Twisted Echoes Page 4

  What she was seeing in Lorna this morning made her very curious. The tall, muscular woman with the short blond hair was interesting for a whole lot of reasons, but it was the fusion of color surrounding her like a rainbow fog that was filling Renee with a desire to know so much more. Even if she weren’t homeless, she’d want to stay here and find out Lorna’s secrets.

  “I don’t know, Mom. Could be power, could be something else. It’s unique, I’ll give her that. Haven’t seen that kind of color on anyone else.” She’d seen auras of power before, and Lorna’s wasn’t like that. In fact, it wasn’t like any she’d seen before. It made her all the more curious to find out what made Lorna tick. Professional curiosity only, of course.

  “Maybe you’re just seeing something because of what happened to you. Stress of losing your home and business. That kind of stress would be difficult for even the strongest of people. You’re also tired and that’s affecting you more than you know.” She continued to put dishes away without looking at Renee.

  She closed her eyes for a second and counted to ten. As much as she loved her mother, her subtle innuendos got on her nerves at times. The truth was she’d never reconciled with Renee’s decision to live in Seattle after the incident on the rocks. Only once did she try to explain it all to her mother. She’d been full of empathy and concern, but she hadn’t understood. Nor had she been able to grasp what had driven her to that awful night. She stopped trying to make her understand. Instead, she’d packed her things and moved to Seattle, leaving everything in her rearview mirror.

  At first, it had been difficult. A hundred times, she’d thought about throwing in the towel and going back home. A hundred times, she stopped and found the strength to keep trudging forward. In the end, she’d embraced the freedom to be the person who’d lived hidden inside her soul.

  It started that night on the rocks with the ocean pounding the stones with a fury that matched the way she’d been feeling. She’d come within a breath of embracing the violence and giving her body to sea. To this day, she couldn’t say what it was that pulled her away from that irreversible decision. Whatever it was, she was grateful. She’d climbed down from the stones and changed her life. She no longer hid her sexuality or her desire to give her heart to a woman, and that drummer’s beat became a lot funkier. The quiet discontent always rippling through her disappeared. Scary as it was, she embraced the courage she needed to be free. She was happy.

  That long ago night was not something they talked about. Mom was great in so many ways, but when it came to Renee’s idiosyncrasies, she chose to pretend they didn’t exist. Like her ability to see auras. She might mention them, might give superficial attention to Renee’s visions of them, that’s it. Belief was another thing altogether and something she really didn’t possess.

  Renee wasn’t going to go into it with her now. It was easier just to roll with the superficial acknowledgement. “Yeah, you’ve got a point, Mom. Losing everything sucks, and it’s more than a little stressful though it doesn’t affect someone else’s aura. Lorna has something very cool going on, and I’m really curious to find out what it is.”

  “Well,” she remarked as she picked up a bucket filled with cleaning supplies. “Remember, this is her house now, and despite her warm welcome, remember you’re a guest. She may not appreciate your voodoo ideas, so probably better to keep those to yourself.”

  Renee smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I promise I will not bother our hostess with any voodoo.”

  *

  The second she stepped outside and the fresh air filled her lungs, Lorna smiled. For some reason, running always made her feel alive and real. It wasn’t that she liked to run all that much. On the contrary, getting herself out the door and on the road was more often than not an exercise in sheer determination.

  The funny part was once she got going, all the resistance melted away, and she took off with a feeling of energy and light. When she first began running, she’d felt like a heifer trying to run with a cougar. Her friend Sophia had pestered her until she gave in. The first few months were pure torture, and if not for Sophia, she’d have quit the first week. As good friends often do, Sophia gave her the encouragement she needed to keep going. Who could have guessed all the wonderful side effects?

  Still, even after months of logging mile after mile, she could recall thinking she was nuts to even consider finishing a 5K. The idea of a triathlon was nowhere on her horizon until Sophia got a wild hair that they should do Valley Girl, an all-women spring triathlon. A third of a mile swim, a twelve-mile bike ride, and a 5K run.

  Turned out to be so much fun, she was hooked before she realized what had happened. Three years later, after watching Ironman in Coeur d’Alene, she caught the fever. Next thing she knew, she was a regular volunteer working with the awesome athletes as they made their life-changing journeys. The logical step following her years as a volunteer was to sign up to be one of those athletes. Caught up in the high of last year’s event, that’s exactly what she did. Expensive commitment made, the only choice she had, in her opinion, was to give it the best shot she could.

  A couple months after making the decision to go all in, she’d gotten bold and decided to go big guns. With only a twinge of guilt about spending so much on a bicycle, she plunked down a bundle for the red and white Cervélo. One hundred and twelve miles was a long way to ride, and if she could give herself an edge, she was all over it. Any remaining guilt slid away the first time she went out. The miles glided by, and it was the first time she began to believe her Ironman dream might become a reality.

  Of course, at the time she had a great job, a beautiful home, and was deeply in love. In her mind, the stars had, to her utter amazement, aligned for her. Boy, had she been wrong. Everything blew apart as if she’d been hit by a freak tornado. By the time the dust settled, she’d quit her job, sold her home, and tried to figure out how to keep going forward with a heart broken into a thousand pieces.

  Could be she had a little guardian angel lurking above her because after all the turmoil, things started to fall into place. She inherited this house and even a fair chunk of change to keep it going. Her skills and experience as a technical writer came together to create a new career that allowed her to work anywhere. She worked from home these days making nearly as much as she had working for corporate America. Both the home and the work-at-home career gave her the time and place to train. If not for the heart that still hurt like hell, her life might be pretty sweet.

  With her pre-run stretches complete, Lorna stopped thinking about the state of her life and began to run, her pace easy and relaxed. The sun had decided to peek through the clouds, and the scent of the ocean wafted in the air. This was so different from the hot, dry air in Spokane. Not that it was unpleasant. On the contrary, it was exactly what she needed. No reminders of what she’d lost and what she’d left behind. This was a one hundred and eighty degree new beginning.

  Once she made her way down the long driveway to the road, she stopped and inhaled deeply. It was breathtaking here in a completely different way from Spokane. How the family ended up on this gorgeous spot of land between Neah Bay and Clallam Bay was a mystery. It was so out of the way on one hand and so incredibly stunning on the other. What she didn’t get was the isolation. They were a rich, interesting family, and it seemed to her they would have wanted to be part of the vibrant Seattle society. Instead, they settled here far away from the city and pretty much anyone else for that matter. Given her current state of mind, that part was welcome to her and maybe that’s what they were looking for too when they stopped here and decided to build.

  She took a sip from the water bottle on her fuel belt and then took off again. No more easy. In the race, she’d have to complete 26.2 miles, so wimping out at a couple miles wasn’t going to cut it. She pushed even as her legs ached with each strike of her foot on the unforgiving asphalt. It was her fault for ignoring most of her training during the last month. The body had a way of expressing its disple
asure at her abandonment of the plan she’d been faithfully following until recently.

  With her race coming up in a few months, she didn’t dare allow her training to slide any longer. If she didn’t focus, she’d be lucky to finish the endurance test within the allowed time limits. And with strict cutoff times on each leg, it wasn’t like she could make up time for a weaker segment in one where she was stronger. No, it was out for the count if she missed her time by a single second in any of the three. Not an option.

  So shut up and run was what she was thinking right now. And it’s what she did. After a few minutes, she found her rhythm, and the pain in her legs began to ease away. Despite her whining about the stiffness in her body when she started, it usually ended up this way. Ten minutes or so into the run and her attitude shifted from reluctant runner to willing participant.

  After about five miles, the road veered closer to the ocean though still decidedly inland. A side road lead away from the main highway and to the cliffs overlooking the waters. This was a much nicer road to run on without the worry of high-speed traffic. Along the side road, she ran on until she veered off the road and onto the wild grass of the bluff. Her breath coming in labored puffs, sweat beading on her forehead and trickling down her chest between her breasts, she stopped. Hands on her quads, she leaned forward and caught her breath as she looked out on the breathtaking view.

  A glorious cool breeze blew off the water cooling the sweat on her skin. Despite the unaccustomed dampness to the air, it was delightful. All the way over here from Spokane she’d wondered if this was the right move and whether she’d be able to acclimate to a coastal climate. With each passing day, she became more and more convinced that she could. It was different but in a good way.

  Besides, wasn’t that exactly what she’d been looking for? Her life on the east side had become painful, and everything she thought she believed, altered. Coming here gave her a chance to start over without distractions, and more importantly, without having to worry about running into Anna. She didn’t think her heart could take that despite her conviction that she was a tough bitch. Just didn’t think she was quite that tough.

  As she watched the ocean ebb and flow, the spray of the waves touching her face like fine mist, she considered why it had been so important to run away. That wasn’t like her really. And it wasn’t like this was the first time her heart had been broken. Anna had dumped her for another woman and that had its own kind of sting. But it was something more than simply being dumped.

  She’d believed what they’d shared was forever, and discovering how terribly wrong she’d been hurt more deeply than she imagined. The courage to love that completely might never come to her again, and that was one of the reasons she ran. Not so much from Anna but from herself. Hidden away on the ocean shores, who could touch her here? No one, and that made her feel safe. Eliminate the temptation and the problem was solved.

  With a sigh, she decided that rather than stand here psychoanalyzing herself, she should probably keep running. She was, after all, due for a twelve-mile loop today, and according to her Garmin, there were almost seven more miles to go.

  It was hard to work up the energy to leave this place. The grass was green, a big overhanging tree provided lovely shade, and the ocean waters were clear and beautiful. Perhaps for just a little while, she’d sit and rest. Enjoy the moment, the journey, and then finish her run.

  She lowered herself to the ground, slipped out of her running shoes, and took off her fuel belt. She leaned her head against the tree trunk and closed her eyes. So peaceful. A girl could get used to this.

  The wind howled, the sea raged, waves crashing against the rocks with the roar of a wild beast. She stood on the rocks, the spray soaking her dress and chilling her skin. Tendrils of her long hair whipped around her face, but she didn’t move. The crash of the water against the rocks was deafening. She gave little notice to any of it as she stared across the ocean waters, waiting and watching.

  Even the rage of the lightning and the crack of thunder in the far off sky, could not dull her senses enough to block out the sound of her beloved. When she sensed her spirit, her heart soared. The night had called her, and she’d come. She always did. Love had a way of speaking to the heart, no matter what else happened. Soon they would be together again.

  The wind tore the pins holding the thick mass of her hair, and it fell free, whipping around her face as the wind carried it. The ocean spray soaked her gown, and it clung to her every swell and curve. She shivered as she stared into the dark sky, the beginnings of a storm rolling across the sky until all the blue was pushed away. None of it mattered, for she could feel her spirit on the wind. Out here where nature roared and raged, she felt closest to the one she’d lost. That if she reached out, once more their fingers would entwine.

  Another sound cut through the night, and she whirled, her gaze turning toward the bluff where earlier she had walked. A figure, large and menacing in the growing darkness, moved with speed and determination. Her scream cut through the growing wind, the raw pain of it clear even to her own ears. Knees buckling, she crumpled to the ground as she pressed the necklace she held in her fingers against her face. Great, wracking sobs shook her body.

  He came across the bluff, his strides never slowing. She did not need to raise her gaze to his to know that his dark eyes never wavered from her. The grim set to his face would not be one of compassion or caring. Anger would darken his features just as the storm darkened the day. She had seen it a hundred times before. When he reached her side, he did not put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Instead, he gripped her arm and dragged her to her feet heedless of her cries of pain.

  “Enough,” he bellowed through the howling winds. “Someone will hear you, or even worse, see you with this thing!” He ripped from her hand the necklace she’d been holding to her face.

  “It’s mine,” she screamed. “You have no right to take it from me.” She lunged, trying to take it back. He held it outside her reach.

  “No more!” He flung it far away, and when she tried to run after it, he wrenched her hard in the opposite direction. “Do not cross me, child. I will have no more of it.”

  She twisted back and forth in her attempt to break free of his cruel grip. “It’s mine. It’s all I have left of her.” In the darkness she could barely make out the flicker of white beads as they bobbed and floated in the ocean surf. If she didn’t get to it quickly, it would be gone.

  He dragged her in the opposite direction, the fabric on the sleeve of her gown tearing away to leave bare skin to take the brunt of the rain that now came down in a torrent. “No more,” he yelled through the wind. “No more.”

  She stumbled, a sharp pain knifing through her ankle. He dragged her without regard to her footing or her tears. One shoe slipped from her foot, and still he did not pause. Hot blood mingled with cold rain when a stone tore the tender skin on the bottom of her foot. “I hate you,” she screamed back at him, heedless of the pain and the blood. “I will always hate you.”

  Her eyes stayed on the ocean as he hauled her away. His hatred could not destroy what was in her heart. She could not fight him and win, for he was bigger and stronger, but neither would she bend to his will. Her heart belonged to one and one only. It mattered not what he did; that would never change. He could never destroy their love. She would make certain.

  The waters stirred up by the storm roiled with a fury that matched that of the man whose fingers dug into the skin of her arm and drew blood. The last thing she saw as he hauled her away was the beautiful whalebone necklace discarded amongst the craggy, surf-battered stones at the edge of the beach.

  Chapter Four

  In the shade, the Watcher stood tall enough to brush the branches rising seven feet from the grass-covered ground. A leaf snagged in his hair and he brushed it away. His focus was on the woman whose gaze was locked on the bluff overlooking the ocean shore and the waves beyond. The expression on her face was hard to read. Shock? Disbelief? Fear?
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  He’d waited so long for both women, and he’d nearly given up hope that they’d come. His fall had taken him many places and across many oceans. In a multitude of faces, he’d searched for the power and grace. Time and time again, he prayed for redemption. Time and time again, he failed.

  This time he prayed it would be different. Each had their part to play, and if they did, his work would at last be complete. First, she must open her mind and see the past. Only in understanding what came before could she make the future right. That was her destiny if she went deep for the strength to embrace it.

  If she opened her heart and helped, then perhaps he would at last be given the chance to go home. His sins would at last be forgiven. Alone, he was powerless. He needed her. They needed her.

  Across the palm of his hand, a necklace dangled. Since the night he’d found it in the sand, cold and wet from the slap of the ocean’s waters, he’d kept it close. At the time, he’d not understood why he felt compelled to keep it with him. Only later did he come to know. He had failed to help her that night, and in every night since, and it was a constant reminder of why he was here. Not that he’d forgotten for an instant. He thought of her every day and every night. He wanted to bring her home and grant her peace. She deserved at least that much.

  To make it happen, this woman had to see. Her power to pull aside the veil separating the worlds was critical to bringing the lost ones home and to helping him find his way to forgiveness. The trinity needed to make it all happen was within his reach at long last. If they each fulfilled their destiny, he and the two women, all would be as it should.