Cole absolved me, not for my decision, only Maggie could do that, but for making the only call I could live with afterward.
The problem with Cole was the man was built like a mountain, and all that strength made me view him as a rock, steadfast in the turbulent seas of my awakening. I wanted to cling to him. God how I wanted him to save me from myself. But I was learning that stones, even the mightiest of them, sank under enough weight. And I was not going to be what pushed his head under the water. Not this time.
This time, I would learn how to swim. This time, after my sisters were defeated, I would set Cole free.
And may God have mercy on me. I was certain Cole would show none.
CHAPTER FIVE
The walk back took forever thanks to the awkward silence that thickened the air until breathing hurt. I led Cole onto the porch and parked him in my rocker, which groaned a complaint as his weight settled. I kept a wary eye on him for a good ten minutes while I picked tiny rocks from the gashes on my feet and plucked hateful splinters from between my toes, but the most adverse reaction he showed was in response to the bloody footprints I left behind on my way to rinse my feet in the downstairs tub before pulling on socks and shoes. With that done, and my feet much happier, I hit the single car garage Dad used as a workshop. I palmed the respirator he used when sanding projects, popped in fresh cartridges, and strapped it on before rejoining Cole.
“Here’s the plan.” I made the necessary adjustments to get a tight seal around my nose and mouth. “I’m going to attempt to drag Thom to the faucet at the side of the house. The hose is in the garage.” Had it already been connected, I could have saved myself the hassle of sprinting for my life. “Can you hook it up for me and then get out of Dodge?”
“I don’t like this,” he said, the muscles in his jaw popping, “but you seem to have the most immunity to its effects. We can’t risk me going off the rails again. Next time you might not make it to that pond.”
I wasn’t sure immunity was the right word, but I had shaken it off faster than him.
“I got this.” I smiled before remembering he couldn’t see my mouth. “I’ll get out the second I have an issue if the mask can’t filter out the pollen or spores or whatever.”
With a scowl tightening his features, he stalked off to handle his part of the plan while I braved the walk over to Thom. The plants hadn’t affected me until Cole showed signs, as best as I could tell, but I was honest enough with myself to admit I wasn’t convinced it wasn’t his desire that had stoked my own to blistering heights, with or without the plant’s help. Cole all hot and bothered…
Mercy.
Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I got back down to business.
Thom hadn’t so much as twitched from what I could tell. I watched the rise and fall of his chest while giving Cole a moment to connect the hose and me a chance to test the mask while in close proximity to patient zero. A shrill whistle split the air, and I glanced back as Cole sank into his chair, his hands gripping the armrests until I cringed in sympathy.
It’s go time.
“Okay, Thom. Up you go.” I nudged him onto his back, hooked my arms under his armpits, and started dragging. “You’re a lot heavier than you look.” Awake he was all elbows and knees. “Maybe you should lay off the mice.”
I was panting hard by the time I reached the faucet, but I hadn’t experienced the urge to go rub myself against Cole’s leg, so the mask was doing its job. Once I had Thom rearranged, I twisted on the faucet and readied the sprayer. A powerful blast of icy water shot from the end when I pulled the trigger, and I aimed right for Thom’s face. The effect was instantaneous.
A mighty yowl ripped from his lips, and he jolted upright spluttering and hissing.
Considering how far under he’d gone, I showed no mercy and hosed down the rest of him until he was soaked to the bone and glaring at me in the way cats had that convinced you they were plotting your bloody murder. Water dripped into his eyes and plinked onto his lap off his chin. He looked utterly miserable.
Thom shook a hand through his soggy hair, spraying droplets. “Was that necessary?”
“’Fraid so.” I killed the water. “It worked on Cole, so I figured it would work on you too.”
“Cole is here?” He lifted his chin and sniffed the air, his head swinging in my direction. “I see.”
“No.” I thanked the mask for hiding the heat in my cheeks. “You really don’t.”
Thom swayed as he stood, and his jaw cracked on a yawn. “How long was I out?”
“A half hour or so?” I walked him to the front porch. “Cole will fill you in on what you missed while I collect samples.” A storm cloud gathered in Cole’s expression as we approached, proving he had heard me, but I ignored the far-off rumble. “We need answers, and I’m in the best position to get them. Can you make arrangements with your lab to get the specimens tested?”
“Yes.” He palmed his cell. “We can drop off the materials tomorrow on our way to Ludlow.”
Ludlow? Oh, yeah. Right. Our demon hunting expedition kicked off in the morning. Fun times.
White Horse had better equipment than what the department issued us, but the thing about winged demons was they tended to rocket into the air first and ask questions later. That meant using what I had in the trunk of my Bronco instead of the tricked-out kit stowed in his black SUV.
Uncertain what exactly in this corner of the yard was sending our demonic natures into hyperdrive, I bagged soil samples, entire plants, and even scraped bark off the tree where Thom had gotten himself stuck.
About the time I was done sealing the plastic baggies, we had company. A black SUV barreled down the driveway and ejected Miller and Santiago. They took one look at me and started in my direction, but I threw up a hand and stopped them in their tracks. I stabbed the air in Cole’s direction, and Santiago hooked an arm around Miller’s shoulders before giving his stomach a firm pat and leading him onto the porch.
While they got current on events, I filled an old cooler with the samples, loaded it into my Bronco, and wiped down the areas I had touched. I popped the used cartridges off the respirator, making a mental note to grab spares, but left the mask in the trunk. To avoid teeing off another round of hot flashes, I circled to the back of the house and gave myself a cold shower with the hose before sloshing my way back to where the others had congregated.
Cole prowled toward me. “How are you feeling?”
The driving urge to play adrenaline junkie and climb Mt. Heaton without a harness had yet to resurface. Well, no more than usual. “Normal.”
“Thom.” Cole waved the medic over to me. “Check her out.”
I submitted to a quick exam then waited to hear the results.
“Her eyes are dilated,” he murmured, nostrils flaring. “There is a subtle trace of desire, but it’s nothing like the aphrodisiacal response you described.”
Mortification ignited my cheeks into flamethrowers. So paranormal romances had gotten that tidbit right. Great. Just peachy. “I’m going up to my room, where I’m going to die of humiliation.”
Halfway up the stairs, I had an attack of paranoia and ducked into the downstairs bathroom, where I bagged up the clothes I had worn in the field then took another shower just to be on the safe side. In my rush to put a locked door between me and the knowledge each of them had known every time I looked at Cole and had a dirty thought, I hadn’t remembered to grab fresh clothes.
The rap of heavy knuckles on the door felt like someone driving nails into my coffin.
There was no question in my mind who waited for me. Only one person would have followed me after I made it clear I wanted to be left alone, and I bet he planned on giving me an earful. That was kind of our thing. I did anything – breathed, spoke, blinked – and he bellowed at me for having the gall to exist.