We watched them climb into the sky until they disappeared over the top of Cheyenne Mountain.
“They are so cool,” Tess said. “That’s one of the coolest things about being a Wanderer.”
“Really? All the power and magic, living an incredibly long, youthful life, full of adventure and danger and you think the familiars are the cool part.”
“One of the cool parts. I said one of the cool parts.”
I chuckled. I may still have the hormones of a man in his early twenties, but my youthful enthusiasm died away decades ago. I had to admit it; I enjoyed seeing Tess’s unbridled joy at everything we did. For a moment, I forgot about Laura and Alex, Rowle and Ragnarök and it was just Tess and me beneath a starry sky, high above a glittering city.
“How are you really doing, Rafe?” Tess asked.
And then the memories came rushing back.
I shrugged, knowing that she wouldn’t notice the shrug in the dim light. “I’ll be all right. I’ve lost people before, and I’ll lose people again. It’s another reason Wanderers don’t have many friends. People dear to us come into danger just by being around us. It’s better to keep moving, never getting too attached, never allowing anyone close.”
“Like you did with Laura.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I allowed her closer to me more than anyone, and it got her killed. Hopefully, it won’t take the loss of a loved one for you to learn that lesson.”
Tess was silent for a moment, but then she came close enough to take my hand. Her smaller hand was warm in mine, and as soon as we touched, I felt her emotions just as I knew she could feel mine. Surprisingly, she wasn’t pitying me; rather she was empathizing with me, understanding my loss, and sharing in my grief.
“It’s okay, Raphael. You have me now. We’ll get through this together, no matter what Rowle throws at us.”
It would have been nice to relax and enjoy her certainty. I knew more of what Rowle was capable of than she. But I also didn’t need to worry her any more than necessary. It wouldn’t help us to defeat him.
Instead, I pulled her into me and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight as her own arms encircled me and joined in the embrace. We stood that way for several minutes, our emotions merging, and it did make me feel better. So much better.
Eventually, I felt her grip slackening. I eased my own grip. Her hands went around my head and she pulled my face down to hers. She kissed me, softly at first, but then with passion.
Breaking off the kiss, Tess said, “Is Joe a heavy sleeper?”
“If he’s snoring, it would take an earthquake to wake him.”
“Then let’s hope he’s snoring,” Tess said. Turning toward the cabin, she pulled me along behind her.
Chapter 14
THERESE
I awoke to the sound of male voices. Rafe’s side of the bed was empty. I stretched and then gripped Rafe’s pillow with my left hand. I pulled it to me and buried my face in it. It smelled of Raphael, a woody aroma of a male in his prime. Sure there were more subtle aromas in there and smelling them made me smile. In the two weeks I’d known him, I’d grown closer to Rafe than any man, ever. I wouldn’t call it love. God, no! Falling in love with Rafe would be catastrophic. He was my mentor, and I was his apprentice. From everything he’d told me so far, I knew we’d be together for a couple of decades. Eventually, assuming we both lived long enough, I’d be trained well enough that I could go out on my own, fight my own battles, alone, and eventually find my own apprentice. Falling in love with a man who was guaranteed to eventually leave me would be foolish. I mean, sure, a lot of people fall into and out of love. Witness the divorce rate, but when they married, none of them knew they would have to part ways, even if it was twenty or so years further down that road.
None of that kept me from enjoying Rafe in the here and now. Our sexual escapades were better than anything I could have imagined with my limited experience. Even the few times I’d had sex with Alex hadn’t compared to the skill Rafe brought to a bout. Of course, I hadn’t told either of my two men about the other’s abilities. I hadn’t been raised to be a slut, and I didn’t consider myself one in any way. I had enjoyed Alex in the limited time we’d had together. It wasn’t like I knew he was Rafe’s son when I dragged him into bed, not that knowing would have stopped me.
I mean, for crying out loud, two weeks ago I was laid up after losing most of my right leg and my left hand in the explosion that killed three of my squad mates. Rafe gave me a reprieve from prosthetics. He gave me a mission in life. He gave me the world again. And I was going to live my second chance as if it was just that, a second chance at life.
Assuming Rowle and his “hordes” didn’t make it a short life.
I put Rafe’s pillow down and got out of bed. I took a minute to pull the covers up and straighten out the bedspread. Then I got my Army sleeping shirt out of my saddlebags and pulled it on. I wasn’t going to be able to sneak into the bath without Joe and Rafe seeing me, the cabin was just too small for sneaking, and I didn’t want to tease Joe with my bare ass.
I recovered my other clothing and boots from the floor, took a deep
