Acacia Gold

Chapter 11

Tired. My eyelids fluttered closed, open. I would not fall asleep, not after I knew Icarus was back. I’d have to tell the group about my past, I’d have to face Icarus, and then there was calling Myckah, who I had not talked to in almost two years. 

Our team knew of Myckah. We did business with him. He sold us information in return for hunting down valuable artifacts for him or taking down a particularly nuisance vamp. He always was a classy undead kind of guy. But no one knew we had history. No one except Guy and Hunter of course. Guy hated Myckah and Hunter did well to keep out of the way of his old master. I had always been coincidentally on a trip or job when Myckah had been around.

Guy was taking care of the first part. Hushed voice drifted softly to me, urgent and surprised. I couldn’t face relaying the whole of my story to my friends who I trusted, who had trusted me. 

Nightmare, and just when my life had begun to make sense again.

Our two rescued hostages were shacked up safe in one of the spare bunkrooms, sound asleep. At least I hoped so. Someone deserved a little peace. Akasha Rowan and Nathan Owens had been checked over. No bites, no sign of contamination, no injury. 

They’d made it out quickly from the former hospital to our truck and seemed in good spirits considering.

I, however, felt like wrapping a thick blanket around me and hibernating from then until doomsday. No such luck. I hadn’t even bothered to shower or change. My face was smeared with ash and blood. It had dried stiffly so my skin itched. My clothes were dirty and ripped.

I felt weak, so I rested my head against an abandoned car seat on the floor and closed my eyes. Images ran in a collage, so I kept my eyes open. If they were open the nightmare was gone right?

My throat burned with thirst. It happened after explosions. Ash does that. But at least we’d done what we’d set out to do. Not a bad days mission.

What was one more complication? We’d handle Icarus I told myself. My team would not abandon me. I couldn’t really blame them if they did however. And I couldn’t stand the thought of any of them being hurt because of my s**t. I should’ve kept well away. First thing in the morning, I’d pack and leave.

“A?”

I rolled my head up to look at Hunter, “What?” I asked tiredly, in no mood for his remarks.

He slid down next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’ll work out. We’ll sort this. We’re all here for you, you know that right?”

“No, no. You’re not going to be there for me because I won’t endanger any of you. This is my mess, I’ll sort it out,” I said stubbornly.

“No offence A, but I was knee deep in s**t and sinking fast long before you came” Hunter explained, “If it weren’t for you I’d never have gotten out. I’m in whether you like it or not. You don’t have a choice on that”.

I raised an eyebrow but smiled softly, “I appreciate that Hunter”. 

“The rest of them, they’re here for you too, Sage, Dar, Eloy, even Elijah. Especially Guy…he’d do anything for you”.

“There was a time when that was true, that time has passed Hunter” I replied wryly. 

“Ha” he scoffed, “you and I both know that’s a load of bullshit. Guy still loves you whether he shows it or not. He’d lay down his life for you and don’t you forget that!”

“Maybe it’s best if I try, me and Guy, we don’t work”.

“Damn A, and you think I’m simple”, when I glared at Hunter he stared back unmoving, “back in the building when he thought he was going to loose you; worst moment of his life, hands down”.

I said, “You can’t know that”.

“Yea, well those words that came out of his mouth sounded an awful lot like that”. Hunter stood, “maybe I was mistaken, in which case you better pack up and leave now”.

He turned his broad shoulders to me, “Hunter?”

He stopped and looked back over his shoulder at me, “thanks”.

“No problem” he gave me a quick smile then replaced it with a cheesy grin, “if you tell any of them I know how to do this sentimental stuff”, he waved his hands about “I’ll have to pound on you”.

I held up my hands and grinned back, “message taken, I won’t spill”.

“Glad to hear it” he walked away to rejoin the group.

A shadow looming over me woke me. I started awake. Guy pressed fingers to his lips and beckoned me. I stood a little uneasily and had to grab a nearby shelf to steady myself. I took Guy’s offered hand and he walked, I followed.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Nowhere” he replied, deep voice reverberating.

We walked in silence through the warehouse, out the back, past the bunkrooms and their dozing inhabitants, out into the overgrown land with its weeds and little buttercups. 

Guy pulled me behind the little outhouse and kissed me. The press of his lips to mine was so warm and full of life. His lips tasted sweet and felt even sweeter. They fed at mine, needing and hungry, it had been so long and I’d missed him.

We drew apart breathless, leaving my lips bruised and wet. I swallowed.

“What was that?”

The look he gave me was so masculine I had to smile. Guy ran a hand down my cheek, caressed a loose curl, “I’ve missed you so much Cacey”

I took his hand and squeezed it drawing him to me,

“I’m right here Guy”

“No, I mean I’ve missed us” he breathed against my cheek

My smile was soft, “me too”.

He hugged me, held me close like I was about to disappear. His hands kneaded my back, his breath sighed, hot against my chest. He drew back.

“God! Today when I thought we weren’t going to make it. All I wanted was to be with you”.

When we had been dating, sure, we’d made hot monkey love, but every other part of it had not worked out. I’d been sick of Guy treating me like a fragile doll, behaving all protective and he’d lost patience and couldn’t handle me throwing myself into danger all the time. So we’d called it quits and remained friends. It had worked too, right up ‘til then.

“Are you sure, I mean we didn’t work last time, what makes you think…” I started.

“Nothing makes me think and maybe it won’t work. But that’s time wasted. We are right here, right now”, he pulled me against his body, running hands down my hips, “I’m right here right now, giving myself to you again”, he leaned his face to mine so that our lips barely touched, “take me”.

“Guy”, it was scarcely a sound and it came from low within me. I stared up into his blue eyes. He looked so lost, so lovely, he looked like an unsure little boy, in need of comfort and care. 

I’d missed that look.