Deceitful Circle (Silent Circle Book 2)

by Cassandra Larsen

  “I don’t think he was aiming for me,” I prevaricate, trying to diffuse the situation. “But Arianna was really pissed about it and called up a pretty impressive thunderstorm.”

  “Did she hurt him?” He doesn’t seem too broken up at the idea.

  “Almost,” I answer truthfully. “A tree branch broke and was about to smash into him. I was able to deflect it, then I tackled her to get her to stop before she did anything else. After that, I went downstairs to make sure everyone was okay, and told Sebastian that it was over. I told him I was with you now, and it never would have worked out between him and me.”

  Caiden turns fully towards me, studying my face intently. “And what did he say?”

  “I don’t know. I shut the door and they drove away.”

  He reaches out and tips my chin up to look me in the eyes. His thumb begins gently stroking over my cheek, back down to my chin, lightly brushing over my bottom lip.

  As I stare into his emerald gaze, I can’t help wondering what his mouth would feel like on mine. Warm and soft... I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from closing the distance between us. His eyes follow the movement, and he meets my gaze with a hooded look of his own. After an eternity, he pulls back and restarts the car.

  We’re both quiet as he drives me back home. He pulls up to my house and turns to me. “Call me if you have any questions. About what Caroline said. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

  “Actually, would you be able to give me a lift tomorrow? My car is in the shop.” My mouth twists in annoyance. “That friggin’ asshole in Ashwood dented the entire front fender,” I seethe, remembering the werewolf who chased us out of town.

  Caiden’s serious expression fades, humor replacing it. “Huh. Well Em, you can always go back and demand that he fix it. I mean, he’s only a werewolf and all. I’m sure you’ll be able to scare him into paying up.”

  “It’s not funny,” I grumble. “He ruined my car, and I barely had it for a week!”

  His face straightens a bit, but his eyes still dance with amusement. “You’re right. We should go back and tell him. I’m sure you can take him on. No contest.”

  “Oh, shut up. You’re not helping.” He has the strangest sense of humor. “Can you drive me or not?”

  “Sure, I’ll pick you up. See you tomorrow.” His lips twitch, still trying to hold back a laugh.

  I glare at him and shut the car door a little harder than necessary.

  Once I’m in my room, I lay on my bed, trying to sort through everything Caroline said tonight. It would be so much easier to go through with the ritual, just dump this whole mess into Caroline’s hands and let her deal with it. But this isn’t her mess to clean up. It’s mine. I’m the one they’ve been hunting all these years. I’m the one whose mother was killed by them. And I’m the one who exposed us all to them when I drove out to Ashwood Creek looking for answers. So I should be the one to take care of this.

  But am I in over my head? How can I possibly take on a pack of friggin’ werewolves by myself? Maybe agreeing to the blood bond is the best thing for everyone.

  But give up a part of my powers? The selfish part of me rebels at the thought of handing over even the tiniest portion. It’s mine. What gives Caroline the right to take my abilities?

  The doorbell rings, and I sit up, wondering who it could be at this time of night. I walk down the stairs slowly, praying it’s not Sebastian again.

  I open the door and step back in surprise as Arianna breezes in.

  “Hey, I just got a call from Caiden that you were home.” She’s carrying a book bag over one shoulder as she continues on into the living room, sitting down, making herself at home.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “What do you mean? I told you I’d be here for guard duty.”

  “Well, yeah, but I didn’t think you’d show. Not after earlier...” My face gets hot. “I figured Ethan wouldn’t want you anywhere near me.”

  She looks away, her expression almost guilty. “He’s calmed down. He knows it was my fault. It’s not like you actually hurt me or anything.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal. “So, what are we doing tonight? Wanna practice on your telekinesis?” She asks, grinning.

  My mouth drops open and I take a quick step backward, holding up my hands to ward her off. “Oh no, I think we should take a break on that one for a while...”

  She laughs. “Fine, we’ll wait a day or two. So how was it at Caroline’s?”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “Lydia, of course. So what did she say about the prophecy?”

  “What, is Lydia keeping tabs on me or something?” I don’t like Lydia knowing where I am all the time.

  “Not on you, per se...” She says with a small smile. “But tell me what Caroline said about the prophecy.”

  “Umm,” I stall for time. I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say. “You should ask Caiden about it. I didn’t really understand much of what she said anyway...”

  “Awww, come one! Just tell me if there really is a war starting? Is that pack really coming after you?”

  “Oh yeah, they’re coming.” I stare down at the floor in thought. “Caroline has a plan to deal with them, but, like I said, I didn’t really understand much of it. Caiden can explain it better than I can.”

  “Fine, hold out on me. I’ll get it out of Caiden. Speaking of which, you guys are going to homecoming, right? I can’t believe it’s this week already!”

  My chest pinches; I was supposed to be going with Sebastian. But that’s all over now. It’s time to move on. “I don’t know. We didn’t talk about it. It’s probably not Caiden’s sort of thing...”

  “You guys have to go! I’ll get Ethan to convince him. We can double date!” She claps her hands excitedly.

  “How long have you and Ethan been together?”

  “About four years. Ever since we joined the coven.”

  I smile wistfully. I wonder what it would be like to be with someone that long. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes how much they care about each other.

  My thoughts drift back to Caiden and I shake my head in frustration. Sometimes it seems like he’s interested in me, but then he goes back to acting like I’m just some unpleasant job he’s been saddled with. I don’t understand him at all.

  “Why don’t you show me some more of that glamour stuff?” I say brusquely, distracting myself from my thoughts.

  She claps her hands excitedly, grinning. “This is gonna be so much fun!”

  We stay up practicing until the early hours of the morning. By the time we finally pass out, I’ve managed not only to change my hair, but I’ve also been able to alter different parts of my face, like my nose and the shape of my eyes and mouth. I still can’t manage to change my height or body shape, but according to Arianna, I’m doing really well.

  * * *

  Arianna leaves the next morning to get ready at her own house and Caiden picks me up an hour later. I wear a short black skirt and tight green sweater with my favorite black thigh high boots, spending extra time on straightening my dark hair. We drive to school mostly in silence.

  “Have you given any thought to what Caroline said?” He asks after a while.

  “Truthfully, no. I need a break. All of this is just... too much. Blood bonds? Sharing powers? A war with werewolves? It’s a lot to take in. I need some time to process it all.”

  He nods his head and continues staring straight ahead. “Fair enough. But don’t take too much time. We don’t know when they’ll attack.”

  When we pull into the parking lot, I see Olivia a few cars away, scrutinizing us. I can see by the look she gives us that she still thinks Caiden and I are lying.

  “Showtime,” I say, getting out of the car and taking Caiden’s hand.

  He looks at our hands in surprise, and I realize that it’s the first time I’ve made a move to purposefully touch him. When we pretended to date at the festival, he made all the moves and I just grudgingly went a
long with it. He gives me a crooked smile and we continue on into school. I don’t look back to see Olivia’s expression.

  Caiden is a great actor. He lingers by my locker, leaning in close, teasing me about my outfit.

  “You must be freezing,” he smiles, looking me up and down. “You know it’s October, right? It must be 40 degrees today.”

  “Are you saying you don’t like my skirt?” I arch one eyebrow at him coquettishly.

  His grin widens as he looks down at my legs again. “I love your skirt. But you look great in those skinny jeans you wear too, and you wouldn’t be risking frostbite then.”

  I giggle at his provocative smile, surprising myself. “Come on.” I walk away, swinging my hips a little more than usual before turning to look back over my shoulder. “We’re going to be late for homeroom.”

  His gaze snaps back up to my face, and he grins, eyes twinkling. “You go ahead, I’ll just follow along back here.”

  I turn and swat him playfully on the chest before grabbing his arm and dragging him down the hall. The people around us looked shocked. I don’t think any of them knew Caiden had a flirty side. Hell, I didn’t even know.

  We continue the routine throughout the day. I find myself really enjoying the teasing and bantering. I can hardly wait for each class to end so I can see him again. He meets me after all my classes, walking me to my next one, his arm around my shoulders or waist, holding me close to his side. I don’t know how he even knows where all my classes are, but he does.

  Every time he wraps his arm around me, I want to snuggle in closer. I feel almost like I did when he put that lust spell on me last week, but this time my head stays clear. It’s a little unnerving.

  At lunch, I sit at Caiden’s table with Arianna, Ethan, and Lydia. Glancing up, I notice Olivia staring at us from the other side of the room.

  *Since when does she hang out with Lydia? I wonder if they’re all involved...*

  I jump like I’ve been stung.

  “What is it?” Caiden glances over to see what I’m staring at, and stiffens.

  His face hardens, eyes narrowing slightly. Confused, I look back at Olivia to see what has him so upset, and see Sebastian next to her, his eyes fixed on me with an odd expression.

  It’s not anger, like I’d expect. More like he’s, I don’t know, sad maybe? I turn back to Caiden, who’s looking out the windows now, his face blank. I can feel him pulling away from me, even though his hand doesn’t move from my hip.

  Does he think I was staring at Sebastian? I nudge him to get his attention.

  “Olivia’s been staring at us all lunch period.” I lean closer to whisper in his ear, not wanting the others to overhear. “She still thinks there’s something going on. I heard her just now. You know, in my head. She’s wondering if Arianna and Lydia are part of it.”

  He meets my eyes then, his own still cool. “She’s not the only one staring over here.” He sounds almost angry. But even if I was staring at Sebastian, why would that bother him?

  I shrug my shoulders. “Sebastian can look all he wants. I told you, we’re over. That’s not going to change.”

  As I say this, I know I mean it. I meet his scrutinizing gaze with a steady one of my own.

  He studies me and I feel something brush against my mind. Is he reading my emotions right now? Trying to decide if I’m telling the truth?

  Whatever he finds, it makes the ice in his eyes melts just a little. “Does he know that?”

  A slow smile spreads on my face as I get an idea. Gathering my courage, I take the plunge and do what I’ve been daydreaming about for longer than I care to admit.

  Instead of answering his question, I lean in and close the small distance between us. I brush my lips against his, hesitant at first, waiting to see if he’ll push me away or not. After a moment, he responds, increasing the pressure, his hand coming up to cup the back of my head as he deepens the kiss.

  He tastes amazing. His lips are as soft as I’ve imagined, moving against mine with increasing intensity. My head is swimming, drowning in sensation. My whole body lights up, my pulse racing into overdrive. I reach out and run my hand against his chest, up to his shoulder and around the back of his neck, threading my fingers through his soft hair.

  I forget about the people around us, that we’re in a crowded lunch room at school, I forget about everything but the feel of his mouth on mine, his taste, the way his strong chest feels pressed up against me. The kiss goes on and on. I lean even further into him, trying to get closer.

  Caiden breaks the kiss first, looking as stunned as I feel. I stare up into his emerald eyes, trying to catch my breath. I feel dizzy, light-headed. My whole body is electrified. My chest is still pressed up against his, my hand clutching his hair.

  Caiden smiles down at me, slowly at first, then spreading over his entire face, his eyes crinkling in the corners. I hear a long whistle from a few tables away and immediately come back to my senses. My cheeks burn up and I drop my arms, backing away a little, looking down at my lunch tray.

  Oh my God. I just kissed Caiden. And he kissed me back... I peek up at him. He’s still grinning at me. He reaches out and runs his thumb lightly along my bottom lip, making my entire body tingle.

  “By the way,” he says nonchalantly, still grinning, “Will you go to homecoming with me?”

  I feel an answering smile spread over my face. “I’d love to.”

  He winks and turns his attention back to his lunch.

  I stare down at mine, trying to figure out what just happened. What was that wink about? Did he only kiss me for the benefit of everyone watching? Just keeping up the act? Or was it something more? I don’t know, and there’s no way I can ask him here, with everyone around.

  His arm comes up around me and he gives my shoulder a little squeeze. I duck my head, trying to hide my blazing cheeks. I feel elated, giddy. At least until I look up and see Sebastian’s expression.

  He looks like he’s just been gutted, face pale, his eyes locked onto mine. I abruptly feel awful.

  How could I have done that, knowing he was just across the room, watching? I’m no better than he is, making out with Kayla the other day to get me back. Granted, it’s not like I kissed Caiden to get revenge on Sebastian. Hell, I wasn’t thinking about anything except what Caiden’s mouth would feel like, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve hurt Sebastian by my thoughtless actions.

  I peek up at Caiden, hoping he hasn’t picked up on my shame and self-disgust. I wouldn’t want him to think I regretted that kiss. I regret doing it where Sebastian could see, I regret the hurt he’s feeling because of it. But I don’t regret that I did it.

  Caiden meets my gaze, his eyes still shining. I sigh in relief and snuggle a little closer, hoping his warmth will seep into me and replace the cold feeling of guilt in my chest.

  Chapter 15

  The rest of the day passes in a blur. I refuse to think about Sebastian, instead focusing on the excitement I feel being so close to Caiden. I float through the rest of the day, my stomach doing somersaults every time I walk through the halls with him.

  He doesn’t kiss me again, but he continues flirting with me, touching me at every opportunity. I find myself smiling in the middle of eighth period for no reason at all. The girl sitting next to me gives me a strange look, but I can’t help myself. I sit anxiously through the rest of class, grinning like a lunatic.

  When the bell rings for the end of class, I practically skip out the door, eager to see Caiden again. But he’s not there. I look up and down the hall, but I don’t see him. At the end of every other class he’s been waiting right outside the door. He must have gotten held up this period. I walk to my locker, wondering what could have kept him.

  I’m spinning my combination when I feel someone walk up and begin opening the locker next to mine. I glance up curiously. I far as I know, the locker to the right of mine hasn’t been used all year.

  The guy standing in front of it is massive, bigger even th
an Sebastian, with short black hair and silvery-gray eyes. When he turns to face me, I freeze.

  “I-I…” I stutter. I know him. He was at the festival Saturday. He was watching us after Arianna flipped out. I’m just being paranoid. There’s no way...

  “Hey there, beautiful. How’s it going?” Half his mouth quirks up in a smile. His voice is deep and rumbly, with just a hint of an accent. I continue to stare at him, speechless. He cocks an eyebrow at me, waiting for me to respond, his hands dropping from his locker. When I stay silent, he smiles even wider. “I’m Grayson.”

  I just keep staring at him like an idiot. We don’t get new students very often. How haven’t I heard about him? Usually the school is buzzing for weeks before someone new actually starts. Sarah’s mom works in school administration. She always gets the firsthand scoop on any new student, spreading it around school before the new family can even unpack. I should have heard something about this before now.

  He takes a step closer to me, still grinning. “I know how devastatingly gorgeous I am, but if you keep staring at me like that, you’re gonna make me blush.”

  I jump as someone grabs me from behind, pulling me back against a hard chest.

  Caiden. I breathe a sigh of relief. “Uh, I gotta go.” I turn, grabbing Caiden’s hand and hurrying away down the hall.

  “Catch you later then, Moya Luna,” Grayson calls after me.

  I ignore him and pull Caiden into the first empty classroom I find.

  “What’s the matter, Em?” He asks sharply, all his earlier flirtation gone. “What did he say to you?”

  I take a deep breath to calm myself, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily.

  “It’s nothing. I’m probably overreacting. But if I’m not, we might have a problem. Have you heard anything about a new student?”

  Caiden looks at me strangely. “What does it matter if there’s a new guy in school? What has you so worked up?”

  “Well, it’s pretty big news, right? It’s not as if we live in a huge town. Anytime someone new moves in, everyone knows about it. I mean, I didn’t even know there were any houses for sale around here, did you?”