Page 25 of Beneath the Watching

Thankfully, my woman had slammed the door shut as I’d walked away and hopefully, she’d listen to me for once. By appearances, it seemed she was dismissing me and accepting my warning.

I had to wonder if she was being honest, after all, when she’d repeatedly stated she wasn’t visiting the Fourth Realm on purpose.

From what Ilya had confided in me, similar had happened to his woman, Kiara. She’d unintentionally arrived back there; having forgotten she’d ever been there to begin with.

The ramifications were too much for me, knowing the destruction my friend and his business partner were rainingdown on the woman’s life. I didn’t want the same for Mabel, not having enough of a stomach for it. I couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t get hurt or get caught in a diabolical game.

She hadn’t done anything wrong besides snaring my attention. I had no way of knowing if it was my attention that clued others into her existence, or if this was what fate had always had in store. Pieces of memory of that day on the battlefield drifted back before I could shut them down again, the fragrance of jasmine, just like Mabel.

I knew what I had to do. I’d do everything in my power to make her think she didn’t want to go back to the Fourth, and to keep her away from all of us. She didn’t deserve anything less. This is what I tried to tell myself but deep down, I knew it was too late.

7

MABEL

He was infuriating.The constant push-pull I felt from him had my head spinning. I leaned against the door gritting my teeth as I listened to the car driving away and waited for the sound of the engine to fade in the distance.

Everything had been under control untilhim. He’d managed to start chipping away at the protective shield I’d had up for years and years and then after weeks of doing so, complained about how he couldn’t get rid of me. Not once had I ever tried to be his friend or sought him out.

Okay, maybe once. And of all the places he could be found, I’d located him in a church. It was by chance I’d found him, but somehow, I’d known he’d be in there.

I knew I was playing with fire, but I wanted to be around him. Even though several times he’d said he didn’t want me near, he couldn’t have been being honest. What I’d seen in his eyes told a story quite different from the words that spilled from his lips

Okay, he wasn’t being honest about a lot of things.

Normal people didn’t have glowing red eyes or share dreams with other people or whatever was going on with that. Someone had to find Kiara, and it looked like it’d be up to me. Ilya hadbeen covered with blood the last time I saw him, and Stefan didn’t want me around. There was no way she wasn’t in trouble.

After I got into bed, I laid there yet again wishing I’d spoken up.

There was something bad going on around her and I was sure she needed help. Would she want to come back after we got help? I didn’t know what kind of danger she was in and looks could be deceiving. All I’d gathered was some man named Ramone had taken her and she went to a dinner party. I’d heard Ilya say the man’s name before and had started connecting some dots.

Sighing, I rolled over and wondered where Al was. A pang of guilt over my growing attraction to Stefan sounded through me. It wasn’t fair to Al; not when he took care of me and was such a great friend to me.

Lying down, I tried to focus on that other place, willing myself to be transported there. I tried focusing on Kiara, imagining I was next to her and hoping that visualizing her would make it happen. It did not. Frustrated, I rolled over again, trying to get comfortable before I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

When I got up in the morning, I found Al in the kitchen fixing himself a bowl of cereal. “I could’ve made you some eggs,” I said.

He glanced at me before taking the gallon of milk out of the refrigerator. “That’s okay.” He poured the liquid over his sugary cereal and placed the jug on the kitchen island.

I waited at the counter watching as he grabbed a spoon from a drawer and then started consuming his meal. “When did you get home last night?” I asked.

He raised his eyebrows. “I have no idea, I didn’t check.”

Al took another bite of his breakfast. “Where’d you guys go?” I asked.

Chewing, he stared at me. The bristle along his chin moved up and down with his mouth, scratching at his shirt collar. “James’s place. Why?” He asked after swallowing and resting the utensil in the bowl.

Shrugging, I peered at the countertop. “No reason.”

“What are you guys doing today?” Al asked. He was watching me, a strange expression on his face. It was almost like he’d never seen me before, as if he were observing an animal in the wild and wondering what sudden move it would make next.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

The second I answered, I heard the front door open. “Good morning,” Madison’s voice rang out like she was starring in a coffee commercial, all bright and cheery.

She came around the corner and noisily dragged a stool from the opposite end of the counter and sat down, setting her clutch on the quartz surface. “Good morning,” I replied, moving to make myself some tea.

“You’re looking extra grizzly today, Mister Williams,” Madison said. Al raised his hand to scratch his beard and turned, placing his bowl in the sink.

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