34 | Falling

The birds had begun to sing their songs outside, but I wasn't ready to leave my bed. The revelations of yesterday were still fresh in my mind. Cal had trusted me with his darkness and had seemed to have accepted mine without fear. I couldn't say that I was no longer afraid of what slept inside of me, but maybe everything in my future didn't have to be doom and gloom.

Maybe if I was careful. Maybe now that I knew what I would become if I wasn't, I could avoid that path altogether. Cal nuzzled his face against my neck, holding me tighter to his body. My cheeks bloomed with heat at the memories of how we had spent the night.

"What are you thinking 'bout?" Cal asked. His voice low and full of dark, satisfying promise. There was no way I could answer that question safely and keep what remained of my dignity.

"Luce?" His lips tease the sensitive skin of my neck. A shiver of anticipation rushed through me.

"Nothing." I sounded more breathless than I wanted.

Cal chuckled, pulling back so that his face now loomed over mine. "Nothing...That so?" His eyes shimmered with mischief.

A small shriek escaped my mouth as he lifted himself up off the mattress for a quick moment before yanking me underneath him. Poised above me, resting most of his weight on his elbows, Cal let the lower half of his body settle against mine. His arousal sat heavy against my stomach.

"Cal," I said his name like a plea. Unsure if I wanted him to continue or stop whatever was building between us.

His lips curled into a devilish smirk. "You need something from me?"

And like the devil he appeared to be in this moment, he shifted his hips. Our bodies rubbed against each other, creating an agonizing kind of friction. I sucked in a sharp breath, pressing my head back into the pillows. There was a fire burning in my veins. A hunger that I had never experienced before.

Sure, I had desired men before – wanted them. But none of the want could hold a candle to what blazed inside me. It was all consuming – a longing that took me to the point of pain.

Cal pressed his lips to my throat, teeth nipping at my skin. My heart slammed against my rib cage. I turned into a statue beneath him. With a flick of his warm tongue up the length of my neck, I forgot the danger and sting of his teeth. My fingers dug into his biceps as I gripped him.

Whether my intention was to push him away or pull him closer I couldn't be sure and Cal didn't give me time to make a choice. He slipped free from my grip with little effort, leaving a trail of kisses behind as he moved down my body.

"Tell me what you need," he said, lifting his gaze to mine.

A sudden thirst took hold of me. I flicked my tongue over my dry lips, watching as his eyes followed the motion with a predatory heat. Our gaze clashed again and all rational thought flew from my mind.

"Tell me." This time it was a command and it electrified every nerve in my body.

The ache in my body was almost unbearable. I needed something that I couldn't describe. Something that was more than our bodies coming together as they already had—several times.

No, what I needed was to free whatever monstrous thing was writhing just beneath my skin. Visions of teeth, blood, and dark passions swirled through my mind. Whatever was happening – whatever was going to happen, I knew that somehow Cal was the only one who could handle it, control it.

"You. I need you," I said, eyes watering as I arched up into his body, wanting to free myself from the hungry pain burning inside.

His teeth scraped across my skin as he placed brutal kisses over the edge of my hip. Goosebumps erupted over my body at the sensation. I reached down, digging my fingers through his hair and clawing at his scalp.

My stomach let out a loud growl. Both of us froze, breathing heavy as the sexual haze slowly receded. Heat rushed up the back of my neck as mortification moved through me. I let out a small laugh and buried my face in my hands. Honestly, I could die at the moment.

His own rumbling laugh made my face burn hotter. He placed a tender kiss to my stomach. "Sounds like my female has other more pressing needs at the moment."

His female. Is that what I was now?

Maybe it should have bothered me, the possession of that statement. But it didn't. A deep part of me found the thought settling. Plus, it didn't feel like a one-way street. In fact, I got the sense that I was the one holding all of the power in our situation.

I peeked out through between my fingers meeting his captivating gaze. He was looking at me as if I were his sole purpose for existing.

God, I should be terrified of this. Of him.

But I couldn't find the fear. At the moment, everything in me screamed at the rightness of us.

A pleased smile brightened his face, and I found myself lost in him like the first day that we met. I reached out, placing my hand to his cheek. It was prickly against my palm, our days of travel making themselves known. He closed his eyes and relaxed himself into my touch. Watching him be so unguarded, it had a familiar heat pooling in my stomach.

Cal's nostrils flared, a deep rumbling growl rattling in his chest as his eyes snapped open. My skin heated at the realization that he knew exactly the effect that he was having on me. I wanted to sink deeper into the mattress, throw the blanket over myself and hide for the rest of the day.

He dropped his face, pressing his forehead to my stomach. "You're doing a real number on my self control."

"Sorry?"

Crisp morning air rushed in over my body as Cal got out of the bed with a reluctant, heavy sigh. My hand went for the blanket but he yanked it out of reach. "Get your sexy ass out of that bed and get dressed. We're going to breakfast."

I sat up, folding my arms around my stomach to keep from shivering. "Are you asking or telling me?"

His brow arched and I found myself smirking as I stood up out of the bed. It was too easy and too fun to push Cal's buttons. I closed the distance between us, rising up on my tip-toes and placing a quick kiss to his cheek. "Make it someplace I can get waffles or I'm getting back in that bed."

"Are you asking or telling me?"

"I thought that was pretty obvious," I said, matching the playful grin on his face.

#  #

We should have never left my bed.

There was a strange, eerie silence hanging over the town. It appeared different than it had the day before. It wasn't the overcast sky or the frosty grip of winter. There was something else. Something that I couldn't put my finger on. I wanted to blame my paranoia, but I couldn't ignore the frequency of patrol cars the closer we got to the bar.

I sat up straighter in my seat. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Cal spared me a tense look, jaw clenching as we turned off the main road and had a clear shot of the bar.

The sheriff's car was parked next to the corners van. Deputy Durren was posted up next to it, talking on a phone. There were several patrol officers working to set up caution tape around the bar. People in uniforms were moving in and out of the building, all with grim expressions.

Cal pulled up to the curb next to the parking lot and put the car into park. A terrible feeling slithered down my spine and coiled around my stomach. It was hard to catch my breath. "Cal? We shouldn't be here."

"I'm going to check it out."

Without thought, I grabbed his hand. "Don't go. "

The tension swelled between us. Nothing good was going to happen if he got out of the car. I knew that, deep in my bones. But I also knew that I couldn't stop him. The hard look in his eyes spoke louder than the silence.

"Please." I gave his hand a squeeze. If only I had the ability to hold him captive in this moment - turn back time. Rewind back to my bedroom. Convince him we should have breakfast in bed.

Maybe rewind it back farther to before we met - before I decided to move Mary-Beth and I to Twin Peaks. Save all of us from whatever tragedy we all seemed so eager to endure.

"Stay here," he said, pulling out of my grip. His seat-belt slapped hard against the side panel as he got out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

My peaceful, happy bubble was gone. Reality had shattered it in one blow. I watched him cut past the cops laying out the yellow caution tape who called after him indignantly.

Anxiety crawled over my skin like a colony of ants. I rubbed my hands down my legs, wiping away the wetness that continued to gather on my palms. Waiting in the car was not going to work for me. I needed to know what was going on, even if it irritated Cal. I was never going to be the type of person to sit back and do nothing.

Before my better sense could catch up, I got out of the car. The cool air grabbed me and strangled the air from my lungs in one big huff. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying but failing, to conserve my body heat.

"You sick bastard!" I heard a familiar deep voice. My gaze focusing on the deputy as he cut a path to Cal. He grabbed his jacket when he reached him, giving him a thorough shake. "We caught you this time! You are going to pay for what you've done!"

I started toward them in a hurry. The deputy would be lucky if Cal didn't rip him apart. I'd be lucky if Cal didn't rip me apart for not staying in the car like he had told me.

"Deputy Durren, let him go!" The Sheriff appeared out of the shadow of the bar. I halted my steps, watching as the deputy released Cal and spat at his feet in clear disdain.

"You shouldn't have come here, Cal," The sheriff said, looking tired.

"Why not?" Cal asked, but before the sheriff could reply the Medical examiner wheeled the gurney past him, the sheet that covered the body beneath was stained bright red. His face turned a ghostly shade of white and he staggered back a couple steps. "God, no...not you..."

"I'm sorry." The sheriff reached for Cal. "Callum Wolfe you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent - "

My body was moving before I had time to think about it. A reflex that was somehow oriented with Cal - an unknowing force that always kept me in step with him. The sheriff was reading him his rights, putting handcuffs on him. And Cal wasn't stopping them. He was gone. He was somewhere else entirely.

"What are you doing?" I yelled, rushing toward them. The cops moved to block my path. Gritting my teeth, I pushed at them. "Let me through!"

They didn't budge. My attempts to maneuver around and through them were pointless. Desperation took hold of me. "I am going to take your gun and shoot you if you don't get the hell out of my way."

"You think it smart to be threatening us, girl?"

My lip pulled up in a snarl. "It's not a threat."

"Luce, stop." I froze at the sound of Cal's voice. My eyes met his through the small gap between the cops bodies. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Liar. He wouldn't be fine. Not with these people. Not in this town when Bradford wanted him gone. "This is bull! You had nothing to do with this. Tell them."

"I know you're scared, but we talked about this." The sorrow in his eyes settled a chill over my heart.

"But-" I threw up a hand and he gave a shake of his head. I swallowed the rest of the words on my tongue.

"I can handle myself. Worry about Mary-Beth."

I stood frozen, hearing the unspoken words. He was telling me to leave - stick to the plan. And I should stick to it. I would stick to it. Mary-Beth's life depended on it. Still, walking away from him now - after everything, it seemed too impossible. Not when I knew it might be the last time I would see him.

We only had one night. A small glimpse into something that could be. And I knew now he mattered more than I ever wanted him to. I was an idiot. I had known how things were going to end, and I'd chosen to ignore that.

"What are you waiting for? Go." His voice cut through the haze of my emotions. I stumbled back a step like he had struck me. The sheriff pushed him toward his patrol car and I forced myself to turn away.

"You should be thanking us," one of the cops said under his breath.

I froze and glanced back over my shoulder. "What?"

The cop on the left elbowed his buddy. But he ignored the clear suggestion for him to stop speaking. Anger crackled under my skin like lightening - hot and violent. I clenched my hands into fists. "You got something to say? Then fucking say it so I can hear."

The cop sneered at me. "Just think if that sick bastard could kill one of his friends like that...what do you think he had planned for you?"

The ground shifted beneath my feet and my gaze flew to the coroner's van. I was going to throw up. My anger turned into a black hole, sucking me into it's horizon.

"Who was it?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Paige Williams."

My heart splintered. The image of a smiling Paige was buried beneath a bloodied sheet. I lost control of my stomach then - vomit spewed from my mouth onto the icy pavement. The cops swore, leaping back to avoid the mess.

I coughed, the acidic burn of bile coated my tongue. My hand trembled as I wiped the back of it across my mouth.

Paige was dead?

I staggered away from the scene of the crime. The world had become nothing more than a swirl of objects and colors - the context was completely lost on me.

No, not dead.

Murdered.

Cal was in police custody. They said they had evidence this time to prove he was the killer. Which made no sense. We were together last night. This was wrong. Someone had murdered Paige and were framing Cal. Thoughts rushed through my head with dizzying speed.

My heart pounded in my chest as I fumbled to get back into the car. Somehow I got myself behind the wheel and buckled myself in - the engine still idling. All the air wheezed from my lungs, forming a strange lump in my throat. I sat there, staring out the window - watching without seeing. My vision blurred as hot tears spilled down my cheeks.

Mary-Beth.

The plan.

I would stick to the plan.

Cal had allowed himself to be taken to give us time to get away. He didn't want me to come back to Twin Peaks. I'd seen it in his eyes. This was his gift to me - maybe it was what he had planned all along, no matter what happened.

A familiar numbness began to creep in. It covered the pain, the loss - all of it. I took a breath, then another. All the pieces of me fell away until I knew nothing - until was nothing. I put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb.

---------

The end is nigh.