Shadow Borne by Angie West

and leaned
in close.
    "Things to stay away from." I retorted.
    Over the past several minutes Mike had been
invading my personal space by small degrees and I just now noticed
how close he was standing.
    "Okay."
    I watched his chest rise and fall with each
breath he took and knew it was past time for me to put an end to
the night and walk away. I didn't at all like the way he was
suddenly staring at me. His eyes didn't waver from my own and I
felt off balance, too warm.
    "Goodnight." I said abruptly, spun around,
and began the long trek down the driveway, only to be pulled to a
halt a second later.
    "No." Mike's face was harsh in the
moonlight. "Don't run away from me. Please. I need to tell you, to
explain, why I had to leave. Then, if you still want to leave, you
can. Okay?" His expression softened infinitesimally when I tried to
jerk my arm out of his grasp but his fingers didn't loosen. I felt
my temper start to rise.
    "I know why you had to leave. Claire
explained that a long time ago. The only thing you could possibly
have to say now is why you stayed away. But I guess I already know
the answer to that question, too.” I said, unable to keep the
bitterness from my tone. “Let go of my arm. Now."
    Mike shook his head. "I'm sorry but no, I
can't do that."
    "You had damn well better do that." It took
every ounce of willpower I possessed to stay calm and refrain from
screaming at him, the stubborn jackass. "I am seriously beginning
to wonder what the fuck I ever saw in you." I snapped, forcing
myself to save what dignity I had left and not engage in a useless
struggle, but I took some satisfaction in the way Mike's eyes grew
wide, the way his nostrils flared with his sharp intake of breath
at my new-found curse words.
    "Well, that wasn't very nice." he finally
murmured and damn him he looked like he was trying not to laugh!
His mocking, bemused expression effectively snapped the last
threads of my control.
    Quick as a striking snake, I twisted down
and to the side, and in a matter of seconds the knife that had been
sheathed and strapped to my thigh was in the hand that Mike wasn't
holding–and it was pressed to his throat.
    "Let. Go. Of. Me. Now." I thrust my face
close to his and glared at him.
    Something flared in his eyes and his fingers
tightened around my arm for an instant before,abruptly, he let me
go.
    His dark gaze was shuttered, wary as he
backed up a few steps and regarded me in silence.
    "That's right. Things have
changed." I've changed . "Don't grab me unless you want me to defend
myself."
    "Would you have really cut me?"
    "Yes." I said automatically, although I
wasn't at all certain what I would have done. Was it stupid and
dangerous to draw on a man when you couldn't follow through? Sure.
But this was Mike. And the truth was, I probably wouldn't have cut
him, not that I had any intention of telling him that. Let him
think I'd stab him the next time he was fool enough to grab me. It
was good for him.
    "Okay." He held up both hands. "I don't want
you to go. But I won't touch you. Alright? Will you stay a while
longer? Stay and talk to me. There's so much I want to say to
you."
    "I don't know that you have anything to say
that I'm interested in hearing. And I have to go. I've been on
patrol all day and I'm tired."
    "Fine. Then I'll see you in the morning." He
made the words into a challenge.
    "No."
    "See? You are running from me."
    "I am not running from you. You aren't that
intimidating." I snorted. "I'm busy tomorrow morning." I lied.
    "That's interesting. Didn't you say you
would be by to see Claire in the morning?"
    Damn. I had said that, hadn't I? And I did
need to see Claire tomorrow, and Mark as well. We needed to plan
the upcoming search and rescue of the coast.
    “ Look, Claire's husband,"
he paused and smiled faintly, "that's going to take some getting
used to," he muttered. "That my sister is married now. Anyway, Mark
told me how close you are to Claire and the kids. He said you're as
close as