The Fire Within

Chapter Eight

Samantha had to credit Darius for being devious. He’d slyly advised his brothers to move her things into his room while she stayed with them, for however long that would be. As if she’d resist temptation sleeping next to him day in and day out. She’d insisted on privacy, and after much grumbling he’d conceded to a room of her own.

That was five days ago.

She missed working, and after a week without Darius, without sex, she hastily corrected, she felt overloaded with frustration.

She refused, however, to go down that road again with him, not until she had a better handle on her emotions and the situation she faced. Odd, but accepting he was from another world and that she had become involved in a fight against evil was easier to stomach than having ‘feelings’ for the bossy Adonis.

Spending more time around him, watching him interact with family and friends in his home—in this world—would better illustrate just what kind of man he really was. She didn’t want to be clouded by desire, even though she could find no way to turn off her body’s reaction to his nearness.

She’d spent Monday managing Gerry and finishing up administrative work. Tuesday Darius collected her winter clothing from her storage facility. So much for apartment shopping. At least she wasn’t wasting money on rent.

Wednesday, Thursday and this morning had been spent in a similar fashion—willing herself to relax, to think of her time off as a vacation, one she hadn’t had in years. She readily compared her new accommodations to a luxury hotel and figured she was lucky to reside in such comfort.

Staring at the mountains from the living room’s bay window, she couldn’t help admiring the house Darius lived in with his brothers. Had she the money, she would have bought something similar. She loved the Greenlake area, and the house had a phenomenal view of both the lake and the mountains.

The room she requested, away from Darius, sat on the first floor, allowing her a nice picture of the Storms’ now frozen garden. She could just imagine the blooms in late spring, which according to Cadmus, didn’t come close to rivalling her natural beauty.

She’d been hard-pressed not to laugh in his face when he’d said that, doubly amused when Darius glared and set his brother’s napkin on fire. She’d found it immensely satisfying to see Darius jealous, because of her.

Grinning at the memory, she stared at the gloomy picture of Friday morning and thought how well Darius had seemed to take their separation. When she’d initially asked for her own room, he’d seemed affronted. But after a few hours he’d changed his tune.

“You need time and space to sort things out,” he’d grumbled, the insightful comment unexpected, and one that made her question Darius’ hidden depths.

Though normally curt, bossy, and rude around his brothers, he never presumed with her. Aside from knowing exactly what her body needed physically, he didn’t take her mental and emotional desires for granted.

He’d been surprisingly solicitous since she’d ‘moved in’, constantly making sure she had everything she needed. And he’d given her space, leaving the house often to do whatever it was he did during the day. The one time she’d asked him he’d grown so prickly she hadn’t questioned him again.

Cadmus and Marcus proved charming companions, another thorn in Darius’ side. Oh, she could tell he loved them dearly, though it might pain him to admit. The way they interacted, how he sought to keep them out of harm’s way, showed how much he cared.

Only yesterday he’d adamantly denied her request to go downtown, despite Marcus’ promise not to leave her side.

“It’s not safe, and I’m not about to lose either of you due to your arrogance,” said with a look to Marcus, “or your impatience,” said with a look at her.

While she appreciated his caring, she didn’t relish his constant need to control. Marcus had muttered something condescending under his breath, and she’d secretly agreed.

After five days of catching up on work, her personal needs, and the latest DVDs and novels, she felt ready to burst if forced to stay inside one more minute.

One of the brothers entered the living room behind her, his face visible in the window’s reflection. She turned, noted the brown eyes, and smiled. “Good morning, Cad. Nice to see one of you is an early riser.”

He grimaced. “I hate to admit it, but I’d still be sleeping if you weren’t here.” He grabbed coffee and a banana and settled into a leather recliner. “How are you this morning?”

“Stir crazy.”

He nodded. “I told Darius you wouldn’t take being cooped up in here much longer. Frankly, I’m surprised you haven’t bolted before now. Granted, Darius has a point wanting to keep you safe. But really, what’s it going to hurt if you take a walk around the block?” He sounded cranky, partly, she suspected, because he hated sitting inside with her.

“I’m sorry,” she started but he waved away her apology.

“Don’t be. It’s my own fault. Marcus has a job and Aerolus, well, I’m not sure what he’s doing right now. I’m the only one available at the moment to babysit—” at her look he quickly amended, “to protect you.”

“Thanks,” she said wryly, shaking her head. “You know, the first day I met you four I was baffled by how alike you were. Now I can’t imagine why I thought that.”

He grinned, his brown eyes sparkling with mirth, and she realised the truth of her statement. Darius she knew instinctively. She could feel his presence when he entered the room, could sense him drawing near without looking.

Marcus and Cadmus, on the other hand, had distinct personalities that made their identical appearance fade in comparison. Now when she looked at them, she saw them, not mirror images of Darius.

Marc, as she liked to call him because it annoyed him, had a tendency towards arrogance far beyond Darius’ capacity to condescend. Marcus acted like royalty, as if she should cherish every moment spent in his presence. Yet beneath the attitude she felt warmth and acceptance, and she had to admit she loved his dry sense of humour.

Cad, on the other hand, loved the nickname she’d given him. Easygoing and openly affectionate, he constantly joked. Despite their nature as quadruplets, he really did seem the baby of the family and the others treated him as such. Though he had to resent it, he treated Darius and Marcus with tolerance and ever-present amusement.

She also noted how in tune he was with nature. The small greenhouse attached to the kitchen flourished with plant life, all courtesy of Cad’s green thumb. And being inside stifled him. She could see the toll it took on him to remain with her inside the house and wished it could be otherwise.

“You sure are thinking hard,” he murmured as he finished his banana.

“Yes, well, that’s all I can do in here. No offence, I love your house, but really, do we have to stay inside?”

She glanced outside and saw the sun parting the clouds hovering over Mount Olympus. He followed her gaze and shot her a sly look.

“You know, if we snuck out now, we could get a nice walk in before anyone noticed.”

“No.” Darius stomped into the kitchen looking bleary-eyed. Secretly thrilled to see him, Samantha focused on keeping her inner shields intact and her heartbeat steady.

“Awe, come on Darius,” Cad protested. “We’re dying in here. It’s so boring staring at each other all day long.” He winked at Samantha. “Though come to think of it, we could find something else to entertain us if you’re planning on going out again.” The suggestive leer he sent her made her want to laugh. Darius, however, didn’t find Cadmus amusing in the least.

He said something in a foreign language that had Cad arching his brow.

“Touchy.”

“Samantha,” Darius said, studiously ignoring his brother, “would you like to go out with me tonight?”

She blinked. “Where?”

“I thought we could grab something to eat downtown,” he said casually, his eyes intense as he waited for her answer. “It won’t be fancy or anything, but I thought you might want a break from my family.”

She forced herself to pay no attention to Cadmus and his cheeky grin. “I’d love to.”

Darius nodded and seemed to relax, as much as he ever did lately. “Fine. I’ll see you back here around six.” So saying, he shot Cad a warning glare and left without another word.

Staring after him, she wasn’t aware she frowned until Cad mentioned it.

“I know he’s a pain in the ass, but he’s got his reasons.” He grabbed another cup of coffee, offering her one as well.

“He’s been busy this week.” It bugged the hell out of her that he remained so secretive about his whereabouts.

Cad snorted. “Yeah, right. With the exception of working at the club and his time spent helping Father Denton, he’s been going out of his mind staying away from you.”

Her mouth fell open. “He’s helping a priest?” She couldn’t see Darius anywhere near a church, let alone volunteering to help at one.

“In a roundabout way. One of the waitresses at Outpour volunteered Darius to teach a self-defence class offered by her church. Next thing you know Darius is helping mentor fatherless kids, showing up at the shelters to fix the heaters every time they go out, and even offering our services when needed.” He shook his head. “He told us not to say anything about it, but geez, give the guy some credit.”

“Wow,” was all she could say. Darius, a Good Samaritan?

“Look Samantha, Darius is trying to give you space to make up your mind about him. I told him he’s going about it all wrong, but would he listen to me? No.”

She didn’t understand what she was hearing. “Excuse me?”

Cad sighed. “Darius really wants to make a good impression on you.”

“So visiting homeless shelters and not telling me about them, not to mention avoiding me, is supposed to impress me?”

“No, no, no. What I meant was, he helps out with those in need because he can. He’s a warrior. Hell, we all are, and protecting those in need is what we do best. As for the shelter, think about it. That firepower of his makes warming those left in the cold a real gift. But he would never brag about any of it. He doesn’t like calling attention to himself.”

Another layer of Darius Storm slowly revealed itself. “He couldn’t have mentioned where he was going when I asked?”

“No.” Cad pursed his lips in disgust. “My brother may be the toughest of us, but he’s an idiot when it comes to women.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “And you’re what, God’s gift to women?”

“Exactly.” His eyes sparkled, a rich brown that made her think of melting chocolate. “I told him to seduce you with words, to tell you how he feels. But he told me…well, it’s not fit for polite company.”

“Right.” She laughed again, choosing her words carefully. “Why should he need to tell me how he feels? As I see it, he’s doing me a favour by protecting me from ’Sin Garu.”

Cadmus’ gaze shuttered, and she zeroed in on that fact. “You could say you’re doing us a favour too, by staying close. The next time ’Sin Garu tries to attack we’ll be ready and hopefully we’ll end it.”

“But why me? Why mess with my dreams?”

“Maybe because you can see what others can’t.” He paused, then stared at her with an intensity that left her breathless. “Even if Darius hadn’t told us about your visions, I’d know. I feel your gift, Sam. I know because I see as well.”

“You do?” Darius hadn’t mentioned that.

He nodded. “My elemental magic is my bond with the earth. But more than that, my powers of clairvoyance have grown. I dream of future events, some of which come to pass while others don’t.”

“Why? Because you’ve changed them, stopped them from happening?”

“Or because they were just dreams. I don’t think everything I see is a vision of the future.” He smiled wryly. “But then I’ve been told to quit questioning my power and accept it. What about you?”

She stopped to think, admitting to Cad what she had yet to admit to herself. “I’ve always had strange dreams, most of which I force myself to forget since there’s little I can do to change them. The few times I actually intervened, no good came of it.”

He waited while she struggled to put into words the hopelessness of her talent.

“Two instances come to mind. Twice I tried to stop something terrible from happening, and both times I fell short. The first time my sister suffered a broken leg instead of the concussion I foresaw.”

“And the second?”

“The second time a neighbour died in a car wreck.”

“But if that’s the case, that just meant he or she was meant to die, that nothing you said or did could have prevented it.”

“Right.”

“No, really.” He looked intent on clearing her conscience, and she was touched he cared enough to try. “What exactly did you see that made you think your neighbour would die?”

“I saw Mr. Rumfeld clutching his heart. He fell to his knees all alone in his kitchen. The ambulance arrived too late to resuscitate him.”

“There, you see?”

“But the next day when I convinced him to see a doctor about the heart pains he’d been experiencing, he was hit by an out of control truck on his way to the doctor’s office.”

“That’s because it was his time to die. I’ve talked to Arim about this many times, and it seems there’s a fine line between changing the future and redirecting it. Normally when someone is going to die, there’s little you can do to change it. Maybe they die by sword instead of by poison, get hit by a car instead of suffering a fatal health problem.

“But sometimes we see a circumstance not meant to be, a situation caused by otherworldly means. Take our being here.”

“You and me?”

“No, myself and my brothers. We lived the first few months in this world in Snoqualmie’s mountains. Then I had a vision of a possible future, one in which we died by wraith attack after arriving.”

“You’re kidding.” She was surprised by how good it felt to talk to someone who could do what she did, but who, unlike her, embraced his gift.

“I told Darius and the others about it, and we managed to contact Arim in time to prevent the Netharat from discovering this realm. At least we thought that at the time,” he added quietly.

“So how did you come to live here?”

“Arim told me to search inside myself for an alternate future. That night I dreamt of six lucky numbers. And like magic, here we are.”

Samantha grinned. “Gotta love that lottery. I tried to control my visions when I was younger. But after the loss of my neighbour, I stopped listening to my dreams. They come sporadically but I usually forget them the morning after.”

She immediately thought back to her erotic dream of Darius. A fantasy or possible reality? Would that come to pass? And why did the thought of it not happening make her depressed?

“Cadmus?”

“Hmm?”

“What does the word ’affai’ mean?”

He choked on his coffee and she waited while he recovered. Interesting reaction. And one that made her determined to know the word’s meaning.

“Where did you hear that? Darius?”

“What does it mean?”

He paused, too long for her comfort. “What did he say it meant?”

“He said it was a term of affection, but I have the feeling it means more than that.” Her heart was pounding, as if on the verge of discovering something extremely important.

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Marcus stood in the kitchen doorway, his eyes wide as he looked from her to Cadmus and back.

“Marcus, great to see you up and about.” Cadmus beamed at his brother with obvious relief.

“I’m changing into sweats.” Stupid brothers, sticking together. “You can come with me or I go out alone around the block. Your choice,” she growled and stomped to her room.

The minute she left, Marcus glared at Cadmus.

“Darius specifically asked us to let him explain the affai situation, when the time comes. And the time isn’t now. Want to scare her off before he has a chance to propose?” he hissed quietly.

Cadmus shrugged. “What was I supposed to say? She asked me what affai meant out of the blue.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t see that one coming, soothsayer,” Marcus drawled, though for once Cadmus didn’t see the humour in the situation. “I can see I’m needed more here than at work.” He exhaled heavily, as if tasked with a great burden. “What say I take the day off and help you out before you help her right out the door?”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Cadmus scowled, clenching his fists to keep from punching Marcus in his conceited jaw.

“I know, but just because I’m better than you doesn’t mean I can’t tolerate you.” Marcus’ eyes shone with laughter, and without another thought, Cadmus launched a fist.