by J. L. Weil
Once inside, we went to the lounging area just to the right of the entrance, instead of his bedroom. A smart idea. I couldn’t promise that behind closed doors I wouldn’t attack him with my mouth. Lordy Lord, my body was still vibrating from his touch.
Back to reality.
The octagonal room had floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the front porch. I sat on the other end of the couch, just in case my fingers decided to wander. “Okay. Tell me what you found out. The suspense has been killing me all day,” I said as soon as his fantastic butt hit the cushions. Patience wasn’t on my list of virtues today.
All the mischief had vanished from his eyes. “I did some inquiring, and there hasn’t been a record of a clàr silte in decades.”
I tensed up.
Clàr silte—a witch who strips other witches of their powers, sucking them dry and absorbing their powers into his- or herself. There was just one little itty bitty catch…the cost was the witch’s soul. No biggie.
We hadn’t seen each other in days and our first real conversation was going to be about the one thing I’d been dodging. “Great,” I replied sarcastically. “How does this help me?” Other than making me feel even more freakish and alone, I might add.
“Well, that is not all. There have been whispers of your powers in the underground communities.” He looked unsettled by this development. “They haven’t put a name to the witch wielding enough power to strip all the downtown witches, but they do have a description.”
Unease crept down my spine. “Wait. What? There is an underground community of witches? Is that what you are telling me?”
Scratching his chin, he replied, “Yeah. But that is not the point.”
Umm. It was a big point to me. “How come you never told me about these witches? Are they part of some secret society?” I pictured a tunnel system underground filled with a bunch of homeless witches with scraggly hair and dirt on their cheeks.
I shivered.
He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and eyes gripping mine. “Bri, you are getting sidetracked. There are witches looking for you. Powerful and dangerous ones. And they know how to stay off the grid. They aren’t seen unless they want to be seen.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And how did you know where to go to get this information?” I was afraid to ask, but I had to. If these witches didn’t want to be found, how the heck had he known about them? What kind of trouble was he getting himself into because of me? I couldn’t allow it. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to him.
He gave me a sly grin. “I have my sources.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh. I just bet you do…or Jared does.”
His smirk lost some of its luster.
“Who told you this? I want to talk to them,” I demanded, suddenly growing lady balls.
He scoffed. “No way. It is out of the question, and don’t even think about it,” he said before I even opened my mouth to object. “I am not taking you with me next time.”
It was slightly unnerving that he could read me so well. “There is going to be a next time?” I asked, but I already knew the answer. Of course he was going to go back, because he cared about me, and it was in his nature to protect. In his head, he was protecting me.
Silence.
I folded my arms. “I’ll just take that as a yes. Why the hell not? It’s me you are inquiring about.” Or more like what my magic can do, but really that was just a technicality. “I should have a say,” I argued.
His jaw set like stone. “Not going to happen.”
“You are being impossible.”
One shoulder shrugged. “You are being reckless.”
I sunk back into the couch. We weren’t going to get anywhere at this rate. There was no point in continuing to disagree. So I activated the silent treatment, except it only last a few heartbeats.
Gavin inched closer, pressing his thigh to mine. I stared straight ahead, pretending that I weren’t suddenly overheating, or that I hadn’t felt that zap on my thigh through my jeans. “How are you dealing with everything?” he asked in a gentler tone.
Who was I kidding? I couldn’t stay annoyed, not when I saw the glint in his eyes. “I’m working through it,” I said. Thanks to him. “But you don’t need to worry about me.”
He ran the back of his knuckles down the side of my cheek, looking doubtful. “Too late.”
Using all of my self-control, I focused on what he was saying, which got shot to the moon when his lips kissed the hollow of my throat. “Gavin?” I pressed my face into his neck and inhaled deeply. Sinful. Woodsy. Yumminess. He always had this outdoorsy scent that I loved.
“It’s okay,” he said, his mouth grazing the underside of my jaw. “No one is home. Jared’s at class. My parents are at work. And who knows where Sophie is.” His lips went to work again.
My eyes fluttered shut, and I sighed. Good enough for me. I snuggled against him as he brought down his lips on mine. A shudder rolled through me. I couldn’t help myself, sinking into the kiss. It had been too long, and the touch of his lip ring cooled my inflamed lips. There was nothing sexier than sucking, biting, and playing with that hoop.
It felt downright naughty.
His hand slid down my arm to my waist, tugging me almost on his lap. Hooking a hand behind my leg, his hand inched higher and—
We were interrupted. Outside, a door slammed, followed by a giggle that sounded very familiar. His darkened eyes drifted to the window. Apparently he didn’t like what he saw. Rigid, he shot up off the couch, and I almost face planted on the cushions at the sudden loss of stability I had from his arms. Blowing the hair out of my eyes, I glanced up. He was staring out the window, watching Sophie get out of a very sleek white car owned by none other than Declan Harris.
Dec was a rich kid who was in need of an extreme attitude adjustment—in short, he was a douche. I was more than a little surprised to see Sophie with him. I pegged her for having more class than that. By the dark frown on Gavin’s face, I could tell he felt the same.
“Who was that?” he barked, grilling a smiling Sophie as she brushed past him through the front door.
“No one. Just a friend.” There was a dreamy quality to her voice, her blue eyes wistful.
Just a friend, my scrawny butt. I wasn’t buying it, but most importantly, Gavin was definitely not buying it. His brows slammed together as he stared down Dec the D-bag while he backed down the driveway. “I don’t like him,” Gavin announced.
Sophie twirled on her heels. “Then it is a good thing you’re not dating him,” she shot back.
I snickered, earning a fierce scowl from the overprotective brother.
Gavin folded his arms. “And neither will you.”
Sophie tipped her chin, and her blue eyes flashed. Magic vibrated in the air.
Uh-oh.
“You don’t have a say in who I decide to hang out with, let alone date.” Sophie’s eyes started to illuminate.
Here comes trouble.
Gavin straightened up, shoulders broad. “The hell I don’t.”
Thank God I never had any siblings.
I figured this was a good time to seek cover and get out of the way before I got caught in the crossfire. Gavin looked ready to go ape crazy on someone, and that someone looked like it was going to be Sophie.
Magic flew-- And by flew, I meant it was literally soaring through the air. Tendrils of white light sprang from Sophie’s fingertips only to be intercepted by ribbons of red from Gavin’s.
“You can’t control my life,” Sophie yelled.
“Well someone has to stop you from making dumb decisions,” Gavin retorted, cracking his neck.
More sparkling light.
Sophie clenched her fists in aggravation. “Argh. You are such a Neanderthal.” A wicked orangey-pink strand of energy flickered from Sophie’s closed hands, heading straight for Gavin. He sidestepped with a grin, and suddenly I was the target of that wicked spell.
I ducked. The materia
l sizzled behind me and was burned off like a wart. Holy crap. The smell of burnt fabric wafted in the air.
Sophie squeaked. “Oops. Sorry, Brianna.” She had a hand to her lips in shock.
The look in Gavin’s eyes intimated even me, and I wasn’t on the receiving end. “See, you are careless. You almost incinerated my girlfriend.”
Sophie sent me an apologetic look before marching up the stairs.
I ran a hand through my hair to make sure the ends weren’t fried to a crisp. “Wow. Remind me never to piss you off.”
He slumped against the nearest wall with troubled eyes. “I let my emotions get the best of me. Not my finest moment.”
I stood up and went to him, unable to help myself. Wrapping my arms around his neck, his arms tightened around me. “At least you don’t cause a thunderstorm every time you get mad.”
He chuckled. “I just don’t want her to get hurt.”
And that was why I loved him.
That night, as I lay in bed, I thought about family and the lengths we would go to protect those we love. I thought about my aunt, and all the lies and secrets I’ve had to keep during the last four months. I just seem to keep digging myself in deeper.
Sleep hasn’t been my friend lately. I fought it, while others craved it. I feared it as others embraced it. In my dreams, I lost control. And I should have known that Lukas wouldn’t be ignored forever. He was bound to make an appearance, and that night, he summoned me in his dreams. That night of all nights, when I was feeling conflicted, therefore leaving myself open to dream invasion.
No surprise.
I thought about rejecting the merger of dreams, but even as I thought about it, I wasn’t sure that I could. Lukas had more experienced in dreamscaping, and I figured that if he really wanted, he would find a way to force himself into the realm of sleep.
Strap on your witch’s hat, ‘cause it is going to be a whirlwind of a ride.
Chapter 4
No sooner had my droopy eyes fluttered shut did I feel myself being sucked down a dark tunnel, into a void of nothingness: a space of no definition, no walls, no physically solid anything. There were no lamps, no moonlight, yet I could see clear as day. Strange. But then again, dreams were whatever we wanted them to be. They don’t have to make sense, and, in most cases, they were a hodgepodge of thoughts.
It took me a few seconds to collect myself and get my bearings. Being pulled into a dream was not the same experience as summoning someone into yours. I prefer to do the summoning; it was less traumatic, and I liked choosing the destination, preferably a tropical one. This weird, empty space felt cold, emotionless, and sad.
Catching Lukas’s eyes, I stared at him. He was dressed in wrinkled jeans and a UNC T-shirt. He was also barefoot and had his hands shoved into his pockets. Even though I hadn’t seen him since the Christmas party, he looked exactly how I remembered. Sandy hair, sun-kissed skin, a lopsided grin, and twinkling emerald eyes that always looked like he just performed the world’s biggest prank.
I really wanted not to be affected by his presence or his dang smirk, but I was. There was a light about him that shined brightly, even in the darkness. That was a huge difference between Lukas and Gavin: if Gavin had been in this same room, I knew that he would have melted into he shadows, blending with darkness.
My heart knocked inside my chest. Slowly Lukas made his way over to me, his eyes imprisoning mine. “So are you going to tell me what I am doing here?” I asked.
“Miss me, Brianna?”
Damn his dimples. “No.” I wasn’t going to be done in by his cute smile and his boyish charm. Nope.
“Not even a little?” He walked in a circle around me.
I kept my expression blank even as my heart squeezed. Yeah, I had missed the doofus, but I sure I wasn’t going to admit it. My eyes followed his movements.
“Well, I see this is going to be a riveting conversation. I thought after a few weeks of not speaking, you might actually have something to say to me.” His voice came from behind me.
My glaze slid back to him as he rounded the other side of me. “Guess you thought wrong.”
Something flickered in his eyes. Impatience? Exasperation? Pain? I couldn’t decode. “Come on. Don’t be like this, Brianna.”
I tilted my head to the side and folded my arms. “What exactly am I being like? You led on my best friend, who is now sitting at home by her phone waiting for a call or a simple text. You got into a fight with my boyfriend at my best friend’s party. And you risked being seen doing magic. Do you want me to go on?”
His weight shifted to one foot. “Can you blame a guy for having a bad night? Plus, I thought you had already forgiven me for that. I know it was wrong for me to use your friend to try to make you jealous. I think we can both agree that plan backfired in my face.” He glanced down. “I can’t help how I feel about you.”
The reminder of his feelings was like a kick in the gut. “Lukas—” It was true that I had forgiven him and hearing him say he had feelings for me just opened me up to emotions I didn’t want to feel.
“Save me the sympathy speech, okay? I don’t want it. Look, I get it. You don’t l-o-v-e me, and you are dating the dark jerk. I’m coming to terms with it… but I miss doing magic with you.”
I missed that, too. I did miss him.
Damn.
Last time we had talked, he had been filled with agony and hurt and had then hung up on me. I didn’t want to continue hurting people I cared about—and that included Lukas. Would our being just friends hurt Lukas more in the end? Would seeing me with Gavin drive a wedge between us? Maybe it would be best if I put an end to it now. But I couldn’t let him go.
I sighed. “Fine. Maybe I missed you a little.”
He flashed me a wry smile. “That’s because I am irresistible.”
I repressed the urge to punch his arm. “Says who?”
He stepped closer. “Give me ten minutes.”
I couldn’t stop the grin from teasing my lips, or the spike in my blood pressure. “Only ten?” I baited. “I think you overestimate your magnetism.”
“We’ll see,” he said, and bumped me lightly with his shoulder. “What have you learned?”
You don’t want to know.
I bit my lip just as the words were about to tumble from my mouth. No one knew that I was a clàr silte except for Gavin. I promised, for my safety, that I would tell no one, but Lukas wasn’t just anyone. He had been instrumental in my learning to control my dreams. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him what had happened with Gavin, how I sucked the magic right from him without knowing what I was doing. But a promise was a promise, and I didn’t want to do anything to break Gavin’s trust ever again.
It had been bad enough when he found out that I was sharing dreams with Lukas.
But that meant that I had to lie to Lukas, something I’d never really done. In my defense, though, I also hadn’t known he was real either. I continued to chew on my lip. If I didn’t make a decision soon, I was going to be missing a chunk of my lip. There was a part of me that wanted to share this burden with someone who also shared some of my so-called gifts.
Indecision overwhelmed me. I wanted to do what was right, not just for me, but for Gavin and Lukas, too. A stronger piece of me held back. So I just shook my head. “Nothing new. I’ve been slacking.” The lie was like sandpaper in my throat.
And I was pretty sure he didn’t believe me. His eyes narrowed. “I thought your boyfriend would have jumped at the chance to take my place as your instructor.”
It was no secret that those two didn’t like each other. “Is this why you brought me here, to talk about Gavin?”
“What do you think?” he muttered.
I thought it was time to move onto safer topics, like our drab setting, before he tried to press me. I didn’t trust myself not to cave and spill my guts or something worse... I stepped back. “Is this the best you can dream up?” I asked, looking up at… nothing.
He snor
ted, feigning outrage. “Have I taught you nothing?”
I blinked.
And during that nanosecond of blindness, Lukas moved. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, he was so close. Reaching out, he tucked a strand of auburn hair behind my ear. “Let’s make magic.”
Gulping, I got the impression that there was a double meaning behind his words, not to mention the one behind the spark that flashed in his eyes at my nearness. I was rooted in place, captured by the intensity of his dark green eyes.
He snapped his fingers, grinning like a loon. All around me, tiny pricks of starlight appeared, showering us from head to toe. Light spilled from the stars like liquid silver. A string of magic flew, bobbing and spinning into the star-strewn sky. The hiss of power sang with the ringing of stars. It was breathtaking.
Holy moly. Okay. So maybe Lukas knew how to dazzle dreams.
“It’s mesmerizing,” I said, struck in amazement.
“So are you,” he murmured.
I scrunched my nose.
“Too cheesy?” he asked.
I pinched my thumb and index finger together leaving just an inch of space before they touched. “Just a tad.”
He laughed. The sound was a burst of sunshine. It was refreshing. “Are we going to be able to see each other outside of our dreams?”
“As friends,” I said, because I didn’t want there to be any confusion about our relationship. Not to mention that inside, I was mixed up about what I was feeling, but I needed to make sure that Lukas understood. It was the only way I could ensure none of us got hurt, except maybe me.
One side of his lip tipped. “For now.”
I wanted to argue, but I knew it would do no good. Lukas had it set in his thick head that he could sway my affections. And honestly, I wasn’t even sure that he couldn’t. That frightened me. “You just don’t give up,” I mumbled.
