They left the sheriff’s office and walked back to her car. Surlock was quiet.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
He stopped at the passenger door. “No, it wasn’t bad at all. I liked your friend.”
She grinned. “His wife is very nice, too.”
“What?”
“You were jealous.”
He frowned.
“Do you know the word?”
“Yes.” He opened the door and got in. When she was inside, he glanced across the seat. “I was jealous until I knew he had a mate.”
She hadn’t expected him to admit it. It was kind of nice knowing that he cared. “Want to get something to drink?”
“Yes.”
A man of few words. She eyed him as she backed out of the parking space. But sexy as hell.
There was a Sonic a couple blocks over. She drove to it, then pulled into a parking spot, and rolled the windows down before turning off the key. “What would you like?”
“I don’t know.”
She pointed to the menu. “This is what they have.”
He moved closer to her, close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his body. Their gazes met and held for a moment. She saw his mouth move, but her brain was in a fog and she didn’t hear what he’d said.
“What?” she asked.
His grin was slow and lazy.
Ass.
“I asked what was good,” he repeated.
She drew in a deep breath, but caught his earthy scent. She quickly turned to the menu. “I like the lemon-cherry slush.”
“Then that’s what I’ll have.”
She cleared her throat. “I just need to give them our order.” She quickly leaned out the window and pushed the button.
“Welcome to Sonic, I’ll take your order whenever you’re ready,” a pleasant voice announced over the speaker.
Darcy gave the girl their order. Surlock had already moved to his side of the car. A shame. She didn’t mind a bit that he’d been in close proximity. It had been very nice.
Damn it, she just had to discover Surlock’s identity. She sent up a silent prayer that he would turn out to be one of the good guys. But wouldn’t she know if he was bad? She hoped her instincts were that good.
Their drinks came and she paid for them, then handed one to Surlock. After the carhop left, she showed Surlock how to insert the straw. “Now you suck on it,” she said, then demonstrated.
He tried and managed to get a drink. “This is good,” he said, taking another big swallow.
“I like them,” she said.
Suddenly, he set his drink down and grabbed his head.
“The humming? Did you bring the eardrops?”
“No, no, it’s something new. My head feels as if it’ll explode. The pain is almost unbearable.”
“No! This isn’t good. I’ll get you to the hospital and …”
He lowered his hands. “It stopped.” He looked surprised. “It wasn’t like before. There was no loud humming.” He reached for his drink.
She chuckled when she realized what had happened.
“What?” he asked.
“I think you’ve just experienced your first brain freeze.” When he still looked puzzled, she explained, “You drank your slush too fast. The cold rushed to your head, which created a brain freeze.”
“My brain froze?’
“Technically no. It feels like it, though. Drink the slush a little slower.”
“I like the taste.”
“So do I, but I hate brain freeze.”
He picked up his drink again and took a slower drink this time. His expression turned solemn. “Do you think when Eddie checks my prints, he’ll find something?”
“I don’t know.”
He nodded. When he looked at her again, he was smiling. “But I do remember I have a brother named Kristor.”
“Yes, you do.” She could see the worry behind the smile. She worried, too, but for more than one reason. There was a muted humming in her ears. Why, after so many years, had it returned?
CHAPTER 7
He was running. Surlock felt the wind on his face, but it was another’s face, another’s eyes he saw through. He felt free and alive.
“Hear me, Surlock, you know me. I am Chinktah. Let me past the barriers you have erected. Hear me!”
Surlock sat straight up in bed, drenched in sweat, gasping for air. What had just happened? He looked around. The room was dark. He was in bed. A bad dream? It must have been. By the gods, it had seemed real. Too real for comfort.
He shoved the cover off and stood, his movements jerky. Rather than turning on a light, he went to the other room, to the French doors. He opened them wide, breathing deeply of the night air. The stars were out, the moon was almost full. He stepped to the patio and raised his arms, drawing strength from the orb in the sky.
What had he dreamt? It was fading away, but he needed to remember. He’d felt the wind on his face, but he was in someone else’s body. A voice had spoken, not his thoughts. Confusion warred within him. What if he was losing his mind?
The humming was back. He put his hands over his ears, trying to block out the noise, but it grew louder. “Stop,” he cried out. “I don’t know who or what you are, but leave me in peace!”
The noise didn’t abate. Surlock walked to the edge of the pool and dove in. Beneath the water, the noise lessened. Here was peace at last.
He began to relax as he swam beneath the water. Long strokes carried him to the other end of the pool and back. Blue and red lights shimmered around him, making it all seem surreal. He didn’t care—the noise in his head had stopped now, and that was all that mattered.
He surfaced, flinging his hair out of his face, and when he did, he saw Darcy at the pool’s edge, wearing a silky nightgown that left little to the imagination.
Did he still dream? If so, he didn’t want to waken. He needed her now more than he ever had. He needed the connection with another human being. He needed her to tell him he wasn’t going crazy.
As if she heard his thoughts, she grasped the hem of her gown and pulled it over her head, tossing it behind her, then laid a small package on the edge. When she straightened, she stood there for a moment, then slowly brought her arms up. He could only stare at the ethereal beauty before him. Her lips curved slightly upward, and then she pushed off the side, diving over his head. He turned, watching as she swam to the other side. She turned beneath the water and swam toward him, emerging in front of him. She pressed her naked body against his, and looked into his face.
“I dreamt you were running, but it wasn’t you. I came awake, sitting up in bed, and knew you needed me.” She stroked the side of his face. “What does it mean? Did it even happen? Are we … connected in some way?”
He shook his head, pulling her tighter against him. “It happened, but I don’t know what it means. I was dreaming, too. A voice spoke to me. Has a voice ever spoken to you?”
“No.” Her eyes were sad.
He hadn’t thought so. “I think I’m going crazy. I should leave. What if I’m putting you in some kind of danger?”
She placed her hands on either side of his face. “Look at me—you’re not going crazy. If you are, then so am I. Why else would I share your dream?” She wrapped her arms around him. “There’s some kind of connection between us. I felt drawn to you in the guest house that first day.”
“And it gets stronger each day,” he added.
“Yes,” she whispered close to his ear. “There’s more.”
“What?”
“I heard a humming sound in my ears when I was younger. My mother took me to so many specialists. None of them could discover the cause. She became so agitated that I finally woke one morning and lied to her. I told my mother the humming had stopped. Eventually, it did. Since you’ve shown up, it has started again.”
“I’m sorry.”
She leaned back and looked at him. “For what?”
“I’ve caused the noise to return.”
“I don’t think so, but I have a feeling once we discover who you are, and where you’re from, we’ll also know why we have the noises in our heads.”