“It is not that, Father,” he said.
“If not that, then it is nothing. She should mean nothing. You haven’t a heart in which to actually care for her, so leave it be now.”
Caleb’s stomach sank at his father’s darkly spoken words. He knew he was right, it wasn’t natural for him to feel a connection to a human. He couldn’t explain what was going on when it came to Vivian, but he knew he had to reassure his father before things got out of hand.
If not for his sake, for hers.
“Don’t worry, I have everything under control.”
Dermot watched him closely, before giving him a firm nod. “I hope you do,” he replied. “Go get ready for tonight’s work then. I apologize for overreacting, if that is what I have done.”
Caleb nodded and headed down the hall to his room. His father wasn’t overreacting, he knew that. He really did find himself experiencing genuine feelings for Vivian, but having his father react this way was a bad sign. He had to make sure his father stayed out of it.
Not unless…
Caleb shook his head as he pulled out dark clothes for the night. He knew what he’d been about to say – unless she was his mate. It was a ridiculous notion. Only Dermot could find a mate. It had always been so. And only once the first mate passed away, finally. Being connected to Dermot kept them alive longer than most humans, but they all eventually succumbed to madness from being with the essence of evil. And they all eventually died of old age after being away from him.
It would soon happen to his mother too.
The thought made him feel nauseous. Vivian wasn’t his mate. It just wasn’t possible. Mates were the only humans that demons could produce offspring with, and since Dermot was the only one that could create children, he was the only one to mate.
Caleb and his brothers could sleep with women and feel lust for them, but never the type of connection a mate would instill. He was surprised his father would have even brought up something as farfetched as that.
And yet…he thought back to the kiss they had shared in the copier room, and started to wonder if there was something more to this attraction than lust. There was certainly a connection there he couldn’t explain. Every nerve in his body had come alive the second their lips had met. He couldn’t get close enough to her, couldn’t get enough. She drove him mad. How was he supposed to stay away?
He quickly changed clothes, pushing everything to the back of his mind. He wouldn’t think about it any longer. There were other things he needed to focus on now. If he wanted Dermot away from Vivian, he had to insure that he kept up with the things his father expected of him. After calling his mother quickly, he headed out.
I was slowly dozing off at around eleven when I heard a tap at my window. I sat up and listened carefully. Maybe I had just imagined it? Then there was another tap, and I could hear the rolling sound as the rock slid down the roof. Who the hell was throwing rocks at my window? I prayed it wasn’t Corey. I was in no mood to commit murder tonight.
I walked over and saw a dark figure standing off to the side of the lawn. Their face was hard to make out, but then I saw the black Mercedes. My heart picked up as I realized who it was. Opening the window, I leaned out so he could see me in the moonlight.
“Hello,” I heard him say from the shadows.
One moment he stood there, and the next he was pulling himself effortlessly onto the roof beneath my window. I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face as he approached. “Having a good night?” he asked stopping just in front of me. The moonlight kissed the contours of his face, his eyes somehow glowing even in darkness of the night. The man was truly sinful.
“I was, thank you,” I said, leaning against the windowsill. “How are you being so quiet?”
“I told you I was good at stealth. Will you come down here with me, or should I come up?”
The thought of him in my room made my head spin. I didn’t think I could handle the stress, so I pushed myself up and over the windowsill instead. He grabbed me around the waist and lowered me slowly down onto the shingles. They were still warm against my bare feet from the afternoon sun.
It suddenly dawned on me that I was wearing my shorter pyjama shorts because of the heat, and a tank top with no bra. Great, I thought, my face immediately flaming.
Caleb must have caught on to my embarrassment, his lips twitching slightly. “You’re glorious,” he said, stroking my cheek. He leaned in then, kissing me softly on the lips.
My arms flew up around his neck, pulling him closer until our chest pressed against one another. He moaned against my lips, the sound reverberating straight down to places still somewhat foreign to me.
I found myself suddenly pushed up against the siding of the house with both his arms on either side of me, just as he had in the copier room. I shivered, both from the new need he was igniting inside me, and the feeling of being protected within his arms. I couldn’t make any sense of my feelings. Never before had I felt this way with anyone. Was it normal? Would my parents just call it young lust, or was it something more substantial than that? I couldn’t imagine this being just lust, but what did I know?
He pulled back, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he said, a touch of an Irish accent coming through as he took a step back, running a hand through his hair. “I just can’t seem to help myself.”
A giggle snuck out before I could stop it. “I’ve never heard you with an accent,” I said.
He smirked, grabbing my hand. “Don’t make fun, Vivian. Don’t you know men have sensitive egos?”
I laughed. “Do they? I highly doubt anything can deflate an ego your size.”
“Is that right?”
His accent was still there, and it was causing every girlie part in me to twirl around in excitement.
He pulled me against him again, all of my laughter ceasing at the feel of him.
“You make all of my defenses crumble as though they were made of nothing but sand,” he said, his voice husky now as he slowly ran his fingers through my hair. “How do you do it?” he asked in a whisper now.
“I’m not doing anything,” I replied softly.
“You have no idea.” His lips found mine again, taking long, hypnotizing kisses that made my knees feel as though they would collapse beneath me.
I closed my eyes when our lips parted, resting my forehead against his as we simply stood there in the moonlight, breathing each other in.
“Why don’t we lie down?” he suggested.
I nodded, laying down beside him on the rooftop as we looked up at the sky.
“I hope I’m not keeping you awake,” he said looking sideways at me.
“No, I was wide awake anyway,” I lied. He was keeping me awake, but I didn’t care.
We stayed that way in a comfortable silence that finally had my heart slowing down, and my body feeling relaxed. “Caleb,” I loved saying his name, “can I ask you a question?”
“Hmm,” he answered, rolling up onto one elbow so he could look down at me.
“I was just wondering, when did you decide you liked me?” My face heated up just asking the question, but I had to know where this all came from. His lips did that twitching thing again. I never knew if he was laughing at me when that happened, or with me. Probably at me.
“From the first moment I saw you, I thought that was obvious.”
I looked up confused. “Nothing about you is obvious.”
He chuckled. “No, I suppose not.” He lay back down, facing the sky as I continued to watch him, memorizing everything about his profile.
“I’ve dealt with murderers and rapists, and never had a problem, but you,” he said, turning to gaze at me intensely. “You make it extremely impossible for me to think properly.”
It sounded so absurd I didn’t even know what to say. What in the world about me would have that effect on anyone, especially someone as beautiful as him? “I don’t understand,” was all I managed to whisper. He smiled and then sat up abruptly.
“I should probably go, it’s late” he said helping me sit up.
“No, don’t leave,” I said, probably a little too quickly. I wanted him to keep talking to me, and the air outside was so nice.
He laughed at that, but continued to stand up. “You need sleep, and so do I. Plus I have to go do some things for my dad before I can go home. I really should be going. I just had to come by and see you one more time before you went to sleep.”
He pulled me up to stand in front of him and held me close to his chest. “Here I’ll help you up,” he said getting ready to lift me back to my window. He kissed me lightly on the lips again, but kept it quick. Then he gave me a boost up and I knew he would be getting quite a view right about now. My shorts left little to the imagination. He chuckled as I swung my legs over the sill.
“Not a word, Banks,” I said, looking down at him. He winked, sending my heart into palpitations again.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
I watched him jump down and drive away quickly. I stayed by the window for a few more minutes trying to take in the whole day that had just passed. Some part of my brain wondered if this had all been a dream, but I was smarter than that, and I knew everything that had just happened was very real.
Very, very, real.
It was noon when Dermot approached me to join him at the courthouse. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to be in the same room as that vile excuse for a human that was Brian Connor, but I knew the experience would be worth it, so I agreed to go.
He offered to drive me over in his car, and was currently waiting for me outside as I gathered my things at my desk. I was extremely nervous knowing I was going to be in a car alone with Dermot Banks. I didn’t know if he was aware of my budding relationship with Caleb, and if he did, what exactly he thought of it. Everything was so new and so recent that I highly doubted he knew anything at this point. Caleb didn’t seem like the type to open up to his parents.
Not wanting to make him late, I quickly made my way out of the building and toward the limo that was waiting in front of the building. Murray gave me a big smile as I left, which made me feel a little better. It was as though Murray was my guardian angel – always there to make me feel at ease.
I climbed into the back of the car where Dermot sat waiting for me. My heart was racing a mile a minute. It was either the ride that lay ahead of me, or the thought of who I was going to see in trial that was causing this. Probably a mix of both, I decided.
“Are you excited to see a real case in person?” asked Dermot conversationally as the car started moving. His eyes were on me intently, waiting for me to respond.
It was hard to see past the beauty of this man’s face when he spoke to you. He must have been somewhere in his forties, yet he looked as though he could be younger. He had the same dark grey eyes as Kellan and Collin, but had more lines around his that added a certain sophistication, and wisdom to his features that the other boys didn’t have.
“I think it’s going to be a really good experience for me,” I was finally able to get out. What a lame response, I kicked myself. He was going to think I was a complete idiot. “How do you think the trial is going so far?” I asked, hoping to keep the conversation from becoming any more awkward than I had already made it.
“It’s looking good from our end, I’d say. The prosecution has a lot of weak evidence, and nothing directly connecting our client to any of the victims. He just happens to be creepy and live in the same town as these people. It’s always easy to blame the quiet, weird guy, much easier than looking at a citizen who is upstanding and well-liked by his neighbours,” he replied. “Unfortunately, you never know who a person is when they’re behind closed doors. Brian is a lonely, eccentric sort of fellow, but not a serial rapist.”
He looked as if he was trying to convince me right then and there of the man’s innocence, and I almost fell for it. I knew better though. There was loads of evidence linking Brian to these cases and Dermot knew that, Dermot just happened to be very good at his job. I felt bad for the prosecution. It must be hell going against someone like this. He could probably make anyone believe what he wanted if given enough time.
I smiled at him politely, but kept my mouth shut. It didn’t seem right to argue with my new boss the first time I was left alone with him. I didn’t agree one bit with his assumption though; Brian was guilty and deserved to be put away for life. Hopefully that would be the final outcome.
We rounded the corner and I could see the courthouse not far down the street. My stomach started to turn as my nerves increased. The whole time Dermot sat observing me with his dark stare.
“I hear you and Caleb have been getting close,” he said suddenly.
My face immediately heated up as I turned toward him. Of course he had to bring this up, I thought. I couldn’t just have a normal experience with him without something embarrassing coming up. I didn’t know how to respond, so I sat there in silence.
“I love my son very much,” he went on after I didn’t reply. “It would be wrong as a father to say I favour one of my children over the others, but between you and me, Caleb has always held a special place in my heart. He is the strongest of my children, and the best at what he does.”
It wasn’t clear to me exactly what he was referring to, but as my mind momentarily wandered back to the night before, I couldn’t but help agree with his opinion of his son. He definitely was the best at the things I knew he could do.
“I just want to make sure you kids take things slow. I know how things at your age might seem. It is easy to get caught up in a new romance, but Caleb has a lot of responsibilities and I rely on him to help me with a lot of business issues. I would hate to see him distracted, or have you distracted from your goal here this summer, for that matter. I’m sure you want to soak up as much as you can before school, so spending your nights up late with a boy might not be the best idea.” He smiled slightly at me. His eyes were hard though, making sure I understood what he was saying.
I didn’t though. Did he want me to stop seeing Caleb? Was that where this was heading? I suddenly felt ill. How could I have finally found something as wonderful as what I felt with Caleb, only to have someone ask me to give it up? I didn’t know what to say, and there was a chill running down my back that was making me want to jump out of the limo even though it was still in motion.
“Are,” I quietly stuttered, “are you asking me to stop seeing Caleb?”
“I just want to make sure you two stay focused. You’re more than welcome to still have your fun and see each other, but just keep things in check, if you understand me.”
At that point the limo had pulled up in front of the court and the driver was waiting with the door open. Neither of us moved, however. I looked back at him in shock as he kept his gaze as impartial as he could.
“I understand, sir,” I choked out.
“Call me Dermot, Vivian.” He smiled at me. “Now let’s go argue for a man’s life.” He stepped out of the limo and held his hand out for me to hold as I stepped out behind him.
This day had suddenly graduated to the worst day of my life all in the span of a ten minute drive. My stomach still felt ill, and the chill that ran down my spine didn’t seem to want to leave. I didn’t know what caused it, but I felt truly horrible. Then I realized what he had said that had brought on the chill in the first place.
How did he know we were together late last night?
I looked over at the handsome lawyer beside me, and realized that there was something sinister about this person that I didn’t quite understand. That was another thing you could see in his face that the boys didn’t have. He definitely had a dangerous look to him, but something told me that it wasn’t the good dangerous, but something that made that chill stay right where it was.
The courtroom we walked into was like something you would see on television. There was dark wood everywhere, with high windows on one wall, and the judge’s bench directly at the front that was
raised above everyone else. It was intimidating just being here.
Dermot walked in front of me toward their desk on the left. I sat in the front row directly behind him. Kellan was already sitting there. He turned around and gave me a big smile. I smiled back, but I doubted it looked very convincing. I was shaken from my intimate conversation with daddy dearest, and now being here in the courtroom made me feel even worse.
I sat there observing the courtroom when I noticed one of the men sitting at the prosecution’s table looking at me. I met his stare. I didn’t know who he was, but from the way he looked at me, you would have thought we had met before. Unlike most people, he didn’t look away when I caught him staring. He was extremely handsome, the suit he was wearing accentuating broad shoulders, sandy hair brushed back from a chiselled face.
I looked away, shifting in my seat. For some reason I felt guilty.
Suddenly Brian was ushered into the room and the courtroom went quiet.
Brian looked over at me as he walked toward the table with the officers on either side, and again a chill ran down my spine. I quickly looked at the floor and hoped he would stop staring at me.
If Dermot actually believed this man was innocent, he was crazy. My eyes glanced back over at the prosecutor and saw him speaking with the other lawyer sitting with him. I had no idea who he was. I had never seen him before in my life. Maybe he’d been in the newspaper? That was probably it.
Suddenly I felt a hand brush the hair off my neck and someone plant their lips right under my left ear. I jumped and turned to see Caleb in the row behind me. A big sigh escaped my lips.
“You look relieved,” he said. I was. “Are there a lot of people out there who kiss you in public?” He walked around to sit beside me.
I laughed weakly back. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to bring some documents my father left at the office. Lily told me you came here with him to watch some of the trial. You excited?”
Balance (The Balance Series Book 1) Page 9
