The Third Kiss

by Kat Colmer

  “Cora.”

  “What?” I looked up to find Jonas eyeing me.

  “You’re staring.”

  “At what?”

  “My side.”

  Had I been? “I’m sorry. It’s just… This is amazing.” I reached over and tugged up his T-shirt again to get another look at the bruises.

  “Yeah, I get that a lot.” His tone was dead even, but I was convinced his eyes smirked at me.

  Despite the heat stealing across my cheekbones, I met his gaze straight on. “Don’t be a dick. I’m talking about the accelerated healing.”

  “If you say so.” This time the corners of his lips twitched. My eyes lingered on their crescent shape, and for a moment I forgot why I was leaning over him, his T-shirt bunched in my hand.

  Glasses clinked in the kitchen and sanity returned.

  “Watch yourself, or I’ll break your rib, then it won’t heal so quickly.” I poked his rib cage, now a yellowy green as though his bruises were days rather than an hour old. Fascinating. “Seriously, I’d kill to know how this is possible.” My fingertips reached for his bruised skin once more.

  He grabbed my hand and held it away from him. My gaze flew up to his face. The warmth from his previous smile was all but gone.

  “I’m not one of your fricking experiments.” He yanked down his T-shirt and shifted out of my reach. He may as well have slapped me, his words had that much sting.

  “I’m just curious.” It wasn’t every day I witnessed a medical miracle.

  He glared at me from the end of the couch he’d retreated to. “Well stop. I’m not going to be your lab rat.”

  Lab rat? What on earth had gotten into him? It wasn’t like I was asking for blood samples. Although, some blood work might be a good—

  What am I thinking? The guy has just been beaten up by demons, and I’m ready to draw vials for analysis?

  I slumped back in my armchair and closed my eyes in self-disgust. I really had treated him like a medical specimen. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so thoughtless.”

  When he didn’t reply, I glanced across at him. He’d folded his arms over his chest, more a self-embrace than a sign of defense or defiance. His expression was the part of him that looked most wounded.

  Thankfully, Beth chose that moment to come back into the room.

  “Here.” She handed Jonas and me a glass of water each. I’d taken all of two mouthfuls when the doorbell rang. Beth’s expression darkened.

  Leo was back.

  There was no question of who was answering the door. Beth stormed out of the room before the doorbell chime died away. And if the tension in her posture was an indicator of how pissed off she was, Leo had better be wearing a bulletproof vest. Served him right for leaving her behind. What was it with guys and their caveman protective instincts?

  The clang of the dead bolt releasing echoed down the hallway, then thwack!

  “Ow!” Leo’s voice rang out over Beth’s slap. “Is violence your answer to everything?”

  The front door slammed. On the couch, Jonas winced.

  “That’s for tricking me into getting out of the car!” Beth yelled. “And this”—another thwack—“is for leaving me behind.”

  Footsteps thundered down the hallway, then a furious Beth burst into the living room and threw herself into the armchair opposite me.

  Rubbing his bicep, Leo stalked in behind her. “Are you finished?” His scowl was darker than the #000000 is the new black T-shirt he wore.

  Beth glared at him. “You’re a selfish prick.”

  Leo’s brown eyes clouded over. “It was too dangerous. What if something went wrong and they worked out we were following them? You’re worse at the whole Karate Kid thing than I am, and I’ve had all of three days training. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if you got hurt. So call me a selfish prick for not wanting to have your pain on my conscience.”

  Wow. So this was what a worked-up Leo looked like. Stormy gaze locked on Beth’s, fists clenching and unclenching, his lungs struggled to contain the depth of his emotion. A tad over the top, but an impressive sight nonetheless. I couldn’t fault his argument, either; the only weapon Beth had against the Groth Maar was her sharp tongue, and that wouldn’t cut it.

  Apparently she’d suddenly lost command of that, too, because she opened her mouth but nothing came out. Leo had rendered her speechless. Behold the second miracle of the day.

  I understood Beth’s frustration. They’d agreed to do this together, and he’d gone back on his word. He should have reasoned with her instead of pulling a number on her like he had.

  I glanced Jonas’s way. His gaze moved back and forth between Beth and me. The determined glint in his eyes made me nervous. What was going on in that head of his? Whatever it was, I had a suspicion I wasn’t going to like it.

  “Leo’s right, Beth.” Jonas rose off the couch and walked to stand beside his friend. “We shouldn’t have agreed to you going. I can tell you now, this was definitely too dangerous.” His hand found his injured rib and lingered.

  Beth glared at Leo through narrowed eyes. “Then you should have talked to me about it. Not pulled some stupid stunt to get rid of me.”

  Leo glared right back at her. “And I’m supposed to believe you would have listened?”

  For the second time that night, Leo left Beth incapable of speech.

  “Exactly.” He delivered the word without a trace of smugness. Even so, Beth didn’t take it well. She crossed her arms, sank farther into her armchair and sulked.

  “Can we focus on what’s important here?” Jonas spoke into the tense silence. He turned to Leo. “Where did you follow them to?”

  Leo’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “West Head. Ku-ring-gai National Park. A secluded property overlooking America Bay.” He ran a hand through his dark curls. “So well hidden you’d never know it was there.”

  But it was there. He’d found their godforsaken hideout. A burst of renewed energy coursed through me, sending prickles of heat into my fingers. We were one step closer to finding the Book of Threads, one step closer to freeing me from this nightmare.

  “You can find it again, right?” I asked, rubbing my tingly fingers along the leather seat of my armchair.

  “With the GPS, yeah, I can find it again.” Leo crossed the room and sat down on the end of the couch nearest me. Well out of Beth’s reach.

  Jonas sat down on the ottoman in front of Leo. Elbows resting on his thighs, he leaned forward. “What was the house like?”

  “Massive. A two-story sandstone mansion.”

  Jonas swore. “That means lots of rooms to search.” He ran a hand over his face.

  “Did you see any other Groth Maar?” I asked.

  “Only one,” Leo said “The guy who opened the door for them.”

  “How do you know he was Groth Maar?” Beth’s voice challenged Leo from the other armchair.

  Leo sighed, an exasperated sound. “Take a guess, Beth.”

  By now we could all spot a Groth Maar in its purple-eyed, plastic perfection, Beth included. She was being deliberately difficult.

  Jonas rubbed the back of his neck. “So we don’t really know how many more could be inside?”

  Leo shook his dark head. “Anyone’s guess.”

  Jonas swore again. He stared at the floor for a few seconds before his gaze lifted and settled on me, that unnerving glint back in his eyes.

  I ignored him and focused on Leo. “Tomorrow. Let’s go in tomorrow. The sooner we do this the better.” Dad was due back in less than a week, and I didn’t know how much longer I could cope with this forced proximity to Jonas before I did something that would have Madame Curie rolling over in her grave. The thought made me squirm in my seat, and I accidentally pressed my gashes to the side of the armchair. A hiss escaped before I could muzzle it.
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  Jonas didn’t miss a beat. His eyes narrowed in on my side. “It’s not nothing, is it?” He reached over to push my torn T-shirt aside.

  I tried to dart out of his reach, but he was too quick. He stilled me with one hand on my arm while the other lifted the torn fabric away from my side. The way his jaw tightened, I knew the gashes looked as painful as they felt. Great, just what I needed: Jonas in hyper-protective mode.

  When he looked up again, his eyes swam with accusation. So I’d lied about my discomfort. Big deal.

  “They sting a little.” I shrugged. “It’s not like I need major surgery. A shower and some disinfectant will do the trick. Stop fussing.” I turned back to Leo, not wanting the stupid scratches to sidetrack our planning of the upcoming ambush.

  “I say we go in tomorrow. We wait until Helena has left for the office, then make our way up to Ku-ring-gai.” I looked at Leo expectantly. He opened his mouth to answer, but Jonas cut him off.

  “That’s not going to happen.” Jonas’s voice was infuriatingly calm.

  Slowly, I turned his way. “Why? Is your aunt working from home tomorrow?” But I knew that wasn’t what he meant. I could see it in his eyes.

  Those same eyes bored into mine, the determined glint in them rendering them a hard sapphire blue. “I can’t let you go.”

  Mouth falling open, my first instinct was to rant at him. Then I remembered what had happened the last time I ranted at him.

  In the gazebo.

  During a downpour.

  I snapped my mouth shut and tampered the urge to let rip. Breathe, Cora. When I’d silently counted to five, I allowed myself to speak.

  “Let me guess, you think it’s too dangerous.” I tried to keep my frustration from coloring my voice. I failed.

  “Leo just said he doesn’t know how many Groth Maar there are at the mansion, but I’ll bet my left one there are more than the three he saw today.” When Jonas nodded at my bloodstained T-shirt, I knew exactly where his argument was heading.

  “You’re hurt.” When I opened my mouth to argue he rushed on. “Not badly, but don’t tell me it’s nothing. If that’s the result of going up against just two Groth Maar, I’m not willing to take any chances pitting you against more.”

  From her armchair, Beth snorted. “Oh, come on. Cora’s the only one who can actually defend herself against these demons. You need her. Or are you now planning on taking Leo in as your wingman?” Beth eyed Leo skeptically, a challenge in her tone. Leo arched a brow but didn’t take her bait.

  Jonas glanced Leo’s way. “No, I’m planning on going in alone.”

  Some primitive part of my X chromosome shouted at me to be grateful for his concern. But the rest of my double helix revolted at the idea. I had no illusions about the situation; it was dangerous. The Groth Maar wanted me dead, and honestly? Back in the library parking lot, there had been a moment when I’d swallowed the acidic taste of fear. But darn if I needed to be protected. That was not how I operated. With Dad gone most of the time, and Mom too preoccupied finding someone to fill the void his absences left, I’d learned early on to fend for myself. Beth had said it loud and clear: out of all of us, I was the one physically best equipped to do this, the only one who had kept on top of the TKD training. Jonas had to see he didn’t stand a chance without me.

  But together we might have a hope.

  “Look,” I said, “I get that you’re concerned, and you have a point. It’s highly likely there will be more hellhounds. But even with that Protection Charm of yours, you need my help. Admit it—without me they would have beaten you to a pulp back there.”

  His lips thinned again as he regarded me. “Sure, but a few days later I would be good as new. Can’t say the same for you.” He pointedly tipped his head at my injured side. “It’d be a different story if you were covered by my Protection Charm.”

  What on earth, Jonas? Was he implying it was my fault I wasn’t covered by the Charm because I’d rejected him?

  Beth unfolded her long limbs and shifted forward in her armchair. She looked at me, a devious gleam in her baby blues. “Why don’t you take one for the team, Cora, and lock lips with our Eros Guardian here. It might be enough to fool the universe, or whatever is in charge of this curse, to extend the Protection Charm to you.”

  I almost laughed. She’s got to be joking. The heavy sarcasm in her tone told me as much. Her attempt to stir me up, since Leo wasn’t giving her any satisfaction in that department. I turned to glare daggers at her, but…she’d planted a seed. What if we could invoke the Protection Charm? Because, demon hocus-pocus or not, there had to be a scientific explanation. Attraction was nothing more than chemistry. And chemistry between two people was helped along by…pheromones? That had to be it: the chemistry of pheromones. Something Jonas and I seem to have in abundant supply lately.

  As if on cue, my cheeks prickled with the heat of Jonas’s gaze. Afraid my face would blaze if I looked at him directly, I focused on Beth instead.

  “Worth a try,” I said. Because it would have been stupid not to at least try. Right?

  Beth grabbed the armrests of her chair. “I was joking!”

  “Well, I’m not. What if it actually works?” Eyes still avoiding Jonas, I looked to Leo for support. “What do you think?”

  Leo’s gaze traveled from me to Jonas and back again. For a moment, something hardened his already dark expression.

  He shrugged. “I’m not the one you need to ask.”

  No, he wasn’t. Fighting my growing embarrassment, I shifted in my armchair and finally looked at Jonas. His expression wasn’t what I’d expected. Not that I’d known exactly what I’d expected, but it wasn’t this mixture of fear and…heat?

  Slowly, he wiped his hands down the length of his thighs. All the while, his half-hooded eyes stayed locked on mine. “How do we know if it’s worked?”

  At least he was considering it. “Same way we know it works with you: we let a demon land a hit and see if he buckles.”

  He shook his head. “That means you’d go in without knowing for sure.”

  I huffed. “What else do we do? It’s not like we can dial-a-demon for a test run.”

  Leo suddenly pushed off the couch and walked to stand at the sliding doors looking out onto the garden. It was dark out, but he stared through the glass regardless, seeing God only knew what.

  His back to us, Leo said, “You know Cora’s going in anyway, so what have you got to lose?”

  Yep, you had to get up early to fool Leo. He had me worked out; there was no way I would let Jonas head to the Groth Maar mansion without me. Having the Protection Charm would be a bonus. And if it made Jonas feel more at ease about me being there, all the better.

  Jonas sent his palms down the length of his thighs again and had the nerve to eye me like I was a difficult child. His expression was pained. You’d think he was wrestling with a life and death scenario instead of deciding whether or not to kiss me. Just as well this was all for the purpose of ensuring my safety. Otherwise I might have taken serious offense.

  I held my breath, partly wanting him to just agree already and partly fearing that he would. He was silent for much too long.

  Finally, jaw clamped impossibly tight, his hooded gaze slowly skimmed my features, then landed on my injured side again. “Have a shower and get some disinfectant on those gashes,” he said, then got up and left the room without another word, heavy footsteps thumping up the stairs.

  Was that a yes or a no? Confused, I looked at Beth.

  Legs crossed, chin propped on one hand while the fingers of the other drummed silently on the armrest, she regarded me.

  “What?”

  “I don’t buy it.”

  “Don’t buy what?”

  I felt her gaze under my skin, that was how piercing it was. “The whole tonsil-hockey-to-invoke-the-Protection-Charm bit.”


  I swallowed past a sudden tightness in my throat. “Why else would I be doing it?”

  She cocked an eyebrow in response.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, then cursed my traitorous face as it warmed under her scrutiny. Okay, so maybe this wasn’t just about invoking the Protection Charm. Maybe it was also about getting this itch for Jonas’s touch out of my system.

  Beth sat up straighter in her armchair. “Look, I love the guy. He’s my brother—my twin—but we both know how he operates on this playing field.” She narrowed that astute pair of eyes on me. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

  I forced a smile. “It’s under control.” Or at least it would be after tonight.

  I hoped…

  She sighed, then hauled herself out of her armchair and headed for the door. “Well, come on, I’ll help you tend your battle wounds. You heard the Guardian. He wants you washed and patched up before he mauls you again.”

  What? How on earth did she read agreement into Jonas’s response? But she clearly did. Maybe it was a twin thing.

  She turned to look at me just before we stepped through the door. “Promise me one thing.”

  I was almost too scared to ask. “What?”

  “Make sure I’m not around when the two of you swap spit.”

  I pasted a fake smile on my face. “And here I was planning on selling tickets.”

  “I’m just saying. It’d be enough to tip me over the edge. Like walking in on Aunt Helena doing the deed.” She pulled a sour face. Then, with a last glare in Leo’s direction, she pushed me over the threshold and out the living room door.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Jonas

  I turned the cold tap on full blast, but the water was nowhere near cold enough. Any cooling effect it had evaporated the minute I stepped out of the shower, and an all-too-familiar heat snaked its way under my skin. The singe had nothing to do with summer night temperatures and everything to do with the make-out session I had insanely agreed to.