by J. L. Weil
She laid her head on my shoulder giving me a look of pity. “It will be fun. I promise,” she tempted, like it was a piece of Godiva chocolate. “Everyone will be there. And what you need is to let loose, have a little fun. Let’s show Gavin what he’s missing.”
Keyword in that sentence was Gavin. Wow. I couldn’t believe I was thinking about suffering the agony of one of Tori’s parties for Gavin. “Fine. I’ll go. But don’t expect me to enjoy myself,” I muttered.
Her soft pink lips broke out into a generous smile, and she threw her arms around me.
Chapter 12
IT WAS SATURDAY NIGHT AND like the lame, lazy bum that I was, I was spending the evening on the couch with a sappy chick flick. The clunking of heels on the tile floor had me turning my head, and the remote control slipped from my hand.
There stood my aunt, looking sexy as hell in a little black number that made me blush. She set a glitzy wristlet on the counter before facing me. Smiling, she seemed pleased with herself. My eyes might have bugged. It wasn’t every day my aunt looked like a sex kitten.
“Whoa. Where do you think you are going looking like that?” I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.
“I have a date,” she replied happily, looking a little dreamy.
A date? My aunt never dated.
My brows drew together as I assessed how this made me feel. It was pathetic that she had a hot date on Saturday night, while her teenage niece sat at home, pigging out on triple chocolate ice cream, looking homeless.
I licked the chocolate goo from my spoon, pondering. “With who?”
“Just a guy,” she confirmed. “I know; it’s unheard of.” There was a luminous luster to her skin. She was glowing.
My rainbow knee-high socks padded on the kitchen floor, as I set the carton of ice cream on the counter and leaned on my elbows. “It’s not that. It’s just…unexpected.”
“It is, isn’t it? And probably long overdue.” She brushed a hand down her short black shirt, wiping away at invisible wrinkles. “I must be crazy. Me dating? I don’t even know what to do on a date.”
A small smile crept on my lips. “Be yourself,” I repeated back the words she had said to me a few months ago.
“Hmm. My own words coming to bite me back in the butt, even if it was good advice.” She leaned a hip on the counter. “You’re right. If he doesn’t like what he gets, he isn’t good enough for me.”
“Any guy who isn’t into you is just an idiot.”
“Thanks…I think.” She straightened up and asked, “So how do I look?”
I gave her a quick scan. “Like sex on a stick.”
She gave a short laugh. “That’s good, right?”
“In this case, it’s perfect.”
She let out a whoosh of air. “I can’t breathe in this getup. And these shoes…”
“Beauty is pain,” I quoted some jerk that was obviously male and didn’t know squat about being female.
“Well, whoever designed these heels should be shot. It’s like a Chinese torture chamber. I don’t care how hot they look.”
“They do look superb,” I assured, assessing the black strappy shoes.
“Ask me again at the end of the night, if they even make it home with me.” She fiddled with the straps on her evening bag, a sure sign of nerves.
I eyed the black cage shoes with a least a three-inch heel and fell a little in love. I might not be a dress and heels kind of gal, but I could still appreciate a sexy shoe. “If you plan on tossing those babies, just throw them my way.”
She smiled at me. “Deal.”
“So who’s the lucky stud?” A part of me was happy; she needed this. It was healthy for her, but I couldn’t deny I was surprised. She never mentioned anyone, so I was sort of thrown for a loop.
Securing a dangling earring in one ear, she replied, “Just someone I met at the shop. I should have suspected something when he started coming in every day. He took me by surprise and asked me out. I shocked myself even more by saying yes.” There was a starry quality in her eyes and voice as she talked about him. This wasn’t just some random guy. She was really interested in him.
Why didn’t I know about this? Because you have been so preoccupied with your own drama, my subconscious reminded me of my own self-absorption.
Before I could question her further, the doorbell rang, announcing Mister Mysterious’s arrival. Her eyes widened with both a mixture of excitement and worry. “Here goes nothing,” she mumbled, walking toward the front door.
I gave her an encouraging smile. My curiosity was peaked, and I snuck off around the corner behind her. The voices of their pleasant but nervous greeting carried to where I stood. I wasn’t exactly dressed for receiving company, let alone the first guy to take my aunt out. My rainbow socks, boxers, and tank weren’t first-impression material. I didn’t want him to think she was raising a hooligan.
There was a nice, gently deep timber to his voice. A whiff of subtle cologne carried to the hallway. He had a mob of brown hair and towered a good foot over my aunt. At least he wasn’t balding. He had a very distinguished yet casual quality to him. I could see at my quick glimpse what attracted her to him.
Go Aunt Clara.
They looked very nice together, and the glint in his gray eyes mimicked what I saw in hers. She looked over her shoulder, giving me a tiny wave before walking out the door. I leaned against the wall feeling both happy for her and a little jealous, and slightly weirded out.
Dragging my feet back into the kitchen, ice cream melted and forgotten, I tossed myself back onto the cushiony couch. The TV was on in the background, but no longer of any interest to me. My mind was just catching onto the fact there wasn’t another soul in the house, except the fast-asleep Lunar, curled in a ball.
Alone. Utterly alone at home, with nothing but my own rambling thoughts.
And I knew in that moment I needed to talk to Gavin. Now was the time. The dream with Morgana had been weighing heavily on my mind, and her claim that she was my great-grandma haunted me. It was something I had been trying to ignore. She wasn’t exactly trustworthy. How could I be related to her?
It just couldn’t be.
Then why didn’t everything inside me start to hum when I thought about her? That couldn’t possibly be coincidence.
I needed help.
I needed Gavin...
The distance and space separating us was killing me. It was like an ocean spanned between me and wanted I wanted most, a turbulent, bumpy, rough sea. The more and longer I thought on it, the more my stomach churned.
I needed to see him. I needed to hear his voice. And I really wanted this silence between us to cease.
Everything came rushing down on me like a tidal wave. Sure, I could have probably called Lukas, but that definitely wasn’t going to fix my lack of Gavin problem. If anything, it would only complicate matters more.
It was time to take destiny into my own hands.
Chapter 13
When the idea of hunting down Gavin popped in my head, I couldn’t let it go. Before I knew it, I was up and off the couch, running to my room.
My mind was made up. He was going to see me, even if I had to wait all night. Even if I had to track him down and resort to desperate, devious measures.
Looking into the mirror, I readjusted the thin, black straps on my top for like the umpteenth time. Finally, I gave up. Nothing I did at this point was going to show any less skin. The top fit snugly and my jeans were just as tight, emphasizing my curves. My hair fell loose over my shoulders in soft waves of auburn.
I looked…hot, under short notice.
Good. That was the point, to make him suffer. And I wanted him to want me again, if I was being honest. I wanted to be irresistible. Lukas might be fun to hang out with, and I might not understand all that was happening, but every fiber inside me ached for Gavin.
My fingers fumbled with the keys on my dresser as they slipped from my grasp, jingling to the floor. Lunar jumped ten feet at th
e jarring noise. He wasn’t the only one who was acting like a scaredy-cat.
Holy smokes. I was a ball of jitters.
It was going to take more than the luck of the stars to get me through tonight. I was going to need a miracle.
Closing my eyes, I searched for that center of energy inside me, pulling from it to steady my pounding heart. I needed to collect my bearings. Keep my cool. It was amazing what I could do when I concentrated. The energy core was more than just power. It was…
Security.
Self-reliance.
Strength.
What I needed it to be when I needed it, or so I was learning.
I snatched my keys from the floor and drove over to the Masons. Their house was just as impressive as the first time I’d seen it. Magic oozed from the place, and not just from the witches that lived inside. I’d always envisioned faeries playing hide-n-seek in the bushes or mermaids swimming with dolphins in the ocean tides behind their house. I half-expected the characters of mythology and fairytales to be lurking around every corner.
I pressed the doorbell, before I lost my nerve, and shifted my feet as I waited. A part of me hoped it would be Gavin, though another part thought he might just shut the door in my face.
That would suck big time.
I let a small sigh of relief when Jared came to the door. His smile was disarming and lazy as if he had all the time in the world.
Now that I was here, I was losing my courage. Did they hate me? I didn’t know if Gavin had told anyone, and if he had, I was feeling like the biggest fraud.
My cheeks grew red. What had I been thinking? I was about to bolt off the porch when Jared spoke.
“Hey.” He stepped aside with a hand propped on the door over his head and waited for me to walk inside. “Do I dare hope you came to see me?” he asked. There was always a playful trouble to his voice.
I stood there a few seconds, chewing on my lip, before stepping over the threshold. My heart pounded, but I was going to force myself to see this through, no matter what the outcome. Feelings of love, family, and home washed over me. I gave Jared a halfhearted, apologetic smile. “Is he here?” I asked, unable to keep the tremor from my voice.
“Nope. Sophie either. It’s just you and me, babe.”
I gave him a glare that clearly stated I was no one’s babe.
His grin only widened. “But he just texted me that he was on his way home if you wanted to wait.” Jared was so less complicated than Gavin. He was more muscle than brains.
“Sure. Is it cool if I wait in his room?” I asked, wanting to escape anymore advances from meathead. And it would be harder to throw me out of the house without making a scene.
Jared smirked, and there was a gleam in his eyes. “Knock your socks off.”
“Oh,” I added, spinning around toward him. “Could you not let him know I’m here?” I fumbled with my necklace as I waited for him to answer, wondering if I had pushed my luck.
Crossing his arms over his broad chest, his expression lost a little bit of its playfulness. “Anything for you, but I am warning you. He is being a total asswad lately.”
I swallowed hard. “Thanks for the heads up,” I muttered, and made a beeline upstairs. The last thing I wanted to do was hang around and get the third degree from Gavin’s very flirty older brother.
Gavin’s room was stamped into my memory. Every. Teeny. Detail. The French doors to the balcony were left open, a black hoodie was thrown over the back of a chair, and his bed was neatly made. It looked exactly as I remembered. Being here made me feel closer to him than I had in weeks, and I vowed at that moment to find a way to get him back into my life. It was just too drab and miserable without him.
The scent of him surrounded me, and I ached with the emptiness of his absence. Nothing smelled like Gavin. My magic missed him. The stirrings swirled inside me the moment I stepped into his room. It seemed to awaken, to recognize his scent, just like my heart did. Trailing a hand on his bed, I only thought about it for a second before I crawled in.
Five minutes, I thought.
I just wanted a few stolen moments to savor his lingering presence. His energy was everywhere in this room.
My head hit the pillow, and I drank in the feeling of being in the one place that oozed Gavin. My whole body relaxed, my muscles feeling weightless. I dozed off with the scent of him surrounding me like a blanket, lulled by the sound of the frothy ocean waves lapping at the sandy shore.
In my dream, Gavin caressed my cheek. Heat unfolded through me, and I stretched toward his warmth. His touch was far better than dreamscaping. It was better than doing magic. This was the best dream of my life.
Gavin.
He was lying stretched out beside me. Our legs touched, and he was propped above me on an elbow. Our faces close, he brushed a lock of tousled hair from my cheek, his touch electric. It charged through my body, separating dream from reality, and my eyes fluttered open.
I stared into his luminous sapphire eyes and wet my lips nervously—afraid to move—afraid to shatter the spell. His eyes settled on my mouth, and I knew he was going to kiss me.
It was what I wanted. Before I even thought about what I was doing, I willed him to kiss me, magic humming through my veins.
Memorized, I couldn’t tear my eyes from his as his mouth descended to capture mine. The moment our lips touched, I knew I wasn’t dreaming. No dream could be this real. This hot. This mind-blowingly glorious. It was all the encouragement I needed. I threw my heart and soul into kissing him, never wanting him to stop.
My arms stole around his neck, needing to keep him close; afraid it would end too soon. I sunk my fingers into his dark hair, and with each brush of our lips, magic shimmered to the surface. Not just mine. Ours. Swirling together.
His power swirled with mine just as I mirrored his kiss. There was something happening here, something more than just a heavy make-out session. And heavy it was getting.
In one fluid movement, I found myself spread across him, his hands burning through the back pocket of my jeans. My surprise and pleasure was swallowed in his kiss. The material of my jeans was so thin it felt like he was stroking my skin.
He had me spellbound.
Slowly, his lips left mine, kissing both my eyelids, before he stared down at me with eyes that glowed as brightly the stars. His gaze dipped and he reached out, knuckles brushing my chest. “Does it still chase away the dreams?” he murmured, holding the amethyst and moonstone necklace in his fingers.
Only when I wear it, I thought, which hadn’t been as often as I should. His question brought back the dream I’d had with Morgana. How could I have forgotten?
Simple.
When Gavin was near, it was impossible to think of anything else. “I wanted to ask you something about dreamscaping.”
His brows drew together, sensing my distress. At the same time, a light of fury flickered into his eyes, turning them a menacing deep shade of blue. They were almost black. His lip curled into a snarl.
God, how could I be so stupid? Of course, he would immediately think of Lukas. The intoxicating mood between us snapped. I lowered my chin, blinking. “It’s not about him; it’s about Morgana,” I rushed before he could send me from his room.
That got his attention, as I had hoped. Some of the hard lines on his face softened. Dropping the necklace back on my neck, he moved away from me and sat up on the bed. I followed facing him. “I had another dream with her,” I continued.
He exhaled roughly. “When?”
I felt the heat creep into my cheeks and shifted my gaze to my fingers as they picked the stitching on his comforter. “The night I told you about Lukas,” I replied in a barely audible whisper. I hadn’t wanted to bring up his name, but I refused to lie. I felt the invisible force field being thrown up between us. Lukas’s name brought fresh, painful memories into his dark blue eyes. Anger lurked there.
He pushed the darkness from his eyes. It was impressive, his control. If only I could wield that
type of restraint over my emotions. “What happened?” he finally asked.
I shrugged. “It wasn’t like the last time. She didn’t threaten me or try to hurt me. Actually…she claims that she is my…” I counted in my head, “great-great-great-great grandma.”
Gavin cracked his neck. “Interesting. Is that all she said?”
I narrowed my violet eyes. “Is that all? Why are you not surprised by that?” Where was the same outrage I’d felt when she told me?
He twisted on the bed toward to me. “I always knew there was something…special about you.”
The word different had been at the tip of his tongue; he knew how much I hated that word. “So you believe her? You think she was telling the truth?”
“I think what she is claiming is a very real possibility. It makes sense, but I don’t trust her worth a damn. And neither should you.”
“If I am her granddaughter, what does that mean for me?” I asked.
His dark worried expression wasn’t helping. “I’m not sure, but for her to seek you out, it must be important. And the necklace isn’t keeping her away?” he asked, again reaching out, touching the cool stones at my neck.
“No,” I admitted, sounding a little defeated. “They don’t seem to stop her. She bypasses their protection. She’s too strong.”
Staring straight ahead, his jaw worked. “All the more reason to be careful. You might need to learn how to block the dreams on your own.”
“I miss you,” I blurted, unable to keep what I was feeling inside.
He let a heavy sigh, rubbing his hands over his face, a face that was etched in my mind. “This doesn’t change things, Bri. I’m still dealing with everything.”
And just like that, my world tilted over the edge again. How could he keep doing this to me? “How long do you plan on ignoring me, punishing me?”
“I’m not punishing you. I just need space. I need to think some stuff through.”
I was probably pushing my luck, but the words just tumbled out of my mouth. “Are you about done?”
