“What would you do?” he asked curiously.
“Not that I would ever ask a group of men to prove their love by doing something incredibly dangerous and stupid like that, but if I ever found myself in that situation, as unlikely—”
“Kat?” he chided.
“I would reach out and save him, of course. I couldn’t let him fall to his death.”
“But he didn’t prove himself.”
“That doesn’t matter,” I argued. “He was right behind her and how beautiful could you truly be if you let a man fall to his death just because he slipped? How could you even be capable of love or worthy of it, for that matter, if you let that happen?” He nodded. “Well, Snowbird thought like you.”
Relieved, I smiled. If she hadn’t, this would’ve been a pretty crappy romance story. “Good.”
“Snowbird decided that the warrior was her equal and with that, her decision had been made. She grabbed the man before he could fall. The chief met them and was very pleased with his daughter’s choice in mate. He granted their marriage and made the warrior his successor.”
“So is that why the rocks are called Seneca Rocks? After the Indians and Snowbird?”
He nodded. “That’s what the legend says.”
“It’s a beautiful story, but I think the whole climbing several hundred feet in the air to prove your love is a little excessive.”
He chuckled. “I’d have to agree with you on that.”
“I’d hope so or you’d find yourself playing with cars on an interstate to prove your love nowadays.” I wanted to bite my tongue the minute the words were out of my mouth. I hope he didn’t think I meant for me.
He gave me a hard look. “I don’t foresee that happening.”
“Can you get to where the Indians climbed from here?” I asked curiously.
He shook his head. “You could get to the canyon, but that’s serious hiking. Not something I would suggest you doing by yourself.”
I laughed at the thought. “Yeah, I don’t think you have to worry about that. I wonder why the Indians came here. Were they looking for something?” I stepped around a large boulder. “It’s hard to believe that a bunch of rocks brought them here.”
“You never know.” His lips pursed and he was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “People tend to look on the beliefs of the past as being primitive and unintelligent, yet we are seeing more truth in the past every day.” I peered up at him, trying to gauge if he was being serious. He sounded much more mature than any boy our age. “What was it that made the rocks important again?”
He glanced down at me. “It’s the type of rock….” His eyes widened suddenly. “Kitten?”
“Would you stop calling me—?”
“Be quiet,” he hissed, gaze fixed over my shoulder. He placed his hand on my arm. “Promise me you won’t freak out.”
“Why would I freak out?” I whispered.
Tugging me toward him, he caught me off guard. I placed my hands on his chest to stop from tumbling over. His chest seemed to…hum under my hands. “Have you ever seen a bear?”
Dread pushed through my calm and blossomed. “What? There’s a bear—?” I pulled out of his grasp and spun around.
Oh, yeah, there was a bear.
No more than fifteen feet from us, a big bear, black and furry, sniffed the air with its long whiskered muzzle. Its ears twitched at the sound of our breathing. For a moment I was kind of stunned. I’d never seen a bear, not in real life. There was something majestic about the creature. The way its muscles moved under the heavy coat of fur, how its dark eyes watched us as intently as we watched it.
The animal moved closer, stepping under the rays of light that broken through the branches overhead. The fur had turned a glossy black in the sunlight.
“Don’t run,” he whispered.
Like I could move even if I wanted to.
The bear made a half bark, half growl as he rose onto his hind legs, standing at least five feet tall. The next sound was an honest-to-God roar that sent shivers through me.
This wasn’t good at all.
Daemon started yelling and waving his arms, but it didn’t faze the bear. The animal dropped onto all fours, his massive shoulders shaking.
The bear rushed us.
Unable to breathe past the ball of fear choking me, I squeezed my eyes shut. Eaten alive by a bear was so wrong. I heard Daemon curse and even though my eyes were closed, a blinding flash of light pierced my thin eyelids. There was an accompanying blast of heat that blew my hair back. And then the flash came again, but darkness followed this time, swallowing me whole.
Chapter 8
When I opened my eyes again, there was a strange metallic taste in my mouth. Rain smacked off the roof and thunder rolled in the distance. Lightning struck somewhere nearby, filling the air with a fine current of electricity. When did it start raining? The skies had been clear, blue, and perfect the last I remembered.
I drew in a shallow breath, confused.
My shoulder was pressed against something warm and hard. Turning my head, I felt the object rise up sharply and then slowly ease back down. It took me a second to realize it was a chest my cheek was pressed into. We were on the swing, his arm around my waist keeping me securely pinned to his side.
I didn’t dare move.
Every inch of my body became aware of his. How his thigh was molded to mine. The deep, even breaths moving his stomach under my hand. How his hand curved around my waist, his thumb moving in idle, soothing circles at the hem of my shirt. Each circle inched the material up a little, exposing my skin until his thumb was against the curve of my waist. Flesh against flesh. I was hot and shivery. A feeling I had little experience with.
His hand stilled.
Pushing up, I looked into a pair of startling green eyes. “What…what happened?”
“You passed out,” he said, pulling his arm away from my waist.
“I did?” I scooted back, putting distance between us as I brushed my tangled hair out of my face. The metallic taste was still on the roof of my mouth.
He nodded. “I guess the bear scared you. I had to carry you back.”
“All the way?” Dammit. I missed that? “What…what happened to the bear?”
“The storm scared it. Lightning, I think.” He frowned as he watched me. “Are you feeling okay?”
Suddenly, a bright streak of light blinded us for a moment. Moments later, booming thunder overshadowed the rain. Daemon’s expression was cast in shadows.
I shook my head. “The bear was scared of a storm?”
“I guess so.”
“We got lucky then,” I whispered, glancing down. I was drenched as was Daemon. The rain was coming down even harder, making it difficult to see more than a couple of feet off the porch, giving the sense we were in our own private world. “It rains here like it does in Florida.” I didn’t know what else to say. My brain felt fried.
Daemon nudged my knee with his. “I think you may be stuck with me for a few more minutes.”
“I’m sure I look like a drowned cat.”
“You look fine. The wet look works for you.”
I scowled. “Now I know you’re lying.”
He shifted beside me, and without a word, I felt his fingers lift my chin toward him. A crooked smile lifted his full lips. “I wouldn’t lie about what I thought.”
I wished I had something clever to say, maybe even a little flirty, but his intense stare sent any coherent thought scattering.
Confusion flashed in his eyes as he leaned forward, his lips parting slightly. “I think I understand now.”
“Understand what?” I whispered.
“I like to watch you blush.” His voice barely above a murmur as his thumb traced circles on my cheek.
He lowered his head, resting his forehead against mine. We sat like that, the two of us, caught in something that hadn’t been there before. I think I stopped breathing. My heart seemed to take several stuttered steps and then f
reeze, anticipation welling up through me, threatening to spill over in any given second.
I didn’t even like him. He didn’t like me. This was insane, but it was happening.
Lightning struck again, this time much closer. The following snap of thunder didn’t even startle us. We were in our own world. And then his crooked smile slipped from his face. His own eyes were confused and desperate, but still searching mine.
Time seemed to slow, every second stretching out before me, tantalizing and torturing every breath I took. Waiting, wanting to show him whatever he was looking for as his eyes darkened to a deep green. His face strained, as if he were waging an internal battle. Something in his eyes made me feel very unsure.
I knew the second he made up his mind. He took a deep breath and his beautiful eyes closed. I felt his breath against my cheek, slowly moving to my lips. I knew I should pull back. He was bad, bad news. But my own breath caught in my throat. His lips were so close to mine, I desperately wanted to meet him halfway, to rush forward to test if his lips were as pillow soft as they looked.
“Hey guys!” Dee called out.
Daemon jerked back, sliding in one fluid movement and putting a healthy distance between us on the swing.
I sucked in a sharp breath, surprise and disappointment churning in my stomach. My body was still tingling as if it had been deprived of oxygen. We’d been so absorbed in each other, neither of us had noticed the rain had stopped.
Dee came up the steps, her smile fading as her gaze went from her brother to me. She squinted her eyes. I was sure my face was blood red, making it obvious that she’d interrupted something. But she only stared at her brother, her lips forming a perfect, pouty O.
He grinned at her. The same lopsided grin that gave the impression that he was secretly laughing. “Hey, there, sis. What’s up?”
“Nothing,” she said, eyes narrowing. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” he replied, jumping from the swing. He glanced at me over one broad shoulder. “Just earning bonus points.”
His words whipped through the pleasant haze as he hopped off the porch and ambled toward his own house. I glanced at Dee, wanting to chase after Daemon and dropkick him. “Was almost kissing me a part of the deal to get his keys back or to keep you happy?” My voice was tight. My skin hurt.
Dee sat beside me on the swing. “No. That was never a part of the deal.” She blinked slowly. “Was he about to kiss you?”
I felt my cheeks burn even hotter. “I don’t know.”
“Wow,” she murmured, her eyes wide. “That was unexpected.”
And this was awkward. I didn’t want to even think about what would’ve happened if she hadn’t showed, and definitely not while she was sitting here. “Uh, you went to visit family?”
“Yeah, I had to before school started. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to tell you. It kind of happened all of a sudden.” Dee paused. “What were you and Daemon doing earlier…before the almost-kissing part?”
“We went on a walk. That’s all.”
“That’s odd,” she continued, watching me closely. “I had to steal his keys, but he got them back.”
My face scrunched. “Yeah, thanks for that, by the way. There’s nothing like a boy being blackmailed into hanging out with you to boost the self-esteem.”
“Oh, no! It wasn’t like that at all! I thought he needed…motivation to be nicer.”
“He must really value his car,” I muttered.
“Yeah…he does. Has he been spending a lot of time with you while I was gone?”
“We haven’t spent that much time together. We went to the lake one day and then just today. That’s all.”
A curious look crossed her features, and then she smiled. “Did you guys have a good time?”
Unsure of how to answer, I shrugged. “Yeah, he was actually pretty decent. I mean, he has his moments, but it wasn’t all bad.” If I didn’t count the fact he was being forced into spending time with me, had almost kissed me for b onus points.
“Daemon can be nice when he wants.” Dee pushed back on the swing, using one foot on the floor to keep it moving. “Where did you guys go for a walk?”
“We followed one of the trails and talked, but then we saw a bear.”
“A bear?” Her eyes widened. “Holy crap, what happened?’
“Uh, I sort of passed out or something.”
Dee stared at me. “You passed out?”
I flushed. “Yeah, Daemon carried me back to the porch and yeah, well, the rest is whatever.”
She was watching me closely again, curious. Then she shook her head. Changing the subject, she asked if she’d missed anything else while she was gone. I filled her in while my mind was completely elsewhere. Dee mentioned something about watching a movie later before she left. I think I agreed.
Long after I’d gone inside and pulled on a pair of old sweats, I was still confused over Daemon. He’d seemed almost likeable during our hike before flashing back to Super Douche. Flushing and frustrated, I flopped on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
There was a network of tiny cracks in the plaster. My gaze traveled over them as my mind replayed the events leading up to the “almost kiss.” My stomach flipped thinking about how close his lips had been to mine. Worse yet was the knowledge that I had wanted him to kiss me. Like and lust must not have anything in common.
…
“Let me get this straight.” Dee frowned from where she’d perched herself on the old recliner in desperate need of being reupholstered. “You have no idea where you want to go to college?”
I groaned. “You sound like my mom.”
“Yeah, well, you’re entering your senior year.” Dee paused for a second. “Don’t you guys start applying as soon as school starts?”
Dee and I were sitting in my living room flipping through magazines when my mom had oh-so-casually walked in and dropped a stack of college brochures on the coffee table. Thanks, Mom. “Shouldn’t you be applying? You’re one of ‘us,’ too.” The interest that had been sparkling in her eyes dulled. “Yeah, but we’re talking about you.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed. “I haven’t decided what I want to do. So I don’t see the need to pick a school.”
“But every school offers the same thing. You could pick a place—any place you wanted to go. California, New York, Colorado—oh, you could even go overseas! That would be awesome. That’s what I’d do. I’d go somewhere in England.”
“You can,” I reminded her.
Dee lowered her eyes. She shrugged. “No, I can’t.”
“Why not?” I pulled my legs up and crossed them. It didn’t seem as though money was a problem for them, not when you looked at the cars they drove or the clothes they wore. I’d asked her if she had a job, and she’d said she had a monthly allowance that kept her cushy. Parental remorse at always staying in the city for work and all. Nice gig if you can get it.
Mom was great at giving me cash if I needed it, but I sincerely doubted she’d ever pony up three hundred bucks a month for a fun, new car for me. Nope. I’d have to keep on loving my little sedan, rust and all. Point A to Point B, I always reminded myself. “You can go wherever you want, Dee.” Dee’s smile was tinged with sadness. “I’ll probably stay here when I graduate. Maybe enroll in one of those online universities.”
At first I thought she was joking. “You’re being serious?”
“Yeah, I’m kind of stuck here.”
I was intrigued by the idea of someone being stuck anywhere. “What’s sticking you?”
“My family is here,” she said quietly, looking up. “Anyway, that movie we watched last night gave me nightmares. I hate the whole idea of a haunted house with ghosts in it, watching you sleep.” Her swift change of subject didn’t pass me by. “Yeah, that movie was pretty creepy.”
Dee made a face. “It reminds me of Daemon. He used to stand over me when I was sleeping, because he thought it was funny.” Her delicate shoulders shuddered. “I’d get
so mad at him! I don’t care how deep of a sleep I was in, I could still feel him staring at me and I’d wake up. He would laugh and laugh.” I smiled at the image of Daemon as a little boy teasing his twin. That picture was completely replaced by the full-grown Daemon. I sighed, beyond frustrated, and closed the magazine.
I hadn’t seen him since the evening on my porch, but it was only Monday. Two days without seeing him seemed commonplace. And it wasn’t as if I wanted to see him.
Looking up, I watched Dee flip to the back of her magazine. She always did that, going to the horoscopes in the back. She held her right hand against her chin, tapping her lips with one painted purple nail.
The finger blurred, nearly fading out. Air around her seemed to hum.
I blinked several times. The finger was still there. Great. I was hallucinating again. I threw the magazine aside. “I need to go to the library. I need new books to read.”
“We can plan a trip and go book shopping.” She hopped in her chair, excited all over again. “I want to check out that book you reviewed on your blog the week before you moved here. The one with the kids with superpowers.” My little heart did a happy dance. She’d read my blog. I didn’t even remember telling her the name. “That would be fun, but I was thinking about going to the library tonight. I can’t beat it when it’s free. Do you want to come with me?”
“Tonight?” she questioned, eyes widening. “I can’t tonight, but I can go tomorrow night.”
“It’s no big deal if you can’t go. I’ve been thinking about going for a couple of days, but I keep putting it off, and I need brain candy before I have to read school stuff.”
Dark hair swung around her impish face as she shook her head. “Oh, it’s no big deal. I don’t mind going with you. I can’t go tonight. I have plans already. If I didn’t, I’d go.”
“It’s ok, Dee. I can go to the library alone, and then we can go shopping later. I pretty much know my way around town now. Not as if I can get lost or anything. It’s only like…five blocks.” I paused, and then quickly asked about her plans for the evening, trying to change the subject.
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