Whisper Cape (24 page)

***

Cael left the chief’s office and took off to the Sectory to check on the evidence he’d left there. He materialized directly in the laboratory, a room set up with mostly medical equipment, various machines and monitors with an assortment of wires hanging loosely from them. There were a couple of cots covered with white sheets and lightweight blankets folded neatly at the foot of each. It had all the current necessities required for testing evidence. The bloodstain turned out to be the victim’s, no surprise there. But the identity of the only fingerprint lifted off the broken beer bottle had Cael's heart in his throat.

Addison must have served the bottle of beer to the killer who somehow left the bar with it, smashing it to use as a weapon. He had hoped, with any luck, that someone else’s prints would show up as well.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on their side.

The broken bottle hadn’t been what killed the woman, though. Maybe Eidolon had used it to threaten her, to go with him to the field before ... before what? Turning into an animal or a monster?

What frightened Cael more was the thought of Eidolon taking the bottle directly from Addison’s hand. He ran his fingers through his hair as he walked down the long hallway of the Sectory to his mother’s office.

He rounded the corner through the open double doors and knocked lightly, more to alert Siana Sheridan of his presence than to ask permission to enter. Her doors were always open and visitors always welcome. Siana sat behind her large marble-top desk studying her computer and looked up with a smile when he entered. Cael glanced around. Not a single piece of paper lay out of place and not a shred of clutter existed. Rays of sun danced down on a dustless table with two rich dark brown leather chairs tucked in on either side. He inhaled the sweet aroma he loved while growing up. Her office always smelled of gardenias.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Cael, honey, it’s good to see you.” She stood and walked to him, caressing him in a warm embrace.

“Got a minute?”

“Of course, I was hoping you’d come by. Any news? Come in and tell me; have a seat.” Siana gestured to the dark brown leather sofa against the wall.

Cael stepped toward it but didn't sit. He turned and faced her, sticking his hands in his pockets, feeling like a ten-year-old reporting his day's adventures at school.

“Uncle Bart says hello and he claims you owe him a visit.”

“Yes, I do. It’s been a while, but you tell your uncle the train runs in both directions.”

“I will, but then he’ll just remind me that you’re the one with the free ride.”

Siana smiled. “Yes, I suppose I am ... but you haven't come here to talk about Bart. You have information about Addison MacKenna.”

“Yes.” He always had a difficult time keeping things from his mother since her abilities were similar to his. He remembered having some weird conversations with her when he was younger, especially when his interest in girls had erupted—there was no point in trying to hide anything from her.

“She’s definitely Ristéard’s daughter and she has the journal. It was in an antique box like one I think I saw in the old photographs, hidden under a false bottom. The picture of the box is missing or we would have found it sooner. Ristéard told her the box had belonged to her mother and Addison was using it to hold keepsakes.”

“And the crystal?” his mother asked.

“It’s hidden inside a large locket she wears around her neck. Ristéard gave it to her when she turned twenty-one. She never takes it off. In fact, the clasp is soldered shut and the only way to remove it is to break the chain. Mom, she didn’t know any of this. She’s totally innocent.”

“I don’t doubt her innocence, Cael. What about her powers, has she started to develop any yet?”

“Yes, a few. How did you know she has powers? I never said she had any.”

“No, you didn’t, but she is the female child of a great man who had many powers.”

“Right.” He shrugged off his jacket and laid it on the arm of the sofa while his mother walked behind her desk.

“You say she’s innocent. Do you mean innocent or naïve?”

“Well, in a way, both. She’s innocent because she’s a victim. She’s naïve in her skills, but she’s very intelligent.”
And beautiful
.

His mother didn’t sit; instead, she turned to study Cael. “Your feelings for her are strong.”

“Yes, I have feelings for her.”

“You’re in love with her.”

As he heard the words, he sat down and put his head in his hands. “I don’t want to be in love with her.”

Siana grinned and walked to him and sat next to him on the sofa, her body facing his. “Do you really believe you have the power to choose the woman you fall in love with?”

“Okay, yes, I love her.” He admitted it—hell, not only to himself, but to his mother as well—and all of a sudden, he felt sick.

She placed her hand on his shoulder. “It's not supposed to be painful.”

“I shouldn’t be in love with her. She’s Ristéard’s daughter, it’s just wrong.” He handed her the letter Ristéard wrote.

She got up, walked behind her desk and while reading the note, lowered herself into the chair. When she finished, she looked at him, “Why would the fact that she’s Ristéard’s daughter prevent you from loving her?”

He stood up, his hands clenched into fists. “Because, damn it, I’m just ...” He lowered his head, defeated.

“You’re just what, Cael, just a soldier sent to protect her? Give yourself more credit, honey. You’re the greatest warrior groomed and chosen by Ristéard himself. It’s obvious to me he wanted you to be with her and trained you for this very reason. He wrote this letter to you. Don’t you see why? He loved you like a son. Couldn’t you sense the affection and the admiration he had for you? I know I did.”

“But I can’t keep her safe from Eidolon if I can’t use my powers when I’m ... I can’t control myself. The attraction’s too strong. Just the thought of her makes teleporting difficult.” He ran his hand through the side of his hair, pushing the black strands behind his ear before resting his elbow on the arm of the sofa, placing his forehead on his hand.

Siana sighed, sat back in her chair and toyed with a small pearl-handled magnifying glass Cael's father had given her. “I know the feeling. I also struggled with that when I met your father. I’ll admit emotions for us are more intense than for normal humans, but sometimes love is stronger than the physical attraction. Now that you’ve admitted to loving her, you can find a way to use your abilities during those moments—it
is
possible. I know it’s possible. You just need to channel your emotions. There’s a part in your brain you can keep open … find it and you’ll maintain your abilities. It’s difficult at first, but after a while, it’ll become second nature.”

Cael hoped she was right and prayed he would have another opportunity to find out.

Siana laid the magnifying glass on the desk, pushed the sleeves of her royal blue jacket up her arms, and folded her hands on top of the desk. “Now, what else do you know about Eidolon?”

He sat back on the sofa and told her about the two women, how much they resembled Addison, and that the police didn’t see the relationship between the two deaths. With the added knowledge of Addison’s fingerprint on the beer bottle, Siana agreed it had to be Eidolon sending a message.

“When can you bring her here?”

“I don’t know. She works so damn much—we don’t want to disrupt her normal routines and give ourselves away—maybe between her shifts, but ...” Cael shook his head, knowing he'd made a terrible mistake.

“But what?” The edge in Siana's voice caught him off guard and he felt like a child again.

“She may never want to see me again after the way I spoke to her this morning. I thought she would be safer if our relationship ended. I told her it was over.”

“Cael, my dear, I love you very much, but sometimes you do such idiotic things.”

“I thought it would be best.”

“Well, go apologize and bring her here as soon as possible. She needs to see the facilities. She needs to learn more about herself—and quickly.”

Cael was grateful he’d always had an unfettered relationship with his mother—he could tell her just about anything. Nothing seemed to shock her, but then, he never had much choice. He often wished he had the ability to block her out. After all, there were times when a man needed his privacy.

Chapter 24

After finishing the coffee and destroying the muffin, Addie walked to a small boutique. The crowded area swarmed with tourists and she still had that uneasy feeling someone was watching her, but there were many people about and she did not notice anyone looking suspicious.

She shrugged off the feeling when she entered the trendy shop and found a beautiful black and lavender lace blouse. When paired with a short, tight, dark lavender skirt, it offered just the right amount of femininity. Showing off a few curves couldn’t hurt, and dressing a bit sexier might make Cael regret what he’d said.

She tried on the skirt. It hugged her bottom more than she was used to and she winced at the length, just inches below the top of her thigh.

“I guess a few sexy outfits won't hurt.”

Her rent was due soon, but hell, it was only money, and tomorrow the world might end. She splurged and bought two more skirts, one black and one dark green with white squiggly lines through it, and two more blouses to go with them. And, damning Darcy’s Goth description, she went ahead and purchased a few new tops for work as well.

Addie left the boutique sporting the lavender skirt and the blouse that matched and walked into a shoe store. If she was going to start wearing skirts, she should have some decent shoes to go with them. She found a pair of strappy black heels she thought went well with the lavender and black skirts and a second pair in gold with tiny green speckles. The heels added a good three inches to her five-foot-eight frame, bringing her closer to Cael’s six-foot-two. She might have trouble walking, but she didn’t care.

She continued on her little shopping spree, feeling excited about her new look. For a change, the sun sat bright in the sky, warming her cheeks. Addie, pulling her hair up in her hand for a minute to feel the warmth on her neck, approached a small lingerie shop and stopped to glance in the window. When she sensed those eyes on her again, she went into the store—getting off the street made her feel much safer.

Racks of lacy bras adorned the aisles, and tables lined with silk panties in every color to match graced the store. Addie had spent more money then she intended already, but with Cael on her mind, she actually enjoyed browsing through the soft, delicate panties and bras. Her breath hitched when her fingers brushed over a silk, sexy, elegant black bra and panty set that might drive Cael crazy—if in fact, she’d have another chance to drive him crazy. She went ahead and purchased a chic white-lace bra and matching panty as well.

Addie walked to the register and paid, then held up the black set. “Um, I'd like to wear these now, if that's okay.”

“Sure, the dressing rooms are over there.” The saleslady pointed to two sets of curtains covering the entrances to two rooms side by side.

Addie took her time, wanting to stay in the store for as long as possible.

After the lingerie store, she headed down the street toward her truck. She glanced at her watch, noting it was a little before one o’clock. The streets would soon fill up with more tourists, but for now, they seemed quiet. A bird flew low then swooped up into the tree at the corner. Another joined it. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw someone approaching her. She turned and the figure darted into the doorway of one of the shops, preventing her from getting even a glimpse of the person. It was probably her imagination—only someone in a hurry to go into a store.

Hearing footsteps close behind her and the faint sound of her name, her legs shook as she walked faster—well, as fast as she could in her new heels—in the direction of her truck. Then someone grabbed her shoulder.

***

Cael walked into the Cliff Hanger Bar and Grill and panic swept over him when he didn’t see Addison anywhere. The remnants of a busy lunch hour were evident by the unoccupied tables left with dirty dishes and glasses.

He strolled toward Darcy who hummed some song he couldn’t quite put his finger on, filling the air with her off-key voice, triggering a weird sense of ease and placidity. He took another step in her direction when something with the force of a Mack truck hit his jaw, sending him backwards, slamming him against the door where he slid to the hardwood floor. Cael looked up, stunned to see Gerry standing there, his hand still in a fist.

“You’ve got a hell of a nerve showing your face in here! Get the fuck up.”

Bart came over and placed his hand on Gerry’s shoulder in an effort to calm him and prevent another attack on his nephew. “What’s the problem, Gerry? What’s Cael done?”

Gerry glanced at Bart with a hint of annoyance on his face.

“He bloody well knows what he’s done, now get up, you son of a bitch.”

“Let’s try talking about this as civilized men,” Bart said.

“It’s okay, Uncle Bart, I deserved it.” Cael stood, rubbing his chin. “I don’t want to fight you, man. I’m sorry. I know I’ve hurt Addison.”

“Hurt her? You could have killed her. Fucking right, you deserved it. You deserve more than just a punch in the jaw. You’re twice her size and any asswipe who manhandles a woman that way is not a man in my book but a no good son of a bitch punk.”

“What are you talking about ...? Is she okay? I never ... I would never lay a hand on Addison, or any other woman for that matter.”

“Where did she get the bruises on her arms, then?”

“What? What bruis ... Oh, the bruises.”

“Yeah, the bruises. So you admit you gave them to her?”

Cael lowered his head in shame. “Yeah, I did.”

“You son of a bitch.” Gerry lunged at Cael again, but this time Bart held him back.

“Hold on a minute.” Cael held up his hands. Gerry’s face was crimson and Cael hoped Bart had a strong hold on him while he tried to explain.