“That’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe, but it’s true. All I had to do was put a bug in someone’s ear—‘Vote for Carly; she’d really like to win.’ That’s all I had to do to get you elected.”
Carly leaned in to get a good whiff of him, confirming the alcohol on his breath. “Have you been drinking?”
Gabe patted at the breast of his suit jacket. “My dad knows I drink, Carly. Who do you think bought me the flask?”
“You didn’t drive here like this, did you?”
“What if I did? It’s not like you care about me anyway.”
“That’s not fair,” Carly said. “I’m not the one who did anything wrong, Gabe.”
“Well, you broke my heart,” he argued.
She let out a deep sigh as the volume on the sound system boomed louder. “I hope you know you’ve wasted your time with whatever the hell it was you were planning tonight. If you want to talk to me, at least have the decency to do it sober.”
“Carly, I know you hate me, and I know I screwed up, but I will never forgive myself for lying to you. Never.”
“Then why did you do it?” she pleaded. “Why did you make everyone cover up what happened with Esther? Why couldn’t you just trust me, Gabe? I never would have held something like that against you.”
He let out a cackle. “Oh, really? I find that a little bit hard to believe, Miss Hard To Get. You had me drooling all over you for weeks before you gave me any inclination you might like me. And that was without knowing what had happened between Esther and me. If I’d told you from the beginning, you’d probably still be stringing me along.”
“You know exactly why I waited so long to start something with you, so don’t pretend otherwise.”
“I thought I knew, but now I have to wonder if it was for some other reason. Like maybe because you were undecided between Abel and me. It makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean, you dumped me, and now you two are obviously hooking up.”
Carly blinked as she stared back at Gabe, and wondered if there was any decency left in him. She’d expected him to be frustrated, and angry, and jealous, but what she was looking at now… Something inside him had changed. However slight it was, this wasn’t the man she’d fallen in love with.
“Goodbye, Gabriel,” Carly spoke as she tore herself from his arms. She spotted Abel across the room, chatting up some blonde in a short, pink dress. Carly ignored the girl as she approached them and reached for Abel’s hand. A visible spark arced between their fingers as Carly said, “Dance with me.”
Abel broke into a grin, clutching onto her hand as Carly led the way to an open space on the dance floor. There was some upbeat pop song blaring as she wrapped her arms around Abel’s shoulders. He smelled like musky cologne, the scent lingering as she searched his dark eyes.
Carly parted her lips to speak, but did something else with them instead—she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Abel on the mouth. His arms folded in around her waist as his lips met hers again, the rhythm of their heartbeats pulsing through Carly’s thoughts. Her lips shimmered with electricity, her rumination suspended as she lost herself in Abel.
This was easy. This was what she needed right now.
But reality hit her all too soon, and she licked her lips as she forced them away from Abel’s. Everyone in the room seemed to be staring, and the notion of an audience was enough to distract her from what she’d just done in front of all of them.
“I’m sorry,” she told Abel as she untangled herself from his embrace. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why not?” he countered, Carly’s pink lipstick glistening on his top lip.
That simple smudge of lipstick was the first time Abel’s perfect features had ever held a flaw, and something about that normalization scared the hell out of her. He was definitely fun to kiss, but it wasn’t until that moment she felt something real between them—something that might actually lead to a relationship.
Carly had just broken up with her boyfriend and she certainly wasn’t looking for another one. “I have to go.” She didn’t give Abel a chance to respond as she darted for the door, doing her best not to trip as she sprinted in heels.
She was almost outside, almost under the comfort of dark night, when someone caught her on the shoulder. “I don’t think I can do this,” she spat as she spun around to face Abel. Except, it wasn’t Abel.
Carly’s breath caught as Gabe stared back at her. He leaned down and brought his lips toward hers, but she pushed her palms into his chest before their mouths met. “No,” she asserted, taking one, two, three steps back. “No, Gabe, you don’t get to do that anymore.”
“But Carly, if you’ll just let me—”
“I said no!” she roared, twisting around before she broke into a full-blown sprint. She ran away from the school, from Sterling, from the two boys who had her heart so conflicted. It wasn’t until she was halfway home that she realized she’d shifted into her primary. Her fox feet carried her to Grant Manor, and she didn’t stop until her paw pads landed on the front porch.
Carly shifted human, and a hand fell in on her shoulder. She turned to face the intruder, her defenses deafening as she locked eyes with Abel. She should’ve expected that he’d follow her home, but he’d still taken her by surprise. “H-hi.”
“I just wanted to make sure you made it okay,” Abel replied.
Carly attempted to ignore the web of electricity sparking between them, connecting them on levels she’d never noticed before. Abel seemed to notice it, too, and the hum between them became too much to bear. “Abel, you should go.”
“Does it scare you?”
“D-does what scare me?” she managed.
Abel wrapped his fingers around her hand, chills shooting up into her arm as he closed the circuit between them. “This.”
She swallowed down her nerves as she dropped her gaze, but didn’t let go of his hand.
“Carly, I know you felt something when you kissed me,” Abel spoke, keeping his voice low in her ear. “And I know you feel something right now, because I feel it, too. We have a connection—”
“Abel, please.”
“It started during that game of hide and seek in the caves when we shifted, together, into one being. I’m not going to lie, I’ve had somewhat of a crush on you since you moved here—even after you’d started dating Hutchinson. But it was just a crush, just a possibility somewhere in the back of my mind that maybe someday something could happen between us. That’s all it was—a fantasy—until that day in the caves when you changed everything.”
“Abel…”
“You still have feelings for Gabe, and I understand that. You two had a pretty intense relationship. But is it possible you have feelings for me, too?”
Yes. But Carly couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Abel moved his thumb over her fingers, her skin sizzling at his touch. “Do you know why this happens?”
She thought back to the explanation Gabe had once given her. “It’s because of all the excess energy left over from shifting.”
Abel smiled. “That’s what Hutchinson told you, huh? Wow, he really didn’t want you to know how much he liked you. Carly, this kind of magnetic reaction happens when there’s a mutual, undeniable attraction between two shapeshifters. It happens because our pull to one another is so strong that it’s forced to take on a physical form. What I feel for you right now, when I’m completely under your spell like this, is so much more than just a crush.”
“Abel, I… can’t. Right now.”
He pulled his hand from hers and brought his palms to her cheeks, staring over her face for a moment before he drew his lips to hers in a long, sweet kiss. There was definitely some sort of connection between them, all right. Carly’s entire face sizzled as her lips lingered on his.
She hated to let the kiss end, but wasn’t about to return the gesture. Not tonight. Not when she was this confused about what she wanted.
“You don’t have to know what you want to
kiss me,” Abel pointed out.
“I wish it were that easy,” Carly breathed as she took a step back. “I really wish it were.”
“It is that easy, Carly. The connection we share is undeniable. What would be the harm in seeing where it takes us? Forget about what you think you’re supposed to do and tell me you don’t want to be with me.”
She had no response for him because there was none.
Abel leaned in close to her once more, and she thought he might try to kiss her again. But he brushed his lips over her forehead instead. “Take some time to think about it. I’m not in any rush.”
He took a step back, shapeshifted into an owl—his sister’s primary form—and flew off into the dark of the night. His quick exit left Carly alone, her lips still tingling as she tucked herself inside the house. Yes, Abel had definitely given her something to think about.
ten
There was no rest for Carly that night. Her sleep had been erratic since she’d started shifting—some nights she’d sleep for hours and hours, others, mere minutes. But now there was too much on her mind to even consider closing her eyes.
Carly had thought that changing out of the fancy dress would make her feel better, but as she sat in the middle of her bed in sweatpants and a tank top, both Sixteen Candles on the television and Jack White on her stereo, she couldn’t stop fidgeting.
Abel had been right on two fronts.
Carly still had feelings for Gabe. He had lied to her and ripped her heart in two, but even that wasn’t enough to make her love for him simply disappear. However, she also had definite, undeniable feelings for Abel. He was fun, and hot, and easy to talk to. And most importantly, she could trust him. But even with her lips still shimmering from his kiss, Carly didn’t know if she was ready to take their relationship to the next level.
She attempted to find distraction in her weekend homework, but it was so little of a challenge that she threw it aside after only a few minutes. She could head downstairs and make a pot of coffee, but then what? The night was still young, and she needed something to occupy her thoughts.
Carly threw herself back on her pillows, letting out a heavy sigh as her gaze landed on the wall next to the bathroom—the very wall that held a secret passage where Crystal had discovered the amethyst skull. The treasure had been hidden inside the wall for months before Carly knew anything about it. She’d slept beside it night after night without so much as a clue of its existence.
Was there something else inside that had been overlooked? Her curiosity got the best of her and Carly hopped up from her bed, stepping across the room to press her thumb into the trigger hidden in the wainscoting. The wall creaked in protest as it popped open.
It would’ve been dark inside to a human, but Carly’s shifter eyes picked up every detail. She tiptoed inside, brushing her fingers over mahogany lining the walls of the small room. There was a bench built into the back wall, and she walked over to have a seat.
Carly hadn’t taken the time to utilize this space, but now that she had more free time on her hands, she could do something really cool in here. She imagined posters of her favorite bands on the walls, a cluster of scented candles in the corner, and pillows and blankets in a nest on the floor.
This would be a great place to make out, she thought, the taste of Abel on her lips as she leaned against the wall. Her hands slid back on the bench top, and Carly’s left pointer finger hooked on a notch in the wood. “What the hell?” she mumbled, sliding off the bench to crouch down on the floor beside it.
She felt for the hole again, digging her finger inside this time. The top of the bench popped off, knocking Carly back on her butt on the floor. She cursed as she propped herself back up, setting the bench top aside to peer into the secret space below.
She saw nothing at first, and ran her hand along the inside perimeter of the opening. It was then her fingers fell on soft leather. She pulled out the object, a leather-bound book the same color as the wood walls. She did a thorough search of the space, conceding there was nothing more.
Carly settled back on the floor to examine the book. It was written in clean print—but whose? She thumbed to the first page, her eyes growing wide as she noticed her name addressed at the top.
Dear Carly, it read. Her hands shook as she scanned it again, a chill racing down her spine.
Carly slammed the book closed, clutching onto it as she scrambled out of the narrow passage. There wasn’t enough air or enough space in there to deal with whatever was in this journal. She closed up the wall and carried the book across the room to her bed.
Carly settled on top of the blankets, leaning back against the pillows before she dared open the cover again.
Dear Carly,
I hope that by the finding of this, your parents have been brave enough to reveal to you your true destiny. I also hope they have made it clear how important you are to our race. You shall be the Queen of our kind, my dearest grandchild. You shall want for nothing, and every power will be at your fingertips.
There are many legends concerning our kind and the supernatural beings we sometimes encounter. But to sort out legend from fact, you must first understand not only the kind of creature you are, but the kind of creatures you come from. Nothing goes on in this town without my knowing; I have made certain of that.
I do hope my summations leave you enlightened and emboldened to embrace your destiny. Though I cannot prove to you in a paragraph the extent of my foresight, I fear the future of shapeshifters everywhere lies with you.
All my love,
Your Grandfather, Honorius Grant
Carly didn’t know what to think, but there was only one thing to do. She flipped to the next page.
* * *
“Carly!” Howard called as he knocked on her bedroom door late the following morning. “Carly, are you awake?”
“Yes,” she replied, though she didn’t take her eyes from the book in her hands. She had but a few pages left and she’d be finished. And after spending her night getting through this thing, she figured she’d earned the conclusion.
“You have a visitor, sweetheart,” her father added.
“I don’t want to see anyone,” Carly called back.
“He said to let you know he brought coffee.”
That was enough to get her attention. She folded over the corner of her page, closing the book as she asked, “Abel’s here?”
“Shall I tell him to come back another time?” Howard answered.
“No, don’t do that! I mean, ten minutes. Tell him I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
Howard chuckled. “I’ll let him know.”
Carly hadn’t washed off her makeup from last night, much less taken a shower. There was no way she could let Abel see her like this. Not when he was surely looking his usual perfect. She raced to the bathroom and washed off strayed mascara. What was she going to wear? She certainly couldn’t let him see her in her pajamas again. Why do you even care? the thought flashed across her mind.
Carly spit out toothpaste and whispered to the mirror, “I guess I must really like him.”
It was true she’d stayed up all night reading her late grandfather’s journal, but she’d also spent at least half that time going over Abel’s confession again and again. They had a connection that was undeniable, and it had started when she’d shifted with him into one being in the caves. Carly had tried to ignore it this whole time, but couldn’t anymore.
She kept a close eye on the clock as she rushed to throw herself together, even adding a layer of lip gloss. Her hair had been a frizzy mess, so she freed it from the updo, letting wild waves fall in around her shoulders. Carly acknowledged this was the best she could do with the time allotted, and headed for the door.
But something stopped her.
She looked back at the leather journal, bouncing on her feet for a moment before she stepped over to grab it. There had been many secrets revealed in its pages, and the biggest concerned the boy waiting downstairs. She woun
d the leather cord around the book, tucking the tome under her arm as she made her way down to meet him.
“Vanilla soy latte, right?” Abel asked as he came into view. “At least, that’s what I’ve been buying you all week. Your dad said you might still be in bed, but you look… Wow, Carly, you look fantastic for seven a.m.”
“Is it really that early?” she replied as she met him. Though she didn’t see Howard, she kept the journal concealed under her arm as she stole the cup from Abel’s fingers. She didn’t know if her father would recognize the book or not, but she didn’t want to risk him confiscating it. “Thank you for the coffee, but what are you doing here?”
That really got Abel to smile. “We were going to hang out today, remember? We talked about it last night.”
“Maybe, but this early in the morning?”
“Why not? You look like you’re ready to take on the world, so it must not be too early for you. But I understand if you have other plans. I’m sure your Saturday morning schedule fills up pretty fast between cups of coffee.”
He was teasing her, and Carly liked it.
“What do you say?” Abel asked. “Do you want to hang out? I did bring you coffee, per your instructions, if that holds any sway.”
“It does hold some sway, Abel, yes. It’s just… I can’t stop thinking about kissing you.”
“What a coincidence—neither can I.”
Carly didn’t allow herself to meet his gaze. It would be too easy to give in to her impulses if she did. “I, um, I have to be honest. I’m not looking for a boyfriend or anything. Not right now. I just… think you should know that.”
Legends: Bloodline Book 2 Page 10