Their tranquil moment was interrupted by a short knock, before the bedroom door opened to show Tyler standing in the doorway. His eyes landed on Pogue and Amelia, and almost immediately his cheeks went red in slight embarrassment. They simply stared at him, appearing nonplussed by his appearance. Amelia even gave him a bright smile. She couldn’t help it- she was happy. Their family was back together.
“Um…sorry if I’m interrupting, I just wanted to check on you before I crashed for the night.”
Pogue shifted slightly so that he could see his friend better, a light smile playing at his lips as he saw Tyler for the first time in what felt like ages.
“No problem, Tyler. At this point, you could even interrupt sex and I wouldn’t care.”
Amelia blushed this time right along with Tyler, casting a quick glance Pogue’s way to see if he was serious. “Really?”
Pogue shrugged slightly. “No, I’d be frickin’ pissed and boot your ass out, but I’m still glad to see you.”
This elicited a smile from Tyler’s reddened face as he went ahead and approached the bed to get a better look at how his friend was healing. The covers were still pulled up to Pogue’s abdomen and Amelia rested on top of the covers right next to him. If she moved over even an inch more to her right, she’d practically be on top of him, he noted. But he didn’t blame her. She had been a total wreck without him, and he was honestly afraid of walking in on the exact thing Pogue had just mentioned. He knew enough about these two to know they were nothing, if not passionate. With that thought, a quick stab of jealousy went through him, but it was easily brushed aside. Pogue’s place in Amelia’s heart was not the issue right then, nor should it be until they had Stoughton dealt with.
“I wouldn’t recommend sex *quite* yet, but as long as you don’t exert yourself and put Caleb’s hard work to waste, it’s all good.” Tyler paused, leaning against the footboard of the bed. “It’s good to have you back. We almost didn’t survive it.” His eyes moved to Amelia as he spoke the last part, before flickering back to Pogue. Pogue noticed Tyler’s diversion in gaze and his look went more somber as he nodded.
“I almost didn’t survive it, so I think I understand. It’s good to be back.” Pogue shifted on the bed so that he was propping himself up on his arms. He winced in the dull ache that intensified in his shoulder region. Damn that Stoughton, he had really done a number on him.
Tyler was quiet a moment before speaking again what was at the front of his mind. “I’m trying to figure out how you did survive…by all measures, you shouldn’t have. Don’t tell me it was blind faith.”
“It wasn’t blind, Ty. I had someone with me, helping me to see what I’d be leaving behind.” Pogue glanced over at Amelia before kissing the closest body part she had available.
Amelia smiled as he placed his lips briefly against the fabric covering her shoulder. She rested her hand against his arm. “He probably would have died without Anna.”
“So that’s what she meant when she told you she was with him, huh? Well…good for her.” Tyler offered them a faint smile and a nod. He had to admit that he- himself- couldn’t wait to talk to this girl. The sheer ability of what she was able to do was mind boggling.
“So, Pogue, do you need anything? Caleb will be here in a minute, he’s saying goodnight to his mom…”
As if on cue, a horrendous sound tore through the house, half howl, half cry. The intensity of it made it sound like it was right out in the hallway. Tyler whipped around towards the door, heading for it as Amelia quickly slipped off of the bed, following him.
Pogue’s own heart skipped a beat at the sound, as familiar sounds struck his memory. Sweat broke out on his brow as he sat in the bed, paralyzed. He had to remind himself to breathe, before he realized Amelia was leaving the room.
“Amelia, wait!”
Amelia stopped, turning around to face Pogue. She hesitated. She didn’t want to leave him there alone, and he looked terrified. She took quick steps back to the bed, leaning over and kissing him. “Are you okay?”
“N-No…I’ve heard that sound before.”
Even more worry filled the girl’s bright eyes. “You have?”
Pogue’s nervous eyes just darted back to the hallway as Reid was seen struggling with a t-shirt as he passed the door. The boy looked like hell, and he stopped himself at the doorway with a hand to the frame, looking in at Pogue and Amelia.
“Amelia, stay with him. We’ll check it out,” Reid simply stated, his tone holding no room for debate or sway. He disappeared from the doorway once more as the same agonized cry rang out.
Pogue brought his hand forward, tightly grasping hers as if promising himself that she wasn’t leaving. Amelia sat down next to him, her anxious eyes moving from the doorway to Pogue and back again. “Pogue…where have you heard that sound?” she asked him in a faint whisper.
Pogue’s eyes never left the doorway. “Where I was…in the dark. I-It’s the sound of death.”
Terrified at Pogue’s words, she shifted closer to him on the bed, letting his physical presence keep her warm, as his words had chilled her completely to the bone.
----------------------
Elizabeth Strong was at Evelyn Danvers’ bedroom door when Tyler appeared in the hallway. Her eyes were wide, shocked, as the boy quickly moved past her into the room. Not initially seeing anyone, he turned to leave the room before he heard a choked cry coming from the bathroom.
Elizabeth walked into the room with her husband but stopped there, unsure of what was going on. Amelia’s mother clutched at her nightgown with a shaking hand as her husband stayed a strong presence behind her, and as she had before, she used his strength to remain composed.
Reid came in behind Alan, sliding past the adults and where he saw Tyler standing in the doorway of the bathroom, stiff and still. He came up behind the boy.
“What in the fuck is…?” His own words died in his throat as he saw who was on the tiled ground in front of the boys. Caleb was sitting on the floor of his mother’s bathroom, pressed up against the wall and holding himself, a strange, strangled sound coming from his throat. In front of him was the body of his mother.
“Shit…Mrs. Danvers?”
Tyler quickly managed to get into the bathroom, kneeling next to Evelyn and going to feel for a pulse. As soon as he reached out to touch her, Caleb snapped. He wordlessly shoved Tyler away from his mother’s body, his eyes black and his face red from shed tears and grief.
“Caleb, what the hell!?” Reid responded, going to Tyler’s side and keeping his distance from the older boy. “Let us help!”
“You can’t help!” Caleb practically snarled, his hand shooting out and making contact with the porcelain sink to his left. Both boys quickly managed to move to the side in the confined space as the sink shifted from its place and piping by about three inches.
Tyler stared at the displaced sink with wide eyes, looking from Caleb to Reid. “Tell Amelia’s parents to stay out of here,” he said to his best friend in a low tone. Reid didn’t hesitate before doing what Tyler asked.
Tyler swallowed hard, taking another look at Mrs. Danvers. She was gone…she had to be. Or Caleb would be trying like hell to save her. By the looks of her skin and the fact that her chest was not moving, it was evident…and the world started to once again make a little less sense to him.
“Caleb…do you know what happened?”
Caleb’s eyes squeezed tightly closed as he tried to regulate his breathing. “He got her.”
“You saw it happen?”
Caleb’s eyes flashed once more as he opened them and directed his dark stare at the younger boy. “No. It was him. It had to be him…he wants us all to suffer. First Mr. Parry, now my mother…it’s not over. No one’s safe...”
Panic quickly hit Tyler as he stood and moved out of the bathroom. “Reid, get in there with Caleb, please…” As he spoke, he opened his cell phone with trembling fingers, dialing his father’s number. His father went home without any guard or protection. What if…? Or his mother, his sister…they had to be all right.
‘Oh, please let him answer, please let him answer…’
Reid knew immediately what Tyler was doing and wished that he felt the inclination to do the same. He could get a hold of his own father if he really needed to, but for some reason he didn’t really feel the urge to check in on his old man. Did he care if his dad had met his maker the same way Mr. Parry and Mrs. Danvers had? Maybe he didn’t…
Reid passed Tyler and went back to Caleb, who was just staring at his mother with raw anguish in his eyes. A lump rose in his throat as pain hit the boy for his friend. He quickly glanced down at Mrs. Danvers and was glad to see that she didn’t look surprised or scared. She looked serene. That was a good way to go.
“Caleb…come on. We need to call an ambulance.”
“And what can they do for her now?” Caleb retorted, fury still etched on his features. “*I* can’t even help her, Reid! First my father, now my mother! I can’t save anyone!”
“You saved Pogue,” Reid mentioned matter-of-factly. “And he’s awake and looking a thousand times better than when we found him. You’re a lifesaver, Caleb, literally.”
Tyler kept praying as his father’s phone rang the fourth time…fifth. He *had* to pick up. Before it could go to voicemail, he disconnected the call and called the house line. It rang once, twice, and then there was a click as someone picked up the phone.
“Hello?” the still alert voice of his mother answered.
Relief flooded through Tyler, but he couldn’t let himself rest easy yet. “Mom, where’s Dad and Sam?”
There was a pause on the other end. “Your father is on the phone in his study and your sister is up in her room. What’s wrong, honey?”
“Please, could you check on them for me?” he implored, starting to pace in the room a little. He was aware of Amelia’s parents watching him from the hallway, but he didn’t care.
“Has something happened?”
“Yes,” Tyler simply stated. “Go find Dad and Sam!” He couldn’t help but snap his last direction, and immediately felt regret at taking that tone with his mother.
“Do *not* tell me what to do, young man,” she warned, but Tyler could tell she was on the move now. “What happened?”
“It’s Mrs. Danvers. She’s dead.”
Mrs. Strong gasped, her hand moving to her mouth as her husband’s hands gripped her shoulders even tighter. “Oh, God…” she whispered, her eyes widened with alarm.
Tyler winced as he heard the clatter of the phone hitting the floor at his mother’s own reaction, before there was muffled sounds of it getting retrieved. “What did you say?”
“She’s dead, Mom. Caleb found her in her bathroom, he couldn’t save her.”
“W-What…?” Mrs. Sims words trailed off as Tyler heard his father’s unintelligible voice in the background. More relief filled him. His dad was okay.
“Tyler, what happened to Evelyn?” his father’s voice asked him over the phone.
Tyler finally sank down into a chair and let his body go loose after the pent up anxiety had him wound up so tightly. “I don’t know. Caleb was going to check on her before he went to bed, and then we heard a scream from downstairs- not Mrs. Danvers, Caleb’s. She’s lying on her bathroom floor, and Caleb is out of it. He’s barely holding on to himself.”
“Dear God…you’re certain she’s dead?”
“Yes, Dad. Positive. If there had been any life in her, Caleb would have saved her. Caleb thinks Stoughton did it, but he didn’t see it happen. Is Sam okay?”
“I sent your mother to go check on her,” Mr. Sims replied, before he fell silent for a few moments. A minute passed between father and son in muted silence before Tyler finally spoke up.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. Promise me you’ll stay close to Mom tonight. Mrs. Danvers wasn’t a part of the Covenant, so if it was Stoughton, why would he have targeted her?”
“Perhaps he did it to target a member of the Covenant,” Mr. Sims remarked in a grim tone. “You stick close to those boys, Tyler.” There was another pause before he continued. “Samantha is fast asleep in bed.”
Tyler let a long sigh leave his lips as his eyes closed. He lifted his hand and scratched his head. “Dad, what do we do? Caleb isn’t thinking rationally right now, he flipped when I went to check Mrs. Danvers’ pulse…”
“How’s Pogue?”
“Awake and looking a lot better.”
“What about Amelia’s parents? Are they there?”
Tyler’s eyes moved to the doorway, where Alan was talking to Elizabeth in a low voice so he couldn’t pick up on the words. “Yes, I think they’ve just figured out what’s going on. This might turn into a circus really soon.”
“They need to go home where it’s safe, although convincing them of that with their daughter in the middle of all of this will be near impossible. Tyler, call the hospital. I’m on my way over.”
“No, don’t leave Mom and Sam alone,” Tyler told him, shaking his head. “I’m really freaked out here. Two of my best friend’s families have been attacked, and my family is the only functional one left. You stick together.”
“You need someone there who can handle all of this, Tyler, and I doubt very much that Caleb is up to it, and I wouldn’t trust Elizabeth or Alan to handle…”
Tyler felt a hand on his arm as he looked up. Mr. Strong stood there, his eyes calm as he gestured towards the phone. For some reason, Tyler slowly handed him the phone, letting Amelia’s father put it to his ear and speak with his Mr. Sims.
“Mr. Sims, it’s Alan Strong. Let me go ahead and handle things here for now, you go ahead and take Tyler’s advice of sticking with your family for the rest of the night. I’m sure Tyler will call you if something comes up, but at least wait until morning light before you come over. I’ll help the boys handle the questions.”
Glenn Sims was surprised, yet felt like he shouldn’t be by Alan’s recommendation. The man sounded composed and seemed trustworthy at the house, if not a little upset by the fact they seemed to isolate him from important conversation of topics. Perhaps he should trust the man to take care of the situation there for the time being. He was hesitant to leave his family, but he didn’t dare tell Tyler that for fear of making his eldest think he thought more of them than he did his son. That would never be the case.
“If you need anything- anything- you call me. I’ll keep my cell phone on and with me at all times. And please…keep an eye on those boys, and especially Tyler. I want my family together right now, but since that isn’t plausible at the moment, I trust his other family to stay close to each other there.”
Alan glanced at Tyler, who had his head rested between his hands, his fingers clenched in his hair loosely as he stared at the ground with a vacant expression.
“I swear to you that my wife and I will help the kids. We’ll see you in the morning.”
Elizabeth slowly moved over to Tyler and knelt down in front of him. She touched his arm lightly before pulling back immediately- not wanting to intrude on his space during such a traumatic time. She knew what had happened to Pogue’s father, and she worried about the teenager upstairs and the internal wounds of another sort that might never heal, but here were three other boys who were dealing with something heavy and unknown to her. They wouldn’t let her inside, and she was fine with that. It didn’t mean she couldn’t be there for them as a shoulder.
She didn’t dare try to speak to Caleb, who was still in the bathroom with Reid. His emotions were still far too raw. She’d be very vigilant of his actions, though; to make sure he didn’t hurt himself or anyone around him. Especially with Evelyn gone…
Reid sighed, still resting with his back up against the bathtub, looking at where Caleb was just silently resting against the opposite wall. For about five minutes now, he had been too afraid to say anything to his shell-shocked friend, but deep-seated worry was starting to win out…and there was only so long a dead body could just lie around.
“Caleb.”
Caleb didn’t flinch at hearing his name, so Reid tried again- trying to get the boy to respond to him. “Caleb…I’m sorry about your mom. She was a great lady.” God, it felt weird talking about Evelyn in the past tense with her laying there only a foot away from him. He couldn’t help but feel that weirdness and the macabre were going to be a normal part of life from here on out- if they survived much longer, that was. In all truth, it didn’t look good for any of them right now.
Caleb finally opened his eyes, his glassy stare settling on Reid. “Where’s Amelia?”
“Upstairs, with Pogue. I told her to wait there.” Reid cocked his head to the side slightly. “Do you want me to get her?”
Caleb couldn’t think. He couldn’t feel. It felt cold and empty inside of him, and if he had been his normal self, he probably would have been afraid of the lack of sensation. He had always liked to pride himself on being so sure of what he wanted, what he needed to do and who he needed to help and protect, but now he felt helpless and inept. He couldn’t lead, he couldn’t plan- he felt like he couldn’t even mourn his mother. But Amelia- she had always brought out the core emotion in him, made him feel what he felt he *should* be feeling. He didn’t think it had anything to do with her Title or Instrument. It was just a natural gift she had, one that stood apart from her Powers. She’d always had it, whereas her Powers were blessed to her rather recently. Right then he wanted to wrap himself up in her and get lost inside of her soft innocence. Forget all of the events of the day and just focus on her and being with her. One boy, one girl.
On the other hand, Pogue needed her right now. He was healing and had just been through a horrific ordeal. Pulling her away from him before he felt ready might be a bad course of action to take. Pogue had lost his father, and he didn’t even know it yet. Caleb just lost his mother- his last parent…his only link to his father outside of the Covenant, the one person who helped Caleb remember his dad in a whole other light. There was an entire plethora of memories that his mother and he shared, and now one of those cords had been severed. Caleb felt detached from one of his grounding forces in the world, and that made him feel more vulnerable than he could feel even remotely comfortable with. He felt like an intruder in his own skin, just staring at the body of a woman with dark hair and elegant, pale skin. Even touching the silk of her robe felt foreign to him. The only constant in his body right then was his heartbeat, and he would gladly stop its beat himself if it would bring back his mother, his father, Mr. Parry…
“Caleb…do you want me to go get Amelia?”
Caleb blinked, finally looking at Reid. The boy was patiently watching him, his posture lax and calm. Caleb admired how together he seemed right then.
He deliberated his words a full minute longer than necessary before speaking. “She needs to stay with Pogue.”
Reid scoffed. “Pogue’s fine, and frankly, I think he’d understand sharing her with you right now.”
Caleb just moved his eyes back to his mother’s form, going silent yet again.
Reid swore softly, before rising. “Okay, that’s it, I’m getting her. You need someone right now, and you won’t let Ty or me get near you. But I’m not bringing her into the bathroom, so you need to come out.” He paused before continuing in a softer voice. “Let us make the call to the hospital before they start asking suspicious questions. Just…say goodbye. You need to walk away from her, Caleb. It’s time.”
Reid exited the bathroom quietly as his words repeated themselves in Caleb’s ears. He knew the boy hadn’t meant them harshly, but the bleak manner in which he spoke them still pricked the boy’s skin.
As the blonde teen walked out of the bathroom, Elizabeth Strong was putting her arms around Tyler, holding the boy who was embracing her right back, his eyes squeezed tightly closed. Reid sighed. Tyler had always been more fragile than him, yet he was a force to deal with when he got truly riled up. He was never afraid to show his vulnerability under certain circumstances, and death was obviously one of them. Yet, didn’t death usually bring that out in people? Most, maybe, but not Reid. For Reid, death just succeeded in further pissing him off. It made him want to go find someone or something hard and blameworthy and pummel it for all it was worth. Right now he considered this an asset. He was the only member of the Covenant that wasn’t letting the grim reaper get to him. He wasn’t healing, hurting, or afraid. If anything, it made him feel stronger. Maybe knowing that he was the sole person with a spine still rigid made him feel in control, indestructible. It was a nice feeling, but it never lasted forever.
He exchanged a look with Mr. Strong before speaking in a low tone. “You can go ahead and call 9-1-1. Caleb will come out soon. The longer he stays in there with her, the more of a basketcase he could be. I’m getting Amelia.”
Reid began to walk past Mr. Strong, but the older man stopped the teenager with a hand on his arm. “I don’t want Amelia seeing any of this,” her father told Reid, his eyes narrowed slightly in disapproval.
“Alan…the boys need her,” Elizabeth replied in a soft voice from where she held Tyler, her head turned to look at her husband and Reid. “Let him get her.”
Reid never took his eyes off of Mr. Strong as he clenched his jaw momentarily before dropping his hand.
“Honey, I really think we should take her home, this environment can’t be good for her right now.”
“We’ll talk about that in private, honey,” Dr. Strong nodded, understanding her husband’s concern, but also fully realizing what was going on in this room and her daughter’s power over the boys’ inner strength. Elizabeth Strong always prided herself on being intuitive, but in the last twenty-four hours, her instinct was overshadowing her common sense. She knew it, but didn’t contest it. At this point in time, she needed to trust her gut.
---------------------
Pogue shifted next to Amelia with a grimace as she carefully massaged his back, being extremely cautious not to put too much pressure on his muscles with her hands. He groaned. Her hand ministrations were both torture and pleasure, all wrapped up into one remarkable package. He couldn’t get enough of her touch now, and with every second that passed that he was with her, the more the vivid memories of Stoughton and his torment were left behind. He’d never begin to completely wipe them from his mind, but being able to push them to the back was a good start…at least for now. Maybe after Reid ascended he’s petition for his friend to wipe the memories from his mind completely. It was a taboo thought- forbidden- but so was being tied up- helpless- while you were repeatedly persecuted and afflicted with your daughter, fiancée, and best friends’ deaths.
“Is this helping?”
He smiled crookedly at her question. “Baby, you have no idea. If I could have twenty-four hours of this, I’d be back on my feet and ready to face Stoughton in twenty-five.”
His comment caused Amelia to pause as her eyes nervously flickered towards his face. “Pogue…I hope you’re not planning on going right out and trying to find him when you’re healed completely.”
“If not right away, pretty soon thereafter. That son-of-a-bitch needs to die, and frankly, I think I have dibs on taking him down.” He turned his head to look at her, his eyes earnest and burning with intensity. “I’m not a fool. I’ve seen firsthand what the bastard can do, and I know now more than ever that even with four against one, we’ll probably fail. But I’m not going to go down without one hell of a good fight. Fight is all I have in me. It’s what kept me alive- that, and faith. I hope that both of those things, working together, will be a pretty good match against him.”
Amelia bit her lip, running her hand slowly down his spine, which caused him to tremble. “Pogue…I came so close to losing you. I can’t handle watching you leave when I know you may not come back…when all of you may not come back.”
“Stoughton is nothing if not thorough,” Pogue admitted, running a hand back through his hair. “He won’t settle on one of us going down, he wants all of our hearts torn out of our chests to prove we’re dead. Then he’ll come for you. Who knows, maybe he’ll make the mistake of going for you first. If he does, it will be the stupidest move he’s ever made. We’ll die protecting you.”
She shifted uncomfortably next to him. His frank talk was very disconcerting to her. While she knew that candy coating the situation was not the right thing to do at that juncture, hearing the brutal truth of what could most likely happen wasn’t exactly appreciated, either.
“Then I go with you. I’ll help you. That was the original plan anyway.”
Pogue actually snorted at her statement, reaching around and taking her hand in his. “No, Amelia. We may have been all ‘all for one’ before, but we are *not* going to bring you into the middle of this. The fight itself will be vicious; he’ll lash out at you first to weaken us. Besides signing your own death sentence, it will hurt our chances against him, too.”
She leaned against him, burying her face against his neck. “I’m terrified,” she admitted.
“I know. Me, too.”
Their moment was interrupted by a short rap on the half open bedroom door. Pogue looked up to see Reid walk in, his expression just as dour as it had been before. He stared at the two across the room with dull eyes.
“Christ, Reid, who died?”
Amelia looked up at the teen that had just entered the room and saw how somber he looked, her insides clenching immediately. She had a very bad feeling all of a sudden…
Reid just shook his head slightly. “If you only knew, man.” He raised his hand, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “Amelia, could you please come with me? Caleb needs you.”
Amelia frowned as she slowly let go of Pogue and straightened. “What’s going on?”
In a tone as flat as his expression, Reid replied, “Someone died.”
She stiffened, but didn’t hesitate to stand up, walking across the room towards the door. She didn’t even need Reid to confirm to her that he wasn’t joking, or who the person was. Amelia knew. Mrs. Danvers was gone.
“Whatever you do, do *not* use your Instrument, the guy needs to let it out sooner rather than later so that it’s not holding us up when we go after His Assholiness,” Reid mentioned to her as she passed him, his left hand adjusting the fingerless glove on his right.
Pogue began to shift off of the bed himself, pulling the covers away from the lower half of his body as he did so. Reid just held up a hand. “Dude, I’d prefer not to be flashed right now. You stay in bed, you’re not supposed to be up and moving around yet. Besides wanting to kill Stoughton with his bare hands, Caleb would kill me for letting you potentially hurt yourself. Save me the hassle and keep your naked ass in bed.”
“Tell me what happened, Reid, don’t dick with me,” Pogue practically growled, glaring at his friend.
“Pogue, after the events of the day, I’m in no mood to dick with anyone, especially you,” Reid shot back, torn between following Amelia back to Caleb, and staying there with his friend to make sure that he didn’t do anything stupid. “But if I tell you, you’re going to do the stupid thing and get out of bed. There are two things wrong with that. One, you’re still healing, you’re not supposed to try walking around until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest- your healer’s orders. Two, you’re my best friend, and I saw what that fucked up prick did to you, and while I don’t mind blood, I’d rather not see little Pogue right now, okay?”
“I’m not in the fuckin’ mood- what’s going on?!”
Reid only hesitated a second, crossing his arms in front of him. “Caleb found his mother dead in her room. Now, if you try and move out of that bed, I will physically pin you down to it and force you to pay my therapy bills.”
Pogue’s eyes widened a moment before darkening. Caleb’s mother- gone. It didn’t seem possible. She had been such a constant in Caleb’s life…and in his own, for that matter. When sober and with reality, she had been Caleb’s source of wisdom, of sanity and of love. Other than Pogue, and recently Amelia, she was the only person Caleb had let his guard down around. One of the few people Caleb would sacrifice for. Was it possible?
“What happened to her?”
“We don’t know. Caleb thinks Stoughton did it, but there’s no proof. You have to admit, the asshole makes one hell of a scapegoat right about now.” Reid shifted slightly, breaking his eyes away from his friend temporarily. Pogue’s gaze was intense, as if it was searching for more hidden answers from him right then. He hated feeling scrutinized, and it just reminded him of the awful fact that one of them- probably Reid- would have to tell Pogue about his own father sooner rather than later…especially now.
So many thoughts went through Pogue’s mind right then- including the contemplation that the ghost was indeed about to become more dead than he always was *very* soon. Whether or not he was the cause of Mrs. Danvers’ death, the timing was suspicious enough to make it a consideration. He clenched his hands into fists, the tense muscles in his hand stretching and pulling against bone. He was pulled from his dark deliberations by Reid’s voice.
“Look, Pogue…there’s something else that you need to know.”
Pogue’s eyes met Reid’s as the boy continued.
---------------------
Amelia left the room, her feet leading her directly to the hallway below and to the open door. It was silent inside, but the silence was thick, pensive and filled with grief. She hesitated a moment outside before walking in.
Tyler was sitting near the window with her mother talking to him in a low voice. Caleb was sitting on his mother’s bed, hunched over with his head between his hands. She didn’t see her father anywhere in the room. Amelia held her breath as she walked over to Caleb, pain for a boy that she loved dearly shining in her eyes.
Looking up from his lap, Tyler saw Amelia near Caleb, and mutely stood up and walked out of the room to give them privacy. Elizabeth straightened, herself, and followed the boy as well, closing the door partially behind her as she went to find her husband and Tyler went to check on his other friends.
Tentatively reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder, Amelia sat down next to him on the bed. She didn’t dare get too close, putting about a foot’s worth of space between them. She wanted him to know that she was there for him and within reach should he need her, but at the same time, not intrude on his private grieving while sending that message.
Amelia hesitated before letting her Powers seep out of her slightly and towards Caleb to pick up on his exact emotional state. She thought she knew, but she knew he had to be fragile right then. She didn’t want to assume *anything*.
Caleb dropped his hands into his lap and turned his head to look at her at the same time his emotions slammed into her with intensity. Agony, grief, fear, uncertainty, hate…all so bitter and strong it took her breath away momentarily. But what did she expect? He had just lost his mother.
His rich brown eyes seemed to weep tearlessly as they looked at her. She whispered his name softly as she let her fingertips brush his cheek. Caleb didn’t have any tears in his eyes, but Amelia didn’t think that the skin of his face would be dry for too much longer. She didn’t dare offer him a smile and instead conveyed her own sorrow and sympathy in her soft gaze. While she didn’t say anything, her invitation was clear. She was there for him however he needed her.
Caleb swallowed hard, the pain he felt moving downwards with the constriction of his throat. He was so glad she was there, but at the same time, he felt like he was actually at a loss for his emotions. He knew she expected him to grieve on her shoulder, heaven knows he had shown his vulnerabilities around her many times before, and it only brought them closer. Something was holding him back this time…he didn’t know what, but it was the same thing that kept his tears at bay, and kept him from crumbling against her.
Amelia slowly moved her fingertips to his brow bone, tracing the outline of his face. She watched as his eyes drifted closed at the soft contact, her fingers moving further south towards his jaw and down the skin of his neck. His muscles went lax beneath her hand, as well as throughout his entire body. When she reached the collar of his t-shirt her hand didn’t stop as it ran across his shoulder blade and arm, then across his chest to where his heart beat so steadily in his chest. She placed her palm there, her eyes fixating on his face. He finally opened his eyes when he realized her hand wasn’t moving anymore, and looked back into her blue stare. It was open and warm- loving and soft. He wanted to wrap himself up in her like a warm blanket until all of the evils of the world were gone and all of the painful tasks ahead of him had been dealt with.
Amelia didn’t remove her hand from him as he moved closer to her on the bed, letting him crush her against him. She closed her own eyes as she let her love for him radiate out of her through her abilities.
His arms tightened around her as he buried his face against her hair. He let out a sob as images of his mother alive and well circulated through his mind. Her sage words, her strength, her toughness…she had been the toughest woman he knew, and Caleb had *used* that strength. Now what? She was such a presence in his life, besides just the fact she was his mother. One of the only women he knew and trusted, blood relation aside. Now that tie and trust was severed, and he was clinging to the last female he felt he could turn to. The world didn’t make any sense; not to Caleb, not like this. Who would be next? Amelia?
Amelia gasped softly as Caleb held her in an even stronger vice-like grip. She actually had to struggle to breathe. “Caleb…Caleb, you don’t have to let go, but please…”
Caleb just barely made out her words in the midst of his worst fears playing out deadly scenarios in his head. He pulled back look enough to look at her, and saw the grimace on her face. He quickly lessened his grip, but still held her firmly against him. “I’m sorry…”
“Don’t be. I just need a *little* more space to breathe,” she replied breathlessly, a faint smile on her lips. “Oh, Caleb…I’m…I’m *so* sorry…”
Caleb shook his head sharply at her words, closing his eyes as if he were trying to block out the first outpouring of sympathy that he would receive at his mother’s passing. “Don’t. I’m going to have to hear it repetitiously for days coming; I don’t want to start hearing it now.”
She swallowed, looking at him closely. He was holding back. He was holding his emotions away from her and most likely everyone else. That wasn’t healthy, and it wasn’t safe. Not for them. One thing Caleb taught her, if you held in your emotions at their most extreme, your Powers would suffer, and so could those around you with the outcome.
“You have to let it out.”
“I can’t. Not now. It’s still not happening. I know she’s gone…” his words drifted off as he turned his head to look towards the closed bathroom door, behind which his mother’s body still lay on the floor, awaiting paramedic attention. “I know she’s gone, but it’s like she’s not.”
“It hasn’t sunk in yet. I understand,” Amelia whispered, running the back of her hand down his cheek. His skin felt like it was on fire beneath her touch, yet he wasn’t flushed. She worried so much about him. “I want you to know that I’m here for you…whenever and however you need me. I-I’ve never lost a parent, and you- you’ve lost both of them…” Amelia stopped speaking, immediately wishing she hadn’t just vocalized the obvious. Caleb more than likely had already considered that fact, and reminding him more than likely would only cause more hurt than relief. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s true. By all accounts, I’m an orphan now. Jesus,” he muttered, letting that lone thought sink in. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m legally an adult.”
She wrapped her arms around him again, resting her chin on his shoulder. His last realization brought pain to her own heart. The brief thought of going through the same thing Caleb was, was incomprehensible to her. She wouldn’t be able to deal. She wouldn’t survive. She’d want to die along with her parents. Was that how Caleb was feeling?
“We’re here for you- all four of us. We’ll stand with you every inch of the way, be your support every second.”
Caleb paused a moment before speaking. “I’m glad to hear that…but right now, I just need you. Be my comfort, Amelia.”
Amelia felt tears burn at her eyes as she tightened her arms around him. She held him silently, and continued to do so until the first responders arrived.
-----------------
Tyler dragged himself upstairs towards the room he was calling his own while he stayed at Caleb’s. He didn’t feel like he had any more energy for *anything* that night. He watched Mr. Strong let in the EMTs and stayed out of their way as they were showed up to Mrs. Danvers’ bedroom. Amelia was still in there with Caleb, and he didn’t want to disturb them. He had no idea where Reid was, he guessed with Pogue since Amelia was now at Caleb’s side and having a much better time consoling the young man than any of them would have been able to.
As Tyler turned into the hallway he saw Reid leaving the room they had taken Pogue to to recover. Reid’s expression was still void of emotion, not even betraying the fact that Tyler knew he *had* to be just as exhausted as he was…perhaps more so.
Reid turned to face the other boy as he came to a stop a few feet from him. “Did Caleb finally let someone call the damn hospital?”
Raking his fingers back through his tousled hair, Tyler just nodded. “Yeah, they’re attending to Mrs. Danvers’ body now. How’s Pogue?”
Reid’s blue eyes briefly flickered back towards the door he just left. “Let’s just say that he needs some time alone.”
Tyler didn’t need three guesses to know what Reid was talking about. He swore softly, leaning up against the wall. He felt like he had no more strength in him to even support his body’s weight anymore. Plus, his heart had sunk at the realization of what Pogue was dealing with right now.
“You told him. Why did you tell him? You should have waited…”
“He had a right to know, and to be honest, the sooner the harsh truth is out there and dealt with, the sooner we can get down to business and go after Stoughton.” Reid turned and headed towards his own room, Tyler quickly on his heels.
“Reid,” he began in a low voice so that they wouldn’t be overheard by their freshly-wounded friend. “We can’t rush into an attack on Stoughton.”
“Why not? Maybe if we take the game to him it will throw him off. He surely won’t be expecting it, and we’ll have the element of surprise on our side.” Reid pulled off his boots and tossed them across the room next to the floor of his bed. He gave his friend his back as he dressed down to just his boxers and white t-shirt.
“This is the worst possible time to go after him and you know that. Caleb mourning the death of his mother, you just told Pogue that his dad died by Stoughton’s hand. Amelia’s in a delicate condition and I’m worried sick about the safety of my own family, not to mention you guys. We can’t go into this half-assed, we have to have a solid, workable game plan, and we all have to be one-hundred percent ready. Besides your impatience to kick some spirit ass, I don’t think any of us is in *any* condition to…”
Reid turned his head to shoot his friend a sneer. “If we wait around for all of us to be in tip-top shape, Stoughton has all of the chances in the world to take more of our family out, attack us, and torture Amelia in dreams and maybe even in the flesh. Do you want to be responsible for something happening to her just because we didn’t fight when things were tough?”
“No, of course not, that’s not what I’m saying,” Tyler retorted, looking as frustrated as he felt at that moment. He had the feeling that reasoning with Reid was not going to work at that particular point in time- he was just too damn stubborn.
“Then what are you saying, Sims? If he did kill Mrs. Danvers, it just proves he’s not limiting himself to attacking us- members of the Covenant, or our fathers, the Covenant before ours. He’s making it damn personal. They’re not my blood relatives, but I think of your parents and Sam like my own family. I don’t want to see that bastard get to them.” Reid paused as he got closer to Tyler, his intense eyes boring into his friend’s. “Do you want to find Sam fried or impaled somewhere?”
Tyler visibly winced at the thought, jerking his head to the side. “What do you think my answer is, Garwin? She’s my sister!”
“Then it’s time we protect the only family we have left- including those that aren’t even born yet! They’re our only chances, Tyler, our only heirs! If Stoughton gets to them, the Covenant…”
“I know the deal you don’t have to remind me!” Tyler snapped, his eyes flashing in rising anger. All of the horrible thoughts that had gone through his mind the past couple of weeks were being vocalized viciously right back at him by his best friend. Thinking them was one thing, hearing someone else confirm them was something else entirely. It made his stomach knot and cramp just thinking about the reign of terror Stoughton could continue to inflict until they decided to act. A part of Tyler knew that Reid was right, but he also realized that they had no call to force Caleb and Pogue to fight when so much had just struck the boys so close to their hearts. Utilizing their Powers under such circumstances, towards a foe as mighty as Stoughton, could prove more fatal than originally anticipated. It was the same principle as driving a vehicle when you were under extreme duress. You were more likely to have an accident. While using your Powers when you were enraged could prove a bonus by being an increased focal point for the warrior, it could also lead to catastrophe. Tyler did *not* want any of them to fall due to the fact they were *over*zealous in their battle. It was a sensitive scale to balance, and the repercussions were immeasurable.
“I know that face,” Reid replied, his voice a little calmer as he walked over to the windows and jerked the curtains closed. “You’re overanalyzing the pros and cons of the situation, aren’t you? Always the level-headed pussy.”
“Being cautious does not constitute me as being gutless,” Tyler told him, crossing his arms in front of him. “I’m sorry I can’t be a stone shell like you after two deaths within ten hours, Reid. While part of me is envious of your being able to reorganize your feelings towards plans to defeat Stoughton, I also feel sorry for you that you can’t just let your fuckin’ guard down and cry.”
Reid snorted, throwing his friend a look. “I don’t cry. ‘Cry-baby’ has never been the word to describe me, Sims.”
“Maybe that’s true, but one of these days it wouldn’t kill you to let your heart show instead of your ass. Do you think we’d hold it against you?”
Reid clenched his jaw, not looking at Tyler as he sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed his switchblade from the nightstand next to him. He wanted to tell his best friend that he let his heart show plenty in the privacy of Amelia’s presence, but he figured his friend already had that guessed. So, he stayed silent, staring at the simple weapon in his hand. While it wouldn’t provide much defense against Stoughton should the spirit show up to give the teenager some grief, Reid still felt better having it nearby. It was *his* safety blanket.
Tyler sighed, shaking his head as he realized that his friend wasn’t going to respond to his question. Fine, let him be that way. He should check in on Pogue anyway, he doubted the teen should be alone right then…despite the fact that his body and mind screamed for sleep and repose.
“Goodnight, Reid. Hopefully I’ll see you in the morning.” With that, Tyler turned and departed the room, leaving Reid to his thoughts and his knife. Whatever made him feel better.
Reid only turned his head to look towards the direction Tyler was when he heard the door click closed. Silently, he opened up the knife- the six-inch blade popping out at a dangerous angle. As he stared at the glinting steel he actually thought about what the boy had said to him. He was secretly glad that Tyler wasn’t like him- ready to go out and hunt in a moment of enraged anger or desperate passion. Reid wasn’t stupid or suicidal, he knew that he stood no chance against Stoughton alone. So he’d wait for his friends’ recovery. He had a feeling that both of them would be ready to fight the spirit far sooner than even Tyler thought they would be- that they *should* be.
The death was going to stop.
And he’d be ready.
------------------
Pogue lay in the enormous bed, surrounding by silence and loneliness. What Reid told him still echoed in his ears, and yet he couldn’t swallow the reality of what was said to him.
“Your dad lost it. I guess seeing his only son filleted set him off a little. He goaded Stoughton, and Stoughton struck him down. He’s dead.”
Reid hadn’t given him a second-by-second account of what had happened. He told Pogue matter-of-factly and the most direct way possible without leaving out the crucial information. His old man. The same son-of-a-bitch who would criticize him night and day if he were at home to take the abuse. He was dead. Heart-stopped, cold to the touch, no breath- dead. And Pogue didn’t even see it happen.
His hand went to cover his face as he fell backwards into his own mindset just a little more. A part of him had wanted to call Reid a fucking liar when he was told, but what Reid said was too obviously the truth. Reid was in that room with him for all of four minutes before leaving Pogue alone to process it. Even that wasn’t happening. The gears were slowly turning, but his emotions were having major problems getting involved.
Wayne Parry had been a scoundrel all of his life, and that had quadrupled after his best friend James’, death. He no longer had any allies that he could depend on, or at least that was how it seemed to him. So he resorted to turning on his son and turning to the bottle and the occasional woman that may not know that much about his deeds and history of instability. It was sad- he had been quite the charmer in his day. Pogue remembered his mother describing him as dashing- able to fascinate the habit off of a nun. Brave, with a good heart. Pogue had believed that, even that latter part. The only problem was that he never saw that side of his father. He saw the alcoholic, bitter man that was a shell of what he once was in his glory days. Either he was yelling at Pogue, slamming his Power into him to remind him who was “ascended”, or absent from his life. He didn’t know which he had preferred. Pogue had thought that life had been so much simpler when his father was just not there.
Now he wasn’t…permanently.
Cringing at the stab of pain that went through his chest, the teen let out a shaky breath, opening his eyes to stare at the dim ceiling. Whether or not he was going to mourn his father- or even miss him- there was one cold, hard fact that was staring him right in the face. His father had died by Stoughton’s hand. The spirit was obviously no longer holding back.
He had envisioned the death, destruction and torture of his loved ones played over and over on Stoughton’s behalf while he had been held captive in that void prison. It wasn’t all bluffing. If Stoughton could kill his father, maybe Caleb’s mother, even try and end his own life, then there was no telling what was going to happen next.
All thoughts of being stubborn and getting out of the bed and going downstairs to check on his best friend- regardless of his healing- went out the window. He was going to follow Caleb’s instructions to the letter, he was the so-called expert. He was going to heal up as quickly as possible so that he could be a part of taking down the evil bastard that took human life without a care. Stoughton might accuse them of being Satan’s servants, but the spirit’s actions wouldn’t sit well with the God he claimed to represent so adamantly. No, there’d be circumstances for him- delivered both before and after he was destroyed. Pogue was rather certain that William Stoughton was going to regret his three-hundred year’s old vow for vengeance.
Vengeance would be *theirs*.
-------------------
Caleb watched with fatigued eyes as the gurney holding his mother was wheeled out of the bedroom. Amelia was still at his side, holding on tightly to his hand throughout the questioning the first responders had for him. He hadn’t looked at her the entire time they were tending to his mother and asking him question after question about the most tedious things, but he had gripped her hand just as firmly as she had offered the silent reminder of her support.
The paramedics had told him that the hospital would call him with the findings of the autopsy. Caleb didn’t tell them that he didn’t want to know. He actually held to the illusion that she died naturally, he didn’t want to attribute losing his mother to Stoughton the way Pogue had lost his father. It was just coincidence…it had to be. Evelyn Danvers did not deserve to die that way.
“There are some people that can’t be saved… Deep down, you know who you need to protect. You’re more of a protector than your father ever was. Hold on tightly to who you *need* to survive. Hopefully you get *that* from my side.”
His mother’s words haunted him. As the door closed, giving them more privacy, Caleb let his chin drop to his chest as a soft, pained sound left his throat. She couldn’t be gone.
Amelia turned towards Caleb, letting her free hand slide around his chest and shoulders and pulling him towards her in a slightly awkward hug. She felt his warm hand reach up and hold onto the arm that was reaching across his chest, holding onto it. Amelia let her head rest against his as she just sat there in silence with him, letting him grieve. The best thing was to get it all out. That was one thing her mother had told her. Let the grieving grieve and the healing process will begin far more beneficially for the mourner. She hoped to heaven that was true for Caleb.
There was a soft knock on the door, before Dr. Strong stuck her head in, looking towards the two teenagers.
“They’ve left. Can I get you anything or are you going to try and get some sleep?”
“I appreciate the offer, Dr. Strong, but I can’t think of anything,” he responded warily, turning his head to look away from Amelia and towards her mother.
Elizabeth Strong’s eyes moved from Caleb to her daughter for a few moments before she nodded. “We’re right across the hall. Let me know if you need *anything*.”
“Thanks, Dr. Strong.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Amelia added as her mother left them alone once more. She listened to the soft ticking of a clock in the room, the silence between them heavy, but comfortable.
“Caleb,” she finally whispered after a few seconds. “Do you remember when I told you that I was getting a message from Anna through one of my boys?”
Caleb just nodded, forcing himself to focus on Amelia and not the phantom words of his mother. “Yes.”
“I spoke with Anna tonight when I went to see Pogue. She told me that I was hearing your son.” Amelia didn’t know why she felt the urge to tell Caleb this, she was just trying to find something- anything- that might shed some light on Caleb’s dark state.
Caleb smiled faintly. “Really? My kid was a tape recorder, huh?”
Amelia smiled back, shifting closer to Caleb on the bed. She realized if she got any closer to him, she’d be on his lap. “He did a good job. It was so startling to hear a voice inside of me that wasn’t hers, you know?”
“I have no clue. I’m as curious as hell as to what the communication between you and Anna is like.” Caleb turned his head so that he was looking at her earnestly. She lifted her head off of his shoulders and gazed back at him, letting him touch the skin of her cheek before running his fingers back through her hair. His mother had just died, but he was so…distracted by her. “You’re so goddamn beautiful.”
She sighed, stifling a laugh. “I really wish you guys would stop telling me that.”
“Never.” Caleb leaned in, capturing her lips with his as he sought out refuge from the tumultuous, negative emotions within him. He had to find some illumination, some peace, and he wanted to find it with her.
‘Hold on tightly to who you *need* to survive…’
Amelia returned the kiss, only somewhat surprised when Caleb’s arms encircled her completely and held her even tighter to him. That was one thing about Caleb- he had amazingly strong arms. She thought they were even stronger than Pogue’s…and there were not showing any promise of easing up their forceful hold on her.
Caleb let himself get swept away by Amelia’s taste and touch. He broke the kiss briefly to breathe her in, the scent that was so uniquely hers, and his head swam because of it. He opened his eyes long enough to study her composed features before bringing his lips back to her cheek and moving them down her neck, his left hand finding the bottom of her blouse and slipping underneath it to touch her smooth, warm skin.
Amelia moaned softly as she felt Caleb’s hand splay across her lower back, pulling back to look at him. As his eyes burned back into hers, something inside of her shrunk away. There was something there- something intense in that gaze of his that looked almost…hungry. It alarmed her and she didn’t know what to do next. Was she seeing things? Should she chance further hurting Caleb and tell him to let her go? Did she want to…?
Caleb saw the question in Amelia’s eyes and brought his hand up to cover her mouth before she could speak. This brought further anxiety to her expressive stare, which she kept locked on his, as if afraid to look away.
He didn’t know what he was doing. An image entered his mind of himself ripping the clothing off of both of their bodies and letting the turbulent emotions that were running amok deep inside, loose. The memories of being with her intimately and holding her naked body against his as he moved against her were still so fresh in his mind, like they were yesterday. She had enjoyed it then, she had wanted it…despite the circumstances that had her so confused over who she was with. He knew he had brought her pleasure, and she sure as hell showed him a unique paradise he had never seen or felt before. He wanted to experience it again- with her- desperately. Throw away the misery and pain and replace them- if only temporarily- with passion and calm.
He felt the Power inside of him twisting and turning through parts of his body that he rarely felt. However, right now, as foreign as it felt, it also felt good…and he wanted it. He wanted *her*.
Amelia’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the facial features of the boy she adored so much turn dark and ponderous. She was afraid of what he was thinking right then, and managed to snap out of her stunned, frozen position against him to try and slide backwards off of his lap and the bed. They needed space, that’s what they needed. Caleb needed to get his head on straight and she needed some fresh air. Or maybe they both needed those things…
She used a hand to lower his off of her mouth so that she could speak. “I think we should go upstairs so that you can…”
“No.”
That was not the response Amelia had hoped for. She tilted her head slightly so that she could study him. She was having an argument with herself over whether or not she should use her Powers on him, to find out *exactly* what kind of emotional state he was in right then, but he interrupted her internal debate.
“I don’t want you to leave. Stay with me.”
Her voice lowered to a hushed whisper. “This is your mother’s room. Let’s at least go find somewhere else where we can talk.”
“I don’t want to talk, Amelia,” Caleb retorted, his voice sounded almost ragged with an urgent need. “I can’t…talk. I don’t know what to say. I want to feel. I want to feel some peace with you right now, not this hole inside that I can’t fill. It hurts- it fuckin’ hurts! You…” he shifted on the bed so that he had one knee and hand up on the bed for support, leaning over towards her with an almost…predatory look in his eyes. “You are the only one that can make that go away. You will always be the only one.”
Amelia could barely breathe. The air around them felt like it was getting heavier, with a more ominous tone. She had to get out of there before Caleb did something he’d regret later. Besides that, her parents were right across the hall! If they walked in on what Amelia thought Caleb had in mind…
“Caleb…listen to me. I’m not leaving you; I will not leave your side until you tell me to. I promise you that. But right now you’re starting to scare me a little, so please…stop looking at me like that, take a deep breath and let’s go find somewhere else to…sit. We don’t have to talk, just sit.”
Caleb smiled, but it didn’t hold warmth…it held dark promise. “Baby, for what I have in mind, talking and sitting will *not* be an issue.”
Baby? Caleb never called her that. Amelia let her Power fill her as she prepared herself to feel out his emotional state. After she did that, she could use her abilities to dampen his emotions, and hopefully get him back to his old self.
“Oh, no,” Caleb practically growled, his own eyes going black as he grabbed her by the arms and pressed her backwards onto the bed, so she was laying on her back and staring up at him. “No Powers right now, Amelia. We don’t need them.”
Amelia gasped as Caleb pinned her to the bed, her eyes back to their normal blue shade. His actions had broken her concentration, and at the same time her Powers shrunk back inside of her, submissive to his own. She was afraid of what he’d do if she called on her Instrument again. She knew he couldn’t hurt her…could he?
Caleb softened slightly as he felt her tremble slightly beneath his weight. He let go of her right arm to touch her nose lightly with his forefinger. “I won’t hurt you…I could never hurt you.”
“What do you want, Caleb?” she managed to get out, her voice still soft but now shaking. She knew what he wanted. She knew what she wanted. As much as she would love to experience this level of closeness with Caleb again, especially now in his time of need, she couldn’t hurt Pogue. So the question remained: who was she more willing to hurt? Her fiancée, or the strong man above her that sacrificed so much already for so many? Crying out for help was simply *not* an option here. Besides the nightmare that could occur if her mother or father walked in right then, it would get just as ugly if any of the guys took this opportunity to check on them. Praying he would snap out of this was the only thing she could hope for. She couldn’t hurt him, she couldn’t hurt Pogue…
“You. It’s that simple. Please…don’t hold back.”
With that, Caleb yanked his shirt off over his head, quickly removing Amelia’s top with little effort soon after. She swallowed hard as she read the lust and need in his eyes. She made one last attempt to appeal to his common sense as she felt him continue to remove the clothing from her as if it was no obstacle at all.
“No.”
Her word caused him to pause for a moment as he slowly looked back up at her face, his expression hardening at the simple utterance of refusal. She was naked down beneath him, and all he had left to take off were his pants and boxers. There was so little keeping him from claiming her again. At that moment in time he didn’t care that she was essentially Pogue’s. She belonged to him, too. Caleb knew the only reason she said ‘no’ was because she was afraid of hurting his best friend. But should that be a good reason for anything? He laughed inside at his own question before he yanked off his belt in two quick movements and tossed it across the room where it landed on the area rug.
“I’m sorry, Amelia. I won’t let you stop me this time.”
Her next attempt at what he presumed to be more argument was silenced by his mouth pressing down insistently against hers. She made a muffled sound against the kiss as he managed to lose the last piece of clothing that kept him from feeling her completely, and covered her body with his, his rationality screaming at him from behind a very thick and muted wall.
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