Free Silver Storm: Timewalker Chronicles, Book 2 by Michele Callahan Page B

vacant, frozen face.
    She looked both exhausted and scared to death.
    Not sure if the overture would be welcome, he placed his hand gently over hers where it rested in a fist against her thigh.
    Sarah sighed, and the Mark on the side of his neck warmed, like a hot, soothing hand rested on his skin. After the constant and slightly painful tingling and humming beneath his scar, the sudden shift of sensation left him wary. And eager to touch more of her.
    “I was afraid of that.” Alexa’s whispered words echoed in the eerily silent room. She nodded her head in Sarah’s direction. Sarah’s head had fallen to the side in an awkward angle wedged against the back of the couch, asleep. “When was the last time she slept?”
    Tim shrugged. “I have no idea. She was unconscious this morning for about fifteen minutes when I pulled her out of the lake.”
    “How long since she’d rested before that?” Alexa shifted and looked directly at him without blinking. “The energy won’t let her rest unless you’re there to ground her.”
    Tim glanced down at his hand where it rested over Sarah’s lightly freckled skin, then back up at the oh so serious couple staring at him like he was their pet project.
    “You can’t leave her side until she learns what this is going to do to her, until she learns some control. It’ll be too dangerous for everyone.” Luke’s warning sank in and he imagined the worst. Apparently, Alexa did, too, because it looked like the little woman was on the verge of tears.
    “All right.” Tim looked back at Sarah. It wasn’t as if touching her was a big sacrifice. He knew exhaustion when he saw it. Sarah had literally passed out. He’d been too distracted, too caught up in his own thoughts to notice the sunken look of her eyes or the pale tone of her skin before. It didn’t matter much to him whether she was a pawn or a queen. She was a vital piece of the puzzle he needed to solve. He needed to keep her close until he did.
    Careful not to break contact with her, Tim slid his arms beneath her willowy body and lifted her from the chair. “Got somewhere she can rest for a few hours?”
    “Of course.” Alexa moved around her husband to lead him down a hallway off the kitchen.
    “What time is the storm supposed to hit tonight?”
    Luke checked his watch. “In about seven hours. The Observatory closes at eleven. We’ll leave at six. We should be there by eight to make sure they’ll sell us a ticket. Alexa can hide us and Sarah can zap the cameras after they shut the place down for the night.” Luke stared at his wife. “And then we’re leaving town.” Alexa nodded and met Luke’s worried gaze. Tim caught the slight shift of her hand as it moved protectively over her swollen abdomen. Luke’s little wife was pregnant, the baby bump hidden from him by her loose dress until now. Which meant if these two believed Sarah’s story, they should be in the damn car already hitting ninety on their way out of town.
    If it were his wife and child, they’d already be halfway to California.
    But he didn’t have that kind of life, people he needed to protect, people who counted on him, trusted him to keep them safe.
    Then again, perhaps now he did. Tim studied the light dusting of freckles on Sarah’s innocent but determined face. She looked like she worried, even in her sleep. She should be on a beach drinking margaritas and getting a suntan, not worrying about bad guys or saving the world.
    Nothing new for him here. Lies. Deceit. Danger. He’d lived this life for years. It might drive him insane to think about dragging a helpless woman into a fight, but he’d do it. It went against every instinct he had, made the muscles in his back and neck so tight he felt like a guitar string about to snap, but he’d do what needed to be done.
    He followed Alexa down the hallway with Sarah in his arms. She led him to a guest bedroom and moved aside so he could carry Sarah in and lay her down on the bed. Then she