Shadows of Eternity

Chapter Seven

T uesday was a busy day at school. Leia loved her students. Of course, she had loved all her previous classes, too, but there was something about these kids that made them extra special. She was going to miss them next year.

After school, she tidied up her classroom, sorted through some of the children’s schoolwork, separated it according to their last names, and placed the various papers and artwork in colorful folders to give to the parents.

With a last look around the classroom, Leia locked the door and headed for the parking lot. She ran a few errands before she drove home, where she changed out of her dress and heels and into a pair of jeans and a sweater. She brushed her hair, stepped into a pair of sandals, and then drove to Janae’s.

The boys ran to meet her, both talking at once as they gave her hugs. She babysat for Janae often enough that the kids knew her. They were adorable and Leia loved them dearly.

“How was your day?” Janae asked when the boys settled down.

“Busy and quiet,” Leia said, shrugging. “We mostly played games and colored pictures. I can’t believe summer vacation starts on Monday.”

“Me, either. The year is sure going by fast. Trent is working late tonight, so it’ll just be us and the boys.”

Leia followed Janae into the kitchen and set the table while Janae finished up dinner preparations. After the boys had washed their hands, everyone sat down. Janae asked Mark to bless the food and then she served dinner. She had made spaghetti, which was a family favorite, along with garlic bread and a Ceasar salad. It was also Leia’s favorite. They didn’t get much chance to talk until later, after the boys had gone to their room to play.

“So, are you still dating that gorgeous dancer?” Janae asked, putting the last of the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

“Yes. But not for much longer, I guess.” Leia glanced out the window, a sudden pain in heart at the thought maybe never seeing him again. “He’s leaving on Friday to go to Bisbee.”

“Oh?” Wiping her hands, Janae sat at the table. Leia had offered to help with the dishes, but Janae had waved her off, insisting she was a guest.

“The show is going there for some pow wow.”

“I guess you’ll miss him,” Janae remarked. “But I’m glad he’s going.”

“Another psychic warning?” Leia asked. She had meant for it to be a joke but after the dream she’d had, it came out more serious than she intended.

“Nothing new,” Janae said. “Just the same feeling that he’s hiding something.”

“He asked me to go with him.”

“What? You just met the guy.”

“You can stop worrying. I didn’t say I’d go.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Huffing a sigh, Leia told Janae about the dream she’d had.

“That is weird on so many levels.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of anything like that. I mean, to actually hear voices.” Brow furrowed, Janae shook her head. “ Are you sure you didn’t just dream you heard them?”

“I didn’t understand a word, of course, but I heard them as clearly as I hear you. I felt the heat of the sun on my face, caught the scent of roasting meat. I’ve never experienced anything like that in any other dream. And yet, it couldn’t have been real.”

“My advice to you is don’t see this guy again. There are other sexy guys out there.”

“Not like this one,” Leia muttered.

For once, Janae didn’t disagree.

At home, Leia had no sooner kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the sofa when her cell phone rang.

It was Rohan. She bit down on her lower lip, debating whether to answer or not. But the thought of hearing his voice again was too hard to resist. “Hello.”

“Hi. Did you have a good time at your friend’s house?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s a great cook and I love her kids. What did you do tonight?”

“Thought about you.”

“Come on, what did you really do?”

“Nothing much. Had a few drinks. Any chance we could get together?”

“Tonight? I don’t think so. It’s almost ten and I have to be up early in the morning.”

“All right. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Call me.”

“Count on it. Good night, Princess.”

“ ‘Night.” As soon as she hung up, she was sorry she’d said no. It would have been nice to see him, if only for a few minutes, maybe get another good night kiss. He would be leaving town in a few days and she would probably never see him again.

With a shake of her head, she went to get ready for bed, wondering if it was possible to get addicted to another person. And what she was going to do when he was gone.

With nothing better to do, Rohan went hunting. Prey was always plentiful in the cities and towns where the show played. Women were easy to win and woo. Like Leia, many had an unusual fascination for the Old West. He preyed on some, occasionally made love to others, but none of them had ever held his interest the way Leia did. He wasn’t sure why. There was an openness about her, an innocence that he found captivating. She thought him handsome. She dreamed about him. But she wasn’t about to surrender her virtue for an hour or two of pleasure. He respected her for that. He had no doubt that she was a wonderful teacher. She loved her students and he had no doubt that they loved her in return.

She wanted a big family. That was something he could never give her. Where the hell had that thought come from? He enjoyed her company, her laughter. Not only was she easy to be with, but she was one of the few truly honest women he’d ever met. But marriage and family? Not likely.

He had given up all hope of any kind of normal future after he was turned. Those were dreams from another lifetime, a life stolen one dark night on a lonely hill in the Great Plains over three hundred years ago. A life forever lost to him. One he hadn’t missed. Until now. Leia was a forever kind of woman. She had been wise to refuse to accompany him to Bisbee. He knew that now. But he would miss her like no other when he left her behind.

Leia found it hard to concentrate at school the next day. All she could think about was that the show was closing and Rohan would be gone. He had once said something about taking a long vacation, but he hadn’t mentioned it since.

As soon as the last student left for home, she pulled out her cell phone and called the theater, thrilled when she snagged a ticket for that night, front row center. She would have bought tickets for Thursday and Friday, too, but they were sold out.

She went grocery shopping on her way home, then stopped at the dry cleaners to pick up her clothes. Her last stop was a Chinese takeout place to pick up an order of rice and sweet-and-sour pork for dinner.

At home, she put dinner in the fridge, hung up her clothes, changed out of her dress into jeans and a tee shirt, then sat down at the kitchen table to figure out what she wanted to do in class tomorrow. She didn’t plan any lessons for the end of the week. Thursday would be hectic. Friday was pretty much a free-for-all, with parents coming at different times to pick up their kids. She usually baked three kinds of cookies, bought donuts, and picked up some cartons of milk on her way to school. After all, it was the last day. Party time.

With a sigh, she glanced out the window. It was a beautiful day. What was Rohan doing? She figured he slept late, since he danced at night and usually took her out afterward. How did he spend his afternoons? His online biography stated he was single and she had never questioned it. Still, for all she knew, he could have a wife and six kids somewhere, waiting for him to come home. She brushed the thought aside. Surely, he couldn’t see her so often if he was married. He never got any mysterious phone calls. Maybe she should ask.

It was after seven when her phone rang. As always, she felt a thrill when she saw his number. “Hi.”

“How you doing, pretty Leia?”

“I’m good. How are you?”

“Getting ready for the show. Can I see you later?”

“Sure.” She stifled a grin, thinking how surprised he’d be when he saw her in the audience. “What time?”

“Same as always?”

“Okay. See you then.”

She was smiling when she ended the call, until she remembered he would be leaving soon.

Butterflies of anticipation took wing in Leia’s stomach as she found her seat that night. Was he as sexy, his dancing as wonderful, as she remembered? Or had she built up the memory in her mind?

The lights dimmed, and the MC stepped up to the mic. Tonight, Rohan had three dance numbers. Judging from the descriptions in the program, each one was more intricate than the previous one. She watched the other dancers, thinking none of them were his equal.

Finally, the MC introduced him. The lights changed. The drumming began. And he stepped out on the stage. She knew the instant he saw her. He paused a brief moment then continued on. She wondered if he was dancing just for her and then laughed inwardly. No doubt every woman in the place was hoping the same thing.

He was magnificent, the epitome of masculine strength and perfection. His copper-hued skin glistened in the spotlight, his hair shone blue-black as it whipped around his head and shoulders. Each intricate step was a thing of beauty. The applause was thunderous.

His second dance was even more complex than the first. But it was the third dance—a Lakota war dance—that was her favorite. Watching him, it was easy to imagine him in the past, preparing to go to battle. It sent a chill down her spine.

She stood at the curtain call along with everyone else. Rohan winked at her when he took a bow.

When the curtain closed, she hurried outside to the stage door, her heart hammering with excitement.

Tonight, he was the first one out. Ignoring everyone else, he swept her into his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, you did.” Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he led her through the crowd to the parking lot.

“You were wonderful tonight,” she said as they neared her car. “Even better than the first time I saw you.”

“I was dancing for you.” His smile warmed her heart.

When he took her in his arms, she melted against him, her face upturned for his kiss.

Muttering something in a language she didn’t understand, he claimed her lips in a kiss that was both savage and sweet. It took the strength from her legs and she swayed against him, her body on fire for his touch.

Rohan swore under his breath. It would be so easy to take her, to make her his. He kissed her again, and yet again, his hands gliding restlessly up and down her back. She leaned into him, her fingers delving into his hair as she writhed against him.

A low growl rose in his throat when he heard footsteps coming their way. With an effort, he put her away from him. “I’d better take you home before I ravish you here in the parking lot,” he muttered, thinking she had no idea how close he’d come to doing just that.

“I have my own car,” she reminded him, her voice shaky.

“I don’t like you driving home alone at this time of the night. I’ll come back and get my car later.”

She smiled up at him. “Macho man.”

He grunted softly. “You have no idea.”

Leia handed him her keys, waited while he opened the door for her. Settling in the passenger seat, she watched him stride around the front of the car to the driver’s side. Lordy, he was gorgeous. He walked with the same lithe grace he displayed while dancing.

She watched him as he started the car, backed up, and pulled out of the parking lot. There was something about him tonight, she thought, something she had never noticed before. A kind of … of what? Danger? Wildness? Whatever it was, it excited her at the same time it frightened her.

She gasped when he looked at her. His eyes … were red! She blinked and the illusion was gone. Chiding herself for imagining things, she told herself it was just the reflection of the traffic light.

“Would you like to come in?” she asked, when he pulled into the apartment parking lot.

“Not tonight.”

“Oh.”

He didn’t miss the disappointment in her voice. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“All right.”

He walked her to her door, dropped her keys into her hand, and gave her a quick kiss good night. “Sweet dreams, Princess,” he murmured.

Leia watched him walk away until the darkness swallowed him up.

Confused, her body still hot and tingling from his kisses, she went inside and locked the door behind her. Suddenly, she felt like crying though she wasn’t sure why.

Rohan prowled the night like an angry tiger. He cursed himself for his lust. It had come on him all of a sudden, unexpectedly, and more than a little troubling. Had that couple not come along when they did, he would have made love to Leia there, in the parking lot, her back against the car, her legs around his waist.

Taken her like some horny teenager with his first woman. Taken her sweetness, her body, her blood, and very likely her life.

What the hell had happened to him? He had been on the verge of completely losing control. Why? Was it the admiration he’d seen in her eyes while he danced for her? He had felt her desire for him, knew she thought he was sexy as hell, but so what? Lots of women looked at him like that. Was it the wildness of the war dance that had somehow fired his lust? He had danced for her in a way he had never danced before, every movement sensual, suggestive. Shit! He’d be surprised if he didn’t get complaints from the management. Until tonight, the show had been rated G.

A few minutes later, he came upon a woman walking home alone. The temptation to drink from her, to drink it all, was almost overpowering. Muttering an oath, he willed himself to his lair. At the moment, he was no fit company for man nor beast, and especially not for a vulnerable woman. Dammit! Did he dare see Leia again?