“And look…” Ethan’s gaze never left mine as he reached into his jeans back pocket. “I even got this so we can keep in touch.”
He’d gotten a cell phone, which so wasn’t Ethan. He didn’t carry one because he’d said, “I don’t like being that easy to find,” yet he’d made the sacrifice for me. It wasn’t a smartphone, so we couldn’t have face-to–face chats, but at least we could text. I should feel special, but all I could think was…he’s leaving. My heart folded inward.
Ethan ran his knuckles along my jaw, deep furrows etched around his mouth. “Say something, Sunshine.”
I closed my eyes against the bright light shining down. Sunshine. I’d never be able to hear that word or feel the warm sun kissing my face without thinking of Ethan and the way he made me feel: Unique. Special. Needed. Wanted.
“Nara?” Ethan slid his fingers along my scalp, slipping the red ribbon and elastic band from it.
When he ran his fingers through my hair, then cupped the back of my neck, I felt the tension in his hold. I told my heart and mind to cease fire and opened my eyes. “Just…promise you’ll come back,” I managed to whisper.
Relief flooded his features, and he gave that brilliant smile that never failed to melt me all the way to my toes. Running his thumb in a caress along my throat, he said, “Never doubt it.”
I forced a smile. “It’s just…I’ll miss you.”
Ethan glanced down and swept the raven feather from the blanket, then pushed me onto my back, a mischievous look in his eyes. “I just thought of a great use for this feather,” he began as he leaned over me.
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” I asked in a breathy voice. Tingling shot through me as he ran the feather from my chin to my neck. My heart tripped when he continued along my chest, then trailed it down the buttons of my shirt until he reached my exposed belly where the cotton material had ridden up.
“Sending a message.” Eyebrow raised, he said in a serious tone. “If you start to question us…” He paused and ever so slowly traced the feather in a horizontal line across my belly button, then joined that line with a perpendicular one that stopped at the top of my jeans.
He’d created a T.
“Always remember…” he continued, this time writing two more of the same letter.
“This…” he finished with three more letters. A W, an F, and an O.
Dark blue eyes locked with mine right before he lowered his head. I let out a gasp of excitement as his warm lips touched my skin, imprinting his message on me. Clasping my waist in a firm grip, Ethan then pressed a longer, lingering kiss on my belly button. As goose bumps skittered along my body, I bit my lip and slid my fingers into his long dark bangs and thick hair, encouraging his exploration.
Ethan looked at me, his eyes swirling with primal intensity. Promises reflected in his gaze as he shifted higher, then tucked the feather into the top opening of my shirt, sliding the entire soft vane past the lacy edge of my bra. When he settled over me, his chest crushed the feather between us, and my breath hitched.
Without words, he’d shown me where he wanted to kiss me next. I burned everywhere, blistering hot. God, I was ready now, but I finally understood. When he came back, we would both be ready to move forward.
Lowering his hard body fully on me, Ethan finished his message in a husky tone, “Forever and always, Nara.”
The intimacy of his actions, and the feel of his weight pressing me into the soft blanket, his legs entwined with mine, played havoc with my pulse. Picturing the letters he’d written in my mind’s eye, I forced myself to focus.
TTTWFO.
Then the meaning dawned. It was the promise I’d made him after he discovered his tattoo had changed into a sword. He was confused and freaked out by the change. I’d told him that I loved him, and I’d promised I’d be there for him, that we’d be together ‘til the wheels fall off.
Tears prickled the corners of my eyes, and I dug my fingers into his broad, muscular shoulders, pulling him even closer. While he settled things with his parents, I planned to learn everything I could about ravens and his tattoo. I’d be ready when he came home to help him resolve that aspect of his life, or, at the very least, acknowledge it. Clarity was about full acceptance. Nothing was going to stop us from moving forward.
“Cross my heart—” I started to whisper, but Ethan cut me off, pressing his lips to mine with a fierceness that sent fire shooting through my veins. I tugged him even closer, loving that his heady kiss sealed our promise better than words ever could.
Chapter Three
Honk, honk…honk, honk, honk, hooooooonk!
“I’m coming,” I hollered out my bedroom window, then grabbed my purse and keys while my laptop powered down.
“You’re early,” I huffed as I slid into Lainey’s car. I was out of breath from rushing down the stairs at breakneck speed. She’d torn me away from a fascinating website I’d just discovered that mentioned ravens. The forum administrator had finally gotten back to me, saying he couldn’t provide any contact info, but he sent me the last link the original poster had followed from a thread on his message board. And the best part was, the info on this forum was all in Latin. He probably thought he was sending me on a wild goose chase, but the Latin made it a double win. I couldn’t believe my luck. I was salivating to translate it. “What’s with the crazy horn honking? I heard you the first time.”
“Payback, plus…change of plans. Matt’s coming over to my house. He had an errand to run first,” Lainey said, checking her lip gloss in the mirror.
“That’s great! Now you won’t feel awkward about it.” I put my hand on the door handle. “So, guess you don’t need me then.”
“Oh no, you don’t. You’re not getting out of this.” Before I could bolt from the car, Lainey backed out of the driveway, then cut a suspicious gaze my way. “Also, you have some ’splaining to do about Tarra’s ring.”
“About what?” By her tone, I could tell my earlier slipup had come back to bite me. I looked down at my short fingernails, then rubbed absently at the ink smudging my thumb. I’d just started to translate the first few sentences on that website when Lainey pulled up.
“How did you know it came from an antique store? That was just way weird that you knew that. When I got home I had a text from Janet, telling me the deets she’d overheard Tarra saying. And don’t give me some craptastic answer that you dreamed it.” She paused, adopting a thoughtful look. “That’s strange, not counting this morning, I suddenly feel like we’ve talked about you dreaming things before…”
Oh, God! I’d completely forgotten that I’d confessed to Lainey about my ability to see the future via my dreams while she lay in a coma after her car accident a few weeks ago. She must’ve heard what I’d said on some subconscious level.
I’d known Lainey since we were in middle school. She couldn’t handle the truth. First, there’d be denial. Anger would follow that I hadn’t told her. Then, she’d move to, “Tell me my entire day.” Which I’d hear… Every. Single. Day.
“I’m sorry, Lainey. I was just trying to get you off the subject. Earlier in the day, while I was in a stall in the bathroom, I overheard Tarra tell one of the cheerleaders about shopping for the ring.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Lainey took a right at the light, gripping the steering wheel tighter.
“Because I didn’t want you to dwell on the fact that Jared was with her when she picked out the ring.”
“What?” Lainey’s gaze jerked to mine briefly as her foot pressed harder on the pedal. “He never went shopping with me! Said he didn’t have the patience for it.” Gritting her teeth, she seethed. “The Jared I dated wouldn’t be caught dead in an antique store!”
Lainey hadn’t learned that part? Crap. Guess she hadn’t drilled our soccer teammate, Janet (who’d actually been the one to overhear this conversation in the bathroom) as much today as she had in my dream scenario. Maybe she hadn’t asked as many questions because she’d been distracted by mee
ting Matt? Argh, I was royally screwing this up.
We took the left into her neighborhood on a whiny squeal. I gripped the dashboard as my stomach bottomed out. “Lainey, slow down—”
Lainey let off the gas and exhaled a frustrated huff.
I put my hand on her arm. “Maybe Jared really is trying to suck up to Tarra. That kind of makes sense with this complete one-eighty he’s taken.” Great, now I was letting myself get sucked into her conspiracy theory.
She narrowed her eyes. “I want to drive by his house right now. See if he’s washing her laundry by hand.”
I snorted at the absurd image of Jared scrubbing a pair of designer jeans up and down an old-time washboard in a tub full of soapsuds, then pointed toward her driveway ahead. “Matt’s coming, remember?”
Lainey perked up. “You’re right. Matt’ll be here in a few minutes.”
We’d just walked in the door and shrugged out of our coats when Lainey rubbed her hands on her arms. “Why is it so cold in here?” Glancing around the living room, she continued, “Where’s Lochlan? Loch, where are you, boy?”
“Maybe he’s upstairs?” I said.
“Oh, no…the door!” Her eyes went wide and she took off toward the back of the house.
By the time I reached her side, Lainey was standing at the open back door in her kitchen, calling, “Lochlan, Lochlan!” in a high-pitched, frantic voice.
I quickly retrieved the box of dog biscuits from the pantry and handed them to her. “What happened?”
Lainey shook the box hard and called the dog’s name once more, then whistled several times. “I took him out when I got home. I must not have latched the door all the way and the wind blew it open.” Worry creased her forehead as her fingers tightened on the box. “My dad will kill me if something happens to him. Sometimes I think he loves that dog more than me.”
You didn’t see your dad the night you had that car wreck. “Trust me, he loves you, Lainey. Grab Loch’s leash. We’ll find him.”
When Lainey picked up the leash from the rug at the backdoor and the collar was still attached, dog tags jingling, I gave her an are-you-kidding-me look. She raised her shoulders, looking sheepish. “Loch hates his collar, so we only make him wear it when he’s outside.”
We’d just put our coats back on when the doorbell rang. Lainey finished pulling her wavy red hair out of her coat collar. “Oh, God. I forgot about Matt,” she whispered.
“No better time than the present to find out if he’s really a ‘team player,’” I said, then opened the door. “Hi, Matt. Hope you don’t mind helping us out…” But the rest died on my lips. A guy with light brown hair shot with blond streaks stood behind him. “Um, hi.”
“Hey, you’re Nara, right?” Matt said from his position at the door. Running his hand through his short hair, he turned and glanced at his friend standing on the sidewalk, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets. “Lainey, Nara, welcome Drystan Maddox, an exchange student all the way from Wales. He caught an earlier flight and got here a few hours sooner than we expected. Thought I’d bring him along so he could get to know some peeps.”
Drystan nodded. “Nice to meet you both. Just call me Maddox.”
I smiled. “Welcome to Virginia, Maddox. What made you choose the US—”
“Hi, Maddox,” Lainey spoke over me, then hissed in my ear, “We have to find Lochlan!”
My gaze darted between the guys. “Do you two mind helping us find Lainey’s dog? He’s roaming around here somewhere.”
Maddox pulled his hands from his jeans pockets and grinned. “I don’t mind. I’m pretty good at finding things.” He stepped onto the porch and glanced at the leash in Lainey’s hand. “Is that your dog’s?”
As Lainey nodded, I met her gaze. “When Loch’s gotten loose before, what direction does he usually go?”
Lainey grimaced and skimmed her gaze over the whole neighborhood. “The woods. Remember, he hunts with my dad.”
I frowned. Her entire neighborhood was one big wooded playground for a hunting dog.
“I think we’ll cover more ground if we split up.” I looked at Matt and pointed to the thick grove of trees across the street from Lainey’s house. “Why don’t you and Lainey head in that direction. Maddox and I will check out the woods behind Lainey’s house.”
“Do you have another leash, Lainey?” I asked Lainey.
Maddox shot his gaze to the cloudy sky, then quickly unhooked Lochlan’s leather collar from the leash in Lainey’s hand. “Looks like it’ll be dark soon. Let’s not waste time. This should do.”
“Thank you for helping, guys.” Lainey’s hazel gaze pinged with appreciation between Matt and Maddox.
Matt smiled and turned his collar up against the cold wind. “No problem. We’d better get going.”
Before we left, Lainey shoved a pair of tan gloves in my hands. “Wear these. Lochlan’s wily. This might take a while.”
After I’d tugged on the soft leather gloves, I was surprised Maddox held onto the collar instead of handing it to me, but I didn’t say anything. Instead, I fell into step beside him as we made our way around the house and through the backyard.
“What’s the dog’s name?” he asked once we’d entered the woods.
His accent had a pleasant, sing-song rhythm that made me smile. “Lochlan,” I said before I cupped my gloved hands around my mouth. “Lochlan! Come here, boy!”
Maddox turned in the opposite direction and yelled out for the dog. Then we began walking forward, diagonally away from each other and deeper into the woods, calling in unison.
Off in the distance I heard Lainey’s higher-pitched call, then Matt’s deeper voice echoing our calls for the dog. The trees whipped with wind, full of chimney smoke and forest smells. The gusts stripped colorful leaves, leaving behind gnarled limbs creaking with the currents’ constant tug and pull.
After hollering once more, Maddox and I stopped to listen.
A group of black birds passed overhead, squawking and beating their wings. I watched their flight, then slid my attention to Maddox, who’d made his way back over. “Why don’t you go by Drystan?”
He stiffened then scanned the woods. “Maddox’s the name my dad always called me.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Your dad doesn’t call you by your first name?”
He cut a sharp glance my way, his lips thinning. “No, he didn’t call me by my first name. My dad is dead.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” I mumbled, glancing away.
He lifted his shoulders, then let them fall. “No big deal.”
By his reaction, it was a big deal. I needed to lighten the mood. “I like the name Drystan better than Maddox. Like Tristan with a D, it just rolls off the tongue better. You’re in a new country…how about a new name? I’m going to call you Drystan.”
He laughed, his green eyes crinkling. “Well ’tis my name. Is Nara your actual name or is it a nickname?”
“It’s Inara.” I smiled. “Lainey gave me the nickname ‘Nara.’”
We both turned and walked farther into the woods. After we’d called the dog’s name several times, I asked the question I’d started to earlier. “What made you decide to come to the US?”
He slid the buckled leather collar in a continuous circle between his fingers as his gaze met mine. “My mum thought it’d be good for me. Said it would make a good transition before we officially moved to England.”
“Are you excited about moving to England?” I asked, then called Lochlan’s name once more.
“It’s not Wales,” he said, pride in his tone. “But sometimes you need to travel away to appreciate your home.”
“Is that why you’re here? To appreciate your homeland more?”
“I’m here to broaden my scope.”
Broaden my scope? The way he said it sounded like someone else’s words. Guess this exchange trip wasn’t his idea. I pulled a glove off and put my hand on his. “You’ve got friends now, Drystan. We’ll make sure you have fun whi
le you’re here.”
Drystan blinked, then quickly glanced down at the collar in his hand. “So weird,” he mumbled.
Did he think what I said was lame? I pulled my hand away and took a step back. “I was just trying to make you feel better.”
Drystan glanced at me, his brow furrowed. “No, I was just thinking that Lochlan’s an odd name for a smallish dog.” He pointed to the name stamped on the collar’s gold nameplate. “But I suppose it probably suits a Jack.”
It seemed like we weren’t making any progress and the sky was getting darker by the second. I was about to suggest we head in opposite directions, when he held up a finger. “Listen.”
“Do you hear something?”
“Shhh.” He closed his eyes and tilted his head as if tuning in. “Do you hear that?”
After a couple of seconds, the distinct sound of water running across rocks floated to my ears. “It’s rushing water. I forgot there’s a creek back here. Lochlan might’ve gone this way.” I took off toward the sound with Drystan’s heavier footfalls close behind.
I’d just started down the incline toward the creek when he grabbed my arm and pulled me to a halt. “Careful.” His gaze slid up and down the creek bed below, then he released me. “Take it slow.”
It was just a creek. Nothing down there could hurt anyone, but the caution in his tone slowed my pace, especially since this entire afternoon was all new to me. I really needed to not improvise my dreams. “I’ll be careful.” I moved with caution down the hill’s slippery leaves toward the flowing water.
I’d just gotten to the bottom of the hill and was about to step closer to the creek bed, when Drystan gripped my elbow in a vise hold. “Stay out of the underbrush along the edge.”
Lucid, YA Paranormal Romance (Brightest Kind of Darkness Series, Book #2) Page 3
