Elk Creek

Chapter 8

When Raina woke, it was still dark out. The air in the room was warm and still. A pleasurable heat radiated from the large hand resting on her thigh. Sitting up slowly, she glanced around trying to find what had disturbed her sleep. Silence echoed off the walls. For a long interval of time she sat all her senses on alert.

Somewhere in the loft apartment, something shifted. Raina's eyes widened.

"Val!" she hissed. The man beside her stayed asleep. "Valantine!" she reached over and shook his shoulder.

His arm tensed, pulling her closer. "Huh?" he shifted. "Wha...?"

"Wake up. I heard something." In an instant, Val sat up beside her, his dark eyes keen, searching for danger.

"Where?"

"I don't know."

A high pitched scream reverberated from the guestroom. Raina's blood froze. NO! In seconds both Val and Raina were out of bed, racing toward the other room. Heart beating rapidly, rising into her throat, Raina barreled into the guestroom.

The little girl stood on the bed, her face against the glass. "Iza, what's wrong?" Raina pulled the girl to her, away from the window, and settled on the foot of the bed.

"Dere was a man outside!" Iza cried, her tiny fist rubbing her drooping eyes. Val scanned the space beyond the pane of glass.

"I don't see anyone."

"He was there!"

"Shh, baby, it's okay." Standing, Raina lifted Iza into her arms. Her eyes closed as she inhaled the familiar scent of her daughter's hair. Izabelle felt heavy in Raina's embrace but still she held the little girl to her. How much longer would Izabelle seek comfort in her arms?

"I'm gonna check the rest of the loft," Val said as they stepped back into the hall. After ushering Raina and Izabelle into his room, Val disappeared into the darkness at the end of the hall. Standing in the doorway, Raina hesitated a moment before turning toward the bedroom. What if Carter had found them?

"Come on, baby," Raina cooed, sparing one last glance down the hall before she carried her daughter over to the bed. She pulled back the covers and lowered Izabelle onto the sheet. "Everything's going to be alright." With a cool hand, Raina smoothed dark curls off of Izabelle's forehead and urged her to go back to sleep.

"I'm scared Mommy," Izabelle said, staring up at Raina with wide dark eyes.

Raina crawled into the bed and pulled the covers over both of them. "Val won't let anything happen to us." As she spoke, Val's dark form stepped through the door.

"Everything's clear," he said as he slid into bed on the other side of Izabelle. For a long moment he held Raina's gaze. His eyes luminesced with a concerned intensity. He knew someone had been outside.

Iza shattered the tension with a vocal yawn. "Nightnight." The little girl snuggled into the pillows. Her eyes closed in slumber on contact with the feathery surface.

"Night darling," Raina pulled the blanket further over the little girl's shoulders. When she glanced up, Val was watching Iza, taking in her delicate features. Knowing they needed to talk, Raina reached over and set her hand on Val's arm. "We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah," he continued to watch Iza sleep.

"She looks just like you," Raina observed, "I was worried that you'd take one look at her and know."