Chased By The Light: Scion Series Book One

by L. P. Dillon

  With a soft smile, he turned and strolled off, disappearing into the trees. He was a very mysterious guy, but I didn't get much of a chance to think about it because Chase was now only a few feet away from me. I took one last drag on my cigarette and then threw it on the ground. I stomped on it and twisted my foot, squashing it into the ground as hard as I could, imagining that it was Kyle's or Chase's stupid head.

  When Chase reached me, he sat on the bench next to me, sighing. "So, why'd you run off?" He tilted his neck back and stared up at the stars.

  Jerking toward him, I glared at him. "Are you kidding me?"

  He lowered his head and deepened his adorable dimples with a smile.

  I shook my head and waved my finger in his face as I said, "Oh no you don't! Your adorable dimples won't get you out of it this time, Chase."

  "You think I'm adorable?" His smile grew even wider.

  "Oh my God, no! Your dimples, yes. You, not a chance. You're a jerk!"

  "An adorable jerk!" He chuckled.

  I rolled my eyes at him, but I couldn't help but laugh on the inside. Not that I’d ever show him that.

  "Look, if you aren't going to be serious, then I suggest you walk away now. I can't be with someone that thinks everything's a damn joke."

  "You want to be with me?" He wiggled his eyebrows, raising them in his curiosity.

  Oh shit, what have you said, Aubrey?

  I backtracked the best that I could. "No, what I mean is that I can't be friends with someone that is always joking around. I never know when you're being serious or when you're joking. It's exhausting."

  "No. You said, ‘be with.’ Look, Brie, I'm not going to lie or pretend that I don't want you. I think I made it pretty clear in there how I feel about you," he said as he pointed towards the mansion.

  "What? That isn't showing someone how much you want to be with them. That's acting like a fucking caveman, trying to claim a woman like she's a piece of meat or a possession. Another reason why I couldn't be with someone like you," I replied as I slammed my hand down onto the bench.

  My hand crushed the corner of a packet of cigarettes. I picked them up and opened them, taking one out. Luckily Jesse's zippo was in the packet too. I pulled that out and lit my smoke. As I went to shut the lid, the light from the flame lit the cigarette packet and I could see written inside the top, it said, “You're welcome, Darlin’!”

  I smiled as I shut the zippo and placed it back into the packet.

  "I didn't know you smoked," he said, with a little disgust.

  "Why, is that a deal-breaker for you? Oh well, guess you'll have to find yourself another girl to obsess over then, because yup, I smoke like a chimney."

  "No, you don't. Why lie to me? I'd have smelled it on you before."

  "Fine, since you have such an amazing sense of smell, I don't smoke. Well, I didn't, but now I don't know. I started after Kyle cheated on me, broke my heart, and turned all my friends and the entire school against me. Now I just smoke when I'm upset, or stressed out," I replied honestly.

  "So, are you upset or stressed now?" he asked as I took a drag.

  "Both, actually."

  "And that's because of me, right?" His soft tone was littered with sadness so I didn't even bother to look at him, knowing it would make me feel guilty. I didn’t need that on top of everything else.

  "No. Well, not entirely. Kyle, the shower, the crappy first day. But yeah, mainly you," I said in a monotone voice.

  Not looking at him made no difference because as soon as the words left my lips, I felt guilty. But I didn't want to take the words back. I was fed up with this day, and frankly, I was fed up with him. He may very well be a nice guy underneath it all, but I wasn't interested in spending any time being hurt and humiliated just to find out. I'd done the whole big man on campus thing before and look how that turned out. I didn't have the strength to go through it all again. I just wanted to have fun, study hard, and enjoy my first year at college. I didn't want to spend it trying to figure someone out, trying to convince myself that they were a decent guy under it all, just to have it all come back to bite me in the end.

  "I'm sorry that I ruined your first day at Murston. But just so you know, I didn't want any of this either," he said as he stood up to leave.

  "Any of what?"

  "You!" He turned to face me.

  "Excuse me? What the fuck did I do?" I yelled as I stood and met his eyes.

  I took a drag of my cigarette and he snatched it out of my hand, throwing it to the ground. Grabbing the pack next, he chucked it well into the trees.

  "What the hell Chase? Who the hell do you think you are?" I shouted.

  "You're a knight in shining armor!" He grabbed me around my waist and pulled me towards him until our bodies touched. "Look at how your breathing, and how fast your heart is beating," he said as he placed his hand on my chest. "Tell me you don't want me, right here, right now!"

  "I…I…" I stuttered, and that was all the confirmation he needed.

  He slammed his lips onto mine, inhaling deeply through his nose as he did. I let out a slight moan as his tongue found its way into my mouth, and all I could think was how much I wanted him. I swept my hands up his muscular chest and rested them behind his neck. He grabbed my ass and squeezed it tightly, sending bolts of electricity surging through me. I hadn't felt like this before. There’d been a connection between me and Kyle, but nothing like this. This was like pure animal lust, and I loved every second of it. I let out another moan as I deepened the kiss, twirling my tongue around his, like licking the grooves out of a cyclone popsicle. He tasted delicious—I couldn't deny it—and his touch was so soft and gentle but commanding and dominant all at the same time.

  He grabbed my thighs and pulled me up around his waist, and I instinctively wrapped my legs around him as he moved his hands up my thighs, all the way to my bare ass cheeks. He smiled into our kiss. I guess he liked that I was wearing a thong. Walking us over towards the trees, I did wonder where we were going, but I didn't care too much. Well, not enough to stop kissing him. How he was walking and kissing me at the same time did cross my mind, but as we hadn't bumped into anything or fallen flat on our asses, I didn't give it a second thought.

  Chase carried me a little longer and then stopped. I ran my hands through the back of his hair and kissed him even more. He gently lowered me down onto the grass, coming down on top of me.

  I didn't know what had gotten into me. My feelings were changing just as often as his mood was. I was so confused. My head kept telling me to leave him alone and stick to the plan, but my body craved his touch, his kiss—hell, it craved anything and everything this guy had to offer. I didn't understand it at all.

  I'm still a virgin!

  And that was it. As soon as that thought popped into my head, I quickly scrambled backwards on the grass and out of Chase's grasp.

  "Aubrey, did I do something wrong?" He sat on his knees; his voice filled with concern.

  "A lot of things, actually. But no, not just now you didn't. That was great. It really was. It's just...look, I'm sorry, but I can't do this. Not like this, and not with someone like you!" I said while shaking my head and scrambling to my feet.

  "What do you mean, ‘someone like me?’" His forehead scrunched in confusion.

  I looked at him, my eyes soft and pleading for him to understand as I climbed to my feet. "I'm sorry; I can't." Turning on my heels, I ran as fast and as far as I could. I had no idea where I was going, or even if I was going in the right direction, but every time I heard Chase call out my name, I ran a little bit faster. I thought his calls should have been getting quieter, but if anything, they were getting closer. I ran track in high school, and I knew I was fast when I put my mind to it. How was he keeping up?

  The heels!

  Hopping on one foot, I removed one shoe, and then popped the second off too. Taking off, I ran as fast as I could through the trees. Music drifted to my ears, making me think I had headed in the right direction, but
I still wasn’t sure.

  I couldn't hear Chase anymore, so I slowed down. Good job, really because I didn't think those two cigarettes did me any favors. Still, I ran, just not at the full-on speed I was going before. I looked behind me to see if he had followed me, and I couldn't see any sign of him.

  Maybe he got tired, or maybe he knew a shortcut? I thought to myself.

  As I turned around to look where I was going, I skidded to a stop, backing up ever so slowly. I held my hands out in front of me as I stared into a giant wolf's bright green eyes, and despite the terror and fear coursing through my body, my brain asked, since when do wolves have bright green eyes?

  Knock, knock, knock.

  I began to stir, as the tapping on the door got louder and louder.

  "Come in," I called out, not even bothering to open my eyes. My head was killing me, my mouth dry and tasted like cigarettes and beer. I heard the door open and someone came into what I guessed was a room. I could feel a duvet over me, and a pillow beneath my head, but I didn't know whose room I was in.

  "How are you feeling?" Chase called out in a quiet voice.

  "Not good. My head is killing me. What happened last night?" I asked as I sat up in the bed and tried to peel my eyes open. I winced at the light as it attempted to blind me. Chase reached over my head and pulled the curtains shut.

  "Is that better?" Backing up, he sat on the bed across the room.

  "Yeah, thank you," I replied as I opened my eyes after a few hard blinks.

  I couldn't remember anything from last night, so I grew suspicious of his behavior. I just assumed I'd drank too much and forgot what I'd gotten into. That happened a lot when I drank too much. I usually asked Payton what stupid things I'd done the night before. She always remembered the whole night after drinking, so it was our regular routine. We'd go out for breakfast or lunch the day after, and she'd fill me in on all the silly things I'd done.

  "I got you some coffee and a bagel. I didn't know if you'd be hungry," Chased said.

  "Thank you, I’m starving, but I normally go out for breakfast or lunch with Payton after a night of drinking. She fills in all the blanks for me," I replied as he handed me the coffee and bagel.

  "Oh, well, she's out having breakfast with Connor. She stayed at the Frat house last night. You passed out, so I brought you home. I hope you don't mind?" The questioning look he gave me as he sat back down on the bed made my heart melt a little.

  "Oh, um, no, of course not. Thank you for looking after me. I'm sorry you had to see that. I don't usually pass out unless I have a lot to drink. But it's strange..." I said as I rubbed my forehead.

  "What is?"

  "I only remember having one beer. I was standing there with some big guy, and then nothing. It's completely blank," I said in confusion as I tried to remember what happened.

  I heard Chase let out a sigh, almost like an exhale of relief, which I thought odd. My cheeks flushed. Maybe I did something really embarrassing? And he was relieved that I didn't remember and that he didn't have to explain it or re-live it.

  After taking a sip of my coffee, I placed it on the nightstand, grabbed the bagel, and took a big bite of it.

  "So, you don't remember anything from last night? Is that a normal thing for you?" Chase moved back on the bed, leaning his back against the wall.

  I quickly chewed and swallowed my food. "No, I don't remember much, and yes, it's normal for me when I've had too much to drink. Once I get into it and start enjoying myself, I don't know when to stop, so it happens a lot. I should stop drinking really."

  "No, seriously, you were fine. You didn't do anything embarrassing, trust me."

  I furrowed my brow. "Well, that's strange then. Usually, when I don't remember anything the next day, I've normally done something stupid. Like once, I stripped completely naked and climbed into a tree thinking I was a monkey. It took Payton and the others nearly two hours to get me down."

  He burst out laughing, spraying coffee all over the place.

  "Oh God, I don't even know why I just told you that. Sorry, I overshare sometimes."

  "It's okay. To be honest, I would love to hear some more of those stories. You sound hilarious when you're drunk," he said as he flicked his hand, trying to shake off the coffee.

  "So, you didn't see me do any stupid stuff last night?" I questioned.

  It was impossible for me to believe that I didn’t at least do one stupid thing. There had never been a single night when I drank that I hadn’t done at least one strange thing.

  "I had some Frat business to sort out. I did apologize for leaving you alone for so long. But by the time I got back, you were passed out," he replied.

  It made sense, so I shrugged it off. I took a few more bites of my bagel and blushed as I brushed the crumbs off of my t-shirt.

  Oh God, I hope he didn't change my clothes.

  My eyes met his and I pinched the top of my shirt, holding it out a bit. "Um, did you..."

  "Oh, yeah, sorry. You had beer all down your dress, so I had to change you. I didn't look, I swear!" He said as he held both of his hands up, protesting his innocence.

  I smiled at him as my blush grew. Then I cleared my throat. "No, it's fine. I'm sorry you had to do that. I must have looked like a hot mess. Ugh, how embarrassing."

  "No, it's fine really. Years of being president, I have seen some hot messes, and you could never look a mess to me," he replied softly as he stood up and walked towards the door.

  "You leaving already?" I asked and it sounded more disappointed than I had intended.

  Turning around, he stepped towards me, making my heart pound as he flashed me that gorgeous smile of his. He placed his hands on either side of my face, and then, to my surprise, he kissed me. It was so soft and loving that if I hadn’t been so shocked, I might have melted right into the bed. Instead, I just kept my eyes open and stared at him like a creep.

  I mean who kisses with their eyes open?

  He pulled away from the kiss and laughed when he saw my shocked expression. I sat there in silence and watched him casually walk away.

  Opening the door, he peered over his shoulder at me. "I'll pick you up in three hours for lunch. We will be meeting up with Payton and Connor. See you soon, Brie"

  Chase closed the door, leaving me with a pounding heart and a racing mind.

  "What the hell happened last night?" I said out loud as I picked up my coffee and took a sip.

  After taking some pain killers, having a shower in the women's bathrooms and getting dressed, I waited in my room for Chase. I still didn't have a clue what had happened last night, but based on the kiss Chase gave me earlier, I had a feeling it had been fantastic. I figured it would be a terrible night and Chase would leave me alone for good, but that never happened. Deep inside, that thought made me happy because I looked forward to spending more time with him.

  I was getting bored waiting around for him, so I decided to see if he was in his room. I walked out of mine and up the hall towards his door. Once outside, I went to knock, but I could hear Chase speaking inside, so I put my ear to the door and listened.

  "Yeah, you were right, it worked. She doesn't remember a thing. Looks like I owe the witches a favor. Yeah, I'm going to get her now, we'll meet you there."

  Panic spread through me so fast I couldn’t stop myself when I turned and ran back to my room, closing the door and slammed my back against it. What was he talking about? Did he say, witches? No, it couldn’t have been. Witches aren’t real. But was he talking about me? I shook myself. No way. He had to have been messing around with someone.

  When the knock came, I was still too wrapped up in my thoughts to move, so the door smashed into my back and slammed me into the wall face first. My nose popped, and a warm, thick liquid gushed out of it. Blood. Of course, it was a bloody nose.

  "Oh my God, Aubrey, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were behind the door!" The words rushed out of him as he took my arm and turned me around, inspecting my nose. "Oh c
rap! Quick, tilt your head forward and pinch your nose," he ordered.

  Scooping me up, he carried me to the bed and laid me on it. The sound of cloth tearing drew my attention as Chase ripped his shirt off, scrunching it up and placing it under my nose.

  "I am so sorry, Aubrey!" He knelt down in front of me.

  I closed my eyes, unable to deal with the pain the light was causing me in that instant. Chase continued to hold the shirt under my nose, applying pressure to try and stop the bleeding.

  "I think the bleeding is slowing down. I can’t believe I did this. I’m so sorry. I should have waited after I knocked." His eyes were filled with sorrow and sadness, dulling the green.

  "Stop saying sorry Chase. It was my fault. I shouldn't have been standing behind the door."

  "Why were you standing there anyway?"

  "Um, I heard you talking on the phone about witches and me not remembering anything. What were you talking about Chase?" I asked in a monotone voice, not even bothering to open my eyes to look at him.

  I didn't want to see that cute smile and those adorable dimples right now. They make me all soft, and right now I needed to be tough. I needed to know what happened. He burst out laughing and fell onto the floor, he took the shirt with him, allowing little drops of blood to fall onto my jeans.

  Opening my eyes, I scowled at him. "What's so damn funny, huh?"

  "Oh, Brie. I'm sorry, it's just you really thought I was talking about real witches?" he asked between chuckles.

  "Well, what else would you mean?"

  Chase took my hands into his. "Well, if it's the part of the conversation I think it is. I said, 'Yeah, you were right, it worked. She doesn't remember a thing. I guess I owe the witches a favor.' Is that the one?” He paused and I nodded. “Well I was talking to Connor, and last night when I saw that your dress was soaked in beer, I knew you couldn't sleep in it, but I didn't want to undress you. So, Connor called his sisters Camilla and Cordelia and asked them to come over and help me get you changed." He dabbed my nose with his shirt a few times before continuing. "I didn't think you'd like the idea of two strangers getting you changed, so he suggested just lying and telling you that I did it and hoping you didn't remember the girls. And to explain the whole ‘witches’ thing…I’ve called them witches since they went through their goth stage a few years back. They hate it."