Sweet Reckoning

He took my mouth again and I groaned just thinking about his hands on the guitar. His hands on me.

He grinned and said, “I love it that you have to sneak me in.”

“I’m such a rebel,” I joked. “You’re getting the college experience without having to take any classes.”

Kai crinkled his nose. “Something smells bad.” He looked at the floor suspiciously.

“See? The full experience. Come on.” I pulled him up the stairs, careful not to step in any mysterious puddles along the way.

When we got into my room, Kaidan reminded me of everything I’d been missing since our wedding night, and more.

At two in the morning we lay half asleep, spooning on the twin-size dorm bed. I ran my fingers up and down his arm.

“Do you ever let yourself dream?” I asked him. “Like, imagine what the future could be like?”

Kaidan paused. “No. But I’m betting you do.” He placed a kiss on my bare shoulder.

“Yeah.” For a while after I found out I was a Nephilim, I had laid my dreams to rest, but since finding out about the prophecy, they’d been reignited. Dreams gave me hope. “I want you to dream big with me.”

Kaidan was contemplative, having grown up believing that these kind of wishful thoughts were dangerous.

Finally he said, “Tell me your dream for us, sweet Anna.”

I smiled into the darkened room. “It starts with us defeating the Dukes. We survive and they’re gone. We can do whatever we want with our lives. I know you love music, so I figure you’ll still work with music in some way. When I finish college, I want to be a social worker. I’d be able to gauge the danger kids are in better than a human could since I can see their emotions. I’ll be able to rescue children from bad situations.”

“I can picture that.” Kaidan brushed hair off my neck. I felt his lips running up and down over my shoulder and the dip of my throat, but I sensed he was still paying attention, so I kept going.

“We could live wherever you wanted. Patti would probably follow us. After a few years of working, we could think about adopting. I know Patti would just die to babysit while we work.”

“Wow. Kids.”

“Yeah . . . like five or six.”

“Five or six?”

I held back a giggle.

“You’re a nutter,” he said, laughing. “One boy. Maybe two boys, but even that’s pushing it.”

I couldn’t believe he was playing along.

“We have to have girls, too!”

Behind me, he stiffened and the room went silent.

“No girls.” He was deadly serious.

I rolled over to face him. Before I could say a word, he sat up and shuddered.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He dug the heels of his hands into his tired eyes. “I can’t even . . . just the thought of having to care for a girl, watching all the bloody gits sniff around her with their red auras . . . it would kill me and I would deserve it, because I was the worst offender of all.”

“Kai . . .” I touched his arm.

“No. I’m sorry, luv, but kids are not my dream. Especially girls.”

“Okay,” I whispered. I scooted closer and ran a hand down his forearm. “Let’s try to get a little sleep.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

I rolled over so we could spoon once more, gently pulling him down to lie behind me. I felt his breath on my hair.

“Are you angry with me?” he whispered.

I quickly flipped over to face him, saying, “No, Kai.” I placed my hand on his scruffy cheek. “I understand your feelings. It was only supposed to be for fun.”

I gave him a peck on the lips and he searched my eyes.

He sounded so sad when he said, “I ruined your dream.”

“No, you didn’t. We’re gonna face our future together, and that’s more than I ever thought I’d have. I love you.”

I kissed him again and finally felt him soften.

“Let’s rest,” I said. “We have to be back at Patti’s by eight for breakfast.”

I kissed him one last time before rolling over and feeling his heat against my back as he reached around my waist and pulled me closer.

As I drifted to sleep, from a state of semiconsciousness I heard him whisper, “You’re my dream. My only dream.”

Seven o’clock came waaay too early. And then it took us forever to get out of bed. Kaidan totally started it, but I can’t say I was eager to end it. He was flying back to California that afternoon, and I didn’t know when I’d see him again. We clung to each other, desperate for every touch. We were running so late that we only had time for me to take a shower. We hurried to Patti’s so the nine of us could have this morning together before it was time to go our separate ways.

The mood in the house was somber when we got there. Marna and Jay wouldn’t unlink fingers. Patti’s eyes were red, but she held back any tears, trying to cheer us all with omelets and potato cakes. I went straight to the coffee maker, pouring two cups for Kaidan and me—his black, mine creamy and sweet. He took his coffee from me graciously, and as we sipped I ran my eyes over his five o’clock shadow and messy hair, disheveled from sleep and my fingers.

He caught me looking, and I stared down into my mug and smiled.

The others discussed their plans. Blake was flying the twins to D.C. at ten, then Zania and Kopano to Boston. He offered Kaidan a ride back to California, but Kai had a flight booked to Atlanta at noon. He had to retrieve Richard Rowe’s ashes and sign estate paperwork giving permission for everything to be sold.