Shadows

  She sighed in her sleep and reached out to touch him, wanting to feel his arms around her. She had known him for less than two months and although she knew neither of them would willingly part from one another, she also knew that life dealt you cards that you sometimes didn’t want. She wanted to enjoy every minute with this handsome, mysterious man, to enjoy all of the fruits of a relationship and love and was willing to push aside those things that haunted her life.

  She sat up, abruptly breaking their kiss. Justin, thinking she felt a demon, quickly looked around before looking at her. “What is it, did one get in?”

  “No, I just realized that Stacia will be all alone if we leave. What if they come for her while we are gone? How will she protect herself?” she worried.

  “Stacia will be fine. She’s been studying the books we gave her, she has her new place completely sealed and she can already recognize when her emotions change when one is near. She will be fine. Plus, I’ve given her both of our cell phone numbers and I will have a jet on standby, twenty-four-seven if we need to fly back or she needs to fly out.” he soothed.

  “It’s all different now, everything I had planned for my future has changed.” Seeing the hurt look in Justin’s eyes, she quickly explained. “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’m just saying it’s change, it’s different! I’ve spent the past twenty-five years of my life being a planner. I plan and organize and control. It’s my coping mechanism for such an uncontrollable life. I just need to re-figure and restructure. I’m very excited about my future with you…”

  Justin cut her off with his mouth, kissing her deeply until she was unable to remember what she was talking about.

  “How about you plan on where we are going to go first? Then you can plan on the next country, plan our hotel and where we will eat. I will give you control of whatever you need to make you feel more comfortable. You can also decide when you are ready to start studying the boogymen again. I will support you with your decisions.” He said as he placed soft kisses along her neck.

  “I am so lucky to have found you, and Stacia too. I thought I was all alone in this world and now look at me, I have my own demon-busting family! I love you, Justin, as crazy as that sounds, I love you so much.” she smiled and pulled his head up to her face to touch his lips to hers.

  He pulled back slightly to grin at her. “I know. It’s your love that saved us, remember? Pretty awesome feeling to know that the person you’re in love with is also falling in love with you. Amazing, isn’t it?”

  Thrilled at hearing those words come from his lips, she pounced on top of him and lightly punched his chest. “Feeling a little cocky there, aren’t you?”

  “Oh sweet, Tabitha, I hate to tell you but you are transparent to me! I can tell your every single emotion.” he easily thwarted her punches, grabbing her wrists and holding them out. He rolled her over so he was on top of her, pinning her arms out to the sides.

  “So, what I suggest is that you call Stacia and let her know we are leaving a week early, that she will have access to both of our places while we are gone. Then we go back to your place, pack a suitcase with a couple weeks of clothes, grab your passport, I assume you have one, and let’s go explore.” he nibbled at her neck and earlobes as he spoke.

  She allowed herself to lay there languidly, enjoying the sensations his kisses created in her body. She was going to travel! It was an exciting idea for her and she couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled out of her throat. Traveling had never appealed to her before, seeing couples and families enjoying their vacations always made her solitude more pronounced and set her off into a depression that usually lasted days. Now, the idea was thrilling, being able to see beautiful, exotic places with this gorgeous man. Not only exploring this world, but exploring each other as well. She found herself nodding, already planning what she was going to pack.

  Suddenly she remembered an earlier conversation they’d had. “Justin, remember when we were investigation local folklore on these things? The descriptions of them are common or similar to our folklore but what if they are different in other countries? What if they have different appearance and mannerisms than the creatures we have been fighting in our society? How would we be able to tell?”

  Justin pulled her into a sitting position and into his arms. “Tabs, regardless of what country we are in, I’m sure they will still be abhorrent creatures that would make people scream in terror if they could actually see them. So if we are in China and there is a terrifying Chinese demon, or gui as they call them and no one around us is freaking out, we will know what they look like and that they exist. We can also read up on the local folklore wherever we are going. We can read it on the plane trip over but I’m still not worried. We’ve made it this far and now that we’ve found each other, we are even stronger. Plus, I’m sure your shiver treatment works on all boogymen!”

  Seeing his attempt at lightheartedness fail, he lifted her chin up to stare into her eyes. “We have each other, that’s all that matters.”

  Tabitha knew Justin was right so she didn’t allow herself to worry about the demons. They were always in her life, no matter where she went. She could deal with them in China or Germany, just as well as here in New York. They would figure it out later. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy Justin.

  Seeing that she was still uneasy, he tried to distract her with his caresses‘. He was rewarded with a smile on her face and love in her eyes. She was amazing, the bright spark in his dark world and he hoped he would never be without her. They each had a gift, he refused to think of it as curse, and they could use it to have a life that they had both dreamed of. One of love, happiness and companionship. They could now have a life together, merged without fear.

  With merging on his mind, Justin whispered his need in Tabitha’s ear and she nodded. With only thoughts of her, he entered her, transporting both of them into another world.