The Wanderers Beginning: The Wanderers, Reborn, & Unforgiven

by Jessica Miller

  “Okay, while I’m glad you’re happy. I need a shower.”

  “Want some company? I could wash your back for you?” he smiled cockily.

  I pushed him away. “You need to go.” I laughed and headed into the bathroom. I took a quick shower knowing Riley would be here soon. When I got out of the bathroom Roman was lying on my bed. “What are you still doing here?”

  “I thought we’d hang out tonight?”

  “Sorry, girl bonding with Riley.”

  “You don’t look like the girl bonding type,” he smirked.

  “Clearly you don’t know me very well,” I smiled back.

  He got up off the bed and put his hands on the doorway of the bathroom blocking my path. “I like this look on you. You should wear a towel more often.” I rolled my eyes and pushed him back, but he pulled me closer, placing a gentle hand on my cheek, and staring softly into my eyes. I tilted my head back and let him kiss me.

  He ran his hand down my shoulder and across my chest, tugging at my towel. I gave him a light punch to the stomach. “Now you really have to go,” I said, making him laugh.

  There was a knock on the door. “Ella?”

  “Crap, you have to go,” I said to Roman.

  “What am I going to do? Jump out the window?” I raised my brow. “I was kidding. Look, what’s the big deal? I’ll just say I stopped by about a project or something.” That sounded plausible so I nodded in agreement and told him I would wait in the bathroom until he left. He rolled his eyes and walked out saying hi to Riley and nothing else – so much for our cover story.

  Riley walked into the room. “Ella? Are you in here?”

  I stepped out of the bathroom. “Yeah, I was just getting out of the shower, sorry.”

  “Did you know Roman was in here?”

  “Yeah, he had to drop something off for a project we’re working on.” She just made a face and I made it seem like it was nothing. After I changed, Riley surprised me with a couple slices of pizza. “Where did you get this?” I asked, stuffing my face.

  “Justin snuck into the kitchen and got it for me.”

  “In human form or wolf form?” I asked worried, because if he did it in wolf form then how the hell did he carry these besides his mouth? Gross, I shuddered.

  “Human form, geez Ella,” she said rolling her eyes and I just laughed.

  “How are things with you two?”

  “Pretty good,” she said, taking a piece of pizza for herself. “He asked me to the dance.”

  “That’s great Riley. I hoped he would since you guys are going out.”

  “It’s a given, but still nice to be asked boyfriend or not.”

  “True.” I could tell by the shift in her position there was something else. Something she wanted to talk about, but was unsure how to approach it. “Riley, is there something you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked. She looked down at her over chipped nail polish. “You know you can talk to me about it. Whatever it is.”

  She picked at the blanket. “I’m scared I might lose Justin,” she admitted.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we’ve been dating for a bit now and well, we have kissed,” she stopped to blush. “I’m worried about the rest of the stuff. I like Justin a lot, but I’m not ready and I’m scared he might get tired of me if I don’t, you know, put out,” she said, whispering the last two words as if it was unheard of to speak them out loud.

  I had to hide my smile. Even though Riley and I were the same age, it’s safe to say Riley’s upbringing was a little more conservative than mine. “Riley, first off, you never need to be embarrassed about talking about sex, especially with me.” She blushed indicating she was. “And second, never let a guy push you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. And if he has a problem with it than he’s not worth your time.”

  “I know. I mean I want to do these things, but it’s too soon.”

  “Riley, when you’re ready you’ll know and as far as Justin goes, I may not know much about him, but from what I do know, he’s one of the good guys. I can tell he’s crazy about you. And I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t jeopardize your relationship by being a douche.”

  “Yeah, but he dated Addyson. How can I compete with that?” she said, not convinced this relationship was solid enough to survive the lack of nookie.

  “Okay one, Addyson is no competition. Rumor is most guys only date her because she puts out.” Riley gave me a look saying I wasn’t helping. “I know Justin’s not that type of guy. Regardless of who he dated before you, that’s irrelevant. He’s with you now and he’s with you for a reason. Have you talked to him about this?” She shook her head no. “Riley, you need to tell him how you feel. I know you’re afraid you’ll lose him, but if you don’t talk to him you might end up doing something you’ll regret.”

  “I know. You’re right. It’s just hard.”

  “Riley, I don’t think you have to worry about Justin. I have a feeling he’s not going anywhere.”

  “Thanks Ella, you really helped me.”

  “No problem, that’s what I’m here for,” I smiled.

  “Are…you…going to the dance?” she asked carefully, changing the subject. “I’m only asking because at dinner the other day you didn’t seem so sure.”

  “Yes. I’m going with Roman.”

  “Don’t you and Roman hate each other though?” she asked, confused at my choice of date.

  “Yes. No. It’s complicated,” I said, not ready to give up any more information. “Let’s talk about you for once. I’m tired of talking about me all the time.”

  “I know right? Geez, you act like you have some complicated life or something?” Riley said, trying to keep a straight face, but when I looked at her she fell into a fit of giggles.

  “Funny,” I said, smacking her.

  “Careful, we’re not all buffed up warriors like you,” she giggled again.

  “Shut up,”

  “I’m going to start calling you Buffy.”

  “I’m a vampire not a vampire slayer.”

  “I’m still going to call you Buffy.”

  “Okay, enough with me. Do you know what you’re going to wear to the dance?”

  “Sienna said I could borrow something of hers, but I’ll admit I’m scared to see what she has.”

  “I can help you out if you want? Since we can’t leave campus maybe we can order something online.”

  “No Ella. You guys already did enough for me. I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

  “You don’t have to ask and I insist,” I said, waving her off and pulling out my laptop. As we searched for the perfect dress for Riley, we talked more about her and Justin and the dance. Once she was finally comfortable with her relationship status, I caught her up on all things me. I told her what Mackenzie did and our plan to take her down. I even told her about my nightmares and how I thought I was hearing and seeing my dead friends. I knew Riley was one of the few people I could trust with my secrets. I even told her all about Tristan and confessed that I think I’m starting to have feelings for Roman.

  “Ella, I wish you would have told me this. No wonder you’re so tense all the time. It’s not good to keep things like this in. You should have been able to talk to someone about this.”

  “That used to be Josie. And with everything that happened I didn’t feel like I could trust anyone.”

  “I totally don’t blame you. I would have been the same way. Honestly I think you’re very brave to have gone through what you did. I don’t think I could have handled it. I think I would be a wreck still.”

  “I was. Trust me.”

  “Well, you have me now and you can definitely trust me. I promise I’m not evil.”

  I laughed. “I have to agree you’re definitely not evil. I have yet to meet an evil being who doesn’t swear.” She pouted. I bumped her with my shoulder and she started to laugh.

  “So, does Roman know you have feelings for him?”

  “No, and as far as ever
yone else is concerned this little thing between us is just between us and now you of course.”

  “Don’t worry. My lips are sealed,” she said, pretending to lock her lips with an imaginary lock.

  “How about this dress?” I asked, pointing to a knee length yellow one. It was a one shoulder strap with diamonds around the waist and a lighter color skirt.

  “I like that,” she said with a wide smile.

  “That one it is. One dress with express shipping and it should be here by Tuesday.”

  “Thank you Ella. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

  “It’s no problem.”

  We spent the rest of the night gossiping and by one am we were both ready to pass out. I said goodnight to her and crawled into bed. Within the hour I felt someone slide into the bed next to me and wrap their arms around me. I knew who it was. I felt that spark as soon as he touched me. “Roman, what are you doing?” I asked groggily.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” he said.

  “And you thought you could sneak in here and what?”

  “Well, I was just planning on sleeping, but if you have something else in mind?” I didn’t have to see his face to know he was smiling. I elbowed him. “Hey,” he laughed. “Just go back to sleep. I promise I’ll be good. I just needed to be with you.” I didn’t argue with him. When he was here I felt safe and I didn’t dream.

  In the morning when I woke up, I was face to face with Roman. I smiled as I watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful and happy. I gently pushed the hair off his face and he stirred slightly. His hand shifted from my lower back down to my behind and I saw his lips twitch. “I thought you were asleep,” I whispered.

  “I am,” he said, pulling me closer and squeezing my backside.

  “So you violate people in your sleep?”

  He chuckled. “I can’t help it. All that working out you’ve been doing…man your butt is…” I pushed him away and smacked him. “What, that was a compliment?”

  “I thought you said you were going to be good?”

  “That was last night. It’s morning now.”

  “Oh, I see,” I said smiling.

  “Come here,” he said, pulling me close again. I pressed my forehead to his and placed my hands on his chest while he wrapped his arms around me tight. “I think I might have to move in here. That was the second best night of sleep I’ve ever had.”

  “The second?”

  “The first was the first night I spent with you.”

  “You’re good,” I said, kissing his lips.

  “You should be careful. A guy could get use to this.”

  “So could a girl,” I said, sliding my hands around his neck and pulling him closer for a kiss.

  “Do you have to be anywhere this morning?”

  “Nope, I’m all yours.”

  We spent the next few hours in bed and not all those hours were spent sleeping. The best thing I loved about Roman was that we could kiss for hours and that was good enough. He never tried to make a move or push me to do anything else. The only breaks we took were when we needed to catch our breaths. We did manage to pull apart and get out of bed, but I believe that was because my stomach was growling so loud Roman couldn’t take it anymore. He claimed it was distracting, saying, far be it from him to deprive me of food.

  Roman snuck back into my room later that night and it was just like this morning all over again. When things started to get a little hot and heavy we stopped. And when I say hot, I really mean hot. He would heat up and burn me with his hands. He said it was my fault he kept overheating. I took it as a compliment and thought about keeping a bucket of ice next to my bed. I eventually fell asleep in his arms and then we continued where we left off in the morning until we had to get ready for class.

  Roman winked at me and gave me a sly smile when he took a seat in the back of our history class. I knew he was watching me the whole class which was very distracting. In spells and casting, when no one was looking, he slipped his hand under the desk and held mine, making me ache for more of his touch. “Ella, are we still on for tomorrow?” I quickly pulled my hand away and caught the slightest bit of a smile on Ms. Kraft’s face.

  “Yes Ms. Kraft. I’m looking forward to it,” I replied.

  “Great,” she smiled brightly. “I have lots of stuff for us to go over. Just stop by my desk at the end of class.” I nodded and she proceeded to walk the classroom. Roman gave me a look of concern, but I shook my head letting him know it was nothing.

  After class, Ms. Kraft handed me a pile of papers and books. “Here are some of things I want you to look over for tomorrow.” I looked at the huge pile. “Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to get through all this by tomorrow. Just do what you can.” I stuffed the papers in my bag and grabbed the pile of books to drop off at my room.

  “Need some help with that?” Roman asked, startling me.

  “No. I’m good,” I said, looking around, worried that someone might see us.

  “Relax,” he said, picking up on my nervousness. “Helping you carry your books is not the international sign for hooking up.” I rolled my eyes. “I could help you carry your books to your room and while we’re there we could…” He reached up to twirl a piece of my hair between his fingers.

  I smacked it away, more out of irritation. “Nice try, but no. And on that note, I’m leaving so I’m not late for my next class.”

  At lunch Roman and I would exchange looks when we thought no one was looking. We both knew what we were thinking – we couldn’t wait to get back to my room where we didn’t have to hide. At training I had a hard time trying to keep my hands off of Roman. All that fighting and sweating really made me want to rip his clothes off and I could feel he felt the same way. I managed to keep myself under control and took a very cold shower to calm myself down.

  By the time I was done I was starving. I quickly inhaled my dinner which caused me to receive strange looks from my friends. “Sorry,” I said through a mouthful. “Sometimes I forget there isn’t a short supply of food around here.” I slowed down so they would stop staring at me. Dean Just shook his head and laughed.

  After dinner I went back to my room to wait for Roman. While I waited, I decided to go over the tons of work Ms. Kraft had given me. I only got a partial way through before Roman got there. He sat down on my bed behind me, gently brushing away the hair that fell on my shoulder. He grazed his lips tenderly across my skin. “That’s very distracting,” I said.

  “That’s the point,” he said, continuing.

  “Stop that tickles,” I said giggling.

  He sighed and rested his chin on my shoulder. “What’s that?”

  “It’s something Ms. Kraft wants me to look over for tomorrow.”

  “I don’t remember this being on the list?” he said, picking up the papers and examining them.

  “It’s not. I’m meeting with her tomorrow after school. She’s going to work personally with me on some things.”

  “Is anything wrong?” he asked concerned.

  “No. I just don’t know as much as everyone and she just wanted to help me catch up. Plus all these powers I have, she wants to help me work with those too.”

  “You want me to come with you? Maybe I could help?”

  “Thanks, but this is something I have to try on my own.”

  “Work on this later,” he said, kissing my neck again.

  “Roman.” He pushed all the papers and books on the floor. “Hey, you better clean that up.” He tangled his hand in my hair and pulled me down on the bed. Once his lips hit mine I forgot all about the papers on the floor.

  We called it quits before things went too far. Not to mention he still hadn’t learned how not to ‘overheat’. He cuddled up next to me and when I shivered, he warmed me with his power, careful not to burn me. “What do you tell your roommate when he asks why you haven’t been sleeping in your room?” I asked, curious.

  “I tell him that I’ve been shacking up with this really hot chick,�
� he said.

  “Shut up,” I said, elbowing him playfully. “For real, what do you say?”

  “That is what I say,” he said seriously.

  “No you don’t.”

  “I have a reputation to uphold, you know,” he joked.

  “Roman,” I scolded.

  “What? It’s no big deal. He doesn’t know who and Dean’s more than happy to have a room to himself. Now he can entertain his ladies in private.”

  I turned around and faced him. “Wait, Dean is your roommate? How come I never knew that?”

  “You never asked,” he said simply.

  “You didn’t tell him anything else, did you?” I asked frightened.

  “You mean like how you giggle when I nibble on your neck?” he said, placing tiny kisses along the side. “Or how you let out a tiny moan every time I do this.” He slid his hand along my waist, dangling close to the top of my pants.

  “Roman!” I said, hitting him.

  He chuckled, pulled his hand back, and let it rest gently on my hip. “I don’t understand why we have to be so secretive anyways? I mean, everyone knows we’re going to the dance together. Thanks to Mackenzie,” he said bitterly.

  “I know. I just…I don’t know. I need…I need more time to get use to the idea. I mean we said we were just having fun so why tell people?”

  Roman’s face turned serious. “What if I told you that this wasn’t fun for me anymore?” I pulled back and glared at him. “No! That’s not what I meant…what I mean is, I enjoy being with you.”

  “Okay, well that’s good?” I didn’t understand what he was trying to say.

  “Let me try this another way. I treasure the time I spend with you and I dread the time when we’re apart. That’s not right either,” he said, sitting up, and running his hand through his hair. Clearly he had no idea what he was trying to say. He closed his eyes and let out a breath. “I like you Ella, a lot. I don’t just want to have fun with you. I want to be with you.” He opened his eyes and looked at me. “I love you Ella.”