Autumn Secrets (Numinous Book 1)

by Ivy Rose

  I heard him whisper my name, before moving his hands up under my shirt. He tugged my shirt over my head, trailing his lips over my skin.

  “Perfect,” he mumbled and lowered his head to kiss me again. “I want you, Aurora,” he whispered softly in my ear, his voice sounding like a wicked dream, finally manifesting into real life. He continued to plant soft kisses along my jawline and down my neck, and my blood roared in my ears. I was hot, then cold, a toxic blend of pure, agonising need. I wanted this so badly. I wanted him to be my first, and I’d never felt so alive. Just as I made the decision, he pulled back and looked down at me with a heated gaze. Oh no, did I say that out loud?

  Then I realised why he stopped. Someone was in the hallway. He slowly pulled himself off me. His hair was tousled, like he’d just gotten out of bed.

  “Here.” He gave me back my shirt and planted a soft kiss on my lips, before pulling his T-shirt back on. “It’s Elijah. I’ll go and distract him while you, uh, make yourself decent.” He winked.

  I quickly got up from the couch and threw my shirt back on. I found myself in a big living room, decorated in earthy colours, with an open fire in the middle. It felt very cosy. There were no photographs of the Hunter family, just huge paintings covering the walls. I stood there in the middle of the living room trying desperately to straighten my appearance, when Elijah walked in.

  “Aurora, good to see you again. How’s things?”

  “Good.” I blushed. “And you?”

  “Very good,” he replied and threw himself on the couch. Just the thought of what Adrian and I had been doing on that couch, minutes earlier, made me flustered. I shifted my gaze around the room. “Nice place.”

  Elijah chuckled. “Thanks, I guess.”

  Adrian came back and shot Elijah a quick look before turning to me.

  “Aurora, why don’t we go upstairs for a while?”

  “Okay.”

  Elijah raised an eyebrow and studied me with a grin on his face.

  “See you at school,” was the only thing I could come up with. Awkward.

  “Sure thing, sunshine.” He smirked.

  I nodded and left the room with Adrian. I had no idea when I had become so brave. The old Aurora would have run for the door at the thought of spending time with a boy alone, but here I was, eagerly anticipating what was going to happen next. He steered us into his bedroom on the second floor, and I scanned the room curiously as he closed the door behind us. There was a large bed in the middle of the room, surrounded by dark wooden furniture and dark grey walls.

  I wasn’t sure what to say to him after what had happened on the couch. What was it for him? Was he serious, or were we still playing one of his games? The boundaries had become so blurred. I knew my reasons were pretty clear. I stole a quick glance at Adrian and felt my body light up with that fierce passion, pounding along with my raging heartbeat. Yep, I certainly knew why I had kissed him. This was so much more than a little crush for me. As if he sensed me staring, he glanced my way with a grin on his face.

  “What is it, angel?”

  “Nothing, I…I thought of my homework. Do you have a lot of homework?” I shook my head. That was so lame, even by my standards.

  He moved so fast, and suddenly he was standing right in front of me. “I don’t really want to talk about homework right now, not with you here in my bedroom,” he said softly and tucked my hair behind my ear. His touch was so gentle, but my body was already on fire.

  His hands moved up and gently cupped my face, before he leaned in and kissed me, sending my head spiralling again. It didn’t take long before my hands were back in his hair. His hand shifted and started to move over my back. I pushed myself against him, trying to erase any unnecessary space left between us. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist, as he started to move us across the room.

  As we collapsed on his bed, his mouth found mine in a heated rush. My arms encircled his neck as our kiss deepened. I felt his hand slide under my shirt, slowly exposing me as he gently touched my bare skin. Every touch was so sensual, so erotic. I didn’t want to stop. This was exactly where I wanted to be. It felt so right. Adrian planted another soft kiss on my lips before gently pulling back. I met his eyes. God, was it that obvious that I’d never done anything like this before?

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered and propped himself up on one elbow.

  “So, why are we stopping?” I asked confused, while I desperately tried to catch my breath at the same time.

  Adrian dropped a soft kiss on the top of my nose. “I don’t want to stop, believe me. It’s just…I need to know if you’ve done this before?”

  I felt my cheeks redden instantly. “N-no.” Is it that obvious?

  “Please don’t think that. I…I’m just trying to do the right thing here.”

  I stared at him. Surely, I hadn’t spilled my insecurities out loud. “Think what? I didn’t say anything.” Out loud.

  Adrian stared at me, and for a moment I saw something flicker in his blue eyes. Like he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t, but he quickly recovered.

  “I know you didn’t,” he said smoothly. “I just want to assure you, you know… That there isn’t something wrong with you, or anything like that. I…I’m trying to do the right thing.” He planted a soft kiss on my lips. “Let’s not rush anything. For both of our sakes. I really want to get to know you.”

  Well, I couldn’t argue with that, no matter how much I wanted this right now. “Okay,” I whispered. “We have all the time in the world, I guess.”

  If I had only known then, how wrong I was…

  Chapter 19

  I woke up super early the next morning with a big smile on my face. I had stayed with Adrian until it was almost midnight, before he returned me safely to my car by the library. My stomach fluttered. I had never felt like this before, but I knew I was falling head over heels in love with Adrian Hunter, even more so after last night. I kicked off my covers and jumped out of bed, pulling my desk chair closer to the window.

  It was very early, still dark outside, so I lit some candles and stared out the window and into the darkness. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander back to that magical morning in the forest, to remind myself of the feeling that stirred more and more restless in my soul. It felt like it had happened so long ago, even though it had only been a few days since I had discovered a world that was right here among humans, but completely hidden. The peace I’d felt out there in the forest was almost addictive. I couldn’t shake it, I wanted more. It was the feeling of being in tune with everything around me, giving me a sense of peace I’d never felt before, reminding me of my destiny.

  A warm surge of energy and light flooded through me, finding its way into the very centre of my heart, and in that moment, I knew what I had to do. It was like a true awakening, and suddenly everything was so clear to me. I was a guardian of light, and I was going to honour my destiny.

  I waited until dawn broke, then quietly got dressed and sneaked outside. The cold autumn morning greeted me as I started walking down the dirt road towards the riding school and its surrounding meadows. I continued past the school and walked further into the forest, towards the other end of the lake. As I’d already suspected, the lights were on in Mr and Mrs Peters’ house. They had always been early birds. I knocked on the door and waited patiently for someone to come and let me in. It was Mr Peters who finally greeted me with a cup of coffee in his hand.

  “Aurora? What are you doing here this early? Is everything all right?”

  “Yes, everything is fine. I just needed to see you and Mrs Peters. I hope I didn’t wake you up?”

  “No, no. We’ve been up for a few hours already. Come in, love.”

  Mrs Peters was in the kitchen. She set the table and we sat down to have some breakfast together.

  “Thank you,” I said and reached for a piece of toast.

  “How are you, dear?” Mrs Peters asked and looked at me.

  “
I’m…still confused, but I’m also, actually quite okay.”

  “And how are things between you and Helena?”

  “Mum is giving me space, just like I asked her to. I’m still trying to come to terms with everything. I just need some time, you know?”

  Mr and Mrs Peters looked at each other before Mrs Peters turned to me. “You know she did what she thought was best for you, Aurora? And we played a big part in it as well.”

  “I know, it’s… I don’t know… I’m still angry with her. I’m still disappointed about what you two did as well but at the end of the day, she’s my mum. She should have told me. That’s why I feel betrayed.”

  “Helena loves you, Aurora.”

  I swallowed. “I know, and I will deal with it when the time is right, but right now I need someone else to guide me.”

  “And that’s why you’re here?”

  “Yes. I want you to teach me everything you know. What I need to know. I want to honour my grandmother, and I want to honour my destiny.”

  Mr and Mrs Peters gave each other another look and then smiled back at me. “This is great news, Aurora. You will be a wonderful and strong guardian of light. Your grandmother would be so proud of you,” Mrs Peters said and put her hand on top of mine.

  “What about Mum?”

  “Once you’ve made your decision, she will stand by your side. She will never let you down.”

  I felt myself tearing up. I’d hurt Mum, shutting her out over the past two days. I needed to let go of my anger. I didn’t want to fight her. I wanted her by my side. It just hurt.

  “I’ve made my decision. I really want to do this,” I heard myself say with confidence.

  “Then we will help you. Come over this afternoon if you like. Our door is always open.”

  I nodded. “Thank you, that means a lot to me.”

  I left Mr and Mrs Peters, feeling lighter in my heart, and with a sense that everything would be okay. I knew I was making the right choice; I could feel it. My grandmother had lived a normal life just like a regular human, even though she carried around a big secret, and I was confident I could do the same.

  I thought of Lucinda and Phoebe in the bakery. I really wanted to have a face-to-face conversation with them as well. Maybe I could go for a drive to Lovika Creek? The school holidays were just around the corner and that would give me plenty of time to dive into this hidden world I now knew about and wanted desperately to be part of.

  Mum was already up and getting ready for work when I got back to the house.

  “Good morning,” I said and walked into the kitchen. I stopped and stared at her for a moment. My mum was a reaper. I shook my head. That was something I couldn’t think about too much right now.

  “Good morning. You’re up early. Did you go for a walk?” Mum asked nervously. She could definitely sense where my thoughts had taken me.

  I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I went to see Mr and Mrs Peters.”

  “Oh, okay? Would you like to talk about it?” she asked, and I couldn’t miss the hurt in her eyes. She had always been my number-one person to seek help from. I hated that we’d come to this, but I was still so hurt by her actions. I admit, I wasn’t feeling as much anger as I’d felt that night when the truth was finally revealed, but still enough to keep my distance for now.

  I swallowed. “Maybe another time?”

  “Whenever you are ready.” She got up from her chair to put her cup in the dishwasher, then turned around to face me. “Aurora, I understand that you’re angry with me, I really do. But isn’t it better if we talk about all of this?”

  “I want to, but not right now. I still need some time to wrap my head around all of this chaos. It’s a lot to deal with.”

  She nodded. “I know, and that’s why I think we should talk about it. It’s important for both of us.”

  “And we will, just not today.”

  She sighed. “Okay, if that’s what you want. However, we do need to talk about one thing this morning.”

  “Oh?” Here we go, I thought to myself. She wants to know where I was last night. I’d already thought about it as I was driving home. If she asked, I would say I was at Jasmine’s place.

  “I need to go to London. Just for a couple of days.”

  “Okay.” I waited for her to say something about last night, but she didn’t. “Why?” My first thought was that she was going to try and take me away again.

  Mum must have noticed where my mind was going, because she quickly added, “It’s work-related, don’t worry. I’m not going to abduct you or anything.”

  “I wasn’t thinking that…”

  “You were, and I don’t blame you. You have every right to be suspicious. I know I’ve given you plenty of reasons to doubt my motives at the moment.”

  “Yes, you certainly have.”

  She sighed and nodded. “I know. Do you know what? Why don’t you come with me to London? We’ll drive down to the airport on Friday night, and stay at a hotel until our flight on Saturday morning. We’ll be back Tuesday night. It would be good for us.”

  She looked at me with hope in her eyes, waiting for me to say something.

  I shook my head. “I can’t. I have an essay that needs to be finished before the school holidays, and I actually want to stay here with my friends. Besides, it’s the school’s autumn party. I don’t want to miss it. Sorry, Mum.”

  “That’s okay. I’m actually glad that you want to stay. I feel like you have really settled in here, and it makes me happy.”

  “Me too.” I couldn’t help but smile. I had more than settled in here. I felt like I was finally home, and I was starting to understand why I felt so at peace here. I belonged here.

  “So, what are you wearing to this party?” Mum asked.

  “I have no idea. I have to ask Lexi to help me.”

  “That will be interesting.” Mum chuckled.

  “It certainly will; you know Lexi and you know me.”

  “I sure do. Let me know if you need some money. And feel free to have a look in my wardrobe. I might have something if you’re running out of ideas.”

  “Thanks, Mum.”

  As I made my way into school later that morning, my mind abandoned all thoughts of supernatural occurrences, autumn parties or my complicated relationship with Mum. Instead, I found myself excited to see Adrian again. I didn’t have to wait long. Once I stepped inside the school, I felt him straight away. My eyes started searching, and I found him leaning against a locker in the end of the corridor. I smiled and was just about to walk over, when Mia bumped into my shoulder, giggling.

  “Some things never change, huh?”

  I turned my head in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, come on, Aurora. You guys are looking at each other like dessert.” She chuckled. I felt myself blush before my eyes diverted back to Adrian. His lips curled into a heart-stopping smile as he pushed himself off the locker and started walking towards us. “Lucky you. I have to go, but I’ll see you at lunch?”

  I nodded to Mia and turned back just as Adrian stopped in front of me.

  “Good morning.”

  “Good morning.” I blushed.

  I kept staring at the gorgeous guy in front of me while my insides were a tumbling mess. I thought about last night and what we had done. I could feel my knees weaken.

  “Aurora?”

  My eyes shot up and searched his face. I’d completely missed that he was talking to me, and my face went red. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

  He gave me that wicked smile of his, pulled me into him and kissed me. Even if I absolutely hated any form of attention, I couldn’t bring myself to pull away. Instead, I found myself returning the kiss with such passion, I felt like my heart was ready to explode. I tried to catch my breath as he stared down at me, with the same heated desire that I felt inside.

  “Are we good?”

  “Absolutely.” I smiled.

  He let go of me and started to walk backwards. “See you
later, angel,” he mouthed, and all I could do was nod in reply.

  “You have some explaining to do.”

  Lexi. Still with my cheeks coloured like the autumn leaves outside, I turned around and was embraced in a huge hug.

  “Oh my God, Aurora. You need to tell me everything.” She put her arm in mine as we started to walk down the corridor. “When did this happen?!”

  I smiled. “Yesterday, I guess.”

  “I told you he was into you. You do realise that this gives hope to the rest of the female population here. They’ll all try with Elijah now.” She chuckled. “So, no more Evangeline then?”

  I shook my head. “No more Evangeline.”

  “I told you she didn’t stand a chance, babe.” Lexi laughed.

  I wasn’t entirely satisfied with what Adrian had told me about her so far, which wasn’t much, but confident enough to believe that they weren’t together. I trusted him, even though we would have to have the conversation again at some point. There were still some confusing things that needed more explaining.

  “And by the way, you can’t really say anything. You have your own explaining to do. What happened with the whole ‘no boyfriends’ thing?” I laughed, and Lexi joined in.

  “I know, it didn’t really work out that way.”

  “You don’t say,” I teased and wiggled my eyebrows dramatically. Even though I still hadn’t figured out my feelings towards Luca, I couldn’t deny that he was making Lexi happy. Maybe I should give him the benefit of the doubt.

  “This is so exciting. We can go on double dates. Can I tell the girls? I bet they already know,” she continued with a giggle, without waiting for my reply.

  Throughout the morning, I could tell that rumours were starting to spread about me and Adrian. People were whispering and giving me curious looks as I moved between classes. Despite the attention, I felt like I was walking on air, and I couldn’t wipe the big dumb smile off my face no matter how hard I tried. I couldn’t concentrate at all in class; my mind was elsewhere, replaying every kiss and every touch.