Haunting Shadows (Book 2)

Chapter 7

Raphael was watching me when I awoke later. How long I had been asleep I didn’t know, nor did I care. I felt rested for the first time since the incident all thanks to whatever magic concoction Raphael had given me. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad. Maybe he really had my best interests at heart and Eric and I were being nothing more than paranoid.

His eyes followed me as I got into an upright position. I gave him a small smile. “How long was I asleep?” I asked.

“Eighteen hours. I let you sleep because you seemed like you needed it.” I nodded my head weakly, I had. And how glorious it was to have a deep, dreamless sleep after so many sleepless nights. I know I was supposed to be on edge around him, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude.

“What did you give me, and can I have it again? It’s been a while since I’ve felt this well rested,” I said, drawing my legs to me and crossing them over each other. It was only then I realized how short the dress was I was wearing and Raphael quickly averted his eyes. I pulled my blanket over my legs, but enjoyed that I was able to rattle him.

“It was a concoction Ms. Henry is well known for. She’s not a witch, but she is a medicine woman and the things she does might as well have been magic,” Raphael said, his hand scratching his head as he laughed. How was it that he seemed so uncomfortable? My suspicions flared, but not in a bad way per se.

“Send her my thanks, please.”

“Yes, of course.”

Silence ensued, quite awkwardly I might add, both of us just sitting there staring at each other. “Raphael, can I ask you something?” I said to break the unbearable silence.

He nodded, his face more relaxed now. “Sure, go ahead.”

“I have just been wondering, who knows that I’m still alive?” my voice was small. I didn’t dare hoe that someone I loved still believed I was of the land of the living, but I couldn’t help myself. If Zane knew I wasn’t dead, I could begin to repair my relationship with him. My life could go on.

“No one apart for me and Eric. If we had told anyone beforehand what we were planning to do their reactions would not have been real. And people needed to believe that you were really dead. I’m sorry, Lana.” My heart dropped to my feet.

Zane was probably under more watch than ever now, being labeled as the witch’s brother. I prayed he would be careful, but knew I couldn’t approach him myself. The only people I had left now were Raphael and Eric. And while I could’ve been left with worse people, that was no a fact I was exactly thrilled about,

“So I can’t even go see them, from afar, just to make sure they are okay?”

Raphael was a lot better at reading between the lines that I gave him credit for. “If you are asking if you can leave, the answer is yes. I won’t keep you here against your will. I would just like to know that you are safe. But where would you go?”

He was right and it had me momentarily speechless. I was again placed in a position where I had no choice but to stay because I had nowhere else to go. Raphael realized this. He knew that I was stuck, my options limited. Of course he would tell me I could leave when he knew it was impossible. Suddenly Eric’s suspicions didn’t seem as far-fetched anymore. Raphael was a master manipulator, and up until now he had had me fooled.

“Why would you want me to stay? Why do you care?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

“Because I care.”

“Why? You don’t know me. You know what little I told you when I was still your brother’s fiancé. Other than that, we haven’t talked, haven’t spent much time together. What makes my life so special to you that you would risk getting caught to save me from the flames… keep me here?”

“You ask a lot of questions,” he commented dryly.

“And you don’t answer nearly enough of them.” If my apprehension had been concealed before, now it burst out with a vengeance. Something was going on that Raphael wasn’t telling me, and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

“If you suspect me of foul play, do tell me, my lady,” Raphael added, his eyes now narrowed. He was good, I’d give him that.

“I merely want to know your motives, and if they are entirely pure, you would’ve told me what they were by now.”

He leaned closer. “And what if they aren’t entirely pure?” there was a seductive hint to his tone. He was trying to lure me in, in to him. Was that his angle then? To get close to me?

“Depends on the kind of impurity you are referring to,” I fired back, deciding to play his game. For too long I had been just a pawn; it was time I became a player.

Raphael regarded me with a strange look in his eyes. “Let me ask you a question then…. What kind of impurity are you open to?”

None that he could offer, but I wasn’t going to let him know that. I smirked my response, hiding my true feelings. Andreas had been a better instructor than both he and I thought at the time. Perhaps that was one good thing that came out of my time with him. I refused to think about anything else. The bitter taste of his rejection was better left in the past.

Raphael straightened out, momentarily rattled. I’ll let you eat your breakfast in peace then. I’ll send Eric over with lunch and be back again tonight.” I gave him a small smile and reached out to grab the cup with tea, purposely causing skin contact. He started, but acted unfazed.

“See you tonight, then,” I replied in my sweetest voice.

He got up, looked at me like he was about to say something, but decided against it and headed out. It felt good to know I had an effect on him and that this time I was the one holding the cards. For once, I was going to keep someone guessing. I was going to be the one to cause confusion, I was done being the victim.