by R. Getsee
Aiden: We’re outside. Get your asses out here now!!!
“Looks like we’re being summoned,” Jared said, looking up from his phone.
The night air held a deep chill as we all walked over to the obnoxiously conspicuous stretch limo that waited for us at the end of the drive. I shivered, slightly regretting that I caved in to Emi’s insistence that I wasn’t allowed to wear my usual leather jacket as I pulled my wrap closer to myself, trying to avoid the worst of the cold night air as it brushed against my exposed skin.
“Hey!” Moira squealed. She leaped from the car, almost falling over Sean as she wrapped us all into a tight hug that smelled strongly of perfume and alcohol.
“Starting the party early, I see,” Emi sniggered.
“The party started hours ago.” Aiden’s tone was a little clipped as he watched his sister giggle and fall back into the deep seats. I had to feel for the guy—a sober Moira was a handful most of the time. “You guys look amazing, by the way. If I swung that way, I’d do you.”
“Same to you,” Jared said, throwing his hip out and pouting at the vamp.
Aiden winked at him, gesturing for us to sit in the limo.
The Ruby has awoken.
I stiffened in my seat, trying to take a breath as the drunken Irish vamp sprawled across us. The whisper was just an echo in the back of my mind this time—a warning for something that was coming, something big.
But for tonight, I would play the part of a normal teen going to a school dance with her friends. Whatever was approaching, it was going to change my life, and I wasn’t sure if it would be for the better.
The gym had been transformed. Gone were the heavy blue mats that smelled strongly of rubber, sweat, and the feet of the thousands of students who trained on them over the years.
In their place were clean hardwood floors that had been buffed and polished to the point you could see the reflections from the tacky glittering disco ball that was suspended from the ceiling in the center of the room.
Garlands were draped throughout, and the entire room smelled of roses and lilies. The whole scene looked like a corny prom movie in shades of deep reds, purples, and blacks, which set off the silvery-white tablecloths and chair covers.
I really hated to admit it, but the atmosphere was getting to me and I was actually really starting to like the look of the beautiful room. Emi looked at the large, opulent room with awe-filled eyes.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Yeah, I suppose it’s better than sweaty gym mats,” Aiden teased.
Emi glared at him. “It looks amazing, and so do we. Now, shut up and let’s dance.”
Jared let out a surprised huff as she grabbed his hand and dragged him away. I felt a small pang of jealousy once again as I saw the two of them together, but I shoved it down, forcing myself to think only happy thoughts as I stared at the love-struck pair.
Sean slid up to me and grasped my hand. “Come on, you look far too pretty to be standing on the edge of the dance floor.”
I laughed in surprise. Sean was always the strong silent type, not really unfriendly, but just reserved. I’m pretty sure this was only the third time I’d ever heard him speak.
“Does that line actually work on the female species?” I asked, allowing him to tow me to the center of the dance floor.
“Never.” He grinned. “But neither of us have dates, so I figured we can look sad together straggling on the side-lines, or we could have fun. I choose fun, how about you?”
“Definitely fun,” I replied. “But why don’t any of you guys have dates?”
“Well, Moira’s date canceled, you know Aiden’s situation, and the girl I like doesn’t even notice my existence.”
He stared over at me with longing in his eyes and my heart nearly stopped in panic. Could he be the one who made the claim? He was cute and nice enough, but he had that brotherly vibe. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but there was no way I could ever consider a relationship with him.
My heart revived after I realized that the longing look he cast was actually over my shoulder and turned my head to see who had caught his eye. I noticed Rhea and Torah in what seemed to be a heated argument, which was a first, and Athena looked on at them with a gleeful expression on her face.
She had her talons wrapped around Drake, who was grinning like the cat who’d gotten the cream, and let’s face it, from what I’d heard about her, if he was with Athena then he probably had.
“Wait, Torah?” I asked, not hiding my shock.
I hadn’t thought that this sweet, quiet guy would ever consider falling for the mean girl, and my sister was notorious for being a soul-crushing monster with guys. Anyone who she deemed was fit to date her ended up with a broken heart and a bruised ego.
Well, she is beautiful and a fantastic actress. After all, she had made Roman fall for her easily enough.
I shied away from the thought, turning back to Sean. “God, no,” he said quickly. “I prefer my girls a little less bitchy and a lot less crazy, no offense.”
“None taken.” I grinned. “But then who?”
“Rhea. I’ve liked her for as long as I’ve known her, but she’s always too wrapped up in her sister’s drama to care about dating anyone.”
I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder as a slow song came on. “I guess we both go for those who are unattainable.”
“I don’t know. Roman seems to be as in love with you as you are with him.”
I looked up in shock, my mouth falling open as we turned in a slow circle. “How’d…”
“It’s easy to see the way you guys look at each other when you think no one’s watching,” he said. “You two are like magnets, you’re drawn to each other.”
As he was speaking, Torah flung her hands in the air and turned her back on Rhea, leaving her alone on the verge of tears. Torah strutted up to Athena, who was wrapped around her date like tinsel on a Christmas tree.
Those two were perfect for each other.
As the music slowed, I turned back to Sean. “Ask her.”
“Ask her what?”
“Ask her to dance, dummy,” I teased, turning him around to face my abandoned sister. “She’s clearly upset. Go be her knight in shining armor.”
“Why are you being so nice?” he asked. “I’ve seen the way they treat you… Why do you care that she’s upset?”
I smiled sadly. “Like you said, Rhea always gets caught up in Torah’s drama; maybe you’ll be good for her and she won’t have to anymore.”
“You know, you really are one of a kind.”
“Meh,” I shrugged, “it’s not entirely selfless. I’m hoping you can erase some of the bitch in her.”
He laughed as he walked toward her, leaving me optimistic that not all hope was lost for my sister.
22
Alex
I walked slowly over to the snack table, my gaze still trained on the couple as Sean reached my sister, who looked completely lost without her bitchy other half. I smiled when I saw Sean offer his hand, doing a little dance in celebration as the shocked expression on Rhea’s face quickly morphed into one of happiness when she took it.
Watching the new couple out of the corner of my eye, I ladled ruby red liquid from the expensive-looking crystal bowl into a matching glass tumbler, nearly choking as I took a sip. Obviously, the tradition of spiking the punch wasn’t just in the movies as alcohol burned my throat.
Well, what the hell, I thought, taking another gulp. It was smoother now since it wasn’t taking me by surprise, gliding down my throat and warming my stomach, already making my fingers and toes tingle.
“Miss Morgan, you look lovely tonight.” I jumped, choking on the punch once again as Professor Carlisle appeared noiselessly behind me.
“Mr. C, I didn’t see you there.” I silently cursed Emi and her nicknames.
I cleared my throat and put my glass down on the table beside me, trying not to waft the scent of a distillery at him. He surpr
ised me by letting out a loud chuckle at my name slip.
“Apologies if I startled you,” he said, giving me a strange look.
“It’s okay, you didn’t really,” I said, slightly uncomfortable under his strangely intense gaze. “So, what’s up?”
I tried not to cringe at the inarticulacy of my words. The teacher was always correcting the class’ grammar and scowling when he heard the students use any type of slang, or even just regular words from this century. Strangely, he just gave me a weird smile as he chuckled softly.
“I think I may have found some new information while I was away that may be of interest to you.”
“What was that, sir?” I asked. I was getting a little creeped out by how wide his smile was getting. He never smiled, so seeing him like this was a little jarring—it looked way too forced.
“I can’t really discuss it properly here,” he said. “But it has something to do with the little chat we had in my office last month.”
Now my interest was piqued. What new information could it be? Was it something to do with the Jet? Was it about the Elementals? Excitement coursed through me as the prospects of getting any new answers made my brain go into overdrive.
“What is it? Is it with you? What did you find?” The questions poured out of my mouth, all tumbling over each other so I could barely understand them myself.
Professor Carlisle just smiled at me again, his expression still a little unnerving. “Patience, child. I found some papers while I was away and translated them. A lot of what I read gave references to the fifth element, but I can’t really explain it to you—it has to be seen to be believed. I’ll have to show you.”
“When can I see it?” I asked.
“If you are not too busy, we can go to my office, and I can show you right now.”
I was impatient to find out what he had discovered, but my stomach clenched in anxiety. I couldn’t explain why, but I had a deep sense of unease as I studied my twitchy teacher. Looking closer, I noticed his disheveled appearance. His usually impeccable hair was mussed, wrinkles covered his clothes, and stains covered his untucked shirt. He was also sporting two days of stubble on his hollow-looking face.
“Well? Are you coming?” he asked, suddenly impatient.
“Sure.” I nodded, shoving down my apprehension.
I was just being overly paranoid. It had been a while since there was any new vision or attacks on me, and it was making me uneasy, like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I needed to know what he had found and if it had any connection to me or the prophecy.
I caught something out of the corner of my eye and suddenly stopped dead. Roman was standing near the door, his eyes darting around as if he was searching for something until his blue eyes clashed with my emerald ones. Slowly, he began to walk toward me, his gaze never faltering.
“Professor Carlisle,” I said, not taking my eyes off Roman in fear of him pulling another disappearing act. “Can you give me a few minutes? I’ll meet you in your office, okay?”
“Fine.” He seemed irritated. “Be quick though, I don’t have all night.”
I nodded quickly and started walking toward Roman, meeting him in the middle. We stopped about a foot from each other, standing in silence. It was probably only moments, but it felt like hours before the silence was broken. Finally, tired of the awkward tension between us, I opened my mouth to speak, but he went first.
“I guess we need to talk.”
Roman led me up the stairs to the roof, to our garden as I was starting to think of it. We were at the top of the staircase, sitting on the bench before I realized that neither of us had spoken since we’d left the gym.
“I need an explanation,” I said.
“I know.” He stared at the ground, but I didn’t need to see his face to know he was stressed—the muscles in his back were tense under his suit jacket. I tried not to let myself get distracted by how good he looked in a suit as I waited for him to continue.
When he didn’t, I took the lead to stop him from stalling.
“How can you walk in the sun?” I asked quietly.
“I’m not like everyone else,” he said. He sounded almost afraid to continue, so I rested my hand on his, forcing myself not to notice the warm tingles that shot through me at the contact. He took a breath, and his next words came out in a rush. “My mother’s a vamp, but my father’s human.”
I blinked. I’d never met a dhampir before, but I knew enough about them. They were said to be indecipherable from full-blooded vampires except from their blood supposedly giving vamps a little extra boost in their powers, and that they were even more sensitive to the sun.
“Okay, that’s definitely big news,” I said, giving him the benefit of the doubt. “But that doesn’t explain how you can walk in the sun. Aren’t dhampirs supposed to have a higher intolerance than full bloods? I mean, isn’t that the whole reason the elders don’t want them to exist?”
“True,” he said, turning from me once again. “But my father wasn’t a regular human, either. I know this is going to sound crazy, but he came from a long line of men who were born to carry a prophecy, and locate and guide the people it spoke of.”
He couldn’t mean what I thought he did. My heartbeat quickened, thumping painfully. Could it be?
“You’re descended from the Watchers?” I whispered.
Roman swallowed slowly, my eyes tracking the bobbing of his Adam’s apple against his pale skin.
He smiled softly, nodding. “I suppose I’m not surprised you figured it out. One of your powers is seeing the past, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I breathed, barely a whisper, but it echoed around the rooftop like a scream.
Roman’s smile widened, taking on an almost bitter edge. “So, I finally found one of the gems.”
“One of the what?” I asked, confused.
“The gems. The descendants of the three Ancients who were created from the stones of power at the beginning of time.”
I wanted to know everything. The questions started to pile up in my head immediately. What were these stones? Why was I picked? How could I find the others? How could I defeat the Jet? But one question trumped the rest, burning brighter and forcing its way out of my mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I struggled to keep the hurt out of my voice. “You knew who I was, yet you stood back and watched me struggle to find answers. You said you were supposed to guide me, but you did nothing to help me figure out what was happening to me over the past few months. Why, Roman?”
Roman was quiet for a long time like he was struggling to find the answer to my question. Finally, he seemed to find what he was looking for as he answered, “At first, I didn’t know if you were the one I was searching for, or if you were just some impossibly strong, incredible person all on your own. I was… unprofessional. I came to this school because it was my job to find the Ruby and help her to unite the other girls.”
“How were you unprofessional?” I asked.
He looked at me in disbelief, as if I was missing the most obvious thing in the world. “Because, instead of finding out for certain, I was looking for anyone else that could be the one. Hell, I even looked into Torah being the one.”
Hurt sliced through me, and I tried not to wince. “Why were you trying so hard to find someone else?”
Why were you so hellbent on replacing me?
Did he think I wasn’t strong enough? That I wouldn’t be able to fight, or did he just want to make sure I wasn’t around to mess up his destiny like I was just some kid who was following him around like a puppy. Niggling thoughts of self-doubt started to nudge at my mind, making me feel like the self-conscious doormat I was before I gained my powers.
“I was trying to protect you,” he burst out suddenly. “You have no idea the dangers you will have to face. Hell, I barely know yet. I still don’t have all the information I need… it bleeds into my mind like a trickle and it’s not complete. And you would have to leave everyone—your family, your friend
s, everyone you care about—to go search for people who might not even exist yet. Can’t you see, I didn’t want you to have to face that, trust me, it sucks.”
His expression was softening as he ran out of steam. His blazing eyes met mine. “I wanted to protect the girl I’m in love with.”
It was as if everything was happening in slow motion as he lowered his head to mine. I held my breath, afraid to so much as blink in case it ruined the moment, or I would open my eyes to find I was dreaming.
It seemed like an eternity before we met, the energy running through me was going wild and as our lips finally touched, soft as a whisper, a jolt of electricity shot through me and straight into him. Roman stiffened in shock, but didn’t pull away. Instead, his arms wrapped around my waist as he held me closer, deepening the kiss.
I couldn’t help the little moan that passed through me as he trailed his tongue across my bottom lip, seeking entrance before I opened my mouth to let him in.
We stayed in that happy bubble for what could have been seconds, minutes, or days. Time seemed to have no meaning as we drowned in each other before, with a reluctant groan, I pulled away, breathing heavily.
“Wow,” I gasped, trying to catch my breath, my voice coming out a little squeaky. I wet my lips, still tasting cinnamon and mint, the combination mixing together in a way that was making me crave more. It was completely him.
“Yeah,” he said, breathing even harder than me. “Wow.”
I tried to make sense of my scrambled thoughts. I was still pissed at him for lying to me, keeping secrets, and for kissing my sister, but in that moment, I was content to just revel in the perfection we’d just shared.
Slow, dramatic clapping jerked me from my reverie. We spun to see Professor Carlisle and Athena on the balcony with us, staring at us with excited expressions.
“Well, well,” Mr. C’s voice was deeper than usual, with a gravelly undertone and a manic smile plastered on his face. “The Watcher has been revealed, and the Ruby has awoken.”