“This is a lot harder than I thought it would be,” I whispered. Adam looked at me blankly and walked into Rose’s room to help her grab her stuff. I could hear her calling orders to him and the sounds of drawers opening and closing. I wasn’t feeling in a helping mood. Seeing the two of them together in an intimate setting was hard enough as it was.
Instead I sat down on the couch and put my hands between my knees, humming Dixie. I instantly hung my head, I had been caught in the civil war web of songs. I sat there for another ten minutes waiting for them to come out of her room.
“All right, we have everything,” Adam said, holding two bags. Rose had on a backpack and a suitcase.
“This is just about all that I had when I came here. I rented the apartment furnished,” she said, looking around. She hadn’t been here long enough to really get attached.
“All right, well, I ran here so I guess we have a bit of a walk.” I got up and smiled at the two of them. I couldn’t believe I was being so cold. I flinched as a flame ran up my spine. “Adam?”
“What?” He didn’t sound too thrilled.
“What color was that flame?” I asked, walking toward the door.
“Red,” he said simply and I heard their feet fall in line behind mine. I shook my head and kept walking. I didn’t look behind me until we reached the apartment, ten minutes away.
“So whose money is paying for this?” Rose muttered the moment we walked through the door.
“My father is Damien Weathers,” I said, smoothly throwing the house keys on the bar and walking to the couch where I collapsed, spent. “Adam, take Rose into your room. Her stuff can go in the closet until we know the plan of action.” I put the emphasis on the phrase ‘your room.’
“Yeah, this way Rose.” I heard them enter the room and shut the door. They were alone. I looked toward the large TV and frowned. I got up and went into my room and lay down on the bed. Things were going to change now, I just knew it. Right when I thought that for once, something good was going to happen, I realized that the curse was rearing its ugly head. It was probably best to end this thing with Adam before he wound up hurt or taken.
Chapter Twelve: Spit Spat
I was in the shower at twelve, I couldn’t care less if I got the tattoo wet or not. I had to get ready for the cocktail party. There was no way around it. I couldn’t call and cancel, I was the guest of honor. I washed my hair and body thoroughly and made sure that got all the hard-to-reach places. These people were meticulous and I didn’t want to show up with even a flake of dirt behind my ear.
Shawn had arrived about half an hour earlier. I had never been hugged so long in my life. He was now sitting in the living room watching House reruns on the big screen. Adam’s door remained closed. Nobody came out and I was going to be damned if I went in. He knew what time the party was; it was up to him to get ready in time.
I got out of the shower and walked to the bedroom where I left my dress and undergarments on the soft bed. I got dressed quickly but had issues with the zipper, as usual. I walked out into the living room and Shawn looked at me, dumbfounded, when I asked if he would zip me up.
“Isn’t this what your boyfriend is supposed to do for you?” He looked toward Adam’s room door. “Or is there trouble in Paradise already?” He zipped up the dress, making sure not to touch me. “Let me guess, Mona?”
“OK, let me answer your questions in the order that they were asked. Adam is not my boyfriend, no there is no trouble in Paradise, and yes the dress is brought to you by Mona.”
“She always had a thing for red. Then again, so do you.” He smiled at me. “Need help with your hair or anything?”
“Since when do you do hair?” I raised an eyebrow at him.
“I’ve been around. I’ve dated. I know how to do things.” He looked at me like I had hit a nerve.
“Fine,” I groaned, motioning him to follow me into the master bathroom.
“Good Lord, you could turn this into another bedroom and still have room.” He marveled at the room.
“You know Dad,” I said, shrugging, handing him a brush.
Shawn was actually rather good with hair. I suppose he was right, he had been around for quite a few centuries and had girlfriends along the way, learning with each passing decade the hairstyles. By the end I had a fancy French twist and my new bangs were brushed out straight across my forehead.
“Impressive,” I said, turning my head from side to side.
“Yeah, in the sixties I dated a hair stylist. It’s amazing that, no matter what, the French twist is a common hairstyle.” He shrugged. “I would offer to do your makeup but, well, I don’t know anything about that stuff. I wore eyeliner in the eighties but that is a time period I’m not too proud of.”
I admit I laughed. The thought of Shawn dressed like Billy Idol gave me the giggles. He looked at me blank faced and shook his head.
“I got the makeup. Can you check on Adam and see if he’s getting ready?” I asked, grabbing the foundation from the countertop and opening the lid.
“Yeah.” He turned and left the bathroom.
I put my face together the way that I figured Mona would. Didn’t go too heavy on the eyeliner and even put on blush. I looked like a well-to-do rich girl by the time I was done. I went into the bedroom and grabbed the stilettos from the box I had placed them in after I took them off the day before. Putting my feet carefully into the shoes, I stood up. I had officially grown another six inches.
I walked into the living room and started getting my things together. I didn’t know how long this thing was going to last so I made sure that my phone was fully charged before putting it in my handbag and I grabbed my license and credit cards from the pants that I had worn to get Adam and Rose. By the time I was done it was already 2:15 and the limo was going to be there shortly.
“You are an enigma, Dawn.” I heard Rose’s voice from the kitchen. I turned and looked at her, my red lips parting. “I mean you show up here and you find me. How did you know where I was?”
“You met my friend in another town. When you ran he figured I would have a better chance of getting to you,” I said truthfully.
“The man with the big arms, huh?” She rolled her eyes. “I should have known.”
“His name is Nick, so yes the one with the big arms,” I sighed.
“Is Adam part of the plan too?” She put her hands to her temples.
“Adam is my best friend. Where I go, he goes.” I didn’t want to hurt her and besides, I wasn’t sure what Adam was feeling right at that moment.
She looked relieved. “I know he’s young,” she said, walking into the living room. Her expression had softened. “We talked about it last night. But there is something there with him that I haven’t felt with anyone else.”
I waited for the jealousy to hit me but it didn’t rear its ugly head. “He’s a good guy,” I said softly. My voice caught.
“So why do you need me?” She put her hands out. “Is it because of this?” I watched as she pulled water from her skin and two bubbles appeared in her palms. It wasn’t anything extravagant but it did solidify the idea that she carried the water shard.
“Yes. I don’t know how much you know about your life,” I sighed.
“I was raised by a nice couple. Last year they told me that I was adopted and my parents were gifted. They said that I can control water, and not just water but water based solutions. I dabbled some with it. Found out I can also pull blood from the flesh if I’m touching someone. Nothing more interesting than being able to make it rain type A positive blood. Scared the shit out of me when that happened.” She was rambling.
“You are the fourth,” I said simply. “The first flame, the first harvest, the first breeze, and the first rain. For every good there is evil, for darkness there is light. Our blood is the epicenter of both. We carry the good of our element with the bad. That is why you can pull water from anything that is hydrated and blood from anyt
hing you touch.” I wasn’t sure how much of this she was getting but it was the best quick explanation that I could come up with.
“I saw the fire.” She shook off what she was thinking next and looked at me, eyes wide.
“Yes.” I crossed my arms.
“You also said I’m the fourth. Where are the other two?” She asked as if she didn’t believe there were others.
“With my mother and father,” I said, looking toward Adam’s door. What was taking him so long?
“You want me to go with you, don’t you?” she asked.
“Yes.” My phone began to ring. I walked toward Adam’s door and annoyingly knocked. “Come on!”
“Coming.” He opened the door and stepped out. “Shawn was helping me. I didn’t know how to put half this crap on.” He pulled on his tie.
I walked toward the door and waited, watching as he walked up to Rose and kissed her briefly on the lips. I had to look away. It wasn’t jealousy that I was feeling, this emotion was new and I couldn’t place the correct description for it. He walked up to me and, as I turned, he put his hand on the small of my back sending chills up my spine. When we got outside the door I turned and locked it. I had not met these witches that my father claimed would protect the apartment. Nobody had shown up; however, they were witches—I didn’t know how close they had to be. They may have just covered the entire complex, making sure that everywhere we went was set.
“What’s going on with you today?” he asked, reaching for my hand. I pulled it closer to me, acting as if I hadn’t noticed.
“What do you mean? The fact that I was face-to-face with John again? How about the fact that he pretty much answered the question if Wesley was changed? I wake up and you aren’t here, your phone is but you—no.” I pushed the door open and walked into the sun, making my way to the waiting limo.
“I’m sorry. She texted me at like six in the morning. I thought she had fallen or someone had broken into her house. How was I to know that when I walked through the door I was going to come face-to-face with the demon again?” he growled as he climbed inside the limo.
“Not to mention I had to watch you kiss Rose upstairs.” I took a seat and crossed my ankles. I was grateful that nobody had come to meet us.
He looked down and then back up. There was sadness in his eyes. “I didn’t think I would actually like her,” he admitted. My jaw locked, my suspicion had been correct. “I really don’t know what happened. I am so incredibly confused right now.”
“Casually dating.” I felt my teeth grind.
“Yes,” he groaned.
“What a wicked web we weave,” I said softly.
“It’s not like that. I know what I want but I’m stuck in this spot. I can’t hurt a girl I actually like.” His voice was weak.
“Well do me a favor.” I looked at him hard. “Today at the party there is no other woman in the world but me. Mona has it set in her head that we are together. We need to look the part. After that you can try and figure out what’s going on.”
He nodded. “I can do that.”
“Good.” I looked out the window for a second before shifting my head back to him. “I just have to know something. When you are kissing me do you think of her?”
“No!” he said sharply. “I do, however, find myself thinking of you when I kiss her.” I felt a flutter in my heart but I pushed it aside. I didn’t know this whole ordeal was going to turn out this way and neither did he.
“I find that oddly comforting,” I said in a monotone.
“All I have wanted since I met you is to be with you. Now you throw in another girl and I’m lost. What do I do? Do I keep this thing going on between you and me a secret, or do I openly have an open relationship with Rose?” He frowned but I understood what he was saying.
“It wouldn’t have to be a secret,” I said. My foot started to twitch. “We just couldn’t tell anyone till we got Wesley back from Miranda.”
“You still love him. And I know you talked to Aaron last night. You still care about him. Dawn, you cannot love three people at once.” He popped his knuckles. “If you and I were open about what happened and you got Wesley back I would be pushed aside. He complements you and how you feel about the world. He will always be the ‘what if.’”
“It wouldn’t be that way,” I sighed.
“You don’t know that. You don’t know what is going to happen when you see him. That part of you that is drawn to him may instantly return, next thing I know you are running off to Vegas with Wesley the vampire boy.” He had run just about every possible scenario in his head.
“We don’t know he’s a vampire,” I chuckled.
“It doesn’t matter. We have to figure this out but at the same time we have to stop ourselves from getting too attached.” He didn’t look too thrilled saying this.
“You are running from me!” I exclaimed, my legs flying apart.
“I’m not running,” he said plainly, looking from side to side.
“That is exactly what you are doing.” I put a hand up to check my hair. “You are so scared to face your own feelings.” He had seen his family fall apart, he was scared of love. He was even more terrified of intimate relationships. “You like Rose because you don’t have any old feelings for her; it’s all new.”
“Do we have to talk about this now?” he groaned.
“No, because we are here.” The mansion loomed over us. I had almost forgotten about the Greek patio and all the statues. The place looks exactly as it had the day I walked out the door and said goodbye forever.
“What kind of lawyer is your father?” Adam got out of the limo and helped me gain my balance on the sidewalk.
“You know what, I don’t know. Mom said he had money saved from all the time he spent on solid ground.” I tucked my handbag under my arm and weaved my free one through Adam’s. “Best behavior. Act dignified,” I chuckled. We were so out of place.
Mitch met us at the door with a huge smile on his face.
“Dawn, my dear,” he said, taking my bag and Adam’s dress coat.
“Mitch,” I said, just as personably. I had so many memories of this man. He wrapped me in a warm hug.
“You look stunning, my dear.” He pushed me away long enough to look at my face. “Adam,” he acknowledged with a little less excitement.
Mitch led us to the back of the house where the group was waiting. I knew the faces that were looking at me but they didn’t seem to know mine. They had these looks of shock, like they couldn’t believe it was me. Adam grabbed my hand and squeezed it as a way of giving me confidence.
“Dawn!” Mona broke the silence and ran to me, her heels clicking on the marble floor.
“Mona,” I said shyly, looking at the faces of the young women who used to be my friends in middle school.
“So great that you made it on time!” She laughed, kissing me on each cheek then doing the same to Adam. “Girls this is Adam, Dawn’s boyfriend.”
I saw some of the faces change to smiles as the girls looked at Adam.
“You look so … different,” a blonde girl named Jessica said, her face showing she did not approve of my change.
“Yeah, I do.” I fidgeted. This was not how I pictured the reunion to be.
“I love that dress,” said Brie, the dark-haired beauty in the corner. She looked like she felt sorry for me. For once, pity wasn’t something I was going to say no to.
“Thank you. Mona picked it out for me yesterday,” I said, smiling. The girls seemed to loosen up after that. There were discussions about college and after-graduation parties. Brie told me her father was sending her to Europe for a month. Jessica said she was going to Connecticut with her boyfriend’s family.
It was probably the most uncomfortable party I had ever been to. They were different and so was I. All the memories we shared were about a girl whom I could hardly remember. It was all about a time when I thought I was human, before my father told me what
I was. They dotted all over Adam, wondering how I got myself such a stunning man. I didn’t have the heart to tell them he was torn with what he wanted when it came to me.
Before we knew it, the party was over. We were back in the limo heading toward the apartment. Adam was wide-eyed and still in shock over the large amount of attention that he had received from my old friends.
“That at least wasn’t horrible,” I said, peeling off my shoes and rubbing the soles of my feet. It was amazing how sore they were after only a few hours.
“No, not bad. Did you know that every single one of your friends stuffed their cell numbers in my pockets and said to call them when we broke up?” He pulled out the slips and put them on the seat beside him. “As if I’m not having enough trouble with the two that I have right now.”
“Yeah, the two that you have,” I groaned. We were heading back to the apartment where both Shawn and Rose were waiting for us to return. I wasn’t sure what the plan was now. Were we going to stay in Dallas for a little bit, waiting for the hybrid forces to back off, or were we going to head back to Harrisville and pray that nobody followed us?
“I have a lot to think about. As my best friend, I figured you would be the one that would understand.” He gave me an annoyed glare.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Adam. Here, let me put everything on hold so you can figure out what Warden you want to be with. Krista is the only one you haven’t made out with.” I bit at him. My once-innocent friend was turning out to be not so innocent. He had morals yes but he was turning out to be one hell of a Christian player.
“You know, when we get back I can go ahead and knock that out. I’m sure she will throw me in a thunderstorm at that point.” He teased me. He knew I was upset so he was poking and prodding at that button until I exploded. He did not want to see me explode.
“Are we really having a fight?” I asked, glaring at him.
“I think we are,” he bit back. Suddenly the back seat became a mix of flying hair arms and lips as our face clashed together. My toes curled, my heart pounded, and the whole time I kept thinking how wrong it was.
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