“New York, New York. And if you’re going to ask me what day, February twenty-seventh, nineteen-ninety-two.”
Wow. How in the hell did he answer without even thinking about it? “Okay,” I breathe slowly.
“Alexandria, I will ace this test and even get the extra credit if you offer it. Are you sure you want to go any further with this?” He leans forward again, his eyes smiling, his face soft. That’s a first. He’s enjoying this.
“Actually, yes,” I say, wanting to linger on this peaceful side of him. “I have a lot more questions to ask.” I pause and chew on my lip while thinking. “What is my favorite cartoon?”
“Ah, trick question. You have two favorite cartoons. Phineas and Ferb was the first, Adventure Time being the newest.”
“What is my favorite candy?”
“Skittles,” he sneers then chuckles.
“Favorite beverage?”
“Vanilla flavored Coca-Cola.”
“My favorite fairy tale?” I challenge, narrowing my eyes.
He tilts his head, his eyes still smiling as he thinks on it. “Well, I do remember you telling me that you loved Beauty and the Beast but as we grew on one another throughout the years, it changed to Cinderella.”
I frown, actually proud of his response but still a bit shocked. “How do you know all of this? Did I tell you before my memory loss?”
He nods. “You lost your memory but you didn’t lose the way you are. Everything with you is pretty much the same and I can’t be any happier about that.”
We smile together again, my cheeks heating up, and right now I just want to fall into his arms and kiss him. I glance at his lips and now I realize that I haven’t kissed him. I haven’t even gotten to first base with him which is weird because he’s my mate. Anyone would expect Jules to have placed his lips against mine way before Felix had. But I take it that Jules is patient. He likes to wait things out for the perfect moment. I can’t blame him for that.
“Alexandria, can I ask you a question . . . about you and Felix?” he asks.
I nod, but deep down I don’t want to talk about Felix with Jules. It’s too complicating and too weird for me. “Sure.”
He sighs as he sits forward in his chair. He watches a few people pass by and as he prepares his lips to speak, a young girl—around the age of sixteen—places a long black box down in the chair beside me. “Here you go. Took us a while to find your size but you’re all set.” She smiles as she looks from me to Jules. “Is there anything else that you need? I’ll be glad to assist.”
“Um, no. Thanks,” I say, forcing a smile as I grab the box.
“Alright. I hope the rest of your day is wonderful. Enjoy the boots.” She beams a large grin, flicking her red hair over her shoulder before turning around to assist another customer.
I place the box in my lap and focus my attention on Jules again. “So, your question?” I ask.
He sighs as he stands. “Never mind it. I can always ask at another time. Try the boots on, see how they fit.”
I stare into his eyes for a brief moment, wondering what he had to ask me. I don’t like to talk about Felix with Jules because I know it kills him to hear anything about him. But this time I feel like his question was going to be important. I could see it in his eyes. I remove the lid of the box and take the furry black boots out, along with the loads of paper and cardboard stuffed inside of them.
I tug them onto my feet and then stand. “They fit great. Thank you.”
“No need for thanks, Alexandria. It truly is the least I can do.” He smiles then reaches for my hand. “Come on, let’s go check out.”
I cling onto his hand as we make our way to the front of the store. But I still can’t get over the look on his face or the fact that he knows so much about me. What else does he know? How much have I told him about myself? Were we really that close for me to tell him everything? He probably knows my deepest secrets—things that I would never tell anybody. Yet, he still doesn’t judge me and he still loves me.
Sometimes I wonder if Felix would be the same way.
****
After more than three hours, Jules finally begins to slow down. We pass over a dozen clusters of trees without their leaves. I glance out of my window and snow is settled on the ground, the sky is still a dull, cloudless grey. He pulls up to an empty parking lot and, of course, no one is here. We’re in a park. No one comes to the park in the middle of the winter.
“We’re here,” he says. He takes his keys out of the ignition but doesn’t bother to reach for his door handle. “Before we go, promise that you won’t do anything crazy.”
I frown. “Anything crazy like what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe like run off, trip and fall. Nothing crazy.”
“Jules, I’m twenty-one years old. I doubt that I’ll run off anywhere,” I say between sarcastic giggles.
He presses his lips. “Right.” He then pushes out of the car and scurries to my side to swing my door open. I could have opened it myself but I’m still stuck on that weird promise. Why would I run off anywhere? I’m with him. I’m far from immature. I grip his hand and we immediately start walking after he has shut my door and locked his car up.
The snow crunches beneath our boots as we cross a path. A few twigs stick out of the frosty snow and this place can’t be any more beautiful. It’s just like walking through a winter wonderland. That’s exactly what this feels like—especially with the warmth and comfort of Jules by my side.
He squeezes my hand while glancing down at me. “This isn’t the best part.” He continues to lead me to another path that is surrounded by trees and more snow.
“Where did you drag me to?” I ask.
“Watkins Glen State Park. There is something that I have to show you but I can only show you here.”
“Why here?”
“It is a place of recognition—of the incident.”
“What incident?”
“Patience, Alexandria.” He smirks and I liquefy. Why does that always happen to me when he smiles?
We continue to walk for a few more minutes until we reach a stone bridge that is smothered with snow. As soon as we step onto it, the sound of water trickling and waves crashing, fills the bud of my ears. The sound of the water drowns the crunch of our footsteps as we make our way to the center of the bridge. Jules stops and turns to face forward and I turn with him.
Below us is the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen. I’ve been to Niagara Falls but this one is so secluded, so simple, so beautiful. The rocks are covered with green moss and snow but there is water trickling against every slab of it. Dark caves are to the side but they look mystical, mysterious, and I’m actually drawn into them. I want to explore them, be a part of the waterfall and the shimmering lake that the water is falling into below.
“This is where we were, before you lost your memory. This is where I’d lost you,” Jules whispers.
I turn to him quickly but he doesn’t bother to look my way. His eyes are narrowed—distant—as he stares ahead at the same tranquility that I was just adoring. “What happened?” I ask.
He blinks, but keeps his eyes in front. “I want to show you what happened.”
“How?”
He smiles as he reaches for my hands. His warm fingers envelope around mine as soothing puffs of his breath makes my skin prickle delightfully. “I want you to shut your eyes. Remain at peace and become one with me, your mate.”
I tilt my head, still baffled, but I shut my eyes anyway. “How do I become one with—”
“Shh, Alexandria.” He feels closer now; his breath is warmer, satisfying. “Don’t force it. Just feel it. Feel me.”
I want to speak--I want to ask another question—but instead he pulls me in tight, his lips gently fall against mine, and I am taken away. His lips are like soft rose petals, extremely gentle. Not too rough or too soft for me. I want to wrap my hands around his neck but he squeezes my hands tighter, forcing everything that he wants me to feel
, inside of me.
And then my breath hitches. Behind my eyelids, it becomes even darker. We’re in the same place but it’s just me . . . well I think it’s me. My breathing is heavy, my mind is weary. I’m panting and growling. The growl is deep and it catches me off guard. And as I cross a puddle and sneak a peek at my reflection, I realize that I’m not me. I’m Jules, and he looks a lot younger. He doesn’t have the same stubble of facial hair that he has now. His hair is still curly but he looks a lot more innocent—a lot younger.
“Alexandria!” Jules’ voice echoes through me. His voice is loud, worried. He continues to run, bustling through trees and clusters of bushes. There isn’t any snow, everything is dry and as he glances up, the sky is a shade of deep purple and burning orange. The sun is in the middle of setting. Why is he looking for me? Where have I gone? “Alexandria!” he calls again.
He continues to pant heavily, searching through every cave, through every cluster of trees trying to find me. I feel a throbbing on my arms, my head, and my legs. What is he feeling? Is that me?
His chest constricts and he stops running to take a deep breath. I realize now that he is feeling me. He is feeling all of my pain, whatever was happening to me that night. He begins to panic again, calling for me as he continues to cross through bridges and trees. But no matter how many times he yells my name, no matter how much the branches whip at his hands and face, scratching at every part of him, he can’t get to me. He doesn’t know where I am and I feel everything that he feels. He is defeated, hurt, lost. He yells to the sky and heat flushes through his entire body, making the real me shudder from how hot he is becoming. His hands spark with gold and he continues to run again. But he doesn’t know where to go, which way to run to next.
What really happened to me? And why couldn’t he get to me soon enough?
I gasp as I pull away and stare into Jules’ soft eyes. My lips tingle from kissing him for so long but I’m not worried about the kiss. I know I should be—it was the most amazing feeling ever—but what he went through was too terrible for me to be romantic right now. He searched for me but he couldn’t find me. “Jules, I—”
“It’s alright, Alexandria.” He forces a smile.
“What really happened? Where did I go?” I ask quickly, stepping in closer.
“I’m not sure. One minute, you were standing by my side and the next, you were gone. We were out with a group of friends but they had all vanished. I should have been paying more attention. I could feel that someone out of the ordinary was there and that they were after you but I didn’t know where it was coming from and the feeling wasn’t familiar to me.”
I gulp. This is insane. “Was it a—” I lump forms in my throat, making it harder for me to breath. “A Hellion?” I manage to choke out.
“No. I can feel a Hellion from over a mile away. I don’t think it was a Hellion. I think it was one of our kind.”
“You mean an angel,” I mutter.
“Yeah,” he breathes. “Someone didn’t want us to be together. They wanted you to forget about what we had and what we are. And my first assumption was Felix. As soon as I saw you with him, I pinned it on him. But as time passed, I realized that Felix knew nothing about you being my mate. He knew what you were when he’d met you but he didn’t know that you had lost your memory or anything. I took it up with the Lead Guardian in Washington. He read Felix over and over again but Felix had nothing. He was innocent and told the same story every time.”
“Wow,” I whisper. I clutch the arm of his jacket but he rubs my hand to loosen my grip.
“Don’t worry. I will find out who it was and I will never let it happen again. You will not leave my sight.” He glares into my eyes, replacing his soft features with his hard ones. “And as bad as I don’t want Felix to be around you, he has to be until you agree to go to London with me. I can’t be around you twenty-four seven but I will be sure that you have some sort of protection when I can’t be around.”
I nod, my eyes still wide with puzzlement. Exactly how do I react? I’m completely shocked. Jules smiles, pulling my hand up to meet his lips. He plants a kiss on my knuckles then drops my hand to lean down and kiss me again. His kiss is warm and flourishes throughout my entire body. His arms slink around my waist and I sink into him, feeling the heat radiate from his body, feeling the love that I know he has for me.
“Will you promise me that you’ll think about going to London? Please?” he begs, pulling away but keeping his forehead pressed against mine.
I nod as I nibble at my bottom lip but he stops me from nibbling by softly biting down on my lip and tugging at it gently. My lips tingle again, his lips remain close. He stares at them, as if he’s wanted this forever. I’ve wanted this forever so I know he has. He finally dips in and kisses me again.
And I must say that Jules is a fantastic kisser. Felix is great, but there is just something about Jules’ lips that are different, more satisfying. His lips are so full, so plush. They make me feel wanted, loved. It’s a feeling that I’m not familiar with but a feeling that I know I won’t get enough of. I hook my arms around his neck but in the midst of our kiss, my phone buzzes in my back pocket. Jules pulls away but I continue to hang on.
Damn it!
“Alexandria, answer your phone. It may be important.”
I sigh as I remove my arms from around his neck to reach for my back pocket and check the screen.
Liam.
I hit the green answer button quickly while turning away from Jules. “Hello?” I answer, still breathless from that mesmerizing kiss.
“Zandy, where are you?” Liam asks lazily. He’s high again.
“I’m out. Why?” I snap.
“Whoa, don’t get sassy with me. I’m just checking up on you. I wanted to speak with you in person . . . about the other night.”
I sigh, feeling guilty that fast for snapping on him. “I haven’t seen you in two days, Liam,” I breathe. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Out,” he mimics then laughs. I groan then turn to face Jules who is smiling about our conversation. “Listen, I want to spend the rest of the day with you. I’m sorry for wigging out on you and everything. I promise to talk to you about it and to listen to what you have to say. Deal?” he asks.
I nod, as if he can see me. Jules reaches for my free hand and leads the way towards the path to get to his car. “Sure. But I won’t be back until another four hours.”
“Are you on a date?”
I take a peek up at Jules who is sneering again. “Something like that.”
“Oh.” Liam pauses before taking a deep breath. “You’re with Jules, aren’t you?”
The speed of my heartbeat picks up. “Yes, Liam,” I say shallowly.
“Let me speak with him,” he demands.
“Liam, I don’t think—”
“Alex, let me speak with him. Please. I won’t say anything rude. I promise.”
I sigh then glance up at Jules whose sneer has just faded into a look of disgust. He holds his hand out and I place the phone in the palm of his slowly, already regretting the decision.
“Jules speaking,” he grumbles, his voice gravelly and unwelcoming.
We continue to make our way along the path until we reach the next one. I want to hear what Liam is saying but I can’t. How in the hell did Jules hear what Liam was saying? Is that gift apart of the Angels, too? Bionic hearing? Maybe it’s because too much of my blood is rushing to my ears. Or maybe my heart is just banging in my chest a little too loudly for me to be able to hear anything else.
“I’m booked tomorrow but Monday sounds grand,” Jules says. I glance up, confused on the mask he’s wearing. Is he happy? Annoyed? It’s hard to tell.
“What’s he saying?” I whisper. He ignores me then tilts his head with narrowed eyes, as if he can press his ear any closer to the phone. He reaches for my hand as we step onto the asphalt of the parking lot.
“Sounds great—it’s no problem. I’ll be there.” He presses th
e end button on the phone then hands it back to me. “Well, that’s settled. The air seems to be somewhat cleared.”
“What did you agree to?” I ask, watching as he digs in his pockets for his car keys. He presses the button on the key and it honks as we meet up to it.
“Monday dinner, us three.” He swings the passenger door open and I climb inside with wide eyes. Monday dinner? But Liam hates Jules. There’s no way in hell he’s changed his mind about him over night. He has to be up to something. Jules shuts the door and makes his way to the driver’s side. He climbs in and starts the car, cranking up the heat and twisting the nob for the windshield wipers to turn on and get rid of the snow.
“Don’t you think that that’s a little strange coming from Liam?–Someone who isn’t a fan of you at all?” I ask.
“Oh, I know it is,” he nods, shrugging. “He has something up his sleeve—something that he wants to say to me while you’re around. He was high and when he’s high, I must admit that he is terrible at trying to hide his emotions.”
“Well then why did you agree to go if you know he’ll be up to something?”
“For you, Alexandria.”
“What do you mean for me?” I ask as he puts the car in reverse. He stretches his arm behind my seat while glancing over his shoulder. He then puts the car in drive, pressing on the gas a little too hard as he speeds out of the parking lot and down the road that is swamped with loads of frosted white trees.
“I think you deserve to know the real reason of why Liam and I aren’t close anymore. Yes, he is upset with me because I wasn’t there for you to prevent your memory loss, but he has his other reasons. Reasons that I myself can’t say to you alone. Reasons that I cannot explain. And I am not going to spoil it. I’ll let him have his fun with this because we both know that I deserve it. We both know that we could have lost you and that it is my fault for it happening in the first place.” He eyes me through the corner of his eyes, his face disheartening a bit. “Strap up. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.”
UNFOLDING
Thick puffs of cigarette smoke blow at my face as I step inside of the bar that Liam has chosen. I hate the smell. It’s all a mix of sweat, body order, and cigarettes. It’s putrid.
OBTAINED (Book One) Page 14