by Tamara White
Dude, don’t question it. Cliff notes is they met and this guy is different. I don’t know what it is but Evie’s drawn to him for some reason. Focus on the bond, she feels an instant connection with him. I was going to get us to talk after school. Right now, if we push it she’ll get upset. She found out something that has her upset but she doesn’t want anyone else to know yet, sorry.
I try to fill him in on enough information that will get him by and avoid him questioning her. For some reason, I feel if we push her away from Jeremy she’s going to cling tighter.
“Do you mind if I come back to your place after school? I would love to draw you for my project? I won’t show anyone until you leave, if you’re worried about others finding out,” Jeremy says staring deep into Evie’s eyes.
The teacher has walked off obviously frustrated that Evie hasn’t answered which is unusual in itself. Evie has always respected her teachers but the fact that she just ignored that teacher has me even more worried.
“Evie, are you ok?”
Evie
Jeremy’s so alluring and fun to talk to. The way he speaks sends shivers through my body and makes me understand how girls swoon over guys.
“Sure, I don’t have anything planned.”
He smiles so bright that my heart skips a beat. He’s so amazing.
I hear a noise in the background and start to get irritated when someone touches my shoulder causing me to gasp and bolt out of my chair.
I don’t know what the hell just happened but one moment it felt like Jeremy was my whole world but the moment Zach touched me, it all came rushing back.
I have bonded that rely on me, I can’t be swooning over some guy I barely know. What is it about him that draws me in so much? And why do I feel safe with him, even though I know he’s part demon, something about him screams fragile.
“Sorry, I don’t know why I said that,” I say to Zach hoping my confusion is enough because I have no idea how to explain what’s happening.
“It’s ok. It’s probably a good idea for Jeremy to come back with us any way. We’re going to have some questions and I know I’m curious to know how the hell he even exists,” Zach replies.
“Cool, I’ll catch a ride with you guys then,” Jeremy says abruptly getting up and storming out of the room.
Chapter 16
Jeremy
Son of a bitch!
I was so close. The moment I met her I knew who she was. My mission at the school was to find the one responsible for sending our kind back to the underworld. My father wants her out of the picture and at first, I thought killing her seemed to be the only option.
The first night I was here, I scoped out her whereabouts based in the location we were given by our informant and I was too late to intervene. She was taken and hadn’t returned until now.
My father has informants at the mansions so I was given free reign at school to act like a teenager and it felt amazing to let go of my duties. That was until he got told she was coming back.
Two days ago, my father summoned me back to the underworld and told me my target was coming back to school to finish her diploma. It peaked my interest because what sane person would want to come back to school?
Either way my father told me to bring her to him but if there was no way to do that then I had to do whatever I could to get rid of her.
I suspected she was pregnant when I saw her, based on the auras mixing with her own.
An aura is specific to each individual person and when a woman is pregnant the colours mix. It’s a wonderful thing to see but it makes my mission harder.
Killing an elemental that threatens my father from crossing into this world, easy. Killing a pregnant woman, that I can’t do. I decided to try and take her away from her bonds, maybe then she would forget all about them but the moment that idiot touched her, she was back under control of herself.
I can compel people to want to please me and that’s all it was but it was working really well. Too well actually. I considered someone as strong as what they said she was, would be harder but surprisingly she fell to my charms straight away.
Her thoughts keep bleeding into my own and what I see and feel, makes me terrified. Never has a woman affected me like this.
Growing up in the underworld, I was thrust into the society and did what my father required of me. I had to go on dates to satisfy business partners of his but never did the girls I date affect me like this.
Evelyn is like a beacon in the darkness and I’m not sure how I feel about it. The darkness is what I’m used to but feeling the light in my presence has me missing it.
My mother was apparently an angel so it would explain the need to be close to the light but the feelings accompanied with it, it’s not something I’m used to.
As I make my way to the locker to get my stuff, I see Catherine standing by it waiting for me. Sighing I head over hoping to get this over with quickly.
Since I started here, she’s been attached at my hip, constantly showing me off to her friends as if I’m some kind of toy. I know what she wants though. She just wants a trophy to have on her arm to make her feel special. She doesn’t care about who it is, only that they’re above the standards she sees as normal.
She’s been grating on my nerves for weeks but now that my mission is back on track, it might be better to ditch her now than worry about the interference. The only reason I got closer to begin with was because she said she was friends with Evelyn.
“Hey Jeremy,” she purrs pulling me to her for a kiss. I dodge my head at the last minute making her kiss land on my cheek.
“Is everything ok?” she asks while I reach around her grabbing my shit, ready to bolt. This chick can be batshit crazy and I don’t want to deal with her fallout.
“Um well, actually no. My father has asked me to do some stuff for him so I’ll be busy for the next few weeks. It might be better if we don’t see each other anymore,” I say trying to be compassionate but I just don’t care.
“What?!” she screeches causing me to cringe. Damn her voice can go high.
I’ve got all I need so I start towards the front of the school ready to get the hell out of here. I need to go back with Evelyn and her bonds, so I can try to integrate myself in their lives. My father is counting on me.
“Jeremy! Get back here!”
Catherine’s still calling for me and I make it to the parking lot before she starts to follow. I halt in my tracks when I see Evelyn and her bonds standing around an SUV chatting and laughing. It causes a pang of loneliness in my heart but I need to bury that feeling, I can’t be weak, not when I’m so close.
“Jeremy! How fucking dare you! You break up with me and then you’re out here with this fucking whore! You know she’s pregnant, right?! She lets anyone in her pants and doesn’t even care if she’s taking my sloppy seconds!”
Catherine is shouting behind me but when she mentions having slept with one of Evelyn’s bonded, I freeze.
Slowly I meet Evelyn’s gaze and see tears on her face. She’s not sad but angry and protective. She’s cradling her stomach while staring at me and the spark I see in her eyes sends shivers through my body.
She throws me a soft smile and I know what I have to do.
“Catherine, just shut the fuck up!
You follow me out here after I end things to rant and rave about something that doesn’t even matter.
Yes she may be pregnant but what the hell does that have to do with being a whore?! From what I see you’re the whore here.
You spread so much shit around this school as if you walk on fucking water but you’re the one screwing everything that moves.
So what if one of them slept with you before he met Evelyn? He’s with her now which shows me he has a brain for choosing her over you.
There’s more to a relationship than just fucking so I suggest you do some thinking and sort your shit out. One day karma is going to come back around and chew you a new one. I can tell you now, hell has a special
place reserved in it for people like you.”
I breath deep ready to continue giving this bitch a piece of my mind when I feel a soft caress in my mind.
Stop. She doesn’t need more fear. Leave her to think over what you’ve said and come with us. We have a lot to talk about.
Evelyn is talking in my mind! No, no, no, no, no this can’t be possible.
I offer her a shaky smile following them to their car throwing my bag in the back, and climbing over the seats. I doubt they want me next to Evelyn and I need the space to think.
After everyone clambers in with some of the men throwing me glares, we head off and I sink into my seat wondering if this means what I think it means.
I’ve never met anyone I could communicate telepathically with before but my stepmother told me the day I found the one I was destined to be with, we would be able to share everything of ourselves.
Is this it? Is Evelyn the one I’m destined to be with?
Dane
That saying that the past will come back to bite you in the ass? Well I know exactly what that means right now.
On the drive home, everyone is silent but I can feel the anger from the others and I have no idea what to do about it.
They all knew Catherine was referring to me and my guilt may have had something to do with that but I can’t undo what happened.
Once we’re all gathered in the living room I wait for someone to speak, hoping I won’t have to break the silence because I can tell it’s going to get heated, fast.
Jeremy’s just standing by the door watching us like some kind of reality show but he has a look of fear on his face that makes me glad we brought him back. From what Evie said before he got to the car, he’s part angel and part demon so he may be useful.
“So Dane, going to tell us what that was all about? You slept with her? What the hell kind of sick game are you playing?” Mike asks glaring at me.
I sigh knowing I’m going to have to tell them this but I hate having to do it.
“I’m not going to lie and say it didn’t happen because it did,” I say pausing to let them absorb it in small doses. I don’t want to overwhelm them.
“So you all know what happened with Caroline?”
Everyone nods apart from Zach and Jeremy.
“Oh right sorry. Basically, Caroline was someone I was interested in at our last school. She was bullied because of me until she killed herself,” I say sombrely.
“Dane, it wasn’t your fault! Stop blaming yourself!” Evie stands abruptly yelling at me and I’m a little taken aback by her behaviour.
“No really it was my fault. She left a note,” I tell them softly.
Everyone’s jaws drop as they take in what I said. I told them all what happened with Catherine but I kept the note to myself because at the time I didn’t know how to deal with it.
“Yeah, she left me a note before she killed herself. I still have it. Her parents heard we were leaving soon and gave it to me the day I left. It’s why I left so abruptly. I couldn’t be around anyone and I figured getting here and finding the elemental before you guys got here, might get me away from the rest of you for a while. Here, I keep it with me to remind me what I’ve done,” I tell them pulling out the worn note. I’ve read it multiple times over the past few weeks, more so while Evie was missing but I still read it when I mess up.
Dane,
If you’re reading this, it means I finally followed through with my plan. I’ve been contemplating this for a while and as my only friend I need you to know, I blame you.
Not you in person but your presence in my life.
Before you came here, I was nobody. I could go between classes, no one knew who I was or what classes I had, no one bothered me when I sat by myself in the library for lunch and most of all, no one picked on me.
You came and turned my whole world upside down. You introduced me to what it was like being popular but at the same time, I was still on the outside. You never introduced me to your friends or your family. You still hung out with other people but I only had you.
That’s why they targeted me. Sheila thought I was something special because you kept me to yourself but I was nothing.
Life has been unfair to me and I know you will hurt with my loss but I can’t survive like this anymore.
The day Sheila and her friends cornered me in the locker room, they were trying to kill me. They knew how much you meant to me but they obviously couldn’t go after you so they chose me. Towards the end, they said that it was just a taste of what’s to come. I can’t handle any more.
I hope you find someone who will make you happy and let you share your whole world with her but please don’t shut her out like you did me. Let her in to every part of your soul so she knows, she is worthy of your heart.
Your heart is so big, you just don’t see the capacity for love you have. Please, for me, find her. Find the one you need.
All my love,
Caroline.
As I wait for everyone to finish, I glance at everyone gaging their reactions. Evie’s the last to finish and her reaction is the one I’m most scared of. She’ll see just how horrible I was to Caroline. I don’t understand most of what I did in isolating Caroline, but I vowed never to let it happen with my bonded.
“Dane, do you honestly really blame yourself after reading this? Do you not see how amazing she thought you were? She placed blame on you for being the way you are and keeping her a secret which is just who you are.
You’ve never shared much of yourself with anyone but Zach and for her to blame you like that is unfair. Look at Evie and tell me if you’ve done that with her?
I know you cared for Caroline but it is completely unfair for her to blame you for turning her world upside down. If she had spent more time around the popular kids, then she may have been exactly as Sheila was. The fact of the matter is, she isolated herself.
She could have asked to meet us, or sat with you during lunch but she separated herself. I asked her once if she would like to join us as I’d seen her walking away from you when we met up in the cafeteria but she said she preferred eating in quiet.
You may be ok with letting her blame you but the rest of us don’t like it,” Ky says gripping me in a bone crushing hug.
Wow, ok that was not what I was expecting.
“Dane, I’ve only known you a few weeks but even I know that’s not true. You wouldn’t have isolated her that would have been her own fault.
I feel bad that she killed herself but it was not your fault!
Every person has an individual personality and she may have been one that just took shit because she was too weak to fight back or she just didn’t want to.
After years with my parents, it wasn’t until I met you guys that I finally found the desire to fight back and who knows, if I didn’t have the strength in me to be with you, I may have ended up exactly as she did.
The difference between us is, I was tired of being picked on. My temper probably had more to do with that than anything but I believe it was also an inner strength from meeting you.”
I ponder what Evie said and realize to some extent she’s right. Catherine was meek but I thought it was how she liked it. I thought she never wanted me to invite her to sit with us so I didn’t but if Ky asked her to sit with us why would she say no?
There will always be a part of me that feels responsible for Caroline’s death but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Maybe it’s time I move on?
“Ok, now that you’ve told us that, how about filling us in on why it means you slept with Catherine?” Teddy asks me grimacing.
Shit, I was hoping they wouldn’t ask me to explain it to everyone. Maybe just Evie in privacy but no, it looks like my dirty secret is going to be shared with everyone.
“Well, after I bolted, I came here. I didn’t see the elemental we were looking for anywhere and I was starting to lose hope. All I wanted was to get away from here as soon as possible. Doing what the council asked, was in m
y mind, was the only way to redeem myself for what had happened.
I ended up going into a bar on the edge of town for a drink, hoping I could get away from everything that was bothering me when I saw her.
She was dressed up in an innocent way, very much like Caroline used to and she had me. We talked for a few hours before I ended up bringing her back to my hotel room.
I told her I would be going to school soon and that I looked forward to being around her but the moment I was in the school, it was like she changed.
She went from being cute and innocent to a complete bitch, just like Sheila was. It shocked me and during our first class I was more than happy to chat away but I heard her saying things that set off alarm bells.
She was talking about you that day you know?” I ask looking directly at Evie. Catherine had been going on and on about who to avoid and who to sit with during classes.
She had said Evelyn was this ugly girl that roamed the school offering her services in exchange for cash but the moment I saw her in the next class, I knew no way could someone that beautiful could be the person Catherine was describing.
Evie wasn’t ugly but the most enchanting girl I had seen. She stuck her head down and kept to herself but when I asked to borrow a pencil she showed me the kindness inside her.
After class, she told me her name. I was pretty shocked to know this was the girl Catherine had been talking about.
“After I realized everything she had said was bull shit, I confronted her. This was just before we found you day dreaming under your tree,” I say smiling fondly at the memory of her sitting there just staring off into the distance.
“Anyway, I told her I had been involved with girls like her and I wanted nothing to do with it. She got angry trying to tell me I’d regret it and I’d pay for being a dick but honestly, I just wanted to be as far away from her as I could.
She pretended not to know me after that but still tried to get my attention like the other girls at school were. I chose to ignore her until the day she called you trash.
I couldn’t stand her saying that about you and I screwed it up even worse by you finding those notes.
