The Guardian

Chapter Nine

The journey to Boston was frigid. As they had from Philadelphia to New York, Jack continued to train Nora how to fight along the way. She was making progress. She had taken him by surprise more than once and he suspected she might be taking out her frustration on him. He knew she had wanted him to kiss her the night they stayed in New York, but how could he explain the dark corners inside a man? How could he explain that that kiss would lead to unspeakably wicked things? He wanted to show her beauty, not darkness.

The further north they went, the colder it got. Jack began to find them shelter in barns, sneaking in late at night and leaving before dawn. A few times, they were able to sleep at inns and get warm. For Nora's part, she threw herself into those combat lessons because it took the chill off her bones. Her cloak was lined with fur, but that didn't fight all the cold. They had picked up warmer traveling clothes in New York, along with blankets and more supplies.

Nora considered their approach to Boston. Would her father's men be there waiting for them? Would he be there himself? She had not seen him since they all parted, only his men. Why would he not reveal himself to her? Was he afraid that seeing her again would shatter his plan for the stone, whatever it was? Nora believed if she could just see her father once face-to-face, she could convince him to stop this. They had loved each other once. He had called her his princess and doted upon her at every turn. She could admit to being spoiled, but there had been no better man in her eyes than her father. She would not believe that the man she'd adored was gone. She would never believe that. How could a man that had such a capacity for love deteriorate so very quickly?

Nora sighed as they rode on. She had asked herself these questions endlessly and she wasn't any closer to having answers now than she had been before. All she could do was continue on and hope that one day she would get her chance to face him. Her more immediate problem was Jack.

The closer she got, the more firmly he pushed away. She may still be a virgin, but she'd have to be blind not to recognize the desire in his eyes. She saw it from the moment he woke up from his injury and found her in the room. But recently, the look in his eyes was changing. The edges were softening and she wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. She couldn't say she was happy that he had dreamed about her death, but he had woken up and shared that with her. He had opened up to her that evening, but when she pushed for more, he closed up again.

She had considered telling him what her brother had seen of them. Maybe if he knew they were fated to be together, he would ease up with her; maybe his comfort level with her would be greater. Something continued to hold her back though and she kept that secret. She thought she was coming to know him well enough to be sure that he wouldn't appreciate the idea that something or someone was manipulating his life. She didn't enjoy the thought any more than he would, but she at least had lived long enough to become accustomed to it.

She had kissed him once before when he had agreed to help her. But that was more a kiss out of gratitude, a confirmation of a deal, or maybe a promise. She wanted him to be the pursuer, she needed him to be the one to reach out to her. She longed for him to kiss her the way a man does when he desires a woman. She discovered she could ache for it. Night after night, he reached for her in the darkness then stepped away in the light of day. Nora was beginning to believe that good things did not always happen when the sun came up. She found herself craving that sweet intimacy they were discovering at night.

As they entered the city limits, Jack reined in closer to her and drew his pistol, keeping it out of sight under his cloak, but ready for immediate use.

"Is there something wrong?" Nora asked recognizing his signs.

"No, not yet," Jack replied. "Can't you feel the tension of the people? Mr. Hamilton said things were unstable here, but it feels as if they are about to explode."