by K. K. Allen
I know things will never be the same, but never speaking to him again would be unbearable. There’s an ache in my heart where our friendship once was, and I can honestly admit that it’s the friendship I cared about most. It was the friendship that nudged me into Alec’s arms that night, because I was afraid he would take it all away if I didn’t give him more.
I’m so deep in my thoughts that I don’t realize someone sitting down next to me until they nudge my arm. I look left to see Alec smiling at me. He’s obviously happy, but his smile tells me more than words. He forgives me.
“What we did last night was pretty incredible.”
I let out a relieved breath and smile. “I’m just glad it worked. If it weren’t for your testosterone battle with Johnny, I probably never would have thought of it.”
Alec chuckles. “I’m glad something good came of that.” He looks at me, apology written all over his face. “I’m really sorry about everything.”
I shake my head and open my mouth to speak, but he’s speaking before I can get a word out.
“No, Kat, let me finish. I said some awful things to you that day. And to Johnny. I was just so rocked by him coming back here, but I’ve been wrong to make you feel guilty for any of it. Not just these last couple of weeks, but since the day he left. I should have never forced you to make a choice. In the end, I can only blame myself.”
“But that’s not fair to you. No one is to blame. I love that you didn’t give up on me. In a way, you were the reason I didn’t give up on myself. You eased my heartbreak, and you became my best friend. Nothing can replace that.”
He chuckles again to diffuse the seriousness of our conversation. “I had our whole future planned out, Summer Girl. I might always wonder what would have happened if Johnny Pierce hadn’t sailed back into town and ruined all of it. But I swear, I got it all out of my system that day at the marina. No more fights.”
I know he’s kind of kidding, but part of me wonders if he did think about our future.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “I’ve never seen either of you two act that way. Exchanging words is one thing, but using your magic on each other? That was dangerous.”
He looks down and frowns. “I know.”
I nudge him now. “I’m not trying to lecture you. I thought I’d be the one apologizing to you after everything that happened.”
There are questions in his eyes, but I can tell he’s holding them back. “This isn’t easy for me. Letting you go, I mean. But I promise I’ll handle it better from now on. If he makes you happy, then I’m cool with him. If he leaves again, Kat, I’ll kill him. You know that, right?”
I frown. As much as I know Alec will never kill anyone, it’s not a phrase I want to hear right now. “I trust him, Alec. I don’t think he could do that again.” This is as much as I want to say, so I change the subject. “And you. You deserve the best girlfriend in the world who is completely and utterly devoted to you.” I don’t mean Kacey exactly, but I can tell he’s already into her by the way his eyes move across the field, searching for her. “I know I had issues with Kacey at first, but I think she really cares about you, which means I like her.”
His eyes shift back to me but don’t meet mine. He ignores my mention of Kacey and turns the conversation to a much darker topic. “How are you holding up? You’ve got to be going through a lot, what with Erebus and his threats…”
I shrug. “I’m just taking it one day at a time, and today is a good day, so that’s what I’m focusing on right now.” I give him my brightest smile.
He smiles back, and I hope we’ve broken through a barrier. It doesn’t change what’s going on around us, but at least Alec won’t be starting any more energy battles with Johnny.
As the clouds clear and the moon illuminates Summer Island, my phone buzzes with a text, and my heart soars when I see Johnny’s name light up my screen.
Johnny: Near the entrance. Meet me here?
My friends barely notice me walk away as they weave through the crowd around the main stage. Arms crossed, wearing a sexy smile, a dreamy sight stands at the street entrance of the festival. He’s leaning against one of the poles that holds the New Year’s Eve banner. If he weren’t already mine, I would wish he were.
“Hey, handsome.” I grin, unable to hide my giddiness. I slip my arms around his waist and look up at him.
His smile brightens, the skin around his eyes crinkling with a mixture of age and sun. I like knowing he’s smiled enough in his life to cause these lines, because he definitely doesn’t do it enough now.
“Hey, beautiful.” He wraps his arms around me and leans down slightly. “So, what does one do at a New Year’s Eve Festival?”
I stand on my tiptoes so our lips are barely touching and brush my nose with his. “We can find out together.” I press my lips to his to make him feel the way he makes me feel—wanted, loved, and ridiculously happy.
We explore the festival. It’s the first time all day I really take it all in—the food, the music, the games, and the art. I enjoy it all with Johnny atop my puffy white cloud of bliss. He barely releases my hand the entire night. If he does, it’s to rub my back or swing his arm around my shoulders.
I love these normal moments with him. They seem so few and far between that I want to bottle them up and quarantine them so they can’t escape, no matter what happens.
“I like going on dates with you,” I tease him as he watches me tug apart a fluffy ball of pink-and-blue cotton candy.
“This is only the beginning of what I have in store for us tonight.”
I look back up at him, smiling so hard, my cheeks hurt. “Really?”
He doesn’t look at me, but his bashful smile tells me everything. The rose-colored flush of his cheeks is almost too much. I pull him closer, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Well,” I nudge. “What is it?”
He cocks his head to the side, amused. “Well, what is what?”
“What are your secret plans?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “You’ll find out when we get there.”
I think my pout is too much, because his eyes darken and he brings his mouth to my ear, tickling it with each breath. “You ready to get out of here?”
I’m not sure I can speak. I would need air in my lungs to speak, and right now, I haven’t an ounce. I manage a nod.
He starts to weave us through the crowd, toward Roy’s speedboat in the marina, then he takes us around the island.
“What are we doing out here?” I ask over the wind.
“You’ll see, pretty girl.” He winks, and not a minute later, we’re parking at the private dock that leads to my treehouse.
There was a time I was negatively affected by his intensity. But now I crave it.
“You trying to get me alone, Mr. Pierce?”
His lips twitch as if he’s suppressing a smile. “Maybe.”
He steers me down the trail between a thicket of branches. This part of the island has no light except for what comes from the moon and stars. Even the sound of the woods is a unique soundtrack that makes me feel as if we’re away from the world and secluded on our own small island, just the two of us. There’s nowhere else I would rather be.
We reach the treehouse, and Johnny motions for me to climb the stairs first. Once we’re on the main platform, he smiles and points to a rope ladder on the side of the structure that leads to the roof.
I follow him, allowing him to pull me up once I reach the top. That’s when I see it—an entire setup of roses and candles scattered among an arrangement of blankets and pillows. There’s an offering of chocolate, cheese, and fruit and a photo frame holding an image of the two of us in masks, staring longingly at each other. I gasp and reach for it.
“How did you get this?” I run my hands along the metal frame, remembering the flood of emotions that came along with seeing him again. The timing may have been awful, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
“Arabella took it. She said if I cho
se to show you, it meant I was sticking around, because these memories can only be good if they are followed by good choices. If nothing I’ve done up until now can prove that I’m here to stay because of you, then hopefully this will.”
“That was incredibly thoughtful of her.”
Johnny tilts his head. “She cares about you, Kat. I realized that soon after I was off on my mission. At first, I didn’t mind giving her information about my whereabouts, but then I realized everything I said would get back to you and give you hope.”
I swallow. “But you didn’t want to give me hope, because you didn’t know what would happen out there.”
“I was trying to save you from any more pain, but that was wrong of me. I know that now.” He wraps his arms around me and lays his chin on my head, sighing deeply. “There were so many nights on the yacht where I would gaze up at the stars and pray one day I would have another chance with you and that you would forgive me.” He leans back and gazes deeply into my eyes. “I never want to look at the stars again without you in my arms, because I have fallen madly, deeply, and totally in love with you, Katrina Summer.”
His words knock the air straight from my lungs, and it takes a second to remember how to breathe again. Oh my.
I feel him breathe. When his eyes meet mine, it’s like a wave crashes into me, soaking through every pore of my skin. Although I’ve had a deep connection with Johnny since the first day I laid eyes on him, up until now, I haven’t felt this. Trust, hope, depth, love.
Love. I want to love Johnny Pierce with every breath, with every vital organ in my body, and so much more.
“I’m in love with you too, Johnny Pierce.”
Our confessions are solidified with yet another kiss, this one deeper, longer, and filled with so much passion as one year flows into another. The sounds of celebration echo through the night, but they’re drowned out by our heartbeats and our breathy voices between kisses wishing each other a happy New Year.
We shed our clothes, so we’re just two bodies of bare skin wrapped in each other, our breaths and heartbeats tangling in a chaotic symphony of passion.
This time, when he pushes inside me, I’m filled not only with his swollen length, but also a familiarity that tugs at my heart. We fit together like a lock and key, a perfect match that clicks into place when he’s buried deep inside. We still there, our kiss mixing with our satisfied moans and happy sighs before he finally starts to rock into me, sparking that wick meant only for him.
Our forever has never looked brighter, which is why, as we lie there long after and my eyes catch on the emptied contents of Johnny’s pants pockets, I know what I’m about to do might just kill us both.
The Apollo Beach Energy Plant is bigger than I remember, and the smokestacks aren’t blowing smoke at all—they’re blowing the purest form of Solstice energy, clear and sparkly, the way our energy appears until it bonds with an Enchanter’s light. I realize now my eyes were only seeing things the way I thought they should appear, the way a Normal would see things, rather than the reality. I see everything clearly now, even in the pitch-black night.
After hearing the details of Johnny’s travels and seeing what our combined energy can do to dark energy, I’ve been putting together the pieces of a puzzle that’s been right in front of my face the entire time.
How could I have completely missed this before?
The Apollo Beach Energy Plant is a Solstice energy plant, which means Johnny was right—all coastal energy plants must be connected. But if the plant is the energy source, what more does Erebus want to know? The only way for me to find out is to take a closer look.
I take Johnny’s keycard from my back pocket and slide it through the machine. Access granted, the machine reads, unlatching the door to the building. Slipping the keycard back into my pocket, I try to shake off my betrayal.
Our night together was a dream I want to remember forever. But the moment Johnny realizes I stole his access card, he’ll be furious and hurt. There’s no question I completely betrayed his trust the first moment an opportunity presented itself. It was never my plan to steal it, but then he fell asleep on the rooftop with his keycard beside him. Immediately, I knew I couldn’t wait to convince anyone, especially him, to grant me access to the plant on my own. So, I took the card, woke Johnny up to drive me home, then waited until everyone was asleep before I fled Summer Manor.
It was all too easy, but as soon as I enter the cold, empty hallways, I want to turn and run. It’s too quiet. Dr. Floros wants me to see the crazy chemist, and I know I can most likely find her working in the lab, but maybe not at two in the morning. Even crazy chemists need their sleep.
I’m walking the halls aimlessly while debating going home for the night and figuring things out in the morning when I hear a door slam and fast footsteps approaching.
“Kat! Where are you?”
I whip my body around to face Johnny just as he rounds the corner. His expression goes from incomprehensible worry to relief. He’s barreling toward me, a look of anger taking over, and guilt spreads through me like wildfire.
Taking a few steps back, I hold out my hands to block him from nearing me. “Wait, Johnny. I’m sorry. Let me explain.”
He towers over me, glaring down into my eyes. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? You stole from me.”
I feel sick. I shake my head. “It’s not like that. I mean yes, I did, and I’m sorry, but Alessandro—er, Dr. Floros left me a note telling me to come here to talk to the crazy chemist. And I knew you wouldn’t bring me here. Your keycard had fallen out, and I just thought—”
“You thought what?” Johnny growls. “Erebus frequents this place. I’ve told you that. How could you be so completely reckless? Sometimes I do not understand you. You think Erebus will just let you walk away the next time he sees you? No, Kat. He’ll find a way to strip that locket from your wrist, then he’ll possess you.”
I push Johnny away, trying to keep the tears at bay, but he’s so angry. “Stop. I know. Okay?”
He pulls me toward him again, but this time, he hugs me. “For the record, I would have helped you get to this chemist person, because I know if I denied you, you would have tried a stupid stunt like this. You don’t get to lie to me, Katrina Summer. We’re stronger than that.”
“You’re right.” My voice is so weak. “I’m sorry, Johnny.”
He buries his head in the hair at the base of my neck. “I was a wreck when I realized what you did. A guard had to let me in. Just talk to me please. I’m on your side in all of this.”
Clearly, Johnny is the best possible human being, and I’m the lowest form of scum on the planet. He’s right. I should have talked to him first instead of putting him in this position.
“Will you help me find the chemist? I’m guessing she works in the lab. I just don’t know where that is.” I can’t even look him in the eyes, but he nudges my chin with his hands, forcing me to.
“Why are you so stubborn?” His eyes narrow, and his grip tightens around me. “You think if you get this information, Erebus will just let you go? He won’t. He’ll still drain you from the inside out, then he’ll come for the rest of us, or he’ll use you to come after the rest of us. We can find another way that doesn’t involve you putting yourself in danger.”
It doesn’t matter how much I plead with Johnny. He’s only focused on my safety and not on the broader issue.
“You’re killing me, Kat. You’re asking me to help you give Erebus exactly what our ancestors have been hiding for centuries. Why do you think you’re strong enough to carry the weight of that?” His eyes are dark and filled with worry.
I understand everything he’s saying, but given our ancestors’ history, giving up doesn’t leave much hope for our future. We might as well accept death.
I cup his cheek and stare deeply into his eyes. “I love you so much, and you love me too. That’s why you’re going to help me do what needs to be done. We have one more day until Erebus comes for me. If I
don’t have what he wants, then I’m dead, like you said. Just help me find her, and we’ll see what she has to say. Then we can talk about what to do next… together.”
He crumbles above me. His eyes give in first, then his entire strength relaxes into me as he presses his forehead to mine. Our arms are melded together as if we were made for each other. We are made for each other.
“Okay, Kat. You win.”
His lips claim mine as if for the last time, like he’s still trying to relish every piece of me. My response mirrors his. With this kiss, I want to promise him that nothing will happen to me—that our forever hasn’t yet begun. But I know better than to make promises I can’t keep.
The sound of a door opening forces us apart. In unison, we turn toward the source of the noise. A short woman in a white lab coat, with a pure-black Medusa hairstyle—without the snakes—greets us with a hostile hand motion, waving us inside.
“What are you two waiting for? I’ve been expecting you.” Her voice is low and gruff, as if she’s been chain-smoking for the past two centuries. Every movement she makes seems dramatized, like her hair, but I assume this is just her personality. She looks around wildly as if she knows she’s breaking the rules.
We follow her and wait for her to face us.
“How did you know we’d be here?” I ask.
As I’m asking this question, I take in the room around me. Every time I thought of the crazy chemist, I pictured a chemistry lab filled with test tubes containing colorful mixtures, and a chalkboard plastered with formula’s illegible to a Normal’s eye. What I actually see is much different. The room is set up like a factory, with conveyor belts, machines, and clear glass silos that hold the same substance that’s blowing from the smokestacks. Solstice energy.
The woman grins. “I’ve been waiting a very long time to meet you, Katrina. Nearly twenty years, to be exact.” She takes a few steps forward to examine me, whipping her head from high to low. When she nears my neck, I swear she sniffs, making me halt instantly.
