I couldn't help but think she'd received a warning from Principal Haney. Why else would she suddenly be doing her job? Maybe someone tipped the principal off to Ms. Harrison's involvement with the UMAs.
Laney?
I squeezed my eyes shut to block the rising panic.
There was no way Laney could know of the witch trifecta though... unless someone told her.
Maybe her mother?
My head shook in frustration as I clambered for an answer.
Then, a strange flash of light filled my mind. It was as if I were in a dark tent, and someone outside scratched a tear in the canvas wall, allowing a beam from their flashlight to shine in.
I searched my mind for the source of the light, but it faded as fast as it had appeared.
And then I thought of Shane.
I meditated on the idea of him, sitting right behind me, out of my line of vision, but still fully present. Without turning to see him, I strained for a glimpse of his face.
It felt strange, but I followed my efforts inside my head as I reached to the back of my skull and scratched at it. As I continued to scape at the inside of my head, it opened slightly, allowing me to peer through to Shane.
He didn't see me at first. His eyes remained fixed in Ms. Harrison's direction.
I meditated harder, focusing only on getting his attention.
My heart rate accelerated with the effort, and my breathing became heavier. I continued to stare at him, scratching to widen the opening.
And then, with a flash of light that made me squint, his eyes shot to mine, and he stared straight into my soul.
I gasped, and my hand flew to my mouth.
Heads turned in my direction, and I pretended to half-cough, half-sneeze. Attention moved away from me and back to Ms. Harrison, but her eyes remained fixed on mine as if she had noticed something amiss.
I stared down at my hands and picked at my nails.
But the entire time, I'd held unwavering eye contact with Shane, without turning toward him.
His chest heaved under his chin, and I knew he was having the same physical response to our unworldly contact.
Keeping connection with him was my primary focus while ensuring no other access to our link. I searched my mind for any weakness or tampering, and the rest of my head remained intact.
My chest lowered as I exhaled the breath I'd been holding the entire time. My shoulders relaxed as the air whooshed out of me, and I sat in peace, enjoying every minute of my history class.
Every minute I spent with Shane.
When the bell rang at the end of class, I fought the urge to turn around and freak out all over Shane. We'd communicated telepathically throughout the entire period, and I couldn't believe it. Playing it cool was paramount, though, particularly since Ms. Harrison hadn't taken her eyes off of us the entire period.
I grabbed my backpack and rushed out the door with a quick wave to Ms. H. She lifted a curious brow as she waved back, making it clear she'd picked up on something unusual. I just prayed she had no clue how unusual it actually was.
Taking several steps down the hall to remove myself from her vicinity, I slowed, waiting for Shane. A moment later, he turned out of her room and barreled straight for me.
Without losing momentum, he grabbed onto my arm and pulled me along with him at high speed.
"Oh my god," he whispered, glancing behind him. "What the fuck was that?"
"I know!" I covered my mouth, giddy from the experience.
"I've been wondering all day if we could do that," he added.
My eyes widened. "Me too. I was afraid to try, thinking we'd get in trouble."
"Same. But with you sitting right in front of me, facing the other direction, I just couldn't help it. I had to try." His arm rubbed against me, and I felt his warm energy surge into my skin.
I rubbed my forehead in panic. "Do you think the others will know?"
"I hope not. I focused only on you, so that the consciousness wouldn't open up to the others," he explained.
"I know. I did the same thing," I agreed. "It felt different from the other times. Like, I didn't feel the other UMAs there at all."
He nodded with a guilty smile. "I think we may have figured out how to do this without anyone else butting in."
We flew toward the cafeteria, chattering about every detail of our experience. As we headed toward our regular bench, our eyes trailed to the theater door, remembering the last encounter there. As our tempted gazes met, both considering another rendezvous in the dark auditorium, a voice came up from behind, snapping us to attention.
"Stay where I can see you, please," Principal Haney commented as she walked to the faculty table at the entrance of the caf.
In disappointment, we nodded to her in agreement.
"Dang," Shane murmured as he sat on our bench. "She's on to us, big time."
I rolled my eyes at her back. "So much for flying under the radar."
"Yup." He pulled his sandwich out of his pack and took a big bite. Handing me half of it, he added, "I wonder if it will work when we're in different classrooms."
With half of his sandwich in my hands, a lump welled up in my throat as I looked at him. His casual posture and natural kindness made me want to cry. His gentle blue eyes gazed at me as if never wanting to look at anything else. Ever.
I fought back the tears, wondering what the hell was wrong with me. It was a strange feeling. One I had rarely allowed myself to acknowledge. I think it was happiness.
I took a bite of his sandwich and smiled at him.
I prayed we'd be able to communicate while in other classrooms, as well. Being apart from him created an unsettling feeling in me, one I wanted to avoid at all cost.
"You okay?" he asked.
I nodded, still unable to trust my voice or my flood gates.
He knocked his knee into mine, pushing my leg with his.
The simple gesture brightened my insides, and I pushed back on him, allowing his power of touch to wave through me with its thrilling energy.
The thirty-minute lunch period was over in record speed, and we reluctantly parted to get to our next classes, all while Principal Haney kept a steady bead on us.
I spent the rest of my class time attempting to scratch through the inside of my skull to connect with Shane. The effort was exhausting, and created a pounding headache that squeezed my eyes shut.
Rubbing my temples, I exhaled in disappointment and turned my focus back to the dreary classroom. I'd lost count of the days until graduation and started recounting in my mind. Then I stopped. The remaining days no longer represented my freedom from the hell I'd been born into. Suddenly, they symbolized the end of the best time of my life.
The UMAs.
X-block.
Shane.
Suddenly, I didn't want anything to change, and it was the strangest, most unexpected feeling.
I stopped counting the days.
Then I stopped counting the minutes.
With an exhale, I lived in the moment, and it was good.
As the final bell rang, it shook me from my meditative state, reminding me of my harsh reality.
Two-hour detention.
Principal Haney stood at the main office door, waiting for us. It was beyond annoying that she even cared. It was just detention, for Christ’s sake. Her heightened interest in us made me uncomfortable and nervous. I just wasn't sure how nervous I should be.
Shane smiled at me as we approached the office from different directions. His half-smile made it clear that he was also disappointed that our new skill hadn't worked from our separate locations in the building.
"Come with me," Principal Haney spat, leading us to the detention room in the office area.
We followed in silence, but a moment later, a shining light tore open in my head. I shot my gaze to Shane, and he smirked.
"It's working," he said in my thoughts.
I scratched at the inside of my skull until I could see out of it. "Yes," I whis
pered in my mind. "It's working!"
"Keep it open. Try as hard as you can. Even when we're in different rooms." He nodded at me.
"I will," I said, pressing my lips together in concentration.
"In here." Principal Haney gestured for Shane to enter the detention room. "No phone. Homework is fine."
He nodded.
Then she turned to me.
"Same for you, Brynn." She pointed into the reading room where students were typically tested for special ed by the school psychologist. "Schoolwork only."
I nodded in agreement, barely hearing any of her words, and entered the room. My focus remained on keeping the light glowing at the back of my head.
Dropping my backpack to the floor, I sat in the farthest chair at the round table and faced out the window. With my eyes closed, I reached out for Shane.
Within a millisecond, he entered my thoughts and whirled all around me. The sensation of him all over felt like a summer breeze that tickled every nerve.
My head fell back. "Oh my god, I can feel you on me."
I reached out for him in my mind and found him in an instant. I washed my soul over him in a wave, and before I could process the thrill of the feel of his body, he wrapped his arms around me.
"What the fuck?" he exhaled. "I'm holding you."
Every nerve in my body responded to him, erupting in heightened excitement.
I reached for his face and felt his breath on me. In an instant, his lips were on mine, breathing the same air as we became lost in each other.
I kissed him without holding back in any way, allowing my emotions to pour into him.
"Brynn," he gasped. His choked voice brought me to a new level of passion, and I pulled at his jacket.
He shook it off and reached for mine. I shimmied out of it as I pulled his t-shirt over his head. Watching his chest heave in excited breath, I ran my finger across it. He shivered from my touch and dropped his head back.
A moment later, he reached for my shirt and pulled it out from my jeans and over my chest. I lifted my arms above my head, and he slowly took it off.
His air whooshed out of him as he looked at me. He kissed my mouth, and his hands ran along the sides of my bra around my breasts.
His breathing grew heavier as he trailed his fingers along my stomach, and then back to my breasts.
"Oh my god, Brynn," he whispered.
I reached behind my back and unclasped my bra.
He reached for the straps on my shoulders and lowered them down, allowing my bra to fall to the floor.
With trembling hands, he touched me, caressing the details of my body, as he continued to kiss my mouth.
Ecstasy was an understatement as my body responded to him as naturally as breathing.
Loving him completely was my only focus, and I reached for the waist of his jeans.
In a whir of groping and shuffling, we were down to our underwear, pressing together in a tight hold. The pressure from his crotch pressed into my legs, sending heat through me like lightning.
I reached down to feel him, and my mind exploded with every erotic sensation I'd ever known.
"Brynn," he whispered through his kisses. "I can't believe this is happening."
"Don't stop, Shane," I breathed into his ear.
With those words, my mind hit a new level of ecstasy as the last shreds of clothing fell, and our bodies connected fully, moving in perfect rhythm with each other.
His powerful hold lifted me with ease as if his strength were far beyond human. His muscular hold blew my mind as his body took over mine.
Panting and tearing at one another's flesh, we cried out together in exquisite pleasure.
A moment later, we fell to the floor, breathless, still entwined in each other, and quivered together in a heap.
"Jesus," Shane exhaled with a smile. “I’ve never felt more alive.”
Chapter 13
The door to the reading room cracked open, and I jolted in my seat. Principal Haney peered in, and I flinched, covering myself with my arms. Her pinched brow showed her confusion at my response, causing me to look down. I'd expected to see my naked self, but to my relief, I was fully clothed.
With a nervous grin, I dropped my arms from my chest and grabbed my backpack.
"Detention is complete," she sneered. "I expect you to follow school rules from here forward."
"Yes," I said. "I'll be sure to."
"Good. Best to stay out of trouble now. You've too many distractions that could knock you off your path."
Her words caused my brows to push down on my eyes, but I hid my expression as I pushed past her. My primary focus now was seeing Shane.
She released him from the detention room next, and he barreled out, ignoring her completely, and came straight to my side. Without a single word to the principal, he took my hand and led me out of the office.
He pulled me along, straight out the front doors, and stopped with me at the top of the steps. In an instant, his arms wrapped around me, and he lifted me off my feet.
"Oh my God," he breathed. "That was the most amazing thing of my life."
A smile lit me up from the inside, and I pressed my face into his neck. "Me too," I whispered.
His arms squeezed me tighter, spreading more joy throughout every fiber of my being.
"I'll take detention any day," he chuckled. "As long as it's with you."
He whisked me down the stairs, and we glided toward the student lot, our feet barely touching the ground.
As we reached his car, still caught up in the bliss of our experience, our phones vibrated at the same time.
Then again.
And again.
We fumbled for our phones, clumsy with delirium, and finally focused our attention on the screens.
Poorva's name lit up, followed by Mom's.
"Shit." Shane's voice blended with mine as we spoke at the same time.
I touched Mom's name first.
Where the hell r u. We need milk
I pushed her negativity aside, refusing to allow her to crush my elated mood.
I read Poorva's next.
Come to the church. Now
My eyes lifted to Shane's.
"Something's wrong," he said. "They need us at the church."
Our fog of elation blew away, leaving clarity in its wake, and I gave one more glance toward the mist in a final attempt to hold onto its bliss.
"So much for allowing us to enjoy the moment," he added.
I huffed in agreement as we jumped into the car.
Poorva's name lit up again on my phone.
Where the hell are you guys
I typed back
Detention
Her eclipses rolled along my screen.
Well skip it. We have a situation
Shane gunned it out of the lot as I typed back
On our way
"What do you think is going on?" I murmured, attempting to hold fear back from my voice.
"No clue. We just need to get there."
I took a huge inhale and let it rush out of me as I pressed my head back against my seat.
I had no idea what to expect. And with Samhain only a few days away, we had no time for distractions.
My mind raced in every direction, landing on the worst-case scenario every time—exposure, loss of power, portal shut down for good, return of the Dark Witch. My catastrophic thoughts screwed with me until the moment we lept up the stairs of the church to face the music.
Shane and I burst through the black doors of the church and hurried into the worship hall. Silence hovered over the pews, creating the feel of a vacuum.
We looked at each other in determination and ran down the aisle toward the altar. We turned and shot toward the stairs, leading down to the basement.
Taking two at a time, we hurried down and moved toward the secret chamber. After pushing through its concealed entryway, our eyes adjusted to the yellow glow of candlelight.
The three women stood behind the a
ltar while Poorva and Blake looked on from the sides. All five kept their eyes on the surface of the sacred table, while Ms. Kelly welcomed us in.
"Thank goodness you're here," she whispered while keeping her gaze and her hands on the altar.
As we stepped closer, I noticed movement on the altar—twitching and writhing.
My eyes darted to Shane's in alarm, and he held a similar look of surprise and caution.
We approached the holy table without blinking, and I gasped as I recognize Tommy laying across it.
He shook with convulsions as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
"He needs an ambulance," I gasped.
Ms. Kelly shot her eyes up to mine. "No," she blasted. "He's in a trance." She rubbed his arm to assure him she was still by his side.
I stared in horror, wondering if she'd lost her mind completely.
Poorva noticed my hesitation and added, "He's channeling information from the portal, Brynn. He sees things."
I turned to Shane, hoping he was still his rational self. His wide eyes proved he hadn't decided which way to go with this.
"This has gone too far," I pleaded. "He needs medical attention." I stared at his twitching eyes.
Then his quivering lips parted, and everyone leaned in to listen.
"It's open," he said. "Access has been forced. It's your only chance." His arms and legs banged on the surface of the altar as they straightened like wooden planks.
"The portal?" I spat. "Is he talking about the portal?"
Panic ran through my veins. If the portal were open now, we'd have to act quickly. But then, what if he were delusional? What if they all were?
"Yes, Brynn," Ms. Kelly said. "Tommy has a gift, you see. One that I try to keep under control with him. But this time, the force is too strong."
I stared at Tommy's small body on the stone slab.
"What kind of gift?" I whispered.
Ms. Kelly took a deep breath and let it wash out of her, taking her fears and apprehension with it.
"He's a time traveler," she murmured. "Spending his time across many dimensions. Living fully, here, there... all places. Never aging. Never changing. But always learning. Always growing within his mind."
My eyes widened at the concept—always a child, but with the wisdom of an elder. And Ms. Kelly had been given the unworldly duty of being his mother.
Urban Mystic Academy: Third Project (A Supernatural Academy Series Book 3) Page 11