Truth Behind the Mask Page 20

  “You seem a little distracted there, Erith. After all, it’s my hands that got burned the most!” Pagan teased, sneaking a peek over her shoulder and catching Erith’s absorbed attention.

  “I have you in front of me in just your sports bra. Excuse me if I use that opportunity to indulge myself.” Erith placed a small kiss in the nape of Pagan’s neck, then pulled back reluctantly. “Pass me the cream before I forget my true purpose here.”

  Pagan removed the lid off the jar and dutifully handed it to Erith. Erith applied it to the angry burn on Pagan’s neck. Pagan had no clue as to how it got there but was enjoying the attention she was receiving because of it.

  “You get too close to something burning?” Erith asked as she traced a particularly nasty scorch mark.

  “You could say that.” Pagan relaxed under Erith’s gentle touch. She pushed the memory of the flame handler setting himself on fire out of her mind and concentrated on the gentle soothing cream Erith’s hands were applying.

  Erith smoothed the salve in with quiet concentration, then kissed Pagan on the back of her head. “All done,” she said huskily. She picked up the cloth and wiped carefully at the dried blood streaking Pagan’s face. Then she moved to Pagan’s side and reached for her hands.

  “You got a little too close to something tonight,” she said as she carefully washed Pagan’s hands with her cloth and then smoothed in the cream.

  “I’ve seen way too much fire in the past few days. This Phoenix takes the whole fire bird thing way too literally for my liking,” Pagan said drowsily, the night’s exertions finally catching up with her. She stretched and yawned. “I need to go to sleep. I’m so glad they chose the weekend to hit. I can sleep in tomorrow…today,” she amended. She rubbed at her face tiredly and then regarded Erith. “You’ve had quite an enlightening night too, I’d say.”

  “I’m wondering if it isn’t all some bizarre dream, but I look at you and it all makes perfect sense.” Erith yawned. She gave Pagan a shy look. “Don’t think me forward or anything, but…” She hesitated, her face flaming a little before she took the plunge. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

  Pagan nodded. “Sure. I’ll admit to never having had a sleepover before. Especially not at my age. You’ll have to forgive me if I inadvertently take up all the bed or steal the covers.” She padded into her bathroom. “I’ll just get ready before I crash out on the floor and save you the worry.”

  After brushing her teeth and getting her pajamas on, Pagan wandered back into her room. She found Erith already tucked under the blankets, her red hair spread out over Pagan’s pillow. For a moment, Pagan’s fatigue disappeared. She was arrested by the sight that lay waiting in her bed. She stared at Erith for a long moment, her eyes caught by how Erith’s hair was lit by the light coming from the bathroom. She turned the light off reluctantly, bathing the room in the paler shades of light from the near-dawn sky.

  “You are too beautiful for words,” Pagan said as she crawled under the sheets, trying very hard not to touch Erith. Erith, it seemed, had no such compunction. She immediately snuggled into Pagan. Pagan relaxed as soon as she felt Erith’s warmth permeate her flesh.

  “Do you usually sleep with your aids in?” Erith asked. Pagan shook her head. “Then take them out. If I need you, I’ll make sure you know about it.”

  Pagan nodded. She had been nervous about removing her tenuous link to the hearing world in Erith’s presence. She removed the aids and placed them on her bedside table, then snuggled back down. She adjusted to the silence that descended on her. For a moment it disoriented her, but then she found her balance. She sighed, then felt a shift in the bed and opened her eyes to find Erith looking down at her.

  “I can still read your lips,” Pagan said. “My hearing may be lousy, but my eyesight is perfect.”

  Erith smiled seductively, then kissed across Pagan’s cheek, along her jawline, and then lingered on Pagan’s earlobe. “What are my lips saying now?” Erith made sure that Pagan could read the words before she continued to kiss along Pagan’s neck.

  “They are saying ‘damn you for being so wrecked, Pagan Osborne.’” She chuckled.

  Erith nuzzled into Pagan, her hand curling around a handful of her pajama shirt and holding on tight. “See? We can communicate perfectly.” She leaned up to kiss Pagan slowly but surely, then burrowed back down to curl into Pagan’s side.

  For the first time, the total silence of the night held no fear for Pagan. She was anchored in Erith’s arms; she could feel her breathing beside her. She moved a hand to place it over Erith’s chest. Beneath her fingers she felt the strong beat of Erith’s heart. It lulled Pagan to sleep with its regular rhythm. It was the most soothing sound Pagan had ever felt.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was some time later that Pagan awoke to find bright green eyes staring down at her.

  Good morning, sweetheart, Erith signed, smiling as Pagan blinked at the sunlight streaming through the curtains.

  “You’ve been reading up,” Pagan said. She stretched her whole body like a lazy cat, then snuggled back into Erith’s warmth.

  “That’s what the Internet is for,” Erith said. “It’s a mine of information at your fingertips. I was doing that last night while you were otherwise entertained.” She held up her hands and signed very clearly. I love you.

  Pagan smiled widely. “I love you too.” She rubbed at her earlobe shyly. “I’ve never slept with anyone before.”

  Erith ran a hand over Pagan’s face. “Me neither. And I didn’t expect that the first time I did all I would do is actually sleep!”

  “I was out all night. I wouldn’t have wanted our first time to have me falling asleep before the fun started.” She gathered up her aids. Erith halted her movements.

  “Do they hurt you?”

  Pagan again marveled at just how perceptive Erith was when it came to her. She thought about her answer carefully. “They don’t exactly hurt as much as they take some getting used to.” She put the aids in her ears, with Erith watching her closely. “I’ve had years to get used to what I hear when these are in, but sometimes, to be honest, I like the silence better. There’s so much sound that I pick up that has to be deciphered and processed, so I know what I need to pay attention to and what I can ignore. Without them, I can be vulnerable in a huge crowd. But with them, I can hear things beyond what the other Sentinels hear.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “Well, I heard fighting in your home way before I ended up coming in that final night. I had watched you from your window barricading the door so that your dad wouldn’t get in after you.”

  “You were watching me for days?”

  “I’ve been watching over you for a while, yes. Sentinels aren’t supposed to get involved with family disputes, but I couldn’t stand it any longer. So I came in, and you know the rest.”

  “You flew me over the city.” Erith’s voice was wistful.

  “Sentinels have all the best toys.”

  “I need to spend a great deal of time in the lighthouse checking out the equipment, I reckon,” Erith mused for a moment, sucking in her bottom lip in a way that Pagan found distracting. “So, you were watching over me, eh? To be honest, I never expected my guardian angel to be dressed in Sentinel garb. I was led to believe in the wings-and-halo variety, not the big boots and masked sort.”

  “Whether in my Sentinel uniform or out, I promise to take care of you,” Pagan said solemnly.

  “I believe you. Can a Sentinel in turn be looked after by a small redhead who may not have the muscle power to break up chairs, but who would move heaven and earth to make sure you’re safe too?”

  Pagan smiled at her. “Don’t you know little red-haired girls are the strongest ones of all?” She ran a finger through Erith’s soft hair.

  “We are more deceptive about our powers.” Erith flexed a slender arm.

  “But Sentinels can see the truth behind smoke and mirrors, and I can clearly see your true strength and beauty
before me.”

  “Are we expected down for breakfast?”

  “Yes, we always have an ‘after the melee’ feast.”

  “Pity, because I would love to stay like this all day with you while we find out whose strength gives who the most stamina!”

  Pagan laughed. “That may have to be something we test out on a day when Rogue is less likely to come knocking on the door.” She paused and then a loud knock sounded and a light flashed in Pagan’s room.

  “You’re amazing.” Erith started at the noisy intrusion.

  “Nope, I just recognize her step and know her routine, seeing as I’ve known her for as long as I can remember.” Pagan put her hands on Erith’s hips and smoothed them down over her cotton pajamas. “Time for a family breakfast with a difference.”

  “You’re going to talk tactics all through it, aren’t you?”

  “And you’re going to hear exactly what happened last night that caused you to leave your bed and find your way to mine.”

  “I can live with that. I like to be kept well informed on such important matters. It better be good to drag me away from you like this.”

  “There’s probably pancakes.”

  “Sold!” Erith was off the bed in a flash.

  Pagan blinked at her speed. “Great! Pancakes win over me?” she whined pathetically, enjoying the laughter she could see reflected in Erith’s eyes.

  “Will they have syrup?”

  “Probably,” Pagan said as she swung her legs out of the bed.

  “Then there’s no contest. Syrup is undoubtedly a winner.”

  “Fickle wench,” Pagan grumbled and then let out a whoof of air as Erith launched herself into her unsuspecting arms.

  Erith tugged on Pagan’s pajama collar until she was within reach and kissed her thoroughly.

  “How marvelous, you don’t suffer from dreaded morning breath. This deal just gets better and better.”

  “Pagan!” Rogue shouted up the stairs.

  “Your pancakes are waiting,” Pagan muttered around Erith’s soft lips.

  “They can wait a minute. I’m tasting something far sweeter.” Erith licked at Pagan’s lips delicately, sending an almighty shudder through Pagan’s body.

  “Whoa, sugar rush,” Pagan mumbled and kissed Erith back before reluctantly drawing away.

  Erith took Pagan’s hand. “Come on, then. Let’s go gather around the table, eat our fill, and find out what happened last night.”

  “I know all too well what happened last night.”

  “Well, for most of it I was tucked in my own bed, totally oblivious. Humor me. I want to know what this city gets up to while the rest sleep on, blissfully unaware of what really happens when things go boom in the night.”

  “If we do that, you’ll never close your eyes again,” Pagan said darkly.

  Erith threw her a wary glance. “Why do I not think you’re joking?”

  “I rarely joke about matters such as these.”

  Erith let out a shaky breath and forged ahead. “Then I’m going to need a lot of pancakes.”

  *

  Pagan busied herself cleaning her uniform boots while trying not to be too obvious watching Erith and Rogue poring over electronics and tools. Erith had shown a keen interest in the circuitry that powered Pagan’s aids and also formed an integral part of the Sentinel’s comlinks. Rogue had explained in great detail what had been added to enhance Pagan’s hearing ability. Erith had shown she was able to keep up in the technicality of the conversation. Pagan had been surprised to hear that a man such as Baylor, who used his fists to cause so much hurt, could turn them to work on delicate machinery. That skill, over his more brutal talents, had been the one mercifully realized in Erith.

  Melina sat at the monitor bay and was typing in codes from her keyboard. “Pagan, how are you feeling today? Are your burns healing?”

  “They’re doing fine. That cream works miracles. They don’t even itch now.”

  “I’ve never seen anyone heal so fast,” Erith said. “The burns are almost healed over.”

  “We have at our disposal a wealth of experts who develop things to make our jobs easier for us,” Melina said. “The ones that manufacture healing creams have long since been put to work trying to heal that which we keep on damaging.”

  “Do they make a fear pill to take away the fear of constantly wire-riding from tall building to tall building?”

  Melina chuckled at Erith’s question. “Oh, rest assured that Sentinels are not entirely fearless. Fear is a healthy by-product of what they do. Thankfully, not all of us leap from buildings. Some of us are born to take the more sedate protector’s path.” She gestured at the endless screens and workings that lined the lighthouse walls.

  “So, how did you get to be a Sighted?” Erith edged over to Melina’s work station, her eyes on the flashing lights and endless screens.

  “It’s in my blood as much as Pagan was born to be a Sentinel. My calling just put me behind the computers and monitors rather than doing the physical stuff that my counterparts do.”

  “She was born to take our mother’s mantle,” Pagan said. “Mom was one of Chastilian’s Sighted, and Dad was a Sentinel. Although back in their day, they didn’t have half as much equipment as we utilize now. They were very different Sentinels then.”

  “The family business,” Erith muttered, then laughed. “You said you were in the family business, and I innocently thought that meant the security part.”

  “I’m a part of that too. I just have two jobs, a day and a night one.”

  “How do you not fall asleep standing up?”

  “We’re not out all night generally, and we’re not always called out. It’s on rare occasions, like now, when the city takes on something a whole lot bigger than anyone can handle alone.” Pagan flashed her a grin. “I also have good genes that let my body function on very little rest, and the blessing that is Sunday morning when I get to sleep in until dinnertime,” Pagan replied, remembering the luxury of waking up with Erith wrapped in her arms. She lifted her head to catch Erith obviously remembering too. They shared a look; Erith looked away first when something on a monitor caught her attention.

  “That’s my dad’s name.” She moved closer to the screen that bore his name along with further details scrolling along.

  Melina sat back and watched as Erith read the screen. “We’ve been keeping an eye on him so you’d know when he was going to be released.”

  “This is from the police station? Their reports and…” Erith looked closer at one particular screen that Melina nonchalantly leaned over to and with a press of a key on her keyboard made a certain point bigger. “You have a camera inside the police station watching people come and go?” She sounded both astounded and respectful.

  Melina nodded.

  “You really do have eyes everywhere.”

  “Hence her title.” Rogue moved closer to read from the screen. “Your dad’s being released later today. They can’t hold him any longer because your mother won’t press charges.”

  “She never does. He’ll kill her one day, and she’ll still think she deserved it.”

  Rogue put a comforting hand on Erith’s shoulder and squeezed. “You’re not like her. You’re stronger than her. You didn’t inherit the victim gene.”

  “I won’t ever have to fear what my mom does,” Erith said assuredly, casting a look at Pagan.

  “You don’t hurt the ones you love; you protect them with all your heart and soul.”

  Erith watched the small picture from the police station’s hidden camera. “I don’t think I want to see him just yet.”

  “We understand,” Rogue replied. “Just because he’ll be back in your apartment doesn’t mean you have to go back to be with him. Your home is here with us now. This is no longer just a safe house. You have our Pagan’s heart, and you’ve found your place in ours. You’re a part of the family now.”

  Erith silently looked at everyone around her, apparently stunned by what she
was being offered.

  Rogue patted her head. “Welcome to the lesbian utopia.”

  “You told her about that?” Erith asked.

  “I didn’t know what it meant,” Pagan said. “I figured I’d ask the brains in the family.”

  “I am so going to have to watch myself around you all,” Erith grumbled.

  “And we in turn will watch over you,” Pagan said and Erith smiled at her. She knew then she’d done the right thing in bringing Erith home.

  *

  Pagan and Erith sat cross-legged on Pagan’s bed. Pagan’s hands moved swiftly, tracing patterns through the air, signing a stream of words in silence. Erith watched intently and then she started her own signing, the movements not so fast, more hesitant in their execution. Pagan nodded, visually answering Erith’s question.

  You’re very quick at picking things up, she signed.

  Erith grinned. I am if it’s important to me, she signed back. And this is very important. I want to be able to talk to you all the time, whether you can hear me or not. She flexed her fingers. Although I apologize for having to spell everything out like a five-year-old! Our conversations may take some time with me still learning the correct position for an E!

  Pagan spoke aloud while still signing. “Sometimes I like not having my hearing aids in. I feel different, as if I can sense things stronger.” Pagan made a face at her own words.

  “Maybe you can.” Erith shrugged. “What’s it like, not hearing?”

  Pagan chewed at her bottom lip thoughtfully, mulling the question over. Natural, she signed back finally.

  Erith nodded and cradled Pagan’s hand in her own for a moment. Then she placed it in her lap. “I look at your hands and I’m amazed by how much they can do.”

  Pagan moved her hand slightly in Erith’s lap and began to stroke at her thigh.

  “You can fight and swing from fine wires.” Erith’s face added wonder into the words she was saying. “Those same hands mix batter for pancakes, hold my hand during a film.” She smiled shyly at Pagan. “You touch me, without any physical contact, just by telling me you love me without using your voice.” She lifted Pagan’s hand from her thigh and laid a kiss in the center of her palm. She then folded Pagan’s fingers over to hold the kiss inside. “I love that you share this with me, showing me how to sign, sharing so much of you.” She gestured to encompass all that surrounded her. “The lighthouse, the security business, your family.”