by K. K. Allen
I raise an eyebrow at him. “I’ve never seen either of you two act that way. Exchanging words is one thing, but using your magic on each other? That was dangerous.”
He looks down and frowns. “I know.”
I nudge him now. “I’m not trying to lecture you. I thought I’d be the one apologizing to you after everything that happened.”
There are questions in his eyes, but I can tell he’s holding them back. “This isn’t easy for me. Letting you go, I mean. But I promise I’ll handle it better from now on. If he makes you happy then I’m cool with him.”
I’m about to thank him, but he’s not done. “If he leaves again, Kat, I’ll kill him. You know that, right?”
I frown. As much as I know Alec will never kill anyone, it’s not a phrase I want to hear right now. “I trust him, Alec. I don’t think he could do that again.” This is as much as I want to say, so I change the subject. “And you. You deserve the best girlfriend in the world who is completely and utterly devoted to you.” I don’t mean Khloe exactly, but I can tell he’s already into her by the way his eyes move across the field, searching for her.
I can tell I’ve just made him uncomfortable, so I laugh. “I know I had issues with Khloe, but I think she really cares about you, which means I like her.”
His eyes shift back to me but don’t meet mine. He ignores my mention of Khloe and turns the conversation to a much darker topic. “How are you holding up? You’ve got to be going through a lot, what with Erebus and his threats …”
I shrug to let him know I’m okay with his questions. “I’m just taking it one day at a time, and today is a good day, so that’s what I’m focusing on right now.” I give him my brightest smile.
He smiles back, and I hope we’ve broken through a barrier. It doesn’t change what’s going on around us, but at least Alec won’t be starting anymore energy explosions with Johnny.
As the clouds clear and the moon illuminates Summer Island, my heart soars when my phone buzzes with a text.
Johnny: Near the entrance. Meet me here?
I separate from my friends, who barely notice me walk away as they weave themselves through the main stage crowd. A dreamy sight stands at the street entrance of the festival. He’s leaning against one of the poles that holds the New Year’s Eve banner with crossed arms and smiling eyes. If he wasn’t already mine, I would wish he were.
“Hey, handsome,” I grin, unable to hide my obvious giddiness. I slip my arms around his waist, lock my fingers together, and look up at him.
He smiles back, the skin around his eyes crinkling with a mixture of age and sun. I like knowing he’s smiled enough in his life to cause these lines, because he definitely doesn’t do it enough now. “Hi, beautiful.”
“So, what does one do at a New Year’s Eve Festival?” he asks, tipping his head down.
I stand on my tip-toes so our lips are barely touching and brush my nose with his. “We can find out together.” I press my lips to his to make him feel the way he makes me feel—wanted, loved, and ridiculously happy.
We explore the festival. It’s the first time all day I really take it all in: the food, the music, the games, the art. I’m enjoying it all with Johnny atop my puffy white cloud of bliss. He barely releases my hand the entire night. If he does, it’s to rub my back or swing his arm around my shoulders.
I love these normal moments with him. They seem so few and far between that I want to bottle them up and quarantine them so there’s no possible way of escaping, no matter what happens.
“Is this our first date?” I tease him as he watches me tug apart a fluffy ball of pink and blue cotton candy.
“Nah. I have a better idea for that.”
My smile is brilliant as I look back up at him. “You’ve thought about it?”
He doesn’t look at me, but his bashful smile tells me everything. The rose-colored flush of his cheeks is almost too much. I pull him closer, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Well.”
He cocks his head to the side, amused. “Well, what?”
“I’m ready for you to ask me on our date. Are you afraid I’ll say no?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “No, Kat. I’m not afraid you’ll say no. I just haven’t asked yet.”
I think my pout is too much because his eyes darken and he brings his mouth to my ear, tickling it with each breath. “I have something planned for us tonight. A surprise, so don’t ask me what it is. Will you go on a date with me tonight?”
I’m not sure I can speak. You need air in your lungs to speak, and right now, I haven’t an ounce. I manage a nod.
When he pulls away, he’s smiling and towing me to the dance floor and wrapping me in his arms. The way Johnny looks as if he’s about to devour me with his eyes holds me prisoner to his embrace. Luckily it’s a slow song, because I’m certain my legs are incapable of moving to anything faster.
We have an hour before the midnight countdown begins when he surprises me by weaving me through the crowd. “I’ll be right back,” he says.
He pulls my father aside and they talk, or maybe they argue; I can’t tell exactly. Their conversation is blocked from my senses. Johnny must have known I’d try to listen in.
Eventually, Johnny shakes my father’s hand and they walk over to me. “I got the all clear,” he winks.
My dad pulls me into his arms. “I guess I won’t be giving my daughter a kiss at midnight. So, how about breakfast tomorrow instead?”
I blush at the reference to Johnny kissing me at midnight. Of course that will happen. At least I hope that’s on the agenda, but I don’t need my father hinting at it. “Breakfast sounds perfect.”
“Johnny is under strict orders to return you by one a.m. Now you’re both under strict orders.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Thank you, Paul. You have my word.” Johnny tugs on my hand. “You ready?”
I nod and let him pull me away, but we’re not moving toward the exit of Summer Island, so I’m confused. We reach the back side of the island where the clearing leads to my treehouse.
“What are we doing?”
“You’ll see, pretty girl. Come.”
He encourages me to move forward with a commanding tone and a tug of my hand. Why do I find his orders so attractive? There was a time I was negatively affected by his intensity. But now … I crave it.
It doesn’t take long to figure it out on my own. He’s taking me to my treehouse for New Year’s Eve. How sweet.
“You trying to get me alone, Mr. Pierce?”
His lips twitch as if he’s suppressing a smile, but he doesn’t look at me or say a word.
“What could you have possibly said to my father to let him agree to get me alone in this treehouse at midnight?”
“It wasn’t easy; I’ll tell you that much.” He steers me through a thicket of branches until we land on the trail. This part of the island has no light except for that which comes from the moon and stars. It’s simply breathtaking to be out here at this time of night. Even the sound of the woods is a unique soundtrack that makes me feel as if we’re away from the world and secluded on our own small island, just the two of us. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
We reach the treehouse, and Johnny motions for me climb the stairs first. Once we reach the main platform, he smiles at me and points to a rope ladder on the side of the treehouse that leads to the roof. Where did that come from?
“Come.” He pulls me toward the rope, but this time he goes first. I follow him, allowing him to pull me up once I reach the roof. That’s when I see it. Our date.
Roses and candles are scattered among an arrangement of blankets and pillows. There’s an offering of cheese and fruit and a photo frame holding an image of the two of us in masks, staring longingly at each other. I gasp and reach for it.
“How did you get this?” I run my hands along the metal frame and try to remember that moment … seeing him again. The timing may have been awful, but it was something I’d been dre
aming of for sixteen months. That moment was packaged with overwhelming relief, sadness, confusion, anger, and happiness, all wrapped up into one memory I never want to forget.
“Arabella took a few and gave them to me. She said if I chose to show you, it meant I was sticking around, because these memories can only be good if they are followed by good choices. If nothing I’ve done up until now can prove that I’m here to stay because of you, then hopefully this will.”
“Arabella, huh?” Somehow the fact that she had something to do with this makes my heart happy.
Johnny tilts his head in question. “What do you mean by that?”
I’ve been able to secretly hold onto these insecurities about Arabella and Johnny the entire time he’s been away, but it’s time to let them go. “When you and Arabella argue it makes me wonder where that anger comes from, that’s all.”
My attempt to downplay my true insecurities fail. Johnny pulls me to his chest, tilting my chin up to look at him. “Whatever is in that crazy head of yours, get it out. Arabella is like a sister to me. She’s annoying, nosy, and much too fiery for my taste. I prefer stubborn, innocent, semi-fiery nature-lovers,” he says with a grin, trying to lighten the mood. It works.
I’m smiling now as I lift my eyes to meet his. “This is the best possible present you could have ever given me. When you came back …” My words are having trouble making their way past the lump in my throat.
“I know.” He wraps his arms around me and lays his chin on my head, sighing deeply. “There were so many nights on the yacht where I’d gaze up at the stars and pray one day you would forgive me. I never want to look at the stars again without you in my arms.
We lie on the blankets beneath the stars, my body wrapped up tightly around him, leg hitched up over his, and an arm draped across his chest.
As one year flows into another, sounds of celebration echo through the night, but they’re drowned out by our heartbeats and our voices wishing each other a happy New Year. He kisses me softly before laying his cheek on my heart and wrapping his arms around me tightly.
“Kat.”
I feel him breathe.
When his eyes meet mine it’s like a wave crashes into me, soaking through every pore of my skin. Although I’ve had a deep connection with Johnny since the first day I laid eyes on him, up until now I haven’t felt this. Trust, hope, depth, love.
Love.
I want to love Johnny Pierce with every breath, every vital organ in my body, and so much more.
“I have fallen madly, deeply, and totally in love with you, Katrina Summer.”
His words knock the air straight from my lungs, and it takes a second to remember how to breathe again.
Oh. My. Johnny.
“I’m in love with you too, Johnny Pierce.”
Chapter Twenty
The Apollo Beach Energy Plant is bigger than I remember, and the smokestacks don’t appear to blow smoke at all. I realize now my eyes were only seeing things the way I thought they should appear rather than the reality. I see everything clearly now, even in the pitch black of night.
After hearing Johnny’s story and releasing the darkness from Brent’s body, my eyes register the world with new intelligence and fills me with newfound determination. How could I have completely missed this before? The Apollo Beach Energy Plant is a Solstice energy plant, which means Johnny was right—all coastal energy plants must be connected. But if this is the energy source, what more does Erebus want to know?
Although I’m closer to the truth than before, I’m more confused than ever. I take Johnny’s keycard from my back pocket and slide it through. Access granted, the machine reads, unlatching the door to the building. Slipping the keycard back into my pocket, I try to shake off my betrayal.
Our night together was a dream, one I want to remember forever. But the moment Johnny realizes I stole his access card, he might be furious. Okay, he will be furious. There’s no question I completely betrayed his trust the first moment an opportunity presented itself. It was never my plan to steal it, but when he left me on the rooftop to put our food away, I saw that his keycard had fallen out. Immediately, I knew I couldn’t wait to convince anyone to grant me access to the plant on my own. I waited until everyone was asleep before I fled Summer Estate.
As soon as I enter the cold, empty hallways, I want to turn and run. It’s too quiet. What good will being here do if no one is around? Dr. Floros wants me to see Circe, and I know I can most likely find her working in the lab, but at two a.m.? Even crazy chemists need their sleep.
I’m walking the halls aimlessly while debating going home for the night and figuring things out in the morning when I hear a door slam and fast footsteps approaching.
“Kat! Where are you?”
I whip my body around to face him just as he rounds the corner. Guilt spreads through me like hungry vines. His expression goes from incomprehensible worry to relief, but it doesn’t stop there. He’s barreling toward me, a look of anger taking over, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so afraid of him.
Taking a few steps back, I hold out my hands to block him from nearing me. “Wait, Johnny. I’m sorry, let me explain.”
He approaches and pulls me toward him, staring down into my eyes. “Are you playing me, Katrina?”
Why is he using my full name? I feel sick. I shake my head. “No! I knew you wouldn’t bring me here. Dr. Floros left me a note telling me to come here. I’m here to talk to Circe—the crazy chemist—that’s it.”
“You realize Erebus frequents this place, right? I’ve told you that. How could you be so completely reckless? Sometimes I do not understand you. You think Erebus will just let you walk away the next time he sees you? No, Kat. He’ll find a way to rip that pendant from your wrist, and then he’ll possess you.”
I push Johnny away, trying to keep the tears at bay, but he’s so angry. “Stop, I know. Okay?”
He pulls me toward him again, but this time he hugs me. “For the record, I would have helped you get to Circe because I know if I denied you, you would have tried a stupid stunt like this. You don’t get to lie to me, Katrina Summer. We’re stronger than that.”
“You’re right.” My voice is so weak. “I’m sorry, Johnny.”
He buries his head in the hair at the base of my neck. “I was a wreck when I realized what you did. A guard had to let me in. Just talk to me, babe. I’m on your side in all of this.”
Clearly, Johnny is the best possible human being, and I’m the lowest form of scum on the planet. He’s right. I should have talked to him first instead of putting him in this position.
“Will you help me find Circe? I’m guessing she works in the lab.” I can’t even look him in the eyes, but he nudges my chin with his hands, forcing me to.
“Yes, I will. But tell me one thing. Why are you so stubborn?” His eyes narrow, and his grip tightens around me. “You think if you get this information Erebus will just let you go? He won’t, Kat. He’ll still drain you from the inside out, and then he’ll come for the rest of us, or he’ll use you to come after the rest of us. We can find another way that doesn’t involve you putting yourself in danger.”
It doesn’t matter how much I plead with Johnny. He’s only focused on my safety and not on the broader issue.
“You’re killing me, Kat. You’re asking me to help you give Erebus exactly what our ancestors have been hiding for centuries. Why do you think you’re strong enough to carry the weight of that?” His eyes are dark and weighted with worry.
I understand everything he’s saying, but given our ancestor’s history, giving up doesn’t leave much hope for our future. We might as well accept death.
I swipe my thumb beneath his eye, hoping to rub the spark back into them. “I love you so much, and you love me too. You love me so much that you’re going to help me do what needs to be done because you trust me. We have one more day until Erebus comes for me. If I don’t have what he wants then I’m dead, like you said. Just help me find Circe and
we’ll see what she has to say. Then we can talk about what to do next … together.”
He crumbles above me. His eyes give in first, and then his entire strength relaxes into me as he presses his forehead into mine. Our arms are melded together as if made for each other. We are made for each other.
“Okay, Kat. You win.”
His lips claim mine as if for the last time, like he’s still trying to relish every piece of me. My response mirrors his. With this kiss, I want to promise him that nothing will happen to me—that our forever hasn’t yet begun. But I know better than to make promises I can’t keep.
The sound of a door opening forces us apart. We turn toward the noise in unison. A short woman in a white lab coat and a pure black Medusa hairstyle—without the snakes—greets us with a hostile hand motion, waving us inside. “What are you two waiting for? I’ve been expecting you.”
Her voice is low, gruff, as if she’s been chain-smoking for the past two centuries. Every movement she makes seems dramatized, like her hair, but I assume this is just her personality. She looks around wildly as if she knows she’s breaking the rules.
We follow her and wait for her to face us. “How did you know we’d be here?” I ask.
As I’m asking this question, I’m also taking in the room around me. Every time I thought of the crazy chemist, I pictured a chemistry lab, filled with test tubes containing colorful mixtures, and a chalkboard plastered with, to a Normal’s eye, illegible formulas. What I actually see is much different. The room is set up like a factory, with conveyor belts, machines, and clear, glass silos that hold the same substance that blows from the smokestacks. Solstice energy.
The woman grins. “I’ve been waiting a very long time to meet you, Katrina. Seventeen years, to be exact.” She takes a few feet forward to examine me, whipping her head from high to low. When she nears my neck I swear she sniffs, making me halt instantly.
