“It’s okay to ask, Elsie. I’m blind,” I said. I pictured her lips quivering as she tried to figure out what angle I was working.
“Blind?” she repeated.
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s kind of nice, actually. I don’t have to spend hours in front of the mirror fussing about how I look because it doesn’t matter, and I have really good hearing.”
Her dark shadow got closer. She leaned forward to get a better look at my eyes. “How did you know how old I was?”
I told her it was a lucky guess and smiled brightly, even though I dislike it when people gawked at my eyes. It was extremely nerve-racking, but I wanted Elsie to feel safe. “Martha’s husband, John, is in the kitchen, hopefully making dessert,” I said a little louder, hoping he’d get the hint that a few wings and chips weren’t going to fill me up.
Glancing toward the kitchen to see if John was going to make me a liar, I caught sight of a shimmery figure, glistening through the living room’s window. I took a slow, deep breath and closed my eyes, hoping the orb would disappear. It didn’t. My lungs fought to cooperate. My adrenaline spiked. Sensing my distress, Max scooted closer to me without actually moving out of his ‘sit’ position.
“Let’s get you settled in first,” Martha suggested as soon as she noticed my anxiety spike. “Your room is on the second floor, next to Winnie’s.”
When I looked back up, I saw Martha’s and Elsie’s shadow moving toward the stairs – their backs to the window. Another white figure moved alongside the first. Before I could give any warning that we were being watched, the two shapes vanished.
CHAPTER FOUR
Fourth period literature was my one and only class with Bree. At least it was “Ryker-free.” I know he tried to change his schedule to get into this class after Bree revealed our schedules. I swore that he did it purely to bother me.
Using Stella to guide me, I made my way to the last seat in the first row. Bree waved to me from the last chair in the second row and then returned to scribbling on a piece of paper – our homework. The five-question assignment took me nearly an hour to complete last night. Of course, I was somewhat distracted with finding excuses to look out every window in the house to see if anyone was still spying on me.
Glancing back at the large, vacant desk in front of the room, I tucked Stella under my arm and dug my cell out of my back pocket. Without opening it, I pushed the volume button several times and waited for the infamous missed call beep, nothing. Sighing, I silenced it, and returned the cell to my pocket. I wish HomFree, John’s home security company, would return my call already! Taking Stella back out, I made my way down the aisle to my desk.
“I thought we weren’t supposed to have phones on during class,” Jace mocked.
I hadn’t heard him walk up behind me, my stomach felt fine, my vertigo hadn’t shifted, and I was still headache free. I patted my back pocket for my cell. Pick pocketed. I groaned – would Jace ever leave me alone?
“Jace!” Bree said a little too excitedly, completely forgetting about her assignment. “Switched schedules so you could suffer through Miss Conner’s lectures with us?”
“Something like that.” He spoke like he moved, effortlessly and hypnotically. He stood far enough away so our clothing wouldn’t actually touch. His usual abyss wasn’t blazing white; it was diminished significantly. “Isn’t the mere offense of having a phone outside of a locker during school hours punishable by detention? Perhaps I should hold onto it for safe keeping.”
“What do you want?” I demanded.
“Winnie!” Bree acted like my rudeness towards Jace had appalled her on a level that directly affected woman-kind as a whole.
“I only want an apology,” he answered.
Which meant exactly the opposite: he wanted more than just an apology. His hand grazed my side as he slid by me. My body ached where his hand had brushed against, but at least the world wasn’t shifting under my feet. I wasn’t throwing up my lunch, which was an added bonus, but what troubled me more than anything was that I didn’t exactly hate the exhilaration surging through me.
“An apology for what?” I asked.
He leaned over the desk to talk to Bree, which bothered me more than I cared to admit. Determined not to get sidetracked from how he physically affected me, I swallowed the lump in my throat and focused on not sounding foolish.
“I’m in need of your personal assistance, Bree,” Jace said loud enough for me to hear. If the morning sun wouldn’t have reflected off of it just perfectly, I wouldn’t have seen the paper he slipped to her in his hand. I clenched my teeth, determined not to overreact. I wasn’t jealous. Being jealous would mean I actually cared, and I didn’t care about Jace, much less who he gave notes to.
Jace rubbed his arm like he’d been suddenly chilled. He turned his attention back to me. “For starters, you ditched me after school the other day…”
His darkened figure slid deeper into my seat, distracting me with the smooth movement of which his body moved. He pushed his chest out slyly, as he rested his hands on the back of his head. His movements were free flowing, but I knew they were perfectly calculated – they had to be. No one moved with such precision; it was like he expected a photographer to snap a photo of him at any random time.
His fluid movements reminded me of my dream – watching in awe as he moved smoothly over me. I swallowed the lump in my throat when I wondered what it was actually like to kiss him and then rolled my eyes because I allowed myself to remember a kiss that didn’t actually happen. It was a dream, I told myself for the umpteenth time.
His voice – his insanely charismatic voice – demanded the attention of anyone within hearing distance; yet, he spoke like he was talking only to me. The sentiment hiding in his voice, revealed hidden messages that only I could hear. It was like he was whispering promises in my ear instead of having a public conversation. Words jumped from his tongue in a way that made me suspect his lips were well practiced for more than listening to himself speak. I bit my lip as I lost myself in the dream. My first kiss was impossibly perfect; his lips felt like silk. Reality would surely never match; yet, I still shuddered recalling his embrace. It was just a dream, I told myself again. A moan grew from his chest. The sound made me want to lick the next words from his mouth.
He paused in his rant. “You didn’t hear a single word I said, did you?”
I wanted to hide; he’d caught me daydreaming…about him. Thank goodness he didn’t know what I was thinking about. I was too embarrassed as it was to say anything. I couldn’t just turn around and walk away like I had the other day after school, which I assumed was the incident for which he wanted an apology. I was stuck next to him for an entire hour – no exits, so to speak. Commandeering the desk in front of Jace, I dropped my backpack and slipped onto the hard seat.
“You enjoy listening to me,” he said as if it meant more than me simply being attracted to him.
“You enjoy hearing yourself,” I muttered. I turned to face him, bumping a pencil off his desk. “Do you no longer want the seat closest to the door, or is your goal simply to annoy me?”
“We’re on the second floor, dearest. Anyone threatening, who comes through that door, will have given me ample heads up.” Jace said and tilted his head to pick up the pencil that I knocked off. He picked it up, but hesitated to return to a normal sitting position. His eyes were level with the back of my chair. “And the view is better from here anyway.”
I blushed, recalling that every seat had a hole in the back. Bree coughed and then slipped him a note. He sat up in his seat and leaned over to her, slowly taking the note back from her hands. She giggled nervously. I scowled as they flirted with each other. For the first time in my life, I wished I shared just one more class with Ryker because Bree’s flirting wouldn’t be so obnoxious.
I tried to ignore them both. They could pass notes to whomever they wanted; I had no claim to Jace and didn’t want it. Jace was practically dangling a thread in front of me like I was
a kitten, egging me to take it. Slowly but deliberately, I shook my head; I wasn’t taking his bait. He chuckled, clearly not believing me. His laugh sounded like a hypnotic gong, ringing in my ears. He leaned forward to slip the note in his back pocket. He spoke only loud enough for me to hear.
“It doesn’t really matter what she wrote. You’re falling for me all over again. I can feel it.”
“You know nothing about what I’m feeling.”
“Don’t I?” Jace said entirely too seriously.
Sitting back in his chair, he tapped Bree’s paper with his pencil. He told her the answer to question five was on page seventy-eight, distracting her from our wordless conversation. Clearly he didn’t know what was higher on Bree’s agenda – flirting with the new guy or finishing homework.
“I know exactly what you’re feeling, Gwyneth,” he said and then his white figure brightened, stinging my eyes. My stomach did a flip that had nothing to do with being sick. I opened my mouth to respond, but he silenced me by whispering how adorable I looked when he knew I was lying. I frowned, trying to figure out how to respond to a statement like that, when the teacher closed the door to the classroom. The tardy bell rang a moment later.
“Your signals are crossed,” I said and then faced the teacher.
“We will be discussing several of Shakespeare’s classic tragedies,” Miss Conner said. Her voice was high and exasperated. She acted like she’d been forced to teach for thirty-five years instead of it being her chosen profession. Whatever teaching passion Miss Conner thought she had her first few years as an educator had all but vanished at this point in her career.
Leaning forward in his desk, as much as it allowed, Jace brushed my hair away from my neck, which exposed my ear. Heat crept across my neck when he whispered how alluring my fragrance smelled. My pulse raced when a low moan rumbled in his throat.
“I sincerely doubt I’m misinterpreting your signals, Gwyneth,” he said and then a searing pain shot down my spine instead of the warm tickle that had been there before.
We continued the hour-long lecture about Romeo and Juliet in silence while I tried to fathom in what universe an impromptu torture treatment from a guy would give any sane girl reason to swoon into the arms of said torturer? I couldn’t figure out how Jace was making me so physically ill; but the sick-o was doing it. I spent the hour trying to keep my legs from cramping. If it wasn’t a Charley horse that made me want cry out in pain, it was my pounding headache. By the time I massaged the knots from my neck, back spasms forced me to arch and twist for no reason whatsoever. At least my breakfast decided it wanted to stick around – a small victory.
Between all that, the nausea, clammy skin, and a headache that had come out of nowhere, I was exhausted and cocooned in sweat. I’d given up on fighting him, deciding that if he wanted to make me suffer, there wasn’t anything I could do. I was surrounded by people who couldn’t possibly know Jace was the culprit of my current state of health. Even I wouldn’t have believed me, if I didn’t live through the torment.
Only when I surrendered to him did I relax enough to breathe normally. A serene tingling sensation trickled through me. Since I wanted nothing more than to knock Jace on his back, I knew the tranquility couldn’t possibly be mine, but I was simply too tired to fight anymore and was apparently delusional. When the bell sounded, I turned to Bree and informed her that I needed to make an emergency stop at the bathroom before lunch – by myself.
Bree hesitated. “You sure you want to go alone? You don’t look the greatest.”
“I fell asleep listening to the drone teacher and had one of those nightmares that you know isn’t real but couldn’t wake up,” I lied and prayed that she believed me. My foot cramped suddenly. I winced and pretended that Bree hadn’t noticed. Jace stood up and walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief that he was finally going to leave me alone. “I just want to clean up a bit before lunch and gather my thoughts.”
I knew she didn’t believe me for one second. I pressed my lips together and held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t make a big deal in front of everyone. She hesitated, but promised she’d save me a seat at lunch.
Waiting long enough for the room to empty, I closed my eyes. Students shuffled out the door after Miss Conner left. I waited for the room’s utter silence before I made any attempt to move. If I was going to fall on my face, I would prefer to do it in private. My legs threatened to buckle so I kept my hand on the desk. As soon as I was sure I wouldn’t topple over, a smoky aroma drifted around me.
Jace walked up behind me as close as he could without actually touching me. I swore I heard him leave the room! How did he slip back in without me hearing him? He brushed my damp hair away from my neck. Apparently sweat didn’t bother him the least.
“If your tolerance were stronger, being in close proximity to me, while I’m in my true form, would have been so much easier, dearest.” He spoke like it truly bothered him that I was utterly exhausted. “You hunger for me because of what I am, what we are.”
I wanted to ask him what he meant by what I hungered for and what we are, but it’d only encourage him. He was baiting me, again. I needed space – away from him. He edged closer. His hot breath trickled down my neck and onto my chest. Swallowing hard, I faced him. His white silhouette shimmered brighter than I’d ever seen, making my eyes water. I wasn’t sure if my legs would hold me, or if my bones would crack under the pressure, but I didn’t back down. He didn’t either.
Even though I was sure I’d trip or do something else that was just as graceful, I crossed my arms and stood as defiantly as possible, considering my current state of exhaustion. Clenching my jaw, I tried not to notice how every molecule of spit vanished from my mouth when I took a deep breath, taking in his smoky aroma.
He deliberately put me through hell for an hour, I reminded myself. I pointed at myself. “This is not the depiction of desire.”
“Agreed, but this is.”
After dimming himself significantly, he reached for my hair again. I slapped his hand away. His light flared, but he quickly regained his composure. Grabbing my wrist, he held it and easily blocked my right hook. Twisting my hand in his, he pulled me against him with such excitement, a moan grew in his chest. He silenced it before it escaped his mouth; the disposition between us shifted. My irritation turned like he’d flipped a switched. I wanted nothing more, needed nothing more, craved nothing more, than taking in his sight.
And he knew it.
“Your gasp beckons me,” he whispered. “You stand against me, refusing to indulge in your desires and temptation, yet your pulse beats loudly enough to deafen my ears. You bat your ocean-eyes whenever you look my way. You flick your hair whenever you catch me staring. Even now you are leaning into me, trying to pinpoint my scent, yet you can’t admit that you’re into me.”
Even though he called me out, the deepness of his voice lured me closer. I couldn’t deny any of it, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try. “I don’t want you.”
He released his grip but stood close enough to tower over me. His figure brightened slightly when he dropped my hands.
“Lie,” he said coolly.
“Oh that’s right, you’re like this hunk-a-lious dude that has too many muscles to count,” I said, doing my best blond impression. “So you’re not used to hearing the word no. I get it, but I’m sorry buckaroo; I’m just not into jocks.”
He chuckled, “You have yet to tell me no.”
I groaned in frustration. He made a similar sound but not because he was frustrated.
“Splitting hairs, aren’t we?” I said, and then backed away. After picking my backpack up, I walked towards the door. My legs obeyed. I couldn’t have been more grateful.
“Turning your back on the truth is the Master’s signature move, not yours,” Jace called out.
Hearing that name – the Master – roll from his mouth instantly fueled a fury hiding within my soul that I didn’t know existed. I didn’t know what irritated me more – the
instant rage against someone I’d never met or that Jace knew it’d bother me.
“Who’s the Master?” I said without turning around.
“Analee – a cheerleader of sorts,” he answered, leaving out much needed detail. “And lethal to humans.”
What? Lethal to humans? He definitely caught my attention, but I wasn’t going to bite. He probably said it for shock factor and was a lie. “I still don’t care,” I said unconvincingly but walked away.
“Perhaps you’d care about this?”
Glancing back, he waved a light gray object, which was suspiciously the size of my cell phone. I completely forgot he stole it! He closed the gap between us.
“A company called HomFree phoned a few minutes ago. Any particular reason why?”
“That’s none of your business,” I said, reaching for my cell.
Holding it above his head, easily out of my reach, he chuckled. “Admit that you want me.”
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