Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  Speaking of adjusting the tension, I thought as I followed.

  “Okay, Ember, I’ll have you go first.” Jason handed me line a clip. Eli stood with his legs apart, parallel to his shoulders and his arms crossed over his chest. The harness fit snuggly over his button-fly jeans. The weight of the harness pulled them down, exposing more of his hips and lower torso. As low as they dipped, I saw no hint of underwear. No, don’t go there. I swallowed and shifted my gaze to the floor as I walked up to him.

  My fingers nervously fumbled with the clip and front loop of his harness. I twisted my hand to get a better angle, and my knuckles brushed up against the exposed patch of his soft, toned skin. My hand and his body jerked back in response.

  Embarrassment colored my face. His eyes held mine with a steady, critical gaze I couldn’t really decipher before I returned my focus to the harness. I clipped him into the rope and adjusted the tension, then took several steps away.

  “Awesome.” Jason nodded approvingly. “Now, it’s your turn, Eli.”

  I tried to calm my thumping heart as his eyes locked onto mine, the room becoming hazy and out of focus. Eli held the clip in one hand, and his fingers flicked the clasp open and closed as he stepped to me. With the other hand, he curled his fingers through my harness loop, purposely letting his thumb skim the space between my jean line and t-shirt hem. My skin burned where he touched it.

  He yanked me closer to him, our bodies becoming aligned. My breath caught in my throat as he swiftly hooked the clip in the loop and gave it another strong tug to make sure it was secure. He stepped back and adjusted the tension of the rope, his eyes never leaving mine.

  My body trembled. I hadn’t realized I had stopped breathing until tiny, dark spots impeded my vision and the room decided to get a little unstable on me. I let go of my breath, hoping he wouldn’t notice my reaction. From the fraction of a smile glinting in Eli’s eyes, I was not so lucky.

  I nodded at him. Well played.

  He shrugged. I thought so. Are you sure you really want to dance with me, little girl?

  I crossed my arms. I’ve heard the Samba is enjoyable.

  He smirked. You are out of your league.

  Don’t underestimate me.

  Tango it is then.

  “Wow, awk-ward.” Jason clasped his hands, trying to break the tension between Eli and me. Jason’s voice snapped me back into the room, and I looked up, startled. I had almost forgotten he was there. That was a bad sign—a really bad sign.

  We finished the rest of our training, and as soon as I was unhooked, I thanked Jason and bolted out of the room. My phone showed a text from Kennedy saying they’d be here at six-thirty, giving me ten more minutes. I walked outside, wanting to escape into the open air and hide in the dark shadows hanging from the building. My body still buzzed with adrenaline, and my skin where his thumb touched me zinged with heat. I leaned against the cement wall and closed my eyes, taking in a slow breath of cool air and trying to calm myself.

  Someone barged out the front door of the building. My eyes flew open with a start. I froze as I saw Eli barreling toward the parking lot, his hand continuously running over his face and through his hair.

  When he reached his motorcycle, he threw down his bag angrily, profanity hissing from his mouth. He leaned over his motor. He looked to be gathering himself together, his fingers digging into the leather seat. I didn’t move a muscle, afraid he’d turn around and see me.

  The front door creaked again as someone else pushed outside. “Eli?” A voice I immediately recognized as Samantha’s echoed through the night air. “Eli?” She walked to him. I pressed myself harder into the wall, hoping I’d become part of it.

  “What?” He sounded irritated.

  “I waited for you.”

  His voice was clipped. “I didn’t ask you to.”

  “I know.” Her tone went from uncertainty to angry. “You never would because you don’t want to need anything from anyone.”

  He pushed himself off the bike and turned to face her. “I’ve told you how I feel. I’ve warned you this is nothing more than what it is. I’m not looking for anything, but you continue to pursue it. You know full well what I’m like. I never deceived you.”

  Sam was silent for a moment. “It’s her, isn’t it?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, please. It’s so obvious. I have eyes. I can see what is happening.” Her mood seemed to shift again, and a strange laugh escaped her. “I’m surprised at you. I know you’ve done the gauntlet of women, but I didn’t imagine you’d go there. I mean you do know what she is, right?” Eli’s jaw tightened, and he stared back at Sam without an ounce of emotion. “I thought that was one line even you wouldn’t cross. She’s one of them. Do you get it? You most of all can’t forget what it means.”

  “I have forgotten nothing! I know what I am doing. I have a plan.”

  Samantha crossed her arms. “I’m starting to think there is more to it than that.”

  The tension was so thick I could feel it resonating off Eli and see its visible sonic waves crash into me. He turned away and grabbed his bag off the ground. “I’ve had enough of this conversation.”

  “Oh, did I hit a nerve, Eli?” She sounded hysterical. “What’s wrong? Is wanting to screw an abomination too much for you?”

  “Enough,” he roared. “You’re out of line. Do not forget yourself.”

  Stumbling back at Eli’s outburst, she bit her lip and shook her head slowly. “You really are a bastard,” she whispered, turned on her heels, and ran inside. Eli watched her for a moment. Cursing under his breath, he shook his head and climbed onto his bike.

  I let out my breath, not realizing I had been holding it. From that tiny movement, Eli’s gaze shot in my direction, his blazing eyes finding mine in the darkness. As our stares locked, a light flooded the parking lot. Ryan’s Nissan pulled up in front of me.

  “Em,” Kennedy yelled as she rolled down the window.

  I closed my eyes, cringing. There was no doubt now as to the identity of the person eavesdropping—as if I had a choice in the matter. Without looking at him, I dashed to the car, desperately wanting to get away. Kennedy was trying to climb into the rear so I could have the front, and in my eagerness to get in, I flung myself into the front seat, pushing her headfirst into the back.

  Ryan scoffed and then laughed as Kennedy’s muffled squeaks sprang from behind us. “Jeez, lady, in a hurry?”

  “Sorry, Ken.” I turned to look at her. “I’m really ready to get out of here and hang out with you guys!”

  ***

  “Oh, holy hotness, Batman!” Ryan’s gaze was directed out the window at Eli. “I don’t know why you’d want to hang out with us when you have playmates like him at school. Now, there’s a Happy Meal I’d like to order.”

  Eli was straddling his glistening, black motorcycle. Hands wrapped around the bars and feet still planted on the ground, he started at me.

  “Some playmates bite,” I said.

  “All the better.” Ryan’s eyebrows shot up and down.

  Kennedy wiggled between our seats, trying to get a better view. “Wow …”

  Ryan’s reaction didn’t surprise me, but seeing Kennedy stare at Eli with wide, unblinking eyes and a strange, confused look on her face made something twist inside me. I couldn’t help but follow her gaze, even though I knew who she was looking at, and I found Eli staring back at her equally as intently.

  “He’s dangerous and very dark. Death surrounds him …” Kennedy mumbled.

  I spun to face her. “What?”

  She stared at Eli in a trance-like state.

  “Ken?” I said louder.

  She pulled her eyes away from him, shaking her head. “Sorry, there’s something peculiar about him …” she trailed off. She realized we were all looking at her, and a deep blush covered her cheeks. “Nothing, just ignore me.”

  Eli’s gaze seared intensely through the window as he looked back
at me.

  I turned to Ryan, feeling the intensity of Eli’s stare. “Can we get out of here, please?”

  “Sure thing, my salty M&M, but only if you tell me what is going on between you and Mr. Throw Me Up Against a Wall because I know there is something titillating happening there.”

  “Ryan, please.” My eyes grew wild as he sat there, looking back at me with a sly smile. “Fine. Go, please.”

  He hit the gas and within seconds I was away from Eli’s penetrating gaze. I sighed with relief. I didn’t like him having such an effect on me. I took a deep breath and looked at my friends. A huge burden seemed to lift off me. I felt lighter and happier. My eyes misted up. I had missed them so much.

  “Oh, no, missy. You are not going to get out of true confessions with those crocodile tears. Now talk.” Ryan shook his head and smiled.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” I refuted, causing them to snort.

  “Please.” Ryan’s glance had me withering in my seat. “There was more tension back at the parking lot than a southern woman’s girdle at a bake sale.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “Nothing’s going on, I swear.”

  “Hey, Pinocchio, remember who you’re dealing with here. I can sense these things better than a clairvoyant on acid,” Ryan replied. “Spill it.”

  I bit my lip. If I told them, then I was admitting there was something to tell, that there was something going on between Eli and myself. But if I thought I could get out of talking with these two, I was sorely mistaken.

  Ryan was first. “So … the incredibly hot, bad boy who rides a motorcycle, his name is … ?”

  I sighed, defeated. “Eli … is name is Eli.”

  “Eli what?” Kennedy sat forward in her seat, her chin settling on the back of my headrest.

  “Eli Dragen.”

  Ryan coughed I thought they were going to fall out of her head. My insides tightened into a knot as I watched them.

  “W-Wh-Who?” Kennedy stuttered.

  “Eli Dragen.”

  “You do know who he is, right?”

  “No.”

  “Ever heard of the RODs, the Riders of Darkness?”

  “Yeah …” A nervous feeling settled in my gut.

  “You know my dad works for the Gang Task Force. I’ve seen him looking at a file so I peeked. Eli Dragen is one of the names on the top of the list, along with his brother, Lorcan. They are both high-ranking members in the club. Seriously dangerous shit, Em.”

  I had heard the rumors about the RODs ever since I moved to Olympia. They were an infamous biker gang who lived on the outskirts of town. They were known to hang out at Mike’s Bar, which was notorious for its underbelly clientele, seediness, and criminal activity. It was a place where law-abiding citizens didn’t venture, and it was left for the biker gangs and outlaws who called it home.

  Since nobody claimed to have met them, it was difficult to know if any of the rumors were true. The only thing I might be willing to believe is Eli had been in jail. Not only arrested but served some jail time. From my encounter with him in the police station, being chained to the chair, and from the familiarity between the cop and him, what Ryan said seemed within the realm of possibility.

  It didn’t surprise me Eli was part of the RODs. It terrified me though, especially when I thought of the creepy night I could have sworn I saw him outside my bedroom.

  “I didn’t take you for the kind of girl who goes out with real bad boy types. The rumors you hear about him and his brother. Dragen is definitely a name my father knows well.” Ryan looked at me with his eyebrow cocked. “That’s a boy who your mother warned you to stay away from and your father would be buying a bazooka for, not a shotgun.”

  I gulped.

  “So now having the experience of seeing this guy in person, which is still causing me to orgasm,”—Ryan took a deep breath—“I’m even more curious about how our little Emmy is involved with the bad boy from the other side of the tracks. With a guy so bad and hot, what is the reason she is keeping it a secret from us?”

  “I’m not involved with him.”

  “I don’t buy it. Do you buy that porta potty potpourri, Ken?”

  “Nope.” Kennedy shook her head.

  “Come on, guys, can we at least wait ‘til we’re home with food in our bellies before you berate me even more?”

  “Fine, but you are not getting out of it.” Ryan pulled into town. “I’m already placing bets on how long it will take you to get foliage burn or tree slivers on your back!”

  “Ryan!” I looked at him, exasperated.

  “What? You are going to be out in the woods with him for hours every day. I’m simply saying you should make use of what nature provides you.” He shrugged, an impish smile playing on his face. “And don’t tell me you haven’t thought about how hot that guy would be in the sack?”

  I looked out the side window.

  “Thought so.”

  We went quiet before Kennedy’s soft voice spoke from the back. “He’s not my type, but there’s really a presence about him, huh? Something you can’t explain … a raw, sexual essence. A guy whose boxers you want to permanently on your floor.”

  Ryan and I turned slowly to look at each other our mouths gaped, eyes wide as saucers. Then I looked back at Kennedy. Ryan twisted the rearview mirror to get a better look at her.

  “What?” Kennedy replied innocently, which sent us into a fit of giggles.

  I smiled mischievously. “I don’t think he wears any.”

  Their heads whipped towards me. We burst out laughing again, until tears poured down our faces.

  ***

  An hour later we were sprawled on my living room floor, Chinese takeout containers between us as some brainless movie no one was watching played in the background, when Ryan broached the subject again.

  “Holy crap, you are like a dog with a bone,” I commented to Ryan.

  “Or one with a boner.”

  “Ahhhh, Ryan.” We groaned and laughed hysterically. It felt so good to smile and laugh.

  “You’re making a bigger deal of this than it is.”

  “I doubt it. I saw the way he looked at you.”

  “Yeah, it’s called animosity.”

  “Right.” Ryan winked at Kennedy. “Or, as I like to call it, sexual tension.”

  I finally gave in and told them parts of what had happened. I started with the police station, but I left out when I thought I saw him outside my bedroom window, my nightmares, and how his touch sent fire through my skin.

  I also didn’t tell them about what I had heard between Eli and Sam. There was something in their exchange that bothered me. It wasn’t because they were obviously “friends with benefits, and Sam wanted more.” That did upset me, especially how nonchalantly he talked about it, but there was something else troubling me. I didn’t know who this other girl was, but the way they had talked about her seemed strange to me: “I’m surprised at you. I know you’ve done the gauntlet of women, but I could not imagine you going there. I mean, you do know what she is, right? I thought that was one line even you wouldn’t cross. She’s one of them. Do you get that? You, most of all, can’t forget what that means?”

  What did she mean? I decided to push it away. I had to make myself not care. I wasn’t going to get caught up in their drama. Hopefully, I wasn’t going to be at Silverwood much longer. Principal Mitchell promised he’d reevaluate the situation at the end of the month. If I had any luck, Eli and all this crap, excluding Josh, would all be a distant memory.

  I thought I would feel more relieved by the idea—I didn’t.

  Ryan and Kennedy stayed until Mark got home from his poker game. But even when I went to bed, thoughts of Eli’s fingers running across my bare stomach kept me tossing and turning until I finally drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  My bare feet pummeled the ground as I tore through the forest. Fear of something unseen behind me propelled dread through my veins, moving me faster. I broke through the
thick brush, skidding to a stop as my feet hit the edge of the cliff. The sheer drop ended far below where a river snaked through the dense forest. Falling would mean death. I tried to scramble back; my feet slipped on the loose gravel, making me slide over the rim.

  I was going to die.

  I reached back, grabbing frantically for an exposed tree root. Sweat dotted my forehead as my hand caught hold.

  Relief.

  Groaning, I tried to pull myself back up.

  “You look to be in need of some assistance, my lady.” Torin stood on the cliff’s edge above me, reaching out a hand for me.

  “You’re an observant one, aren’t you?” Yes, even in peril I could still be a smart-ass.

  Torin smiled and grabbed my wrists and pulled me up.

  “Thank you.” I nodded at him when my feet were secure on the ground again. My attention quickly turned to him. He was one of the reasons it was hard to catch my breath. Torin was dressed in black leather pants, a tight, black shirt, and black boots. His dark hair was tied neatly back at the base of his neck. I had forgotten how magnificent he was.

  “You never have to thank me for saving you. Your life and safety mean everything to me.” Torin squeezed my shoulders and brought me to him. “But I am at the Queen’s command. For your protection, I can only come to you like this, in your dreams. We could still be found out. I should not even be risking your welfare to spend this time with you now.”

  “What are you talking about? The Queen’s command? Are you British?”

  “British? No, most definitely not.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Listen to me, Ember. Word of your powers has raised some interest. You are no longer safe. Please … I am unable to say anything else, but I am trying to show you.”

  “Show me what? What are you forbidden to tell me?”

  “You know,” he said as he reached down and touched my heart. “Even if you are not aware, you do.” My breath lodged in my throat, my heart pounding at his touch. There was something so natural and familiar about it. “You know in here.”

  FOURTEEN