you weren't running scared of how she makes you feel, you could've been there, too.”

Propping his feet up on the other chair, he made himself comfortable. “But what I started to say was that she looked like hell. I'd be surprised if she slept two hours last night. I tried to talk her into letting me take them out for dinner, but she refused.”

The idea of Gwen lying awake scared all night made Jarvis sick. “I checked as much of the area as I could alone. I'm going back tonight to see if anything
stirs. To be honest, though, I don't expect to find anything. Even if there were Others in the woods last night, the barrier has been stable all day.”

He tossed the file he'd been reading back in the stack. “I could be way off base here, but both last night and the night I ran into that mob of Kaliths followed right after a major failure in the barrier.”

Jake steepled his fingers and stared at them. “Makes sense, but where could they be going?”

“No idea. We won't know much of anything until we know if this is a regular occurrence or just a fluke.” He stood up to pace the floor. “It makes me crazy to know that there could be a parade of those bastards marching through the woods that close to Gwen.”

He glanced at Jake, who had a big stupid grin on his face. “What's so damned funny?”

“You.” Looking smug, he added, “I'm not saying that we shouldn't be concerned about the possibility of a leak. But the bottom line is, Gwen is making you crazy, period. That woman is on your mind day and night. Maybe especially at night.”

Jarvis couldn't deny it. “She's a good woman, Jake.”

“So? If anyone is long overdue for some goodness in his life, it's you.”

“Jake, my latest test scores were at the high end of normal. My next death could very well be my last. Do you really want to explain to her that
I won't becoming back because I died once too often? She watched her mother pine for a man who never came back for just that reason.”

He continued pacing, trying to burn off his anger. “Then there's the little matter of Chase being one of us. Even if I did decide to see what develops between me and Gwen, how do you think she's going to react when her brother signs on to fight the rest of his life? She probably has visions of him going to college and settling into a nice, normal job.”

Jake shook his head. “I think you're underestimating Gwen. If you care that much for her, let
her
make the choice. Right now all you're doing is confusing both of you.”

“Paladins are lousy husband material, and you know it.”

“That's just an excuse.” Jake pointed toward the phone. “Call your good buddy Trahern, and ask how he feels about Brenna Nichols. Think he regrets letting a good woman into his life? I sincerely doubt it. Trahern was right at the edge of being crazy when he last died. Without Brenna talking him back to life, he'd be buried now. And he isn't the only one because Devlin Bane is living with his Handler. The Regents might not like it, but it seems to be working for them.”

“So?”

“So I'm saying maybe Gwen could do the same for you.”

God, Jarvis wanted to believe that. “Maybe. But there's the matter of Chase.”

“How do you think she'd react if he wanted to join the military? That's not much different, except we don't get to wear those cool uniforms or snazzy medals.”

Jake's words made sense, but maybe that's because he wanted them to. “And if I hurt her? What then?”

“Maybe you won't. Either way, you're going to be spending some serious time around her because of Chase. Why not see where this takes you? It'd be good to see you get some happiness in your life.”

Jake's cell rang. He checked the message and shoved the phone back in his pocket as he stood to go. “I'm needed. I'll see you later.”

He opened the door. “And one more thing, Jarvis. I've known you through good times and bad, but I've never thought of you as a coward.”

Then he was gone.

Jarvis sat down and picked up the next file in the stack—but before he even opened it; he set it down and reached for the phone.

 

Gwen had the fidgets. She couldn't seem to settle down and get anything done. Jarvis had called last night and asked if he could see her to talk about something important. She'd been so sure that he wouldn't
be back, but now she didn't know what to think.

At least Chase wasn't home. His friend's parents had invited him along on a campout to give the boys a break in routine before school started up again. It meant extra chores for her, but hey, what else did she have to do?

She was trying not to get her hopes up, telling herself he wanted to talk more about the training he and Jake had been giving Chase. Though he could have done that by phone.

Was the minute hand on the clock even moving? It sure didn't seem like it.

Should she put on lipstick? No, Jarvis had seen her often enough to know that she didn't dress up to work on the farm. She'd settle for a little mascara. With the nice skirt and top, that was enough.

Was that him pulling into the driveway? She peeked out the kitchen window. Sure enough, that familiar blue car was in the driveway. Her heart fluttered as she scurried into the bathroom to check her appearance one last time. Maybe a little lipstick wouldn't hurt after all.

Satisfied, she straightened her shoulders and walked out to the porch, trying not to look
too
eager. But hot damn, he looked good. He was wearing black slacks and a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal really great forearms. Yum! But he was awfully dressed up if he'd come to talk about Chase. The flutters were back in her stomach.

He peeled off his sunglasses and tossed them into the car before starting toward the house. The way that man moved ought to come with a warning label.

When he spotted her watching him, he smiled. “Thanks for seeing me.”

She opened the screen door. “Come on in. There's a nice breeze if you'd like to sit outside, or if you prefer air-conditioning, we can go inside.”

“Out here's fine.” He chose his usual chair.

“Would you like a glass of fresh lemonade?”

“Sounds good, but don't go to any trouble.”

“It's no trouble.”

In the kitchen, she took a slow breath. He seemed tense. Was something wrong?

She poured the lemonade, then walked out onto the porch, with a smile.

He took a long drink. “Thanks, Gwen. That hit the spot.”

“You're welcome.” She settled into her chair, trying to appear relaxed.

When the silence dragged on, she set her drink aside. “There was something you wanted to talk about.”

His smile was slow in coming and didn't reach his eyes. “Yeah, I do. I just don't know how to start.”

“Is it about Chase's training?”

“That's part of it, but not everything.” He ran his fingers through his hair, looking frustrated.

“I'm not that scary, am I?” she teased.

“No, and that's the problem, Gwen. You're anything but scary.” He finally looked straight at her. “I want to keep seeing you for a lot of reasons, most of them purely selfish, but I want to be fair to you, too. Am I making any sense here?”

That little ember of hope she'd been nursing was starting to burn hotter. “Not really.”

“Look, can we walk a bit?”

He rose to his feet and held out his hand. She let him tug her up out of the rocker and followed him down off the porch. They walked in silence out toward the pasture, where they stopped to watch the alpacas.

Finally, he sighed. “I'm a man with a lot of secrets, Gwen, ones I can't share with anyone outside of the group I work with. In the past, when I met a woman I was interested in seeing more than once, I either avoided talking about my job or lied about it if she pushed for details.”

“That must be a hard way to live—not to mention trying to keep your story straight.”

“You get used to it after a while, and lying came pretty easy to me. I figured if the woman never found out about the lies, no harm, no foul.”

She tried to figure out how she felt about that. A little jealous of those nameless women in his past. But if one of them had really meant anything to him, he wouldn't be standing here with her. He
might have secrets, but he was a man of honor. She'd bet her last dollar on that.

“You did that to protect them as much as yourself.”

“That's a nice way to look at it. But I find that I don't want to lie to you.” He kept his eyes firmly on the alpacas. “I enjoyed our dinner the other night.” The corner of his eyes crinkled as he added, “And I
really
enjoyed what happened afterward.”