CHAPTER SIX

 

 

 

“I don’t need so many things. I can only wear one at a time,” Seren protested over the mountain of clothes and toiletries in their shopping buggy.

“Okay, now I can believe you aren’t a human female,” Canyon muttered dryly. “The weird all-knowing, all-seeing ability didn’t convince me. Nor did your miraculous self-healing. For those, I’m sure there is a logical explanation. But…a woman who says she has enough clothes? Ha!” He barked a sarcastic laugh. “You just convinced me you’re extraterrestrial.”

“I don’t think I was ever extraterrestrial,” she commented, walking close to him as they moved down the frozen food aisle. “At least not in the way the word is normally used.” Her eyes bugged at the different varieties of ice cream. Of course, she’d been in the store before. Everywhere Canyon had gone, she’d been right there with him. But…like she’d explained earlier, it was different in this dimension, her awareness of surrounding details was more acute. “And I’m becoming more human every day.” She licked her lips. “Could we get some ice cream?”

Despite the twilight zone music playing in his head, Canyon couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sure. What flavor?”

“Hmmm…” She danced on her tiptoes next to the freezer compartments, looking at all the choices. “Let’s get your and Matty’s favorite. Neapolitan. You haven’t bought any in years.”

Canyon narrowed his eyes at the girl. He pressed his lips together, refusing to ask how she knew about the ice cream. A health nut, his ex-wife had been adamant about Matty not eating junk food. So, he and his little boy had stolen moments and opportunities to indulge. Looking back, he resented the hell out of depriving Matty of something he enjoyed so much. “All right, Neapolitan it is.” He opened the freezer door and extracted a half-gallon of the tri-flavored ice cream. “So, you’re becoming more human?” Canyon hoped to high heaven no one was eavesdropping on their conversation – they’d both be sent to the booby-hatch.

“Yes. I’m not sure why. I don’t know if this is something all the watchers are experiencing or not.” Seeing a forklift full of heavy boxes start down the aisle, Seren immediately took a position in between the machinery and Canyon. “I keep waiting for some clarification, but so far nothing has been forthcoming.”

“Uh-huh, I want to know more about that later.” Even though his tone was casual, his brain was firing on all cylinders. After taking Seren to a hamburger joint for lunch, they’d returned to Tebow where he’d put shoes on a dozen wild horses Aron acquired in a government relocation program. Several of the ranch hands assisted him, using head-gates to safely control the nervous animals. Still – he’d had to constantly worry about Seren who insisted on being as near to him as possible. At one point, she’d pushed her way in between him and a particularly high-strung stallion. When the animal managed a hard sidekick, she’d barely avoided being struck by the sharp hooves. Now, seeing her do almost the same thing with the fork-lift, he pulled his cart to one side and her with it. “You need to stop this. You’re ruining my manly reputation. Men are supposed to protect women. If we were walking down a busy sidewalk, I’d stay on the outside of you, next to the street.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “You’re asking me to change my purpose and who I am. I can’t do that.”

As they made their way to the front to checkout, Canyon let out a long breath. He felt so torn about the whole thing. Part of him thought he was doing Seren a disservice not seeking out help for her – and part of him wanted to protect her and accept her just the way she was.

“There’s an available checker.” She grabbed the front of his buggy and tugged it to the left toward an empty line.

Canyon watched her move. She was so graceful and so sexy. His mouth watered just looking at her and remembering her kiss. After the horse debacle, he’d managed to get the rest of his work done, in many ways thanks to her. Somehow, she’d managed to stay out of harm’s way, yet be ready to hand him tools or save him steps in anyway she could. At one point, she fetched a bar twister and had it ready for him even before he thought about needing it for the next step in a project.

While they unloaded the buggy and placed the items on the conveyor belt, Canyon made mental plans for the evening. “We have a lot of food here, but not a lot of time to cook it. Do you want to stop for Chinese on the way home?”

Seren grinned at the idea of him including her in the decision. “Chinese is great, but I’ll put a roast in the crock pot for tomorrow. I’ve watched you do it, I think I can follow suit.”

“Pretty simple. I’ll help.” He waited to pay the bill while Seren walked over to a magazine stand to peruse the covers. She returned just as he declined an offer for the sacker to carry their groceries out. “What did you find in the periodicals of interest?”

“Nothing much.” She giggled. “They were right about Bigfoot, but wrong about the Pyramids.”

“Oh, really?” He pushed the buggy into the parking lot and loaded everything as she handed him the bags. “So, what about Bigfoot?” He smirked, knowing the answer.  

 After they were seated in the truck, she answered his question, “Well, they’re real.”

A few seconds had gone by and his thoughts were straying. “What’s real?” He’d bet everything he owned that the pair of firm luscious breasts he’d just fastened the seat belt over were very real and spectacular.

“Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Yeti. The species is scattered across the globe.”

Canyon shrugged, turning to catch her expression, which was placid and serious. “So…what are they? And why haven’t they found any evidence of the animal?”

As always, Seren kept her eye on the road, scanning the wooded roadside and monitoring the oncoming traffic. “They aren’t primates, they’re a subspecies of homo sapiens. A hybrid. Very intelligent. The reason no remains have ever been found is because they bury their dead. Evidence, when found, tends to be ignored, scientists are afraid to acquire the stigma of being associated with what is viewed as a fringe theory. One veterinarian in East Texas made a serious study and sequenced the DNA, but her findings were generally panned for the same reason. I’m not sure why people are so resistant to the idea. Eighty-six percent of the world’s species are yet to be discovered. Just in the last few years a North African spider that cartwheels out of danger was identified, as well as a pancake batfish from Louisiana that hops on its fins.”

“Wow.” Canyon didn’t know what to think about what she’d said, but he sure enjoyed hearing her say it. “What about the pyramids? Who built them.”

“Oh, that’s simple.” She gave him a wink. “Watchers.”

“Why, of course.” He winked back as he turned into the Chinese restaurant drive-thru. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Seren shrugged as she studied the menu board. “Everything sounds good.” She grasped her tummy as it rumbled, a giggle bubbled forth from her lips. “What do you recommend?”

“Mongolian beef is my favorite. How about that?”

“I think I’d prefer the vegetable eggrolls.” She licked her lips. “I’ve always wanted to try one.”

“Done.” He placed the order, not bothering to ask why she’d never tried the common appetizer. By now, he knew what she’d say.

As they waited, he propped his arm in the window and took a moment to indulge in just looking at her. She was so alive, almost vibrating with energy. Everything about this woman made his blood sizzle. He just wished he didn’t feel this mountain of guilt every time a longing for her arose within him. What if he was just making matters worse?

Feeling his eyes on her, she glanced toward him. “What? Do you want to ask me more questions?”

He shrugged. “Sure.” Twisting his mouth in thought, he asked the first thing that popped into his head, “What happened to Jimmy Hoffa?”

“He was murdered.”

“Well, duh.” Canyon laughed. “I need more than that.”

Seren sighed and smiled. “He climbed into a 1975 maroon Mercury in front of Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield, Michigan. An acquaintance of his, Frank Sheeran, was waiting for him inside the vehicle. He trusted Sheeran and thought he was going to a mob meeting. What he didn’t know was that his friend, a known mob hit-man, was being forced to carry out a lethal contract on Hoffa. They drove to a house just a few blocks away that was owned by a Mafia contact and Sheeran shot Hoffa in the head. His body was cremated at a nearby mob-connected funeral home. The motive was simple – to keep him from running to be head of the Teamsters union again.”

“Wow. Sounds reasonable.” As he accepted and paid for their food at the service window, Canyon had to admit she fascinated him. Even if she was just repeating things she’d read, her memory and depth of insight was amazing. While pulling away from the restaurant, he asked, “If you’ve been with me all these years, how do you know all this stuff?”

“Periodically, someone covers for me while I go back for training. There’s a hall of history where anyone can watch a recording of every conceivable event you can imagine. Most watch the tapes to be entertained, but there are lessons to be learned from the past.”

At this revelation, Canyon threw back his head and laughed. “A video hall?”

“Watch the road.” Seren cautioned him. “The driver ahead of us is undoubtedly drunk. And don’t laugh. There’s also a mammoth library and a massive computer system linking all of it – including information on every person who has ever lived.”

“Computers?” Canyon slowed down, giving the car ahead of him a wide berth. “You can’t be serious. I thought everything was magical there, not technical.”

“Technology is magical, in a way.” She spread her hands wide as if asking why. “Everything that exists here, existed in heaven prior. Where do you think the information for all the inventions on Earth come from? Like Scripture says, there is nothing new under the sun.”

“Yea.” He let out a long breath as he turned off the main highway and headed down the dirt road to his place. “Next, you’ll tell me there’s a cafeteria.”

“Actually…” She giggled and let it go at that.

Once parked, they unloaded the groceries to take them inside. Canyon wasn’t surprised when she knew where everything belonged. While she put the items requiring cold temps in the refrigerator, he readied the Chinese food for them to eat. “Well, are we going to talk about it?”

“Talk about what? The cafeteria?” She squatted to put salad makings in the crisper drawer. “I told you eating is not mandatory. It’s a way to socialize, the same as people going out for drinks down here. Although…” She lowered her voice. “I have to tell you the gossip goes on.”

Canyon chuckled as he opened the takeout containers and placed serving spoons in each. “I thought gossip was a no-no. There’s no sin in heaven, is there?”

Now it was Seren’s turn to laugh. “Well, it’s the fastest way to get a one-way ticket out of there.” She pulled out a chair to sit next to him. “I guess where talk or gossip is concerned, intent is key. If you’re just passing on news or trying to get information, that’s one thing. Doing it to be malicious or mean-spirited is another.”

Canyon frowned, knowing this discussion was just putting off the inevitable. As they’d unloaded and put up the groceries, he’d come to a decision. “I was wondering if you thought we ought to discuss the kiss.”

Seren gave him a look that could only be described as coy. Her dark lashes fluttered and flirted, her big blue eyes shining bright. “Which one?”

Something akin to a mule kicking him in the chest caused Canyon’s heart to stutter. “All of them, I guess.”

Excitement welled up within Seren. She felt…greedy, like she wanted to grasp him to her body and hold him tight forever. “I know I’m not supposed to be selfish…but I want more of your kisses.”

Canyon groaned. “Eat your eggrolls.” He sat at the table, his left fist clenched while he ate mechanically. Conflicting feelings almost paralyzed him. His body warred with his mind. There was no doubt he wanted her madly. Every cell in his body screamed for release. She wasn’t just a convenient opportunity to slake his lust, either. Something about Seren called to him, he felt comfortable with her. Canyon wasn’t being cliché when he felt that she understood him. But…he couldn’t shake the notion that acting on what he wanted wouldn’t be fair to her.

After sampling a bite, she moaned, “Excellent.” When he didn’t make any type of response, Seren glanced at him. He looked odd. Upset. “What’s wrong?”

Canyon cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully. “This is my fault. I take full responsibility. I should never have kissed you.”

“I kissed you first,” Seren stated, a stab of hurt making her throat feel raw.

“I shouldn’t have allowed it to go further. Clearly, you aren’t well. I’m taking advantage of you.” During this conversation, Canyon kept his head down. If he looked at her, he might lose his resolve to do what he thought was the right thing. Deny his own desire and put her welfare ahead of his own – the way she had done for him time and again.

“No,” Seren cried softly. “You would never hurt me. What we did might be wrong, but I did it willingly. Knowingly. The only thing I desire more than being in your arms is to keep you safe.”

Canyon raised his head, his eyes pleading. “Don’t.” He held his hand out. “Look. I’m shaking for you. I don’t know what to do.”

“Canyon,” she whispered, “I’m telling you the truth.” She felt her emotions churning. “What if I can prove it to you?”

“Prove what?” Canyon asked, his voice hoarse. “That you’re my guardian angel? My watcher – whatever? Do you realize how absurd that is?” He pushed his food back, his appetite gone. “I can’t deny you’re…gifted. Psychic.” Waving his hand in the air, he shook his head. “You know things you shouldn’t know. You heal faster than most people. I don’t know how or why – genetics probably. Nevertheless, I can’t accept what you’re saying as fact. I can’t believe you’re from another realm, that’s just impossible. So, my only other conclusion is that you’re…”

“Crazy. Sick. Deluded. A liar,” Seren spoke quietly, wrapping her arms about herself. “I’ve existed for you. I would never hurt you.” She stood up. “But…I’m hurting you now.” Almost absently, she began to clear the remains of their meal. “If I could, I would leave you in peace. I just don’t know how. Things are different for me. I’m not as bound to heaven as I was, not as connected.” Folding her hands on the counter, she faced away from him. “Give me a little time. I’ll try to find your answers for you. Until then…” Turning, she met his gaze. The beauty of the man she adored stole her breath. “I’ll give you space. I have to watch over you, but I don’t have to interact as much.”

“Seren…” He watched as she moved from the kitchen to the living room, finding a place where she could still see him but be as unobtrusive as possible. “You don’t have to hover around like some ghost.”

Seren felt her heart clench. His observation was so true, that’s what she’d always done – watched over him unseen. Undetected. “I don’t know why I’m here like this.” Sorrow overwhelmed her. In all of her time, she’d never considered the possibility that if the human she served knew of her existence, he wouldn’t want her around. “I just wish I was invisible again.”

Canyon felt like a heel. He rose and pushed his chair under the table. “Well, I don’t know what else to do. I know I promised you could stay here until we figured something out.” Raking his hand through his hair, he exhaled harshly. “I’m afraid that’s not a good idea. Tomorrow, I need to find out if anyone has reported you missing. I’ll go talk to Sheriff Saucier and see if he knows anything.”

Seren wanted to cry. She wanted to hide. She wanted to rail against the unfairness of not being accepted by the one individual in the universe who mattered the most to her. But what could she say? What seemed normal and natural to her was alien to him. Until she found some way to prove herself to Canyon, there was nothing she could say to convince him. Even if she revealed the secrets of the universe, he wouldn’t believe her. “All right. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Canyon felt like his chest was cleaving in two. Not since Matty died had he felt so helpless. “It’s for the best. Keeping you here, perpetuating your fantasy, none of that is helping you.”

“I understand.” Seren sat still. If the breaths filling her lungs weren’t involuntarily, she wouldn’t have chosen to take them. “I wish I could be different for you. I only know how to be what I am.”

Canyon pointed to the things he’d bought for her. “I’ll take these to your room.”

“If I’m leaving, there’s no need,” she offered in a tight, small voice.

“I want you to be comfortable tonight.” He gathered the bags up. “I’m going to bed. Tomorrow will take care of itself.”

 

*  *  *

 

Before retiring for the evening, as promised, Seren put on a roast in the crock pot. She flavored it with the seasonings she’d seen Canyon use many times. She also added some potatoes and carrots. When that was done, she crept to the bathroom to cleanse herself. Once she was wearing the soft white gown he’d bought for her, Seren padded to his room to see if he’d left the door open. Finding it ajar, she slipped in and went to her usual spot to perch on the dresser and watch him sleep.

As the clocked ticked, Seren’s heart grew heavy. She considered the strange events of late and wondered what purpose was being served. All she could do was hold on to the thought that all things worked together for good. While watching him sleep, she began to do the one thing she’d avoided in the last few days – Seren began to pray.

“I come with a humble heart, asking nothing for myself, only the strength to protect the one whom you have given to me. I am overwhelmed with unanswered questions. What have I done to alienate myself from you? I am weak. I am flawed. Please don’t allow my failures to bring harm to this man. Allow me to be his refuge. His shelter in times of trouble. Hold him in the palm of your hand, let him stand in the cleft of the rock. Safe. Protected.”

Across the room, Canyon lay still. Listening. Her whispered words touched him like nothing ever had before. For all the doubts he harbored, the one thing he did not question was her sincerity. He lay there and tried to imagine having someone in his life who loved him so completely.

Unable to resist, he opened his eyes – and what he saw changed his life forever.

Atop his dresser, hands folded in her lap, sat Seren – a Seren he’d never seen before. Her delicate, feminine form was awash with an otherworldly light. Her creamy golden hued skin seemed to glow and her beautiful hair lifted and moved in a gentle breeze he couldn’t feel or sense. Canyon held his breath, his whole being intent on the most amazing, perfect creature he’d ever seen. Rising from her shoulders was a pair of magnificent wings covered with pure white feathers. He raised a trembling hand to rub his eyes, blinking to make sure what he was seeing was real. “Seren?”

Across the room, Seren jerked to attention – and when she did, the glory faded as quickly as it had come. She didn’t even appear to be aware of it. “I’m sorry. I was just praying. Are you okay?” Jumping from her perch, she hurried to him. “Did you have another bad dream?”

When she placed a gentle hand to his bare chest, Canyon expected her touch to burn. In a way, it did. The light brush of her skin to his sent electric sparks of desire rushing through his veins. Had a woman’s touch ever excited him so? Never. But…she wasn’t an ordinary woman. Seren was just what she’d been saying all along.

An angel. His guardian angel.

“No dream this time. I heard you speaking.” Grasping her hand, Canyon expected her to be warm. He was shocked to find her skin cold as ice. “You’re freezing.”

She eased her hand from his. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He sat up, searching her face. “I saw you.”

Seren’s breath sounded choppy as she frowned. “What?” She couldn’t think clearly. His nearness was making her feel dizzy. He was so big and beautiful. His chest was broad and muscled, covered with a light dusting of dark hair. She wanted so much to touch him – but he didn’t want that.

“I saw you shine.” Canyon looked at her in awe. “You were telling me the truth. You are an angel.”

Seren shook her head. “A watcher.”

“I know. I know.” He caught her hand again. “It’s not the same.” He entwined their fingers. “How is it possible? You feel as real as me.”

“I am real.” Seren didn’t know what to think. He’d seen her? She hadn’t been aware of any change. Maybe it was because she was praying. “And I’m cold.” The temperature had dropped outside and there was no heat on in the house. “I’ll go get a wrap.” Seren turned to go, but was stopped by Canyon’s insistent hand.

“Don’t go.” He threw back the covers. “I’ll warm you.”

Seren didn’t know what to do. “Are you sure?”

“Come on,” he urged. “We’re letting cold air under the covers.”

Hope bloomed in her heart. “Okay.” She slid in next to him, thrilled when he enfolded her in his arms and drew her down onto his broad chest. With her head cradled on his shoulder, she tucked an arm around his waist and rested one of her legs across his. He felt wonderful. She began to tremble even more.

Canyon wrapped both arms around her, cradling Seren close. “You’re shivering harder.” He kissed the top of her head. “Cuddle close.”

“It’s not just the cold,” she whispered. “It’s you. Being with you like this excites me.”

Shutting his eyes, Canyon sought control. “You’re amazing. So open and honest.” To his delight, he could feel her small body quiver with a giggle.

“I’m sort of wired that way.”

“So, you can’t lie?”

“I could, but I wouldn’t. The repercussions are too costly.” Idly, she caressed his chest as she lay on him, loving the privilege of touching him.

“Uh, yea. I guess that’s true here as well. It’s a shame people don’t consider the damage a lie can do.” He rubbed her back and arms, striving to get her warm. “I’ve never been with anyone like you before.”

She giggled again. “I know.”

Suddenly, the truth hit Canyon. “If you’ve been with me all this time, you’ve seen…”

Seren stiffened and buried her face hard against him. “No. I couldn’t. I always stayed close, but never in the same room.”

“Why?” He needed to know.

“It would’ve been wrong,” she whispered. And it had hurt – even then. Now, she knew why. Her feelings for Canyon had been growing and changing over time. She knew she needed to analyze this and determine what it meant for her standing as his protector. But not now – not when he was holding her like this. She wanted to enjoy every incredible second.

Seren’s soft breath against his skin made Canyon crazy. “Yea, but if I’d had a heart attack…” he teased, thoroughly enjoying every moment she was in his arms.

“Oh, I would’ve known. I was seldom apart from you, but when I was – I could always feel your heart beating.” She kissed his chest and was amazed when he shuddered beneath her. “I miss that.”

“You don’t have to. Place your hand over my heart.” She did so. “Feel that?”

“Yea.” She placed her head next to her hand, taking comfort in the strong, steady beat. “This has been the most important, most soothing sound in the universe to me.”

As he held her, the ramifications of their amazing relationship were beginning to sink in. Seren once said he belonged to her and that’s exactly how he felt. To think she’d been with him for every minute of every day, through it all, the joys and the heartbreak – seemed right. Good. “Everything you told me was true,” he repeated himself in wonder. “You’ve been with me every step of the way. With Matty. With my…”

“Yes.” Seren squeezed him even tighter. “I held you. I stood beside you. I cried with you. I whispered words of comfort and love to you.”

How well Canyon remembered the despair, the loneliness – the desperation of losing his child. “After burying Matty and watching Kim walk away from me, I sat in my shop with a pistol in hand, trying to find the strength and resolve to end my life.”

She framed his face, tenderly grazing the pads of her thumbs over his cheeks. “You showed your greatest strength when you put the gun down. When you chose to live.”

“I didn’t think I had anything to live for,” he confessed quietly, gazing up at her face. Her features were beautiful, caressed by the moonlight coming through the window at the head of the bed. “You were with me?”

“I never left you.”

“I could feel you, I think.” He let his mind go back to the terrible day. “I was so desperate. So angry.” Canyon tried to remember the moment when he laid the gun down. “One thing kept going through my mind.”

“You were loved,” she spoke the words softly, her gaze locked with his. “You were so loved.”

Yes, that was right. The thought that he was loved had gone through his mind on some type of cosmic loop. “Not by anyone on this Earth.”

“No, but no less loved.” She bent and kissed his lips gently. “I would die for you, you know.”

“I know.” He could sense the amazing gift she offered was truth. There were so many questions. So much mystery. Canyon wanted to know everything. He intended to ask her for all the answers his heart craved – but not now.

Now, he needed something else.

He needed her.

“Kiss me, beautiful.” He drew her to him.

The moment their lips met, Canyon’s entire being was shocked with unbridled desire. Her soft body nestling against his hard, aching cock felt like heaven. He groaned, cupping Seren’s face, his mouth feasting on hers. A thrill unlike any he’d ever known flooded through him and not just from their physical intimacy. He felt joy, pure joy from just being with her and knowing she belonged to him. Did what he felt make sense? At the moment, he didn’t know – and he didn’t care.

Seren felt her spirit soar as his tongue pushed past her lips and into her mouth. She moaned her acceptance and clutched him tighter, wanting as much of him as she could get. Taking any part of him inside of her seemed like a glorious wonder.

Canyon pulled up the silky gown, allowing his hungry hands to acquaint themselves with her body. She was so smooth, like the finest silk – and her shape, her shape was perfect. A tiny waist, flared feminine hips, and breasts he knew would fill the palms of his hands – and he had big hands. “You’re so sweet.” Unable to resist, he cupped her luscious bottom and lifted her, pressing her softness to his cock so he could grind her against him easily. “Do you like that?” he asked, desperate for reassurance.

She gasped, digging her fingernails into his biceps. “I do. Yes.”

The amazing, miracle of Seren was hard for him to comprehend. A wild thought went through his head and he had to ask, “Are you…are you anatomically correct?”

His strange inquiry hit Seren as funny. She giggled. “I’m not a Barbie doll, Canyon. I’m as anatomically correct as you are.”

He nipped her neck. “And how anatomically correct am I?”

“I think you’re perfect. Beautiful.” She giggled again, a sweet, feminine sound. “Not that I ever looked at anyone else. Maybe I should do some research.”

“Not necessary.” He pulled her to him, rolling over carefully to cover her body with his own. “Give me that mouth.” Seren layered her lips to his and the kiss quickly turned endless. With a need spiraling out of control, Canyon devoured her. He couldn’t imagine wanting a woman more.

When the need to take a breath compelled their lips to separate, he let his hand glide to cup her breast through the thin fabric of the gown she wore. “Can I do this?” Rubbing the hard tip with his thumb, he smiled when she jerked and gasped, arching her back to push the soft mound harder against his palm.

“I’ve never done any of this before, but I trust you, Canyon. You can do anything you want to me. I belong to you.”

She trusted him.

She belonged to him.

Even though she’d given him the permission he sought, Canyon kissed her gently and enfolded Seren in his arms. “Don’t ever doubt I need you more than air, but I think we should take this slow.”

“Slow?”

The disappointment in her voice wasn’t lost on Canyon. In fact, it made him smile. Cradling her close, he willed his cock to have patience. “Some things are too important to rush, angel.”

“I’m not…”

He captured her words with one final kiss, then tucking Seren to him, he stroked her hair softly. “You’re my angel. Now, go to sleep. I’ll feel your heartbeat and you’ll feel mine. We’ll protect one another through the night.”