The Order of the Elements 01 - Breaking Point
Page 51
The emptiness was gone from her eyes, and he knew she wasn’t in his head anymore. “Okay…okay…well…what do you have…to…to…tell me?” she stuttered.
Dorian didn’t even answer. What was he going to say? He leaned down, closer to her face, and he felt her shallow, quick breath on his skin. Before he could doubt his decision anymore, he closed the last couple of inches between them and brushed his lips softly to hers.
Her breathing stopped altogether and then a shock rocked all the way through her body, and she cried out in pain. He was too late. He felt his heart and stomach drop in disappointment.
She stumbled back from him for a few steps and tried to catch her breath. “What are you doing? Is that your secret—that you’re going to shock me to death?”
He watched her clutch at her chest as her breathing slowly evened out. She had anger and betrayal in her eyes. Despair, so tangible he could taste it, filled the air. Why? Why did this have to happen? Why did he put this off for so long? He could have had her. Now, because he was too incredibly slow at figuring out that he could no longer live without her, he might never have her.
“No, wait. It’s not like that. It’s something else. I need to know what you talked to Hector about,” he said, wishing he could reach out to her.
Why did it have to be him? Of all the people in this entire world, why him? Dorian knew it would happen, sooner or later. As Masters, they got all of the good and all of the bad. It was only a matter of time before this happened. But why on earth did it have to be him!
Her eyes became guarded and distrustful. “What? Why?”
Dorian sighed. “I’m not trying to hurt you. Think about it. When that happened, did it feel like I had done anything to you?”
Her eyes widened as she thought it over. “Not really. It felt like something was trying to tear me in half, though. What’s happening?”
“Please, just tell me what you were talking to Hector about. It’s important.”
Her shoulders fell, and she bit her lip. “We were talking about how he got out of the cave.”
“And…?” he pressed.
“Okay, fine. Ethan didn’t override his talent or anything like that. He wasn’t even using it at the time, or now. He got over his…trust issues.” She started fidgeting.
He already knew what was coming. It was the only way this could have happened. “And who did he get over those trust issues with?”
She glared at him before realizing he already knew the answer and was just trying to get her to admit it. “Me. He’s the one who brought me back, and now he can’t figure out how he feels about that.”
He nodded as new pain of loss filled him. “And he’s considering that he might care about you as more than a friend.” He didn’t need to phrase it as a question. He already knew the answer.
“Yes. But he doesn’t know for sure, and I wouldn’t try to find out for him because I don’t want to know. I just want him to be my friend. Now, what is going on?”
He didn’t notice that she’d reached out for his hand until the skin brushed his, and she pulled it away suddenly like she had been burned. “Ouch! Dorian, please, what’s wrong?”
He sighed again and tried not to let her see that he was in pain. “Why don’t we just sit down here? It’s time I told you everything.”
Acknowledgments
Always first, I have to say thank you to my kids who led me to writing again on the many sleepless nights I stayed up with them, and to my family for putting up with all my neurosis and late nights when it came to writing this book. Thanks for not killing me through it all.
To Bev, Cindy, Jenny, Coreen, and everyone else at Omnific who made this book possible and gave it all the spit and polish. Your time and patience means more than I can put into words. The fact that you all made me blush with compliments on Breaking Point was just the icing on the cake. And I love cake.
To my friends, who asked a thousand times when the book was coming out, including those who say they don't read but will just to read this one, you're all the greatest, and this book would have gone nowhere without you all.
To Spencer Bell, a man who left this world too early but left behind music, writing, and a legacy that continually inspires me---thank you for living a unique life full of passion and creativity that continues to spread in your absence and raises awareness about adrenal cancer.
Lastly, to you, dear reader, for reading this book. Whether you liked it, loved it, or hated it, I'll be forever thankful you gave it a chance.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Strange
2. Story
3. Portal
4. Introductions
5. Lack of Information
6. Unexpected
7. Birthday Celebration
8. Monster
9. Pool
10. Secret
11. Orientation
12. Recount
13. Jade
14. Frustrated
15. Impossible
16. Connection
17. Blocked
18. Drained
19. Pushed
20. Burning
21. Expectations
22. Wrong
23. Coma
24. Realization
25. Meeting
26. Memory
27. Impressed
28. Impenetrable
29. Dressed
30. Frozen
31. Protect
32. Empty
33. Dream
34. Convince
35. Running
36. Flying
37. Easy
38. Found
39. Caught
40. New
41. Perspective
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Strange
2. Story
3. Portal
4. Introductions
5. Lack of Information
6. Unexpected
7. Birthday Celebration
8. Monster
9. Pool
10. Secret
11. Orientation
12. Recount
13. Jade
14. Frustrated
15. Impossible
16. Connection
17. Blocked
18. Drained
19. Pushed
20. Burning
21. Expectations
22. Wrong
23. Coma
24. Realization
25. Meeting
26. Memory
27. Impressed
28. Impenetrable
29. Dressed
30. Frozen
31. Protect
32. Empty
33. Dream
34. Convince
35. Running
36. Flying
37. Easy
38. Found
39. Caught
40. New
41. Perspective
Epilogue
Acknowledgments