shadowChild

Chapter Six - Stalked

She turned on her radio and put Kenny G into her CD player. Sinking into the inviting sofa she lay back and closed her eyes. She was tired. For some reason she was feeling more strung out than usual and she wondered if this feeling had anything to do with the most recent addition to the clinic. She shook her head mentally in denial. Jake may be cute -- Cute? Alright, gorgeous, but that didn't mean that he had to radically alter her life or anyone else's. After all, he would be here for less than six months anyway and it wouldn't do if anybody got too involved with him; she'd end up with the short end of the stick. So, all in all, it would be safer to keep their relationship professional and nothing more. That way it would be easier to shake off the dust and carry on with one's life. No heartache at all.

She must have dozed off for a while because when she opened her eyes the huge shape of a man was standing above her, leaning over the back of the sofa. She uttered a strangled scream and scrambled to her feet, her heart beating as though it wanted to dig a hole out of her chest. For one terror filled second she thought it was Timile and the thought of murder actually entered her mind before she clamped it down. In the fading light her fear was evident in her eyes and the man was aware of it.

"It's only me," Jake said softly, not wanting to spook her any more than was necessary. He heard her take a ragged breath, the sound harsh in her throat. He frowned. He might have startled her but it wasn't as though he was Quasimodo or the wolf man or something hideous. Why was she so afraid?

"What are you doing here?" she demanded and her voice was tight, still scared. His frown deepened.

"I brought back your key," he replied easily. "I'll put it on your table. I knocked but you didn't answer. And the door was open," he explained.

He laid the key on the table and was about to leave when she spoke again.

"Don't go."

Her voice had lost most of its fear but there was still a note of underlying tension in it that she was visibly trying to throttle. The light was fading fast and Jake wished he could see her face more clearly.

"Please sit down while I turn the lights on. I'd like to say something to you." She sensed rather than saw his raised eyebrows and she sighed. "Don't worry, I won't scream again."

He moved around the couch and sat down, his eyes never leaving her as she reached for a box of matches on the table and lit one. She put it to a gas lamp which had been sitting docilely in a corner and suddenly the whole room was washed in bright light. She shook the match out and went around the room, closing the curtains. Jake admired the way her sleek muscles stretched beneath her clothing when she moved; he would have to be blind not to. Kuda finished and turned to face Jake, only, she looked at his left ear and not his eyes.

"I want to apologise for this afternoon," she began. "I know the reaction most people have when they see King for the first time and I shouldn't have made fun of you about it." She stopped and Jake continued to look at her expectantly. When he realised that that was it, he bit his inner cheek to keep from smiling.

"I had a very bad experience with a dog as a child, actually," he said solemnly. Kuda looked interested.

"Really? What happened?"

"I got bitten by a one-eyed, three-legged dog," he answered soberly. Kuda knew he was pulling one over on her and she was amused.

"Really?" she said dryly.

"Yep, but it's a long story and I'll tell you one day if you're nice to me," he replied, still sober.

"When dogs lay eggs," she muttered under her breath.