He chuckled in my ear. “Yeah, he’s just excited.”
“Exci—” My words were broken off by a fist pounding on our bedroom door.
“Hey, are you guys decent?”
“Yes,” I answered Jeremy, trying the best I could to refrain from joining in with Ethan’s silent laughter behind me.
The door swung open and Jeremy popped his head in, his olive skin flushed from walking up the stairs. “Sorry, just wanted to let you know I wasn’t going to be home tonight,” he said, struggling to catch his breath.
“What? Why?” My eyes widened, worried, even though a night alone with Ethan would be a dream come true.
“I sorta met someone at the pool hall.” He pushed his dark bangs away from his eyes as his cheeks reddened some more.
“Who? A girl?” I asked, shocked.
“Yes, a girl. A really hot girl,” he said, smiling from ear to ear.
“Don’t you think it’s a little soon? You know, to be alone with someone you just met? All night?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Was he insane?
“You’re one to talk.” He glanced briefly at Ethan, then directed his attention back toward me. “Besides, I’m not that stupid. She invited me and a bunch of other people at the pool hall to an overnight party.”
I still didn’t feel right about letting him go. Now I knew exactly how he’d felt when he’d shown up here a couple of weeks ago.
“Allie, he’s fine.” Ethan reassured me from behind. “Let him go.”
“Fine,” I said, since I was getting ganged up on. “But don’t forget to take your phone.”
“I was going with or without your permission, Allie. I just wanted you to know where I was going to be.” Jeremy smiled. “See you guys later.” His head disappeared and the door shut.
I flipped over onto my back and looked at Ethan. “Are you sure he’ll be okay?”
“Yes.” He brought his hand up, gently caressing my cheek.
“How can you be so sure?” My face creased with concern.
“You’re still learning. Believe me, it’s not going to take you long to pick it up.” His voice was gentle, confident. He traced his fingers along my face, attempting to smooth out my doubts. But I worried about Jeremy. I didn’t want to see him get hurt.
Ethan inched himself closer, smothering me with kisses from his warm lips. My forehead, my cheek, my nose. “We have the entire night to ourselves,” he said before finally kissing my lips.
I turned over, facing him, and snuggled into the heat of his body, forcing myself to forget about Jeremy and to focus my attention on the gorgeous guy in front of me. The guy I was prepared to spend the rest of my life with, even though he would continue to live well after I was gone. I shuddered at that thought.
Ethan sighed and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. I knew he knew what I was feeling, but he didn’t say anything.
“So…you still want to get rid of the lights?” He breathed against my skin as his lips trailed across the length of my neck.
“Um…yeah,” I answered, trying to remember how to breathe.
“Would you like to do it, or should I?” he mumbled, his warm lips pressed under my jaw.
“You,” I exhaled. “You’re…much better…at this…than I am.” It was hard for me to speak logically with his lips and his energy pressed against my body.
Ethan rolled on top of me, bringing the thick, maroon-colored comforter with him. His dark eyes burned and smoldered as they locked onto mine, luring me in to the only place I desired to be. A smile crept along his face as the lights slowly faded.
* * *
We lay there on the bed, still in the dark, still fully dressed. My head rested on his chest, listening to the steady strumming in his heart. A heart that was somehow in tune with mine. Tonight was the night I had to tell him. I couldn’t put it off any longer. He knew I loved him, he could feel it in my energy, but I had to say it. For me. I wanted to give him everything I could possibly give, like he had me. And just as I was about to open my mouth and say it, he spoke first.
“Do you want some ice cream?”
“What?” I lifted my head from his chest and looked at him, confused.
“Do you want some ice cream,” he repeated, scooting out from underneath my head and out of the bed. I didn’t have to have night vision to know that he was smiling. I could hear it in his words.
“Depends,” I answered, knowing that he was distracting me from my feelings again, but deciding to play along with him. “What kind do we have?”
“Hmm…I know we have a tub of cherry. Maybe even a little chocolate.”
I slipped off the bed and stood. “Dibs on the chocolate.”
“No way. You’ll have to race me for it.” His voice was playful. I’d never seen him so full of life before. He took off out the door, into the darkness.
“Ethan!” I ran after him.
I raced out into the hallway. The entire house was dark, and the light switches weren’t working. Ugh. Why couldn’t he play fair? Especially when steps were involved. Lots of steps.
I started down the stairs, moving as carefully but as quickly as I possibly could, desperate to beat him at his own game. Tiptoeing through the still, silent hall, I worked my way into the living room. Where the heck was he? It was like he had just disappeared. I glanced all around the room, but it was useless. I couldn’t see a thing.
“Ethan,” I whispered into the darkness. Nothing. I crept through the room, moving toward the kitchen, when something grabbed me from behind. A piercing scream escaped from the depths of my throat as Ethan, who was laughing hysterically from my reaction, picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder.
“Omigod…Ethan…you scared the crap out of me!” I gasped for air, but soon joined in with his laughter.
“I win,” he announced, still chuckling.
“You most certainly do not,” I snorted. “We haven’t made it into the kitchen yet. And when we do, it’ll be a tie.”
“Well, since I’m carrying you, technically, I win.”
“Technically, you cheated. So I disqualify you,” I argued back.
“You’ve got a point,” he said, placing me on the counter and using his mental ability to turn on the lights.
Ethan got a spoon out of the drawer and grabbed the ice cream out of the freezer. He opened the container and scooped out a spoonful of chocolate ice cream and walked over to me, planting himself in between my legs. He dropped the container on the counter next to me and brought the spoon up to my mouth.
“Now, wasn’t there something you wanted to say upstairs?” He smiled.
I lifted my brows as I swallowed the chocolate, then said. “Oh, I take it you can read minds now?”
“You know I can’t do that.” His face drifted closer to mine, connecting my energy with his, causing my breath to halt in my throat.
I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. It was stupid. I should be used to him by now. But, no, his smooth ivory skin, shiny brown hair, perfect face, and deep, dark eyes, continued to draw me away from reality and into my own picture-perfect fantasy world.
He leaned in and I shaped my lips around his, wrapped my legs around his waist, placed my arms around his neck, and pulled him closer.
Then, in an instant, he pulled me from the counter and placed me on the floor beside him.
“Ethan, what’s wrong?” I whispered.
He stared blankly at the pantry door, unmoving. “They’re coming.” The words slipped past his lips in a hurry.
“Who—Ethan? Who? Talk to me,” I pleaded. As I finished the sentence, I heard the pantry door start vibrating.
“What is that?” My voice cracked from the energy I was receiving from Ethan. It was fear. The Ethan I knew didn’t fear anything, so what was it he was so afraid of? What was behind that door?
“My portal.”
And, at that moment, I knew exactly who was coming. The others—more immortals from Asteria. They had found him. T
hey had found us. But what I didn’t know, what I wasn’t sure that I wanted to know, was what their intentions were.
We both stared, wide-eyed, at the door. Ethan slipped his fingers through mine and shifted himself in front of me, protecting me from what was on the other side. “Please, Allie. Please don’t say anything,” he whispered urgently. “They’re very powerful.” He squeezed my hand tighter as the door swung open and smashed into the wall.
Chapter 14
They stepped out of the pantry, one by one. I peeked around Ethan’s shoulder to catch a glimpse. There were three of them. All of them had pale skin, untouched by color. And all of them were dressed like they were attending a funeral or something, in clinging black short-sleeved T-shirts, black pants, and black boots. At first I thought they resembled Ethan and Kiera—without the black and all. But as two of them fell behind and a tall, lean one with short, cropped hair stepped forward, I could see and feel their differences.
The one in the middle pressed his lips together as his deep, dark eyes focused entirely on me. The energy emanating from him wasn’t threatening in any way, even though it held a lot of tension. His eyes didn’t draw me in like Ethan’s. There was emptiness, or a void, that caused me to look away.
The man on the left was of medium build. His shoulders were broad, and his smooth dark hair rested on his shoulders. He kept glancing nervously at the others. I didn’t understand why he was so nervous.
The guy to the right was smirking as he looked at me. His hair was also short, but curly. It was hard to pick up on his energy with so many different vibrations in the air. But I felt this was some sort of game to him. A game he intended to win.
None of the men standing before me looked very old, maybe in their mid-twenties at the most, but as I knew with Ethan, looks could be very deceiving.
“Allie,” Ethan said, barely moving his lips, as he continued to stare at the guy in the middle. “When I tell you to run, I want you to get out of here as fast as you can. And don’t look back.”
“No way. I’m not leaving you.”
“Now’s not the time to act stubborn, Allie. This is serious. Please, do what I say.” He gripped my hand tighter.
“I’m. Not. Leaving. You,” I hissed through my teeth.
“Ethan.” The guy in the middle spoke, ending our conversation. His voice was deep and stern, like a father disciplining his child.
Ethan nodded, acknowledging him. “Marcus.”
So this was the Marcus Ethan had spoken of. The one I thought Kiera had said was looking for Ethan. Why was he here?
“What have you done? Do you realize the danger you have put us in?” Marcus’s eyes narrowed as they landed on me, burning me. I tucked my head behind Ethan’s back, out of Marcus’s line of sight, and clutched the waistband of Ethan’s shorts with my free hand, refusing to let him go.
“She is no danger to anyone. Can’t you see that?” Ethan argued. The tension was building. Ethan’s back became rigid, stiff, against my fingers.
“This girl is not only a mortal, but she is a very powerful mortal. She’s unstable. Her energy scattered everywhere. It’s not centered. If he finds her—”
“He’s not going to find her!” Ethan shot back.
He? I had no clue what was going on.
“I can’t take that chance. I have vowed to protect my people, and I will not go against that vow. I will not let one scrawny human destroy us all,” Marcus stated. His words echoed in my ears.
And even though I was terrified of losing Ethan, the only thing I could think of while cowering behind my immortal boyfriend was, Who the hell was he calling scrawny?
“I’m not asking you to take that chance. You can leave, Marcus. Leave and seal the portal behind you. I won’t come back to Asteria. I’ll remain in the mortal realm.”
“You choose this mortal over your own kind?” Marcus sounded confused. “Over me, or over Azzera, the one who saved you?”
“Yes, Marcus. I choose her.”
I closed my eyes, the hot moisture burning my lids. I knew he had said it a gazillion times before, but it felt different when the choice was laid out in front of him. He would give up his entire world for me, possibly even his life if it came down to it. It was in his energy. He was ready to fight, ready to protect us, no matter what the cost.
“You will not stay here among these people, or with this girl. I will not allow it. This is not a choice you can make. When you became what you are, you became one of us as a whole. And you will go back with us, whether it be by your own free will or whether by force.”
I felt the pressure building in the air; it was them, pulling the energy toward them. They were going to take him away from me.
“Please, Allie,” Ethan pleaded. “Run. I don’t want you to see this.”
“No.” The words got stuck in my throat as the hot lava rolled down my cheeks. “I won’t leave you.”
The two men behind Marcus forked out, each one on opposite sides of us. They looped around and began closing in.
Ethan turned to me, the pain glistening in his eyes. He wiped away my tears with his thumb. “I’ll do everything I can to protect you,” he whispered. He took a deep breath and tightened his jaw, then spun around. The instant his back was to me, the two men flew up against the wall and slid down to the floor.
“Ethan!” Marcus shouted. “Don’t do this!” He stepped forward and held his hands out in front of him, his palms facing me. What was he doing?
“No!” Ethan’s eyes widened as he looked from Marcus to me. Almost instantaneously, he launched his body in front of mine, taking an invisible hit that threw him against me. I stumbled back from the force and fell to the floor. Ethan leapt up and lunged at Marcus. “I will not let you hurt her!” But he only ended up getting pushed back again.
I picked myself up off the floor and thought, Oh, it’s on now, as I closed my eyes, concentrating, not to force my powers away like before, but to bring them forward. The footsteps of the two men came closer as Marcus and Ethan continued to fight in the middle of the room. My pulse raced at the fear of losing him, and my body tingled. And then it happened. A swirl of energy collected inside me, unstable, but powerful. Glass shattered around the room, and I forced myself to open my eyes in the darkness, envisioning myself pushing the men away.
Only one of them flew across the counter and into the far wall while the other continued toward me. The one with the curls in his hair and the smirk on his face. He flicked his fingers, bringing the lights back to life. He was so much more powerful than me. His dark eyes glared at me as he proceeded forward. There was something different about him. Different from the others. I sensed a jealousy, or maybe even rage—I couldn’t be sure. Whatever it was made me almost sick. I stepped backward, only to find myself up against the wall.
Just as the man was about to grab me, Ethan swung around, turning his back on Marcus, then grabbed the man by his shoulder and tossed him across the room, yelling, “Don’t touch her, Tobias!”
“Enough!” Marcus threw his hands in the air, dropping Ethan and me at the same time. “Tobias…Arcadio, grab him,” he ordered.
“No!” My voice echoed through the kitchen. I reached out to Ethan as he reached out to me, our fingers barely grazing at the tips before the Asterians pulled him away from me. Neither of us could move to stop them, to fight them. To make our way back to each other. Our struggling was useless. Our bodies were numb, paralyzed by Marcus’s powerful energy.
“Allie!” Ethan’s voice filled with broken sobs as the distance between us became wider and wider.
All I could do was watch, with rain streaming down my face, as my entire world was forced away in front of me. I was losing him and I couldn’t do anything to stop it.
“Ethan!” I cried as I saw them moving him toward a mass of spinning, sparkling gray energy. No, no, no! They were pulling him into the portal. I struggled to break free, fought against the invisible energy holding me down, but I couldn’t even budge.
I fixed my eyes on Marcus. “If your people are anything like Ethan said, then why are you doing this? What gives you the right to take him away from me—to take me away from him? Don’t you realize how much this is hurting him?” I’d never been so mad in my life. “I hate you for what you’ve done.”
“I’m sorry, my child. I mean no harm. I only do what is necessary for the survival of my people,” he said, his eyes remorseful. Then he turned and walked calmly into the portal.
The force holding me down released. I sprang to my feet, racing for the pantry, desperate to make my way to Ethan. But just as I got close enough to touch it, to feel it, it disappeared.
The portal was gone.
Ethan was gone.
I threw myself against the now solid door, pounding and beating against the wood with my fists, using every ounce of my strength to physically make the portal doorway reappear, screaming and crying for it to reopen, ignoring the pain shooting through my wrists. My legs became shaky, my body numb, and my head was spinning, but I pushed myself forward.
There had to be a way in. A way for me to reach him. They couldn’t keep us apart, they couldn’t. We were too strong.
Finally, my legs had enough; my body had enough. I crumbled to the floor, coughing and choking on violent chest-heaving sobs. My failure to hold onto Ethan brought my hands to the kitchen floor, and the gaping hole in my chest, which ripped apart wider and wider with every breath, had me sliding forward until I lay there, my cheek pressed against the cool, ceramic tiles.
Then I closed my eyes and succumbed to it. To the emptiness, the darkness, and the pain.
Everything my Ethan had always managed to keep away.
Chapter 15
“Allie.” Jeremy’s voice sounded as though he were shouting from the other end of a tunnel. So very far away.
I wanted to answer him, wanted to open my mouth, but I couldn’t. My mind would not allow it. It had closed me off to everything, leaving me in a vast darkness I couldn’t escape.
Other Side Of Forever (Other Side Of Forever Series Book 1) Page 14