Page 13 of Forever Found

In a haze, Lyndsey shook her head. “What just happened?” She glanced at Justin, who was getting up off the street. Had he fallen? Had too many beers? She hadn’t noticed, and she held onto the light pole until a round of dizziness faded. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yes. The guy in the truck was in a hurry. But I’m fine. How about you?”

“I’m good. But suddenly very tired. I’m going to sleep like a rock tonight.”

Back at his house, she’d said good night to Justin, dressed for bed, and yawned. Just one thing to do before melting into the mattress. She opened her laptop to transfer from her camera, then plugged the cord into the port and hit “Import.” Lyndsey was OCD about one thing in her life—her pictures. Without fail, she filed them every evening by date. As the files uploaded, she washed her face and brushed her teeth.

By the time she’d returned to the bed, the download process had completed. After finishing with her camera, she put it away and fell onto the pillow, ready to put the day behind her. Closing her eyes on a slow exhale, she let her body relax.

But thoughts and images of the bonfire, ceremony, and a hot guy by the name of David danced through her head. Her mind wouldn’t shut off.

As tired—no, exhausted—as she was, Lyndsey couldn’t sleep. The sound of the truck’s screeching tires played in her head over and over. It tapped into a memory she shouldn’t be able to recall at all, yet she did. It was a jumble of sound…a man yelling, her mother’s scream, an engine barreling down on her, the odor of burning rubber, and the sharp sensation of falling.

Sitting up, she forced the recollection aside.

She grabbed her laptop, turned the pillow on its end, and plumped it so she could lean against the wall for support. The room felt cold and a bit drafty, and she wished she had another blanket. Maybe the house didn’t have proper insulation. Itwasan older home. With a shiver, she tucked her legs deeper beneath the covers, resting the laptop across her thighs.

She yawned, glancing at the time clock on the screen:12:30 AM.She yawned again. Perhaps she’d just put the photos in a folder by location, then go to sleep. The mattress did feel rather good beneath her…

Finished with the brief organization, she set the laptop on the bedside table and turned off the lamp. She had to get some sleep.

A cold breeze floated through the room. Lyndsey tugged the covers up beneath her chin and curled onto her side, drawing up her knees. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the man glowering at her, and then an angel flitted overhead. How crazy was that? Geez, her imagination was working overtime tonight.

She focused on her breathing, the feel of the air as it went in and out of her nose and down through her lungs. Expanding and contracting. Concentrate. Repeat. Once more. But as soon as she stopped directing her thoughts, the images of dark evil eyes returned. Watching.

Finally, she leaned over, opened the laptop, and found a few episodes ofThe Big Bang Theoryshe’d had stored there. They were always good for a laugh to lighten her mood. Bonus, they were not about angels and devils, either. With the volume set low, she let the show run softly, gazing at the screen now and then and listening to it until she dozed off.

* * *

Caleb waited until she was asleep before he changed into a shadowy black form of smoke and dust, then slipped between the cracks of the window and reformed inside her room. What to do? What to do? He observed her sleeping.

Then it occurred to him how she valued her photos. It intrigued him how a picture captured a moment in time to preserve it forever. By will alone, he operated her computer, perusing her most recent cache of precious photos. He could feel how she loved them.

Some were even of him. His human form wasn’t bad, with his slicked-back hair and lovely, golden tan.

Angels and devils…He smirked at the thought as he moved a copy of the picture onto a Facebook group of the same name. May as well have a bit of fun before delivering her to Lucifer.

She moaned. He stepped back, then left the same way he’d entered.

David finished breakfast, grabbed his dogs’ leashes just in case he needed them, and opened the back door. The dogs dashed out into the acres of yard making up the estate. Ruby and Prissy led the way at first, running circles around Tank, in and out of the bigger dog’s legs. It was a wonder the Rottweiler didn’t trip. Tank sprinted ahead, then started through the trees, sniffing at the trunks and the clumps of snow as he went. The Pomeranian sisters were more interested in getting in the way and drawing Tank’s attention than finding the hidden treasure of a squirrel or some other rodent.

This was the usual morning routine.

David arched his back, stretching his wings. It was the beginning of a beautiful day. On a whim, he launched upward, soaring among the few fluffy clouds, then flipped and turned, coming back down to earth. Tank dashed to David’s feet, wagging his butt and the short nub of a tail.

He scrubbed his palm over the dog’s head. “I know how it is, boy. It feels good to bust out once in a while.”

His cell phone chimed a double-toned beep, indicating a notification. David pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and frowned. He had an app that informed him of headlines about Terror on Facebook. A picture had popped up on theAngels and Devilsgroup page. There were several from last night’s festivities. In fact, one was of him and Val lighting the bonfire. Nothing too revealing as far supernatural abilities went. Val wasn’t in dragon form or anything. But then he moved to the last photo and enlarged the image. It was of him, hovering on angelic wings over the newest demon in town—Caleb.

David fisted his hand. He would contact the site owner to have the post taken down. He’d done it before with other pictures from Terror, although the incidents were infrequent.

Tank dug furiously at the base of a tree, and Ruby and Prissy launched into a yipping frenzy. “What are you after?” he asked the dogs, then tromped over to get them. Off to the side, Prissy nosed at a large black feather. “That’s just a crow feather,” he admonished. “Come on. Leave it. Let’s go inside.”

But the dogs wouldn’t obey. The feather had them out of sorts. Finally, he picked up the two small dogs and ordered Tank to follow. Reluctantly, he did so.

They headed inside through the back door. While the dogs went directly to their water bowls, David refilled his coffee mug. He studied the picture on his phone again.

Dammit, she’d promised she wouldn’t use the pictures she’d taken.