by Shaila Patel
“Could you really be mine?” he murmured.
“Heart and soul.”
“The second your mum leaves tomorrow, I’ll be over, yeah?”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, and we became one of the kissing couples in the shadows. Our bodies must have already been primed because the tingling became intense right away. I felt it clawing at my heart. When it shot up into my eyes, I was blinded by a bright white light. I gasped, but it was gone as fast as it had happened.
“Lucky? What’s just happened?” He cupped my neck, his brow furrowed.
“I, uh … don’t know. Something blinded me for a second.” What was I supposed to say? My hormones are so wacky a charge shoots through me every time you touch me?
He tilted my jaw this way and that. “Does it hurt anywhere?”
“No, it was strange, that’s all. I’m fine.” I tucked my hand under his shirt collar again and rested my forehead against his. His body stayed tense, and the concern hadn’t left his face.
The music changed into something unpopular, and the crowd began moving into our room.
He stroked my cheeks and sighed. “Maybe we should catch our breaths, yeah?” My disappointment must have shown, and he laughed. “C’mon now, if you’re not home in one piece, your mum will never let you out again.”
He tried to laugh it off, but I sensed something more, like a gust of wind pushing me off a cliff. My pain had frightened him.
I wrapped my arms around him tighter and ran my fingers through his hair. “Don’t worry, Liam. I’m fine.”
He sighed. “I’d like to be keeping it that way.” He pulled back to gaze into my eyes. I felt the warm breeze all over me again. I bit my lip and did a poor job of hiding my smile. “Lucky, there’s something I have to say. It’s in lov—”
“Has anyone seen Laxshmi?” Jack’s voice bellowed over the room’s hum.
Liam’s jaw clenched, and a growl vibrated in his throat. Was he going to tell me he loved me? Don’t be silly. His English was different. That was all it was. Liam frowned in Jack’s direction. I laughed and slowly stepped away with a smile. He grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together, and gave me one last kiss before we walked toward Jack’s voice.
Jack spotted us, and his gaze dropped to our hands. He jerked his eyes back up to my face. “Ready, Laxshmi?”
“I’ll be taking her home,” Liam said.
Did he just puff his chest out? I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.
Jack glanced at Liam and then looked at me. “You sure, Laxshmi?”
“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks for bringing me. Tell Shiney I hope she had a great time.”
Liam pulled me in front of him, his chest against my back, and placed his hands around my bare waist. I almost jumped out of my skin. Gee, I wonder what he’s trying to tell Jack. I’d have to make sure I spent more time reassuring Liam that nothing was going on between Jack and me. I covered his hands with mine and squeezed.
Jack nodded slowly. “Catch you guys later then.”
Liam led me back to the dance floor with his hand in my back pocket, gloating.
“You need to behave,” I yelled out over the music.
He flashed me his sexy dimples and pointed to his ears like he couldn’t hear. Ugh.
We hadn’t even taken a few steps forward before he stopped. He glared over my head, and I turned to see what had caught his attention.
Near the entrance to the main room stood the bitchier half of the cheerleading squad. Some of them cowered under Liam’s glare.
Great. Now they’ll really think he’s getting lucky tonight. I sighed and pulled him away from the entrance. “Liam, don’t give them anything more to talk about, okay?” I yelled over the music.
He was clenching his jaw, but when I touched his face, he calmed and his eyes softened. After a few moments of studying my face, he leaned closer. “It’s only that I’m thinking about how I failed to protect you.”
My heart melted. I blinked back my tears, and he brushed my eyelashes with the pad of his thumb. A sense of déjà vu always gave me chills when he did that. What was so familiar about that gesture? Whatever it was, it made me love him even more. With the bass pounding all around us, I began swaying my hips while in his arms. I couldn’t help it. Liam laughed and led me to the dance floor.
He threw a nod at Justin, who blended in “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams at Liam’s signal. They both smiled at me, and I buried my face in Liam’s chest. His chest shook with a good laugh.
“You’re terrible! But I love it.” And I love you. Liam held me tighter.
We danced our way through the throng of people and found a less crowded corner. Three girls from the drill team and their boyfriends found their way to us, and before too long, all four of the guys synchronized thrusting their hips to the beat. They had us laughing so hard we couldn’t dance. We finally got it together and began our own impromptu dance-off with them. We won, of course.
The tingling increased in intensity, making me feel more alive than I thought was possible. Its seductive tendrils connected me to him somehow, but I yearned for more. At times, the physical space separating Liam and me didn’t seem to exist, and it was jarring to move apart, like waking from a bad dream. Based on the concerned looks he shot me when we did, he must have felt it too. Were my hallucinations affecting him?
The crowd thinned out soon enough, and I groaned. It would be time to go soon.
“It’s only ten,” he said. “Plenty of time yet.” He tucked a strand of hair that was stuck to my face behind my ear. I hoped I wasn’t too sweaty-gross.
“Do we have to stay here?” I bit my lip, and the warmth crept into my cheeks.
He raised an eyebrow and smiled.
We said our goodbyes to Caitlyn, Bailey, and Justin. Liam’s fingers were still laced with mine as we stretched in separate directions to give them hugs. He tugged at me when I took too long, and as we left, I had to practically jog to keep up with him. Out in the main lobby, with the blaring music now muffled, my jingling bangles seemed louder than the bass.
I laughed. “You know, it would be much faster if you threw me over your shoulder.”
“Don’t be tempting me, woman.” He covered my giggles with a kiss, and we stumbled out the front doors.
We made our way through the parked cars to his white Range Rover. He opened my door for me, and like a giddy little girl, I counted the seconds before he got into the driver’s seat. He was shaking his head and smiling when he got in.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re more impatient than usual.”
“How did you know—?”
He leaned over and shut me up with a kiss. “Strap yourself in,” he whispered against my lips.
So he wasn’t going to answer me. My expression was probably as loud as one of those airplane banners. See. Aliens and empaths don’t exist.
He pulled out and drove through the quiet neighborhood. Clouds blocked the stars and created a hazy silhouette of the quarter-moon. Its light left a pale halo, refusing to be dampened.
“Tonight was perfect,” I said.
“I wish it wasn’t home where we had to be going.”
“Why?” I turned to him. “Planning on getting lucky tonight?” I giggled again and then groaned inwardly. Since when had I become so giggly? Liam stretched his arm across the center console to caress my thigh. I wrapped my arm around his, snuggling up against his bicep.
“I plan on getting luckier,” he said.
CHAPTER 31
Liam
I pulled far enough into the driveway that Lucky’s mum couldn’t see us even if she’d been holding vigil by their front window. The tingling had been strengthening over the last ten minutes, and letting go of Lucky’s hand to come around and open her door felt like having to cut off me own arm. Except for the occasional rustle of leaves, the night felt still as death itself—even the cica
das and crickets kept from imposing. Sharp was the only word I’d be using to describe the air. It wasn’t humid or dry, cold or hot. An arc of lightning flashed across the sky with a growing rumble of thunder following.
Helping Lucky out of the SUV, I pulled her close and shut the door. She ran a finger down the buttons on my shirt. All night long, her touch had been causing me chaos. I rested my hands on her bare waist. She gave a gasp, but I wasn’t letting go. Her soft skin warmed my palms. I couldn’t resist pulling her closer.
This has to be the joining.
“It’s amazing you’re looking tonight.” The faint light from my porch was casting a pale glow on her face. She stared into my eyes, sending me her love. It felt like diving naked into an ocean of sparkling water. I groaned and leaned her back against the SUV, intertwining our legs. I sent her my love too.
“I feel like I’m floating on a breeze,” she whispered.
I cupped her face and trailed kisses along her neck and jaw. I couldn’t keep my lips off her any longer. “You’re deadly soft,” I whispered against her ear.
She shivered. “Liam?”
The soft scratching of her nails against my scalp had my eyes just about rolling into the back of my head. “Mmm?”
“I do feel lucky … that I have you.”
“And I feel right lucky in love.” I was sure my voice was sounding husky. Ripples of her confusion nipped at me, and I chuckled. I’d not been able to help it. The little v between her eyebrows was telling me mo shíorghrá was thinking hard on what I’d said. That dry-shite Jack had interrupted our moment earlier, but now wasn’t the time to be saying more. I didn’t want to be talking. I pulled her face to mine and kissed her. The tingling felt like an explosion rocking through my body. It compelled me closer to her. The charge clamped down on my heart and seemed to shoot out of my mouth and into Lucky. We both pulled back, gasping.
Lucky’s curiosity about what had happened didn’t last long—she was as drawn to me as I was to her. The air no longer felt sharp, but heavy and thick with an energy that kept pulling us together like magnets. The air even smelled ionized. I pressed closer to Lucky, intensifying the electricity between us.
This wasn’t just hormones. This was the joining. I was sure of it.
She grabbed my hair to pull our mouths closer. Another arc of lightning lit up the sky, this time with no rumble of thunder. Another charge sizzled through me, joining with one from Lucky. The intensity blinded me, and the force of it kicked Lucky’s head back against the SUV. She let out a cry.
“Jaysus, Lucky.” I cradled her head. Fear began to spill out from her, and it settled well enough into my chest—only I couldn’t stop craving her long enough to think straight.
“Liam, what’s happening? I–I think I’m causing this.”
“Both of us are,” I whispered against her lips, unable to fight against the pull. Images of me drowning flashed across my mind. With each pump of my legs, I swam toward Lucky, but couldn’t reach her. She was my air. Every cell in my body screamed to get closer. I needed her to save me. She was my breath, my life.
The tendrils of electricity rose through me again, jolting us wherever our skin was touching. Pulling on every ounce of strength in me, I stepped back from her. Lucky closed her eyes and growled in pain, clutching at her heart. Her legs buckled. I fell forward to catch her. Both of us were now on our knees. A second later, pain shot through me, clamping my teeth together. The taste of blood filled my mouth.
Lucky reached for my face. “Oh, God. Liam, are you okay?”
The haze cleared enough that I could see her beautiful lip, swollen and bleeding now. Tears were streaking down her face like rivulets of rain on a window. The charge was building within me again. Shite. I couldn’t help it—I brought my head within inches of hers, but I fought the pull. I had to. How could I be hurting her like this? I wanted to be joined with her more than anything in the bloody world, but what price would she be paying for this? She was bleeding already, for Christ’s sake.
Scalding hot water poured through my mind—a warning from Mum. I turned to see two silhouettes in the window, then I looked toward the street. Da’s car was parked there. Had he returned with information on the joining? Would it make any sort of a difference now? I shot my irritation to Mum, a warning to stay clear. Da would keep her from stepping out here.
Lightning shot through the sky again. The ionized air was becoming stronger, sizzling around me. Would the lightning have to pass through us? Was that what the monk had meant by ‘a light had marked the pair’? Or the priest’s account about light emanating from an embracing couple? Was it about lightning?
Fecking hell.
I glanced at the blood on Lucky’s swollen lip. With the strength it was taking to keep my distance, I’d tire sure enough and cave to the pull luring us closer. What if so few soulmated couples existed because they hadn’t survived this?
I looked to the heavens. “Please, God, this can’t be right. This can’t be it!” I started to reach for Lucky’s face, to touch her skin and feel her lean her cheek into my palm, but I balled my hands instead. “I’m sorry.”
Tears welled in her eyes. She grabbed my fists and kissed them. “What’s going on, Liam? I’m the one who’s sorry. I think I’m doing this to you.”
“No, mo mhuirnín, it’s no fault of yours. Christ, how can I … ” I choked on the intensity that was building back up, burning our hands.
“I–I need you, Liam.” She brought her lips to my neck and kissed me, and the dam of desire burst. I buried my face in her neck, inhaling her scent and caving.
The charge that exploded through us flung us apart, throwing her against the SUV. I rolled from my back onto my hands and knees, pounding the grass with a growl. My vision fogged, but I shook it off and crawled back to her. She was conscious, but dazed. Bloody hell, this was killing her. I helped her crawl away from the SUV and onto the grass with me. She wanted to lean against me, but I needed to keep the charge that came from us from building itself up again. She gave a small nod as if she understood and sat back, leaning forward on her hands for support.
“Lucks?” She swayed, but didn’t acknowledge me. “Lucks, can you hear me?”
With another nod, she sat up straighter. More lightning danced around us, and she leaned her head back. A light wind ruffled her hair and she hummed.
I couldn’t risk her life. I’d promised to protect her. I had to stop this.
Grabbing her upper arms, I brought her to her feet with me and ripped my hands away before the touch brought us trouble. She stumbled forward, but steadied herself.
“W–We can’t do this, Lucks. We can’t be together anymore.” I scanned the skies. “You’ve got to be getting yourself inside now.” My voice cracked. Her stunned expression sliced through me. I couldn’t let it get inside my heart. This was only the beginning of what I had to do to her.
I grabbed her hand and dragged her across the front garden to her house. She was begging me for answers, but it took all my concentration just to open my fingers and let go of the fragile hand I’d been holding. I’d stopped in front of Mrs. Robertson’s porch, where Lucky’s mum couldn’t see us. Lucky’s pain and confusion and fear were overwhelming me, battering at me like a storm. The alarm in Lucky’s eyes slayed me. Jaysus, did I have the strength to be breaking her heart like this? But it was her heart or her life.
Until I could find a way to safely join with her, I had to be keeping a distance between us. And if the Soul Seekers didn’t think Lucky was The One, they’d leave her alone. Sure, they’d come after me, but so be it. Either way she’d be safe. Alive. I wasn’t having her hurt.
“Liam, why are you pushing me away? I don’t understand.” She slapped away her tears.
I swallowed hard. “Lucky, forgive me. The fault’s in me.”
“But why?” She choked back a sob. “Why are you leaving me after everything you said?”
In the brighter light of M
rs. Robertson’s porch, I saw the sheer pain and desolation in her eyes. I ground my back teeth together. I wanted to touch her, wipe her tears, kiss the ache away from her heart and mine. My vision blurred. I took a step back and wiped the back of my hand across my mouth, hating myself. “I made a mistake. You’re not—” I scrunched my eyes closed and forced out the words that were a lie. “You’re not The One. I tried, but … ”
“No! I don’t believe you. You told me I was. I trusted you.”
A tornado filled with debris flew through my mind, slicing at me. Lucky was changing how I was interpreting her feelings again. I was ready to double over from the pain, but I stood there, taking it. I deserved so much more. I sent her my love, and her face crumpled. “I can’t lose you, Liam. I–I need you. After everything you said … ”
Lightning lit up our surroundings and struck a tree down the street. The crack had Lucky screaming and covering her ears. I jumped in front of her as if that was enough to shield her from the flash that had already vanished. My ears rang, but I could still hear Lucky’s sobs.
If the lightning had hit any closer, we’d have been killed. I turned and faced her, fixing as hard a look as I could manage. “Look after yourself, Lucky.”
I walked backward, unable to tear my gaze from the agony twisting up her face. She kept shaking her head and saying no as if she could change the reality of what was happening. Jaysus Christ. My chest heaved with the weight of what I’d just done.
She held out her arms and looked into the sky. “Liam, it’s your pain. I feel water stinging my skin, but how is it you?”
I clenched my hands into fists and sent her a mental block. She didn’t respond. Dammit. We were crossing interpretations, but she still hadn’t broken through. How cruel could Fate be?
Lucky looked back at me, her shock and pain coming across in a building tsunami. Before it crashed over my head, it stopped, and her mind went blank. I focused my vision on her. A change had come over her beautiful face. Her eyes hardened, her chin lifted and shoulders squared. With the same force of the tsunami, her emotions veered in a different direction. A determination I’d never thought to feel from her pounded against me. I felt like a surfer, paddling past the third line of breakers, waiting for the biggest swell of my life.
