by Weil, J. L.
“In this case… it’s perfect.”
She let out a whoosh of air. “I can’t breathe in this getup. And these shoes…”
“Beauty is pain,” I quoted some jerk that was obviously male and didn’t know squat about being female.
“Well whoever designed these heels should be shot. It’s like a Chinese torture chamber. I don’t care how hot they look.”
“They do look superb,” I assured, assessing the black strappy shoes.
“Ask me again at the end of the night, if they even make it home with me.” She fiddled with the straps on her evening bag, a sure sign of nerves.
I eyed the black cage shoes with a least a three inch heel and fell a little in love. I might not be a dress and heels kind of gal, but I could still appreciate a sexy shoe. “If you plan on tossing those babies, just throw them my way.”
She smiled at me. “Deal.”
“So who’s the lucky stud?” A part of me was happy, she needed this. It was healthy for her, but I couldn’t deny that I was surprised. She never mentioned anyone, so I was sort of thrown for a loop.
Securing a dangling earring in one ear she replied, “Just a guy I met at the shop. I should have suspected something when he started coming in every day. He took me by surprise and asked me out. I shocked myself even more by saying yes.” There was a starry quality in her eyes and voice as she talked about him. This wasn’t just some random guy. She was really interested in him.
Why didn’t I know about this? Because you have been so preoccupied with your own drama, my subconscious reminded me of my own self-absorption.
Before I could question her further the doorbell rang announcing Mister Mysterious’s arrival. Her eyes widened with both a mixture of excitement and worry. “Here goes nothing,” she mumbled, walking toward the front door.
I gave her an encouraging smile. My curiosity was peaked, and I snuck off around the corner behind her. The voices of their pleasant and nervous greeting carried to where I stood. I wasn’t exactly dressed for receiving company, let alone the first guy to take my aunt out. My rainbow socks, boxers and tank weren’t first impression material. I didn’t want him to think she was raising a hooligan.
There was a nice, gently deep timber to his voice. A waif of subtle cologne carried to the hallway. He had a mob of brown hair and had a good foot over my aunt. At least he wasn’t balding. I hoped it wasn’t a toupee. He had a very distinguished yet casual quality to him. I could see at my quick glimpse what attracted her to him.
Go Aunt Clara.
They looked very nice together, and the glint in his grey eyes mimicked what I saw in hers. She looked over her shoulder giving me a tiny wave before walking out the door. I leaned against the wall feeling both happy for her, a little jealous, and slightly weirded out.
Dragging my feet back into the kitchen, ice cream melted and forgotten, I tossed myself back onto the cushiony couch. The TV was on in the background, but no longer any interest to me. My mind was just catching on to the fact that there wasn’t another sole in the house, except the fast asleep Lunar curled in a ball.
Alone. Utterly alone at home with nothing but my own rambling thoughts.
Not exactly something I would wish on my worst enemy.
More than anything I wanted to talk to Gavin. Lately the dream with Morgana had been weighing heavily on my mind. Her claim that she was my great grandma haunted me. It was something that I had been trying to avoid. She wasn’t exactly trustworthy. How could I be related to her?
It just couldn’t be.
Then why didn’t everything inside me start to hum when I thought about it. That couldn’t possibly be coincidence. Some deep part of me was telling me something, but I was refusing to listen.
I needed help.
I needed Gavin...
…which was sort of difficult since he still wasn’t speaking to me. The distance and space separating us was killing me. It was like an ocean spanned between me and wanted I wanted most. A turbulent, bumpy, rough sea. The more and longer I thought on it, the more my stomach churned.
I needed to see him. I needed to hear his voice. And I really wanted his opinion and advice.
Everything came rushing down on me like a tidal wave. Just like that, I knew what I had to do. Sure I could have probably called Lukas, but that definitely wasn’t going to fix my lack of Gavin problem. Really if anything, it would probably only complicate matters more.
It was time to take destiny into my own hands.
Chapter 13
WITH MY AUNT OUT FOR the night, I didn’t know what to do with myself. So when the idea of hunting down Gavin popped in my head, I couldn’t let it go. Before I knew it, I was up and off the couch running to my room at mach ten.
My mind was made up. He was going to see me if I had to wait all night. Even if I had to track him down and resort to desperate, devious measures.
Looking into the mirror, I readjusted the thin black straps on my top for like the upteenth time. Finally I gave up. Nothing I did at this point was going to show any less skin. The top fit snuggly and my jeans were just as tight, emphasizing my curves. My hair fell loose over my shoulders in soft waves of auburn.
I looked…hot.
Good. That was the point, to make him suffer. And I wanted him to want me again if I was being honest. I wanted to be irresistible. Lukas might be fun to hang out with, and I might not understand all that was happening, but every fiber inside me ached for Gavin.
Thank God my aunt was gone on her own adventure. I seriously doubted my slut ensemble would have made it out the front door. She would have had a heart attack if she saw me, and I would have been highly mortified if she had.
My fingers fumbled with the keys on my dresser as they slipped from my grasp, jingling to the floor. Lunar jumped ten feet at the jarring noise. He wasn’t the only one who was acting like a scaredy cat.
Holy crud. I was a ball of jitters.
It was going to take more than the luck of the stars to get me through tonight. I was going to need a blasted miracle.
Closing my eyes, I searched for that center of energy inside me. Pulling from it to steady my pounding heart, I needed to collect my bearings. Keep my cool. It was amazing what I could do when I concentrated. The energy core was more than just power. It was…
Security.
Self-reliance.
Strength.
It was what I needed it to be when I needed it, or so I was learning.
Snatching the keys from the floor, I drove over to the Mason’s. Their house was just as impressive as the first time I’d seen it. There was magic oozing from the place and not just from the witches that lived inside. I’d always envisioned faeries playing hide-n-seek in the bushes or mermaids swimming with dolphins in the ocean tides behind their house. I half expected the characters of mythology and fairytales to be lurching around every corner.
After I pressed the doorbell, I waited nervously for whoever would answer. A part of me hoped it would be Gavin, another part thought that he might just shut the door in my face.
That would suck big time.
I let a small sigh of relief when Jared came to the door. His smile was disarming and lazy like he had all the time in the world. Seeing Gavin’s brother didn’t make the guilt I felt any less. If fact, now that I was in the Mason’s house, I felt worse. I didn’t have the slightest clue what he told anyone. As far as I knew, he could have told them the truth, which made me feel like the biggest fraud.
At least I was looked the part. My cheeks grew red as I remembered I was dressed like a hoochy. What had I been thinking?
“Hey,” he stepped aside with a hand propped on the door over his head and waited for me to walk inside. “Do I dare hope you came to see me?” he asked. There was always a playful trouble to his voice.
Stepping over the threshold, I was washed with feelings of love, family and home. I gave him a halfhearted apologetic smile. “Is he here?” I asked unable to keep the hopefulness from my vo
ice.
“Nope. Sophie either. It’s just you and me, babe.”
I gave him a glare that clearly stated I was no one’s babe.
His grin only widened. “But he just texted me that he was on his way home if you wanted to wait,” he added after realizing there wasn’t a chance in hell. Jared was so less complicated than Gavin. He was more muscles than brains.
“Sure. Is it cool if I wait in his room?” I asked, wanting to escape anymore advances from meathead. And then at least maybe Gavin couldn’t throw me out of the house without making a scene.
Jared smirked and there was a gleam in his eyes. “Knock your socks off.”
“Oh,” I added, spinning around towards him. “Could you not let him know I’m here?” I chewed my lip as I waited for him to answer, wondering if I had pushed my luck.
Crossing his arms over his broad chest, his expression lost a little bit of its playfulness. “Anything for you, but I am warning you. He is being a total asswad lately.”
I swallowed hard. “Thanks for the heads up,” I muttered and made a beeline upstairs. The last thing I wanted to do was loiter around and get the third degree from Gavin’s, very flirty, older brother.
Gavin’s room was stamped into my memory. Every. Teeny. Detail. The french doors to the balcony were left open, a black hoodie was thrown over the back of a chair, and his bed was neatly made. It looked exactly as I remembered, yet not. I felt closer to him than I had in weeks, and I vowed then that I had to find a way to get him back into my life. It was just too drab and miserable without him.
Nothing smelled like Gavin, pure sin. I missed it painstakingly. My magic missed him. The stirrings swirled inside me the moment I stepped into his room. It seemed to awaken. Trailing a hand on his bed, I only thought about it for a second before I crawled in.
Five minutes, I thought.
I just wanted a few stolen moments to savor in his lingering presence. His energy was everywhere in this room.
Laying my head on his pillow, I drank in the feeling of being in the one place that oozed Gavin. My whole body relaxed and my muscles felt weightless. Of course I dozed off with the scent of him surrounding me like a blanket, and the frothy ocean waves from his window lapping at the sandy shore.
In my dream, his hand caressed down my cheek. My eyes were still shut, but I knew his touch. Heat unfolded through me and I stretched towards his warmth. I couldn’t help think that this was far better than dreamscaping. It was better than doing magic. This was the best dream of my life.
Gavin.
He was lying stretched out beside me. Our legs touched, and he was propped above me on an elbow. Faces close, he brushed a lock of tousled hair from my cheek, his touch electric. Like everything between us, it charged through my body. My violet eyes fluttered open, wide and I stared into his luminous sapphire eyes. I wet my lips nervously, afraid to move, to shattered the spell. His eyes settled on my mouth, and I knew he was going to kiss me.
This was, after all, my dream, so why shouldn’t he kiss me? It was what I wanted. Before I even thought about what I was doing, I willed him to kiss me even knowing that it might be just magic and a dream.
Memorized, I couldn’t tear my eyes from his as his mouth descended to capture mine. The moment our lips touched, I knew I wasn’t dreaming. No dream could be this real. This hot. This mind-blowing glorious. It was all the encouragement I needed before I threw my heart and soul into kissing him senseless. All I could think was that Gavin was kissing me.
My arms stole around his neck needing to keep him close, afraid it would end too soon. I sunk my fingers into his dark hair and with each brush of our lips I could feel our magic shimmering to the surface. Not just mine. Ours. Swirling together. His answered mine just as I mirrored his kiss. There was something happening here, something more than just a heavy make out session. And heavy it was getting.
In one fluid movement I found myself spread across him, his hands burning through the back pocket of my jeans. My surprise and pleasure was swallowed in his kiss. My jeans were so tight it felt like he was stroking my skin.
He had me spellbound.
His lips left mine and kissed both my eyelids softly. Pulling back, he stared into eyes that glowed as brightly as his. His gaze dipped and he reached out, knuckles brushing my chest. “Does it still chase away the dreams?” he murmured, holding the amethyst and moonstone necklace in his fingers.
Only when I wear it, I thought, which hadn’t been as often as I should. His question brought back the dream I’d had with Morgana. How could I have forgotten?
Simple.
When Gavin was near it was impossible to think of anything else. “Actually I wanted to ask you something about dreamscaping.” Again I wondered why I hadn’t told Lukas. He was after all a dreamscaper, but it just didn’t feel right. Telling Gavin was a no-brainer.
His brows drew together sensing my distress. At the same time a light of fury flickered into his eyes, turning them a menacing deep shade of blue. They were almost black. His lip curled into a snarl.
God how could I be so stupid. Of course he would immediately think of Lukas. The intoxicating mood we had going was slipping away. I lowered my chin, blinking. “It’s not about him, it’s about Morgana,” I rushed before he could condemn me from his room.
That got his attention as I had hoped. I watched as some of the hard lines on his face softened. Dropping the necklace back on my neck, he moved away from me and sat up on the bed. I followed facing him. “I had another dream with her,” I continued.
He exhaled roughly. “When?”
I felt the heat creep into my cheeks and shifted my gaze to my fingers nervously picking at the stitching on his comforter. “The night I told you about Lukas,” I replied in a barely audible whisper. I really hadn’t wanted to bring up his name. I could feel the invisible force field being thrown up between us. Lukas’s name brought fresh, painful memories into his dark blue eyes. Anger lurched there.
I watched as he pushed the darkness from his eyes. It was impressive. I knew that I didn’t have that kind of control over my emotions. Not even close. “What happened?” he finally asked.
I shrugged. “It wasn’t like the last time. She didn’t threaten me or try to hurt me. Actually…she claims that she is my…” I counted in my head. “Great-great-great-great grandma.”
Gavin cracked his neck. “Interesting. Is that all she said?”
I narrowed my violet eyes. “Is that all? Why are you not surprised by that?” I expected the same outrage I had felt when she told me, but I got none of that from Gavin. Why?
He twisted on the bed toward to me. “I always knew there was something… special about you.”
I know that the word different had been at the tip of his tongue; he knew how much I hated that word. “So you believe her? You think she was telling the truth?”
“I think what she is claiming is a very real possibility. Something inside me agrees with what she said, but I don’t trust her worth a damn. And neither should you.”
“If I am her granddaughter, what does being related to her even mean?” I asked.
His dark worried expression wasn’t helping. “I am not entirely sure, but for her to seek you out, it must be important. Have you been wearing your necklace?” he asked and again reaching out, touching the cool stones at my neck.
“Yeah,” I admitted sounding a little defeated. “They don’t work with her. She bypasses their protection. She’s just too strong.”
Staring straight ahead, his jaw worked. “All the more reason to be careful. You might need to learn how to block the dreams on your own.”
The mention of my dreams was like letting a giant purple elephant into the room.
“I miss you,” I said, trying to break through the suddenly strenuous clogged air.
He sighed heavy, rubbing his hands over his face, a face that was etched in my thoughts. “This doesn’t change things Bri. I’m still dealing with everything.”
And j
ust like that, my world tilted over the edge again. How can he keep doing this to me? “How long do you plan on ignoring me, punishing me?”
“I’m not punishing you. I just needed some space. I needed to think some stuff through.”
I was probably pushing my luck, but the words just tumbled out of my mouth. “Well are you about through?”
“Bri,” he growled. “Let’s just focus on figuring out why granny dearest is suddenly interested in you. We can deal with… other stuff later.”
It was a start and far better than not seeing him at all. “Does that mean you’ll be back in school on Monday?”
He laid his dark head back and stared at the ceiling. “I guess Monday is as good as any.”
A sprinkle of hope and excite trickled inside me. I would be able to see him every day again. There was nothing right now I wanted more than time with him, however I got it.
He swallowed hard. “Have you seen him?”
Then my exhilaration came crashing down. I stared at my hands. “Yeah. He’s been helping me hone my magic.”
I knew that it was extremely difficult for him to hear. Lines of strain pulsed at the sides of his temples. “Is it working?” he asked, the words sounding forced.
I sighed. “Some. I was able to move an object from across the room.” Sitting beside him, I tucked my legs up against my chest.
He ran the back of his knuckles down my check, and his eyes grew sad. I couldn’t stop the shiver or the drop in my heart. “It really should be me.” He pushed off the bed, and I was helpless to do anything.
And once again I watched him walk out the door.
I squeezed my eyes shut and swore.
He might be right. Maybe I was making a huge mistake with Lukas. I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Who was right? Who was wrong? Who to trust? I felt like my head was going to fall off.
So much for talking to him, I’d spent most of our short time together with my tongue down his throat. Not that I was complaining, it had been glorious. The problem was I didn’t know if and when it would happen again.
And I so wanted it to happen again.
