Chapter 11
After a shower, Chatan walked to Jacinda’s door and listened for any sound. Nothing. He almost worried she might still be asleep. After a breath, he knocked.
“Hang on,” she called. A few seconds later, she opened the door with a warm smile. “Hey, sorry. Needed to make sure I had everything.” Jacinda patted the tote that hung over her shoulder.
“Have an idea about where you want to go?”
She shook her head. “Other than the waterfall, no. How was work last night?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Wasn’t as much of an emergency as George believed. We had it handled fast, but figured you were likely tired of me by then.” He winked.
She moved closer, her eyes shining bright. “You really think I could be bored of you?”
“Hope not. I’m certainly not tired of you.”
She locked the door. He wanted to touch her, to kiss her once more.
Chatan took a breath and forced himself to relax.
Her hand wrapped around his as she looked up at him.
“I’m looking forward to today,” he murmured.
“Me too.”
They walked back to his aunt’s house, hand in hand. And yeah, he lived there, but only because it was too lonely in his mother’s house, on his own.
Maybe showing her where he grew up would coax Jacinda into sharing her childhood. “Loretta left already. She needed to talk to the elders, but she did make us breakfast.”
“This early?” she asked.
“Yup.” He was honestly glad. As much as Jacinda enjoyed eating with them both, she didn’t talk as much, preferring to listen. And if he could cook worth a damn, he’d take her back to his mother’s house and eat there.
“Maybe she’s tired of me?” Jacinda offered lightly, but her smile dimmed.
“No. She had business with the elders. In fact, she’s one of them.”
Jacinda’s posture loosened a bit. “Good. I’d hate to think I offended her somehow.”
“How exactly would you have offended her?” He asked.
She shook her head, a frown on her face. “No clue.”
“You haven’t. Oh, and you get to meet my cousin and her boyfriend tonight.”
“Oh?” she asked.
He nodded. “Taryn is Loretta’s daughter. Loval is one of my oldest friends.”
Jacinda smiled as he let her inside.
Plates were already made. Loretta must have left just after he did. And he still believed it was to give them time alone.
Either way, George told him he needed to stick with Jacinda unless otherwise told. Watch duty was over in Saint Morton. He had to agree. Staying with Jace seemed like a far better plan.
“Smells good already,” she murmured.
“Nothing to say about meeting more people?”
* * * *
Jacinda lifted a shoulder. Meeting new people who so easily accepted her was nice. But it felt as if he were attempting to bring her into his life in a way she’d have a hard time leaving.
It was working.
But maybe, if she finally completed what her father wanted her to do, she could come back for him. If Chatan hadn’t forgotten about her by then.
He ran his hands over his thighs. “Should we do something else for dinner?”
She lifted her head and shook it, a smile pasted on her face. “No, not at all. I’m sorry. Please, don’t read anything into my silence. I’m simply trying to figure out how to go about showing you the journal.”
“Your father’s?” he asked. “You could draw the symbols for me.”
“No. I plan to show you the book. I trust you.”
He took her hand. “Eat. Then I can take a look.”
“Good plan.” She ate quickly, smiling at the fact she had far less on her plate than he did. About the same as she ate the day before. There were a couple extra pieces of bacon.
Chatan finished his mountain of food the same time she did, and she stood, grabbing both plates to take them to the sink before he could.
“Jacinda, you’re a guest,” he argued.
She smiled. “I was a guest yesterday. I’m something more today. And with you and Loretta insisting I eat here every day, I should help, at least with the dishes.” She turned on the water and washed the few dishes Loretta left.
Chatan moved behind her, placing his hands on the either side of the sink, trapping her there.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Hey.”
His eyes were closed, a smile on his lips. “I know what you smell like.”
“What?” she whispered.
“Those purple flowers at the gazebo.”
She turned to him, her head tipped. “Really?”
“Mmhmm.” Then he backed away, his eyes wide. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist your scent when you walked past me.”
Jacinda grabbed his shirt and pulled him back. “I’m not afraid of you, Chatan.” Nope, not of him, just of what would happen when she left.
She reached up and he leaned down to take a kiss. His lips felt exquisite. He closed the distance, pressing her against the counter without removing his hands from the sink. She wanted his hands on her.
His tongue dipped into her mouth, exploring. Maybe her mother was right, and she should hold onto the man before her.
Her hands landed on his shoulders and she pressed tighter. He moved back, breaking the kiss. “Oh, sweetheart, we need to slow down. Because as much as I want you, I promised you help with something.”
She blinked. “Right. Sorry.”
“Hey, Jace, I’ll kiss you again. Soon. A lot.” He touched her face, taking away the sting of rejection. He wet his bottom lip, then caressed her cheek “But you came here for a purpose, and I don’t want you to think I’m trying to distract you from it.”
“I should thank you, then.” Though she’d rather kiss him longer. Not that she had time for all of that.
Probably for the best he became the voice of reason. Then a thought popped into her head. “Was I that bad at kissing?”
His eyes lit up as he shook his head. “Oh no, Jace. Very good at that. But I’m in no rush to take things where I want, because I want to be sure you’re ready before that.”
“Good point.” Slipping past him, she took a seat at the table and pulled the journal out of her tote. “My mom is the only one who has laid eyes on this book. She taught me one set of runes, but I had to find the rest on my own.”
He took her free hand and looked into her eyes. “Thank you for trusting me with something so important to you.”
“Just don’t laugh at me. This is all I have of my father.”
“Never, Jace,” he promised.
Nodding, she opened the book to the symbols she didn’t know. “These, there’s only five scattered throughout. These are the two he wrote the most.”
He met her gaze and pointed to the first. “This is dove.” Glancing down, he moved the finger to the second and lifted his eyes again. “This one is hawk.”
She pushed her hair behind her ear as he watched her. Then she flipped through a few more pages. “This one?”
Chatan’s head tipped. “Demon, though in our tribe’s language that could be any evil being.”
“Hmm.”
“I know where to take you next and the story to tell you.”
“Oh?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yeah. And no, not because I can read any other symbol. I can’t. But those three things lead me to believe you might be the one our stories tell of.”
She sat back, a frown on her face. “What?”
He took her hand. “It’s all good, I promise. Let me tell you the story.”
“All right. But there are two more.”
Chatan smiled. “Show me.”
She found the next and placed a finger.
“Gift.” Light danced in his eyes.
“None of it makes sense,” she muttered, flipping further. Sighing, she placed her finger over the last.
“Soulmate.”
“Maybe my dad was crazy.” She sighed, leaning back.
“No. I don’t think so. I think if you listen to the story, you may be a few steps closer. Especially if I tell you in the place the legend will make the most impact.”
“What?”
“Please, come with me today. I’ll tell you the story. You said your father came here sometime. He must have known the stories. Maybe they play into whatever he wanted you to find.”
“Maybe.” But she couldn’t fathom how.
* * * *
Father always told him he’d play an important role in his people’s legacy. Chatan never believed it before. He had some magic, both druid and shaman, though he’d never truly mastered much. His half-brothers were fully shaman, so was his cousin. However, Chatan’s mother had been a druid, which meant he was mixed.
He could heal, but nowhere near what his brother Dakota could do. And he could cast a little offensive magic, but not like Tomahawk. Then there was his cousin, who could do it all, but not until recently. They were all fully shaman.
Chatan never mastered anything useful.
Dad was convinced he could do a whole lot more. Mom never expected him to do even as much as he could. Didn’t seem like he could.
But maybe he could help Jacinda with her journey. Anything to see her smile, to gain her trust. Maybe she’d let him come with her. He loved Wanatoga, but no place truly felt like home.
His brothers claimed home had become wherever their women were. Which was up in Edenton. And maybe if Dad wasn’t there, trying to push him to do the impossible where his magic was concerned, he would feel more comfortable there. But he missed his mother, and her presence still filled Wanatoga.
Blushing, Jacinda slid the journal back into her bag. She was determined to find whatever was in the book, and he wanted to help. Maybe he’d learn something.
Hawk, Dove, demon—though that could just be any evil creature. A gift, and a soulmate. Now, he wasn’t ready to say he was in love by any stretch of the imagination, but he’d be a fool to try to claim he didn’t want a whole lot of time with Jacinda. She could be his soulmate.
He hoped she was his soulmate.
Closing his eyes, he leaned against the counter.
Her hand covered his. “What’s going on with you?”
Smiling, Chatan turned to her. “Making a plan for the day.”
“Why so serious then?”
“We need some ground rules. First, don’t step into the water. The current is too strong.”
“Okay,” she answered slowly.
“The waterfall is too powerful, even for me, and I’ve been swimming all my life.”
She laughed. “No water, I can do that. Anything else?”
He sighed. “Tell me if I go too fast on the trail. I’ve traveled it many times, and it’s rough.”
“Got it. Okay.” She squeezed his arm. “No big deal.”
With her attitude, he suspected she may just surprise him on the trail. Or she had never encountered a rough trail. Maybe hiking would cool his desire a bit. That, or make it stronger. Either way, he never wanted to take advantage of her. And he felt as if he needed to tell her what may happen if they were together. A bond would form, he felt the beginnings already.
That hadn’t mattered in the past, but Jacinda had the potential to be so much more than just another woman.
He had a feeling if he ever did make her uncomfortable, she’d shut down and push him away before he had a chance to convince her to give him a real chance. For now, he planned to go slow. Desire could fog even the most focused mind. Especially the first time.
“Do I need to bring anything?”
“Not for now.”
“Then, are we ready?” she asked, turning to look into his eyes.
“We are.” He handed her the tote.