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 A Prophecy of Shadows

Chapter 6

Jessie was turning down the covers on her bed when she heard a light knock on the door. Grinned when she opened it to find Cam standing there.

"Mind if I come in for a minute?"

"I’m pretty sure you could come in for longer than that."

Closing the door behind him, Cam looked around the room that had been Jessie’s when she was growing up. Maggie hadn’t changed it much; it still had the feminine touches of a young girl, along with a twin bed, a desk, and a multitude of bookshelves. Chuckling, he said, "I take it you were a bookworm from a very young age."

"Uh huh. I was always reading something. Mom got tired of tripping over stacks of books, so she had Dad put up a bookshelf. Didn’t take me long to fill it, so he added another one."

"And another, and another…" He deftly caught the pillow she tossed at his head. "Hey, I’m just calling it like I’m seeing it."

She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him, and instead asked, "Did you get settled in your room okay?"

"Sure did. Your mom made sure I had extra pillows, too." Tossing the pillow back on the bed, he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Though the hardest part is going to be not falling out of bed. I’m used to our beds back home, not the narrow twin beds."

Jessie reciprocated his embrace, looking into his light blue eyes. "Mom always kept a twin bed in the guest room—said it discouraged unwanted relatives from staying too long." She recognized the mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he leaned in a little closer.

"So tell me, Jessie, did you ever sneak a boy up to your room?"

An unladylike snort was his answer. "Yeah, sure, and my Dad would have had him stuffed, mounted and hung up as a trophy in the living room. Not that there was anyone to sneak in to begin with."

The smile alone should have warned her he was up to no good. He leaned in, causing her to step back, her legs bumping up against the edge of the mattress. Being off balance, she found herself half falling backwards onto the bed. Cam followed her down, a knee on the mattress between her legs, his upper body supported with his hands. "You’ve never had anyone else in this bed before?"

All logical thought fled with the flush of desire that spread through her. "No."

Cam maintained his position above her, close enough to tantalize. "Now, if I had gone to the same school you had, I would have done everything I could to get you to tutor me."

Jessie was trying to follow what he was saying, but his proximity was distracting. "T…tutor you?"

"Uh huh. I figure if you were helping me study, I’d have more of an opportunity to try to steal a kiss." This last part he whispered against her lips, the words causing his to brush hers oh so lightly.

"Just a kiss?" she whispered back.

That wicked grin returned. "Well, at that age that’s probably all I would have been brave enough to try to do. Wouldn’t have stopped me from thinking about getting to second base, though."

At that moment Jessie was regretting the fact she had turned down her mother’s offer for a full size bed during her teenage years. "Don’t suppose I could tempt you into spending the night, could I?" She used her mouth to gently tug on his lower lip and received a groan for her effort.

"Normally nothing could keep me away from you." He kissed her back, sweeping his tongue briefly against hers before pulling away. "But, we’re in your parents home. My mom would kick my ass for having such bad manners, not to mention the fact I’m pretty sure your father has a loaded shotgun out in his workshop."

She wondered briefly if her bed would squeak, considering it had never been tested that way before. "We could be quiet."

Cam shook his head. "Nope, goes against the Southern gentleman code of conduct." He chuckled softly when she began to pout. "You’ll just have to wait until we get to San Antonio."

The way he looked at her held so much promise it caused a shiver to run up her spine.

Not able to resist completely, he leaned in and kissed her thoroughly, making sure there was no doubt in her mind what awaited her on Saturday before reluctantly getting up off of the bed. "Patience, Jessie. Besides, a little anticipation makes it that much hotter." Backing up to the door, he had no doubt in his mind the fires had been stoked…which had been his plan all along. "Sweet dreams, baby girl." With that he slipped out and closed the door, and missed seeing her toss the pillow in his direction for a second time that evening.

Flopping back on the bed, Jessie let her breath out in a huff as she heard the door click shut to Cam’s bedroom. Muttering to herself about men and twisted senses of humor, she fluffed up the remaining pillow and turned out the bedside lamp, determined to try and get some sleep.

The night breeze had grown cooler, the scent it carried holding the promise of spring. Neither of these things was noticed by the lone figure crouched down at the back door, hidden in the shadows. She had impatiently waited for nightfall, and was blessed with an overcast sky. Using her sense of touch, she slid the torque wrench into the lower part of the keyhole. Utilizing a counterclockwise pressure, there was the telltale give in the cylinder before it stopped. Maintaining the pressure, she inserted the pick into the top part of the keyhole. With a quickness borne from years of practice, she quickly identified six pins within the lock. Found the one which was the most stubborn…held her breath until she heard the faint ‘click’ as the upper pin set…confirmed it with the loss of resistance from the lower pin. Keeping a steady pressure on the torque wrench, she repeated the process over and over, quickly setting all six pins. With the last pin set, she used the wrench to turn the cylinder, the deadbolt sliding smoothly into the unlocked position. The doorknob turned silently, and she was inside.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, yet she took care moving through the unfamiliar layout of the room. Pulling out a tactical flashlight, she set it at two percent brightness, keeping the beam low to the floor, faintly illuminating her path without giving away her presence. She didn’t waste time…she knew exactly what she wanted. Going into the bedroom, she scanned the dresser, opened a few drawers, rummaged through the contents. Walking into the bathroom, she caught herself just seconds before she turned on the light. Dropped her hand, chastising herself for her stupidity. Redirecting the flashlight, she swept it across the counter, focusing on the one thing she had come to get. Grabbing it, she slid it into the hip pack she wore. She was tempted to continue her search, seeing if more relevant items could be found, but the yapping of the neighbor’s dog snapped her out of that train of thought. Without a second look, she headed for the back door, closing it behind her as she disappeared into the shadows.

Feeling emboldened by her successful hit at Jessie’s place, she drove to Cam’s apartment. With the lateness of the hour, she knew there was less of a possibility of running into other people, but she also knew she didn’t have the luxury of time. Before she got out of the car, she made sure she had the torque wrench and a rake pick in hand. Trying to keep a low profile, she walked into the complex and to his door like she lived there. A quick glance assured her she was alone. Sliding the torque wrench into place, she held it lightly counterclockwise against the cylinder, but kept the pressure at a minimum. Taking the rake pick, she inserted it all the way to the back of the keyhole. Taking a deep breath, she quickly pulled the rake pick out, applying upward pressure against the pins as she applied counterclockwise pressure to the torque wrench simultaneously. The first two rakings left some pins unengaged. The third time, however, was the charm, the cylinder turning smoothly as the lock disengaged.

Stepping inside the apartment, she quickly closed the door, leaning against it as her heart pounded in her chest. She had the fleeting thought that their security was strangely lacking, considering the jobs they held. This time she lingered longer; being in Cam’s personal space was too intoxicating to pass through hurriedly. Going into the bedroom, she opened the closet door, her fingers caressing the clothing with almost a lover’s touch. Her deluded thoughts wandered back to the time when she saw him on an almost daily basis, the bantering, the flirting. Sure, her duties as a physiotherapist had kept her busy at the SGC, but she always made time for Cam. Things had been going along great, too, until he took notice of that bitch on his team. She hadn’t blamed him, though. In retrospect she realized she had made him wait too long, and a hot-blooded male like him was going to hit something sooner or later to blow off some steam. The fact that he kept going back to the bitch was what she couldn’t understand. She had heard enough about Jessica Watson to figure out she was a little miss goody two shoes who always had her nose in a book. She snorted as she turned her attention back to the task at hand. All she had to do was get the items she needed, do the rituals, and then Cam would be hers. She knew this as surely as she was breathing…Calandra Jones always got what she wanted.

Stepping away from the closet, she hurried to the bathroom, looking for but not seeing what was needed. Taking a chance, she opened the shower door, looking at the drain. There wasn’t much, but enough for what was necessary. As she stepped out of the shower, zipping her bag shut, she looked back toward the bedroom, being drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Her pulse quickened at the thought she was actually in his room, where he slept. Mesmerized, she walked over to the bed, running a hand over the coverlet, fingers trailing over the pillow. Picking it up, she held it to her face, breathing in his scent before hugging the pillow tightly to her body. Out of the corner of her eye, Callie saw something on the floor at the end of the bed. Leaving the pillow, she found what turned out to be a crumpled T-shirt. Given the fact it had been worn and obviously not washed, it definitely held possibilities. Picking it up, she folded it quickly and shoved it inside her pack. Callie knew the longer she stayed, the higher the chance of someone discovering her. If she could have been assured of not getting caught, she would have spent the night there. But, she had more important things to attend to. Glancing at the bed one more time, she gave in to an overwhelming urge, grabbing the pillow and tucking it beneath her arm as she made her way to the front door. She rationalized it as a way to keep him close to her until she could finish the rituals…until they could be together.

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