Chapter Nine

Helena might have skillfully evaded Cliff’s questions that morning, but she had to admit that he was getting much too inquisitive. Humans tended to dismiss supernatural stories as “nonsense” or “fairytales”; yet that was not the case with him. Strangely enough, Cliff Daniels seemed more than willing to believe in shifters, witches, and vampires. He was becoming a liability, a threat to the well-being of her loved ones.

Several hours later, as she wondered about his next move, Helena considered looking into his future. She had his full name and his exact location; everything she needed to pry into the next twenty-four hours of his life. For a moment, she hesitated, fearing that whatever she would see in her orb would involve her. The witch could tell by his tone, as well as the warm look in his eyes that there was a spark between them. Catching a glimpse of anything inappropriate would tempt her. However, she quickly put aside that hesitation. Why? Because Helena firmly believed that running into him once more was highly unlikely. Even if she did, she had already resisted temptation once. She had all the faith needed inside her that she could do it again.

The witch set her sphere on the desk in Roman’s hall, feeling her heart ready to burst right out of her chest. The orb began to spin, sparkling a soft, brown color, as she lightly tapped the top end of her staff on it. It brought the view of a most familiar place: Ray’s cabin, in particular, his kitchen. Julia was standing beside the sink, as her mate and Cliff had a conversation. But, this was no ordinary discussion. There was hardness in the young Bradford’s face. His brows were furrowed, as the FBI agent shouted at him. Suddenly, Ray made a fatal mistake, one that sent slivers of fear slicing through her. A gray glow spread across his eyes. Obviously, his wolf was aching to be released. It was in that moment that Kate’s words flashed into Helena’s mind:

“None of the Bradford’s can go anywhere near those feds. They all glare, and when they do, their eyes change color.”

“Damn it, Ray…” she whispered, unable to believe her eyes. Helena glanced at the clock, above the front door. The time was 9:12. The darkness outside the kitchen window told her that Cliff had visited them during the night. A look up at her own clock informed her that the incident was only fifteen minutes away. She wouldn’t watch any more of that scene. The outcome was of no importance at all; the damage had already been done. A subsequent tap of her index finger on the sphere made it spin faster. Darkness quickly faded into daylight. Still, the next image on the glass surface shattered her heart to a million pieces. The four FBI agents she had run into at the science facility were lined up in the Bradford’s yard. They wore body armor, and, shockingly, they were not alone. A fully armed, tactical team had joined them. All of them were pointing their weapons up at Ray’s front door.

Once again, Helena had to step in. In essence, she had to protect Ray from himself. Of course, she had no idea as to why Cliff had visited the Bradford’s estate in the first place, but that didn’t matter. Something led him there; yet, discovering what, was secondary. Now, she had to prevent another disaster, perhaps the biggest one yet, from happening.

With a snap of her fingers, Helena found herself in the Bradford’s yard, right in front of Ray’s cabin. The lights in it were on, unlike the other three cabins. The gentle rain that had welcomed her in Shandaken that morning had shifted into a powerful torrent, drenching everything in its path. Judging by the high beams on the driveway to her right, she had arrived there not a moment too soon. One black SUV was there. Cliff turned off the lights and then the engine, before stepping out of the vehicle.

“Helena?” his deep voice echoed in the wilderness, as their eyes met. Understanding that she had to find a way to lure him off of their property, the witch kept her mouth shut. She turned to the left, and turned her back on him, as she shuffled off towards the forest. Helena exhaled hard, in the hope that her presence would distract him, as her slow footfalls brought her closer to the woods. In a matter of seconds, she realized that her simple plan had worked to perfection. The sound of Cliff’s shoes on the soaked cement of the driveway ripped through the atmosphere, as he jogged towards her.

“Helena, wait!” he cried, as he closed in on her.

“What are you doing here, agent Daniels?” she sullenly asked, stopping beside the outer wall of Ray’s cabin, her gaze locked on the trees up ahead. “You want to share those stories with the Bradford’s?”

“I just wanted to ask them a few, routine questions,” Cliff retorted, as he halted behind her. “Are you still mad at me about this morning?”

“Of course I’m mad at you!” Helena grumbled, her heartbeat escalating, as she spun around to face him. “I told you how my parents died, and all you wound up doing was asking me about some…” she cringed at what she was about to say, “…ancient books. You know what the funny part is?” She asked, her voice losing volume, as she leaned closer to him.

“What?”

“After what happened back at your hotel, I thought you and I had a connection,” she said, her tone of voice softening, as she watched raindrops flowing down his cheeks. “This morning, you smiled at me. I know a flirting sign when I see one. But then, you were just…” she paused, “…disrespectful to me. You ruined everything.”

A bitter smile formed on Cliff’s face, as he looked down deep into her eyes. Helena waited for his rebuttal; yet he did not part his lips to speak. Instead, he leaned down, slowly lifting his hands up to her face. Hot sparks of electrical current coursed through her, as his fingertips made contact with the skin on her jaw. The witch closed her eyes against how good it felt to have a handsome man’s touch after such a long time. Her temptation was barely half an inch away from her. This time though, her limbs were paralyzed. She couldn’t find the strength to resist him.

“We do have a connection,” he admitted, his baritone lowering to a tender whisper, as the tip of his nose brushed hers. “Forgive me. I don’t know what came over me.”

Circling her arms around his waist, Helena felt her heart pounding in her chest, as his lips surrounded hers. Cliff’s fingers slowly slid up her face, at the same time pulling her closer to him, as a brilliant fork of lightning crackled through the atmosphere. The ground rumbled beneath her feet, as she surrendered to his soft, warm kiss. His right hand did not stop at her cheek. Instead, it continued upwards, caressing her, as she sensed the smoothness of his clean-shaven chin on her skin. Cliff threaded his fingers through her wet hair, as she slid her hand up his side. A long sigh of pleasure escaped her, as she cupped the back of his head. She felt moisture and tension in her palm, as he trailed his fingers across her cheek. Helena’s temptation was proving to be much sweeter than she had dared to anticipate. There was no awkwardness or hesitation in Cliff’s kiss. On the contrary, it was filled with tenderness and care, as if the two of them had known each other for a while. With one more, gentle brush of his lips on her mouth, Cliff swept his thumb along her forehead, as his eyelids slid open.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’” he breathed out, as the corners of his lips quirked up in a small smile.

“Ok,” she whispered, giving him a quick nod, as a broad smile spread across her face. “You do that.”

“I should go,” Cliff murmured, stroking her cheek. “I’m tired, and we’re getting soaked out here.”

“What about those ‘routine questions’ you mentioned?” Helena wondered, putting a little force in her voice.

“Nah, they can wait,” he responded, his eyes filled with a calmness she had yet to witness up to this point. “Just tell the Bradford’s to stop by the station one of these days. Listen, are you free tomorrow night?”

“Yes,” she was quick to respond. “Why?”

“I’d like to take you to a dance club, but I don’t know any places in Shandaken.” Cliff stated. “There’s a pretty good one in my hotel, but…”

“That’ll be fine,” Helena interrupted, giving an approving nod. “I’ll be there at nine.”

“It’s a date, then,” he said with a smile, as he tilted his head down. Tilting his head down, he held her close, and planted a short kiss on her lips. It didn’t last more than two seconds, but it was enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath on her cold, wet skin.

“Goodnight, Helena,” Cliff whispered, the vapors from his breath clouding her vision, as he eased back. She breathed a sigh of relief, watching as he jogged away from her. Her actions had prevented a disaster of epic proportions. Helena’s family was intact, and, more importantly, out of trouble. But, relief was not the only emotion in her racing heart. At last, she had what she desired from Cliff. Even though part of her rebelled against that thought, a larger part craved his attention, and, with the way he treated her, he made her want him even more.

Helena threw a quick glance up at Ray’s kitchen window. She would love to lecture him on controlling his temper, but, she had to do that to Raul and Dean as well. The second son might have been more restrained than his brothers, but he also had to hear what she had to say. Still, neither of them was home. Helena was compelled to leave. She could speak to them in the morning. Just when she made up her mind, however, Ray’s front door swung open. It was Julia.

“I knew I smelled a human,” she emphasized, as a glorious smile lit up her face. “Well, don’t just stand there. Come on in.”