"Glop—" he choked, then swiftly recovered.
I braced my hands on my hips. I was going to be furious if he told me that wasn't even a word and he'd just been messing with me when he said it was the old word for "like".
"Just gloppin?" he smirked, the arrogant ass. "Not gloppindop?"
"Just gloppin," I answered through clenched teeth. "And that's more than you deserve."
He just kept smiling down at me like he'd scored some sort of victory. I don't know if he was pleased with himself for making me think gloppin was a real word or if it was because I'd admitted that I liked him. But I wasn't going to stand there and take his smug satisfaction.
"You scared me," I shouted and used some of my pent up anger to smack both my palms against his chest. It felt so good to strike out at him that I tried again. But I didn't get away with it a third time.
He caught my wrists in his manacled grip and jerked me against his chest. For several seconds his gaze smoldered down on me. But it wasn't anger that burned in his eyes. At least, I don't think it was anger. It was hotter and more intense. "I'm sorry," he said softly.
By now my body was humming from that haywire connection we had together. And I think he felt it too. He unwound his fingers from my wrists and let me loose, eyeing me cautiously in case I flew at him again. But all the fight had woozed right out of me. "Just don't ever do that again," I muttered in a faint voice.
The next day, I started taking Reason's venom. The first swallow was the hardest. I assumed it would taste bad. Boy, was I wrong. Gargoyle venom is quite possibly the best flavor on the planet. If those guys wanted to make their own ice cream, they could become overnight millionaires.
Yum. That's all I have to say. Just yum.
After that, I got up early every morning and sat at the counter, waiting for my dose. Reason would milk the blue stuff fresh from his veins, into the glass of water, and I'd slurp it down.
He gave me a reluctant smile. "You're enjoying this way too much."
I grinned at him. "You just hate to see me happy."
But just because I liked the venom didn't mean I'd forgotten my plan to make Reason question his decision to spend the rest of his life with me. And I got a chance to do something about it on Wednesday when Sequoia caught up to me in the ladies room. I'd left Reason in the hall, outside the lecture theatre. He was supposed to be waiting for me but he didn't get much down time. Three girls had descended on him before I made it through the bathroom door.
"Your boyfriend has a really cute accent," Sequoia bubbled, and started to pump me for information as soon as she walked in. "Where's he from?"
I looked at her reflection in the mirror and ran a tube of lip-gloss over my mouth. "He's not my boyfriend."
"But you go everywhere together," she argued, though I could tell her heart wasn't in it. Obviously, she was happy to learn that we weren't an item.
"He's my bodyguard," I lied, and tucked the tube back into my bag.
"Wow," she reacted, her green eyes going wide. "Are you like someone important? Is your father some kind of foreign diplomat?"
"Nah," I answered. "He's just your average overprotective Saudi dad; he doesn't want me to have any boyfriends. So, he hired this guy to follow me around and make sure I'm a good little girl." I rattled off the lie without pausing, amazed at my ability to make stuff up. Briefly, I wondered if I should be studying political science.
"You do look a little young for him," she pointed out, which annoyed me more than I expected. "How old are you?"
"Eleven," I answered with a fake smile, and turned around to face her. "I'm one of those child geniuses. I plan to get my PhD before I'm fourteen." Okay, I was probably pushing my luck. Even Sequoia wasn't gonna fall for a lie that big. But she wasn't really interested in me. Her mind was on much more important stuff. Reason.
"So, you don't mind if I…"
"You'd be doing me a favor," I told her, and headed for the exit. "If he's watching you, he can't be watching me. Knock yourself out."
She did. And none too subtly, either. She followed me from the ladies room and got around me before I reached Reason. Her blatant unsubtlety might have bothered me if I hadn't known how Reason felt about her. And while she had her chest pushed up against his, I managed to slip out of the building.
But it wasn't long before he caught up with me. Halfway down the block, he grabbed my arm and spun me around. "What did you tell that girl?"
"Weren't you listening to our conversation in the bathroom?" I taunted him. I hadn't seen any firsthand evidence of his enhanced hearing, but MacKenzie had assured me it was off the chart.
His eyes darkened. "I was fighting off three other girls. And they were all talking at once."
"Sucks for you," I said, being difficult on purpose.
"What did you tell her?" he insisted in a gritty voice.
"That you were a good kisser," I lied and yanked out of his grip then slapped his face because we were outside and there might be a harpy watching.
It took a few seconds for him to catch up with me again but when he did, he fell into step beside me and scowled at me. I didn't know if it was a real scowl or a-harpy-might-be-watching scowl but I ignored him.
"Do you think so?" he eventually asked.
"Do I think so, what?"
"That I'm a good kisser," he rasped, a wash of color creeping across the high cut of cheekbones.
I just rolled my eyes.
He stopped me again, his long fingers firmly locked around my biceps. His tone was fierce as he asked, "Do you think I'm a good kisser, Elaina?"
I tried to pull out of his hold again, but he wasn't having it and that haywire buzz was ramping up and fritzing my brain. I wet my lips and tried to think of a clever response but nothing was coming. I was so distracted by his touch. And his mouth. And the way his eyes followed my tongue across my lips.
"Elaina," he said more loudly, giving me a slight shake.
"Um. I think so but I'm not sure. I don't remember, exactly."
"Maybe I should remind you," he murmured, his lips drawing so close to mine that I could feel his warm breath washing against my cheek.
"Maybe," I agreed, almost hyperventilating. "But not out here where a harpy might see us."
As if he suddenly realized what he was doing, his face jerked away a few inches. "You're right," he said in a voice so low it was almost a moan. A resigned look fell over his features. "Maybe you should slap me now."
"I don't think that's a good idea," I told him, looking over his shoulder. "Sequoia's watching and I just finished telling her that you were my body guard."
"Bodyguard?" he barked, and gave me another light shake. But this time, his mouth twitched in a wry smile. "You don't have much trouble telling lies do you?"
I lifted an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you find that amusing?"
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I was just thinking about Defiance. He didn't want to let Mim into the pack because he didn't think she could tell the lies necessary to protect the secret our existence. It's nice to know that wouldn't be a problem for you." With a tight sigh, he turned to look at Sequoia who was on the other side of the road, loitering behind a black SUV. "Is that…Simpson and Donovan inside that vehicle?"
I leaned to the side so I could see past him. "Looks like it," I answered. "But why are they in Boulder?"
He took my arm and turned me around then started steering me down the sidewalk, away from the parked car. "They're following us," he murmured.
"But why us?" I questioned, skipping to keep up with him. "Why would they be watching us instead of the rest of the pack in Pine Grove?"
"Maybe because Pine Grove is so isolated, it's hard to spy without being seen?"
"Maybe," I said, thinking furiously for a better reason. "Or maybe they've received reports of sightings in the area. Sightings of the harpy."
He gave a grudging nod. "Which means we need to find her before they do, if we want to learn anything about our missing ki
n."
I didn't get another chance to annoy Reason until Friday night. I'd forgotten about Levi's party but when he caught up to me on Thursday afternoon while I was doing laundry down in the garage, and reminded me about it, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to piss Reason off. That might sound harsh, but keep in mind I wasn't doing it for me. I was doing it for him. The sooner he realized we were a bad match, the better it would be for him. Except that I was beginning to question the wisdom of this course of action. I started wondering if it would really be so bad if we spent the rest of our lives together. Crazy, huh? But I swept those doubts away and started getting ready for the party when I heard the music cranking up downstairs.
I spent half an hour in front of the bathroom mirror doing my makeup, then pulled on my tightest pair of jeans and one of my stylin' tops. I changed out my everyday gauges for a silver pair my mom had broken down and bought me for Christmas, even though she didn't really like the holes in my earlobes, and even though the holes were tiny…so far. The sterling drove my ears crazy but they were beautiful and it was worth putting up with itchy lobes to look good. I even took my hair out of my ponytail and shook it around my shoulders.
When I strolled out of the bathroom, Reason was sitting on the couch, leafing through the fourth-grade reader I'd brought home from the library in Pine Grove. He looked up at me then did a double take. I was wearing a lot of dark eye makeup and that always makes my eye color "pop". I looked pretty nice for a skinny kid with no chest. For a moment he stared. "Where are you going?" he demanded.
"The guys downstairs are having a party."
"What does that have to do with you?" he asked like he was my father or my big brother or maybe even my somewhat possessive boyfriend.
"I'm going," I said very slowly like he was a simple idiot. I touched a finger to my chest then pointed at the door. "Me. To the party."
Abruptly, he threw the book aside and stood up. "I'm going with you."
"You weren't invited," I told him snidely with my hands on my hips.
He looked uncertain, not realizing that he could probably wade into the party and nobody would notice…except for the girls…and they certainly wouldn't mind.
"See ya later," I threw over my shoulder, taking advantage of his hesitation.
"You can't go," he called after me.
I spun around to face him. "Look, I'm not going to another country. I'm not even leaving the building. I'll be in the same house. You'll be able to hear every word I say with your excellent hearing skills. I promise I won't mention a word about gargoyles but if you overhear anything you don't like, come and get me."
With that out of the way, I got going. The door closed behind me and I watched it for a few heartbeats, wondering if he'd follow, half hoping that he would. When nothing happened, I headed down the outside staircase.
Downstairs, the party was fully rocking. I'd never been to Levi's part of the house before and I wondered if it was always so dark, loud and smoky. Probably not. But Levi found me almost immediately and seemed happy to see me. We talked for quite a while, my spine pressed against the wall in the dining room while he braced his hand beside my face. It was so noisy, he had to lean close to my ear whenever he wanted to say something. It wasn't as intimate as it sounds. In fact, it didn't feel intimate at all. When he breathed against my ear nothing happened. Nothing. I couldn't help but compare my reaction to Levi to my feelings for Reason, which would have involved a definite haywire element. Levi was a nice guy but I couldn't stop thinking about the gargoyle upstairs.
In the middle of our discussion of art in engineering, one of Levi's roommates demanded his presence in the kitchen. I think they needed to start another keg and didn't know how to change the tap. Levi excused himself, saying he'd be right back. While I was waiting for him to take care of the keg, I noticed a big guy watching me from the living room. He seemed a little older than the rest of us. Like maybe grad student age. But he didn't look like a grad student. His hair was too short in the front and too long in the back. To be honest, he didn't look like he belonged there. His clothing and hair just didn't say Boulder or even College Student. And there was something creepy about the way he was watching me. When he got up and started in my direction, I decided to make a quick escape before he reached me. I slipped off to the bathroom, down the hall.
With the door locked behind me, I checked my makeup and tugged a brush through my hair then checked the time on my phone, wondering how long it took to install a tap on a keg and when I could safely return to the dining room. After a few more minutes, I turned and reached for the doorknob and opened the door. But before I could leave, someone pushed into the room.
The guy was big. Crazy big. Even linebacker big. It was the guy who'd been watching me earlier and I assumed he'd had too much of something. "Just let me get out of you way," I suggested cheerfully but firmly.
"You don't have to leave," he said with a sleazy grin that made my stomach lurch. He was so unattractive. I don't mean to be nasty but the guy could have used a shower. His medium brown hair fell to his collar, lank and dull. His wrinkled sweatshirt was brown and so were his pants. All in all, he looked like a greasy paper bag.
"I insist." I tried to laugh but the words came out a bit shaky.
"I insist you stay," he said, reaching for me.
I yelped and backed up but there was nowhere to go. And even fewer options after he locked the door behind him. Bagboy turned and lunged at me, crushing me against the wall, his hands moving behind me and grabbing places that I considered private stuff. He tried to kiss me but I turned my face and his lips slid across my cheek. It was horrible. And embarrassing. I felt like an idiot for letting myself get into a situation like that. I wasn't sure how far he would take it and I didn't want to make a big scene if he was just going to slobber on me. But I felt like screaming my head off.
"Leave me alone," I shouted as I struggled in his meaty grasp. "My boyfriend will be back here looking for me any minute now."
"This is only going to take a minute," he panted, his lips slithering over my cheek again as I twisted my face away from him.
I felt sick. And panicked. And for the first time in my life, I felt helpless. It wasn't a good feeling. I thought I was going to vomit. "Levi," I shouted while trying to downplay the drama. "I could use some help in here." But the music was so loud, I knew nobody would hear me. Getting desperate, I started fighting but I'm a ninety-eight pound weakling and he looked like a stunt double for the Incredible Hulk. My efforts only seemed to amuse him. By now I was pretty much screaming, but my cries were lost in the pounding of loud music…and the unexpected sound of rending wood.
The noise was terrifying. Looking over Bagboy's shoulder, I saw the bathroom door disappear and for a moment wondered if earthquakes were common in Colorado. Because the house seemed to be tearing itself apart. But the ground was firm beneath my feet and my assailant seemed unaware that the door behind him was gone.
A figure stood silhouetted in the doorframe. But it wasn't Levi. He was taller than Levi and more strongly built with wide shoulders and a leanly muscled frame. He wore a black leather vest above a pair of navy, pinstriped pajama pants, and his blue eyes blazed fiercely from beneath his dark eyebrows.
It was Reason. And he looked pissed.
Chapter Fourteen
One long step carried Reason into the bathroom. He grabbed Bagboy by the back of the neck and flung him through the doorway like a brown duffel bag. Honestly, I think the guy left the ground, all three hundred pounds of him. In the middle of the hallway, he tripped over something and fell backward, hitting the wall with a heavy thunk.
Awed, I stared up at Reason.
"Are you okay?" he asked as his fierce gaze swept me from head to toe.
But I didn't get a chance to answer. Getting his feet underneath him again, Bagboy surged back toward us, his lips curled in a menacing snarl, his fists balled up like huge mallets. He was coming back for more, only hesitating when he realized
what had tripped him up. It was the bathroom door, lying on its side in the hallway. The door had been torn from its hinges.
Yeah, Reason had ripped the door off the wall. It was way sexy.
Reason spun around to face the guy and knotted his long fingers in the front of his baggy sweatshirt. "Don't give me an excuse to pound your ass into the ground," he growled then slammed the guy into the wall again.
This time, Bagboy had the good sense to sulk away, his wide backside disappearing into the crowd that had gathered in the hall outside the bathroom. About a dozen kids were staring into the little room. I felt like I was in a fishbowl, and the loud music suddenly sounded harsh, scraping against my frayed nerves.
Reason's hands were still knotted into fists and I caught a glimpse of his barbs sliding back beneath his knuckles, disappearing out of sight. He must have been really riled. And that Bagboy didn't know how close he'd come to biting it. "Are you alright?" he shouted and scooped me protectively into his side.
"I'm fine," I said in a low voice, embarrassed and horrified. I rubbed my face where the guy's slimy kisses had slid across my skin. "I just want to get out of here."
Holding me tightly against his side, Reason pulled me through the bathroom door into the packed hallway. One glaring stare from those lake-blue eyes and the crowd in the hall parted like the friggin' Red Sea. I hid my face in his shoulder and let him steer me through the house, shielding me from contact as we made our way to the front door. Outside, the air was sharp and cold and cleansing. Gratefully, I sucked it in.
I don't remember climbing the stairs to the apartment but I know Reason never let go of me on the way up—harpies be damned. With his strong arm locked around me, he took me into our bathroom and lifted me to the counter. I wrapped my fingers around the edge of the counter and hung on, not sure what he was doing but content to let him call the shots. I was so mortified—even though it wasn't that big a deal. But I didn't want to talk about it. I was just so glad he wasn't asking me any questions.
The Greystone Bundle (Books 1-4) Page 50
