Free Ella Awakened by S. E. Duncan

trying to calm Barret down or to wait for the search
parties to be formed.  He set out immediately with a sickness in the pit of his
stomach and the knowledge that two people had already been killed.  He had
found her lying shattered on the rocks below the village cliffs.  Later, he
wouldn’t be able to recall how he’d made it down to her so quickly.  He had
screamed and fallen to his knees next to her soaked body.  He lifted her into
his arms before the incoming tide could carry her out to sea.  He took over an
hour to carry Willow up the winding path.  Burke had stumbled along half
blinded by his own tears.  When he reached the top of the trail he collapsed
and lovingly cradled her head in his hands.
    Instantly,
he was Willow.  There was a young man beckoning him, claiming to have found an
injured child.  Without hesitation he followed the young man toward the edge of
the cliff.  When the man turned with glowing red eyes and pulled her to him,
Willow didn’t even scream.  She was more saddened by the knowledge of what
would never be than frightened.  Her eyes filled with tears and she whispered a
single word - “Barret” - before the Demon stole her breath and pushed her
lifeless body over the cliff’s edge.  
    Burke had
still been engaged in the vision when his mother and father found him.  They
had pried Willow’s body from him, and Reid had carried her home.  Burke had
wrestled his hysterical mother to the ground and held her there, not wanting
her to lay her hands on Willow’s head and see the vision.  A mother’s memories
of her child shouldn’t include sharing her daughter’s heart wrenching sorrow
over being stolen from her love.
    Burke had
left everything to avenge Willow.  He’d lost not only his family and friends
and the village, but his entire world.  Now, at last, it seemed the Mother of
All was showing him mercy.
    ~~
    When Ella
made the final turn into her neighborhood, Burke continued on and turned on the
next street up.  He doubled around and parked at the end of the block where he
could see without being seen.  He would just lay low and follow her back later
tonight.  They still had a lot to talk about and much to accomplish in a short
time.  He felt at least a little better just being closer to her in case she
needed him.  With nothing to do but sit and wait, Burke seemed unable to
control his own thoughts as they replayed and analyzed the last few days he had
spent with Ella.
    Of course
he’d had to rip her top when she had begun to convulse, so he could
bring her breathing and heart rate back.  But now that it was over and she was
well, he couldn’t help but dwell on the, shall we say, bright side of the
situation.  He closed his eyes and pictured the perfect shape of her creamy
white breasts and the exact placement of her tan lines.  How he would love to
be able to touch her under different circumstances.  How many times over the
past few days had he held her close to him?  Now that she was well would he
have the nerve to take her into his arms?  He thought for the second time that
day, about how he had kissed her that morning.  He had just been so overjoyed
that she was okay.  More than okay, she was pretty close to perfect.  He
wondered how she had felt about the kiss.  Was it just his hopeful imagination,
or had she leaned into him?  He couldn’t afford to run her off.  He was going
to have to feel her out, to take it very slow and easy.  He gave a little grin
at the wording of his own thoughts - feel her out.  He thought about her
soft curves and how he would indeed love to feel them.  He was lost in his
visual heaven when a sudden tap at his window brought him crashing back to
reality.  He actually gave a little yelp.  Only a warrior could sneak up on him
like that.  James used to think it was hilarious.
    “Christ,
Ella.” He said as he looked up to see her standing next to the truck with her
hands on her hips.
    “Boy, do I
feel safe,”