Immortal Cascade 01 Immortal Companion Page 18

  She trailed one finger lightly across his cheek, brushing a chestnut curl to the side, feeling the rough texture of beard stubble against her skin. She shivered slightly, her heightened sense of touch making even the most innocent of gestures arousing. Bending her head down, she kissed his shoulder gently, marveling at the beauty that was Blair Sandburg, student, anthropologist, police observer, guide, companion, lover, warrior. He was truly a warrior now, having been tested in battle the night before, and passing with flying colors, never faltering, never hesitating in the brief battle between himself and Kendall's two henchmen. She had helped, a little, by charging through them, knocking them out of her way, but he had done the rest, following her teaching to the letter, using his skills to disable them. It had given her the time she needed to blast open the door to the room Ellison was being held in, and still engage Kendall before he reached the bottom of the lighthouse stairs.

  The battle had been swift and furious; Kendall was an expert swordsman, and the tight stairs and even tighter catwalk had given him an advantage, his rapier finding more room to work in than her longer katana. He'd managed to get inside her guard and slash a deep gash from her shoulder to her hip, and she had staggered under the sudden overload of pain receptors. A misstep had sent her sprawling on her back, her reflexes bringing her sword up barely in time to block his downward thrust. She had zoned then, unable to deal with the conflicting messages her senses were sending her. Blair must have sensed the moment she'd been hurt, there was no other explanation for his arrival on the scene at the crucial moment. His calm words had cut through her confusion, giving her a support to cling to as she came back to herself, back to the duel. She would have won the fight, of that she had no doubt, if Ellison had not interfered. She shook her head slightly, the ends of her dark hair brushing Blair's chest. He stirred, but did not waken, his body edging closer to hers, drawn by her warmth, or some deeper connection.

  She couldn't put her finger on the exact instant when their relationship had changed, when they had shifted from friends and lovers to Champion and Companion, but it had been in the last 24 hours, not going on for weeks, as Ellison had suspected. "Ah, Ellison," she said softly, "what am I going to do about you?" She feared her words last night had not gotten through to him, that he did not understand the grievousness of his actions. To harm a Companion... the mere thought was anathema to her. Lydia and she had not always seen eye to eye; a champion and companion shared one soul, but that did not mean they were of like minds. Lydia and Diandra had both been strong personalities, and they had often clashed over strategy or policy, but never had they doubted the bond between them. Just as Blair never doubted his connection to Jim. Why then couldn't Ellison see that her relationship with Blair was no threat to him? Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he had met Blair so late in life, that they had not been bound together since their youth; the connection was not as firmly ingrained as it had been between herself and Lydia. Or maybe it was something in Ellison's own emotional makeup. Blair had mentioned something about Jim's cold and unfeeling father, something she and Lydia had never known; they had had fairly uneventful childhoods for the times in which they lived.

  Dee felt a smile crossing her lips, as she thought of her fallen companion, thinking back to the spirit walk she and Blair had taken yesterday. It had been a shock, seeing her companion's spirit guide, the red falcon. She had walked the nether world many times since her companion had been killed, and she had never seen her... though there had been that time in March, when she had helped drive the Manitou from her student. She had felt her presence then, but had chalked it up to Dana's resemblance to Lydia. But if she had been wrong, then Lydia was still with her, if only in spirit. First chance she got, she would walk the other world again and talk to her, ask her advice on what to do about Ellison.

  But now her first priority was Blair. She was loathe to wake him, he needed the rest, but this new day would only bring a myriad of questions for them, and they had better be prepared. She knew Blair would not say anything to betray her, expose her immortality, but Ellison, he was another story. She wondered how far he would go for revenge. Her fingers traced idle patterns on Blair's chest as she pondered the problem.

  Something tickling him woke Blair. Opening his eyes, he gazed up into the smiling face of his lover. Seeing he was awake, she leaned over and kissed him, her lips warm against his own. As they parted, for the second day in a row he mused upon this miracle, that such a wise, wonderful, beautiful woman would want him for her own. Her fingers continued moving across his chest, and he realized she was not subjecting him to aimless torture, she was writing something. "What are you doing?" he finally asked, unable to decipher her language of touch.

  Giving him another smile, she said, "Telling you what I feel for you, in all the ways I know how." Her fingers moved again, and she whispered the words to him. "Te amo, te adoro, te quiero. I love you, I adore you, I want you... ." Her voice trailed off as he kissed her, feeling his arms go around her, pulling her close, his hands instinctively knowing where she needed to be touched. With a low moan of pleasure, she gave herself over to him.

  When they finally rolled out of bed, it was almost 11 am. They were both in her kitchen, she in her robe, and Blair in a pair of boxers, feeding each other breakfast, when there was a knock at the door. Blair went to get it.

  He was quite surprised to find Captain Banks standing there, but not half as surprised as Simon was to find Blair bare-chested and barefoot answering the door. "Uh, Captain, what brings you here so early?" Blair stammered.

  "Early for you, maybe, but I haven't been to bed." He entered the apartment, as Dee came out of the kitchen. Simon took in her scantily clad appearance, and thought, "This is going to be bad." Clearing his throat, he said, "The Coast Guard fished Evan Kendall's body out of the cove about 7 am this morning. Unfortunately, he was missing an important part of his anatomy." He paused for effect, glancing from her expressionless face to Blair's worried one. "His head."

  Neither Dee nor Blair appeared shocked by this turn of events, and Simon realized they had both known this fact. Reaching inside his coat pocket, he produced a piece of paper. "Diandra Pallas, I have a warrant for your arrest for the murder of Evan Kendall."

  Part 7

  "Simon! You have got to be kidding!" Blair burst out. "Dee didn't murder Kendall; she saved Jim's life! You can't arrest her!"

  Banks looked at the upset young man, and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sandburg, the ME says Kendall's head was cut off with a sharp object, like a sword. I only know one person at that scene last night who is experienced in the use of swords."

  Dee stepped forward, her arm encircling Blair's shoulders. "It's okay, Lobo, Captain Banks is just doing his job. Tell you what, do me a big favor, and call Joe while I go change. It's speed dial 5 on the phone in the kitchen. Is that all right with you, Captain?"

  Banks hesitated, not wanting to let her out of his sight. There was another knock on the door. "That must be my backup," he said, opening the door. Megan Conner stood there, her hand raised to knock again.

  "I got your message, Captain," she said, "but why did you want to meet here?" Simon stepped back, allowing her to enter. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Blair and Dee. "Sandy? What's going on?"

  Blair shook his head. "Ask Simon," he said.

  "Dr. Pallas is under arrest, Connor. Would you escort her upstairs so she can change her clothes?" With a nod, Megan followed Dee up the stairs.

  Blair walked back into the kitchen, and picked up the phone, hitting the speed dial. It rang three times, then Dawson's gravelly voice said, "Joe's."

  Feeling a sudden sense of relief at that single word, Blair said, "Joe, this is Blair Sandburg."

  "Blair! Is Dee all right? Judy reported in, said there was a Quickening last night, but she couldn't get close enough to tell who the winner was... " The older man's anxiety came over the wire loud and clear.

  "She's fine, Joe, just fine," he reassured him. "Only we
have a little problem. She's just been arrested for Kendall's death. You don't happen to know a lawyer who specializes in this kind of thing, do you?"

  Joe hesitated, then said, "No, but I know a couple other people who can help. It may take them a few hours to get to Cascade. You tell Dee to hold on, okay?"

  Blair's fingers tightened on the receiver. "Dee's fine, Joe. I'm the one who's a basket case."

  "Blair, it's going to be okay. She won't go to jail, not for killing scum like Kendall. If worst comes to worst, we can always arrange an 'accident' for her."

  "Somehow, Joe, that doesn't make me feel much better."

  "Just tell her help is on the way, " Joe said, then hung up.

  Blair set the phone down, then walked back out to the living room. Simon had moved to the studio, and was studying the various swords on display. "She know how to use all of these?" he asked Blair as he came to stand beside him.

  "Yes," Blair said, seeing no reason not to tell the truth. "Simon, you can't do this to her. She didn't murder anyone. If anything, it was self-defense."

  "That's not the way Jim tells it," Simon replied quietly. "He says she went there with a sword. She probably had every intention of killing Kendall, just like she did those women in DC."

  Blair ran his hand through his hair in frustration. What in the hell was Jim doing? He knew there was no way the truth would stand up in court. Hell, no one would believe it. Was Jim willing to lie to get back at her? "This sucks, man, this really sucks." He left the police captain and headed across the hall to change his clothes. If Dee was going to be arrested, he was at least going to be there for her every step of the way.

  True to his word, Blair was with Dee the whole time. He rode with her to the station, stayed with her through booking, mug shots and fingerprinting. He was at her side when she was finally taken upstairs to Major Crimes for questioning. Every head in the bullpen turned as Diandra came through the door, her warrior's bearing and fire undimmed by the handcuffs she wore. Word had already reached the unit regarding Blair's relationship with the suspect, and Dee's sentinel hearing picked up various comments about her physical attributes, and how Blair was a lucky dog.

  She could see Ellison waiting in Captain Banks office, and before she could stop him, Blair went for him. She started after him, but Megan wrestled her into a chair. "Nope, you stay here," the Aussie told her, planting herself between the Immortal and the door.

  Flying into Simon's office, Blair slammed the door shut behind him, rattling the glass. "How could you! How could you do this Jim! She's done nothing to you, nothing! She saved my life; she saved your life! If it hadn't been for her, you would be dead!"

  Ellison stared at the angry guide, his jaw clenching and unclenching in an effort to control himself. "It's out of my hands, Chief. Simon came to me this morning, asked me if Diandra had a sword on her last night. I couldn't lie to him, Blair, I told him the truth. He would have figured it out anyway, it was so obvious. What he did with that information is not my fault."

  Blair hesitated, a furrow creasing his brow. "So all you told him was she had a sword?"

  The detective nodded. "I couldn't tell him anything else, Chief, he never would have believed me if I told the whole story. Hell, I don't even know the whole story. All I know is she should be dead right now, not sitting there in the bullpen looking like some goddess. What in the hell is she?"

  The younger man shook his head. "I can't tell you, Jim. I want to man, I want to, because I know it would make everything okay between us, but I can't."

  Jim sighed. The anger he'd felt the night before had faded in the wake of Diandra's wrath, and now all he felt was resignation. If his guide chose to go with her, there was nothing he could do to stop him. Hell, she could take better care of him than he could, she had proven that last night. "Blair, look, I'm sorry about last night. I said some really ugly things to you, things I wish I could take back."

  "It's okay, Jim," Blair said, visibly relaxing. "I knew you would cool off, and everything would be okay."

  "Yeah, well, I shouldn't have lost my temper," Jim answered quietly. "I seem to be doing that a lot around you lately."

  "Dee has a theory about that. She thinks you knew her senses were returning before she did, and that threw your Sentinel instincts into overdrive," Blair said. "I don't have time to explain everything to you now, and Dee tells the story way better than I do anyway. We weren't trying to hide anything from you; everything just happened at once, her senses, and Kendall, and you getting kidnapped."

  Jim dreaded asking the next question, but he knew he had to. "And your relationship with her? Are you her guide?"

  Blair chewed the inside of his lip for a long moment before answering, his eyes going to Dee's through the window of Simon's office. She nodded, and he opened his mouth to speak, but saw the look of concentration on Jim's face, and knew he was listening to Dee.

  In a voice pitched for sentinel ears, and her hand covering her mouth, Dee spoke. "Detective Ellison, Blair is my companion, yes. I have no doubt, however, that that is only temporary. I believe my senses returned with the threat of Kendall. I have faith that they will return to dormancy now that Kendall is dead. I know what it's like to lose a guide, Ellison. I would not willingly wish that on anyone."

  "What? What did she say, Jim?" Blair asked, as the sentinel returned his attention to his partner.

  "She said she thinks her heightened senses are only temporary."

  Simon entering the office interrupted any further discussion. "You're not talking about what happened last night are you? Because both of you are witnesses, and I don't want you comparing notes. It's going to be difficult enough making a case against her without you two trying to couch things in her favor." He gave both of them a stern look.

  "I'll go sit with her while we wait for her lawyer," Blair said, slipping out of the office.

  Jim watched him go, shaking his head slowly as he saw the guide perch on the edge of the desk next to Dee, his hands going to her shoulders, as she leaned her head against his wrist. Just watching them together was tearing him up inside. He clamped a lid firmly on his emotions. He was not going to lose it the way he did last night. Taking a seat, he tried to figure out what kind of statement he was going to give his captain.

  Another hour passed, and still there was no sign of the help Joe had promised. Dee had been moved to an interrogation room, and Simon had asked her a few questions, which she refused to answer. Simon then tried his questions on Blair, with the same amount of success. Frustrated, Banks returned to his office to find Jim waiting for him.

  "Any luck?" he asked.

  Shaking his head, Captain Banks poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down behind his desk. "It would really help if one of you told me what happened last night. Otherwise, I'll just have to make something up based on the evidence, and that's not going to look very good for Sandburg's friend."

  "I told you, Simon, I was injured, and I missed most of what went on, seeing I was at the base of the lighthouse, and the action was all going on at the top."

  "What about your senses? What did they pick up?"

  "I heard a sword fight, sir. Clashing steel, that kind of thing."

  "No one said anything?"

  "No, no one said anything."

  "Does the reason you and Sandburg seem to be protecting her have anything to do with her being a Sentinel?"

  Jim's eyebrows shot up. "You know about that?"

  Sighing, the captain leaned back in his chair. "I didn't get to where I am on my good looks alone, Ellison. When I see Sandburg and her working a crime scene the way the two of you do, I put two and two together. So if that's what you're hiding, the cat's already out of the bag."

  Jim shifted uneasily in his seat. He hated lying to his friend, but how could he explain what happened? "Sir, if I could speak off the record?"

  "Of course, Jim. I have a feeling I'm not going to hear the story any other way."

  With that reassurance, Jim told Simo
n everything he knew.

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Diandra had been moved back to the bullpen, the interrogation room needing to be used for another suspect. Blair sat next to her, his fingers entwined with hers, watching the goings on in Captain Banks' office with interest. "What's he saying?" he asked Dee.

  "Jim's telling him what happened, or what he suspects happened." She paused, then continued. "Now Simon is saying Jim must be crazy, and how in the hell does he expect that testimony to stand up in court. Jim's saying he knows it won't, and Simon's saying he's going to go with the evidence at the scene, since Jim's story won't even make a good defense."

  Blair, who had perked up at the news Simon thought Jim was nuts, slumped in his seat. "This is so not good," he said.

  "No," Dee said, "it's not. A good lawyer will probably get me off, but it will take time, and mean a trial. My reputation will be ruined, and I'll have to start over again under another name in another city. It's moments like these being an Immortal really sucks." She laughed lightly as she realized Blair's vocabulary was rubbing off on her. Mid giggle, she tensed, and Blair felt her grip on his hand tighten.