“Don’t you think we should get back, Daphne?” a girlish voice suddenly broke the silence that hung heavy in the air. “We will miss the party-highlights if we don’t turn around now.”
A second girl giggled. “I wonder what it might be this time.”
“Maybe Jeremy stripping down naked, pissed as she is,” a third voice, a male one, added.
“Let’s hurry,” one of the girls pressed and they headed off in another direction.
I didn’t dare to move until Jaden rolled me to my side and out of the bushes.
“Sorry,” he whispered. “Are you in pain?” It didn’t sound like a question. “I’ll make it go away.” He stroked my face tenderly and kissed my forehead, and warmth spread through my body taking the soreness away. His fingers and lips were cold from the wintery air as they touched my face.
The pain vanished so quickly I couldn’t react the way I wanted to. I wanted to ask him what this meant, what he wanted, why he was so close to me. But I couldn’t help but feel endlessly grateful and comfortable in his arms. It was not the glowing fire Adam had heated—it was some different sensation of trust and warmth and affinity of nature.
“Thank you,” I whispered, and his features lightened slightly in the darkness. His eyes seemed to be two golden suns hidden behind several layers of night.
“Anytime,” he breathed, and his lips twitched up at one side. His breath was warm on my face. I shivered as the warmth faded from the rest of my body. He lay beside me, one arm still over my chest, pinning me to the ground. His eyes were very focused on mine, like they tried to bore into my thoughts. I forgot the cold ground and my freezing body—all I saw was his face that slowly drew nearer to mine. He wasn’t more than an inch away when suddenly he vanished.
“Jaden,” I whispered. No answer. “Jaden, where are you?” I waited a minute; still no sign of him.
It seemed I was lying there in a dark cold wood in the middle of January, alone.
Unexpected
It was dark and cold. I was shivering from lying on the frozen ground for too long.
What was I going to do now? Asking myself this question over and over again, I rolled to the side. Convinced that lying and waiting wouldn’t help, I slowly got to my feet. Jaden’s jacket lay on the ground where he had been lying a second before. I picked it up and slipped my arms into it, thankful to have one. The air was heavy with frozen mist and had seeped through the shirt I wore. The jacket was still warm as I buttoned it up and removed leaves and dirt from my clothes as much as possible. I looked around once and started walking in the general direction the two girls and boy had gone, stumbling over my own feet a lot.
After around ten minutes I heard music and laughter. I headed in the direction the noise came from, Soon I saw the orange glow of a big bonfire in the middle of a clearing full of people. It seemed to be a big party.
I stayed hidden behind the trees for a moment watching the scene. I was unsuspicious, so I stepped out from behind the trees and mingled with the crowd. There were so many people nobody would notice I didn’t belong there. Or so I thought.
A dark-haired girl around twenty-five looked up as I pushed my way past her.
“Are you new?” she eyed me with big brown eyes. “I haven’t seen you here before.”
I froze. “Uhm—yes …first time here.” I tried to behave normal.
“Want a drink?” She gestured for me to follow her and led the way to a bar on the other side of the fire. “Beer?” the girl asked over her shoulder. I nodded briefly, not wanting to draw attention by refusing. “Jamie! Two beers,” she yelled to the guy behind the bar. He handed us two bottles and grinned at me.
“I’m Karren, by the way.”
“Claire,” I held out my hand and she shook it.
“What do you study?”
We walked over to a table and sat down. There, between empty bottles and half empty glasses some party flyers, lay strewn. I grabbed one and turned it my hands. It said second semester studentparty, January 15th. So this was a party for students of Aurora University.
“History,” I spilled the first thing that came to my mind. My hand flapped to my forehead—why history, why not something I had a clue about?
“First semester?”
“Yeah,” she hadn’t noticed how insecure I was. “And you?”
“Physics, master program.” She smiled enthusiastically. “I’ll be finished by the end of the upcoming term.”
“Congratulations,” I encouraged the topic.
“How do you like it here?” She gave me an expectant look. “I mean, the guys at college are somewhat better than at high school, don’t you think?” her eyelids fluttered several times as she looked around the crowd.
“Absolutely,” she was right—after all, Adam was a college guy. A voice in the back of my head reminded me painfully of the fact that Adam hadn’t wanted me. “So, how often do these parties take place?”
“Each semester on the first Saturday before classes start.” She grinned at me. “The students of different departments organize them—this time it was the Med School’s turn.”
“How many people are here?” The crowd was big, considering we were standing in the middle of the woods. I didn’t dare ask for our actual location and how far it was back to the town.
“Around two-hundred. But it’s bigger in summer. The parties take place directly on the campus then, and a lot more people come because they don’t have to drive.”
“There you are,” a voice behind me called. I stayed still, not knowing what to expect, and watched Karren’s face light up.
“Good Lord, Jeremy,” she laughed out loud and I turned around at her reaction. A guy was standing behind me, stripped down to his underwear. He had put on a parka to protect his bare chest. I couldn’t suppress a giggle. Jeremy eyed me with a broad smile on his face.
“Hi,” I said before the giggle could burst out again.
“Who’s the beauty sitting with you?” he asked Karren.
“Claire, Jeremy—Jeremy, Claire,” she introduced us.
“Nice to meet you,” I held out my hand, but Jeremy spread his arms and hugged me, placing a wet kiss on my cheek. He smelled like alcohol and his movements were slightly uncoordinated.
“Go get dressed,” Karren patted his arm and Jeremy turned around and walked away, still smiling broadly. He was soon swallowed by the crowd.
“Moron,” I heard Karren laugh beside me and I had to join in.
Strange, how a few minutes earlier, I had feared for my life and now I sat in the middle of a party with happy people around me and was—seemingly—perfectly safe.
Pictures of darkness and screams flashed through my head. They all were accompanied by the memories of physical pain. If Jaden hadn’t been there I was sure I wouldn’t have survived the torture, I was sure I wouldn’t have gotten away. It seemed like my guardian angel was quite good at his job. I silently wondered where he had gone. For some reason, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t see him again too soon. He had told me many things that I wouldn’t have believed a few days before, but now I knew they were true. I had a lot to think about and I needed to get home. What if the demons were waiting for me at home? Would they trap me again? Jaden, where are you? Fear began to rise in my insides.
“Karren, do you know how I can get back to Aurora from here? My friend went home already.” I had a quick glance at my watch—1 a.m.
“Some of my friends wanted to go home around now and I think I’ll join them—had enough of these.” She lifted her bottle. “We can give you a ride.”
I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the thought of going with strangers, but what alternative did I have?
“Thanks, that’s really nice.”
Karren drained her bottle and got to her feet. My bottle was more than half full. I put it on the table and followed her to the edge of the clearing.
Cars were parked between the trees, and a bunch of people were talking animately between the vehicles.
<
br /> “Hey Toby,” she called over to them. “I’ve got another one. Do you have one more free seat?” A bulky guy turned around and waved at us, but we were too far away to see his face in the darkness.
We wound our way through trees and cars until we reached the group of people. “Toby, that’s Claire. She needs a ride to Aurora.”
Toby grinned. He had a friendly face. “Sorry Karren, we’re full. But the others should have room. They’ll be here any minute.”
“No problem,” Karren said cheerily. “Here they come.” She pointed at two shapes escaping the crowd and stepping into the darker improvised parking lot.
“See you Monday,” Toby waved. He opened his pick-up and the group of people climbed into the cab.
Karren led the way towards the others who were heading for one of the cars nearest to the road. “Hey,” she called. “Toby said you can give us a ride back.” She pulled me forward by my arm talking in a low voice. “They are real lookers. Brothers. Remember what I said about college guys?” she snickered.
The two guys turned around and I nearly fell over my own feet.
“Sure we can,” the taller one said. I shivered.
“Guys this is…”
“Claire?” He stood there with his arms half way outstretched as if to hug me, but then they slumped back to his sides.
“Adam,” my mouth was dry from the shock and my voice was hoarse.
“You know each other?” Karren wondered aloud.
“You could say so,” the other guy replied—Ben.
“What are you doing here?” Adam asked, obviously surprised to see me.
“Party,” I responded blankly.
Karren shifted uncomfortably. “Shall we get going then?” She opened the door and slipped into the back seat. I followed her lead and climbed in on the other side.
The boys got in the front seats and Adam drove back to town. It was very quiet in the car. Neither Adam nor Ben spoke, nor did I. Meeting Adam really was unexpected. Had Jaden known Adam was here. Was this why he had brought me to this forest?
“You can drop me off right here,” Karren ripped me from my thoughts. Adam pulled to the side and stopped so Karren could get out. “Thanks, Adam. See you on Monday!” She clapped his shoulder. “It was nice meeting you, Claire. Maybe we will run into each other on the campus.”
“Yeah, maybe. Good night.” I croaked as she closed the door behind her.
The next stop was my house. None of us spoke until Adam pulled into the driveway and I opened the door. My heart raced with fear. It was fear of both going away from Adam again and fear of what might await me at home.
“Thanks for the ride,” I smiled vaguely and got out of the car.
As I closed it behind me, Adam stood in front of me, his eyes scrutinizing me.
“What happened?” he asked with a pained expression. I shook my head in reply and headed for the door. Adam was right behind me.
As I pressed down on the handle, the door was open. I saw that the keys lay on the table next to the door along with my cellphone. I took both and put them in the pocket of my jeans.
“What happened, Claire?” His voice was hard and fearful. It made me turn around and look at him, into his green glowing eyes which seemed tortured by my silence. His expression brought back the memories of pain and fear.
“Adam—I’m scared.” My shoulders slumped and I leaned against the table with tears in my eye.
He looked at me for a minute, struggling with himself, and then his posture melted and he touched my arm with his hand. “Come with me tonight.”
“But Ben—”
“Ben won’t bother you.” His voice was back to hard. “Get some fresh clothes and your toiletries.”
I slowly climbed the stairs not daring to look ahead, too afraid to spot a dark shadow around the corner.
Nigel startled me with a soft meow as he leaped from my bed and rubbed around my feet. “I’m sorry,” I stroked his back for a second, slipped out of Jaden’s jacket and started packing my things.
A few minutes later my bag was filled. On top of the clothes was the old nameless library book.
I hurried back downstairs to the kitchen, Nigel at my heels. I poured him some food and milk. He ate hastily and then followed me outside. Before I locked the door behind me I slipped into a new jacket—mine was lost somewhere—and knelt down beside the cat. “I’ll be back tomorrow, Nigel,” I told him with a few more strokes. He seemed to understand as he blinked at me and then he jumped towards the front door and out of sight.
Adam was leaning on the porch when I locked the door, watching me with a worried expression.
“Ready.” I hurried down the steps beside him and climbed into the back of the car.
“Aren’t you staying home?” Ben spat at me. I could have guessed Ben would be hostile again, but it still hurt. I sniffed and pretended not to have heard him, although that was impossible.
Adam got in and started the engine. A few seconds later, we were on our way to Lenard mansion. Adam drove a little too fast for my taste, as if he was edgy. I only breathed evenly again as we stopped by the huge house.
“Allow me,” Ben opened the door for me with a composed look on his face. I got out without looking at him a second time and hurried to the door after Adam. Ben was at my side to take my jacket.
“How are you?” he asked with an innocent face.
“Like you care,” I snapped back. Ben took the jacket from my hands and speared it on a coat hook. I had the feeling he imagined it was me instead of my jacket. Ben chuckled darkly.
“Enough,” Adam shot at him, and Ben walked away without another word. “Come on. Let’s get going.” He led the way upstairs to his room. The hall looked a lot eerier in the darkness.
Antonio shuffled towards us as soon as we were at the top of the stairs. He greeted us with a soft bark and then trotted downstairs into the dark. We passed the wooden doors to the other rooms and finally he switched on the light in his room and let me in.
It was an awkward situation. I didn’t know what to say or how to act. At least I didn’t have to stay alone at my house in fear of the demons.
“Thank you.”
It was all I could say. It had a lot more meanings than were obvious. Thank you for taking me home from the party. Thank you for not having to stay alone. Thank you for not ignoring me. My chest tightened; last time I had been in this room he had told me he couldn’t be with me.
I watched him sitting down on the big bed. Today it was covered in silvery silk. His faded jeans and gray hoodie didn’t fit the fine material he was sitting on.
“You’re welcome, Claire,” he smiled at me weakly. He looked at his hands for a while then at me again. “Will you please tell me what happened to you?” A pained expression flashed across his features.
“I’m not sure if I can explain it in a way that makes sense to you.” I finally sat down on the arm rest of the beige couch.
“Try,” he commanded quietly. “I mean. Please Claire, I need to know.”
How should I tell him what had happened? He had sent me away wanting to spare me this and they had still ambushed me. It seemed we had gone through the separation without it doing any good. All the heartache was for nothing. Frustration furrowed my brow.
“Come on, Claire,” his words were soft now and his voice velvety. It was a voice I couldn’t resist, it didn’t matter how much I wanted to.
“You were right—partly.” I gave in.
“About what?”
“About the demons.”
Adam sucked in a breath. “In what way was I right about them?”
“They would do anything to get you.”
“How do you know?”
“They ambushed me Friday night.” Adam was on his feet. “It was three of them, dark and deadly creatures.” Adam sat down on the couch behind me. “They wanted to know where the angel was whose mark I am carrying and they wanted to get your mark from me. They tortured me to get it,” He rest
ed his head on my back and put his arms around my waist. “But I wouldn’t give them what they wanted. I didn’t give them your mark. I had no idea how. And even if I had—I could never hand you over.” His hand squeezed mine.
“Can I have a shower? I’m all dirty and sweaty.” I got to my feet and turned around. He let go of me, watching me with wary eyes.
“Sure you can.”
He opened the closet door, pulled out a fluffy looking towel and handed it to me. “Do you need anything else?”
“Yes, my nightie.” I hurried over and fetched nightie and toothbrush from my bag.
I met Adam on the threshold. “Take your time.” He smiled at me in a surreal way and closed the bathroom door behind me.
I stripped out of my dirty clothes and stepped into the big shower. The hot water warmed my body to the bones and I started to relax. As I closed my eyes and let the water wet my hair and face, pictures came to my mind. They showed me the bluish mist and the three demons. I even heard the heavy Italian accent in my head. Then I felt pain running through my body incapacitating me for a second.
I opened my eyes and it was gone. Tears sprang from my eyes and flowed down my face with the water. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I was safe here with Adam. I honestly hoped I was. Would Jaden know if I wasn’t? Would he turn up then?
It took a while before I felt better, but I eventually stepped out of the shower. The fluffy towel dried the drops of water from my wet skin effortlessly. I brushed my teeth for a minute or two and finally slipped into the nightie. Damn! I hadn’t looked at what I had packed. It was made of shiny gray silk; embarrassing.
Not knowing what else to do I hung the towel over my shoulders, so it would hide at least part of the nightie from Adam’s view. Wet hair tangled down my neck and shoulders. I combed through it with my fingers until it was a bit more straight. The events of the past few days had left me shaky and insecure, and I wondered how quickly I would go to pieces if Adam rejected me again.
Some tears and a few deep breaths later I walked into Adam’s room. “There you are,” he said breezily as looked up at me.
I felt very self-conscious as I walked past him in my silky gown. I literally felt his eyes on my back when I walked over and sat down on the edge of the couch. “Do you have a blanket?”
White (The Wings Trilogy Book 1) Page 24