by H. D. Gordon
I furrowed my brow, and she gave me a smile that told me to go along with it. I smiled back, “Yeah, thanks again.”
I went straight back to my room, anxious to see what was in the mysterious journal I’d just been given. When I got there, however, someone was already waiting for me outside of my door.
“Hey, Jack, What’s up?”
Jackson smiled and scooped me up in a bear hug. “Hey, darling, I’ve been waiting for you to get back.”
I clutched the journal that was still hidden under my jacket. “Yeah, I noticed… I need to change clothes. You want to come in for a minute.” His eyes lit up. “Who would say no to that?”
I slapped his arm playfully and opened the door. Then, I went into my bathroom and changed out of my running attire, slipping the journal in the cabinet underneath the sink. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and put on one of the sundresses I had bought on the shopping trip with Nelly. Then, I stepped back into the room with Jackson. He looked nervous about something.
“What’s on your mind, Jack?”
He shrugged. “You hungry?”
I nodded emphatically and he laughed. I hadn’t eaten yet today, and it was almost dinner time. “Why? You got some food?”
He laughed again, and I remembered how much I loved the sound of it. “No…
actually, I came to see if you wanted to go get something to eat… with me.” I smiled at his apprehension. Jackson was one of the most confident guys I had ever known, and it was kind of charming to see him nervous. “Jackson,” I said, feigning shock.
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
A smile lit up his green eyes. “That depends, are you saying yes?” I pretended to mull this over, and I saw his earlier nervousness return. “I am really hungry…”
“Alexa, I-“
“I would love to, Jack.”
His face lit up again and he gripped me in another hug. “Great, I think I saw a place you will like. You ready?”
My stomach grumbled as if in answer. We laughed and headed into the city.
The place Jack took me to served Italian food; which is one of my favorites. It had a cute little patio area outside that had strings of lights hanging from posts. He requested a table for two and since it was pretty warm outside, we sat on the patio. It was kind of…
romantic.
He pulled out my seat and I sat down. “What’s the occasion?” I asked, once he took his seat across from me.
He shrugged. “I just wanted to spend some time with you.”
I smiled. “You always know what to say.”
He ordered me spaghetti and meatballs, and I wondered at how he knew that was my favorite too. We talked and laughed and I settled into what seemed to be like the beginning of a great evening with my best friend. Then, he went and said something that made me almost choke on my noodles.
“I want you to be my girlfriend,” he blurted out.
I took a desperate sip of my water to buy me time, clearing my throat, I said,
“Wow. What brought that on?”
Stupid, I know. But I didn’t really know what else to say.
He looked down at his hands, and then back up at me. “I’ve always wanted you to be my girlfriend.” He said this as if it should have been obvious, and really, it probably should have.
When I remained shocked in silence, he said, “You don’t have to answer now.
You know how I feel about you. At least… I hope you do. I just want you to know that I’m serious. I want, well, I want you to be mine. ”
I stared at him for a long time. Stared into those beautiful green eyes and saw that he really was absolutely serious. I don’t know why I had never seen it before. I guess I had always thought that he was just joking when he said affectionate things to me, but looking at him now, I knew I had been wrong. Then, a thought came to mind completely unwarranted: What about Kayden? I wasn’t in love with him or anything, I had told him to leave me alone, so why was he always invading my mind at the most inconvenient of times?
I liked Jackson. I had always liked him, so what was wrong with being his girl? It might even be nice to have a boyfriend, though I wouldn’t know because I had never had one.
Human boys had never liked me in that way; they’d avoided me like everyone else in that world had. But Jack had always been there for me. Even before he knew that I was a Warrior. He’d always tried to protect me. He’d always loved me.
That realization seemed to hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. Jack loved me.
He had loved me at a time when so few people cared if I lived or died. But, Jackson cared, Jackson had always cared.
I made my decision, pushing thoughts of Kayden out of my head, and hoped I wasn’t making a big mistake. “Okay.”
A huge smile spread across his face and it warmed me. “Okay?” I nodded, my stomach feeling a little more tangled than I would have liked.
“Yeah, I mean, yes… yes, I would like that.”
He blew out a relieved breath and I laughed. “What? You know I like you. I’ve always liked you,” I told him.
He ran a hand through his thick hair. “I know,” I raised an eyebrow, and he continued, “I mean, I didn’t know, but… never mind it doesn’t matter.”
“What doesn’t matter?” I asked.
He looked like he didn’t want to say, but he told me anyway. “Well, I was starting to think you had a thing for that Kayden guy.”
I tried to put a look on my face that said that that was ridiculous. “That’s ridiculous,” I said. “What would make you think that?”
I hoped I didn’t sound like I was lying. Was the strange connection between Kayden and me obvious to everyone? Apparently.
He sighed, “I don’t know, but I’m glad you don’t. I don’t trust that guy. The way he stares at you… it’s creepy.”
I had to snap my mouth shut so that I wouldn’t say anything stupid. I wanted to tell him that he had no reason not to like Kayden; that he was a good guy and he was definitely not creepy. I didn’t say any of those things. I said something almost as stupid.
“He doesn’t stare at me.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Come on, Lexie. Yes, he does. Every guy who sees you stares at you. But the way he does it, well, it’s just not right.” I furrowed my brow. “They stare at me because I have these stupid marks on my arm, because they haven’t seen a Warrior in over a hundred years. Why do you think it’s any weirder when he does it?”
“That’s not why they stare at you. I realize you don’t know this, it’s part of the reason I like you, but you are truly the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. And because he’s too old to be looking at you that way,” he replied.
Again, I had to stop myself from saying something stupid. I didn’t want to talk about Kayden anymore.
“I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” I hoped that didn’t sound too defensive. I remembered something else I’d wanted to ask him. “How do you know that Victoria girl?”
He made a disgusted face. “I don’t. Not really, I just met her when we came here.
She’s a wolf, so she’s in a couple of my classes. I think she likes me.”
“Oh, you think?”
He smiled. “Don’t worry. She knows my heart belongs to you.” I shifted in my seat as another question came to mind. “Jack… Remember that night in the woods? The night we were attacked by the Lamia? He nodded. “How… how did you know where to find us? How did you know that something was wrong?” He took a moment before answering. “I was coming to check on you again. When I saw that you didn’t come to school that day I was worried. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. But, when I cut through the woods to get to your house, I caught your scent on the wind and followed it to where you were.”
“You caught my scent?”
He tapped his nose. “Wolf, remember?”
I laughed. “It’s still hard for me to get used to the fact that none of us are human.”
The c
onversation flowed easily after that, like it always did with Jack. He got me some desert, which I devoured, and then paid the bill. It was a school night, so he walked me back to my dorm room so that I could get some rest before my class with Patterson first thing in the morning. I didn’t want to be late again. I was still healing from some of the injuries he’d given me last time.
He pulled me to a stop when we reached my building and lifted me off of my feet in one of his bear hugs. When he set me back down, I stood on my tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
He smiled wide. “What was that for?”
I shrugged. “Dinner… And for always being there for me.”
He kissed my lips again, and this time it wasn’t as quick. Then, a familiar sensation swept through me, and I went rigid with the realization of what it meant.
Chapter 40
Jack pulled away from me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get carried away.” I just shook my head. I was still too horrified to talk. His expression turned to one of worry. “Hey, you okay?”
I nodded, finally regaining control over my vocals. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired…
Thank you for dinner. Will I see you tomorrow?”
That was a stupid question, but I couldn’t seem to think straight. I was still too mortified to compose my words.
He nodded, his face still a little concerned. “Of course, get some sleep. I’ll see you at lunch with the others.”
He kissed my forehead and told me good night, then headed off in the direction of his dorm. As soon as he was gone, I spun around in a slow circle, looking for the only person capable of making my stomach flip the way it just had.
Sure enough, I spotted Kayden about twenty feet away, leaning against a tree. It was already dark outside, and I wouldn’t even have known it was him if I hadn’t, well, known it was him.
Part of me wanted to just run up to my room and hide under the covers, the other part wanted to go and throw myself at his feet and beg for forgiveness. Both of these impulses were completely crazy, seeing as how I had nothing to be embarrassed about. Jackson was my boyfriend, and I had no obligations to Kayden. All we did was kiss, and that’s what couples do, right? There was nothing wrong with what I’d done, and yet, I felt completely and utterly guilty.
I decided to approach him, but thankfully, I didn’t fall to the ground and beg forgiveness. Instead, I propped a hand on my hip. “Hey, are you stalking me now or something?”
His face was impassive, but his eyes were full of disgust. He just stared at me, and my anger flared up a little. He had no reason to look at me like that. I’d done nothing wrong.
Like always, I spoke my mind. “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
His face remained impassive, but his tone was clipped. “Like what? I didn’t say you did.”
I threw up my arms, if he wanted to play dumb then I’d let him. “Whatever,” I said. “Why were you standing out here waiting for me, then?” A smirk came over his face. “Who said I was waiting for you?” My cheeks flooded with heat; how incredibly embarrassing. I didn’t know that he was here for me. Maybe I should have just run up to my room, at least then I wouldn’t feel like such an idiot.
I started laughing. I was definitely embarrassed. “Whatever. Good night, then.” I spun around and had to force myself not to run. When I made it to my room, I shut off the light and buried my face in my pillow. Maybe Patterson’s class tomorrow wouldn’t be so bad after all; there’s nothing like getting your ass kicked to knock some modesty into you.
Chapter 41
I got up early the next morning. I hadn’t slept very well because I couldn’t get my mind off of Kayden. I showered and dressed for class, remembering to throw a change of clothes in my backpack in case I got blood all over me like last time.
I made it to class about fifteen minutes early and Patterson was already there setting up. He smiled when he saw me enter. “Good morning, Warrior. You’re early,” he said with a grin.
I shrugged. “Yeah, I wanted to give you a break today.”
He laughed, and it made his brown eyes twinkle. “How considerate of you.” His face went thoughtful for a moment. “Where did you train before you came here?” That was unexpected. I took a deep breath before answering, this was still a sore subject for me. “At home, my Mother trained me.”
He looked impressed. “Really? Who is your mother, if you don’t mind me asking?”
I looked down at my hands. “Diana Montgomery.”
He went silent and I glanced back up at him, his face was full of wonder. “You knew her?”
He nodded slowly, a smile spreading across his face. “Yes, I did. She is one of the best. We trained together when we were children.”
I stood there gaping. The way he had said this made me think that they may have done more than just train together. Still, talking about my Mother was still difficult for me.
“How is she?” he asked in a quiet voice.
I swallowed hard. “She’s… she died when the Lamia attacked our house.” His face fell, and his expression gave him away; he had cared about her. It actually made me like him more. Anyone who genuinely cared for my Mother couldn’t be so bad.
His face was also a little surprised. “I’m so sorry to hear that. But, I guess that explains why you’re here, she would have never-“
More students entered the class then, and he snapped his mouth shut. I was tempted to press for whatever else he was going to say. She would have never what? But, as everyone began stretching and warming up, I made a mental note to be sure to continue this conversation later.
Tommy came in and greeted me with a small bow. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hey, Tommy.”
“Sorry about what happened the other night,” he said. “My dad doesn’t mind if I have parties, but he always makes sure warriors are on hand in case things get violent. I should have warned you.”
I shrugged. “It’s cool. Actually, I’m sorry. I’m embarrassed about getting thrown out like that.”
He laughed. “Are you kidding? I would have paid to see Victoria knocked on her face like that. It was classic.”
I smiled. “Yeah, she kind of asked for it.”
He nodded. “She did. Besides, my father said that anyone stupid enough to taunt a Warrior deserves to get beat up.”
I was shocked. “You told your dad? That’s so… embarrassing.”
“No, it’s not. He likes you anyway, so don’t worry.”
I furrowed my brow. “How does he like me? We’ve never met.” He smiled. “Yes, you have. He’s on the Council. Lord Caslon, you met him the first day you came here.”
I thought back to my meeting with the Council, there had been three women and two men. One of the men had been blond with blue eyes, like Tommy. I assumed that was his father.
Just then, Patterson called the class to attention and we all lined up. He began pairing us up into twos. I got paired with Tommy, since we were standing right next to each other.
Patterson gave each group an area that was marked off by tape on the floor. I noticed then that the whole gym was marked off in large squares. We were told that we must stay within our square, whoever got tossed out, lost. My mother had done something similar to this, so I figured it wouldn’t be so bad.
Tommy smiled as we stood opposite each other. “You ready, Warrior?” I snorted. “Are you ready, Brocken?”
We fought, and I learned that Tommy was a better fighter than he let on. By the end of the class, I had gotten tossed out of our square four times, and I managed to push him out six times. I considered this a victory.
When the bell finally rang, we were both grateful. Tommy smiled “I won.” I scoffed. “No you didn’t. I pushed you out more times than you did me.” He laughed. “Doesn’t matter. I still won four out of ten times. You’re a Warrior, so that means that each time I pushed you out is equals two of yours. So, really, I won.” I laughed at his stupid logic. “Whatever makes you f
eel better.” I wanted to stay and talk to Patterson some more about my Mother, but I still had to change clothes, and I didn’t want to be late to my next class. Tommy waited for me outside of the locker room and we walked to our next class together.
“Are you going to the fight this weekend?” Tommy asked as we sat down in History class.
“What fight?”
“There’s a fight at the end of each month. Between the warriors, I always go. It’s good to see what we will be doing once we graduate. You want to go with me?” I shrugged. “Maybe, I’m not sure if I want to see that.”
He gave me a charming smile. “Please.”
I smiled back, even though the idea made me sick. “We’ll see.” Always optimistic, Tommy grinned. “Great.”
The teacher came in and began the class. I listened and took notes, trying to think about anything other than fighting. I’d always thought I’d enjoyed fighting, but that was when it was for a purpose. It just wasn’t as appealing as a sport.
Chapter 42
Lunch time came, and I was ready to annihilate some food. Nelly had a plate waiting for me, like always, and I sat down beside Jack. A smile lit up his face when he saw me and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, darling.”
In front of me, Nelly’s and Daniel’s eyes widened. I had just enough time to frown in confusion before I felt a cold liquid spill all over me. And I was completely soaked.
Victoria.
I turned around slowly. Victoria was holding an empty soda bottle over my head, shaking out the remaining drops. One landed on my already dripping nose. My left eye twitched. I brought my gaze up to Victoria’s. A satisfied smirk sat on her lips for the briefest of moments. When her eyes met mine, whatever she saw there made her smug switch swiftly to uncertainty, and immediately following that, fear.
My eyes were searing, I’m sure, right along with my blood. One side of my mouth pulled up. It was a crazed expression; some part of me knew this. Some part of me didn’t care.
Then, I was up, out of the chair, gripping Victoria’s throat in my right hand and slamming her into a nearby soda machine. It rocked on its hinges.
