Blue Violet (Book #1 of the Svatura Series)

by Abigail Owen

  “Of course!” He’d taken her rejection so well, if Ellie hadn’t known better, she would’ve been a little miffed.

  “Cool.” She nodded, satisfied. “You’re a good guy Brian.”

  “I won’t argue with you,” he agreed with a wink.

  She rolled her eyes. “You might want to work on that ego, though,” she teased back.

  “I’ll think about it.” He cocked an eyebrow and Ellie laughed again. They couldn’t find any space in the movie lot, so they parked in the larger lot up by the grocery store and walked down to the theater. The rest of their friends were already there, waiting outside despite the cold. Most of the people from their lunch table plus a few others had come. Adelaide, Lila, and Nate included.

  Ellie noticed a few raised eyebrows among the group as she and Brian walked up together. High school drama could be really fun when you didn’t take it too seriously. Kayla was clearly pea green with envy.

  “Hey!” Ellie greeted Adelaide, Lila, and Nate all with her usual careful hugs.

  “Are you on a date?” Nate asked bluntly, never shy about asking what everyone else wanted to know. Ellie considered it to be one of his more endearing qualities, even if it rubbed some people the wrong way.

  “No,” she said. “We’re friends. We live in the same neighborhood. He gave me a ride. That’s all there is to it.”

  “Are you sure?” Nate teased, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

  Ellie chuckled. “Positive.”

  “Hey, who was that guy at the pizza place the other night?” asked Lila.

  “Griffin’s my brother,” Ellie answered, aware of Adelaide’s power. Hoping to head off additional questions about him, she added, “He… takes care of me.”

  She saw Lila and Adelaide exchange a meaningful look. Once again, she resisted using Griffin’s power on the sisters. She’d also avoided using her own power on them, making sure to limit any physical contact. They were already suspicious. What if one of her powers caused Adelaide or Lila to find out her true identity before she was ready to tell them? Griffin still maintained that it was too early to share that secret. And she respected her brother’s wishes. Although her patience really was wearing thin.

  “Everything okay?” Adelaide asked her quietly.

  “Oh!” Ellie had forgotten to think of an appropriate emergency. She stuck as close to the truth as she could.

  “We thought there might be an intruder, but we didn’t end up finding anyone or anything.”

  “That’s scary!” Lila exclaimed.

  “Yeah,” Ellie agreed. “We checked everything though, and so it looks like we’re okay.” …For now.

  Brian held out his arm. “Ready to go in?”

  While they were buying tickets, Ellie noticed that Brian actually blushed when he talked to the girl behind the counter. Feeling slightly guilty, but too curious to resist, Ellie tapped into Griffin’s power and tried to see what the connection was.

  “Damn, she is so hot. I should just man-up and ask her out, but she’s not interested in me,” Brian’s thoughts came through loud and clear.

  The girl, named Juliette, was a bit harder to read, keeping her thoughts close in to her heart. But after poking around a bit, Ellie heard, “Why do I act like such a clumsy moron when he’s around. I should just get over this stupid crush. He is soooo not interested in me.”

  Juliette was adorable, with silky pale blond hair that fell to her shoulders and pretty green eyes. Ellie offered her a friendly smile, and despite the fact that Juliette seemed to be under the impression Ellie was Brian’s date, she returned it.

  Nice, too. A thought began to form in Ellie’s mind…a little matchmaking could be a fun distraction from all the drama.

  She was just figuring all of this out when she noticed Adelaide giving Juliette and Brian a speculative look. The same curious glance that she herself had received just the other night, right after Griffin had showed up at the pizza place. Not the time to worry about that. Shake it off, she scolded herself. But maybe Adelaide can help me with my matchmaking idea.

  The movie was really good, but Ellie spent most of it trying to come up with ways to throw Juliette and Brian together. The only plan she could come up with was befriending Juliette herself. They didn’t share any classes, but there had to be some way.

  When the movie finished, they all decided to head to the Dairy Queen downtown. As they were leaving the theater, Ellie noticed Juliette leaving as well. “Adelaide,” Ellie called her friend over. Nodding toward Juliette she said, “Do you know her?”

  “Juliette?” Adelaide seemed a little surprised by the question. “Sure! She’s in my English class.”

  “Why don’t you ask her to join us at the Dairy Queen?” Ellie suggested.

  “Alright,” Adelaide drew out the word. “What’re you up to?”

  “Just following a hunch. Trust me. I think it could end well.”

  Adelaide remained inquisitive, but shrugged it off. She went over to Juliette who was headed to her own car. They had a short conversation and Juliette walked over to the larger group, clearly having agreed to join in.

  “Juliette, this is Ellie Aubrey,” Adelaide introduced them.

  “Hi,” Ellie said, offering her hand to shake. “I’ve seen you around school.”

  “I’ve seen you too,” Juliette shook the proffered hand. “You’re new here right?”

  Ellie grimaced, shifting on her feet. “Yeah,” she pretended to look around as the others headed for their cars. “Hey, why don’t you ride over with me and Brian,” she offered. “We can drop you back at your car on the way back.”

  Juliette looked somewhat reluctant. “Okay,” she finally agreed.

  When they got to the car, Ellie insisted that Juliette ride in front. “But you’re his date!” Juliette protested.

  “Oh!” Ellie widened her eyes in feigned surprise. “No. Brian and I are just friends. He lives in my neighborhood and offered me a ride… He’s really the nicest guy. If I wasn’t already interested in someone else, I’d definitely go for him.”

  She flashed a guileless smile and hopped in the back seat. The ride to the Dairy Queen was very short; they could’ve walked if it hadn’t been so cold outside. Ellie started chatting about this and that and then sat back as Juliette and Brian took up the conversation and talked between themselves. Ellie crossed her arms, feeling a little smug. They seemed to have a lot in common. Ellie muffled a small giggle. And was that a bit of flirting going on? Who knew that matchmaking could be so fun in an oddly satisfying sort of way?

  After hanging out at the Dairy Queen, the group broke up to head to their respective homes. They got back to the theater only to discover that Juliette had a flat tire, and Ellie knew immediately who had been responsible. Nate could barely contain himself, to the point that his mental laughter was loud enough for Ellie to pick up on with very little effort to tap into Griffin’s power. Apparently Adelaide had put him up to it, doing a little matchmaking herself.

  “It’s too late for you to bother dealing with it now,” Brian insisted to Juliette. “I’ll bring you back for your car in the morning if you’d like.”

  A shy blush stained Juliette’s cheeks. “Thanks.”

  “Where do you live, Juliette?” Ellie asked. After hearing her reply she said, “Drop me off first Brian. I’m on the way.”

  When Ellie unlocked her front door and walked in, she immediately met Griffin’s disgusted glare.

  “You seriously used my powers to set those two kids up?” He looked so disgruntled Ellie had a hard time not laughing.

  “What’s wrong with that?” Ellie brushed past him and headed to the kitchen.

  Griffin just shook his head, clearly baffled. “Do you want first shift?” he asked, changing the subject. After Griffin’s sighting of the wolves, they’d agreed to take turns watching the Jenner and Pierce properties through the night. Even Griffin agreed that the danger the Vyusher presented was too great to ignore.

  “S
ure,” she replied, patting him on the shoulder as she walked by. “I’m still fairly wide-eyed and bushy-tailed.” With that she headed upstairs to change and then took off to man her post. She kept her inner-most thoughts hidden from Griffin as she left. Somehow watching the byplay between Brian and Juliette tonight had brought to mind what wasn’t happening, what she wanted to happen but knew was impossible, between her and Alex. And what really sucked was now she got to spend hours watching over him. So close, yet not close enough. It was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 16

  Another six weeks passed without incident. No sightings of the wolves. No more suspicious looks from Adelaide or Lila. But there was Alex, or more specifically, Alex’s disappearance from her life. The first few days after hanging at the pizza place, he texted to say he couldn’t run with her the next morning. Then one night, the text said that he wouldn’t be able to run with her for a while, and nothing since then. Ellie had seen him when he dropped his siblings off for school, and when he picked them up afterward. But he’d only given her a nod and a half smile. He didn’t get out and talk to her. And he didn’t show up in the library on their study nights again.

  Part of Ellie worried, hoping that he was okay. Another part was insecure, wondering what she’d done to scare him off. And another part was just pissed that he’d drop her like that, without any explanation. She had a strong suspicion he was avoiding her, and she wondered why. But then the next moment, she’d convince herself that she was being completely self-centered. Sure, she felt a connection with him, but obviously that feeling was one-sided. What Alex probably saw when he looked at her was a normal high school girl… too young… too inexperienced… and not of his kind.

  Ellie’d pretty much convinced Griffin that the Jenners and Pierces weren’t a danger to them. But both she and Griffin were still concerned that revealing themselves to the Jenners and Pierces might put them all in a great deal of danger. Especially given the wolf sighting not too long ago.

  April had given way to an unseasonably warm May. The snow was mostly gone, at least for the moment. Ellie was standing outside in the parking lot, enjoying the lovely weather and chatting with Adelaide, Lila, and Nate. She waved to Brian and Juliette as they arrived, and hid a self-satisfied smile.

  “You’re pretty proud of yourself, aren’t you?” Adelaide teased, following her line of sight.

  Ellie grinned. “I just hope they remember me at their wedding.”

  Adelaide chuckled. She also thought that Brian and Juliette made a good couple, but her reasons for feeling so were slightly different, and she kept them to herself.

  The couple had been inseparable since that movie night. They’d also become particularly good friends of Ellie’s, often coming over to her house to study on nights when she wasn’t at the library with Adelaide, Lila, and Nate. Sometimes they’d join the little library group, and even Griffin liked them. He’d finally warmed up to the idea of making friends… Or, at least he’d grudgingly accepted the concept.

  Ellie glanced up and froze, the blood draining from her face. Across the street, in the shadows of a grove of trees, stood a giant black wolf, seemingly watching the school. As Ellie watched, the wolf slowly backed up into the shadows and disappeared.

  “Ellie?” Adelaide laid a concerned hand on her sleeve. “Are you okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

  Ellie pulled herself out of her shocked state with difficulty. She slowly focused on Adelaide’s worried face, and then shook her head a little, trying to clear it. “Umm… yeah.” She pinned what she hoped was a cheerful look on her face, hoping the color was coming back into her blanched cheeks. A loud trill shook her senses.

  Saved by the bell, she thought with wry amusement. The irony of the situation was not lost on her.

  “Griffin,” Ellie called for her brother mentally as she followed her friends into the school.

  “Yeah?”

  She mentally showed him what she had just seen. Somehow, she also managed to communicate her panic. “It’s him. The black wolf.”

  “I know,” was his grim response. “I’m on it. You go to class. I’ll see if I can find him. I’ll keep in touch.”

  “Be careful. Please.”

  “Do you really have to say that to me?”

  “Probably not.”

  Ellie didn’t hear from Griffin again after that, and it made for an incredibly long day. She must have acted pretty spacey, because her friends kept giving her odd looks. Once school was finally over, she rushed out to the parking lot, her mind focused on one thing and one thing only: to get home and see if she could find Griffin.

  Halfway across the lot she stopped suddenly, shocked. Alex was leaning up against her car. Given that six weeks had passed since she’d last seen him and he’d done little more than nod at her in passing, his timing was suspicious.

  “Hi, Alex,” Ellie said as she approached him. Despite her state of panicked rush, and her anger with him, she secretly felt thrilled. It just figured that he’d pick today of all days to finally talk to her. She unlocked the passenger-side door and threw her backpack in the back seat. Alex still blocked the driver side.

  “Sorry, Alex, but I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

  He didn’t move. “Oh? Where’re you off to in such a rush?”

  “Just home.”

  “Griffin there?” he asked in a too-casual way, and Ellie’s eyebrows popped up.

  “Yeah.” She drew out the word, implying by her tone that she thought that a bit of a silly question.

  They eyed each other for several moments. With an impatient gesture, she finally snapped, “Do you mind?” and tried to shoo him away from her car. From the corner of her eye she saw Adelaide, Lila, and Nate approaching them.

  “Who exactly is Griffin, anyway?” he asked her.

  Ellie hid her surprise. Adelaide knew Griffin was her brother. Guess she didn’t pass that on to Alex, Ellie thought. Her stubborn streak kicked in. Well, after the silent treatment the last few weeks, I’m not in the mood to enlighten him.

  “I really am in a hurry, Alex,” Ellie answered brusquely. Why on Earth did he decide that the one moment he wanted to talk to her was the one moment she couldn’t? And why talk to her about this? She risked touching him, pushing against him to try to move him out of the way. She was tempted to let her hand linger on his arm. It felt warm and rock hard. And touching him at all just seemed so intimate, so right. A strange yearning settled somewhere in her heart.

  Alex stared into her eyes so intently, Ellie felt almost trapped. She couldn’t turn away even if she’d wanted to. Her breathing accelerated along with her heart rate. It was the kind of look a man gave a woman he wanted. Knowing. Sensual. Slowly, he obligingly scooted aside. Still caught in his gaze, Ellie just managed to yank open her car door in an awkward motion and flop in. Turning the key, she revved the engine. Alex signaled her to roll down the window, and she took a deep breath and complied.

  He leaned down as if to speak with her, but then he suddenly popped his head through the window and placed a light kiss on her unsuspecting lips. Ellie gave a little squeak of surprise and stared at him with wide, astonished eyes.

  With a sexy grin he said, “Just giving you one more thing to think about.” And with that mystifying comment, he turned and walked over to where his siblings were waiting.

  Ellie sat for a moment, gathering her chaotic thoughts and emotions. Holy crap, he just kissed me! Quickly followed by, Who the hell does he think he is? Sheesh! The guy completely ignores me for six weeks, and then wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am!

  Finally it registered that maybe Alex Jenner wasn’t indifferent to her after all, and a bubbling excitement fizzed through her entire system, threatening to explode.

  But Ellie squashed her growing excitement. One kiss didn’t make him any less of a jerk. And as much as her body wanted to focus on that amazing moment, Ellie had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. She put her car in gear, and with a slightly da
zed wave in the general direction of her friends, she headed home.

  *****

  Alex watched Ellie as she drove away. He didn’t even hide it now. Adelaide, Lila, and Nate had all seen him kiss their friend. Adelaide smiled serenely, while Nate and Lila gave him incredulous looks.

  “What the heck was that all about?” Nate demanded.

  Alex just shrugged. Mentally, he swung back and forth between a crazy satisfaction at that kiss, and feeling like a complete fool. He’d been thinking about her almost non-stop for weeks. He’d blown off their runs, and then stopped contacting her completely. He’d thought he was doing the right thing. Saving her from… from a lot of things, not the least of which was the possible danger they were in. He didn’t blame her for being mad at him at all. But then she’d basically given him the cold shoulder, her mind obviously elsewhere. And he’d thought, I’ll give her something to think about, and something had snapped. He’d wanted her focus solely on him, and he’d kissed her.

  Jeez, Alex, you’re such a jerk, he mentally berated himself. But as he thought more about it, something in his head clicked. It’d been brief, but he had felt her respond, had seen something spark in her eyes, confirming his hope that she wasn’t as indifferent to him as she seemed. He didn’t think he could ever forget the look she’d given him afterward. Part fury, part stunned surprise, part sparkling need. He’d seen the mutual desire in her eyes.

  He didn’t know what he was going to do about it. But he’d decided to do something. It wouldn’t be long until she went to college…a few months. He could wait for her until then. And hopefully by then he could figure out exactly what he wanted. Alex just prayed that he hadn’t already blown his chances.

  Chapter 17

  Griffin arrived just as Ellie pulled into the driveway. She saw him fly inside and quickly followed.

  “Well?” she demanded, hands on her hips.

  Griffin paced back and forth. “Nothing.” If possible, he looked even grimmer than before.