"Right, I'm sure my Uncle Mark will totally buy that excuse," I said before pulling his mouth down to meet mine.
Everything melted away with the touch of his lips. It was cliché to say fireworks erupted, but there was no denying that something exploded inside of me. He groaned against my lips before deepening the kiss. Every nerve in my body heightened with awareness. A sense of rightfulness settled over me. I may be a novice at the whole kissing thing, but at the moment, I felt sure no other person had shared a kiss quite like this. Our positions left me feeling hyperaware of every contour of his body as he balanced himself above me. I never wanted the kiss to end. We freely explored each other's mouths, taking what rightfully belonged to us. At the moment, I felt like I truly belonged somewhere, and that somewhere began and ended with the person on top of me. Suddenly, the touch of our lips wasn't enough. I wanted more with an intensity that would have scared me if he didn't feel so right on top of me. I tugged his shirt up so I could run my hands over the hard planes of his sculpted chest. His desires matched mine. He pulled back slightly, lifting my shirt before lowering his torso back on mine. I gasped with pleasure as his warm skin touched mine. "You can say that again, sweets," he whispered, rocking his hips gently against mine.
"Damn," I mumbled as my body began to react to the intimacy of his movements. Promises of no sex were forgotten as I fantasized what it would feel like with no clothes separating us. My desire spiraled out of control as the idea took hold. Running my hands down his back, I slipped my fingers just inside the waistband of his low-slung jeans, pulling him even closer. After a moment, Emrys broke the kiss.
"We have an audience," he murmured against my lips.
"No big surprise," I said, trying to douse the fire that was still raging through me. "Haniel?" I guessed, figuring that was a safe bet, although I wouldn't have put it past my uncle to throw a bucket of cold water on us.
"Yep, and guessing by the negative energy he's sending out, he's not enjoying the show," he answered, dipping his head down to give me one last kiss before hoisting his body off mine and pulling his shirt back into place.
I sighed instantly, feeling deprived. Every nerve in my body missed what was about to happen before we were interrupted.
Emrys chuckled."I figured if I play nice they won't throw you back in your jail cell," he said.
"Truth. I'd hate for my uncle to start digging a dungeon in the backyard," I said sullenly as I rose to my feet reluctantly. I straightened my shirt before throwing a glare over my shoulder at Haniel.
"Like that would have kept me out," he said, chuckling softly beside me. "Do you want to head back to your house?" he asked, watching me brush the sand off my backside.
"Not unless you have plans. I'm enjoying this rare amount of freedom despite my stalker," I answered, not sparing another look at Haniel on the bluff behind us.
"Sweets, all my plans begin and end with you," Emrys said as we strolled the opposite direction from my house.
"Nice line. I bet you say it to all the girls," I quipped, trying to ignore the rapid fluttering of my heart. "What about your duties? Won't you get in trouble if you're not bringing souls to the Between?" I questioned, more than a little intrigued on how it all worked in the much talked about realm.
"I only use that line on the girls I see on Thursdays," he teased. "As for my duties, I guess you could say I have some comp time."
"What do you mean 'comp time'?"
"Well, the Seer that is in charge of the Between has set guidelines on how many souls we should be delivering in each Leap of time. I always reach my goal early," he answered nonchalantly.
Rapid questions swirled around in my head. "Is the Seer some kind of Angel or is he a Daemon?"
"He's neither. He was created way back in the beginning to control the Between."
"What do you mean 'created'? By The Light or The Dark One?"
"By both. Each had an equal part in his development. He can be cunning one moment and compassionate the next. He was created by both so that he could peer into every soul and determine its rightful place. Sometimes, it takes mere moments to see into the depths of a soul, other times it can take much longer. It all hinges on what the soul has been hiding. A soul is very complex and has a built-in defense mechanism designed to hide its true nature. The Seer was created to break through those defenses."
"Do the souls get to plead their cases? Like a chance to seek retribution or whatever."
"Yes and no. The Seer will not send a soul to The Light or The Dark One until he strips the soul of all defenses. Some crimes are overlooked, so in a way, I guess you could call it retribution."
"And what is a Leap amount of time?"
"It's a measure of time that coincidentally lands on the day humans have deemed Leap Year. I'm not sure which Trader started calling it Leap, but it just stuck."
"So, every four years you are given a certain number of souls to deliver. What if a soul needs to be taken to the Between and everyone has reached their quota?" I asked.
"Usually, one of the Traders will claim it, kinda pro bono, I guess you could say, but to tell you the truth, it doesn't happen that way very much. Remember, we only handle the questionable souls. You'd be surprised how many souls go one way or the other without needing to be judged. Still, some of the new Traders believe if they collect enough souls maybe The Light will reconsider and let them enter the pearly gates after all. Eventually reality sinks in."
"That's crap," I exclaimed.
"It's the way it is and who's going to argue with The Light," he said bitterly. "It's funny that The Light, who is supposed be the embodiment of forgiveness, throws away the keys on us Traders."
"Did the Seer peer into your soul?" I asked, not sure I wanted to know the answer.
"Are you asking me if I was heaven-bound?" he asked quietly, stopping midstep to look at me.