Ethan holds my gaze with serious eyes. “You’re worried you won’t remember, aren’t you?”
I hate to admit it out loud, so I close my eyes and whisper, “I’m worried I’ve screwed up. That I won’t remember what was on that scroll I found before it disintegrated in my hand.”
My eyes flutter open when Ethan’s hand touches the back of my head. I never even heard him move; he’s so stealthy. He squats next to me and runs his fingers down the blonde strands. “I have every faith you will remember when you need to, but if it gives you peace of mind to consider the possibility there’s another book, then yeah, let’s go with that theory.”
“I’ve sent an email to Madeline asking if she created another book. If she did and it’s there in the library like the system says, then we need to get it.” Offering a half smile, I say, “Drystan invited me to London this summer. He wants to show me around the Order’s sanctuary. While I’m there I could visit the library and retrieve it then.”
“Show you around? More like he’s inviting you so his uncle can try to convince you to become a Paladin.”
I tilt my head, tensing in frustration. “What do you have against me being a Paladin? Do you think I’d suck at it? That I’m not tough enough?”
Ethan shakes his head. “Why would you think that? You’d make an awesome Paladin. Their mission might be to help the Corvus, but I just can’t bring myself to trust the Order.”
“Why? Are you worried I’ll fall in love with another equally stubborn Corvus?” I tease.
“Not until you mentioned it,” he growls, disgruntled, then his scowl morphs into a dark, sensual smile. “No, it’s an entirely selfish reason; I want you all to myself, Sunshine.”
He’s so unrepentant, I can only chuckle. “Well, I doubt you have to worry about Drystan trying to help his uncle recruit me. He hasn’t said anything about becoming a Paladin. I told you he doesn’t trust anyone right now. Seems you have more in common than you thought.”
Ethan frowns at my suggestion. “Here’s a better plan. Remember that ‘trip through history’ coming up next semester that Mr. Hallstead mentioned?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
He gives me a knowing smile. “He’s taking the class to London.”
“Really?” I smile and grab his arm. “That’s perfect! But he said he wasn’t announcing what the trip is until we got back from Christmas break. How do you know already?”
“He told me while I stayed after school to go over the stuff I’d missed while I was in the hospital.”
“This is going to be great. I can’t wait to go with you.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t go. I want to, but it’ll cost almost two grand. I can’t make that kind of money in a couple of months.”
Tension flows through me. “Maybe Samson can loan you the money?”
Ethan’s face sets in stubborn lines. “He could, but I won’t ask him to. He bought me my car. That’s already above and beyond. I couldn’t ask for more from him.”
“I understand,” I say, my shoulders slumping. I hate that he won’t be able to experience London with me.
He folds his hand over mine on his arm. “But at least you’ll be with a group, Nara. I’m sure you’ll get some breakout time, and you can slip off to the library. Just…keep your eyes open.”
I snort. “Yeah, libraries and I don’t seem to mix well.”
“I want to be there.” His fingers tighten on my hand. “You know I do.”
I nod and kiss his jaw. “I know. I’ll be extra careful.”
He frowns. “Promise you’ll convince someone to go with you. Just have the person wait around the corner or something while you check to see if the book is there.”
“I’ll find someone to go with me.”
“Good.” Ethan stands and kisses the top of my head. “I have to go. Since I’m having dinner here tomorrow night, Samson will probably want to go out to eat tonight.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You usually eat out on Christmas Eve?”
He laughs. “Yeah. It’s our tradition and one of the few nice meals we splurge on each year.”
I quickly stand and grip his hand. “If you’d rather spend tomorrow night with Samson, I understand. I don’t want to change your plans.”
“No worries. Our parents invited us over to their house earlier in the day tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll have food, so he probably won’t be hungry for dinner anyway.”
I notice the change in his tone and squeeze his hand. “You never know, it might turn out to be a great day with your parents. Give it a chance, okay?”
“It’s not like I have a choice.” He shrugs, unconvinced. “Samson insisted that we accept their invitation, so—”
My phone rings, cutting him off. Ethan raises an eyebrow at the “Death of a Shopaholic” ring tone. “Lainey’s calling already? She just left.”
I click answer and put my phone to my ear. “Hey, Laniey. What’s up?”
“You’re going to a rave tonight.”
I laugh and glance at Ethan. “I am?”
“Yep. It starts at eleven. Matt’s in a mood. He has been ever since Drystan left. He needs to blow off some steam, so he and one of his teammates have decided to host a rave in honor of the snow storm about to hit.”
When Ethan mouths, “What?” I say, “There’s a rave tonight at eleven. Can you go?” Covering the phone, I whisper, “It might be your chance to talk to Matt.”
“Make sure Ethan comes,” Lainey says loud enough for Ethan to hear.
When Ethan nods, I ask Lainey, “Where are they holding it?”
“In the ElectroMart building.”
“Didn’t they close that store last year?”
“Yep, it’s empty, which makes it the perfect place for a rave. Be sure to park around the side or back. The building has tons of sound proofing due to the stereo equipment they used to sell. Matt’s calling it the Snow Rave. Ha! Maybe all the crazed dancing will bring a boatload of snow. Okay, gotta go. Matt’s in super plan mode now.”
Once I hang up, Ethan pulls me into his arms. “I finally get to take you to a dance.”
I snicker and drape my arms over his shoulders. “Yeah, a totally illegal one.”
He grins. “You and I have never done anything the normal way. Why start now?”
Chapter Nine
Nara
“You’d think people never get out,” Ethan says, quietly closing his car door. I shut my side with a quiet click and peer through the flurries coming down at a steady pace, my gaze following the very long line of parked cars that snakes from the side to the back of ElectroMart’s two story building.
“Wow, it’s so quiet. Lainey wasn’t kidding about the solid walls. I can’t hear a thing.”
When we turn the corner, someone in the shadows up ahead opens ElectroMart’s back door. Booming base thrums through the night air before it’s quickly swallowed by the metal click of the door closing.
Ethan chuckles and reaches for my hand. “That’s some excellent sound proofing.”
I left my coat in the car, and even though I’m wearing a silky cream scarf around my neck to cover the gauze, my thin light pink sweater and skinny jeans provide little warmth. Ethan sees me shivering and instantly pulls me close to his toasty warmth. I grip the back of his dark blue Henley and snuggle against his solid frame, inhaling his appealing masculine smell as we make our way to the building.
Two guys bundled in thick parkas, one on either side of the door, stiffen to attention with our approach.
“Password,” the taller of the two says in a gruff voice.
I blink at them, then shake my head and laugh. Lainey didn’t think to tell me the password. “Um, hi guys. We’re here for the snow rave. Lainey invited us.”
When Ethan starts to reach for the door handle, the shorter guy in a Russian style hat grabs his forearm and steps between him and the door. “Sorry, but if you don’t have the password, we can’t let you in.”
Tensing
beside me, Ethan says in an eerily calm tone, “I’m going to give you one chance to let go of my arm.”
I press my hand against Ethan’s rock hard stomach to hold him back and quickly say to the taller guy who’d also stepped in front of Ethan. “It’s Lochlan.”
When both guys nod and let us enter, Ethan slides a surprised look my way and calls over the music filtering through the heavy door at the end of the hallway. “How’d you know the password?”
I chuckle as we stop just outside the door. “It’s Lainey’s dog’s name. She has used it before.”
Ethan snorts. “Does anyone pay attention to security tips? ‘Never use your pet’s name’ is like Password one-oh-one.”
I reach for the doorknob. “Lainey’s dad is a cop, remember? She uses it for things like the locker combination at the indoor pool, not to protect her computer or bank account info.” Smiling up at him, I turn the handle. “I can’t wait to see you dance to rave music.”
A wicked grin quickly replaces his serious expression. Clasping my free hand, he steps close and whispers in my ear, “Darkness and adrenaline are my specialty. Get ready for me to rock your world in the middle of mayhem.”
While a shudder of excitement slides across my skin, Ethan doesn’t give me a chance to comment as he folds his hand over mine and we turn the knob together.
The second we step inside the big room, colorful, flickering stobe lights engulf us. Black lights’ purple hue beams down from the ceiling as we’re showered with a spray of glitter. Two girls standing on either side of us grab up new handfuls of glitter from table-top buckets and shout over the heavy drum beats and synthesized sound, “Now you’ll sparkle like the snow. Get your drunk on and dance ’til you drop!”
While Axwell’s “In My Mind” blares from the speakers, Ethan and I glance at each other. We’re sparkling all over, the black light effect setting off the glitter. I pour a beer from the keg, but Ethan shakes his head when I offer him one. Squeezing my fingers, he tugs me into the crowded space full of a couple hundred people drinking and dancing frenetically to the up-tempo song.
As we dance to the music, I drink my beer and scan the crowd for Lainey. I’m just finishing my drink when my attention snags on my best friend standing on the raised stage in the far corner of the room. She’s next to Matt, whose blond head is bent close to talk to the DJ. Just when Matt straightens and grins, circling his finger in the air, a new song starts to play and “Wake Me Up” by Avicii pumps out of the speakers.
The beer is already going to my head, and mixed with the crowd going wild over the familiar song, amps my excitement while we match our dancing to the slower, opening rhythm. Just when the song speeds up during the first fast-paced chorus, Matt jumps off the stage and then grips Lainey by the waist, twirling her into the crowd to enjoy the music.
“I see Lainey and Matt,” I say to Ethan. “Let’s make our way over to them.”
Once I throw away the cup, Ethan helps me shoulder my way through the crush of people. As soon as Lainey sees me, she squeals and hugs me tight, yelling in my ear, “Isn’t this the best party ever? I think it rivals the Winter dance.”
Matt hasn’t even noticed us. His eyes are closed and he’s jumping and waving a beer cup in the air, totally lost in the music.
While Ethan taps Matt on the shoulder and speaks to him, I say to Lainey. “You weren’t kidding about Matt blowing off steam. He’s really into this, isn’t he?”
“I need another beer just to cool off.” Lainey pushes her sweaty red hair off her face. Fanning herself, she glances at Matt who’s still dancing as he speaks to Ethan. “Yeah, he’s definitely been edgier than usual lately. I think tonight will really be good for him.”
I take in her white tank top and Matt’s bare chest glistening with sweat and glitter and snicker. “I see you’re both dressed for snow weather.”
She laughs and waves her hand toward the stage. “My snow boots and sweater are back there. Matt stripped them off me the moment I walked in, and whew, I’m glad he did. It’s burning up in here with all this body heat. I’d tell you to strip down to your tank too, but I see you’re not wearing one. Nice bra, by the way.”
“Huh?” I glance down at myself and gulp. The black light is making my white lace bra glow like my sweater is made of a sheer material. Ethan and I had been in the crush of people earlier, but now that there’s a couple feet of space, everything’s on display. I might as well be shirtless.
Just when I start to fold my arms across my chest, Lainey grabs my wrists and pulls them to my side, shaking her head. “Oh, no you don’t. You look hot, Nara. Let your inner sex goddess free tonight and…um, wow. I think Ethan’s just noticed too.” Leaning close she says in my ear, “What he can convey with just one look is panty melting. If I didn’t love Matt…”
Before I can even respond to her comment, she grabs Matt’s hand and says, “We’ll be back after the steam has cleared.”
Matt looks around, confused. “Steam? But you said we didn’t need the dry ice machines.”
Ethan’s fingers fold around my elbow once Lainey pulls Matt into the crowd, his deep voice resonating in my ear. “Half the guys around us have noticed the effect the black light’s having on your sweater.”
I can’t tell by his tone if he’s upset, turned on, or somewhere in between. Should I embrace my inner sex goddess like Lainey suggested? I start to say something when a couple of dark-haired guys walk up, and the taller of the two hands me a beer. “Hey, gorgeous. I see your hand’s empty. Have a beer.”
Just as I smile and hand the cup back, saying, “No thanks,” Ethan slides his hand from my elbow to my free hand and narrows his eyes on the guy. “Before you give that to the next girl, it had better not have anything in it other than beer.”
I’ve heard stories of guys slipping drugs in drinks at parties, so I appreciate Ethan trying to look out for others. His hard stare is fierce, making me glad I’ve never been the recipient of that side of his intensity. Even in the semi-darkness, I can see the guy’s face go pale. He stiffens and quickly shakes his head. “It’s just beer, man.”
Once the guy and his friend blend back into the crowd, I peek down at my sweater then meet Ethan’s steady gaze, grimacing. “Who knew, right?”
Alesso’s remix of One Republic’s “If I Lose Myself” starts up, and while the sensual trance-like words fill the room, Ethan slides his hand across my belly, then cups my hip and slowly turns me to face him. “Ready to have your world rocked?”
Heart ramping, I grip his shoulders and my pulse thrums as we begin to dance to the music, our hips moving in perfect sync. “Look at me,” he says, his voice entrancing, his heavy gaze on me beyond charismatic. It’s near hypnotic.
When I meet his dark eyes, everything seems to slow, the music and sensation of people crushing around us fades until all I hear and feel is the music’s muffled rhythmic bass thumping against my chest. “It’s just you and me now, Sunshine. Listen. What do you hear?”
Layered on top of the bass is a steady upbeat thump, thump sound. It repeats again and again. I curl my fingers around his neck, awe filling me. “It’s a heartbeat.”
A slight shake of his head. He pulls my hips flush against his and I settle my hands around his waist. “It’s our hearts beating.”
I blink several times. “Together? At the same time? That’s impossible.”
He lifts a dark eyebrow and moves his hands from my hips to my upper back. While we slowly move to the seductive music, he pulls my chest against his. The second we connect, I tingle everywhere, but I also feel what my ears hear: our hearts pounding in the same slow, steady rhythm.
“But how?”
Ethan folds a hand on the back of my neck, his thumb tracing my jawline. Bending close, he feathers a kiss along my temple, then whispers huskily in my ear, “Magic.”
When he kisses my cheekbone, then my jaw, I guide my fingers under his shirt and grip him close. I don’t want to pull away, to disconnect our tethered h
earts. I hadn’t imagined the syncing that happens between us when we’re close like this. The feeling is beyond surreal. It’s bone deep and exactly as he described: magical.
The second his mouth covers mine in a soul-wrenching kiss, the heartbeat starts to speed up and my chest feels like it’s expanding. I gasp and press my mouth harder against his.
Ethan’s hand slides into my hair at the same time his tongue teasingly touches mine. “You totally shred me, Nara,” he murmurs against my mouth, then cups the back of my head and grips my hair, deepening our kiss.
I kiss him with equal intensity, my fingers fisting in his shirt. His hands move to my back, grasping me tight. He enthralls me, engaging all my senses. I lose myself in his arms, shutting out everything but this moment of pure bliss. The sudden sound of piercing whistles yanks me out of the spell he’s woven around us.
A crowd close to us has stopped dancing and is whistling and cheering. Several people are openly staring at my hands where I’d unconsciously pulled Ethan’s shirt halfway up his back.
Embarrassed, I quickly yank his shirt down and start to step back, but he wraps his arms around my waist, locking me in place, an arrogant grin on his face.
“Ethan!” I say in a quiet hiss.
Pressing a chaste kiss to my forehead, he murmurs for just my ears, “Let them cheer. We’re awesome together.”
As the crowd resumes their crazed dancing, I laugh despite myself. “You definitely rocked my world.”
Ethan lets out a bark of laughter, then grabs my hand and spins me in a circle. “The feeling’s definitely mutual, Sunshine.”
We dance with Lainey and Matt for another hour. During that time, Ethan tried to talk to Matt. The first time, Matt was too busy dancing. The second time he tried, Matt slowed down his dancing to listen, but then he just shook his head and pointed to his ear, “Sorry, dude. It’s too loud. Can’t hear you.” Matt was just too hyped up for any conversation that didn’t involve whoops, screams and yelling for “more house sound.”
Wiping a sheen of sweat from my brow, I glance at my watch, then tap Lainey on the shoulder. “I need to be home before one. Mom gave me several errands to do tomorrow.” Hugging her tight, I say, “Merry Christmas. This was an awesome rave. I think you should be our party organizer from now on.”
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