Rourk (Keegan's Chronicles Series Book 4) (2 page)

Keegan wrapped her arms around Rourk and squeezed him tightly, leaning her head against his chest. She wiped away a tear.

Rourk’s heart felt like it was being crushed.

“Don’t cry,” he said gruffly, flooded with emotion. “I’ll be back, and we’ll go on vacation. Wherever you want to go. I’ll have two weeks just for you.”

His wife loved to travel, and he knew it would give her something to keep her mind busy while he was gone. By the time he got back, she would have the whole vacation planned and their bags packed.
Well, maybe not the bags packed,
he thought with a smile.

Keegan wiped her nose. “Anywhere?”

“Anywhere.”

Rourk grabbed his rucksack from the hardwood floor and slung it on his back. “I’ve gotta get going.”

Keegan took a deep breath and nodded once, giving him her brightest smile. Rourk knew she would be okay. They would be okay.

“Let’s get this over with.” Keegan slipped her feet into her shoes and shrugged into her coat, then pulled a hat down over her ears and smiled again.

Rourk knew she was putting on a brave face for him, and he appreciated it. It was hard enough to leave.

“Come on, Athena,” Keegan called, and the fat bulldog came running in from the living room. “Does she seem to waddle more now?”

Rourk grabbed Keegan’s side until she squealed and swatted his hand. “You should stop feeding her table scraps.”

“You’re one to talk! I catch you feeding her under the table all the time.”

Rourk laughed. “We both spoil her.”

The mood was substantially lighter as they locked the door in the crisp morning air. Arm in arm, they made their way to Keegan’s Jeep, and Rourk tossed his bag in the back. All his gear had already been sent over to meet them in Afghanistan.

He’d only been home for three months, and it was yet again time to go back. Sometimes it felt like he was walking through a revolving door, but truth be told, he loved it. He could never live a sedate life. Warrior blood passed down through generations flowed through his veins. This was what he’d been born to do. In a couple of years, he would leave the human military and return to the Elfin Army. Tradition required elfin warriors to join the human military, a tradition he was honored to uphold.

Keegan’s body temperature was lower than most—another effect of the dark magic. The first thing he did as the Jeep rumbled to life was reach over and turn the heat on high for her. They drove mostly in silence, hands clasped as they both dreaded saying goodbye.

Keegan rolled the Jeep to a stop at the gate and handed over their IDs. A stern-faced MP glanced at them with flat, dark eyes, handed the cards back, and waved them through without a word.

“Just once, I want one of them to smile or something,” Keegan grumbled as she rolled up her window and pulled past the guardhouse.

“It’s thirty degrees outside. Would you be smiling?” Rourk tossed an arm over the back of her seat and raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm, true.” Keegan took a left on the service road as if she could make the drive in her sleep. Rourk thought she probably could after their years together.

He reached across the console and lightly traced his thumb in a circle on her palm. “If you need me for anything, just close your eyes and think of me.”

“I think I’ll be doing that even when I don’t need your help.” Keegan glanced at him from the corner of her eye with a grin.

Because of their bond, they were able to speak to and see each other through their minds. The stronger their bond became, the easier it was for them to do.

Rourk fought the urge to sigh and rub his brow. They’d had this conversation numerous times before. “Keegan, don’t contact me that way unless you really need me. You know there will be times I’ll have to block you.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I know. I was just teasing.”

“You have Gavin and Tommy on speed dial, right?” Rourk ran his finger across her delicate wrist. He would miss the familiar hum of current that passed between them when they touched.

“Yeah, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’ll just be going to classes and hanging out with Anna.”

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Uh huh. You know time stands still when we are apart.” Keegan pulled into the parking lot, picked a front row spot, and put the Jeep in park. He would go to the airfield alone. Some of the guys brought their families out, but he thought goodbyes were too intimate to take place in front of a lot of people. Thankfully, Keegan agreed.

“It does,” Rourk agreed, his heart aching. “I love you, Keegan.”

“I love you more.” Keegan’s eyes locked on his, so full of sadness beneath the silly, bright blue hat with a white pom-pom. It was just like his wife—quirky and cute.

They met in the center of the front seat, a merging of lips and whispered “I love yous.” He tangled his hands in her hair, and she clutched at his jacket. He never wanted to let go.

Athena put her fat head on the console between the two of them, breaking the embrace.

They laughed, though Keegan’s eyes were watery and Rourk’s own chuckle was rough. He petted the dog. “You take care of her, Athena.”

The dog barked, and Rourk exited the jeep. Keegan didn’t get out, but she rolled down the window as he walked around to her side of the jeep.

Part of his team was gathered in front of the brick building that separated the lot from the airfield, some of them holding on to clinging kids, some of them stomping their heavy boots to keep warm as they waited on their buddies. One of the guys on his team yelled, “Hurry up, Kavanagh. You’re going to make us miss our plane.”

Rourk waved, but didn’t say anything. They liked to tease him because he was always early and ready before anyone else. Today they were all early and anxious to get back to work. Warriors were the same in the human army and the elfin armies. Always ribbing each other.

Keegan stuck her head out the window. “Stitch, he’s mine for two more minutes.”

“Fair enough, but he’s
all
mine once you drive away,” Stitch called back playfully.

Rourk shook his head and smiled.

He leaned in and kissed her one last time. One of the guys let out a loud catcall, and Rourk shook his head again. “Drive safe, and remember, call Tommy or Gavin if you need anything.”

“I think you’re the one that needs to be safe. You’re the one going off to fight in a war. I’ll be fine, Rourk.” She forced a smile. “Thaddeus is coming to visit, remember?”

“I know. I just worry about you.” Rourk adjusted the bag on his back, and hoped his feelings weren’t too transparent. He didn’t want her to see the anguish and inner turmoil raging inside of him. “I’ll let you know as soon as I land.”

“’Kay. See you soon,” Keegan said, but the way her voice cracked betrayed her emotions. There was so much strength in his petite wife.

“It’s only three months,” he said reassuringly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. He said it, even though he knew it would feel like an eternity to both of them.

“Hurry home.”

Rourk nodded and waved. He walked across the parking lot towards his team, many of whom filed inside when they saw him coming, clapping him on the back and greeting him.

Before he went inside, he turned around one last time. Keegan was still sitting there watching with Athena on her lap, the dog’s head sticking out the window. He knew his chosen wouldn’t drive away until the door closed behind him, so he waved again, and then willed his feet to move forward one step at a time.

Leaving Keegan was always the hardest thing for him to do, especially when that heavy glass door shut behind him.

CHAPTER 3   

Rourk stared out the window of the plane and sighed in frustration. Why couldn’t he shake the uneasy feeling he’d had ever since leaving home yesterday? It was more than the normal dread of leaving Keegan. It was something deep in the pit of his stomach, and he didn’t like it one bit. After they’d said goodbye, he called Gavin, a dark elf he worked with, and asked if he would mind keeping an eye on her. Elves knew never to brush off a gut feeling. They trusted their intuition. He was grateful he had someone he could count on. Of course, he’d rather he was with her. It killed him not being there for her.

Gavin was the next best thing.

Leaning his head back against the seat, Rourk closed his eyes and thought of his chosen. Relief washed over him. She was sitting in a cafe with her best friend, Anna, a powerful witch. He knew she was safe with her. A smile spread across Keegan’s face; she could sense he was thinking of her. He loved that, no matter how vast the distance was between them, she was as close as closing his eyes.
I can’t wait to get back to you.

Eighty-nine days. Have you landed?

No, I’m still on the plane. There was a delay in Dubai.

Jealous.

Don’t be. We were stuck in the airport.

How are you doing?

Okay. Just missing you.

Me too.

I hate to go, but I need all my energy. We’ll be landing soon. I’ll contact you tomorrow.

Her full lips pouted and more than anything, Rourk wished he was there to make her smile.

Thank you for letting me know I was on your mind
.

You always are.

Rourk opened his eyes and looked around. Even though they could talk to and see each other, it was draining, so they tried not to use the gift too often. He would need his power at its highest for this rotation, which was why they resorted mostly to emails and occasional phone calls when he was deployed. It took a lot of self-control not to contact her on a regular basis, but he knew it was vital he stay at peak performance.

Most of the guys were still asleep. Rourk knew he should be resting, but he couldn’t seem to relax because of the feeling of unease that had settled deep into his bones. It was as if something was telling him he needed to be home. But he couldn’t tell his team sergeant, O’Grady, “Hey, sorry, gotta miss this rotation. Bad feeling.” The military didn’t work that way. Life didn’t work that way.

His brother-in-law’s words came to mind.
Sometimes things just have to play themselves out.
Thaddeus was an extremely powerful sixteen-year-old seer, who also happened to have warrior blood in his veins. If something bad was going to happen, chances were Thaddeus already knew about it. He had been known to bend the seer code on occasion, when it came to his own flesh and blood. But he also walked a tight line. Rourk knew he would not alert him unless he thought there was something Rourk could do to prevent it. There wasn’t a hell of a lot he could do halfway around the world. Maybe that was why Thaddeus had decided to visit Seattle. He’d never been before.

He gripped the sides of the chairs so hard his knuckles ached.

Fate had taken his mother away when he was young. A drunk driver had killed her, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Rourk pushed the thoughts aside and focused on his breathing, clearing his mind. Getting worked up would not help anyone. He had to compartmentalize. Perhaps the bad feeling was more about him and the mission than Keegan. He could only hope.

Twenty minutes later, the landing gear thudded into the down position, and the plane banked. Not long after the wheels of the plane touched down, the guys started to wake. Rourk stared out the window as the plane taxied to a stop at the end of the runway. It was the middle of the night, so everything was dark with pinpoints of light here and there. He could see other aircraft parked in the distance and lots of vehicles shuttling around. Bagram Airfield was one of the largest bases in Afghanistan and operated around the clock.

Stitch sat next to him. He stretched his arms above his head, cracking his back. “Back to ass-crack-istan. Kicking ass and taking names.” He yawned.

“We’ll see.” Rourk stood up to grab his bag from the overhead. They didn’t always get to see action. Most of the time, they were guarding a VIP, or securing a facility. Not that either wasn’t dangerous, because it was. On the last rotation, one of the guys, their warrant officer, took a bullet through his thigh. He’s back in the states still rehabbing, pissed off he’s missing a deployment.

But rumor had it this rotation they would spend a lot of time in the mountains. Hunting the enemy. Just the thought caused a rush of adrenaline. Rourk was at home in the mountains. And hunting the enemy was what he did best. What they all did best. He was a member of an elite Special Forces A team. This was a split mission, which meant split team. There were only six guys—a cell. Sometimes they worked together as a full team, but mostly they were on their own. He preferred the smaller team, but Rourk had always been a loner.

“I just wish the damn plane ride wasn’t so long.” Stitch complained. “All I can say is thank god for Ambien.”

Rourk smiled. Stitch was a character. Out of all the guys on his team, he got along with him the best. Not that he didn’t like the other guys—he did. Stitch reminded him of his best friend, Tommy. He was very laid back, but also a solid team guy. Rourk trusted him to have his back. They’d come to the team at the same time, which helped forge their friendship. As the new guys on the team, they were often targeted to be on the receiving end of pranks. Stitch just laughed them off, but Rourk knew he was filing them away and would get back at the guys at some point. That was something Rourk was looking forward to seeing.

Once the ramp was lowered, they deplaned and met their two escorts, who were also part of the team that they were replacing. The air was thick, but thankfully not too hot. By the time they left in June, it would be as hot as Hades. Brief introductions were made, and everyone walked over to the two vans waiting to take them through the in-processing. This normally long and painful process was drastically abbreviated for Rourk‘s team, mostly due to their escorts’ efforts prior to their arrival. As the vans headed towards the compound where they’d spend the night, Rourk watched the Air Force personnel use huge fork- lifts to off-load the large pallets of equipment that had accompanied them on the flight. It was amazing how many moving parts there were in making anything in the military happen.