I nodded. I would need to pack as well. Little butterflies swam in my stomach at the thought of seeing the Council. Our last meeting hadn’t been very pleasant.
He grabbed my face, kissing me deeply, and I let myself relax. I’d be fine as long as Chase was there with me. However, when I closed my eyes all I could see were deep pools the color of liquid gold. Guilt washed over me and I pulled back, staring intently into loving aqua eyes. Snaking my fingers through his blond hair, I pulled him back in. He let go of my face to drop his hands to my hips and pulled me closer.
“Are you sure you have to go?” I asked after we needed to breathe.
He laughed, clearly torn and on the brink of changing his mind, when the door flung open with a loud bang. Iris stood in the doorway arms loaded with paper bags.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Chase rushed to grab the bags from her. “Don’t be silly, Iris.”
“Chase was leaving.” I pouted.
“I have to get packing for the Council. You should, too.” He gave me a pointed look as he set the groceries on the counter.
Iris shot me a look. “Council? You’re going?”
“Apparently, Maggie gave her a pep talk.”
Iris got the same perplexed expression on her face that Chase had earlier.
I shrugged. “It just made sense is all.”
Chapter Two
Friday afternoon we set off for the Council. Chase and Maggie happily chatted while I stayed deep in my own thoughts. I hoped my decision to come today was the right one. My apprehension couldn’t be unjustified. They were being way too laid back and entirely too trusting. No, maybe that wasn’t it. Perhaps cocky was a better word. It was like they thought so highly of themselves they couldn’t fathom someone breaking into their secret world.
“Morgan …” Chase was trying to get my attention but I had been so focused on the road I didn’t even hear him calling me.
“What? Oh sorry!” I gripped the steering wheel tighter and forced a smile. “I was thinking.”
“About what?” Maggie asked.
“I don’t know … just wondering what things I may have missed at the Council meetings I didn’t attend.”
Chase squeezed my leg. “Nothing major or I would’ve filled you in.”
“No, I know that.” I took my eyes off the road long enough to smile at him. “I meant like little things. Whose hair might be different, how big Mrs. Bennet’s pregnant belly has gotten, that kind of stuff.”
“She had the baby,” Maggie said. “A girl.”
“Oh.” They worked to keep me engaged in their conversation. I tried to be attentive but my mind continued to wander. The drive to the Council was only about an hour so I didn’t need to work too hard to pretend to listen. We dropped Maggie off at her parents’ house and wound our way through side streets toward the Thomas’.
Chase’s Uncle Spencer was playing basketball in the driveway with a dark-haired woman. They were laughing and taking shots, barely looking up when we pulled in. Spencer took advantage of the woman’s distraction, though, and grabbed her around the waist to keep her away from the hoop. She broke into giggles and lobbed the ball anyway.
“Is that …”
“Yep,” Chase confirmed. “Uncle Spencer found his soul mate.”
“Aw.” I smiled so big my cheeks hurt.
“Such a sap.” Chase shook his head but winked at me.
Spencer led the beautiful woman over to us. Her long, black hair practically glittered in the sun. Her smile was equally bright.
“Morgan, I’d like you to meet Grace.”
She held her hand out to shake mine and I took it with a smile still plastered on my own face. Her green romper and sandals made my tank top and cut off shorts feel way under dressed.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” I said.
“You as well.” She had a slight accent I guessed may have been Brazilian. “Nice to see you again, Chase.”
Wow. So I have missed a lot. Spencer’s face radiated joy, and it was nice to see him so happy. How had Chase not thought this was important enough to mention?
Spencer scratched at his strawberry blond, scruffy facial hair. “Your parents should be home soon. They were visiting Jackson and had some things to tend to before they could get back.”
Chase reached for my hand and traced his thumb across my knuckle. I knew I’d be dealing with a lot this weekend but it was still going to take me a bit to get used to it all. Jackson had been a pawn of my grandfather’s and had assisted him with my kidnapping but also helped me take Stephen down. Chase had told me when they first found Jackson but I’d wondered how long they’d actually be able to detain him. He had only agreed to help Stephen because they had his soul mate, Kali and used her as leverage. As far as I knew she had still not been found.
“Are you staying for dinner?” Chase asked his uncle.
“No. We were here earlier before they left and they just asked if we could stick around until you got here.” He looked at Grace and said, “In fact, I think we’re going to head out. I owe this beautiful woman food.”
“Lots of food,” she corrected. She looked at me and said, “I’m starving.”
“Well let’s take care of that!” Spencer reached over to place his hand on my shoulder. “It’s good to see you.”
“Thanks, Spencer, you too. Nice meeting you, Grace.”
“You too, Morgan. I’ll see you Sunday?”
I nodded in answer and Chase pulled me toward his parents’ house.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
The comforting smell of his childhood home hit me and I instantly felt sad I had stayed away so long. I missed his parents, and like a true family even though I was upset with them I still loved them.
“It’s just with Jackson and the Ball … I’m worried it’s all going to be too much.”
“I’m fine, Chase. I can handle conflict.”
“I’m not worried about you handling conflict, silly.” Pulling me in close, he kissed my forehead. “I’m worried that it’s going to push you further away from the Council.”
I kissed his lips softly, hoping to reassure him but in reality I was doing it to change the subject. He was clearly unaware of that though. His body leaned in, closing all of the space between us. The kiss became more and it was like we both let go of whatever outside issues we’d let occupy our minds. Chase groaned, stopping, both hands on my hips.
“My parents are home.”
I laughed against his lips and gave him one last quick kiss before putting a more acceptable amount of space between us. The back door opened and I heard Laura call for us.
“You’re here!” she exclaimed happily. “How was the drive?”
“Hi, Mom,” Chase said, ignoring the small talk.
She came around the kitchen table and enveloped me in a hug. “I’m so happy you’re here, sweetie.” I squeezed her back. Her blond hair was starting to turn grayer around her face. Her sapphire eyes were just as brilliant as ever.
Jim came in carrying a paper grocery bag. “Hey, you two.” If I ever wanted to know what Chase would look like later in life I need only look to Jim.
“Need help, Dad?”
“Nah. We only grabbed a few things for dinner.”
“Is lasagna good for you two?”
“Definitely,” Chase answered a little too enthusiastically.
Jim picked up on it right away. “Not getting those MAC meals anymore, huh?”
“Sadly, no. Morgan and I did make alfredo last night though.”
“Oh, you already ate Italian?” Laura stopped pulling things out of the bag for a moment. “I can make something different.”
“Are you kidding, Mom? I could eat pasta every day.”
I laughed. “I swear he tries to hit that goal.”
Laura continued prepping and sent us upstairs to unpack and rest until dinner was ready. I headed to the guest room I stayed i
n every time I spent a night at the Thomas house. Even though Chase and I spent plenty of nights together it felt wrong to do so in his parents’ home.
I left most things in my suitcase but pulled out my dress clothes for the Council meeting so they wouldn’t wrinkle. I curled up on the bed and closed my eyes thinking rest wasn’t a bad idea.
The bed shifted, startling me awake. Chase stretched out next to me and I buried my face into his side.
“You must’ve been tired.”
“Why’s that?” I mumbled.
“I knocked and knocked,” he chuckled, “and knocked.” He laced his fingers through mine. “I didn’t want to scare you.”
“Mmmm,” I managed to answer through my sleepy fog.
“Dinner’s ready.”
I lifted my head. “Wow, I did sleep a while, didn’t I?”
His smile still did something funny to my stomach. “Listen, do you want to talk about anything before dinner? I know we don’t talk about Jackson or the Council or even your grandfather very often anymore and I just wanted to answer any questions you might have before …”
I sat up, hoping to clear my head faster. “Are you worried I’m going to bring up something at dinner, Chase?”
“What, no—”
“All you have to do is say it and I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“Babe. No! I just meant we haven’t really talked much about some of those things, and if you wanted to know anything …” He ran fingers through his blond hair. “That wasn’t how I thought that would go.”
“It’s fine. Let’s just go eat.”
We traded the quiet bedroom for the sounds of voices and dishes clanking. The aroma hit me like a wall and my stomach growled in response. Dinner was pleasant. I could tell the Thomas’ were nervous about discussing certain things so I avoided them as much as they did. We talked about classes, weather, Grace … pretty much anything that didn’t have to do directly with all of the touchy subjects we didn’t agree on. It was a wonderful meal and the Thomas’ were as sweet as always but it was forced. Fake. It didn’t feel as laid back and natural with them as normal and it was a constant reminder of what loomed over us.
Chase and I watched a movie after dinner to pass the rest of the night. Even though I was happy to have so much time with him I couldn’t help my cranky mood. I felt on constant pins and needles. He noticed it, too. After assuring him for the millionth time that I was fine, and despite my earlier nap, I went to bed early.
With everything going on I shouldn’t have been surprised to dream of Rylan again.
I recognized the woods behind my old dorm at MAC right away.
“I thought you’d be comfortable here,” Rylan said, his eyes sparkling.
The leaves were beginning to change even in my dream; the colors painting a beautiful scene before me. So many memories amongst these trees. I ran my hand along the bark of a maple tree.
“Two nights in a row. To what do I owe this honor?”
He shrugged it off and followed along behind me while I walked down the worn path. I thought about how to ask my next question.
“Are you really here?” I asked.
“Well that’s an odd question. Of course I’m here.”
“I mean are these dreams real?”
“What do you think, Morgan?”
“That’s not answering—”
He cut me off, grabbing my wrist. “What do you really think?”
I yanked my hand back. “Why is everything so evasive with you?”
The dimples in his cheeks deepened with his smile. “Everything—”
“Don’t even say it. I know, everything will make sense soon.”
He held his hands up, allowing me to finish his sentence. “There’s a reason for everything.”
“So there’s a reason you left me?”
In the most straight forward moment he’d ever shared with me, my once soul-mate said, “Yes.” No offer of an explanation or any other details and even in my dream it cut deep.
As always when I stayed at the Thomas’ the scent of bacon, biscuits, and eggs wafted upstairs pulling me out of bed. Chase beat me to the table.
“Hey! I was going to let you sleep in.”
I smoothed my hair back. “My stomach had other ideas.”
“Mom and Dad just left.”
“Really?” I felt like I hadn’t seen much of them. Then again the weekend was still young.
“Yep. We’re on our own today.” He winked and it sent little shivers up my spine. I grabbed a giant mug of coffee and settled in next to him at the table. “Are you okay, babe?”
“Hmm?”
“You just seem really tired lately.” He raised the back of his hand to my forehead.
“I haven’t been sleeping well.”
Apparently satisfied that I didn’t have a fever he slid his hand down to cup my chin and draw my face in for a kiss. He pulled back just far enough to stare into my eyes. His aqua eyes searched mine. “I love you, Morgan. You can talk to me about anything, you know that, right?”
“Yes.”
His breath was warm on my face. He brushed his lips over mine delicately and my own breath hitched. The gesture was sweet yet seductive. I tilted my face up to his, inviting him to kiss me fully. Chase’s phone rang and I let my head fall back a groan escaping.
“Sorry,” he said to me before answering. His dad had forgotten something at home that he needed for a meeting.
He turned his attention back to me after hanging up. “Well I was thinking we could hang out with Maggie for a while.” He took a bite of his bacon. “How about we finish eating, get ready, drop my dad’s file off to him, and then meet up with her for a walk around town?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed before taking another big gulp of my coffee.
“Also,” he avoided eye contact so I knew this wasn’t going to be good news, “Charles wants us to come over for dinner tonight.”
I pretended it didn’t bother me and just nodded in acknowledgment. I wondered when this was going to be sprung on me. Charles would no doubt use this dinner to push his agenda. That the Gifted people needed a night of fun and that my grandfather posed no real threat to an entire ball full of the most powerful people … I’d heard it before. Between this ridiculous Ball and the Council’s cold shoulder toward Nolan, I was beginning to think that being Gifted didn’t necessarily mean guaranteed intelligence.
I pushed my cold eggs around on my plate while Chase showered. Seeing Maggie would cheer me up. After taking care of my plate, I headed upstairs to grab my things for a shower. I could hear Chase in his room getting ready. A hot shower was exactly what I needed to help me wake up and put on the face I needed for this day.
Out of habit I grabbed my phone to check the time and saw a text message from an unknown number.
How’d you sleep?
My hands froze and I dropped the device onto the bed. Who could possibly be texting me something like that?
My nerves made it difficult to type back.
Who is this?
A few seconds later I got one right back.
Don’t you know?
Feeling sick, I powered my phone completely off and threw it in my suitcase. Between the dreams and now this … it had to be Rylan.
My head was spinning and I had to sit on the bed to get my bearings. A knock at the door made me jump almost off the bed.
“Whoa. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I-um … it’s okay, I was thinking.” I don’t know why I didn’t tell Chase the truth, it didn’t feel like the right time I guess. Honestly, most of the divide with the Council lately had me feeling less connected to Chase as well.
He didn’t believe me. His eyes narrowed and I could tell he knew I was keeping something from him. “Well, I was going to say we should probably get going pretty soon.”
“Yeah, I was about to get in the shower.” I grabbed the first things I saw in my case and left the all of a sudden too small be
droom.
Mrs. Winchester greeted me at the entry of the Council. She bustled around the desk to give me a hug and I affectionately hugged her back.
“Oh, dear, we’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
“Chase, your father is waiting for you upstairs in the big meeting room.”
“Thanks Mrs. W.” We both started toward the elevators.
“Actually, I think I’ll go say hi to Spencer.”
Chase had been quiet most of the ride to the Council. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts this morning. He pushed the elevator button with the same hand that held his father’s file folder.
“Okay,” he finally said a little reluctantly. “Do you want me to meet you down there when I’m done?”
“Yeah.” I tried to reassure him with a smile.
I took the second elevator down to the basement. The candelabras sat in the dark corners of the hallway unlit and cold, waiting for their usual Sunday lighting session. Spencer’s room was more of a classroom that doubled as a sort of gym to train young Gifted still developing their powers. I’d spent quite a few training sessions down here with Spencer.
The light was on but Spencer was nowhere in sight. After calling out for him I confirmed his room was empty. I thought about sitting and waiting for him since Chase was to meet me down here as well but it seemed strange to sit in the silently empty room. I got up and wandered into the dark hall. Spencer must’ve been in one of the back rooms doing work. I could hear scraping like something sliding along the cement floor.
“Spencer?”
There was no answer but the scraping stopped.
“Spencer?” I tried again. My footsteps echoed through the darkness. I had been down here once before and knew the farther I traveled the darker it got. There was a series of turns and the walls would begin to crumble with age and neglect.
A whisper answered farther down the tunnel.
“Who’s there?” I tried again.
The whisper came again but I still couldn’t make out what it was saying. I ventured farther down and the air chilled. It seemed the darker it got the cooler and heavier it got. The whisper grew louder and more urgent. Taking one more slow step I concentrated just barely unable to make out what it was saying. It was right there on the edge of clarity. It was almost as if it was saying—
Exposed (The Broken Soul Series Book 3) Page 2
