Chapter Twenty-Three
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OAKLIE’S SLEEP WASrestless when she went to bed.Arkas had chosen to sleep on the couch and guard the lower floor.She was glad to have some distance between them, but made her bedroom door impenetrable anyway.The knight might seem noble in spirit, but she barely knew him and she didn’t fully trust him.Her attraction to the warrior was troubling.She’d never felt this kind of desire before.His image kept popping into her mind as she tossed and turned.
Falling asleep eventually, she dreamed about sculpting the fallen tree into Arkas’ likeness.His flawless face and body loomed over her when she was done.Tracing the muscles of his chest, she pressed her palm against the engraving of the sword and wings.Her hand jerked back when the wood turned to flesh.He captured her hand and pressed it against his chest again.Color flowed into his body, turning his skin tan.He smiled at her and her pulse sped up.
Arkas bent to kiss her and she rose on her toes to meet his lips.A crow cawed right outside her window, snapping her awake.“Damn it!”she hissed quietly, then realized it was dawn.Groaning that she still felt tired, she threw the covers back and got dressed.
The knight was ready to go when she finished using the bathroom and carried her gear downstairs.She’d locked the house securely, so he hadn’t been able to place his belongings in the truck yet.“The rain has stopped,” he said.“Let’s hope we won’t run into any storms during our journey to Manhattan.”
“We probably will,” she said dourly, checking her duffle bags to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.
“Do you have my sculpture?”Arkas asked.
“You meanmysculpture you made of me?”she shot back, then patted one of her bags.“It’s right here,” she told him.
“I’ve got my stag,” he said with a grin, hefting one of his backpacks higher.
Grumbling beneath her breath, she didn’t bother to eat breakfast.Her stomach was churning with nerves about leaving her home.There was a good chance she might never return if something went wrong during their trip.
Arkas preceded her through the door, holding a rifle ready when she opened the barrier.She locked it behind herself, then activated her personal form of security measures.
“What did you just do?”her sexy companion asked, shivering slightly.
“I made the entire house impenetrable,” Oaklie replied.“The wood is now so dense that no one can cut it or burn it.I’m not sure if explosives would even be able to blow a hole in the wood.”
“That’s kind of amazing,” he said in an almost disturbed tone.
“I’ll do the same thing with the fence, once I drive the truck out of the yard,” she said.
“I’ll stand guard while you’re doing your thing,” he offered, following her to the truck to place his bags on the back seat.She tossed her gear in as well, then snagged a bottle of water and some energy bars from one of the boxes of food.She put them in the glovebox, then drove towards the gate.It swung open and she left the yard and parked in the dirt driveway.
Arkas loped out of the yard.He stood with his back to her, sweeping his gaze from side to side as she used her power to close the gap.She strengthened the defenses and added a nasty trap as well.“If anyone tries to break in, they’ll wish they hadn’t,” she said with a smirk when she was done.
“Why?”Arkas asked.
“Try to approach the gate,” she suggested.“But don’t get too close,” she warned him.
Eyeing the gate warily, Arkas approached it like it was a venomous snake.He stopped a few feet away and stretched out his hand.A sharp spear immediately shot out, stopping just short of skewering his palm.“Nice,” he said with a grin.“Thanks for the warning,” he added as it receded back to merge with the fence again.
