by Raine Thomas
Michelle stepped off the porch and approached them. “Trying to fit in better, loser?” she said in a snarky voice, staring at Amber. “Well, it’s a little late now. Four years of high school with frizzy hair, no makeup and unpolished nails, and now this? Please.”
Taking a closer look, Gabriel realized what Michelle meant. Amber’s hair had been tamed and trimmed, and was styled around her face in a way that drew attention to her features. Her full, heart-shaped lips were coated in light pink gloss. And when he glanced at her long, lovely fingers, he saw the polish Michelle mentioned.
Feeling like an ass for not noticing, he turned to Michelle. “You need to move your car.”
With a huff of disgust, she flounced past them and climbed into her car. Then she started the engine and tore out of the driveway, almost getting creamed by a car on Highway 29 in the process. They watched her departure in silence.
“There are more bags in Mrs. B’s car,” Amber said at last. Her tone clearly indicated that she didn’t want to discuss the surge. He would certainly respect that.
“Okay.” He couldn’t seem to stop staring at her.
“Mrs. B took me to her salon after karate,” she explained. She sounded as though it had been quite a trial for her. “It was my graduation present.”
“Ah.”
“Don’t you dare laugh,” she ordered. Then she sighed, lifted her sunglasses and looked at him.
“I’m not going to laugh,” he managed, hoping he wasn’t gawking like a total dweeb. “You look—” Gorgeous. Amazing. So beautiful you make my chest hurt. “Very nice.”
“Yeah, right. Well, come on. Let’s move Mrs. B’s car and get the rest of the bags.”
“Sure.”
But rather than move, they both looked again where Michelle’s car had been. Amber lifted an eyebrow and glanced at him sideways.
“You know if we had a pet rabbit that Michelle would probably end up boiling it on our stove Fatal Attraction-style after all that, right?”
“Shut up,” he said.
Chapter Three
Knorbis stood facing the long window in front of him, but the beautifully landscaped courtyard outside the window escaped his focus. Instead, his eyes settled on his soft, blurred reflection in the crystal clear sheet of glass.
The smooth planes of his face had settled into a seemingly permanent frown of concern. White-blond hair stood up from his scalp in unruly tufts, something he would normally have done something about, but could not find the energy to do so now. His hands were cupped together behind his back, his posture stiff and unmoving. He had not slept in almost a week, and the dull throbbing in his head served as a constant reminder of his exhaustion, as did the dark circles under his deep purple eyes.
The sound of a door opening behind him had him shifting his gaze within the window’s reflection to see who had entered the chamber. When he realized who it was, there was a subtle clenching in his chest…something he could not identify.
“Good afternoon, Knorbis.”
Turning at last, he responded, “Good afternoon, Malukali.”
She left the door open as she walked in, telling him the others were not far behind. He took this moment with just the two of them to study her. She had the most marvelous long, brown hair. The rich stuff was straight and lustrous, capturing the rays of the sun as they filtered through the windows. He frequently found himself wanting to touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked, though he could not imagine why. Her scent floated across the room, like a warm, tropical breeze over a bouquet of vibrant orchids. She pulled a chair out from the table centered in the meeting room, her every movement filled with elegance and poise.
When she turned her potent, dark green gaze to his, the foreign sensation in his chest tightened again, causing him to inhale sharply.
“Is everything all right?” she asked. She paused halfway down to her seat, her hands braced on the gleaming wood table.
“I am fine,” he responded, waving her down. “There is much weighing on my mind, as you know.”
She nodded. She certainly knew better than anyone. Her lips parted on a response, but the sound of the others approaching interrupted her.
First through the door was Jabari, followed closely by Ini-herit. They nodded at Knorbis and exchanged nods with Malukali as they each took their seats. Jabari sat at the head of the table, as was customary. Zayna and Sebastian followed, issuing their own greetings. The last to arrive was Uriel, the large male seeming to fill the room as he closed the door behind him and simply leaned against it.
Finding himself unable to fathom sitting still, Knorbis remained standing by the window and addressed the room. “Thank you all for coming. I know you are all very busy.”
“Of course, Knorbis,” Jabari said, his voice deep and calm. “We understand your reasons for wishing to meet this way. It is safest for everyone, after all. Please tell us why you have called us together.”
Nodding, Knorbis said, “I have been having visions for over a week now. They nearly all center around Saraqael’s eldest.”
The gazes of the others remained unblinking and intent on him. Not a gasp of shock or word of concern was issued. There had been a time when his intuition had been questioned, but after the events of nearly two decades ago, such was not the case any longer.
“And what have you foreseen?” Jabari asked.
“Soon—very soon—there will be an exhibition of power unlike any of the others we have witnessed. The outcome…” He trailed off, the pain in his head spiking as he tried to apply his powers of perception to his own visions and failed. “I cannot foresee it,” he said finally, his shoulders bowing a bit under the weight of this admission.
“Do you fear for their safety?” Ini-herit asked.
“I do,” Knorbis replied. “If for no other reason than I know not what they face.”
There was a pause as they considered this. Then Malukali said, “We all know that Kanika perceived a small surge yesterday, during the interaction between Gabriel and Michelle. Do you suppose that was a prelude to this larger-scale display?”
“I do,” Knorbis repeated. “And there is more. Although my visions have primarily centered around Saraqael’s eldest, I have also seen the others. And there were displays of power there, as well.”
Another pause ensued. Glances were exchanged around the table. Normally, Knorbis would have opened his senses to attempt to analyze those glances. Now, though, he was simply too exhausted to bother. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted Malukali studying him consideringly. She had spent most of her time with Saraqael’s youngest these past many years. He wondered if she doubted him, since she obviously had not sensed anything untoward herself.
“Perhaps it is time,” she said then, surprising him. He lifted his gaze to hers and saw nothing but respect and belief.
And there it was again. The mysterious twist in his chest.
Jabari looked at Ini-herit. “Raphael is standing in for you since you came to this meeting, is he not?”
Ini-herit nodded.
“Please be sure he is aware of this grave possibility.”
Again, Ini-herit nodded. When his silver gaze flashed briefly, they all knew he was sending out the requested message.
“I believe we cannot ignore Knorbis’ visions,” Jabari said, looking at each of them in turn. “There is far too much at stake. It seems clear to me that we must begin making plans for the transitions.”
“All of them?” Zayna asked, her brows drawing together.
Jabari nodded. He caught Knorbis’ gaze. “Indeed. We must follow Knorbis’ intuition.”
“But it has not been determined if Gabriel’s feelings are reciprocated,” Malukali pointed out. “We all believe this is very important toward the success of the transitions.” She looked at Ini-herit.
“It is true that there must be some element of faith for a transition to be successful,” Ini-herit agreed. “And thus far, she does not seem to have any. Without that, it will
likely impact the transition for both of them in one way or another.”
“I understand that,” Jabari responded, “and it is a concern. We do not know for certain whether it will ultimately matter, however. And if these displays of power are imminent, as Knorbis, suggests, we must take action. You must all consider the potential cost if we do not.”
After another moment of silence, they all nodded in agreement.
Sebastian said, “It will take some time to prepare everything. But we shall begin making the arrangements immediately.”
Uriel shifted away from the door, drawing everyone’s attention. “I will alert Harold, Alexius and Balera. They will ensure that Simon, James and Caleb are notified.”
“And I will do what I can to warn everyone on my end,” Ini-herit added.
“Very well,” Jabari said. “Let us get on with the preparations. I expect I will see you all again within two to three weeks. Until then, we will hope that we have acted in time to prevent any further tragedy.”
Amber stood in her room on the day of the pool party wondering when, exactly, she had lost her mind. Because surely it had to have been some time before Gabriel convinced her to wear a swimsuit in front of all of the kids she had gone to school with these past few years.
Frowning, she studied her reflection in the mirror over her dresser. The bathing suit was new. In truth, she had never owned one before...at least, not that she could remember. When she had used that as an argument to try and get out of going to the party, Gabriel had nipped that right in the bud by buying her one at BJ’s Warehouse, their joint place of employment. He said it was a combination graduation and birthday present. She couldn’t say that made her think any more fondly of the garment.
She supposed it wasn’t too bad as far as embarrassing, clinging, skin-baring pieces of clothing went. It wasn’t as though she was in a skimpy string bikini. Still, the black, one-piece suit with gold detailing woven through the bodice was comprised of far less fabric than she was used to wearing.
Her pasty skin was a stark contrast to the dark suit, to her thinking. She knew most of the other pool party attendees would be nicely tanned at this point in the year. Unlike her former classmates, she had never seen the appeal of lying around in the sun just for the purpose of darkening her skin. Besides, she’d just burn and peel, a painful and unattractive prospect.
Due to her track and karate training, her muscles were respectably toned, she supposed. But she had what could only be termed an “athletic” build. When considering Michelle’s comparatively swollen and curvy figure, Amber felt like an ironing board’s first cousin.
There was a knock on her door. After a moment in which she seriously debated yanking her blanket off her bed and wrapping it around herself, she sighed and opened the door. She was going to have to get used to being seen in this getup if she was truly going through with attending this party. And she had given Gabriel her promise. She wasn’t about to back out now.
Speaking of Gabriel, he stood on the other side of the door. He opened his mouth in greeting, then stood there without speaking when he saw what she was wearing.
Flushing, she turned and walked back into the room to stand again in front of the mirror. She fiddled with the halter-style strap around her neck in hopes it might help. “I know, I know. It’s ridiculous. Just say it.”
“Uh,” he said.
“But I’ll just point out that you chose this thing. I might have gone with a full-body wetsuit if it was me, but…”
When she trailed off and he still didn’t comment, she glanced at him in the mirror. He looked a little glassy-eyed.
“There you are,” Mrs. B said from the hallway. She appeared behind Gabriel. Normally, he would have moved the moment he realized she was behind him. Now, however, he simply stood in the doorway, his eyes on Amber. “Gabriel, may I get through?”
Finally, he seemed to shake off his weird trance. “Sorry,” he muttered as he moved to the side and allowed Mrs. B to walk by. She carried a Walmart bag.
“Well, don’t you look lovely, Little Star?” Mrs. B said with a wide smile. “What a nice bathing suit.”
“Thanks,” Amber said with another flush of embarrassment. Gabriel watched them from the doorway and she wondered a bit anxiously what he had come to talk to her about.
“I didn’t get the chance yesterday to give you the things I bought you at the store for today’s party,” Mrs. B said. She pulled some black, stretchy fabric out of the bag she carried. “This is a bathing suit cover-up, since I know you well enough to realize you won’t be comfortable at the party without one. The skirt ties over one hip.” She demonstrated briefly as both Amber and Gabriel watched, wearing twin expressions of bafflement, and then set it aside. “I also bought you some sunscreen and some new sandals to show off your pretty toenails. You can’t go to a pool party wearing socks and sneakers.”
Although she wanted to argue, Amber realized her guardian was right. She would only call more attention to herself if she was inappropriately dressed. “Thanks, Mrs. B.”
“Oh, child, you’re most welcome. You’ve asked little enough from me over the years. I’m happy to do for you now.”
Amber smiled at the warmth in Mrs. B’s words and expression. “I know I’ll get a lot of use out of these gifts,” she said, though she wasn’t sure whether she meant it. “And I wouldn’t have thought to get any of this, so I really appreciate it.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Mrs. B glanced back at Gabriel, who still stood in the doorway. “I’m sorry if I interrupted your conversation,” she said.
“Oh…no. It’s all good.”
“Well, I’ve got a load of laundry waiting to be moved to the dryer,” she said. “I’ll see you two off before you leave.”
“Of course,” they said at the same time.
She smiled, looking between them. “Good.”
When Mrs. B walked out, Amber pulled the new sandals out from the Walmart bag on her dresser. They were simple black sandals with straps around the ankles and toes. They had wedge-shaped heels made of something that looked like cork.
“So, what’s up?” she asked Gabriel as she turned the sandals upside-down and confirmed that the size was right. It was. She dropped them to the multi-colored rug on her floor and slid them onto her feet, bending to fasten the straps.
“I was just checking on you since it’s about time to go.” His voice was a little raspy.
“Making sure I’m not bailing?” she asked, glancing up at him.
He looked a little feverish, she realized. His cheeks were flushed and his blue-gray eyes shone a bit too brightly. A feeling of dread tickled the back of her mind. Was he freaking out over the surge? They hadn’t talked about it after Michelle left. What if he couldn’t deal with it this time?
What would she do if he finally turned from her?
“Yeah. Something like that,” he replied, his eyes moving from one object in her room to another but not meeting hers. “I just wanted to give you the ten-minute warning.”
“Oh.” She hoped he wasn’t lying to her. Why wouldn’t he meet her gaze? “Um, no prob. I’m pretty much ready. But since you’re here, can you help me put on this sunscreen?”
He finally caught her gaze, but couldn’t seem to focus. “What?”
Wishing he wasn’t acting so strangely, she raised the bottle in her hand and repeated, “Sunscreen. It’s apparently a must for us pale-oids. And I can’t reach my back.”
“Um. Right.”
When he didn’t move into her room, she lowered the bottle as a sense of loss sliced through her. Then she said in a quiet voice, “That’s okay. I can get Mrs. B to do it.”
“No, no,” he said, finally moving forward. “Sorry. Just got a lot on my mind.”
Battling her flailing emotions, she handed him the bottle and presented him with her back, shifting her hair over her shoulder and out of his way. “What kinds of things?” she asked, fully expecting him to mention the surge and her utter freakishn
ess. Her heart pounded relentlessly as she awaited his response.
He didn’t reply at first, dragging out her worry. She heard the sound of the sunscreen opening and then the sound of him squirting some of the lotion onto his hand. The scent of coconuts filled the room. Then he said, “I’m concerned about Michelle.”
Relief flooded her. She felt the tension in her shoulders ease even as sympathy for him circled through her mind. That made perfect sense. She knew how uncomfortable Michelle made him, and she was bound to be at the party.
Before she could reply, she heard the sound of a heavy breath and turned to look at him curiously over her shoulder. He had cupped the handful of sunscreen close to his mouth.
“Don’t want it to be too cold,” he explained, still not quite meeting her eyes. Then he rubbed his hands together before lifting them both to her back.
The sunscreen was cool despite his efforts, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “Yikes.”
“Sorry.”
She was about to tell him not to worry and thanks for helping her out when she realized how absolutely incredible his touch felt. It occurred to her that she had never been touched like this by anyone before. Actually, she usually did whatever she could to prevent it.
Now, Gabriel slowly rubbed his hands along the column of her neck, then along each of her shoulder blades and the expanse between them, the movements purposeful, but tender. The sensation made her want to groan with unexpected pleasure. Then he progressed lower, to the skin exposed below the single bow tie in the back. When he reached the base of her spine, she realized her heartbeat had accelerated to a ridiculous rate.
What the hell?
“Done,” he said after another moment. His voice still sounded strained.
“Thanks,” she replied, startled that her voice sounded rather similar to his. She cleared her throat. “I, um, I’ll be ready in another minute. Meet you in the kitchen?”
She caught his gaze over her shoulder. They stared at each other for what felt like a full minute. He opened his mouth to speak, his eyes intense. Her breath caught in her throat.
