by Amy Sparling
The breeze carries the scent of a familiar cologne my way. I blink, breathing in the smell that makes my knees weak. Footsteps approach, a warm hand softly touches my lower back. Theo’s breath tickles my ear and my whole body lights up to the touch of his chest pressing against my back.
“There she is,” Theo whispers as his hands slide around my waist, the sensation sending tingles right down to my toes. “The most beautiful girl at the party.”
Chapter 16
I slide my hands on top of his. “Aren’t we just a charmer?” I say.
“I speak the truth.”
I look back at him, my lips pressed into a disbelieving line. “You are being a charmer, Theo. Look around. There’s famous women and supermodels here.”
“And I still stand by what I said.”
I roll my eyes, but heat fills my cheeks anyhow. Theo twists me around to face him. My butt leans against the concrete railing of the porch and I love the way his strong arms feel as they’re wrapped around me. I hold onto his shoulders and gaze into his eyes. They’re golden like the sunset from a few minutes ago.
“I don’t know why you like me so much,” I say, sliding my fingers through his hair. “But I’m glad you do.”
His smile is warm, and one little dimple appears in his left cheek. “What’s bothering you, love?”
I shrug. “Nothing.”
He narrows his eyes at me.
I sigh. “It’s really nothing…but if you have to know—”
“I have to know,” he interjects.
I roll my eyes. “I saw those beautiful women talking to you and Russell and it just—ugh, I don’t know. I know you’re not going to cheat on me right here or anything, and it’s not even about that—I just…”
Lines appear in his forehead and his hands grip me tighter. “You just what, Cara?”
I glance down at the front of his shirt. “I just feel inadequate.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Theo says, his eyes sparkling with a renewed energy. “Let’s go to my room. I’ll make you feel adequate, I promise.” He winks and all of my insides melt.
I know I’m blushing, but damn. I don’t even know what to think about an offer like that. I swallow. “Did you date those kinds of girls before you met me?”
“Nah,” he says, shaking his head. “Those girls aren’t my type.”
Something like a jealous monster takes over and I immediately want to tell him he’s lying, that every guy dates girls like that if given the opportunity. But Theo’s standing here, wrapped up in me, his gaze on mine like I’m the only person in the world who matters, and for some reason, I believe him. He wouldn’t lie to me about something like that. That’s just not like him.
“Okay,” I say, nodding. “Sorry I asked.”
“You’re welcome to ask anything you want, love. But I’m going to ask once again that you come back to my room with me.”
He pulls my hips against his and kisses me so hard I can’t breathe for a second. “Please?” he whispers against my lips.
“How could a girl say no to that?” I say breathily. My heart is rushing a mile a minute now, all worries and jealousies are fading fast now that Theo’s giving me that hungry look of desire.
He kisses me quickly. “Let’s go.”
I hold his hand as we weave back through the party guests, toward the house. I wave at Riley when we slip past the pool but I’m not even sure she saw me because she’s having fun in the water. I’m immensely relieved that Riley has found a way to enjoy her time here without me. I feel terrible ditching her all the time for Theo, even though she claims she doesn’t mind. Maybe she really doesn’t. She’s always been the more independent one of this friendship.
Inside, the music from the party is dulled. Not many people hang out in here, so Theo and I are alone as we make our way to the grand staircase. Now that the party noise is dulled, and I can smell Theo’s cologne, hear our footsteps as we go up the stairs, I start wondering what exactly he has in mind when we get to his room. A thrill of excitement rushes through me as I realize I’m ready for anything. As long as I’m with Theo.
We turn the corner and make our way into the long hallway of rooms where the guys live. There’s an excitement, a charged energy that flickers between the two of us. I can’t wait to get into his room and wrap myself up in his arms.
I’m grinning at Theo as we walk, so I don’t see when a figure steps out from nowhere. Theo’s gaze hardens. I look forward and find Alexo, dressed in a sleek black suit. His black leather shoes are so shiny you could see your reflection in them. His dark hair is slicked back, resting on his shoulders.
“Theo, there you are.” Alexo’s voice is cold and calculating. Theo freezes. “I’m afraid I need you to come with me,” Alexo says, but his expression anything but regretful.
“Sure,” Theo says, dropping my hand. If he’s upset, he’s hiding it well.
Alexo’s piercing gaze turns to me. “Don’t you worry, Cara.” His eyes flash as he smiles. “I will bring him back in one piece.”
Chapter 17
I can’t believe I once thought that dating was hard in high school. I remember lamenting to Riley about how much guys sucked back then. I’d finally like some guy who liked me back, and then I’d spend hours and hours waiting for him to text me hello or even acknowledge that I existed. High school guys were always promising they’d call you and then forgetting. I spent so many nights lying awake in bed, cell phone clutched to my hand, as I waited for something from a guy.
Now that I’m dating an immortal and living in a mansion, those old high school dating days seem so easy. I would love it if Theo had just forgotten to call me. As it is, an entire night and morning goes by and I haven’t heard a word from him just because he’s lazy like one of those high school guys. Instead, I didn’t hear from him all night and I know it’s not because he’s forgetful, it’s because he’s with Alexo.
The suspense is killing me. Alexo’s expressions are so hard to read. He always looks like he’s up to something, and at the same time he looks like he knows what you’re up to as well. I tell Riley exactly what I know about the situation—that Alexo showed up and requested Theo’s presence last night. I can tell her that part in our bedrooms because there’s nothing secret about it. I can also tell her how much it bothers me and how much I miss Theo and how I hate that he hasn’t called or texted me yet.
But as long as we’re in this house, I can’t tell her the truly important stuff, like Theo’s epic clan secret and his real reason for joining this one. It’s too much to write down, and since it’s such a huge betrayal of the Rosewater clan, I don’t even want to write it in this house. No, this is the kind of thing we have to talk about far, far away from the mansion.
I ask Riley to stay in my room tonight because I’m driving myself crazy with worry. Once again, she showcases how great of a best friend she is by ordering ice cream and freshly baked brownies from the kitchen. We eat and watch movies and Riley tries to comfort me, but it’s not working.
“They’re probably off doing some business stuff or whatever,” Riley says as she digs her spoon into a pint of rocky road ice cream. “The guys have to work a lot to be as rich as they are.”
“Something tells me this isn’t work related,” I mutter as I stab at my ice cream until it’s mushy and more like a milkshake.
“Do we need to talk about this?” Riley whispers, her brows pulling together.
I nod.
“Do you know something?” she says, her voice so impossibly quiet that I have to read her lips to fully comprehend. I nod again.
“Let’s go get breakfast in the morning,” I say. “There’s this cute diner in town that serves chocolate chip pancakes.”
“Cool,” Riley says casually just in case anyone is listening in. “There’s nothing I love more than ending a night with sugar and then starting the next morning with sugar.”
***
Riley is entirely too on board with my idea of taking t
he Ninja to the café the next morning. I mean, I was mostly kidding myself when I said it. We should have our personal driver take us, because that would be the safest, most reasonable option.
But the hot pink motorcycle in the garage is calling my name.
“Do you know how to get there?” Riley asks.
“Yeah, it’s literally just down that road about twenty minutes.” It’s the same café Theo took me to, and it’s pretty much the only place I know how to get to. I check the time on my phone, trying not to count the hours up in my head. Let’s just say it’s been a long time since Theo left with Alexo. Riley grabs both helmets off the shelf and hands one to me. “I trust you, bestie. Let’s take this bad boy for a spin.”
“She’s a girl,” I say, patting the motorcycle on the gas tank.
“My bad.” Riley pulls the helmet over her head. “Let’s take this bad girl for a spin.”
“Okay, that just sounds dirty,” I say with a laugh.
I push the bike out into the driveway and then crank the engine. It roars to life, sounding like it’s just as excited as I am to go for a ride today. Nervous energy stabs at my insides, but it’s quickly overpowered with adrenaline. Riley climbs on the bike behind me and we take off, slow and steady at first.
Once we’re on the main road, we fly around the curves and the bike practically drives itself. There’s no cars on the road, another luxury of living in the middle of nowhere, so the ride is painless and exhilarating. I get a little nervous when we pull into the gravel parking lot at the café because Theo had warned me that gravel and motorcycles don’t go well together. But I drive slowly, creeping along until I’m in a parking spot up front.
“That was so much fun,” Riley says, pulling off her helmet. “I want a bike now.”
“You should get one,” I say, tucking my helmet under my arm. “Then we could be badass biker chicks together.”
The café door jingles as we walk inside. Three older men in a booth are watching us. “Damn girl,” one of them says. “You’re pretty good lookin’ for a biker babe.”
“Y’all two lesbians?” the other one says, lifting an eyebrow curiously.
“That is none of your business,” Riley snaps at him as we walk by.
I suppress a shudder. Those creepy old men have nothing better to do than check out two freaking teenage girls. Ugh.
Our waitress is the same one from when I was here with Theo, but she doesn’t seem like she recognizes me. She is considerate though, and seats us at a booth on the opposite side of the restaurant from those creeper men.
“Okay, it’s time to spill,” Riley says, flattening her hands on the red table in front of us. “What’s going on to make you so freaked out?”
“For starters, Theo is betraying the clan,” I say quietly. We’re far away from Alexo’s prying ears, but I still don’t like talking very loudly about these matters.
Riley’s eyes go wide. “What the hell does that mean?”
We order lunch and I explain everything I know to her, about how Theo came from Embrook and he’s here specifically to spy on Alexo and find out who’s really in charge.
“That makes sense,” Riley says, nodding while she picks at her BLT. “If you’re in charge of an immortal clan, you’d be smart to make sure no one knows who you are.”
“It’s weird though, because apparently, the other clans are all very much in the open about who they are. The leaders know and respect each other.”
“Theo said Rosewater was a baby clan?” she asks as she dips a fry into ketchup.
“Just a couple centuries old, which is apparently a baby clan,” I say with a snort. “They’re screwing up the order of things. Plus, there’s only a finite number of bracelets and so you can’t just go creating new immortals all willy-nilly.”
“So someone started a new clan and had enough bracelets for…” Riley counts on her fingers. “Like six people to become immortal.” She leans forward. “So where did they get the bracelets?”
I shrug. “That’s the issue. Where did this clan come from and what’s their end game? Theo has to find out who controls Alexo and he’s doing it all secretly while pretending he had a fall out with his old clan and he joined Rosewater for real.”
“So that’s why you’re worried about Theo,” Riley says, a somber expression on her face. “If Alexo found out that Theo’s lying to him, he’ll be pissed.”
“He’ll be more than pissed,” I say. The knot in my stomach tightens. “I don’t even want to think about what would happen.”
Riley gently kicks my foot under the table. “Hey, it’ll be okay. Theo’s smart and he knows what he’s doing.” She shakes her head. “Hopefully he also knows how to fix us,” she says sarcastically as she stares at the immortality bracelet on her wrist. “Now he has two missions and, not to sound like a bitch, but only one of those missions saves our lives, so…I hope he gets on that soon.”
“Oh my God.” I sit a little straighter in the booth. “Oh my God.”
Riley holds a fry in the air, lifting one eyebrow at me. “What is it?”
“I have an idea.” I chew on my bottom lip as I think. “Theo has two missions. One of them is his real mission and the other one he took on to save us—”
“You’re just saying things I already know,” Riley says, rolling her eyes.
“Shut up, I’m getting to something here.” I take a deep breath as the ideas roll around in my head, making me excited and scared and giddy all at the same time. “Why don’t we take away one of Theo’s missions? That way he can focus on the important one.”
“The important one is saving us, right?”
I nod. “Theo has to find out who’s in charge of Alexo and the clan, but he can’t do it if he’s pretending that he’s loyal to the clan.” I lace my fingers together and stare at Riley. “So we’ll do it for him.”
Riley’s eyebrow stays lifted. “We’ll spy on Alexo?”
“Yes.” When she puts it that way, it’s kind of a terrifying thought.
“But we’re already translating a book to try and save ourselves.”
“Trust me, I haven’t forgotten,” I say, exhaling. “We’re getting nowhere with the book translation. We should help Theo find out more about Alexo.”
Riley sighs and gives me this sad look. “Cara, I don’t know. We’re already risking a lot by translating the book, and now we’re supposed to risk even more by spying on Alexo?”
“Don’t call it spying,” I say. “Maybe it’s as easy as you flirting with Kyle, and maybe ask him if there’s other members of the group, maybe get him to spill something.”
Riley shakes her head. “Kyle’s a vault. He never talks about the clan, like ever. I figured it’s because he doesn’t want any details to slip that will let me know about the immortality thing, since he thinks we don’t know.”
I start to object but Riley stops me. “Cara. Our number one mission is to get these fucking bracelets off of us, and survive while doing it.” I look at my bracelet while she talks, and I know she’s right. She puts a hand on mine. “Theo can do his own thing with Alexo, but right now we should focus on the bracelets and translating the book. Honestly, now that I know Theo has another mission to worry about, I think it’s even more important that we find a way to take off these bracelets ourselves.”
I look up and find Riley’s eyes pleading with mine. “The prince doesn’t always swoop in and save the princess, you know. I mean, I trust Theo and I like him, but if he’s preoccupied with his other mission then we can’t trust he’ll also fix this one. Sometimes the princess has to save herself.”
My throat feels like it’s full of cotton balls. I nod. “And sometimes the princess has to save everyone. You keep working on the book. I’ll spy on Alexo.”
Chapter 18
At some point, you’d think I’d get used to going hours and hours without hearing from Theo. You’d think I’d learn to go on with my life and stop clutching my cell phone, taking it with me everywhere—ev
en the bathroom—on the off chance that I might hear from him.
You would think that. But you’d be wrong.
This isn’t some jealousy issue, or a case of me being a clingy girlfriend. The fact is, Alexo “borrowed” Theo two days ago, and he’s still not back. I know I can’t get texts or calls from Theo while he’s with Alexo, so every minute that passes with radio silence from him is a moment I worry about his well-being. What if Alexo found out Theo’s a double agent?
What if Theo’s being tortured at this very moment?
What if I’m just making this all up in my head and Theo’s totally fine? A girl can dream.
Now that it’s Riley’s personal mission to translate the book, I didn’t see her for the rest of the day yesterday. She’s being stubborn, locking herself in her room to translate ancient Greek, and trying to make me feel bad for wanting to work on something else. I get where she’s coming from, but I also feel that what I’m doing is right as well.
Well, what I plan on doing. I stayed up all night trying to figure out how to spy on Alexo, which is not only hard on a normal day, it’s impossible since he’s not at the mansion right now.
In the morning, I slip my phone into my back pocket just in case Theo calls, and I head down to the kitchen for some cereal. The smell of coffee lets me know I’m not the only one awake at seven in the morning, but I don’t expect to see so many people here.
Kyle, Russell, and Henry are all sitting at the bar stools at the kitchen counter, drinking coffee and chatting with the chef who is cooking bacon and eggs. They all turn to me, weird looks on their faces like maybe they were expecting me.
But when they see it’s just me, they turn back around.
“Good morning,” I say, trying to act like that wasn’t weird.
“Morning,” Kyle says, flashing me a bright smile. “The coffee is great today. Chef added cinnamon to it.”
