by Allie Burton
“Sorry, dude.” The guy at the desk dropped the calculator and stood. “We thought she was already gone and left her stuff behind. You know how huffy spoiled people get.”
CC’s eyes shone with unshed tears. These people hurt her deeply. She’d believed they were real friends, and was learning they were false.
Inside him, resentment against these kids built brick by brick. The solidness assured him, told him he was doing the right thing.
“CC is not huffy or a biatch.” Whatever that was. “She’s beautiful and brave. She’s smart and sly. She cares about people, including you.” He jabbed a finger at Ellen, the one who’d hurt CC the most. “I expect you to put CC’s stuff back. Everything in its place. She’ll be having another friend come by to pack her things, and when she completes her inventory, there better be nothing missing.” He sliced his finger toward Ellen. “Do you understand?”
“Y-yes.” Ellen’s entire body trembled.
The other girl took off CC’s coat. The guy shoved the calculator back in the desk drawer.
Wheeling around, Antony grabbed CC’s invisible hand and tugged her away from the room, down the elevator, and out of the building. She didn’t resist.
She collapsed against the brick wall between bushes and a bench. She drew her knees up and hugged them, rocking back and forth. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
Sorrow mixed with sympathy. He got down on his haunches in front of her, wanting to take her pain away. He wished he had a power for that. “Come on, CC. You can’t believe what those idiots say.”
Her blotchy face was still beautiful. “They’re right.” She sniffed. “I did act privileged. I thought if I showed them I was too good for them they’d respect me. Look up to me.”
No one deserved to be treated that way. Not a queen or a slave.
“They never got to know the real you.” He rubbed a hand on her shoulder.
“Because there is no real me!” Her anguish caught at his chest. Her body shook with her strong emotions. “I’m a fake. A phony. A fraud.”
He ran his fingers through her silky hair, needing to touch her, to comfort her. “You feel real to me.”
“You don’t understand.” She swiped an arm across her nose and cheeks. “My parents don’t love me. My supposed friends back home don’t care about me now I’m gone. And those people,” she pointed toward the building with a shaky hand, “they used me. Only pretending to like me.”
Pulling her into his arms, he stared into the gray depths. He was drowning. Drowning in her sorrow as if it was his own. “Well, they’re stupid for not realizing what a great person you are.”
“Am I a great person? I’m blackmailing you to help me.” She challenged him with her own guilt, obviously hating herself for her actions.
He couldn’t hate her. Not ever.
“I admit, I want the Knot of Uset.” He struggled with the push and pull of his emotions. She was blackmailing him, forcing him to do something he shouldn’t. And yet he was okay with her tactics because he understood why. “But I want to help you, too.”
The intense connection of their gazes made a deeper connection. An understanding. A recognition of their honest desire and needs. Her eyes tugged him under.
His mouth plunged onto her soft lips. Touching, tasting, teasing.
She responded, moving her mouth against his. Pressing her body against him. Moaning into his mouth. She poured her angst into the kiss.
He sucked her angst in, wanting to change it to desire. Intense pleasure sparked at their joining. A joining so deep it was as if they’d fused together. He wrapped his hand around her neck, bringing her closer, needing to caress her everywhere possible. Running his tongue around the edge of her lips, he relished the saltiness of her tears and her unique taste.
She opened her mouth and his tongue dipped inside. Fireworks shot off in his head. His body burned, and his heart melted. He’d dreamed of this moment, been tempted so many times. And now the kiss was happening.
A punishing kiss. A perfect kiss.
A kiss that would be his downfall.
Chapter Twelve
Cleo
“We should go.” Antony broke off the most fantastic kiss ever.
My lips tingled and my body had heated as if I’d stayed in the sauna too long. Steamy and wilty. First kisses between two people were supposed to be awkward and embarrassing. Our first kiss had been perfect, our souls recognizing each other.
“But…” I’d been attracted to Antony’s silent strength since first meeting him. In his company I’d felt protected and liked and visible.
Ironic, since I’d been mostly invisible.
Anxiety and despair tangled in my tummy, cooling my body. I’d blackmailed Antony and he’d defended me to the other students, and he’d kissed me. Why?
“But what?” His thumb stroked my cheek.
I wanted to purr into him, but knew I couldn’t get mushy. I needed to show Antony I could be strong. “What about my stuff?”
“The girl in charge will do what I asked.” He’d demanded. Strong and sure.
I don’t think he realized how confident and assured he sounded, and how attractive it was to me.
“Where am I going to go?” The thought of returning to my room, even if they’d put away my things, sent chills through me. I didn’t want to be around people who so clearly disliked me, even if they couldn’t see me. “Maybe Demetri would take me in until I figured out what to do.” Now they knew what I was capable of doing they wouldn’t ignore me.
Antony took my hand and pulled me to my feet. “You’re coming with me to the professor’s house.”
The tangling in my stomach pulled taut. Similar to the knots in the rope I carried under my shirt, the rope in my stomach changed sizes and shapes with my emotions. “Are you sure?”
I was curious about the professor and his house and the other warriors. I was more curious about Antony. Had he enjoyed our kiss?
“I’ll text and let them know you had a change in plans.” Walking, he took out his phone and typed. “I want to keep you safe.”
I realized he meant from the other students, not the bad guys. His thoughtfulness made me feel worthy of his time and attention. “Do you think the warriors will be okay with my staying?”
“My decision. I’ll just explain what happened.”
Horror scraped in my lungs. I didn’t want the warriors knowing how these people treated me, thinking terrible things about me. “No.”
Jerking his head, he regarded me. “I need to tell them something. We’ve had problems with a girl betraying us in the past.” His neutral tone told me there was more to the story.
A knife of jealousy stabbed, sending pain through my ribs. “Betraying you or the Soul Warriors as a group?”
“Both,” he muttered. “I mean, us as a group.”
The knife twisted and carved. Did he think I’d betray them? He must think I was a terrible person. Then why would he kiss me? “What happened?”
“When Piper first arrived—”
“Piper! I thought she was helping.” I’d given her information about me, my past, and the school.
“She is.” His assurance didn’t lessen my concern. “But the reason she came into our lives was because she was trying to save her mother. She made a deal.”
Like I did. Sounded like the warriors were the Wheel of Fortune.
“And then she stole the magical relic from the warriors’ house.”
Thinking about this as we traveled, I wanted to hear more but was afraid to ask.
Antony stopped on a regular street in a standard San Francisco neighborhood. “Here we are.”
The house didn’t appear large enough to house all the warriors and the professor. The pastel-colored front resembled every other house on the tightly-squeezed block. Concrete steps led to the front door. A sloped roof with common windows. How could a house so normal on the outside contain so many secrets?
I stepped across the threshold of th
e ordinary house and encountered a perfectly normal living room with flowered couches, end tables and lamps, bookshelves with framed family photos.
Nothing unusual or magical.
“This is it.” He paced forward through the short entry hall and into the living room.
I wandered in behind him. “I was expecting something different.”
A hi-tech vault, or rooms resembling pyramids. Magical relics under glass. Or even things floating in the air because of the magic the people in the house held.
“You sound disappointed.” A teenage guy sauntered into the room and plopped on the couch. He wore an eighties’ band T-shirt. He had dark hair and green eyes, similar to Antony. But his expression held contempt.
For me.
He could see me, too. And I wanted to be seen by the Soul Warriors, but not in a negative way.
The tangles inside me wiggled, making me nauseated. I pulled myself together pretending he was a servant in the house. Well, not a servant. I needed these people to be friends. “Hi? I’m CC.”
“I know.” He glared, shooting contempt like bullets. “Why did you bring her here? Do you realize the risk you’re taking?”
“Do you realize the risk you’re taking wearing that T-shirt?” I slapped my hand over my mouth. So much for making friends. The nausea built, rising up my throat. I didn’t want Antony to get in trouble because of me. I reached for his hand, needing his support.
He waved his hand around so I couldn’t hold it. “She needs a safe place to stay.”
I sucked in a sharp breath and tucked my hand by my side.
The other guy crossed his arms. “Putting all of us at risk.”
“Ash, this isn’t your decision.” A girl came from down the hall. She had short blonde hair and petite build. “I’m Aria and this is my grandfather’s house. Welcome, CC.”
If this girl’s grandfather owned the house and she was welcoming, staying here must be okay. I took another deep breath, relief stopping the nausea. “Thank you.”
Aria wiggled her eyebrows at Antony. “You’ll need to get this okayed by Olivia and Xander.”
More warriors to meet. More people to try to get to like me. My nerves frayed, resembling the ends of the golden rope. Nobody liked me at school when I pretended to be more than I was. Here, I planned to be myself. If the warriors liked me, I wanted it to be the real me.
“I know. I will.” Antony shot her a knowing smile.
The frayed edges pulled apart, making my nerves stretch to the breaking point.
“Olivia and Xander are together.” Aria pointed her chin and swung her gaze back to us.
“Who are Olivia and Xander?” My head spun with the names and varying opinions. And even though they disagreed, there were no harsh comments or bad feelings.
“They’re the leaders of the Soul Warriors.” Antony gave me another smile, this one more shy. “Aria, do you mind showing CC around while I talk to them?”
The tangles retied. My stomach was a yo-yo string. Up and down and up and down. Normally, I didn’t mind being with strangers. There were no expectations. Except with the warriors I had expectations of myself.
“Sure. No problem.” Aria led the way. “We’ll start upstairs.”
After a tour of the professor’s bedroom, Aria’s bedroom with two beds, and a beautiful music room, Aria led me back downstairs and into the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water, please.” My mind puzzled out the logistics. Yes, I was used to living in a mansion with multiple bedrooms, guest suites, and servant quarters. “I don’t understand how all of you live here with only two bedrooms. Where do the guys sleep?”
Aria turned away to fill a glass with water. “There’s a basement. They sleep there.”
“Oh. When can I see?” I shivered. What kind of conditions did Antony live in? A cold dark basement for a bedroom, with nine other guys? If we stayed together, I could show him some of the best real estate in the country. I could help him move up in the world.
Aria scrunched her nose in distaste. “Who wants to see a dank basement where a bunch of guys sleep? Disgusting.”
Something about Aria’s tone didn’t ring true. “I guess.”
“There you are.” Antony swung into the kitchen with two others. He sounded as if he’d been searching for me, except the house wasn’t very large. “I want you to meet Olivia and Xander.”
“Welcome. I’m Olivia.” The girl had her hair in a long, brown braid. She stood tall, with authority. “While you’re our guest, we thought you might want to learn self-defense techniques.”
“Why?” Normally, when you were a guest at a house they offered to take you to your room, drinks and food, or a shower. Not combat moves.
“Olivia thinks every female needs to know how to defend herself.” The other male had his arm around Olivia’s shoulders. His pose was more relaxed and informal. “I’m Xander.”
The other person Antony needed to get permission from. For being in charge, they weren’t any older than Antony and me. How well run was this organization?
“I’ll get you a pair of sweats.” Aria headed out of the kitchen.
Olivia and Xander followed, leaving Antony and me alone.
I studied him. “What did you tell them?” How pathetic had he made me look?
“I told them you’d been kicked out of your residence hall, and you needed a safe place to stay.” He picked his words carefully. I could tell by the way they were evenly spaced apart.
“That’s it?”
“Yes. That’s it.”
My shoulders sagged, grateful he hadn’t shared my dirty secrets. “Thanks.”
He flashed a totally-understanding-me smile and I wanted to kiss him again.
His smile shifted to more of a quirky grin. “Don’t thank me until you’ve been through Olivia’s basic training.”
* * *
Antony jumped high and landed a kick on Ash’s shoulder and he fell to the ground. Go, Antony.
He wore tiny black shorts and nothing else. His six-pack abs rippled when he moved. The muscles of his arms and legs bulged. His skin glistened with sweat.
Waving a hand in front of my heated face, I tugged at the loose T-shirt Aria had given me to wear. And I wasn’t even sparring. Yet.
Another guy named Falcon, another warrior, flipped over Ash and landed on Antony. I flinched, imagining the pain.
Antony didn’t flinch. He threw Falcon off him, and the guy landed at the far corner of a mat set up in the living room. The furniture had been pushed to the walls and piled on top of each other. I could tell they’d done this many times.
Antony sent an encouraging glance my way. “Ready?”
Nerves battled inside me. A punch in my gut. A pinch on my skin. A sock to my chest, making it difficult to breathe. I’d lose fighting Antony with his super strength and speed. Plus, he was half naked. The second he came close to me I’d be distracted. I was already distracted. This didn’t seem a fair fight. “I don’t know about this. I’m a shopper not a fighter.”
“You buy people to your way of thinking?” Ash picked himself off the floor. He used the same contemptable tone he’d used when I first arrived.
The contempt was a soft blow, but hurt more than real punches. The guy didn’t like me, and I didn’t know why.
I shrugged. “Yeah.” Not that it had worked successfully so far.
“You’ll do great.” Antony waved at the two guys. “You’re making CC nervous. Go away.”
The two guys headed toward the kitchen with no complaints. Either they listened to each other’s requests, or they didn’t want to be around when I made a fool of myself.
“Do they always listen to what you say?”
“We respect each other and our opinions.” His come-to-me smile had me thinking of kisses, not fists. “Come onto the mat.”
Twisting my hands together, I stepped to the edge of the blue mat. My feet squished into the softness. “You like each other.”
> “We do.” He fisted his hands and raised them by his face. “I’m going to demonstrate simple defensive blocks with your arms and upper body. Follow my moves.”
He made an L shape with his arms and swung one fist up. His muscles flexed with the movement. A swoosh of desire went through me. He could defend me anytime. And he had. Spreading his legs wide, I noticed the thickness of his thighs—not a single ounce of fat.
I prided myself on my model-thin frame. The shape was from dieting, not exercise. My only form of activity was strolling through the mall, or down Fifth Avenue in New York. The only weights I lifted were shopping bags.
In my bare feet, I felt short and unattractive. I mostly wore heels or stylish flat boots. Not athletic shoes. Not sweats. “I don’t understand why I need to learn to fight.”
“You don’t want to take a chance.” Not a very specific answer. Something in his voice told me he was hiding something.
He rotated at the waist and raised a hand. “Do what I do.”
“You don’t find the fact you all get along unusual?” Since one question wasn’t answered, I went back to an easier topic as I tried to mimic the move. “Respect, friendship, and magical powers in one tiny house?”
I’d probably feel claustrophobic. Although I didn’t so far. I enjoyed the homey coziness. I’d enjoy staying here. The home appeared loved and the residents loving.
Well, except for Ash.
“No, not unusual.” Antony punched with a fist and sliced with a flat hand. “We have a common goal and we’re working together toward that goal.”
“How many magical ancient-Egyptian relics could possibly be out in the world?”
“You’d be surprised.” Another non-answer.
“You don’t find it difficult listening to Xander and Olivia?” Did the couple ever fight?
I could tell they were a couple by the way his arm had slung across her shoulders in a casual and possessive fashion. I wished I had a relationship as close-knit. Someone I trusted and relied on. Someone I was attracted to and enjoyed.
Someone like Antony. My heart thudded and I hadn’t started exercising.
Antony moved in my field of vision, and for a second I thought it was a vision of the future. A hope we could have something similar to what Olivia and Xander had together. I could move into this house and be with his friends. The wish so intense it brought physical pain.