Rose considered him, before placing her hand on his chest and closing her eyes. Christian chuckled.
“Not on me, Love,” he said. “It doesn’t work on me.”
Rose opened her eyes, intrigued. “Really?” she asked. “How do you know?”
Christian shrugged, “It just doesn’t.” He reached out to the coffee table, grabbing a book and standing it on its end. “Try this.”
Rose sat forward, placing her hand in front of the book and closing her eyes. She focused and tried to feel the energy she’d felt before. After a few minutes, her hand dropped.
“I can’t do it,” she said. “I don’t know how to summon it.”
“Tell me how it felt before,” Christian suggested, taking her hand as she turned towards him.
“It’s hard to tell,” she said. “I was scared. Confused.” She shook her head. “My heart was pounding, and I could feel the adrenalin rushing through me…” She looked up as a thought occurred to her. “Maybe that’s what I need?” she mused. “Maybe the adrenalin pulls it out of me somehow?”
“Adrenalin?” Christian smiled suggestively, “I can help with that.” He leaned forward, gently placing little kisses down the sensitive skin of her neck, his hands pulling her towards him.
“Christian, be serious,” she scolded, even as she leaned into his touch.
“I am,” he murmured licentiously, trailing his lips over to her mouth. “You need your heart rate to increase,” he grinned wickedly against her, his eyes flashing. “That’s something I can do.” His mouth closed around hers, commanding all her attention as her heart jumped all over the place, proving his theory.
Rose pushed him away, knowing she’d never get her point across if he continued. He grinned incorrigibly and held her hand back up to the book.
“Try now,” he said.
Rose smiled despite herself. She concentrated, searching for the flow of energy that she felt from her increased heartbeat. She could feel something there, like a word on the tip of her tongue. She wrestled with it for a moment, trying to grab hold, but it continued to slip through the fingers of her mind.
“Nope,” she sighed. “Perhaps I need to be scared? Angry?”
Christian frowned, although a smile played around his eyes. “Want to try again?” he teased.
Rose grinned, kissing him hard on the mouth, before pulling back. “I need to be shown how to do it,” she said, gently.
Christian stared for a moment, before relenting, his teasing mood evaporating.
“Fine,” he sighed. “We’ll ask Nathaniel how he does it. At least he’ll have a better chance of getting you angry. Besides,” he added, with an accusing look in her direction. “You’ll ask him whether I want you to or not.”
Rose smiled sheepishly, before pulling him in for another kiss.
***
Rose approached Nate at the end of the next day’s lecture. “Can I talk to you?” she asked, as he walked across the campus.
He didn’t stop, shooting her a wary look. “If you like.”
“I want you to show me how you pushed those demons away,” she stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop.
Nate looked at her in surprise. “Why?”
“Because I’d rather do that than,” she looked away, “than what I did before.” Nate was watching her when she glanced back, his eyes understanding.
“And how does the Guardian feel about that?” he asked, curiously.
“He’s fine,” Rose said, continuing along the path.
Nate raised an eyebrow in amusement as he followed her. “Sure he is.”
“Will you show me or not?” Rose asked, turning back to him.
“I guess,” Nate shrugged. “When?”
Rose grinned. “Now?”
“I should have seen that coming,” Nate chuckled, his eyes light with amusement. “Will the Guardian be joining us?”
Rose hesitated. “No.” Nate looked over in question and she shrugged. “I told you, he’s fine.”
He didn’t budge and she sighed.
“He’s being really good about it Nate,” she shot him a look. “Let it go.”
She headed across the grass as she contemplated how that wasn’t exactly true. Her suggestion that Christian not be with them had not gone down well, but she needed to be able to concentrate and wanted Nate to feel comfortable in showing her, two things that would definitely not happen if Christian was there.
Rose remembered their brief argument before he had done his usual disappearing act. She understood why he was worried, but she owed Nate a chance after his help in the park. She knew he wasn’t as bad as Christian thought he was – he just needed the opportunity to prove it.
They entered the dormitory and Rose made to head up the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Nate called, making her pause.
“My room?”
Nate shook his head. “My room has less breakables,” he grinned. “And since your plan is to throw me about a bit…” He trailed off suggestively and Rose rolled her eyes, walking back down to join him. She pushed passed and reached for the door.
“Come on then,” she said, completely unfazed.
Nate grinned, and followed quickly behind.
***
Nate sat down on his bed and beckoned for Rose to join him. She sat at the other end, leaving a comfortable distance between them. Nate chose not to comment as he turned to her, his expression serious.
“Okay,” he said. “In order to be able to do what I do, first you need to understand it.” Rose nodded so he continued. “It’s called Repulsion. It works like a physical push away from you, but all you are really doing is re-directing a person’s gravitational pull,” he smiled at her confused expression. “It’s like pulling a rug out from underneath someone. They fall in the direction their centre of gravity is pulled – or in this case, pushed.”
Rose frowned. “Can you show me?” she asked. She shrugged at his wary look. “It might help if I know what it feels like.”
Nate contemplated, his eyes not leaving hers, before he stood up, taking her by the hands and pulling her with him as he walked her a few feet away from the bed. “Only from here,” he said, sternly.
Rose nodded, smiling at his concern.
Nate carefully put his hand on her ribs, fingers splayed, his eyes checking to see that she was okay with the contact. “You ready?” he asked.
Rose braced herself and nodded.
She felt a sudden push – like Nate had shoved her back forcefully – and her stomach flipped before she landed on the bed, the air knocked out of her.
Nate was at her side in an instant. “Are you ok?” he asked, anxiously.
Rose struggled to catch her breath. “I’m fine,” she said eventually, as he helped her up, his hands smoothing back the hair that had fallen in front of her face. Once he was convinced she wasn’t hurt, Nate sat back, withdrawing his hands and placing them in his lap.
“How did it feel?” he asked, curiously.
Rose contemplated. “It kind of just felt like you’d pushed me,” she said with a shrug. “Although there was a moment of vertigo. Like how you sometimes feel you’re falling out of bed?” she grinned at his blank expression. “Has no-one ever done it to you before?”
Nate shook his head, flashing his lopsided smile. “I don’t often get the chance to use it,” he shrugged, “I prefer a cunning plan to a fist fight. Besides, it’s not much use, it only really works on your basic messengers and the like.”
“Will it work on you?” Rose asked.
Nate frowned. “It should,” he said, “I was a messenger once,” he grinned beguilingly. “Want to try?”
Rose nodded, and they stood up. She placed her hand on his chest as he had on hers, pushing lightly against the solid muscle she felt when he didn’t object.
She closed her eyes, trying to re-create the energy she’d felt Nate use, unconsciously curling her fingers in the fabric of his white shirt. They stood like that for a
long while, Rose silently wrestling to pull it from the corners of her mind.
Eventually, she opened her eyes in disappointment, to find Nate watching her intently, his bright blue eyes shocking in their closeness. Rose found herself caught in his gaze, before she shook her head, pulling her hand from his chest and stepping past him. She sat back onto the bed as he turned to face her.
“Problem?” he asked, one eyebrow raised in question.
“I can’t do it,” she said in frustration, sweeping her hair from her face. “I can’t seem to get a hold on it.”
Nate frowned. “Try harder.”
Rose glared but he refused to budge, gazing down in disapproval, arms crossed in front of him.
“It doesn’t work like that,” she huffed. “I don’t know how to use it.”
“How did you do it before?”
“I’m not sure,” Rose shrugged. “I thought adrenalin might have something to do with it …” She thought of Christian’s silly attempts, and smiled.
“Adrenalin?”
Rose nodded. “I was scared in the park,” she said. “I think that helped.”
“So you need to be afraid?”
“That or angry I guess …”
Nate looked amused, a smile playing on his lips. “You want me to get you angry?”
Rose nodded, grinning tentatively as he raised an eyebrow.
“You do realise I’m a demon, right?” he smirked. “Fear, anger – they’re kind of my speciality.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” Rose teased, completely unfazed. Her statement seemed to take him off guard and he smiled briefly.
“Brave words …” he teased, his eyes light.
“Bring it on.” She leaned towards him in anticipation.
Nate regarded her for a moment before he shrugged. “Fine,” he said, with a sigh, looking about the room for inspiration before lighting on her outfit, a beige knit jumper that trailed over her jeans and brown leather boots.
“That jumper is hideous,” he started, clearly not trying very hard. “If I had a grandma, she wouldn’t be seen dead in it,” he leaned forward, his expression amused. “What is it with you and cardigans anyway? Did they have a sale at OXFAM? Or are you just going for the crazy cat lady look?”
“Is that really the best you can do?” Rose began to giggle. “Call yourself a demon?”
Nate grinned back, his expression turning thoughtful. After a moment he straightened his shoulders, rolling his head in a stretch. He exhaled quietly, and his eyes met hers; deep wells of impossible blue that gazed, empty and calculating as he appraised her, his entire demeanour shifting.
Rose blinked at the change, stilling as his eyes roamed over her, predatory in their assessment. He smiled, and Rose felt the shift in his personality, his mind becoming calm, confident.
Nate cocked his head, the simple movement more fluid, less human than she’d ever seen him. “Are you afraid yet, Rose?” he asked, his voice low, seductive.
Rose shook her head, grinning, even as she felt her heart stutter. She was fascinated by his ability to provoke a response in her, fighting the urge to laugh as he prowled towards her.
“You think this is a game?” he sneered, his top lip curling in disgust. “You think you can come here and laugh at me? Learn from me? That I would actually help you?” His eyes trailed over her body lazily, stripping her bare. “You think you can trust me?” He grinned cruelly as he continued to approach her, each step calculated and fluid as his words washed over her, smooth and sensual.
“Why are you really here Rose? What is it that you want?” His eyes flashed suggestively and Rose felt her mouth go dry as she edged back against the wall.
“It doesn't matter,” he smirked at her lack of response. “I don't care.”
Rose stared into Nate’s eyes, trying to tell herself that it was a facade, that Nate was just acting up to type to get a reaction. But something, somewhere inside her felt a flutter of truth in his words. Her heart beat out a new rhythm, adrenalin flooding her veins as she looked into the intensity of his gaze.
This was no act. The figure before her was not the man she knew – it was the demon he had hidden from her.
Rose shivered, the uneasiness that had been building up inside dispelling as a tingle of excitement crept over her skin.
“Such a brave thing,” Nate crooned, taking a step into Rose’s space, “walking into the lion’s den with your head held high.” He held her gaze, watching with interest. “Do you have any idea what I could do to you?” he asked, his voice low, his eyes liquid. “All alone, with your Guardian so conveniently sent away …?”
He traced a delicate line down her arm, from shoulder to elbow with a single digit. Rose followed his lazy trail over her flushed skin, the muscle in her bicep twitching involuntarily in response to his surprisingly gentle touch. Her eyes flicked back to his, drowning in the blue intensity of his gaze, his breath a whisper across her cheek as he leaned closer.
The enormous focus of Nate's desire radiated through him as Rose reached out, her hand moving to rest on the firm warmth of his stomach. She felt him shake with the immense force of self-restraint that he was having to command to remain in control. A wave of wanton longing crashed over her, scorching through her veins as she realised the power she held over him, her fingers bunching the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer. He craved her, and his body reflected that, despite his exterior calm. It was intoxicating in its intensity.
She breathed in the heady scent of him, leaning unconsciously towards him – before abruptly remembering herself, horror flashing through her.
What was she doing?
Suddenly afraid of her unexpected response, she concentrated on rejecting it. Pushing it aside, she forced an image of Christian to the front of her mind, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
Nate, assuming her intake of breath was desire, leaned towards her, lowering his head to hers with deliberate slowness. He closed the minute gap between their lips as his eyes gleamed with hungry anticipation.
Rose closed her eyes, shutting him out as she allowed her body to flood with the rising energy she felt, embracing the new rush of strength that purged her veins of heat, before her arm tensed and she expelled it.
Nate hit the wall, landing awkwardly onto the desk below.
Neither moved, and Rose felt Nate’s mental state turn from desire to confusion, even as she battled with her own.
She was ashamed for letting him get that close, for what she had nearly given in to; Ashamed for what she’d wanted him to take.
Eventually Nate shifted, sitting up slowly as he pretended to test for injury, allowing a moment to compose himself. He met Rose’s gaze and smiled hesitantly.
“Are you okay?” His brow puckered when she didn’t speak, showing no sign of the demon he’d let out to play. “I didn’t mean to …” he hesitated, his eyes unsure, “Frighten you.”
“Yes you did.” Rose’s gaze never wavered.
Nate grinned, slipping back into character with the grace of one who had performed that trick many times before. “Well yeah,” he said, “I guess that was the idea.” He got to his feet, stretching. “But it worked.”
Rose sensed him fighting to keep up his causal appearance, wondering how she’d never noticed it before. “Are you okay?” she asked, quietly.
“I’m fine,” he said. “That was a little more … forceful than I was expecting.” His eyes were lightly curious but Rose could see the turmoil rolling beneath them. “We’ll work on it,” he shrugged as he straightened his shirt. “At least you know you can do it. I’m sure with a bit more practice you’ll be able to control –”
“It won’t happen again,” Rose interrupted quietly, feeling the echo of power tremble through her. She stood up from the bed, clenching her fists as she tried to keep hold of it.
Nate looked up. “What’s wrong?”
Rose felt the sudden jolt of fear that washed over him; He already understood.
“We can’t do this anymore,” she said, softly. “Not with … how you feel.”
The confidence in Nate’s eyes flickered, but he raised an eyebrow in feigned confusion. “Which is …?”
“Nate,” Rose pleaded, her voice a whisper. “I saw it in your eyes …” her own eyes dropped, unable to hold his gaze.
Nate grinned good-naturedly. “It was an act, Rose,” he chuckled. “A means to a … slightly painful –”
“I can feel it,” Rose interrupted him. “I know you’re hiding it from me.”
His body started in shock. “What?”
“I can sense your state of mind.” Rose said, quietly. “Christian taught me how to do it.” She watched as her revelation sank in, feeling Nate’s shock give way to hurt, quickly becoming anger.
He stepped towards her, and she could feel him struggling to get hold of his pain, his hatred of being exposed. He stepped towards her. “Rose –”
“Don’t.” She stopped him, placing her hand on his chest. “I’m sorry Nate, there’s no point,” she said as gently as she could, her other hand reaching up to his jaw, wanting only to comfort him in his confusion.
He stepped away, his eyes narrowing as his lips clamped together. His hands gripped his jeans so tightly that the knuckles turned white.
“I know you want me,” he stated, calmly, his eyes cold once more. “I know you like it when I touch you,” he smirked. “I don’t need some empathy trick to tell me that.”
“That was a mistake,” Rose said evenly, unable to deny it. “It won’t happen again.”
She made to move across the room, wanting nothing more than to get away from him, but he stopped her. His hands gripped the tops of her arms a little too tightly, holding his rage in check – but barely.
“I’m with Christian,” Rose reminded, shrugging out of his grip. “I love him – You know that.” She sighed, softening as he continued to stare, his eyes wide.
“You’re my friend, Nate,” she said earnestly, placing her hand on his arm. “You saved my life, I won’t ever stop being grateful for that. But this?” She gestured to the pair of them. “This isn’t us.”
Revelation: Trinity Part 1 Page 24