“What’s your name?” Kian asked. The gruffness of his voice from earlier had left. This new voice was smooth and flowed like poetry. My heart sped up and I heard the blood pulsing in my ears. I was sure he could hear it. What kind of Talent was he using to cause me to react this way?
“Quit using your Talent on me,” I hissed.
“I’m not. If I was, you’d know it,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Oh.” I didn’t understand what was happening. He placed a hand on my waist and the warmth was searing. I was sure it would leave a mark. My eyes closed and my breath deepened. Tingles flowed from his hand, spreading throughout my body and stirring something in my soul. I released a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. “Take your hand off me and back away before I break your fingers.”
Kian snickered. “Spunky.”
“Creepy,” I replied.
Kian chuckled again, his hot breath shooting sparks right to my stomach.
“Don’t make me ask again.” I felt his hand tense. His fingers increased their pressure against my waist right before the coldness swept in as he removed his hand. I released the breath I was holding.
“Tell me, how would you have broken my fingers?” Kian asked as I watched his hips curve inward inching closer to me. His movements were surreptitious and my heart accelerated as the space between became almost non-existent. He was still too close for my comfort, but at least he wasn’t touching me. My focus shot up to his face. His face was a mixture of curiosity and humor.
“Every orphanage offers a variety of self-defense classes, among other electives.” I inclined my head as I studied him again. “You’ve never lived in one.”
Kian’s smirk graduated to a full on smile, igniting his face. This smile stole my breath and something told me it was one that few people had the pleasure of seeing. An unintentional smile dangled on the corner of my lips in return.
“No, I haven’t had the pleasure. Spunky, independent, and observant. You’re a triple threat. . . You never gave me your name.”
“Correct.”
Kian leaned forward. “Will you tell me your name?”
“No.”
He leaned closer. The heat from his body warmed me and my heart felt as if it would explode. I lifted my gaze back to the stars, trying to force my willpower to rally against Kian’s charms.
“Please,” he whispered.
“No,” I softly replied. His presence was intense and it scared me. My brain screamed at me to introduce his nose to the palm of my hand, but my arm refused to obey. My traitorous body reveled in possibility of feeling his strong arms wrapped around and pressing himself against it.
“Well, if you’re not going to tell me, I’m sure your friend will.”
Confused, I turned to look at Kian. My nose brushed against his cheek for a brief moment before my brain could register to lean back.
“What the?” Michael’s voice broke whatever spell Kian was putting on me. “Get your hands off her!”
Cold air filled the space where Kian’s body used to be. Restrained, I turned, tilting my head as I watched Michael jerk Kian even further from me. Kian and Michael were the same height, but Kian surpassed Michael in mass. His corded muscles rippled as he squeezed his hands into fists and his angular features twisted into a snarl.
“Are you okay, Sadie?” Michael looked at me, softening his features and sweeping me from head to toe. I felt Lacy’s arm entwine with mine.
I shrugged. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.” My body was shaking, but thankfully my voice came out steady and disinterested.
Kian turned away from Michael and looked at me. His questioning gaze flowed into a smirk. He was enjoying this. Kian twisted out of Michael’s grasp with ease, his movements graceful. Kian was trained as well.
I felt my lips curl up as I watched.
Kian rotated to face me again, ignoring Michael’s protests. “Until we meet again, Sadie.” He dipped his head in a courteous manner, keeping his gaze locked on to mine. He began to leave, turning back to look at me again with one side of his lips curled up as if we were sharing a secret.
My heart fell into my stomach as I realized that he had learned my name. Throughout the whole uncomfortable encounter, I had kept him in the dark. My lips pursed as I watched him walk away. Even his stride was arrogant. Kian was unsettling.
“What was that?” Lacy asked.
I shrugged again. “I have no idea.”
“Who was that guy?” Michael asked. I looked up at him, thinking he was asking me. Instead I saw that a crowd had gathered. He was talking to his friend from the couch. My face felt hot as the embarrassment of being watched filled me.
“I don’t know,” the Caelian replied. “He wasn’t on the list.”
“Sadie, who was he?” Michael asked as he walked over to me. “What did he tell you?” He put his arm around my shoulders, shielding me from the prying eyes of the crowd.
“He said his name was Kian. I didn’t get much else. I wasn’t trying to encourage him.”
“It didn’t look that way,” Lacy mumbled.
“I was taking care of it. Two more seconds and I would have broken his fingers.”
I felt Michael’s other arm wrap around me in a tight bear hug. “I’m sorry.”
I melted into his hug before pulling myself from his warm embrace. “It’s not your fault. I let myself get distracted and he led me outside for fresh air.”
“Distracted?” Michael questioned.
“Liam moment,” Lacy piped in.
“Oh.” Michael crossed his arms and looked up at the sky.
The uncomfortable silence pressed in on us and I fidgeted from the awkwardness.
“I’ll take her home,” Lacy spoke up.
Michael nodded at his sister and turned back to me. His features softened as he placed his hand on my cheek. “Be safe. I’m happy you came out tonight. For a moment while you were dancing, you looked…” He paused. His mind searching for the right word.
“I looked…”
“Free. You looked free.” His smile widened, brightening his face and causing him to look more like Liam.
I returned his smile. “For a moment, I felt free.”
We hugged our goodbye and Lacy led me back to their car. She was uncharacteristically silent the majority of the ride home. A part of me was happy, as it allowed me to prepare myself for the barrage of questions that was sure to come. She pulled to the curb in front of Saint Vincent’s.
“What was that?” she asked quietly.
“Just a guy hitting on me,” I dismissed.
“No. I walked out before Michael and I saw the two of you before he interrupted. There was something going on.”
“I’m sure he was trying to use his Talent on me. He was probably hoping I’d melt at his feet, begging for him to kiss me.” I felt my face scrunch in disgust. Not that I would admit it to Lacy or anyone else, but he had gotten to me. Five more minutes alone with Kian and I would have considered letting him kiss me.
“You think?” Lacy asked, sounding a little reassured in my dismissal of the encounter.
I shrugged. There was no way for me to know for sure, but it’s what I planned on telling myself.
I looked at Lacy and hopefully produced a convincing radiant smile. “Good night Lacy. Thanks for dragging me out. Until Kian, I had a great time.”
We exchanged hugs and promises to get together again soon. I walked with vigor toward the orphanage, trying to ignore the crawling feel of eyes watching me. As soon as I closed the door to the foyer entrance, I fell against it and let released a strangled breath. I had to get myself together before checking in with Mrs. LaMotte. Her piercing glare caught everything.
Once I felt calm, I made my way to Mrs. LaMotte’s and tapped on her door. She answered in a dressing robe, holding a book. Her eyes narrowed on me.
“You’re home earlier than I thought.”
“I’m taking baby steps,” I replied, in what I hoped was nonchalance
.
“Smart move.” She paused. Looking at me again, a wave of concern washed over her face before continuing. “Rest well, Sadie.”
“Good night, Mrs. LaMotte,” I replied.
Once in my room, I glanced over at Rebecca’s side. She was sprawled out on top of her covers, school books splayed around her. Thanking God she wasn’t awake to bombard me with questions, I gathered her things, plugged her phone into the charger, and covered her up.
I changed in record time and scurried under the covers of my bed, praying that my mind would slow down enough for me to actually get some sleep tonight.
Kian’s voice dominated my thoughts, and every time I closed my eyes his face was there. Kian’s body language and confidence screamed authority and a part of me feared him. He was persistent and ignored personal space, but there was something about him that called to me. I wasn’t sure if he was using his Talent on me, or if the raw power radiating from him caused a visceral physical reason. Whatever it was, I had never experienced anything like it.
My heart clenched at the thought. Liam and I had had chemistry, but it was built on years of friendship and love. Kian was all-encompassing heat and arrogance, nothing like Liam. I decided to not worry about it. It’s not like I spent a lot of time outside of the orphanage, and in all likelihood the chances of me running into Kian again were slim-to-none.
One thing was for certain, I couldn’t allow myself to be caught up in someone like Kian.
Chapter 7
Weeks blended together as I was adjusting to returning to normalcy. It had been almost a week since my last episode and I was beginning to feel like everything would be okay.
The whole Kian fiasco was well behind me. He never crossed my mind. I certainly didn’t space out throughout the day bounding between enamored and furious at him or fantasize about him at night when the room was quiet. Nope. Not me.
Even if my mind didn’t wander to him throughout the day, Rebecca and Madison wouldn’t have allowed me to forget him. Since the morning after I met Kian and recounted the events of the previous evening to both of them, they had been obsessed as well, both for different reasons. Unlike Rebecca, Madison wasn’t keen on some random guy getting cozy with me at a frat party.
It’s not every day one of us meets a Caelian who was raised outside of the system. Especially a smoking hot one.
As I approached the breakfast table, I noticed Madison leaning in toward Rebecca, her demeanor serious, and Rebecca was talking to her, waving her hands with enthusiasm that would rival a sugared up toddler. They were up to something.
“Sadie!” Rebecca called to me in a sing-song voice.
“What’s going on Becca?” I plopped down on the table exasperated.
“What’s with the attitude?” Madison demanded.
“I was up late last night studying.” I laid my head down on the table, allowing the cool surface to re-energize me instead of reaching for another cup of coffee. School might have become easier the last few weeks, but sleep was still eluding me.
Rebecca snorted.
“Well that was attractive,” Madison mumbled.
“Everything I do is,” Rebecca replied. “But to answer your question, Sadie. Maddie and I want the three of us to go to the mall today. Let’s make it a girls’ day. Shopping and we can catch a movie while we’re out.”
I opened my mouth to decline, but Rebecca didn’t let me. “Nope. We already have permission from Mrs. LaMotte and everything is ready.”
“But,” I whined, “I’m tired and really REALLY don’t want to go out.”
“Tough,” Madison piped in. “It’s time to quit being antisocial.”
“Hey, I’ve been hanging out with people. The other day, I spent the evening with John and Emma watching movies.”
“You’re going to have to face the world again, Sadie.” Madison softened her voice. “I know your last experience was… unnerving, but in a few months we won’t be sheltered within Saint Vincent’s. We all will have to face the norms and the other Caelians who may or may not bother us. It’s a fact of life.”
“She’s right,” John piped in as he propped his hip against the table next to Madison. “You need to get used to others. I mean, not everyone can be as well-adjusted as me. I ooze confidence and sex appeal.” He waggled his eyebrows at me as he rolled and undulated his hips against Madison’s hip in mock seduction.
“You ooze something,” Madison replied as she punched him. John backed away chuckling as he rubbed his arm. Neither would ever admit it, but it was obvious they liked each other.
“I don’t know,” I spoke up. My voice sounded just as uneasy as I felt.
“Well, it’s a good thing you have awesome friends who know when you need a little push. This is us, pushing you.” Rebecca reached out and grabbed my hand, gently rubbing her thumb across the back of my hand in comfort.
Rebecca was always so sure of herself, I thought. I watched her finger move across my hand and I felt power move thickly from her hand to mine. The power moved slowly, like honey, filling me with warmth and yearning. Confused, I looked at Rebecca and she was staring at me with shock.
“Are you doing that?” I asked a little breathless.
“No!” she jerked her hand from mine, rubbing it as if I had shocked her.
“What the hell?” Madison demanded quietly. “Your hair changed colors.”
“What?” I demanded, grabbing for Rebecca’s bag and searching for a compact mirror. Once found, I examined my hair. It was just as achromatic as I had last seen it.
“It didn’t last long, but your hair was slowly turning yellow,” John spoke up. “Just like Rebecca’s, actually.”
I turned to look at Rebecca. She was ignoring the conversation and staring at her hand.
“Are you okay?” I reached out for her, pausing, uncertain if she wanted to be touched or not. She looked up at me and then at my outstretched hand. I tried not to let her refusal to touch me hurt.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “What was that?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine. Do you think you were compelling me? I felt desire.”
“No. I wasn’t compelling you. It felt as if you were pulling at my Talent.”
“I wasn’t doing anything,” I defended. Hysteria bubbled in my chest. My hand grasped at the pendant around my neck and ran my thumb over the engraved M. I had been doing it a lot lately. For some reason the motion and the cool metal gave me comfort.
Madison placed an uncertain hand on my shoulder. “She’s not saying you did anything, just that it felt that way.”
My gaze flickered from her hand up to her face. She didn’t seem scared. As if she was reading my thoughts, Madison removed her hand and grasped the hand Rebecca was previously holding with unyielding confidence. She kept her eyes locked with mine, encouraging me.
A calloused hand slid up my arm and with a tender squeeze held my free hand and I turned to see John contemplating me with an unchecked questioning gaze. As his confidence grew, his hand wound tighter around mine.
Tears stung at my eyes and I closed them, trying to force myself not to cry in front of the whole orphanage at the breakfast table. Just as I felt the prickling sensation ease up, I felt Rebecca scoot herself next to me. Pressing her body against me as she wrapped her arms around my waist, laying her head on my shoulder.
In this moment, I felt more loved than at any other moment in my life. I squeezed both hands in thanks then let go to return Rebecca’s hug.
“For a moment there I thought I was some sort of freak.” My lame attempt at humor fell flat.
“I don’t know what happened, but whether it was a new aspect of my Talent or if you have some crazy new Talent that is now emerging, we love you,” Rebecca whispered as she squeezed me a final time before letting go.
“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think anyone else saw,” Madison spoke up, as she scanned the room. Her eyes stopped and she tightened them bit by bit until they resemb
led narrowed slits. “Well, Mrs. LaMotte seems to have taken notice of our behavior. We should probably get going.”
“Do you want to change?” Rebecca asked.
“No, I’m comfortable,” I replied. Unlike Rebecca, I was okay with going out in a comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
“At least she’s back to caring about her hygiene,” Madison joked as she gathered our trash.
“Ha. Ha,” I deadpanned. “Are you coming, John?”
“To girls’ day? No. I plan to spend my day in bed, watching TV.” He walked around the table and picked me up in a bear hug. “You have fun and try not to be jealous. I’m living the dream!” He joked as he walked away.
Rebecca screwed her face up in disgust. “How is it ‘the dream’ to lie around in bed all day when there are people to meet?”
“If I could replace the TV with a book, it would be my dream,” I said wistfully.
“And that is why you need us,” Madison with enthusiasm.
A taxi was waiting for us right outside the gate of the orphanage. Since the increase in violence against all Caelians, the families who supported the orphanages hired taxi services to escort the students who wished to leave campus.
Heat slammed in to us as we opened the doors to the orphanage, causing beads of sweat to form on my brow in an instant. Summers in North Texas are notorious for their extreme heat, but it was still spring. Stepping outside is comparable to the wave that hits when you open a heated oven and if the heat was already this overwhelming, I dreaded how miserable summer would be.
As I approached the taxi, I felt watched. Tingles danced up and down my spine as the feeling increased. My hand reached out for the door and I couldn’t help myself any longer. I had to see if there was someone watching me.
I scanned the area. Nothing looked out of place and I didn’t see any one obviously watching us, but the feeling was still there.
“What are you doing?” Madison asked, pulling at my hand.
“It feels like someone is watching me,” I replied, scanning the area again.
The Caelian Cycle Boxed Set Page 5