was that? She’d been experiencing some very unusual events in the last twenty-four hours, so she decided not to dismiss anything out of hand, just in case it was a clue to the mystery that had been haunting her for so long.
“Ally…” James looked hesitant as he touched her arm. “I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds by almost kissing you.”
She smiled at his sudden shyness. How was it that a man, no a god like him, could possibly be shy? “Do you want to know how I felt about it?” she asked with a sudden confidence that she didn’t know she possessed.
His nerves were clearly showing. “Yes I do…I think.”
She leaned in to him. “I have never felt anything like this before…” she whispered in his ear. Then she leaned back and locked eyes with him. “I have been dreaming about you kissing me ever since I met you all those years ago.”
His smile could have lit up the blackest night.
James was relieved to find that she felt that way about him. He was unsure if she pulled back because of the memories, or because she didn’t feel anything for him.
Ally pressed her body closer to his, and her mouth hovered over his lips for a few seconds. They were both lost in the moment, about to seal their attraction with a kiss, when a familiar voice interrupted them both.
“James? Ally?” Adele called out. She hated to interrupt them, but this was literally a matter of life and death.
James and Ally shared a look of mutual irritation and mortification at being disturbed during such an intimate moment.
Composing herself, Ally called out to her grandmother, “Over here Gran!”
Following the voice, Adele turned into their hidden alcove and was upon them in a moment. Seeing how close they were and realizing that things had been going well, she felt another wave of guilt wash over for interrupting, but she was also overjoyed that the couple had been connecting.
“There you are.” Adele smiled.
Ally grinned despite her annoyance at being interrupted. She knew that something important must have come up for her gran to bother them.
“Is everything alright?” Ally asked.
Adele shifted uncomfortably, trying to decide the best way of extracting James from the situation without raising any alarm bells with Ally. Her granddaughter was extremely clued into everything that went on around her. There wasn’t much that escaped her notice. Adele loved that about her granddaughter, but at this very moment it was proving to be a disadvantage. Adele putting on her best disarming smile said, “Everything is fine but there’s something I think James will want to deal with.”
James had been watching Ally, not taking much notice of Adele’s interruption, but once she mentioned it was something to do with him, he started to pay attention. He looked at Adele noticing her body was rigid with tension, and her eyes held a fear that made him very nervous.
“What’s going on?” he asked intently.
Still attempting to appear relaxed. “It’s about that guy you met last night...” Adele didn’t want to say his name because Ally had uttered it this morning. Being the natural detective that she was, Adele knew that she would start putting the pieces together.
Ally felt every muscle in James’ body go rigid. “What happened?” he asked, his voice strained.
Making a valiant attempt to stay calm so Ally wouldn’t catch on, Adele casually replied, “Nothing yet, but he has been hovering around.”
“Where?”
“In the ranges on Mount Dandenong.”
“I don’t understand…” He turned to look at Ally for a moment, before continuing, “After last night he should still be in recovery, not scampering about the ranges.”
Adele looked at her granddaughter with sadness in her eyes. “Recovery or not, he won’t let this business rest until it’s finished.”
James’ intense gaze settled on Alessandra again. Unease slithered through her again, making her shudder involuntarily. What the hell is going on? Ally wondered.
Before she knew what had happened, her mind flashed back to the night of Madame Isabella’s reading. The words came back to haunt her, ‘Vincent wants you dead.’ Could he be the man they are speaking of? And did that mean she really encountered him last night?
Coming back to reality Ally was uncomfortably aware that they were both looking at her. “Why do you both keep looking at me?” Ally asked them both, feeling more than a little self-conscious that they were both staring at her, with matching worried expressions.
James and Adele shared a look that was so quick, she wasn’t even sure if