Sinner (Starlight Book 3)

by D. N. Hoxa

  “Tell me, is it possible to…appear in one place but…be in another?” I asked, shaking my head because I didn’t know how to explain it. I hadn’t seen Samayan in the Cathedral with my own eyes, but I had heard his voice.

  “I don’t understand,” Arturo said, narrowing his brows.

  “Say that you’re here, but you can, with sheer will, appear in another place, far away from here. You’re physically here but…like a hologram, you appear there, too. Does it make sense to you?”

  “In the fifth dimension?” Arturo asked.

  “No, in our dimension.”

  But he shook his head. “No, I don’t think that is possible. Even the Binding Ceremony does not give you that much power. Something like that would require the person to have access to their power even outside their own body.”

  “What are you thinking?” Aaron asked me all of a sudden. I jumped to my feet because I couldn’t tell him. Unfortunately, my theory was proving to be true.

  “Bella, are you okay?” Arturo said next, and he stood up, too.

  “Yeah…” I whispered, but he stepped in front of me and took my face in his hands.

  “Are you sure?” The worry in his eyes and in his narrowed brows made me feel bad for him all over again.

  “I’m fine, Arturo. And I really am sorry that you have to tell everyone at the SKO about the Ceremony.”

  When I sat down again and saw Aaron’s face, I almost peed my pants. That dark look had taken over his features again, and he looked more like the Aaron in my dream than ever before. I was no longer burning with curiosity to know why. He was a demon, I knew that now. So I just raised my brows at him in confusion.

  “Anything for you, bella,” Arturo whispered, and before he took his seat again, too, he planted a kiss on my hair.

  I could argue and tell him that he wasn’t doing this for me—he was doing it for all of us. But I didn’t want to spend unnecessary energy when I knew how stubborn Arturo was.

  Aaron coughed like he were suddenly suffocating. Arturo didn’t mind, though. He just took his seat again and smiled widely at me.

  I needed to say something and fast.

  “Okay, so…um, while we’re gone to look for proof, you’ll supervise the training, and make sure everyone is still…doing it.” Ugh. What the hell was wrong with me? I straightened my shoulders and tried again. “We will leave tonight and be back as soon as we can.”

  As soon as the words left my mouth, someone knocked on the door, and Ella’s head poked inside.

  “Sorry, Arturo, but your students are fighting. Like for real, and they aren’t stopping,” she said, and Arturo jumped to his feet immediately. Ella waved at me and winked, before she disappeared, too.

  Silence.

  The air was thick with tension though I didn’t even let myself think that there was something awkward between Aaron and me, because there wasn’t. Except the fact that he had undressed me, slept with me and kissed my head, caressed me, and most importantly, seen me in a very, very unstable state of mind. Plus, now we knew each other’s secrets…

  “So…” he said after a while, playing with the food on his plate.

  “So…” I repeated, but it sounded more like a sigh.

  “I’m a demon,” he stated, nodding.

  “And I don’t have a soul.”

  Another long second of silence, but I liked to think it wasn’t awkward anymore. We’d kind of broken the ice so to speak.

  “How’d you figure?” Aaron asked after a while.

  I turned to him. “How do you always know what I’m thinking?”

  He started laughing and shaking his head. God, I loved that sound. “Secrets, secrets, secrets…” He whispered.

  “You do remember that we…made a bet, don’t you?” I asked him, resting my chin on my palm with a sneaky smile on my face. He held my eyes but didn’t say anything. “And, if I remember correctly, and I do, whoever wins the bet gets to ask a question, to which the other party has to answer with complete honesty. You do remember that, right?”

  He bit his bottom lip in the sexiest way possible and the center of me started burning immediately. He looked down at his hands and sighed.

  “I do remember. So go ahead,” he said, and then leaned back in his chair and folded his arms in front of him.

  I bet him I’d find out what he was first, and I had. Ironically, I didn’t want to ask him anything now. I wanted him to tell me himself. To trust me enough to spill it all out.

  So I clamped my mouth shut and stood up.

  “Not yet, Aaron.” I headed for the door. “We leave at midnight sharp.”

  “Do you…know how he feels about you?” Aaron asked abruptly when I was a step away from the door. “The Nephil.” I barely held back a frown.

  “Oh, yeah. He told me, but I don’t think it’s anything serious,” I said with a smile, but Aaron didn’t return it.

  He just stood up and took a folder from his desk before he walked to me and handed it over. “Think again.”

  I took the folder and tried to decide whether saying something was even worth it at this point. I decided to just leave him be and go check out what he gave me, when someone knocked on the door again. Whoever it was didn't wait for an answer and the door opened.

  “Aaron!” a girl’s voice called, and the next second, I was pushed as she jumped in Aaron’s arms like she was his lover. She had her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips tightly. And Aaron looked like he’d just seen a ghost for a second, but then he wrapped his arms around her, too.

  Hair filled my vision. Extremely curly, bright auburn-colored hair.

  “Audrey…what…what are you doing here?” Aaron asked while she was in his arms. She was laughing a high-pitched sound like she couldn't have been happier to see him.

  My nails were making a bloody mess out of my palms, and I clenched my jaw to keep in control.

  “Oh, my God, Aaron, look at you! I’ve missed you so much,” she said when she finally let go and her feet touched the ground again. She was short but curvy. And when she grabbed his face and kissed his cheek, I burned with rage.

  “I’ve missed you, too, Audrey. What are you doing here?” Aaron asked, smiling now and analyzing every feature on her face with longing.

  When the girl finally noticed me standing there, she turned around. She had whiskey-colored eyes and small, orange freckles spread across her cheeks. Her dark red lips were a perfect addition to the smallest nose I’d ever seen. She was gorgeous. Words couldn't explain how much I hated her right away.

  “Hi!” she said and offered me her hand. “I’m Audrey.”

  I looked at her, then down at her hand, and then at Aaron. I raised my brow at him in question even though he didn't owe me any explanation. I couldn't help myself. I was mad with jealousy.

  “Star, this is Audrey. We, um…we grew up together,” Aaron said, and then all of a sudden, he grinned. Right at my face!

  “That’s right,” Audrey said, and she winked at Aaron, a huge grin of her own on her face. “We grew up together in every way!”

  I wanted to rip her apart, one limb at a time.

  “Audrey, this is Star,” Aaron said, and he only met my eyes for a second, “the Elemental.”

  “You’re the Elemental?” Her eyes scrolled down my body as she shamelessly analyzed me, and when she was done, she raised a brow and slightly shrugged, as if to tell me she was not impressed. “It’s nice to meet you,” she mumbled when she saw my face.

  “You, too.” We were both such liars.

  “How have you been, Audrey? It’s been so long…” Aaron said the next heartbeat, still smiling at her.

  I couldn't believe all the emotions that went through me that second, and I’d already had enough.

  I turned and left them alone.

  All the way to my room, even when I dropped on my bed to take a breather and closed my eyes, I kept seeing him looking at her like that, giving her that smile.

  The smile that
was supposed to be mine…

  Before I could start to break stuff, I called on the air around me. When that helped little, I went to the bathroom and washed my face with ice cold water, all the while reminding myself that I had no right to be mad at him for looking at her like that. He wasn't mine, and he was never going to be. She could have him if he wanted. And it was pretty clear that he did.

  “Shut up,” I hissed at my own mind. I didn’t need to think about things that hurt me. I had no damn time for it, anyway.

  When someone knocked on my door, I realized that I was crying. With a deep breath, I wiped those sneaky tears away, and I opened the door. Arturo’s smiling face was in front of me.

  “Hey,” he said, and I waved at him weakly. I went back inside my room to put the folder Aaron had given me inside my drawer before I went back to the training room. But Arturo walked in and closed the door behind him.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s get to the training room.” I headed for the door, but he put his hands on my shoulders before I made it.

  “Star, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I insisted. “Really, I’m fine.”

  He reluctantly let go of me but didn't step away from the door. “You don't smile like you used to anymore,” he whispered instead.

  I smiled sadly. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that, too.”

  “I miss your smile, bella,” he said and took a step closer to me. “I miss seeing you relaxed and peaceful.” He touched my chin with his fingers, then moved them up to my cheeks.

  “Maybe I’ll go back to that when this is over,” I said but I didn't move away. I let him caress my face with his fingertips.

  “I want to be the one who makes you smile,” he said.

  There was nothing I could think of to say to that. I couldn't tell him that he couldn't because I’d just promised myself that I’d try to forget Aaron. And pushing away everyone else was not the way to do it.

  Arturo was a good guy. He had more than proven himself already, but he caught me completely by surprise when he leaned in and abruptly kissed me.

  I gasped because I wasn't expecting it, but in a split second, his arms were around me and he was kissing me with so much passion that it reminded me of all the times we’d kissed back in Lyndor. But back then, it never felt wrong. Not like it did now. So I put my hands on his shoulders and pushed him away.

  “You make me happy, bella. I want to make you happy, too,” he said, catching me off guard again.

  “We have to go,” was all I was able to say, and I stepped around him to get to the door, feeling even more a stranger in my own skin than before.

  10

  Dad was waiting for me when I finished training to go to my room and prepare to leave. I turned around immediately because I couldn't face him yet. I had no idea what to say to him or how to explain…anything. I just needed to clear my head first.

  Ella was helping me pack my bag with a only few things. I had no idea how long I was going to stay in Texas, and it was only a two- or three-hour flight. I wanted to visit an old friend—or rather foe. Kyle had found his address immediately when I’d asked him a few hours ago, proving yet again just how valuable he was to us.

  Oh, and I saw him alone for the first time because Aaron couldn't seem to separate himself from Audrey, who didn't, for a second, take her hands off him. Go figure—she was now living in the Base, too, and she had wanted to surprise Aaron with the news. Because they really had grown up together in a village in North America until Audrey had had to leave for Europe, where she had lived for the past five years. She was now training, too. I hated to admit it, but she was really good with a katana. Better than many.

  I tried not to stare at how she bit her lip whenever he was telling her something or how she played with her hair like a spoiled little brat. Or how she batted her eyelashes, laughed with excitement at everything he said, or touched his arms every few seconds. He kept throwing unreadable looks my way every now and then, but I didn't meet his eyes. It was still too much to handle.

  “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a vampire?” Ella asked curiously, bringing my thoughts back to my room.

  “Are you kidding me? Of course I have! They’re awesome!” I said, a little too excited, but I didn’t want her mood ruined, too.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Why?” She had never been interested in supernaturals before.

  “Just asking. I hung out with Jack earlier, and he told me all kinds of cool things,” Ella said.

  “They are pretty cool, but still, not being able to feel the sun on your skin is pretty horrible. Pair that with the craving for blood and you’ve got a deal breaker.”

  My bag was packed and a shiver ran down my spine at the thought that I was going to go on this trip with Aaron. It cost me so much to be close to him now that reality had shown its dirty teeth and threatened to bite me.

  “You’ll call me, right?” Ella said as she walked with me down the hallway.

  “I will. Kyle gave me this cool program so we can connect at any time.”

  “That guy’s so weird. I’d never have guessed he could be, you know, that smart,” Ella said, grinning.

  “Don't ever judge a book by its covers. Kyle’s a genius.”

  “You did that all the time! You always used to pick books because of their covers. Don’t think I don’t remember,” she said, shaking her finger at me, grinning.

  “I sure did.” It was a real flaw.

  “Be back soon, okay?” she said when we reached the door that led out.

  I shivered again. I didn't know where Aaron was, but I guessed I would meet him at the chopper. No need to see Audrey stuck by his side for a second longer.

  “Yeah. I’ll call you. I love you.” I hugged the hell out of her until she grunted in protest.

  “Love you, too. See you soon.”

  I walked in silence with my senses on and listened to whoever might be passing along the dark wood. No one.

  Soon, I felt Aaron’s energy. And he was with someone else, too. A shifter as well. A were-hyena. Those were really rare. There were only a few families of hyenas in the world. Probably the chopper pilot, although I was pretty sure that the last few times, the pilot had been a warlock.

  A minute later, blood started to pump in my ears. I heard her laugh before I saw her red hair that shone even in the darkness of the night. By the time I reached them, my heart was already racing in my rib cage. I wanted to kill her all over again. She had her arm wrapped around Aaron’s and was giggling at something he was saying. And she was the were-hyena.

  He looked up at me once he heard me approach and gave me a smile and a wave. I didn't bother.

  “Hello, Star,” Audrey greeted me, smiling a sneaky smile.

  “Hi,” I mumbled and went straight for the chopper. The pilot was still not there.

  Unfortunately, even though the chopper door made a terrible nose when I opened it, I heard her whisper to Aaron. “Is she always like this?” Fake surprise leaked from every word.

  I really tried to hold my tongue, to keep my feet from walking me back there to them, but I couldn't. Long ago, I’d promised myself that I’d never allow people to talk behind my back, if I could help it. This time, I definitely could.

  “Like what?” I called, raising a brow at her. She turned to face me, startled and surprised, because she didn’t think I’d ask. A moment later, she still hadn’t said anything. So I walked closer to her. “Like what?”

  I prayed to God, I begged for her to say one word. One word only and then I’d have the chance to rip her apart like I’d been wanting to ever since I saw her.

  “Star…” Aaron warned and got in between us. The way he looked at me said that he was concerned about her. Really fucking funny.

  “What? I just want to know what I’m always like. It’s a fair question,” I said, smiling my evil smile. The fear that had appeared in Audrey’s eyes was only fueling my anger.
/>
  “Just—” Aaron started to say, but she cut him off.

  “Serious and…cold,” Audrey said. “Are you always so serious and cold?”

  This time, I laughed. “You want to know why I’m always so serious and cold? You really can't guess?”

  My senses caught two other sups approaching. Arturo. And the warlock pilot. I hadn't told Arturo when I was leaving, but apparently he’d found out. I paid little attention to them.

  “There’s a war coming, and we’re not ready for it. How’s that for a reason?” I said and took another step closer to her, which then made Aaron step in front of me. What the hell was he doing?!

  “Yeah, I know, but you don't have to be so uptight all the time,” Audrey said, but when I looked at her face, now that Aaron had his back turned to her, she no longer looked afraid. No, she was grinning sneakily at me. I raised my brow at her.

  So it’s like that...

  I returned the smile gladly. “The Council will not wait for us to grow up, Audrey. My uptightness should make you happy because if we were all like you, we’ll be dead by the end of the year.”

  I’d lost it. I lost it and I hadn’t even realized it until she actually started to cry.

  Fuck. I had gone too far.

  Audrey didn't say anything but turned and headed back to the Base, from where Arturo and the driver were now coming.

  “What the hell has gotten into you?” Aaron hissed.

  He looked at me like he couldn't believe what I’d just done. But I wasn't going to say sorry, even though I regretted it. She’d pushed me! And that sneaky smile…so I just shrugged.

  The thing was that he went after her. He shook his head and started running after Audrey who had disappeared behind the trees. He went to her and left me alone staring at his back, terrified. My knees shook. I wanted to desperately run behind him and tell him that I was sorry, that I didn't mean those things and that I acted like a teenager because I was jealous of her. Because she was gorgeous and she could be with him.