Catch Me When I Fall

by Vicki Leigh

  I lifted her chin, looking into her eyes. “Stop talking.” And then I kissed her. She let out a soft whimper and held me tighter. I kissed her again, deeper this time, and laid her back so her head rested on her pillows. The fabric of her gym shorts slid up her legs, leaving her thighs exposed. My hands wandered down them. They were so soft and feminine, and my excitement grew as goose pimples rose on her skin.

  Kayla’s breathing became heavier as my lips moved from her mouth, down her chin and neck. They wandered over her collarbone to her shoulders, nibbling gently. She moaned and grabbed my face, bringing my mouth back to hers.

  I was about to strip off my shirt when Tabbi popped into the room. Kayla yelped, and I jumped off the bed.

  “Jesus, Tabbi! We still knock on doors, you know,” I said.

  “I know, I’m sorry. This is as awkward for me as it is for you.”

  Not likely.

  “But I need you to come quick,” she continued. “Alex is trying to kill Bartholomew.”

  Tabbi, Kayla and I popped into Bartholomew’s study. I ducked just in time to avoid a book smacking me in the face. A small, African-American girl crouched in a corner and covered her head with her arms. Bartholomew was pinned to a wall by a hat rack. A tall boy with sandy hair and green eyes stood in the middle of the room, his arms waving around his head as he threw objects at Bartholomew—and now us. I could only assume this was Alex, one of the other Magus.

  Again, I ducked just in time to avoid injury.

  “Go away! I didn’t ask for this! If one of you doesn’t take me home now, I will kill him!” Alex yelled.

  Holding my hands up, I walked toward him. “Calm down. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

  “Bullshit you’re not!”

  Another book flew at my head. I ducked and checked behind me to make sure Kayla and Tabbi were still unharmed. Then I turned back to Alex. “I promise. We’re on your side. Please let Bartholomew go.”

  Alex glared at me. My heart raced. I couldn’t hurt him, and I couldn’t stop him. I was powerless.

  Kayla appeared at my side, her own hands held out in front of her. “Alex, right? Look, I know you’re scared. I was pretty freaked too when I found out what they were and why they brought me here. But Daniel is right. They’re on our side. They won’t hurt you.”

  “You’re not one of them?” Alex asked. He eyed Kayla with as much fear as he had me. The hair on my arms bristled. I stood on the balls of my feet, ready to jump in the way if he tried to strike her down.

  Kayla shook her head, keeping eye contact. “No, I’m like you. I have powers too. And you’re right. This sucks. But there’s someone out there who wants to hurt us. All they’re trying to do is protect us, keep us safe and teach us how to fight back.”

  “They want us to kill someone, did you know that? I’m not a killer!”

  Kayla nodded. “I know that. Neither am I. But maybe we won’t have to. We’re gifted, Alex. If we can get them close enough to this guy, they can take care of him for us. And then we can go back to living relatively normal lives. Please put Bartholomew down.”

  She was incredible. Her hands were steady, her voice didn’t shake, and her eyes never left Alex. Maybe it was because they had something in common, or maybe it was the same compassion I’d seen in her that first day in the asylum, but she handled Alex like a pro. My heart swelled with pride.

  Alex dropped his hands, and Bartholomew crashed to the ground. Stepping slowly past Alex with my hands still in front of me, I ran to Bartholomew. He was unconscious, but alive.

  Alex fell to his knees. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s all right, Alex,” I replied. “Tabbi, would you mind taking the other girl to her room?”

  Tabbi nodded and helped the girl—she had to be Margaret, the other Magus—to her feet. They evaporated.

  “Kayla, I need you to find Giovanni. He should be on the twelfth floor in his office. Turn right at the top of the stairs and walk straight ahead through the double doors. Alex, help me carry Bartholomew down the hall. He’s too heavy to lift on my own.”

  Alex looked at Kayla who nodded. When he stood, Kayla ran out of the room. Alex took Bartholomew’s legs while I carried him by his shoulders. Evaporating with him to the medical room would’ve been easier, but the last thing I wanted to do was take my eyes off the boy.

  After a few stops, we reached one of the “hospital rooms.” I grabbed the sheet off the bed, and together, we rolled him onto it. Alex lifted one side of the sheet while I lifted the other, and, after a lot of effort, we managed to get him on the bed. Good thing Bartholomew was a small man.

  The silence was awkward as we waited, so I had to speak. “We really are on your side, mate.”

  Alex nodded and looked at the floor. “Yeah. Sorry I threw the book at your head.”

  “I’ve faced worse than killer novels.”

  Alex looked up at me and forced a smile. Moments later, Kayla returned with Giovanni. I explained to him what happened, and when Tabbi returned from settling Margaret down, she took Alex to his room.

  Having calmed the storm, I grabbed Kayla’s hand and walked her to her bedroom. “You were brilliant with Alex.”

  She shrugged. “I could see how scared he was, and he was going to hurt you. I couldn’t let him.”

  “Well, it’s good to know you have my back.”

  Standing in the hall, she smiled mischievously. Her golden eyes stared into mine. “But what if he hadn’t listened to me? Maybe tomorrow you can show me how to fight? You know, like arms and legs around each other, pinning each other to the floor, that sort of thing.” Her voice dropped, and she ran a fingertip down my chest.

  Wow. Where that boldness came from, I didn’t know, but holy shit, it was hot. I leaned closer to her and brought my lips to her ear. “Only if you wear this outfit again.”

  “Well, I suppose I have to wear something.” She smirked.

  The mental picture of her wrestling in the nude made my breath quicken. Pinning her against the door, I kissed her hard and fumbled with the doorknob. I needed to get her inside the room now or clothes were going to start coming off in the hallway. But before I could turn the doorknob, Seth appeared.

  “Whoa, man! Sorry!” Seth covered his eyes and pretended to run into a wall.

  I jumped off Kayla like a scared cat and kept my back to Seth until I could compose myself.

  “What is it?” I asked, my voice gruff. How many times could we be interrupted in one day?

  “Um, just wondering if we were going to train again today. You had us all come back at two…”

  Damn, how could I forget? Well, I knew how. But that was beside the point. “Yeah. I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay,” Seth replied. “Uh, sorry, Kayla… about this.”

  Kayla covered her mouth as a smile burst free. Her cheeks were so red they were purple, but she giggled.

  “Is he gone?” I asked.

  She nodded and finally laughed.

  “That was not funny,” I said and grinned. Seeing her laugh made me want to kiss her all over again. She was so beautiful when she smiled.

  “Oh, yes it was. You are blushing so bad.”

  “Yeah, well, enjoy it while you can.”

  She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Oh, I am.”

  I tickled her before playfully shoving her aside. Then I grabbed her hand and evaporated us to the gym.

  ayla, Samantha and Seth stayed to help me clean up after I’d dismissed my team, then the four of us walked to the cafeteria to grab what was left of the supper we’d missed, thanks to Alex delaying me. And maybe Kayla.

  Tabbi waited at one of the tables when we entered the room. “Jeez, you guys took forever. You do realize you’ve missed supper.”

  “We’re aware,” I replied. “Is there nothing left?”

  Tabbi shook her head. “I tried to save you some, but Thing One and Thing Two over there,” she pointed to two of the humans in charge of prepping the food, “
wouldn’t let me.”

  “That’s stupid. Don’t they know they work for us?” Samantha asked.

  “It’s fine, Sam,” I said. “We’ll just—”

  Seth interrupted me. “Have to go out! What about L’alce? They have bar food. We haven’t been there for a while.”

  The last time we were there was the night Seth decided to pop in on the Pope. We all had had way too much to drink and stumbled back into the mansion, annoying everyone within earshot of the staircase.

  “What about somewhere else that isn’t quite so… insane?” I asked.

  “Oh, come on. Don’t be such a prude,” Samantha said, crossing her toned arms over her large chest.

  “I’m not being—”

  “What’s L’alce?” Kayla asked.

  “A dance club. Which Daniel apparently thinks is too crazy for him,” Samantha replied, rolling her brown eyes.

  “No, I just don’t think right now’s the best time to—”

  “I’d kind of like to go,” Kayla interrupted. “I’ve never been to a club.”

  “Please, Daniel. I want to go, too!” Tabbi bounced in her chair.

  “All right, fine. But don’t forget we have to wake up early tomorrow.” I pointed my finger at Seth, the person I knew would be responsible for encouraging drunkenness all night.

  “Okay, Dad.” Seth laughed, and I smacked him round the head as we exited the room.

  At nine o’clock, Seth and I waited in the foyer. We’d all decided to take showers—and the girls wanted to dress up—so, we’d separated after we left the cafeteria. I hadn’t seen Kayla until now.

  And, my god.

  Kayla descended the stairs in a silver, strapless gown that stopped mid-thigh and hugged every curve. Her dark hair had been tied in a loose bun, though a few strands hung into her face. On her feet were blood-red heels, and the only jewelry she wore was the necklace I’d bought her in the piazza. Lightheadedness hit me, and I had to take a deep breath to keep from falling backward.

  “Wearing that dress is cruel,” I whispered in her ear when she took my arm.

  Her cheeks blushed as she smirked, and we followed the other three out into the night.

  The club, a two-story building in downtown Rome, wasn’t far from the mansion. The first floor was a bar and restaurant, with the club above. Tabbi shared a story with Kayla about the time she’d landed in L’alce’s toilet as they evaporated into the building, her Irish accent fading into the background as they disappeared. After flashing the fake I.D.s that made the rest of us eighteen, we met them in the restaurant.

  We ate fast then jogged up the stairs to the club. The bass pounded in my chest before we even entered the dim room. The only lights were the ones at the bar and the strobe light over the dance floor. Seth immediately bought us a round of shots, and I held Kayla’s in my hand.

  “You don’t have to drink. I’m sure Seth wouldn’t mind putting this down,” I said.

  Kayla held out her hand. “I said I hadn’t been to a club. I never said I hadn’t drunk alcohol before.”

  With a raised eyebrow, I smiled and handed her the shot glass. She downed the whiskey like a pro. Seth cheered as I followed suit.

  “Well, come on, you two! Let’s get this party started!” Tabbi yelled and dragged both of us onto the dance floor.

  Seth and Samantha wasted no time grinding against each other, both of them with drink in hand. Kayla closed her eyes and raised her arms above her head. The reds, blues and greens of the strobe light bounced off her dress as her hips moved from side to side with the music. My body warmed at the sight of her in that dress, and the way she moved…

  I jumped when someone tapped my arm.

  “You don’t have to dance by yourself for my sake,” Tabbi said. “I can take care of myself if some jerk tries to pinch my butt again.”

  I laughed, remembering how Tabbi had kneed the last guy in the crotch so hard he’d had to call an ambulance. “I bet it took a surgeon to get that bloke’s goolies back into place.”

  She smiled. I tousled her hair, which made her swear at me, then I stepped toward Kayla. Sliding my hands around her waist from behind, I pulled her against me. Together, we danced to the beat, our hips moving in sync, and my hands wandered her body. I’d forgotten how arousing dancing could be.

  When Kayla turned to face me, I pictured my hands unzipping her dress, the fabric falling from her body, her in nothing but lingerie and heels. I glided my hand down her back to rest on her bum and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  Kayla leaned into me and lifted her lips to speak into my ear. “We can sneak off to the bathroom, if you want.”

  The air caught in my throat, and I coughed. Again, her boldness shocked me, but definitely not in a bad way. It would be easy to simply lift the dress, and that was something I’d never tried before. I was about to grab her hand and lead her to the bathroom when a loud scream from behind me shook me out of my daydream.

  My hands dropped from Kayla’s body, and I turned to see what had happened. The scream had come from Samantha—and Seth was lying on the ground.

  I moved Samantha out of the way and dropped next to Seth. My fingertips pressed the side of his neck for a pulse. His heart beat slowly. People surrounded us, staring and whispering.

  “He’s alive,” I said to Samantha. “Get Kayla back to the mansion. I’ll take him to Bartholomew.”

  Samantha nodded then grabbed Kayla’s hand. Tabbi followed them to a place where they could evaporate unseen. I held up Seth’s head, ready to disappear right there, when his eyes opened—black, and shiny like marbles. Sweat formed on his brow, and he gripped my forearm. “Daniel, I can’t hold him. He wants—” Seth shook, closed his eyes and cried out in pain.

  “Hey! Who’s ‘he?’ Who can’t you hold?”

  Seth’s eyes reopened and stared at me. No, more like into me. As if he could read my soul. “Bring me the girl. Tomorrow. Midnight. The rooftop in Paris. Fail me, and all you know will suffer.”

  Seth’s eyes closed, and I evaporated us to one of Bartholomew’s hospital rooms as ice ran down my spine.

  I slouched in one of the chairs next to Seth’s bed. Bartholomew had calmed his fever, but Seth had yet to wake. After telling him what happened, Bartholomew had only been able to come to one conclusion—the warlock was getting creative. And he knew where Kayla was. Would he come for her when I didn’t deliver her to him? Leaning forward, my elbows on my knees, I dropped my forehead into my hands.

  “How is he?” Kayla asked from behind me.

  I raised my head. She still wore her silver dress. “Alive. We won’t know any more until he wakes.”

  “What happened?”

  I turned away so she couldn’t see the truth in my eyes. She could not know what the warlock really said. “We think the warlock attacked Seth to get to us.”

  The room was silent for at least a minute. Then finally, Kayla spoke. “I’m sorry, Daniel.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “But the warlock is after me, and you guys are protecting me.”

  I looked at her again. Her bottom lip trembled, and I held my hand out to her. “Come here.” When she took my hand, I pulled her into my lap and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t take the blame for this. You cannot help that you’re the center of this warlock’s attention. You didn’t ask for it, and you certainly didn’t encourage him. Besides, we’re not just harboring you, love.”

  She shrugged and leaned against me to rest her head on my shoulder. I rubbed her arm with the side of my thumb. For minutes, we sat in silence, then Seth stirred, and we both jumped off the chair. I raced to my friend’s bedside before turning to Kayla. “Go find Bartholomew. Tell him Seth’s waking.”

  Kayla nodded and sprinted from the room.

  Seth’s eyes fluttered open. They were no longer the color of coal, like they had been at the club, but instead their normal shade of dark brown.

  “Where am I? This isn’t another trick, is it?” He
tried to sit up, but his breathing labored.

  “Calm down.” I pressed my hands to his chest, pushing him down on the mattress. “You’re in one of Bartholomew’s hospital rooms.”

  “Where’s Kayla? Tell me you didn’t take her to Paris.”

  “Why would Daniel take me to Paris?” Kayla asked.

  I closed my eyes. Damn, she was quick.

  “You didn’t tell her?” Seth asked.

  Bartholomew stood on the other side of the bed when I opened my eyes, watching me and anticipating my answer.

  “Didn’t tell me what?” Kayla asked.

  I swallowed. “Seth wasn’t just attacked by the warlock. He was possessed. The warlock gave me an ultimatum. Hand you over to him, or he would make everyone I know suffer.”

  Bartholomew scowled then started gathering medical supplies. But when I turned to look at Kayla, her face was ashen, and her hazel eyes glared at me. She stormed from the room before I had a chance to speak.

  fter I’d made sure Seth would be okay, I knocked on Kayla’s door. When she didn’t answer, nervousness bit at me. She wouldn’t have tried to get to Paris on her own, would she? I pictured her in my mind and evaporated to wherever she was, sighing with relief when I stood in her room.

  Kayla threw a book, catching me square in the face.

  “Ow! God, Kayla. What the hell?”

  “You lied to me!”

  I touched my cheek where the corner of the book had hit. My fingertips were coated with blood. Grabbing a washcloth out of her bathroom, I held the rag to my face. “I didn’t lie to you. Seth was attacked.”

  “Yeah, and possessed because of me! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because I didn’t want this reaction.” My voice was louder than I expected. Kayla shrunk back on her bed. I sighed and dropped my hand. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”

  Her bottom lip quivered. “You think I’m some porcelain doll, but I’m not. I’d hoped, by now, you’d see that. You should’ve told me.”

  “I know. And I know you can take care of yourself.” I pointed to my split cheekbone.