We’d made it two laps around the woods, and I contemplated throwing up behind every bush I’d passed. Soaked in sweat, and in more pain than I thought possible, I stretched out my neck muscles with a groan. Cas strode across the gym, eyes drifted to the watch on his wrist. It couldn’t be legal to look that good in a t-shirt and sweat pants. My inner devil chased the butterflies around with a glass jar, hoping to catch, and suffocate them.
“Pretty good, guys.” He praised us, and pressed a water bottle into my hands before he crouched next to me. “Ready for some strength exercises?”
“Ready to die, Coach.” Odell declared.
I shook my head, and panted. “Just kill me. It’ll be a more humane punishment. I’m ready for my one bedroom, ground heated apartment.” I chuckled between gasps, and was rewarded with blank stares. “A coffin!?” They blinked a few times, not reacting to my obvious joke. “You know… Geothermal energy? The heat that…” I waved my hands dismissively. “Nevermind.” Stupid Kaito, not here to laugh at my brilliance. I threw a desperate glace across the room, but he was too occupied gawking at Aris’ bulging muscles to even notice. Tsk, tsk, some friend. I pushed air through my nose, clenched my jaw, and struggled to my feet. “I’m ready.” I stretched out my back, rolled my shoulders, and ignored the sting in my chest. “Come on. We have some lifting to do.” I poked Odell with my foot.
That got him moving. He rolled over and thrusted his butt toward the ceiling. “Just plant the flowers already.”
“You can do it.” Cas’ offered a hand, and pulled him up.
Shoulder propped against the steel rack holding the pull up bar, I watched Cas help Odell get settled into the cable crossover. I bit my lip when he bent down to pack on more weight. Damn, I wanted to see him naked. I quickly drove those thoughts away when he joined me at the pull up bar. “You ready?”
I dried my palms on my sweats, and nodded. “Yupp.”
Nope, apparently, I wasn’t ready, at all. Cause when his hands gripped my waist I went off like a firework. My body imploded, sending wave after wave of heat through my chest, heart rattled against my ribs. I gasped, grabbing the bar in sheer panic.
“Pull yourself up.”
His hands slid from my waist to my hip, pushing me up. Mind flooded with pictures of him ripping my clothes off, his hands exploring my naked body. A tongue finding its w--
I squealed when his hands disappeared, and my fingers slipped off the bar.
“Ouch. What the hell?” Butt on the floor, I opened my mouth to scold him, but choked on the words when our eyes met. A flash of surprise, and a sliver of something else deep behind his mismatched eyes.
“Think I need some help over here, Coach.” Odell shouted. The clanging of weights slaughtered the moment.
“Sorry. I thought you were ready.” Cas pulled up the bottom of his shirt to dry the sweat from his face. I glanced at the ceiling and mouthed a thank you to whatever deity sculpted those abs. Mind reveled in kinky fantasies of what I could do with that body while I shuffled to my feet, and rubbed my tender money maker.
“That’s okay. I only bruised my ego. It heals quickly.”
“You named it?” He chuckled, eyes drifted down my back.
“What? No.” I stopped the massaging, and laughed. “Who would name their butt?”
“Should we try again?” He hitched his chin to the bar.
The bell rang and a unison sigh of relief echoed between the walls.
“Thank, god. Maybe next time.” I snapped up the bottle of water I’d left on the floor, and limped toward the locker room. Skin prickled the cool drops escaping the bottle when I pressed it to my burning forehead.
“Mira. Wait up.”
Kaito threw an arm around my shoulder, beaming like a kid on Christmas. God, could he not be a beacon of cheerful right now?
“Aw? Are you a grump? Is it the cramps?”
“No.” I snapped, harder than intended, but something jagged at my nerves. I felt watched, and not in the good someone’s checking me out, kind of way. Even though my imp radar didn’t buzz, I still got the weird feeling something was up.
Kaito pulled his arm away, and side glanced at my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I sighed, and rubbed my face. “Just moody, I guess.”
“You know what. You go have a shower, and we can grab a snack.”
“I love how well you know me.”
Chapter 8
Loud voices pulled me from a dreamless sleep. I reached for the phone, squinting at the bright screen. Midnight? Are they serious? I groaned, dropping the phone on the bed. Salma managed to fall asleep in the middle of reading. Again. Thick curls of hickory colored hair flowed across the pillow. The book rested over her face, one hand still clung to the back of it.
Another thud from downstairs. Come ooon. A girl needs her beauty sleep. I tossed the cover off me with a huff, and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Chilly air tickled my feet while I waited for the fuzz to clear from my mind. The voices skipped up the stairs and knocked on the door with muffled knuckles.
"Damn it." I hissed, thrusted off the bed, pulled on the hem of my t-shirt, shivering against the cold tendrils that found their way up my hips. I gritted my teeth and charged into the hall.
"Go back to bed, ya twit." Tell sniggered from below. I pressed against the wall, hoping the now turned off lights would stay that way.
"No. I have to... have to..."
Is that Cas? I leaned forward to get a better look. Is he drunk?
"Yer blootered, ya are. Go to bed."
"Oh, come on. I can handle it." Cas leaned heavy on the railing at the beginning of the stairs, poking Tell in the chest with a swaying finger.
"Are ya jokin’? Ya can’t handle a burd. Go for a kip." Tell pulled him by the arm.
I crouched down, studying them through gaps of the railing. Cas swayed back, feet slipped on the steps when he struggled free from Tell's grip. Tell gave him a helping push, and got him back in balance again. He ushered Cas away from the stairs, muttering under his breath.
I snuck back into my room, and inched into a pair of sweats. Heart fluttered with excitement. Guess all it took was a flash of a pretty face doused with alcohol, for my beauty sleep to be obsolete. I crept down the hall, my back to the wall, and ears perked. Muffled voices hovered along the bottom floor, barely making it up the stairs. One step, a pause, another step, a pause. I made my way down the stairs, air sung with the dry smell of lavender. Where'd they go? I followed the voices down the right hall, twitched at every sound.
“Don’t know if I should be happy, or disappointed that you wore pants this time.” Lux strode from the shadows of the library with an impish smile resting on his lips.
Does this guy ever sleep?
“Need more aspirin?” He sauntered closer. “Or just company?”
“Naw. I’m good. I heard a noise, and thought I’d check it out.” A step back, securing some space between us. “Now that I know it’s just you, I’ll go back to my room.” I spun on my heels, and slammed into his chest. How the hell? My gaze climbed his broad chest, up his neck, to the tilted corner of his lips. Muscles in my legs twitched, and gut clenched. I bit my lip, my eyes slid over his face, and finally met those intrusive wells of dark blue. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I couldn’t help myself. I placed my hand on his chest. Fingers demanded it. I needed to make sure he was actually there.
“How… How did you…” Words failed me when the hard beating of his heart resonated through my fingertips. The intensity in his eyes drove me to take a step back, but he placed a strong hand over mine, holding it in place against his chest.
“Do you really want to know?” He took a step forward, narrowing the already small gap between us. I took one back. He matched my steps until my back hit the railing on the stairs. Heat rolled off his body, driving my own to react in the same way. Wanting eyes caressed my parted lips. My breath caught. His brows knitted. He leaned closer. Skin prickled
under his breath. He’s gonna kiss me? Is this happening? Fire flooded my stomach, spreading to my thighs and chest.
“You need to go back to your room now. Or I’ll have to report you.” He released me, and stepped back.
I clung to the railing, legs trembling. "Are you kidding me? That's sexual harassment." I provoked, fighting to regain control of my senses. Eyes snapped to me, eyelids flickered, and his breath hitched.
"Turning me on like that, and then walking away. That's just mean." I brushed my hands against the sweats, and straightened my t-shirt. He relaxed when I arched a challenging brow.
“There you go again. Didn’t I tell you not to do that?”
“Do what?”
He laughed. “Go back to your room.” The twitching corners of his lips ruined the attempt at a stern face.
God, he was gorgeous. The kind of guy you could watch for hours, while he did mediocre things, like folding a sheet. “Fine. I’m going.” A teasing tingle made its way down my front.
“There you are.”
I twirled to face a swaying Cas. His finger kind of pointed to me, but with the constant wobbling I couldn’t be sure. His half-closed lids, partly hid the redness of his eyes.
“I thought you’d handled it.” Lux growled when Tell jogged to catch Cas before he stumbled into the wall.
“I canny bolt him to the bed, now can I?” Tell complained.
“Have you tried?”
“You… You have a dirty mind.” Cas zeroed in on my now blushing face.
Lux lifted a gleeful brow. “He knows you.”
It wasn’t a question, but I answered anyway. Cause I’m an idiot.
“Yes. I mean, no. He…” My gaze swept across their waiting faces. For the love of… I threw my hands up in surrender. “Yes. Guilty as charged. I have a dirty mind.” I rolled my eyes. “And I was just on my way back to bed. My bed.”
Lux opened his mouth, a playful glint glittered under thick lashes.
“Alone.” I added, laughter tumbling in my chest.
Who are these dudes? Seriously? Two steps up the stairs, and my neck stiffened. Fingers curled into sweaty palms. Oh, this is not good.
Where is it?
“Changed your mind?”
I shuddered in pleasure when a warm breath caressed my cheek. “No.” I croaked. “I’m just trying to figure out if I should grab a coffee.” How did he keep sneaking up on me?
“In the middle of the night? I doubt that’s a good idea.” Lux circled around me, like a shark assessing its prey. “If you want to stay up all night, I’ve got time to spare.”
Yes. “No.” Awww, stupid brain. “I’m good. Thanks.” I went around him, fighting the tension in my neck.
“Good night, Mira.”
I bit down a gasp when my body shuddered with pleasure at the way he said my name.
Chapter 9
My constant tossing and turning lured a complaining groan from Salma, so I gave up on sleep, and rolled out of bed. Tension clung to my spine like a steel rod. Feet protested their return to the cold floor. This could be my only chance to get to the imp, at least without anyone noticing.
The door opened without a sound, and I slunk into the hall. A bed squeaked behind one of the many closed doors. Someone snored behind another.
Nights had always been my favorite part of the day. The freedom to do whatever I wanted without being seen.
Staying at Effulgent had heavily decreased my alone time through curfews, not that I was much of a follower of rules, I just liked to fly under the radar. Attention caused problems when you battled creatures from hell.
I padded down the empty hall, lips twitched at the memory of Cas stumbling on the stairs. Heart thumped furiously. Breath trembled as I reached the downstairs hall. Empty. I exhaled in relief, tightness trickled from my shoulders. Now, let’s find that tiny terrorist before it causes me any trouble.
The glitter trail lead into the cafeteria, up the walls, down to the floor and disappeared under a table. Just my luck. An imp who didn’t know to keep to the walls. I crouched and wedged myself in between the chairs. The sharp corners of the chair’s legs cut into my hip.
“Where did you go?” Gaze landed on the puddle of glitter.
Someone killed it? No. That’s impossible.
My head hit the underside of the table, at the sound of the breathy chuckle somewhere behind me.
“Damn it!” A burning pain laced around my scalp. I shuffled from under the table, hand pressed against my head.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” The velvet voice got my heart pounding.
I sprung to my feet, tugged down my shirt and glared at the guy in the door. Lux leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, a cocky half smile played on his lips. Gray slacks hung loose on his hips, belt undone, my eyes climbed up a bare abdomen, a white shirt unbuttoned. I bit the inside of my lip. Heart raced as I homed in on the dark line of hair disappearing underneath the hem of his pants.
“My eyes are up here.” He sniggered.
“Yeah. But mine are very comfortable where they are. Thanks.” Eyes parted from temptation, and I met his with an impish smile.
He sauntered over to the counter, reached over and grabbed a bottle of water. “Are you suffering from insomnia, or something?” His gaze fell to the floor behind me. “I seem to find you skulking around at the oddest hours.”
“Do you ever sleep?”
He unscrewed the cap, and took a sip from the bottle. “So? What were you doing?”
Talk about completely ignoring my question. With his lips still resting on the brim of the bottle, he gave me a roguish smile.
“What could possibly bring you down here again?” He walked to the chair next to me, sliding into it, and crossed his ankles. Snorting out air through my nose, I rolled my eyes to pull them away from his six pack.
“You first.”
He pointed to a chair opposite him. “Sit.” Another sip. “I’m hiding from commitment.”
“Who’s evil enough to name a girl that?” I asked, and sat down.
He laughed, a deep rolling laugh that slammed into my chest and coaxed a smile to my lips.
“Who indeed?” Midnight eyes drilled through my head. The muscles in my thighs tightened. I pressed them together trying to calm the fire licking up the inside of my body. Didn’t help. Duh!
He cocked a brow, my movement didn’t go unnoticed. He tilted his head slightly, but didn’t say anything. I shifted my weight on the chair, eyes fluttered to the door. I might make it if I run. Can he at least close the shirt? I bit my lip when my eyes, once again, found his chest. Muscles played under taunt skin. I slipped my hands under me, and fought the urge to reach out to touch him.
A rap across my neck, tension bellowed through my spine. My warning system rang out in full force, and then some. “Seriously?” I gasped for air, and shot to my feet. “I need to go. That… is not good for me.” With big circles, I gestured over his body with my hand, but my eyes followed the glitter path appearing on the wall by the door.
He flinched, and barked out a laugh. “You’re refreshing.”
“Uh huh? Sure. I’m a breath mint. Excuse me.”
“What are you hunting?” The acerbic voice brought me to a complete stop. With rigid movements I turned, fighting to breathe as our eyes locked. He studied me with a serious expression. Hand went to my chest, covering the key. A block of cement sunk to the pit of my gut.
“Wha- What?”
“You heard me.” His voice softened. “What are you hunting?” He pulled his feet to the floor, and leaned forward in the chair, elbows resting on his knees.
A quiver grew from my stomach to my chest. Thoughts crashed, like tidal waves inside my head. “What do you mean?”
Fingers laced around my wrist. I plummeted into darkness, intestines shot to my head.
I blinked a few times, chest tightened. The scene around me, a moment, frozen in time. People, like mannequins in midmotion. I edged forward
on the moss-covered ground, sweat trickled down my back. A lake coated with dragonflies nestled in a dense forest. The clear blue mirror vibrated under their weight. Bright lights hovered between the trees. Blood rushed through my veins, heart raced. The smell of algae, and wet bark filled the air. As if someone flipped the switch on a stereoscope, the world changed. I sucked a breath through clenched teeth. The dragonflies lifted from the lake, blood pooled underneath them. Figures of light surrounded me, too bright to make out anything but silhouettes. Armored soldiers frozen in battle, swords raised. I walked around them; chest vibrated with shallow breaths. Fingers shook when I reached out to touch a soldier cradling a dying child. A flaming sword raised over the soldier’s head, aimed for the neck. Stomach dropped, muscle trembled. The soldier tilted their chin. I recognized those pale grays. Her lips moved.
"Mira?"
I jolted back, hand to my mouth. Heat flared behind my eyelids.
"Mira? Come on. Wake up."
I fought against the hands holding me. Screams clawed at my throat. I couldn’t breathe, fear strangled me from inside.
"Calm down. It's me."
I forced my eyes open, and stared into Lux’ worried midnight blues.
"Mom!" I gasped, and crawled backward. "My mom! It was her. They were going to kill her." I stumbled to my feet, chilled tendrils whipped across my heart. Breath caught at the back of my tongue I sprinted to my room.
Chapter 10
I leaned against the door, heart chiseled its way through the brick walls I’d spent so long to build around it.
What the hell is happening? I kicked the door in frustration.
“Wha? Huh?” Salma sprung out of bed. “What’s wrong?” The words slumped out of her mouth, mind still clouded with sleep.
Damn it, I need Aym. “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep. I’m just getting some water.” I lied.
She smacked her lips a few times, bobbed her head. Eyes closed before she hit the bed, her hickory curls cascaded over the pillow, and covered most of her face. I paced the floor, one eye on Salma’s sleeping figure. Mind tumbled.
Okay. Breathe. You can’t call him if you don’t focus.
Before Limbo (After Life Book 1) Page 4
