A Man of Honor (A Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (The Honor Trilogy)

by Grider, J. P.

  “I really don’t know. I think he was trying to do what Honor wanted.”

  “Honor wanted to dump it?” Tamlin shakes her head.

  “Yeah.” I sigh. “She didn’t want it to get into the wrong hands.” I ponder this a moment. Was he just trying to do right by Honor? “Anyway, it’s gone, and I’m trying to concoct a new elixir.”

  Tamlin’s hand flies to her chest. “You know how to make an immortal elixir?”

  “I think all that dye and bleach on your head has seeped into your brain. No. I do not know how to make an immortal elixir. I’m faking it…to fool them.”

  It’s cute how her head jerks back in laughter. “Oh,” she continues cracking up, “I was gonna say…”

  “Anyway…I need to make it at least seem real. I’m sure they’ll test it.” Squeezing the bridge of my nose, I realize how tense I am. The thought that I may not pull this off leaves me on edge. There’s not much time to do this, yet for me, time moves backwards – like in a dream when you’re trying to run but you can’t get your legs to move.

  “Storm.” Tamlin nudges my elbow, and I drop my hand to the table. “You look worried. You think it’s not gonna work?”

  We stare into each other’s eyes, and she reads the truth – no, I do not think this will work. But Honor’s life depends on it, so I need to make it work.

  Tamlin pushes away from the table and slowly approaches me. Standing behind me, her hands feel cool on my neck. Her firm touch begins to ease the tightness there. In slow circular movements, her thumbs press the knots I wasn’t aware I had. I take a breath and inhale. It feels so good. As she continues massaging my neck and shoulders, I drop my head forward, encouraging her to continue. A guttural groan escapes my throat, and I realize I’m enjoying Tamlin’s touch. Again.

  Her hands slip underneath the front collar of my shirt, and her fingertips play with the hair on my chest. I caress the back of her hand and stand up. Still touching her hand, I turn to face her and lift my other hand to her face. Her lips taste like cherries, and at the same time she kisses me, her hands fall to the hem of my shirt. She lifts it over my head then continues running her hands over my chest.

  She tastes so good, I don’t want to stop. As her hands slide to my back, warm tingles flutter over my skin. Though I’m afraid to lead her on, I press my body closer to hers. Her hips grind into mine, and I’m unsure if she’s sending out signals to do what I think she wants to do. Her shirt slides off easily. After tossing it on the floor, I wrap my arms around her back and push her gently toward the couch, not breaking lip contact as I do so.

  Tamlin falls to the couch and scooches herself against the arm. She lifts her legs, wraps them around my waist and pulls me down on top of her. My hips dance on top of hers, but when I move my lips to kiss her neck, I get a glimpse of the joy I see on her face. Despite the fact that her eyes are closed, ecstasy shows in her cheeks. With an abrupt stop, I get up and sit on the other end of the couch. She opens her eyes and licks her lips.

  “What is it?” she asks, understandably confused.

  “We’re going too fast. I think we need to slow it down a bit,” I lie.

  “Storm.” She sits up and moves next to me, placing her hand on my knee. “You’re twenty-two years old. Surely you’ve done this before.”

  I snap my head towards her. “Of course I have,” I lie again. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea. With us. Not yet.”

  I see disappointment sweep across her face.

  “I’m not saying ever,” I do like Tamlin. I’m just not sure how much. “Just…right now. Let me sort all this stuff out first, then maybe…”

  “You mean…get over Honor? Then I’ll have a chance?”

  A huge sigh escapes from my throat this time. “Something like that.”

  She nudges me with her elbow. “Okay, but just don’t take too long. I won’t wait forever.”

  I look at her, smile, and drape my arm around her, pulling her into me. “Why are you so cool? There aren’t many girls like you around.” And I mean it this time. Tamlin is cool. Maybe if I could get over Honor, she and I would have a chance.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After a restless night’s sleep, I drag myself to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Even the lazy energy of a Saturday morning is lost on me. I can’t enjoy it, knowing what’s ahead today. Concocting some freakin’ elixir. With Ethan’s blood. It just doesn’t sit well in my gut. I want nothing to do with the guy, yet I need him. I need him to help his girlfriend, whom I love. Sometimes I want to throw up my hands to this whole thing, grab Honor, and take off. But she would never go for that. Not only would she never leave her parents, she’d probably never leave Ethan. Which sucks. For me.

  As I sip my coffee, I contemplate running over to Honor’s and declaring my love for her. Of course, my flippin’ brother lives with her now. Like he needs to be there. He thinks he’s protecting her? No. Sleeping in Honor’s guest room is not protecting. Coming up with a solution to this messed up elixir issue is protecting her. She wouldn’t even need protecting if he didn’t dump the original.

  Coffee splatters everywhere when I slam it down on the table. Sitting here feeling sorry for myself is getting me nowhere. After wiping the coffee mess off the table, I gather the stuff I bought yesterday and lay it all out in front of me.

  The pot I use for boiling my ramen noodles is the biggest pot I own, so I pour the spring water I got from the running stream on Berkshire Valley into it. One by one, I add all the ingredients, leaving the deer antler tincture and turkey tail for last, like the website instructed. The elixir base smells horrid, but I can only imagine the stench once I add the blood. Yuck.

  At that thought, the doorbell rings. It’s Hunter and his Uncle Tom and a face I haven’t seen in years. Though Elijah is looking more and more like the fifteen-year-old man he’s become, his face still resembles the five-year-old boy I remember. That…and he’s the spitting image of my father.

  “Storm,” Tom starts, “this is Eli. I’m not sure if you remember him.”

  Without taking my eyes from his face, I nod. “Yes. I do,” I say softly. I’m embarrassed by the way my father’s face haunts me. He loved these boys. Left me for them. The blood is pooling in my wrists. It must be, because my hands are clenching so tightly that I’m sure no blood is reaching them. My teeth start to ache from grinding them. Elijah had nothing to do with my father’s betrayal, yet the anger inside me races through my veins faster than a tornado races through a flat land.

  Forcing myself to close my eyes and get my father’s image out of my head, I turn away and walk back to the kitchen.

  A huge hand rests on my shoulder. “What was that?” Tom asks.

  “Nothing.”

  “That was nothing?” He squeezes my shoulder and pulls out two chairs. “Sit,” he demands. “He’s a ringer for your dad, isn’t he?”

  With a reluctant nod, I sit but say nothing.

  “Don’t blame the kid, he barely remembers your father.”

  Unfortunately…I do. But I still don’t say a word.

  “Your dad loved you, y’know. He just…he didn’t love your mom anymore. That’s all.”

  “That’s messed up,” I finally respond. “He left me for her…” I toss my head in the direction of the living room. “And them.”

  “No. He left your mother for their mother. You chose to see it the other way.”

  Tom covers my forearm with his hand. It’s funny, but I can actually feel him taking the hurt away. It’s a strange sensation. Aside from Honor bringing me back from the dead, no one’s ever done that for me before. No one’s ever been able to touch me.

  “Don’t take your hate out on your brothers. They are your brothers, whether you think of them that way or not.”

  He gets up and pours himself a cup of coffee. “And this thing with Ethan…drop it…he may have Honor now, but I see the way she looks at you. Step back. Give it some time. I’m pretty sure you’re the one she wants.” />
  Tom sits back down, sips his coffee, and peers at me from over his mug. When he slaps the near empty mug down on the table, he has a lop-sided grin pasted on his face. “Give the boy a break though. Don’t tell him. Let him figure it out himself.”

  I go get my own coffee, and with my back to Tom, I can’t help but smile. I hope to God he’s right.

  **

  Sticking needles in my brothers’ arms is satisfying, to say the least. Though sticking Ethan’s arm would feel even better…if he were here.

  “Where’s Ethan?” I ask, his name tasting like vinegar on my tongue.

  The boys shrug.

  “He knew he was supposed to be here at noon,” Uncle Tom says.

  Yeah. If I got to wake up in the next room from Honor every day, I wouldn’t be able to leave either. It pisses me off.

  “Well, the loser better get here soon,” I demand…to nobody. “I need to get started on combining all this.”

  “We can’t start without him?” Eli asks.

  “I guess. I just…I really need strong empath blood, and well, the loser’s is unfortunately the strongest,” I say reluctantly, “we have right now.”

  “Why? What makes him so strong?” Eli asks, quite defensively.

  After an involuntary snort, I respond. “Your loser brother actually killed two people recently.”

  “What?”

  Uncle Tom jumps in. “Two of Gaffer’s men were after them. One of ‘em killed Storm. Ethan shot them both.”

  Eli’s eyebrows are now about an inch higher on his forehead. “Ah, now I see why you call him loser – you’re jealous. Gotcha.”

  The knife on the table is the closest thing to me, so I grab it. Instinctively raising it to my shoulder, I point it at Eli and plunge it right into the table. I walk out of the kitchen and straight out my door, leaving the knife standing upright on the table.

  “Great,” I mutter to myself, throwing up my hands in a huff. Ethan’s here…with the empty elixir jugs. Not interested in talking to him right now, I duck out through the side of the house. If I let my temper get the best of me, I’d be failing Honor. I lean against the side of the house and slide down until I’m sitting on my ass, my knees at my chest.

  How did I get here? My curiosity about the legendary Honor Robinson and my distaste and distrust for the son of the bastard who broke up my family got the best of me. I should have never stepped foot in Jefferson Township. And now I can’t leave. Not until I see this thing through – save Honor, then get the hell out.

  Hopefully taking Honor with me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Fifteen minutes later, back in my apartment, my family, for lack of a better word, is making themselves at home. Hunter’s eating my leftover pizza, Eli’s downing one of my cans of soda, and even Tom is flicking channels from my leather recliner. The only one looking uneasy is Ethan. And somehow this softens my heart toward him. I hate myself for it.

  When I see Ethan looking at me, I direct him, with my eyes only, to follow me to the kitchen. I’m still not ready to talk to anyone. Since all the blood bags and needles are on the table, Ethan doesn’t need an explanation. He sits and holds out his arm. I sit across from him and bring the needle to his vein. So I don’t have to look at him, I watch his blood ooze through the tube. Slow and thick. My stomach tenses, hating the fact that his blood is what will save Honor’s life. His blood will allow the elixir to pass for the real thing.

  When I’ve got the pint from him, I pull out the needle, press a cotton ball to the inside of his elbow, and signal that we’re done. The rest I can do by myself. Tom and the boys are clearly confused when I stand at the open front door.

  “I guess we’re done?” Tom asks.

  I nod.

  After they leave, I grab a cola and begin combining their still warm blood with the base I made earlier. My stomach isn’t as strong as I suspected, because cutting open the bags of blood and pouring them into the pot is making me nauseous. I carry the pot back to the stove and figure the ingredients will combine better if I cook them – the thought making me dry heave. Turning the flame on low and standing an arm’s length away, I stir the blood. And gag. As it warms over the fire, my eyes tear, the stench is so bad. Honor. I’m doing this for Honor. She is the only reason I’m playing with my half-brothers’ blood. The only reason I’m brewing up an elixir-like pot of dark red, foul-smelling human blood.

  I run to the toilet and vomit. Heaving over the bowl, my thoughts are still on Honor. They have to be. The Gaffer’s men are dangerous. I’ve no idea what they’ll do, but if they aren’t given the elixir soon, I don’t think it’ll be me they’ll go after. Honor will be their target. I cannot let that happen.

  Since it seems my stomach has nothing left to come up, I wash up, brush my teeth, and get back to my brew. I turn off the stove and leave the apartment, needing fresh air.

  The next step is to funnel the blood into the containers. Surprisingly, Ethan didn’t really wash the jugs like I’d thought. When he said he’d rinsed them, it looks like he merely ran a little water through them. A thick coating of fog and dust still remain on the outside, keeping the vintage look I’ll need to pass this off.

  Hopefully the Gaffer is not as scientifically gifted as Honor’s great-grandfather. Lord, help us if he figures this out.

  Chapter Fifteen

  She’s here. In the cafeteria. I don’t know how I missed her in the halls this morning, but when I walk into the cafeteria for lunch, she’s sitting at her table. She couldn’t even give herself time off to recuperate?

  My stomach flips a little when I approach her. “Honor?”

  She turns around. “Oh. Hi.” Her eyes drop down, avoiding mine.

  “What are you doing here?” I straddle the seat beside her. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”

  Honor turns back to the table and fiddles with her food. “I guess,” she mumbles.

  My hand instinctively goes to her thigh. “Honor. Your heart is weak. You should be home in bed.”

  This stirs a chuckle from her, causing her to finally look at me. “I’m seventeen, Storm, not some old bed-ridden lady.”

  The corners of my mouth tug, even though I’m serious about her resting. My heart swells at the sight of her, but I keep from smiling. Moving my hand to her forearm, I tell her, “I know you’re young, princess, but your heart is not. It has to have aged quite a bit after saving your mother and me. And then Shelby and the girl in the bathroom and whoever else you’ve been trying to help.”

  A tiny grunt escapes her throat. “Stop. I’m fine.” She turns her head and looks away, but doesn’t pull her arm from my light grasp.

  “I just worry about you,” I whisper, averting her eyes as well. There’s a makeshift Band-Aid on the inside of her elbow. I see a bruise forming around it. “What’s this?”

  Honor looks at her arm and shrugs. “Oh, Mr. Moore had us testing blood-types today.”

  “From your elbow? That’s illegal. He’s not a nurse or something. What the…” I stop myself from swearing, though it’s hard. “He can’t do that, Honor. He did this to everyone?”

  “Well, no. We all pricked our own fingers, but he wasn’t getting a reading on mine. He said we probably needed to take it from another spot.”

  “So he pricked your arm?”

  “Well, no, not exactly,” she says, pulling her arm away now. When I look up, I see why. Ethan is walking toward the table. He just nods, and so do I.

  Turning my attention back toward Honor, I ask, “Not exactly…meaning what?”

  “He used one of those needle things with the vial thingy.”

  My chest starts to burn. My temper is rising. “Vial thingy, Honor? You’re smarter than that. A teacher is not allowed to do that.”

  “What’s going on, Hon?” Ethan asks.

  She shakes her head. “Nothing. Just…we took blood-type samples in chemistry today.”

  Ethan looks to me for explanation.

  “Moore took Honor�
�s with a needle and vial, not just a finger prick like everyone else got.”

  “What!?” Ethan’s floored.

  “He couldn’t get a reading on mine,” Honor explains. “He said he probably needed to get a little more.”

  “A little more?” I say again, extremely angered this time. “Honor, come on. Did you bump your head in that bathroom, because it certainly seems like you must have.”

  “Hey. That was uncalled for,” Ethan scowls.

  Honor sits up straight. “Oh thank God,” she says to Tamlin, who sits next to Ethan, across from us. “Tell them we were just doing blood types in chem – nothing sinister.” Honor forces a giggle.

  “Did Moore take a vial of blood from you, Tam?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “No. I did find that odd though. Why would he need three vials just to get her blood type?”

  “Three!?” Ethan and I both gasp. We look at each other, suspicion as evident in his eyes as it is in mine.

  The lunch trays bounce when I slam my hands on the table and stand, racing out the door to find Moore.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Who the hell are you?”

  My question is met with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, but quickly he presses his lips tight, narrows his gaze, and stands from his desk.

  “Mr. Sutherland. Now what?” Moore composes himself and crosses his arms in front of his chest.

  Restraining from decking him before he explains, I stand rigid about a foot from him. “I want to know who you are and why you need three vials of Honor’s blood.”

  He loosens his stance and sits back in his chair, picking up a pen and turning from me. “Mr. Sutherland, we’re done. Please leave.”

  His hand starts moving along his paper, but it’s shaking as he writes. I’ve hit a nerve.

  Moving to stand in front of him, I place my hands, palms flat, on his desk, lowering myself to look him in the eye.

  “Who are you? And what do you need with Honor’s blood? What do you know? What do you want?”