by Cait Vaughn
Serenity giggled. “I told you we eat a lot.” Then she was back to devouring her food. I laughed and began to eat my pancakes. There were so many butterflies in my stomach still. I had to do it on autopilot because I knew I needed the food.
When we were done our waitress brought the ticket. It had a smiley face with her phone number on it. I scoffed.
Ri grinned, “Jealous?” He asked.
I just shook my head at him as he threw a bunch of money on the table. Jason laughed and we all got up and got in the jeep heading back out on our journey.
Chapter 24
We got back to the highway and only drove a short way before I realized I had forgot to use the bathroom before we left. “Sorry guys, I need a bathroom.” I said. Serenity nodded. “Yeah me too, are we close to a bathroom Ri?”
Jason turned to look at us. “Didn't your mother ever tell you to go before you left the house.” He teased us, which caused Ri to slap him on the back of the head.
Ugh, boys.
I smiled but I really needed to go. I was starting to squirm.
Finally, Ri found an exit. There was one gas station right away but it was really rough looking. There was a sign that said restroom pointing around the back of the building. It had a woman sign pointing left and a man sign pointing right. As Ri pulled in he said, “Guys, I don't like this, can we-?”
“NO!” Serenity said. “We really have to go and we will be careful, promise.”
Serenity grabbed my hand and we ran around the back of the building to the women's room. I turned and saw the guys going to the opposite side of the building for the men's room. I was so happy they had more than one stall because I couldn't wait we rushed in. After washing our hands we opened the door to leave. Serenity was first and as she opened the door something hit her and she went flying backwards. I was off to the side frozen watching her crash into the bathroom mirror 15 feet away and it shattered. She screamed. A man walked in, I recognized him, he was the man-in -black, from the mall. I turned to run to Serenity and he reached out and snatched my hair, pulling hard. I screamed but only for a moment. Serenity's hand was raised and a blast flew out and knocked the man backwards. He grunted and landed outside the door. Serenity stood up and there was blood rushing down her arm.
“Trinity, get back.”
She stalked towards the door looking fierce and I backed deeper into the bathroom letting her walk past me.
The bathroom door swung in. She reached out one hand and slowly eased it open. She held her other hand out for something else. I didn't know what. Then poof the man appeared in between me and her. “Serenity!” I screamed. Her back was turned and he pushed out his hand hitting her with his fist and probably magic too, I thought, because she was sailing into the wall again. She made such a sad noise as she slammed into the wall and slid to the floor. I choked on my sobs. She looked unconscious, or worse. He turned toward me and lifted his arm.
Then the door blew in. The door literally exploded off the hinges and it was metal. It hit the man in black. Ri and Jason were there. Jason rushed to Serenity and Ri did not hesitate. He shot out his hand and a ball of fire came out and hit the man in black. He erupted in flames and then it was like a black hole. All of him imploded inwards and disappeared.
Ri looked like an angel of death. His eyes were on fire and his face was stone cold. “Are there more?” He barked at me. I was in shock so I just shook my head. Jason had got Serenity to wake up, thank God and he was carrying her out. Ri grabbed my hand and ran for the jeep. His calming voodoo barely connected before he was buckling me in the front seat of the jeep. I don't know how we got there so fast but I was in a crazy daze and sobbing hysterically. As he peeled out, like a bat out of hell, I turned to see Jason holding a bruised and beaten Serenity in the back seat.
“Is she OK!?” I yelled this through my sobs. “Shhh, Trinity it’s OK,” Ri said, “We are strong we heal really fast.” I turned from him and Serenity was weakly smiling at me. She held up her arm which had a six inch gash up on the bicep. It really was amazing it looked like it was a three day old wound. As, I watched it slowly was stitching itself back together. She also had a knot on her head which was shrinking before my eyes. “A few more minutes and I’ll be good as new. You can't get rid of me that easy.” Her voice was stronger and more like her perky self. I was relieved but also still panicking. Even though I knew she was OK I just kept seeing her small body flying into the wall. This was all my fault she could have died protecting me and Ri had killed to protect me. I was grateful but felt guilty. I watched that man die and his screams haunted me no matter how much it had to happen. I felt dizzy and leaned over thinking I might puke. I saw black dots in my vision.
“Trinity!” Ri yelled my name and grabbed my hand. His hand was hot really hot. I felt like it should hurt but it wasn’t uncomfortable just intense and then his calm voodoo was washing over me. I sucked in a deep breath and felt my body calm and realized I had been shaking like a leaf. I gave him a pained look. The shakes died down and my body relaxed. I felt ok but my brain knew that everything was all wrong and I still felt a lingering sadness inside.
Ri pulled his hand away, “I’m sorry I wasn’t trying to force you but you were starting to black out, I didn’t know what to do. Are you better now?”
I thought about the black spots and was amazed that his touch could calm me enough I didn’t faint. I was also extremely embarrassed that I had been about to faint. Could I be any more of a loser? I turned to look out the window. Everything was very blurry and my stomach dipped. I whipped my head to look at the speedometer. Ri gave me a guilty look and dropped his speed but I was sure I saw the needle on 120.
“It’s ok we have magic. We aren’t going to wreck or get pulled over by police.” He gave me his cocky grin and I noticed his eyes were seafoam green again. “In fact this jeep is protected by strong magic and the new plan is we don’t leave the jeep.” He said. The speedometer hit 80 but didn’t go any lower. I figured that was as good as it was going to get. This time when I looked out the window it wasn’t so bad.
Chapter 25
I needed to be alone with my thoughts so I slipped in my ear buds and leaned my head on the window. Everything was so crazy. Evil supes were after me. They obviously had no problem taking down anyone who stood in their way. Yesterday I got a cousin and today she was almost killed because of me. Then I thought about Ri. He had to kill for me. I wondered if it was hard for him to kill that guy. It happened so fast. It was self defense but did it hurt him to kill? Had he killed before?
I was not afraid of Ri. He saved me a couple of times and I was very grateful. I just felt like crap that I was the reason he had to take a life. It wasn’t fair. If they knew about me did they know about my dad? Would they be waiting to ambush him like they did me? I needed to call him. When I looked at my phone screen I realized I was crying because everything was blurry. Then Ri took the phone out of my hand and I looked around confused realizing we had turned off on a dirt road and stopped.
I wiped my eyes and Ri was giving me such a sad look. I turned back and saw Serenity and Jason were gone. “Where’d they go?” I asked. “They shimmered to give us a minute.” I flushed, how embarrassing, could all of this get any worse? “I really want to help you, however I can. If you don’t want me to calm you then I’m a good listener.” I snorted at that remembering how he had been listening to me for months now.
In that moment I didn’t want to be strong. Another large sob crashed through me and I just launched myself at him. I climbed into his lap my legs folded up on the side but my front on his front. I curled my hands in his shirt and buried my head in his chest and sobbed. He seemed kind of stiff at first, I think I surprise him. “He almost had me. He grabbed my hair but Serenity-” Ri growled cutting me off and said, “Never, never, do you understand me? I will never let them take you.” Then he was unfolding my hands from his shirt and pulling my arms up around his neck. I curled my hand around his neck. I knew the calm onl
y worked with skin contact. It did work and nothing had ever felt better.
It was like that moment of numbness your mouth gets after the sharp pain of the novocaine shot, because I had hurt so bad before that.
I moaned a little as the tension left my body and then I felt Ri tense and I tensed up for an entirely different reason. It was completely illogical it made no sense. If magic wasn’t involved I would most certainly not be thinking about his hotness. But there was magic. All my pain was gone and I was sitting in the lap and wrapped in the arms of the sexiest man I had ever known.
It wasn’t just his looks. He was strong and beautiful, inside and out. Yes, he made me crazy, but he meant well, and as I heard his heart speed up in his chest mine echoed it, and the butterflies came out full force.
I will not be shy.
I will not be shy.
Grabbing all the brave I could I pushed back a little and looked at his face. Our air sharing the same space. His eyes were glowing and he was hot. Yes he was attractive but his skin felt hot like an electric blanket. It felt good.
I didn’t know exactly what made his eyes glow and his skin heat but the man was made of fire and I didn’t really feel like I needed it explained to me. He was burning and so was I and I never wanted anything more than I wanted him to kiss me. His heavy eyes narrowed a fraction and he looked at my lips and then swallowed hard. “Trin I,” He started but had to stop to clear his throat his voice was so deep and gravelly.
He grabbed my hands and pushed me back a little. The rejection was obvious and even with his calming touch the humiliation was overwhelming. I looked down and blushed and bit my lip hard so I wouldn’t cry more, furthering my humiliation. Of course this superman wouldn’t be interested in average me. I started to shift to the other seat and then a growl came out of him and his hands were digging into my hips and his lips were on mine.
Chapter 26
I forgot to breathe and that was great I didn’t need to breathe. His lips were big and hot and it was the best feeling ever. My mouth opened on a sigh and I accidentally licked my/his lips and he growled like he was in pain and then kissed my cheek. “I think you’re amazing,” he said and kissed my other cheek. “You are handling this all so well.” He kissed my forehead. His hands rubbed my back firmly which felt really good. “You have nothing to feel bad about.” He kissed the left side of my neck. “Except that you are trying to kill me.” He gave a half groan as he kissed my lips again. Gentle and firm and I wanted more. I needed more. I would die if he didn’t kiss me deep. He pressed his forehead to mine. “You’re so impatient. How about we get all of us home in one piece first?” I looked at him in shock and even though he sounded relaxed his eyes still glowed so I knew he wasn’t unaffected but I also knew now beyond a doubt he read my mind.
He winked at me in his arrogant way and I was about to snap on him but then Jason and Serenity were in the back seat and I was in Ri’s lap. Jason laughed.
“Get ya some bro,” and held out his fist for a fist bump which made Ri growl again, this time in annoyance and I was too embarrassed and tried to crawl into my seat gracefully.
I could hear the grin in Serenity’s voice when she said. “Finally, you two have made me crazy. Trying to stop destiny is like trying to stop a freight train.” Usually I’m not very slow. I blame it on the hormones but that was when it clicked. He could read my mind that meant that he was my soulmate right? I turned to him with a puzzled look. He seemed concerned for an instant and then he grinned.
“It’s bond mate Trinity, and yes I’m pretty sure you are my bond mate. Think chemistry class. Certain elements bond together to create better things. Earth, air, and water can all combine together in different ways. Supes with bondable elements are always paired together. It makes us stronger. Almost all fire elementals, me, bond with air elementals. We assume you will at least have an affinity for air if not more. Elemental bonds, get it?” That made a lot of since logically which I found refreshing considering all the crazy being thrown at me. I nodded and he started driving again like he had said something casual and I saw red.
“You knew this whole time? You read my mind the whole time? How could you not tell me?”
Jason said, “Someone's in the dog house,” then he made a howling noise. Ri grinned and looked at Jason in the rear view and said, “Nice one, how long have you been waiting to say that?” Jason shrugged and looked out the window when I gave him my death glare. Serenity giggled. “First he didn’t want you to find out around your dad because everything wouldn’t have gone as smoothly for obvious reasons. Second he doesn’t want you to have extra things to worry about. It’s sweet really.” She said this in a sappy voice while she curled into Jason's side.
It was kind of sweet but I was still majorly angry.
I turned to him ready to light into him for keeping this from me and then he scooped up my hand in his. “Uh uh, you can’t be mad at me see?” He said this as his calm washed through me. “Is this why you calm me? It’s a bond thingy?” He laughed. “Yes, and as soon as you have your powers you should be able to calm me down too. It’s just how it works.” He dropped my hand and had a serious look on his face.
“Honestly though. I don’t want you to feel like with everything else now you also have to have a soul mate. Usually the mind reading and calming touch doesn’t happen until after the couple decides to link. So many things with you are different because you’re just special. We don’t know what’s going on here we just have to learn as we go. So, no pressure this is new to me too and we will figure it out. I don’t want you to think you’re stuck with me because of the bond.”
My anger was back. That’s what he was worried about? That I wouldn’t want him? That I wouldn’t want to be involved in his supernatural ways? They were our supernatural ways now, and if he felt half of what I felt then he had to know it caused me actual pain to stay away from him. That I needed him more than I needed air. At that he turned his eyes on me. He picked up my hand and brought it to his lips in a scorching kiss. He gave me a nod and turned back to driving.
I didn’t need to read his mind to know that we had settled something big. Our courses had shifted now and I knew that I would never spend a day wondering if I was wanted or cared for because it was all over his beautiful face and in his glowing eyes. I knew that I had come home.
Then in my slow way I realized he had heard every naughty thought of mine since the first time I saw him in the mall. I quickly catalogued all of my thoughts in his presence since he had come along. Was that just three days ago? I blushed maddeningly when I remembered the look he gave me when I was checking out his buns of steel in the hospital.
He was looking at me so I turned to him and he gave me his signature smirk.
“Don’t get all full of yourself, soon I’ll know all of your naughty thoughts too and I will so use them against you for you hiding this from me.” He had a little pout on his face and Jason said, “Yes Trinity please share every detail with me. I’ll buy you shoes. Girls like shoes right? I’ve been waiting forever for Mr. Perfect to come down a peg or two.” He chuckled and Serenity giggled. “You’ll be my first call Jason, I assure you.” I told him while Ri frowned at me like I was in trouble.
I just folded my arms and looked out the window. I was crazy about the guy but that didn’t mean his whole superior demeanor didn’t get to me. I could give as good as him and he would see that soon. Then I remembered he could hear my thoughts all. The. Time. I groaned, “Isn’t there a way to turn it off?” And his smirk was back and he just shook his head. “Not fair, when do I get to read yours too?”
Serenity answered me. “Usually we don’t share thoughts until we link with each other for the first time. It’s probably your actual powers that are allowing it to happen. We really don’t know it’s very strange.”
“If it’s my powers why wouldn’t I read his mind?”
“After we link we can share powers, thoughts, all sorts of things. It’s like you two are one but
he is the only one with powers so his are amped up and yours are still dormant.”
“What is linking?”
“17 is a big deal to us it means we’re adults because most of our powers are well controlled at that time even though they do grow over time. So, when both bond mates are 17 and they know and accept each other they can link. It’s actually very personal.” I looked at her and she was blushing.
“Basically you join hands and recite the vows and then you go into each other's minds together which joins them together, forever. Then you can be in each other's heads all the time.”
This seemed very strange. “Vows? Like marriage?” I don’t know why that didn’t affect me before, it was obvious this was forever, but all of a sudden forever seemed like a lot to me. Ri turned to me.
“It’s ok Trinity both parties have to agree. You don’t have to perform the ceremony when you’re 17. Look, this is why I didn’t tell you. You don’t need to worry about these things. Right now I’m just a guy and you’re just a girl and we can figure it all out as we go.”
His words should have comforted me but they didn’t really It seemed very much like he wasn’t concerned at all about us being bond mates. This upset me and if he was already reading my mind without us linking then maybe I would read his mind once my powers were unbound and then how could you deny a connection that strong? Great I’m thinking about him reading my thoughts again. Wow, so no matter what I would never be alone with my thoughts again, and it didn’t really bother me. It didn’t feel uncomfortable just kind of lonely because I couldn’t read his thoughts. I pulled out my phone and slipped in my ear buds. “I’m going to at least pretend to be alone with my thoughts for a while.” I told him as I tried to erase everything but the music.
