Ella Awakened Page 8

  Ella continued up the path. She was becoming more confident in her abilities. She thought about the fact that she’d remembered what kind of shoes Burke was wearing. She could actually close her eyes and see him standing at the back door about to leave. Was a photographic memory part of this package deal? Of course this was Burke we were talking about, and lately she couldn’t help but notice every detail about him. He’d also had on brown socks, dark khaki cargo shorts, and a faded red t-shirt. It was more than that, though; it wasn’t just that she could remember what he was wearing. When she thought about it, she could recall every detail right down to the way the flap on his right back pocket was creased up, and the exact shape and size of the small hole on the left sleeve of his red t-shirt. Speaking of which, Ella saw a red thread snagged on a snapped branch that hung close to the path. Of course the wood inside the break was moist and green. Ella continued on. She was still aware of her surroundings, but at the same time she was a little lost in her thoughts.

  She seemed to be lost in thought a lot lately. It was probably only natural with everything that had happened over the past few days, but she knew she needed to get it together and focus. She undeniably had feelings for Burke, and she was pretty sure he… what… loved her? Well, maybe not love, but she was getting some serious signals. Was this really the time to pursue anything though, with some alien nut job running around town? Let’s be honest with ourselves here; the Demon was a serial killer, and according to Burke they were the only two people who could do anything about it.

  Still, people fell in love in the midst of horrifying tragedy and adversity throughout history. She recalled reading several stories about lovers during World War II when she had been working on a paper for a history class. She wished she and Burke could at least be honest with each other and open up instead of all this red-faced stuttering and dancing around.

  Ella stopped and looked around. She’d gone almost half a mile since she’d seen that broken branch with the red string. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn’t getting anything of what she’d come to think of as Burke’s smell - an intoxicating mixture of his soap and the plants from the greenhouse. She knelt down and looked at the floor of the path. The earth was still packed tight, but there was a light dusting of pollen from the trees in this part of the forest. It was undisturbed except where she’d been walking. Fabulous, hadn’t she just told herself she needed to get it together and focus?

  Ella turned around and headed back the way she had come. She moved slowly, looking for any signs that Burke had come this far. She would watchfully make her way back to the last sign she had seen of him. It would be on the right side of the path. Thank heavens she had left the red string in the break. That would make it easier to find. She was trying to pay more attention to the sights, sounds, and smells around her. She knelt down to examine one of her own footprints after noticing little songbird prints on top of it. Wow, she had been here only fifteen to twenty minutes ago, and already the print had been disturbed. She was starting to understand the importance of all the things Burke had told her about tracking. It was both an art and a fine science. She stood and narrowed her vision, focusing and scanning the flora for the red string. She didn’t think she’d doubled back far enough yet. For the love of God, what if she had passed it?

  Ella closed her eyes and tried to remember the string. She could picture it in her mind. What else was around it? The string itself had been snagged on a young maple tree. There was a small azalea shrub a couple of feet from the tree. The shrub wasn’t in bloom, but she recognized the leaves. She had helped her aunt plant several at home. There was also an outcropping of rock a few yards further down the path. She had passed it just before originally spotting the red thread.

  Holy Crap. Ella bent over, put her hands on her knees, and took a deep breath. Burke was right; she was only just beginning to grasp what her mind was capable of. She had passed the outcropping of rock – then seen the string. But when she closed her eyes and thought about it, she saw the rock behind the maple. She had never actually turned around and seen it that way, but in her mind’s eye she saw it as she would if she were heading back towards it. She saw it how she needed to be looking for it now. Apparently her brain now recorded images and played them back however she needed to see them. She wondered if she could remember things from before or even during the awakening with as much detail… like the Demon’s face.

  Ella closed her eyes and thought back to the day she’d run into the Demon in the library. She remembered getting up that morning and looking for her anatomy book. She had pulled on some jeans and borrowed Sarah’s shoes. She had gone to the library, bumped into some guy, met Burke, and crashed out for the rest of the day. She couldn’t remember fine details or many details at all for that matter. She remembered having a headache. Okay, so this was something that came after the awakening. How far back could she remember? Was it only the past hour or so?

  Ella closed her eyes again and thought back to the morning of her birthday. She had just come through the awakening. She remembered Burke grabbing her and kissing her. She could still feel the pressure of his fingers on her arms as he’d pulled her to him. She remembered them making breakfast together. She could see the exact sizes and shapes of the slices of peppers and mushrooms she had just cut for the omelet. But then again, that was only yesterday. It was crazy. It seemed like weeks ago. Only time would tell the extent of her memory’s reach. Maybe Burke knew more about it.

  Ella rounded a corner in the path. A few yards ahead stood the maple tree. She saw the red string, the azalea, even the rock just as she’d pictured it in her mind. Ella looked around on the ground and noticed the disturbed leaves. Burke had left the trail. He had snapped a branch, pulled a string from his shirt, and left the thread snagged on the broken limb. She had seen the clue, but not the meaning behind it. She felt like an idiot. Now that he was off the trail she would have to be even more alert.

  Ella continued through the woods. She really needed to pay attention. He had left her the full boot print early on to get her going and boost her confidence. Then he had left her the red string - which was practically a flashing neon sign - to tell her he was leaving the trail. (And she had royally screwed that up.) But now he was testing her. Just let me find him before he calls to make sure I’m all right, she thought.

  It gradually became easier for Ella to see the slight depressions his footsteps made in the leaves. She was able to move a little faster as she went from one to the next like a child connecting dots on paper. She could also smell him. The smell was very faint, but it was there. Ella hadn’t gone far when she thought she heard a slight rustling. She moved quickly. Soon she realized it wasn’t something rustling, but swiftly moving water that she had heard. It must be part of the same stream that lead to the waterfall she had swam at yesterday. Would he cross the water?

  Within a few minutes, Ella came to an embankment. There was the water, just two feet down. She could see where he had jumped. It was muddy just under the ledge where she was standing. If he’d jumped a few feet out he would have landed on the river rock and it would have been a little harder to see. She followed the muddy boot prints downstream. Before long the mud faded but she could still see where he had overturned a rock here or there. It was harder to catch his scent with the slight breeze coming off the water. She had to close her eyes and really concentrate to smell him. He had been here very recently, or she didn’t think she would be able to smell him at all. Too bad he hadn’t headed the other way, then the breeze would be blowing towards her instead of away from her. This brought on the realization that she wasn’t going to be able to sneak up on him. He was downwind. He’d be able to smell her before he saw her. It wasn’t a big deal, but if she was tracking prey or the Demon it would matter.

  She came to a slight hill. As she crested the top she saw him. He stood at the bottom of a twenty foot slope where the water gently fell from one rocky pool to the next before reaching the bed of river
rock below. The stream was about fifteen feet wide, but shallow at the bottom. The water was incredibly clear, and you could see the river rocks as if they were only inches below the surface. The bank was lush with ferns and moss. Burke stood in water just below his knees. He wore only his shorts, God help her. His boots, socks, and t-shirt were in a haphazard pile a little further downstream where the river rock was dry and ran a short way up the bank.

  Burke looked up at her and smiled. “Why hello there,” he said.

  “Hello yourself,” Ella smiled back at him. She looked at her watch “Ugh,” she said, “it took me almost two and a half hours to find you!”

  Ella agilely jumped from one rock to another making her way down to Burke.

  “Two hours,” Burke said, “you’re not being fair to yourself if you count my twenty minute head start.”

  I’m not going to tell him how I screwed up, she thought.

  “You were worth the wait.” He smiled at her as she reached the bottom. “Do you want to go swimming?” he asked.

  “Go swimming? It’s what, two feet deep?” Ella laughed nervously. Lord, he looked gorgeous standing there all lean and muscular with nothing on but his cargo shorts.

  “It’s actually about chest deep right at the base of the falls.” Burke pointed toward where the water cascaded over the rocks, trying to sound convincing.

  Ella just kept right on smiling at him.

  “Okay, it’s more like get wet than actually swimming,” he said.

  His smile was making her belly do little flips; that smile and him standing in the water with his shirt off. Screw it. Hadn’t she just been thinking that they were obviously attracted to one another, and they should quit dancing around it? Now here we go, getting wet together at this breathtakingly picturesque site… wonder where that might lead. Ella walked over to where Burke had left his shirt and shoes. She sat down and took off her own shoes and socks, adding them to the pile. Peeking at him from the corner of her eye, she confirmed that he was watching her. Without a word she stood up and took off her shirt and shorts. She walked past him in her light blue lacy bra and matching low cut boy short panties. Whose belly is doing flips now? She thought to herself. She waded past him and went close to the rocks where the falling water could run over her.

  “You’re right, it is almost chest deep,” she said as she stood to her full height. The water splashed an inch or so below her breasts, which were now clearly visible through the wet lace of her bra.

  Ella mentally urged him to make the next move. She knew that no matter what he did, she would remember this very moment of anticipation for the rest of her life, even if she did live to be six hundred years old. The sound of the water cascading over the rocks, the sunlight filtering through the trees; it was perfect. Was the chilly water to blame for the goose bumps forming on her skin, or was it the way he was looking at her? And then, Burke showed her just how fast a healer could move.

  He was by her side in what seemed like less than a second. Her face was in his hands, and he was kissing her hungrily. He was both gentle and exquisitely rough at the same time. He pulled at her lower lip with his teeth, and then his tongue found hers. He kissed her face, her neck, and her shoulder before claiming her mouth again. He was frantic with desire.

  “Ella…,” he whispered as he pulled her against him.

  With one hand already behind her shoulders, he reached under the water and caught her behind the knees. He picked her up and cradled her against his chest as he carried her over to the dry rock. Before laying her down, he grabbed his t-shirt and placed it under her head. As he kissed her again, Ella closed her eyes and became lost in sensations she knew would never have been possible such a short time ago when she was human. It was as if every nerve ending had become ten. Burke’s lips were so soft against hers, and as his tongue again found hers she tasted… what was it? Honeysuckle. He tasted like warm sweet honeysuckle on a perfect summer day.

  Ella felt Burke’s hands move across her breasts. When had he unhooked her bra? Who cared? She was lost, spinning in the most wonderful way. Wanting to savor every moment, but becoming lost in her excitement, Ella sat up and pushed Burke back against the rocks. She kissed his face, his neck, his chest then down his stomach.

  “Mother of All, help me,” Burke moaned as he pulled Ella back into his arms and rolled her beneath him.

  He kissed her mouth again, more slowly this time. He took both of her hands and held them above her head. Taking her breast into his mouth, he first teasingly licked then sucked and gently pulled at her nipple. Ella arched her back, wordlessly begging him not to stop. Releasing her breast, Burke kissed her again. Then he looked her in the eyes, reached down, and slid his hand under the edge of her wet panties. Never breaking eye contact and still holding her hands above her head, he let his fingers lightly trace her soft, warm folds.

  “Take them off,” she whispered to him. Burke let go of Ella’s wrists and slid her panties down over her hips and legs. He gently pushed open her thighs and just sat there looking at her for a moment.

  “You are truly the most beautiful creature I’ve ever beheld on this world or any other,” he whispered.

  She lay before him transfixed as he stroked and explored her most intimate secrets. She ran her fingers through his hair as he leaned forward to explore with his tongue where his fingers had been only seconds earlier. Ella ran her hands over his shoulders as his mouth pulled and teased. She could feel herself swelling with desire and let her hips rise when he slipped his fingers inside of her. He was pushing her to the edge, and she became desperate to slow him, not wanting his objective to be met without taking him with her.

  Ella pulled his face up and kissed him again. She ran her tongue along his jaw line as she pulled at his belt. Frantic to be free of the only thing between them, Burke took off what remained of his dripping cloths and threw them aside. Ella pushed him onto his back and let her fingers lightly dance over the velvet skin of his shaft. He was more than ready for her. She straddled his thighs and leaned forward to share with him the exquisite torture he had just put her through. Slowly, she ran her tongue from base to tip then took him into her mouth as her fingers ran light circles on his still wet skin. Ella reveled in the knowledge of his enjoyment. His soft moans joined the chorus of the waterfall. She paused and kissed the sensitive spot where his leg joined his hip before climbing on top of him and taking him into her. Slowly but rhythmically moving her hips, she leaned down to kiss him again. Burke could wait no longer. Holding her against him he rolled her over and thrust deeper, needing to fill her up, wanting to claim every inch of her for himself. She rose up to meet each thrust until they crested together and collapsed holding each other. Ella’s body continued to shudder against Burke. As she lay curled against him with her head on his chest, it was hard to tell where she ended and he began.

  ~~

  Ella knew without a doubt that her heart was lost to him. She had never imagined that she could feel this deeply for someone. It was as if he had been in possession of a part of her, something she hadn’t even known was missing, but now that she’d discovered it she couldn’t live without it.

  ~~

  Burke didn’t want to let go of Ella, not ever. He would happily spend the rest of his life lying on this river bank holding her against him. This is it, he thought, this is what he had heard about growing up, and he had finally found it. She was his soul mate - his gift from the Mother of All. He had resigned himself to a life alone on this planet. The realization that it didn’t have to be that way was overwhelming.

  He hated it that this wonderful gift came at a time of such incredible danger. There was still so much she didn’t know about their world, their people, and what she was. He was trying so hard not to bombard her with too much information at once. He was torn. Part of him wanted to lay it all out for her, to tell her that he thought – no, he knew – that they shared two halves of one heart. He wanted to tell her that the Mother of All meant for them to always be
together. Another part of him wanted to put her on a plane and send her as far away as possible. He wanted her to be safe. He had no idea how they were going to defeat the Demon and for him, the stakes had just gone up so much higher.

  Chapter 7: Moving

  Ella didn’t want to move. Even though they were lying naked on river rock, she was surprisingly comfortable. Her cell phone, however, seemed at odds with her plans to stay put. She gave a little huff as it started ringing for the second time.

  “How in the world am I even getting a signal out here?” she groaned.

  “It’s me,” Burke lightly ran his fingers down her back. “I’m like a walking cell phone tower. You’ll always get a signal with me around. It has something to do with the slight electrical charge that runs through a healer’s body.”

  “Electrical charge… glowing hands… that’s how you saved me the last day of my awakening, isn’t it?” she lifted her head off his arm to look at him.

  “Right, I’m like your own personal AED,” Burke laughed. “We can’t throw a charge or anything; I had to be touching you. It also helps if the healer is a little worked up. There’s a direct relationship between the amount of adrenaline and the strength of the charge we’re capable of releasing. Needless to say, I was worked up when you started convulsing.”

  “How about just now, were you releasing a charge when we… you know?” Ella bit her lip; she couldn’t help but tease him just a little bit.

  “Made love? If it worked like that Ella, I would have electrocuted you – I was that worked up.” He laughed, enjoying her flirting.

  Ella’s cell phone started ringing for a third time.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and answer that,” Burke said giving her a little pat on her bottom.