Obscured (The Obscured Series Book 1)

by C. M. Boers

  Eli seemed to fly to my side, this time surprising me. He cupped my face with his hands and kissed me hard, and I found myself kissing back. His kiss was tender, deep and needy. My stomach was flipping with excitement. I didn’t realize how badly I wanted it—how bad I needed it. My arms instinctively went around his neck and pulled him closer. I felt like my knees would give out. His kiss felt amazing. There was nothing in the world like it. He pulled away slowly and it was over all too soon. It took me a minute to get my wits back. I had to grab his arm to steady myself. I felt his eyes roaming over my whole body, and it made me self-conscious even though I knew he was just making sure I was okay. His eyes locked on the cut on my arm just as I remembered it was there. Without luck, I quickly tried to hide it.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, gingerly brushing his fingertips across the fresh wound.

  Involuntarily I winced. I hoped he hadn’t seen.

  “Who did this?” He looked furious.

  “I’m okay really, I am just so happy to see you,” I said and hugged him.

  He pulled away. “Who?”

  He wasn’t going to give up, he was angry. I couldn’t say that I had ever seen anyone as angry as he was in this very moment.

  “Blaine, the other guy helping Pete,” I whispered, looking at Randy who was now standing next to Ren watching us talk.

  I hadn’t noticed until that moment, but Bailey was standing next to Ren, her expression blank. I felt for her. It was a big mess that she had been thrown into. Then to watch her ex-boyfriend kiss her best friend—it had to hurt. Eli strode past them, out the door and into the driveway. He returned a moment later, shoving the guy known as Blaine. He pushed him through the doorway and into the living room. Ren shut the door and brought Randy in, with Bailey trailing behind.

  “What were you thinking when you hurt her? Huh? Blaine?” Eli growled.

  I had never seen him so angry before. I cringed. It was a completely different side of him that I never knew existed. Intense was a mild way of describing it.

  After throwing him to the ground, Eli kicked him a couple times.

  “Where were they keeping you?” Eli asked me.

  I pointed to the open door, afraid to speak. Eli pulled Blaine to his feet and pushed him through the door. Eli stopped dead in his tracks as he stepped into the room.

  “Abby,” Eli called.

  I walked into the room and my gaze followed Eli’s gaze to all of my blood that had dripped onto the floor. The dried blood drips went from the doorway to the other side of the room and ended next to the bed I had been sitting on. It looked really, really bad; much worse than it had actually been. I knew I wouldn’t be able to convince Eli of that right now. I silently berated myself for not cleaning it up when it happened.

  “Is this your blood, Abby?” he asked sternly.

  I didn’t want to answer. I knew how angry Eli already was and I didn’t want to throw fuel on the fire.

  “Abby,” he probed gently.

  “Yes,” I answered looking down.

  Before I could say more, Eli had given Blaine his right hook, hard enough to cause blood to surge from his nose. Blaine landed with a thud on the ground. He was out cold after that last blow.

  Eli wrapped me in his arms, and pulled me from the room. Ren finished up by putting Randy in the room with Blaine and closing the door quietly. There was no need for a lock since they were both bound. Ren still said nothing.

  “I was so worried about you,” Eli said, “Are you okay?” He spoke softly with his forehead pressed to mine.

  “I’m fine, I swear,” I said.

  My emotions started to betray me again and tears slid slowly down my face. All of the emotions hit me all at once—happiness, sadness, fear, alarm, love, content. He held me tighter, like we were the only ones in the room. I breathed him in, he smelled like the most amazing cologne, a scent I’ve come to know as Eli’s scent. It was soothing.

  “Can I help?” he asked quietly.

  “Please,” I spoke barely above a whisper.

  Once again I was engulfed in a breeze that lifted my hair. I breathed it in and then exhaled loudly, feeling immensely better. Remembering we were in fact not alone, I turned to face Ren and Bailey who were quietly watching us. Ren had a smirk on his face. I blushed, and for the first time since we had been there, Bailey just smiled.

  “That really is amazing Eli,” Ren commented.

  I assumed Ren was referring to Eli ‘helping’ me. Eli just shrugged it off, but I could tell he was elated at the compliment. In that one look, I could see how much he looked up to Ren. I was immensely grateful that Eli not only had someone looking out for him, but for him to look up to. Someone who clearly was a good role model and cared deeply for him.

  Ren cleared his throat. “Bailey why don’t we go explore the house and see what we can find,” he said, putting his arm out for her to take. I giggled at the obviousness of them giving us some alone time, but I was grateful.

  Before they were even out of sight Eli was bending to kiss me again. Our lips intertwined sweetly. I closed my eyes and took it all in, enjoying every second with him. I’d waited for it ever since that awkward moment at the lake. It had been the first time I had ever thought of him as anything more than my best friend. It felt like an eternity to have waited for this now.

  He pulled away just as slowly as he had before. He rested his forehead on mine, his breathing heavy and uneven to match mine. His enticing blue eyes peered down into mine, making my cheeks feel heated.

  “As much as I have tried to fight these feelings, I can’t fight them anymore and I don’t want to. I’m in love with you Abby, everything about you.”

  I knew without a doubt what I truly felt for Eli, and I wished I hadn’t tried so hard to push it away for all that time. I couldn’t wait a moment longer. “I love you, too.

  Eli pulled back from me and looked at me with a surprised look on his face. It was like his eyes were peering straight to my soul. He hugged me tighter. “You do?” he whispered.

  “Yes,” I smiled.

  “I didn’t think you felt the same.”

  The ecstasy of our love filled us as we shared our third breathtaking kiss. Nothing felt more right, more perfect, more us. That word made me giddy: us. Our future was uncertain, that much I knew, but I wouldn’t let that taint the moment, right there and then. No other moment in my life had felt that good, that natural.

  “I was so angry with you for going with him. I was so angry with Pete for taking you. I felt so utterly helpless, until I got your visions. So clear. You lead me right to you,” he said proudly.

  “You saw them?” I asked quietly, “That’s how you found us?”

  “Yeah, it was awesome, almost like you were taking pictures with a camera and sending them to me.”

  “I was in a way, I suppose. I tried to look at everything and pushed them out to you. I didn’t know if it would work, but I tried my hardest because you said that’s how you found me last time,” I explained.

  He looked into my eyes in awe. “You’re amazing. Do you know that?”

  I blushed. Nothing could top that intimate moment between us.

  He took my hand and led me in the direction Ren and Bailey had gone. The rest of the house didn’t provide anything impressive. It was four bedrooms, two of which were empty aside from a sleeping bag in each. I assumed that was where Pete’s goons had been sleeping. It surprised me based on how tastefully the ‘prison’ room had been decorated. Maybe that had been for our benefit. Maybe he had moved the things from the two empty bedrooms. I would never be sure, but it didn’t really matter.

  “Now what?” I asked as we gathered in one of the empty bedrooms. I wasn’t directing my question at anyone specific, but Eli was the one to respond.

  “We wait. Eventually Pete is going to come back, and we will be waiting.”

  “What time is it?” I asked, remembering that my mom was probably worried.

  “It’s 8:30. I already took c
are of your mom if that’s what you are worried about.”

  He looked at me with his gorgeous blue eyes. He had taken care of everything. I couldn’t believe how he looked out for me. And to top it all off he was in love with me. It made my heart leap.

  “How?” I asked curiously.

  “You left your purse in Ren’s car. I used your keys and left a note for her. According to her, you are working until 11:30 tonight. I hope that’s okay,” he said shyly.

  I moved forward and hugged him once more. “Thank you. When did you guys find us?” I asked, looking to Ren as well.

  “We were watching the house for about an hour when we saw Blaine emerge. We were moving in to snatch him when Bailey came out too. It kind of surprised us.” I saw Bailey smile shyly. “She explained what was going on and once we were up to speed we moved in,” Ren explained.

  Eli added that he had parked around the corner so his car wouldn’t raise any suspicion. I would have never thought of that. It was only a matter of time until Pete returned.

  We decided it would be best to hang out in the living room while we waited. It turned out that the TV was set up with the best cable around, and whoever lived there owned a collection of DVD’s that would put a movie store to shame. Eli flipped through channels continuously just to see what kind of shows were on. We never really settled on one for more than a few minutes. Despite the situation, we were enjoying ourselves. I couldn’t help but feel like a crime fighting team on a stake out.

  When the lock on the front door clicked, all four of us jumped. Bailey and I backed away towards the door where our captives were being held. We didn’t want to be caught up in anything. Eli and Ren took a few steps forward, but they kept out of view so that when Pete stepped into the living room they would have the element of surprise.

  Pete stumbled into view carrying four bags of take-out. He was looking down in the bags rummaging for something. Eli ambushed him before he even knew what hit him. It amazed me how fast Eli could take out an enemy that was twice his size. I guessed that it might have been part of his training. Maybe that was one of the things Ren had helped him learn in his training.

  Pete was groaning on the floor, holding his side.

  “How?” Pete grumbled.

  “We’re smarter than you,” Eli spat. “You really need to learn to leave well enough alone! The elders aren’t happy. I’d hate to be you right about now. You are to meet with them tomorrow. Maybe they will let the thugs in that room go without consequences, but you on the other hand won’t be so lucky, they have assured me.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. Do you really think I’m that stupid?” Pete howled.

  “Well…” Eli smirked. “In case you haven’t noticed, you don’t really have a choice. Look around, you aren’t in charge anymore.”

  As Eli talked, Pete struggled unsuccessfully to get free.

  In the scuffle, the bags of food had wound up strewn about the floor. I stepped forward to collect them. I took out five burgers and orders of French fries and handed three of them to Ren. Bailey, Ren and I hand-fed all three delinquents without unbinding their hands. We might have been giving them a taste of their own medicine, but we were not cruel enough to starve them. It seemed that maybe they hadn’t been either, since there was enough food to feed Bailey and I as well.

  Eli went through Pete’s pockets and found my cell phone among his things. I was glad to have it back. I don’t know when I got to be so inclined to have it at my side, but it was becoming a bad habit.

  It was decided that Ren would stand guard that night. The two helpers would be locked in the room, and Pete would be watched closely in the living room.

  Eli drove Bailey and I home. We dropped Bailey off first. I felt bad that she was going home to an empty house, but she insisted it was fine and that she wouldn’t have it any other way. Before I left her, I made sure that she would call me if she needed anything, even if it was just to talk.

  After we dropped her off, Eli didn’t take me straight home. It was only 10 p.m. and my mom wasn’t expecting me to be home from work until after 11:30. He didn’t tell me where he was going, but I was pleased when we turned into the parking lot at the park where we had eaten our late night dinner. It seemed like ages ago, but really it had only been a few days. I liked that park. It seemed to me that it may become ‘our’ place, but maybe that was just me being overzealous.

  We walked silently hand-in-hand around the park for a little while before sitting down at a picnic table to talk. It was comfortable being with him, even more so now that we were truthful with ourselves and each other about our feelings. The weight of hiding and fighting them had been lifted off my shoulders. It felt good.

  “What are you thinking right now?” he asked causally.

  “I should have been honest with you sooner, but the truth is, I was trying to push my feelings aside.”

  Eli smiled. “So does this make you my girlfriend?”

  “Absolutely!” I laughed. “That is, if you want me to be,” I finished suddenly unsure.

  He kissed me lightly on the lips. “What does that tell you?”

  I giggled.

  It felt really good to be carefree, even if it was only for a little while. There had been so much going on that we hadn’t had a chance to be truly relaxed since before Eli had told me about his secret identity. I had high hopes that the whole ordeal with Pete would blow over very quickly now that we held him captive.

  He leaned down and gently kissed me, snapping me out of my thoughts. His kiss was slow and more deliberate. Under the stars with him, it was amazingly romantic. I let his kiss take me away, and I felt like I was floating on air. For that moment in time, I didn’t have a care in the world.

  We didn’t think about tomorrow. We didn’t think about anything, except right then and there. Selfish? Maybe, but I think we earned it.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Eli and Ren weren’t at school the next day, but Bailey and I knew they were off handling the riffraff. I couldn’t wait to see Eli again. A spark had been ignited inside me, and I just couldn’t get enough of him.

  I also couldn’t wait to hear what the elders had to say at their meeting. I knew it was something Eli was nervous about, and his nerves made me slightly uneasy. After all, the elders’ decision is what held our future. If they were too lenient on Pete then we might have more problems, but if they really threw the book at him then we should be set.

  Bailey seemed to be adjusting well to all of the news she had received over the last few days. While it was a lot to take in, it seemed like she was handling some of it better than me. She even seemed to be back to her old self again. Ryan was beside himself when he saw her. He picked her up in a giant bear hug. I was happy for them. They walked to their next class hand-in-hand and it made me sad that Eli wasn’t there. I don’t know what Bailey told Ryan about where she had been, but I figured it was better that way. I was tired of lying to people.

  After a pop quiz in third hour, I was more than ready for lunch. I walked alone, a first for me during that school year. Until then I always seemed to be surrounded by people all the time at school and come to think about it, even when I wasn’t in school. It felt good that being alone was a rare thing for me. It meant that I had a good web of friends to count on. The only problem was that when I was alone it was harder on me.

  The lunch line was quiet without anyone to talk to and seemed to take longer than normal to make my way to the front. It had to be just my imagination. I picked a salad for lunch and made my way through the crowds of students to the table where we usually sat.

  I looked up from my tray as I made my way through the tables and there he was. Eli stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the table and smiling right at me. He looked breathtaking. I closed the gap in two strides and almost dropped my salad when I flung my arms around him. He laughed.

  Ren was still missing. It worried me and I wondered where he was. Maybe he had gone back where he came from? A part o
f me hoped he hadn’t. I would have really liked having him around permanently. He was a breath of fresh air that we needed around.

  “You didn’t miss me or anything did you?” he mocked lovingly as he nuzzled my neck.

  Our friends were surprised by it. They were out of the loop so to speak and hadn’t heard that we were now together. It had happened so quickly even for us, but we didn’t explain the details. There was more to it than anyone needed to know, so we simply said that it happened the night before and left it at that. I couldn’t believe that the explanation sufficed for everyone at the table. Maybe they had been expecting it. Bailey just grinned at me—knowing the whole truth gave us a little secret from the rest of the world.

  “How did this morning go?” I asked Eli in a hushed voice.

  “It went fine, but not quite as we expected it to,” he answered.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “I can’t go into detail now, but I'll tell you after school okay?”

  I agreed. I knew it wasn’t smart to discuss at the lunch table. I also just wanted to enjoy the afternoon without having to worry about anything except school. Having Bailey back made me realize once again how much she took charge of our group’s conversation. That day, things felt more normal than I thought they would, even though she had fabricated a story about where she was the day before. We also talked about how she was looking forward to our sleepover this weekend. In all of the craziness, I had completely forgotten about it, though I would never tell her that. It gave me something to look forward to.

  Now that Bailey knew all about Eli, I would have someone to talk to about it and the girl talk I had been craving for so long.

  It was a different feeling walking through the halls holding Eli’s hand. Nothing had ever felt more right. His touch still sent shivers through my body and I wondered if it always would. It was as if his hand sent an electrical current rapidly coursing through my body.

  Afterschool, Bailey, Eli and I met at Eli’s car. We decided it was best to get together after school to talk about the events from that morning that Bailey and I missed. Eli hadn’t mentioned anything about Ren yet and I didn’t have an opportunity to bring him up until we got into his car.