Free Crimson Echo by Dusty Burns

Four
                                                                         Gabe
                I felt my pockets, searching for my cell phone and then remembered I had left it upstairs on my bed. My heart pounded in my ears as I tried to figure out how I would get out of the house without being noticed by the intruder. His footsteps came down hard against the wood floors of the living room.
                He was searching for me and I prayed he wouldn’t find me. I knew he wasn’t coming here to rob the place or he would have already sacked the joint. Was this what Kane was afraid of, I wondered. I pushed myself farther back into the coats until I was concealed by a mass of fleece, wool and fur.
               I sighed a hushed breath of relief as I heard the footsteps grow more faint as he climbed the staircase and then as luck would have it a set of golf clubs in the corner of the closet came crashing out into the entry way. The tinkling of the irons echoed through the entire house and my breath hitched in my throat as I held back a scream.
                The footsteps came back and stood in front of the opened closet door. He picked up the clubs and sat them carefully against the wall. I could see the man’s feet from where I hid. I cringed back even farther into the wall. The intruder’s breathing was heavy and his stance assured. My hand still cupped my mouth for fear of being heard now.
               A hand reached in and pushed all of the jackets to the side and with his other hand yanked me from my hiding place. His face was worried and his eyes showed strain. His hands trembled as he held me out in front of him. He shook me and then pulled me into his chest and I could smell ember.
    “Why didn’t you answer me?” He asked in a low tone.
    I looked up at him and the tension left his face. I was too startled to answer him.
    “You had me worried. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
    “You nearly had a heart attack? What about me? I thought a stranger was breaking into my house!” I yelled into his shirt.        
    “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. That was foolish on my part.” He stroked my hair. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
    “What happened to us staying away from each other?” I pulled away and stared at him. You had me worried sick!”
    “I know I did, but I thought it was the only way. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you because of me.” He grabbed my hands. “I need you to understand that.”
    “I don’t understand any of it Kane.”
    “Do you still have your necklace?” He asked, pulling his from around his neck.
    “Yes, but why?” I pulled the moon pendant and chain from my back pocket and handed it to him.
                He took the two necklaces and snapped them together. They sparked again like they had in the library and fused together. The two pendants that were now one emitted a radiant golden yellow light. He put it around my neck and the glow dissipated.  His hand lingered at my collar bone and he smiled.
               The places where his fingers traced left a burning sensation and gave me chills all at the same time. He said nothing, but his eyes were filled with so much more. Even through the smile he looked pained and I wanted nothing more than to take that pain away, if only I knew what caused it.
    “Don’t take this off, no matter what. Got it?” He asked in a demanding tone.
    I shook my head and dropped it down the collar of my shirt. “Are you going to tell me what all of this is about?”
    He walked to the couch and patted the cushion beside him. I sat down and turned toward h im, waiting for an explanation I wasn’t sure I would get.
    “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he started. “And I don’t think you’re ready for all of it. Knowing only puts you at risk, but I don’t like lying to