The Raven and the Witch Hunter Omnibus

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 12-1

BIG BEAR CHAPTER 12

They caught the next taxi to pass them on the street. After a short ride back to the bed and breakfast, they paid the driver and raced upstairs without encountering anyone in the hallway. By mutual agreement, they went to Vanessa's room first. Looking around the room, Vanessa saw her stuff was scattered everywhere again, and a flush of embarrassment colored her cheeks.

"Give me a minute to tidy in here and freshen up. We've been outside all day and I'd love a quick shower. Then we can order room service and...hang out."

Vanessa blushed as she stuttered over the last two words. She didn't want to push anything, but at the same time, she wanted to be with Emma Jane in whatever capacity she was ready for. Emma Jane smiled back, appearing every bit as anxious to spend time together as Vanessa was.

"That sounds good. I'll do the same and come back when I’m clean. Did you want to order food first, or wait until...later?" Emma Jane paused, stumbling over the last word as well. She blushed and shook her head as rueful laughter bubbled out.

"Just come back. We can order from here. Together."

"Together." Emma Jane repeated the word, savoring it.

Vanessa shivered at the warm, deep throatiness of the promise she heard hidden in Emma Jane's voice before she left the room.

As soon as the door was closed, Vanessa went into overdrive. She rushed around the room, shoving clothes back into her suitcase and clearing the counters. The room had a nice sitting area, but she'd somehow managed to occupy every square inch of it with her stuff, so the process took several minutes. She jumped into the shower once she was done, washing away the sweat and the smell of the outdoors and replacing it with the scent of a fruity body wash instead.

The hot water relaxed her while also heating her blood, making her anticipation of spending the night with Emma Jane even more intense. She’d never wanted to spend the night with anyone so much, had never felt such a strong yearning, even with Dave in high school, when she'd been a hormonal teenager in love for the first time. The fierceness of her need shook her. After so many years of existing in a gray world of disinterest when it came to romantic feelings, she was suddenly living in Technicolor.

She stepped out of the shower, quickly drying off and putting on a comfortable pair of pajamas. They weren't overtly sexy, but she loved the way the soft fabric made her feel. She brushed out her hair, removing most of the wetness by towel drying and had just put on tinted lip gloss when a knock on the door interrupted her racing thoughts. As she went to answer it, she felt as nervous as if she was on a first date with a big-name movie star.

"Hey."

Emma Jane's rich voice set Vanessa's nerve endings on fire, causing a blush to creep up her neck to her face as she stepped back from the door, allowing her to enter.

"Hey, yourself. Come in. Did you want to order something to eat first, or just...hang out?" Vanessa gulped, finding her mouth suddenly dry with a mixture of anticipation, nerves, and hope.

Emma Jane shook her head. "Let's talk first. We can order later, when we get hungry."

Vanessa followed Emma Jane to the cute love seat that had a place of honor beside the window. It was a cozy sitting area, meant for cold nights with hot cocoa and was the perfect place for a couple to snuggle, if they could touch each other normally, of course. Vanessa had spent the first two nights at their lodgings longing for the chance to do just that and now she could finally try it out.

They sat on the couch awkwardly until Emma Jane reached out and touched the stone without warning. The rawhide strip was soft against Vanessa's skin and the stone was smooth, but strangely warm. It seemed to give off a gentle pulse of energy, which Vanessa chalked up to it being a mystical object. She didn't feel any different wearing it and she knew by the look on Emma Jane's face that she, too, was still skeptical regarding whether it would actually work.

"What are you thinking?" Vanessa asked softly, as Emma Jane silently examined the stone.

"I’m just wondering how such a small, ordinary looking object can keep you safe from me. Wondering if it's even safe for me to be here now. Wanting to find out but scared to be disappointed and terrified that I'll hurt you."

Vanessa fell into her swirling eyes for the hundredth time, feeling the same worries as Emma Jane, but as impatient as always. She knew that even if it didn't work or couldn't help, she'd risk it a hundred times anyway. She might be willing to live life on the periphery of Emma Jane's touch, but by God, if she didn't have to, she wasn’t going to.

"There's only one way to find out."

Vanessa felt the words leave on the barest whisper of breath as she fell into the orbit of Emma Jane. First her head, then her entire body followed cautiously, but inexorably. As she slid closer, her heart sang with a repeating refrain of joy that this was actually happening, that Emma Jane was actually touching her.

Throwing caution to the wind, Vanessa leaned in for a kiss. Fire bloomed, hotter than hot chocolate, more comfortable than her pajamas. Vanessa wrapped her arms around Emma Jane, drawing her closer against her heart. Her warm body finally, wonderfully, pressed against Vanessa’s, their kiss evolved into hands, arms, and legs, touches and embraces, and became a never-ending discovery of delight. Vanessa sank into the intoxicating, mild-altering drug of love, feeling her soul fly free of her body, before coming back down to earth exhausted but whole for the first time in her life.

As her breathing settled, she gave Emma Jane one more kiss, feeling the same urgency almost overwhelm her again. She pushed it down for later in order to say the important thing that tugged at her mind and to ask the most important question of all.

"I love you, Emma Jane."

Vanessa cradled the warm woman in her arms, resting her head against Emma Jane's. She breathed in the special fragrance of earth, clean air, and something completely unique to Emma Jane. She'd recognize her by that smell alone and knew she would follow her anywhere she went.

"I love you, Vanessa. I can't...I..."

Emma Jane’s words stuck in her throat and Vanessa watched as tears flooded her eyes, rolling down the high cheekbones she loved so much. She tenderly kissed each one before looking into her eyes.

"What are you crying about? I feel amazing, better than I've ever felt. I could climb that mountain outside, I could run a marathon," Vanessa said, smiling, then added, "and I can do all of it while being right beside you." She touched the green stone with reverence. "It works, you know. I mean, we can check with Cat or Evelyn to know for sure, but I don't feel tired and I don't feel drained. I feel whole. And happier than I've ever been. So why are you so sad? Did I...." Vanessa trailed off, wondering if she'd done something in her awkwardness and the newness of the experience.

"I'm not used to..." Emma Jane shook her head before kissing her, leaning her forehead against Vanessa's. "No. You were wonderful. It, you, everything, was amazing."

Emma Jane leaned back to look at her again and Vanessa watched as a blush crept over her face now as well. "I’m just so happy right now. I don't think I've ever been happy, but now I'm worried that because I know what it feels like, I’ll never be able to live without you. I don't think I can be that strong again. I don't know how I'll ever leave you, even to do the work I have to do. And if anything ever happened to you, I know I couldn't go on."

Vanessa held on to Emma Jane as tightly as she could, knowing she’d hold her forever if that was within her power.

"You don't have to leave me. Ever. We can work around things. My career has some built-in flexibility and we can figure the rest out as we go. I don't want to be apart from you either." Vanessa reluctantly pulled away from the hug to look at Emma Jane's face again, memorizing every feature before her words escaped with a mind of their own. "This is forever. We’re two halves of a whole."

Emma Jane's face crumpled again, but this time Vanessa knew it was happiness creating the tears that fell. Their mouths met again, tears adding a special richness that was soon engulfed by another wave of love which overwhelmed them and carried them away into the night.

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