Max supported my career move, and he never did get that apartment downtown close to work. He arrived home every morning around eight a.m. and left for work at six p.m. His schedule was predictable: three days on, followed by three days off.
As the months rolled by, winter passed. We were well into spring, and this was Max’s second day off in his latest work week. He and Peanut were out in the barn, I assumed cleaning the stalls. I was weeding flower beds when the two of them came up behind me and startled me.
Max kissed the top of my head, reached down for my hand, and pulled me to my feet. “I’m ready for a break, come inside with me.”
Peanut stayed outside on the porch, preferring to lie in the sunshine. Max held my hand and led me down the hallway. When we got to the bedroom, he closed the door and leaned me up against the wall much the same as he did our first night together. He could still give me the tingly arousal sensation without much effort on his part. His touch was just as electric as it had ever been. Max undressed me where I stood, then took a step back, as if taking me in for the first time. I got a little self-conscious; I still hated the scars all over me and did my best to avoid seeing myself naked. Max wore an odd expression when he stated, “Something’s missing.”
In a mock perturbed voice I answered, “All my clothes Smart Ass, are you planning to join me?”
“It’s not the clothes. Something isn’t right.”
I was frozen in place. The last time something didn’t feel right, all hell nearly broke loose. He followed with, “I know what it is.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond ring, and slid it onto my finger.
I was speechless. My gaze fixated on my hand.
“Don’t move, this is the image that I want of you. I think of you all the time, but when I’m at work, this is the vision I want stuck in my head of who is waiting for me at home: you, wearing nothing but my ring on your finger.”
Bowled over by his words, I stood motionless.
“You already know I would do anything you asked me to. I guess it’s your turn, will you marry me?”
I’m sure he expected a sarcastic answer because that was my nature. I’m equally sure I disappointed him, because the only word I was able to get out was, “Yes.”
We spent the rest of that afternoon in our bedroom.
****
The next morning Max brought in the newspaper. He had it partially unfolded, and I watched the color drain from his complexion. I don’t think he saw me watching him at first. As soon as he realized, he quickly folded it up and nonchalantly walked into another room. When he emerged his hands were empty.
Max was nothing if not a creature of habit. Every morning he ate breakfast and looked over the paper. Today he walked into the living room without a word, turned on the television and one of the morning news shows came to life. When I followed him in the room to sit with him, he turned the channel to the movie channels and began searching. I could feel his tension.
We started in the middle of a movie we had both watched at least ten times. After fifteen minutes seeing that he was still preoccupied with something, I picked up the remote, paused the show, and asked, “What is it that you aren’t telling me?”
Max swallowed, his mouth opened but nothing came out. I sat watching him as his skin grew even paler. He finally choked out, “I didn’t know…I wouldn’t…I thought…” he trailed off.
I hadn’t seen him this upset about anything in months, and my mind quickly went to Samael. “It’s Samael, isn’t it? What did he do?”
Max took a deep breath, “That kid, the one that Samael went into, he just went on a killing spree. He killed nine people yesterday.”
Chapter 37
I stared at Max, dumfounded that this could have happened. Dakota’s warning echoed in my mind, and I had trouble forming a sentence. “This wasn’t our fault. We couldn’t have stopped it.”
“We could have; we chose not to.”
“Our choices were to keep Samael inside you or let the Council murder you. Those are the choices you’re referring to?”
“All I know is nine people are dead right now, that should be alive. That kid wasn’t as strong as I was, he couldn’t shut Samael down. I should have just let the Council destroy him. None of this would have happened.”
“You don’t know that! The kid might have been trouble before Samael set up house inside him.”
Panic stung me. I couldn’t call to Renny for advice; I had sent her away and helped to deceive the entire Council so Samael could get away. I thought back to the dream Max had shared with me so long ago. Five enormous obstacles would be in front of me; two I had managed without problem: Courage and Passion. Virtue, Trust and Empathy were still to be presented, and I had a feeling that allowing Samael to transfer to the teenager was likely a failure on my part for Virtue.
Max stood up from the couch and began walking out of the room when he must have realized I was still shell-shocked. He stepped back into the room, taking my head in both his hands, and leaned down to gently to kiss my forehead. “I need to make this right, Lauren.”
“We need to make it right. Remember? The Dynamic Duo.”
Max shook his head, “I knew things were going too well. I should have anticipated something like this. I really thought after all we’d been through we were really going to be able
