Keri Arthur - Circle Of Fire

"Promise you won't leave without saying good-bye," she said softly.

Such a simple request, and yet one that would take every ounce of his strength. It would be far easier to walk away now and never see her again. He stared at her face, trying to imprint every small detail in his mind.

"I won't leave without saying good-bye," he said, and felt some of the tension ease away from her body.

But even as the medical officers separated them, he wasn't entirely sure he spoke the truth.

"Maddie, are you listening to me?"

Maddie jumped, then rubbed a hand across her eyes and smiled grimly. She hadn't heard a word Jayne had said in the last five minutes, but she wasn't about to admit that.

"How's Evan coping?" she said, fiddling with the phone cord in an effort to gain a few extra inches so she could rest back against the pillows.

Jayne's sigh was a sound of frustration. "You weren't listening."

She grimaced. "Sorry."

"Evan's fine… mostly. He's still not talking to Steve, though."

"I don't really blame him." Her stupid brother-in-law wanted to take Evan to a psychologist. He couldn't accept the fact his son was gifted, preferring to think there was something mentally wrong with him. He was so like their father it was scary. And in her case, the only winner from her experience had been the psychologist's bank account.

"The police did recommend it," Jayne said softly. "He's still having nightmares."

"Nightmares are natural, Jayne. It's only been three days since he escaped Eleanor's clutches."

Three days, she thought, in which she hadn't seen Jon.

She bit her lip, letting her gaze move to the window. A sparrow scooted busily from one tree branch to another, chirping cheerfully. She wished she felt an eighth of his happiness.

"Still, it can't hurt," Jayne murmured.

Anger flared. "Oh for God's sake Jayne, get real," she snapped. "You know as well as I do that visiting the psychologist did nothing for me except make everything worse. Here I was, a kid with this amazing ability to see the future and light fires with just a thought, and that psychologist and our father made me feel like an abomination. Do you really want that for Evan?"

The phone hummed with silence for several seconds. Then Jayne sighed. "No."

"Then get a backbone and stand up for your son. He has gifts, Jayne, gifts that saved his life. Make Steve see that. Because if he doesn't, he'll push Evan away, and you'll both lose him."

She'd seen it in her dreams. Had seen Evan walking away. It was a future that could be prevented only if Steve saw the error of his ways and stopped acting like such an ass.

"You've seen this?" There was a fearful edge in her sister's voice. Jayne no longer questioned Maddie's abilities, but in some ways, she still feared them. And rightly so, perhaps. They were far more dangerous than Evan's ever would be.

Maddie sighed. "Yes."

"Oh God, I don't want to lose him. I don't want him to end—" Jayne stopped speaking, but what she'd meant was clear enough. Don't want him to end up like you.

Maddie smiled grimly. It wasn't something she wanted, either.

Jayne cleared her throat. "When are you getting out of the hospital?"

"Today."

"We're heading home in a couple of days. I'll call you when we get back."

"Fine," Maddie said and hung up.

The nurse bustled into the room, her smile as white as her uniform. "All dressed and ready to leave, I see."

Maddie nodded. Three days spent under constant observation, with no one to talk to but nursing staff and cops asking too many questions, was more than enough. It was time to escape and go back home.

And do what? It was a question that had nagged at her since she'd awakened in the hospital—alone.

She no longer needed a retreat. She was willing to face her past, ready to accept responsibility for her gifts. She just didn't want to do it alone.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, then," the nurse continued. "With the wheelchair."

She didn't bother answering—the woman had already bustled out the door. She stared out the window again. Where was Jon? It hurt that he hadn't bothered coming to see her, that he hadn't kept his promise and let her say good-bye. He'd simply left her clothes and her bag near her bed when she was asleep and had left the hospital. No one had seen him since, not even Mack.

She glanced down at the ring on her finger. For the first time she saw it was a hawk, etched over the shape of a heart. She twisted it around her finger gently and wondered why he hadn't even come back for the ring. He obviously valued it.

"Ready to go?"

The nurse's question jerked Maddie from her thoughts. She nodded a second time and hastily got off the bed, grabbing her bag and climbing into the wheelchair. The nurse wheeled her out of the room. Mack was waiting in the hall.

"Your truck is waiting out the front, but I can arrange a driver if you don't feel up to driving," he said, falling into step beside the chair.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine." She held out her hand, and he shook it gravely. "Thanks for everything."

He smiled. "The police will be in contact if we need any further information."

She nodded. He'd already told her the case was basically closed. Eleanor's death had ensured that.

"You heading for home now?"

"I have two weeks' vacation coming. Might stay here a while and enjoy some surf fishing."

Maddie smiled. "I wish you luck."

He nodded and waved her good-bye, heading off down another corridor. The front doors slid open, and the nurse wheeled her into the bright sunshine.

"Here you go," she said, stopping the wheelchair. "You take care of yourself now."

"I will. Thanks." Maddie climbed out of the chair and hefted her bag into a comfortable position on her shoulder. Lifting her face, she enjoyed the caress of warmth against her skin for several seconds. After all the rain and gloom of the past few days, it was a pleasant change. At least it meant the roads would be dry. She wouldn't have to worry so much about her brakes on the trip home.

She turned, wondering where her truck had been parked. Mack had said out front, but he obviously hadn't meant directly out front, because it certainly wasn't here. But it only took a second to find it, parked five spaces down. And Jon was leaning casually against it.

Her heart leapt in sudden hope—and almost as quickly, it died. His face and his stance told her he hadn't changed his mind. He still didn't want her in his life.

She swallowed, trying to ease the sudden dryness in her throat. Then she swung the pack onto her other shoulder and walked towards him.

"I'm glad to see you," she said, stopping several feet away from him. Far enough away to stop herself from reaching out to him, yet close enough to lose herself in the warmth of his wonderful blue eyes.

"I promised I wouldn't go without saying good-bye."

She nodded. She wasn't the only one who was keeping her distance. He stood with his arms folded across his chest, effectively keeping her at arm's length.

Her gaze ran down the scar that stretched from the bottom of his eye to his chin. It was little more than a pale line and certainly didn't mar the beauty of his features. "How are your other wounds?"

He shrugged. "I heal fast. All that's left is the odd scar."

"And your shapeshifting?"

His sudden smile held a warmth that made her heart ache. "My essence is a hawk. It's not magic, but what I am. Eleanor could never take that away from me."

She nodded and shifted her feet slightly. It was hard to keep her distance, hard not to reach out and touch him, just one more time. Lord, they were acting like casual acquaintances, not two people who had battled against a common foe and won. And they certainly weren't acting like two people who had shared their hearts and their souls in one brief night of love.