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

by Grider, J. P.

  Still holding onto her hands, I lead her onto the couch. She sips the water waiting for her on the end table.

  “We just have to come up with a plan,” I tell her and hope to begin alleviating some of her anticipation.

  Honor still holds her glass – staring into it as if it has the answers.

  “First of all,” I proceed cautiously, speaking to the side of Honor’s head, since her gaze hasn’t left the glass. “I know you are capable of taking care of yourself,” and I think, obviously in this situation, she feels incapable. “But in this case, you will need protection. Every minute,” I emphasize.

  She finally turns toward me but says nothing.

  “What’s this with Ethan going to his apartment after school? Why doesn’t he just stay with you?”

  She just shakes her head slightly.

  “Honor. We need to talk about this.”

  Sitting back against the couch, she places her glass down and puts the bottom of her palms against her temples.

  “I know it’s hard to hear. You’re only seventeen and someone’s after you, but now that it’s out there, we have to discuss it.”

  She leans her head back against the couch and moves her palms to her forehead before dropping them on her lap.

  I scoot over.

  “Storm,” she says quietly. “I’m afraid. What will my parents do without me?”

  “Your parents? That’s what you’re worried about – what your parents will do? Aren’t you afraid for yourself?”

  She shrugs and looks at me with big eyes. “Sort of. I mean, yeah, definitely. But…I’m all my parents have. They’d be worried sick if someone else took me. They barely made it through the last time.”

  I can’t help but laugh. A good, hearty laugh. Not that what Honor says is funny, but it cracks me up nonetheless.

  Draping my arm around her, I pull her close. Her head feels nice on my shoulder. I kiss the top of her head and leave my lips there for a few seconds.

  “Honor, does Ethan always just drop you off and go to his house after school?”

  “No, just a couple times a week to get more clothes or do his laundry. He feels funny doing it at my house.”

  “Well then on those days, please let me know and I’ll come over. Your parents are usually working then, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Will you be honest with me? Let me know when you’re gonna be alone?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be honest.”

  I sigh. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

  Honor says nothing, but I hear her moan beneath her breath.

  “There’s another matter we need to talk about.”

  She raises her head from my shoulder but stays in my arms. “What?”

  “Moore.”

  “Mr. Moore?”

  I nod.

  “Why?”

  “I’m almost positive he has something to do with this.”

  Her eyes grow wide, and she raises her eyebrows. “What?”

  “I’m pretty sure he’s an empath. And I’m pretty sure he’s up to no good.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “But his eyes aren’t violet,” Honor exclaims.

  “Maybe he’s wearing contacts. I don’t know. All I know is…there’s something not right where he’s concerned. I have to figure out what it is.”

  “How you gonna do that?”

  I unwrap my arm from hers and lean back into the couch. “I don’t know yet.”

  “Can I help? He likes me, maybe I can find things out.”

  I lean forward, turning to her. “You cannot be alone with him. I don’t trust him.”

  “Well,” I see in her eyes she’s searching for an idea. “What if I go for help again after school, and you can stand outside in the hall? I’ll put your phone on speed dial, and if I call, you run right in.”

  “Hmm,” I think out loud. “That may work…let me think about it – what we can ask and stuff.”

  She nods.

  We stare at each other now. Since some of our fears have been appeased, other emotions take over. She has that look in her eyes. The one that makes me want to kiss her. But we’ve been here before. I do not want to go there again…not right now.

  “I think I should get you home,” I whisper, still gazing into her eyes.

  “Um, okay,” she says, holding my stare with the want she shows in her eyes.

  I know she wants me. I think. Maybe she’s absorbing my desires and bouncing them back to me unintentionally. But who knows. Whatever it is, right now we want to kiss each other. Her eyelids drop just a hair, but I know the look. She’s inviting me. My heart races. My breathing picks up. While still looking into her intense violet eyes, I catch her chest rising and falling quite rapidly. When she leans in, it takes all I’ve got to break the connection and stand up. I want her, yes, but not until she can give herself fully to me.

  Not until she is done with Ethan.

  “Well, princess.” I resort back to my cool, distant self – a protective tactic I’ve grown very good at. “Let’s get you home.” Grabbing my keys off the table by the front door, I say, “We’ll put your bike in my trunk so you don’t have to leave it here.”

  Reluctantly, and pleasing to me to know she likes it here, Honor rises from the couch and follows me out.

  “Cute bike, princess. Love the basket,” I add. “But you shouldn’t leave your purse where anyone can take it.”

  “Oh my god,” she cries. “I forgot I had it in there.”

  When we pull into her driveway, Ethan’s sitting on her front step. He sees us and storms toward the car.

  “Where were you, Honor? I’ve been worried sick. Why didn’t you answer your phone…or call me back?”

  “Oh, Ethan,” she says, barely out of the car, “I left my purse with my bike and forgot about it. I’m so sorry.”

  Ethan gives me a stern look of the eye before responding to Honor. “You had me worried, sweetheart,” he says more calmly.

  “I’m sorry, Eeth,” she says, giving him a quick peck on the lips. And don’t think I missed the fact that she darted her eyes at me right after.

  Ethan eyes me up and down but talks to Honor when he asks, “What were you doing with him?”

  I wheel her bike up to the garage door, and I hear him ask, “And why does he have your bike?”

  “He didn’t want me driving it home.” Her voice is quiet, as if she’s unsure of what to tell him.

  So I interject. “Ethan,” I snap. “We need to talk.”

  His eyes shoot from me to Honor, and I can’t help but chuckle at what he must be thinking. “Calm down, little brother, I’m not talking about Honor and me.” Though I wish I were. “It’s him, he’s made contact with Honor.”

  “What?” he exclaims, livid as hell.

  “Let’s do this inside. I don’t trust it out here,” I suggest. “Are your parents home, Honor?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Good. Though we’ll need to tell them soon.”

  Honor’s eyes close for a second, her shoulders drop, and she sighs.

  We walk into Honor’s house with me lagging behind. I take a quick look around, swearing I feel something dark around us. I close the door.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Your girlfriend’s in trouble, Ethan.” I get right to the point when we get inside. There’s no way I’m pussyfooting around this. Honor’s too important. “And I think Moore might have something to do with it.”

  “What? Where’d that come from?” he asks with a tone in his voice that tells me he thinks I’m crazy.

  “You said it yourself, you don’t trust him.”

  “Yeah, but I wasn’t thinking anything like that.” His eyebrows are crunched, and he’s still not getting it.

  “You’re an empath, Ethan, you should be feeling this. Moore is hiding something…and looking for something…I think that something is in Honor’s blood.”

  Ethan’s shoulders drop, and he rubs his jaw. “What makes y
ou think that? What’s in Honor’s blood?”

  “Are you blind, man? She brought me back from the dead. That’s crazy shit. I bet you can’t do that.”

  “Well, no, I guess not…but remember Hanna was telling Honor that if we try hard enough, any empath could do it?”

  “No…Hanna? She’s dead, what are you talking about?” It’s my turn to look at him like he’s crazy.

  “Oh that’s right,” Honor says softly. “You didn’t see her.”

  I shake my head, waiting for her to go on.

  Honor walks up to me and sits me down on the couch like I’m a child. “When you died,” she pauses, worry inching across her forehead. “Um, there was like this white puff of smoke lifting from your body.”

  She must have paused for my reaction, because she doesn’t say anything. “And?” I ask, quite agitated.

  “And…after the smoke disappeared, your sister and my parents were standing over you…all of them dressed in white.”

  I chuckle and turn to Ethan. “Is this a joke?”

  He shakes his head.

  “Storm,” Honor continues. “You had been holding onto their souls.”

  “Yes,” I interject. “I’m aware of that.”

  “No, but you don’t understand. They went to Heaven now. They were released from your body.” Honor smiles and rubs my thigh.

  “Yes, I know, you already told me that, but…?” I stand, feeling like I’m going to lose it, and pace the floor. I remember Honor explaining to me that her mother spoke with her, I guess it didn’t register that she saw her too. “You saw them? Like they were real?”

  “Yes,” Ethan says calmly, “It’s true. I saw them too.”

  “You saw Summer?” I hear myself whisper.

  Ethan smiles. “Yeah, I did. She was beautiful.”

  “Oh my god.” Feeling nauseous, I sit back down. My sister. The one who died at my hands. I want to throw up.

  “It’s okay, Storm,” Honor says, returning her hand to my leg. “She’s good. She knows it was an accident. They all do.”

  All the memories come flooding back. Especially the day I killed Summer.

  **

  “Hey, kid,” I force a smile when I see her on the bed. She’s so pale and drawn, her little body shivering under the covers. “How ya doin’? Feeling any better yet?”

  Summer’s smile is bright despite her sallow, speckled skin. “Yeah, my mom says my fever’s down. I should be all better by my birthday.” She beams.

  “That’s right. Your birthday is in two days. How old now? Five?”

  Summer laughs. “Oh stop, Storm, you know I’m gonna be nine.”

  “Nah, you’re not that old yet. You can’t be catching up to me.”

  “Well I am, so ha, ha.” She brings her hand to her face and starts scratching.

  “You itch?”

  “Yeah, I got chicken pox. That’s why.”

  “Mmhmm, I know.” I sigh. Why hasn’t anyone healed her? “Hey, hasn’t like anybody tried to take your sickness away, kid? I mean we live with a bunch of people who can do that.”

  “Mommy says they try to save their powers for the big stuff. She says it’s good to get chicken pox. Then I’ll be amused.”

  “Amused? Are you amused you have the chicken pox?”

  “You know, like when you can’t get it again.”

  “Oh,” I laugh. “Immune.”

  She giggles.

  “Well guess what?”

  “What?”

  “How ‘bout I try to take the itch away at least?”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” Her smile is spread from cheek to tiny cheek, and I can’t help but smile just as wide. She’s the best. “Here goes, kid.”

  I place my hand over her arms and concentrate really hard, like I always see my mother do, at taking away those stupid pock marks she doesn’t need. When I open my eyes, she’s gasping for air.

  “What is it, Sum? Are you choking?”

  Her eyes grow wide, and she shakes her head.

  “Summer.” I move my hands to her face now. Her eyes roll behind her head. “Summer. Summer.” Her eyes close, and she starts turning a funny color.

  “Summer,” I yell, then quickly put my hands over her heart. “Summer, please, I didn’t mean it. Wake up.” Oh my god, I think. I killed her. Oh my god.

  “What’s going on in here?” my step-mother asks, then she runs to Summer and picks her up. “What did you do?” she yells to me. “What did you do?”

  My step-mother is crying. And shaking. And shaking Summer. “Summer, Summer, baby, wake up. Please,” she cries. “Go get your father…now,” she demands in a voice I never heard before.

  But I don’t get my father. I’m scared. So I run.

  **

  I feel the tears on my face. There is no way they will see me like this. Finding a steady foot, I flee from the house and catch my breath out by my car. With my hands on the roof of the car and my head against the window, my breathing slows down. The memory of Summer is too much for me to bear. I need to let it go, but I can’t. I killed my little sister. The only sibling I have ever loved, and I killed her. With my bare hands.

  “Storm?” I hear my angel’s voice. I don’t deserve her…even as a friend. I need to get rid of the people after her and leave her for good. “Storm?” Her voice is closer. “Are you all right?” Her hand is on my back. “Were you thinking about her?” she whispers.

  “Honor,” I whisper back, my eyes closed.

  Now her other hand is on my arm. “Hey…it’s okay,” she speaks softly into my ear. “Summer knows you didn’t mean it.” I know Honor’s an empath, but it still floors me that she knows exactly what I’m thinking. Well, feeling rather, but I guess the two go hand in hand. “She even said so to us. Storm. It’s okay. My birth parents even told us…they know you were trying to save them. They know, honey. You’re a good person. Please don’t think you’re not.” She leans her head on my arm. “Please, Storm. You gotta stop hurting like this. You’re always hurting,” she whispers. Her touch becomes more intense.

  “Don’t,” I insist and pull away. But I do look at her. She’s beautiful. Her violet eyes are glassy and her cheeks are pink. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I just…you can’t do that. You can’t try to take it away. I own my pain, Honor. I hurt the people I care about and only I deserve to hurt. So don’t.”

  Her bottom lip quivers, but she smiles anyway. “I’m sorry.”

  My arms instinctively go around her, pulling her to my chest. “Don’t be, I’m sorry I yelled. Thank you though. For your words. I appreciate them.”

  When she sighs into my chest, her breath warms me through my t-shirt, rousing my desire for her. Damn that Ethan. I play with the long strands of her hair and inhale her scent. I want so badly to kiss her. To have her. To love her…like no one has before.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” Ethan yells from the doorway, and we unlock our embrace. “What the hell’s going on, Honor? Every time I see the two of you you’re in each other’s arms. Do you like him?”

  “Ethan, um, I was just comforting him. The whole Summer thing. It’s hard on him. I just…”

  “Then he shouldn’t’ve killed her.”

  “Ethan,” Honor scolds. “That was cruel.”

  I’m choosing to remain quiet. I’d like to see what Honor will say. Of course, I’ll come to her rescue if she needs me to.

  “No, him holding you all the time is cruel. He’s in love with you, Honor. I know that. But tell me right now. Do you feel the same way about him?”

  Her shoulders tighten. “Ethan, stop. That’s unfair. I was only…”

  “Do you?” he interrupts.

  “Ethan,” she cries.

  “I want an answer, Honor. Do you love him back?”

  I see her struggling. She shouldn’t have to do this now. “Leave her alone, Ethan. She was just trying to take away my pain. I wouldn’t let her. Just leave her alone.” Honor is looking at the ground,
I know she’s embarrassed. “You have to stop being so suspicious. We’re good friends. She saved my life. You gotta accept that we kind of formed a bond. Nothing else.”

  Ethan eyes Honor, but her eyes are cast down.

  “Listen, drop it, Ethan. We have more important things to worry about. I’ll let Honor fill you in for now.” I open my car door and put a foot inside. “I’m not up for it right now. I’m going home to figure out something.”

  I get in, shut the door, and peel out of her driveway. Needing to think. Needing to figure out how to save Honor, and then get the hell out of Jefferson.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Icy prickles nip at my spine on the ride home. Someone is following me. Though no one appears in my rearview mirror, someone is after me. At this very moment. I may not have my empath powers, but years of recognizing the inner feelings of everyone besides myself have left me with super intuition. And right now, I’m intuiting something bad.

  The floor beneath the gas pedal prevents me from pressing any further, but as fast as my Challenger will take me, I gun it on Berkshire Valley Road, heading for home as quickly as possible. I want this over with. Hopefully, once the elixir is in his hands, Honor will get a reprieve from any harassment before it even begins.

  I’m not in my driveway thirty seconds when my car hops forward.

  Cursing out loud, I throw open my door and walk straight for the black Navigator jammed up against my car. “Was that freaking necessary?” I yell to the closed black window.

  The back door slowly opens and out steps a black wing-tip shoe. Wing-Tips? I was not expecting that.

  The suit that follows matches the shoes, and the gray-streaked blond man that wears it matches the description that Honor gave me when he paid her a visit earlier. Only she didn’t mention he was this fancy. Or this intimidating – for a little man. Though I guess I knew damn well he was.

  “Mr. Sutherland,” he greets me with a crooked smile.

  “Mr…Gaffer,” I respond with no knowledge of his real name.