by M. H. Soars
“The only person he helped was Julian.”
“Don’t even mention that,” Matthew replied sharply as he looked at me again. “For that alone I wanted to throttle Zach.”
Matthew’s gaze was stormy and I regretted bringing up Julian’s name. I wanted the half-hooded, passionate Matthew back.
“It wasn’t his fault. Julian was just a convenient solution at the time. But forget him. I still want to know why you left without talking to me.”
Matthew half smiled as he started to play with my wet hair. “Oh, Sam. I was such a fool for not realizing what I felt for you sooner. I only figured it out after you unlocked my mind at the party. But by then, it was too late. Gary and Durgin caught us together the night you slept in my room, and came to the wrong conclusion. When I overheard Durgin’s opinion on the matter, I panicked. I couldn’t risk him compelling us to forget each other, so I followed Zach’s advice.”
Matthew stared at me with his heart in his eyes. My own heart overflowed with emotion. I leaned forward and kissed him softly. It was a short kiss but so very powerful. I shifted position so I could lean my head against his chest as Matthew’s arms cradled me.
“Matt, the Council will never accept our relationship. What are we going to do?” Fear crept into my heart. I had just gotten Matthew, I couldn’t lose him now.
He sighed. “I’m not going to give you up, if that's what you're worried about. We'll just keep it a secret for now. We won’t tell anyone.”
“What about my broadcasting ability? I can’t control that yet. For now, only Mia can pick it up, but I’m afraid my reach will increase.”
Matthew was thoughtful for a moment before he replied. “Tell Gary about it. You need to complete your training.”
I panicked. “But he'll send me to Arcadia! I don’t want to go, not now.”
Matthew’s hold on me tightened. “I don’t want you to go either, Sam. But we might not have a choice.”
His words hung heavy around us. Despite the fact we had found each other, the odds were stacked against us. Would love be enough to keep us together, or would destiny and duty tear us apart?
Alexia
I felt awful about what had happened in the game room between Melanie and me. I would have apologized immediately if Mia hadn’t asked me to wait until morning. Sam had gone after Melanie instead, but I hadn’t had a chance to talk to Sam about it afterward. In that whole uproar, I had also forgotten to give Sam the gift from Julian. I still didn’t know what I was going to tell her in order to explain my sudden generosity. It wasn’t her birthday or anything, and she knew I didn’t like shopping. I already regretted saying yes to Julian, but he had been so nice to me all these weeks, I couldn’t back down now.
I walked to Melanie’s room, hoping she wasn’t still mad at me, but before I could knock she opened the door. She looked sleepy but no longer angry.
I fidgeted with my hands and stared at my feet. I didn’t dare look up. “Uh, I’m really, really sorry about last night, Mel.”
When she didn’t say anything for a few seconds, I found the courage to peek at her. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest as she leaned against the door frame. To my relief, she was smirking.
“I should have known you would put two and two together. Cheer camp? Really, Gary?” She was smiling openly now.
I smiled in return. “Yeah, that was a really bad excuse. It would have been more believable if he’d said you were doing an exposé on cheerleading for the newspaper. Now that I could believe.”
“That would have been a better story,” Melanie said. “Come on, let’s get downstairs. It’s pancake Sunday, and I’m afraid if we don’t hurry the boys will eat everything. But don’t think you're off the hook for keeping your ballet lessons a secret from us. You still have explaining to do.”
“Oh, boy. I was afraid of that,” I replied.
Melanie continued like I hadn’t said anything. “And you need to tell us what happened between you and Ethan.”
I blushed and braced myself for a very embarrassing morning.
Matthew
Whenever Gary was around on the weekends, we had pancake Sunday. Gary loved to cook, and we loved to eat. Everyone was gathered around the kitchen table, and I was glad to see that Alexia and Melanie had made up. Not that Melanie had any real reason to be mad at Alexia, but she did enjoy drama, so I was glad she hadn’t dragged out the pretense for too long.
Sam was sitting opposite me, and I had to try my best not to stare at her openly. I still couldn’t believe that just a couple of hours ago I was holding her in my arms, that I had tasted her soft lips. Just recalling our kisses put my heart in overdrive and made me wish for a very, very cold shower.
We had agreed that Sam would talk to Gary about her training today. It would mean spending time apart, but it had to be done. She needed to learn how to control her powers.
Gary seemed to be in an especially good mood this morning, and I wondered if he was “split up”. I wasn’t sure if I would like to have his ability. I didn’t see a lot of advantages in being in two places at the same time if it meant that you were not completely yourself.
Melanie’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. “So, Alexia, tell us what’s going on between you and Ethan.” She looked pointedly at Sean, who groaned.
Alexia blushed and pointed with her head toward Gary. At that moment, Gary approached the table with a new batch of pancakes. “Who is Ethan?” he asked.
Melanie smirked at Alexia, and Alexia shot daggers from her eyes at Melanie in return. I took that moment, while everyone was distracted, to glance at Sam, then wished I hadn’t. She was eating a strawberry very slowly, distracted by the conversation at the table, and did she look sexy. The way she sucked on the fruit juices with her plush lips made me want to kiss her senseless. She sensed my stare and looked at me. I didn’t know what she saw on my face, but her breath caught. I felt Zach’s elbow jam my arm. His eyes told me, get a grip.
“She's talking about Ethan Lancaster,” Mia answered Gary.
Recognition dawned on Gary’s face, followed by a frown. “Isn’t he the kid who helps my friend at the gallery?”
“That's the one,” Sam answered. I had to fight really hard not to glance at her anymore. I couldn’t control my emotions around her, so I just had to ignore her presence for now.
Gary patted Alexia’s shoulder, looking pleased. “That is nice of you to hang out with him. After that accident, poor kid, he definitely needs a friend.”
No questions, no troubled looks? Yes, Gary was definitely “split”.
“Alexia is a good friend, all right. I wish I had a friend like her,” Sean replied sarcastically, which only caused Alexia to look at him with suspicion.
I didn’t like the way the conversation was going. It was probably a good idea for Sam to talk to Gary while he had his carefree personality on.
“Sam, didn’t you want to talk to Gary about something?” I asked without looking at her.
“What is it, Sam?” Gary asked.
Sam probably wasn’t too happy with me for putting her on the spot. “I need to talk to you about my college choices for next year. I have some questions about, uh, veterinary medicine.”
Getting the hint, Gary told her they should talk in the office so as not to bore anyone else at the table.
“Veterinary medicine? I thought you were set on applying to Parsons,” Alexia said.
“I want to keep my options open,” she replied as she got up and followed Gary to his office.
As soon as Gary was out of earshot, Melanie pressed, “Don’t change the subject, missy. I want to know the details about your relationship with Ethan. Are you guys dating now?”
I didn’t know if she was doing it to distract Alexia from Sam’s odd excuse, or just to torment Alexia. Probably both.
“I don’t know. I guess we’re sort of dating,” Alexia answered without looking at anyone, completely flustered.
Mia and Zach exchanged
a look. They were probably thinking about what these new developments would mean for the Prophecy. If Melanie still felt that Alexia dating anyone was a bad idea, it didn’t show.
“You’d better be dating after that make-out session I had to witness,” Sean replied as he picked his nails.
Alexia turned fully toward him, her eyes as round as saucers. “What do you mean by ‘make-out session you had to witness’?”
Oh, shit. I knew that Sean would mess things up. Stupid, stupid. I heard him say “Oops”’ and I wanted to punch him. I figured Zach shared the same sentiment by the way he was gripping the edge of the table.
Alexia was standing up now, with her hands on her hips, looking absolutely pissed. “I’m waiting for an explanation, Sean!”
Sean ran a hand through his hair and propped his chair on its hind legs before answering. “Shit, Alexia. I’m sorry I said that. It wasn’t like I wanted to witness anything. I was just driving by the café yesterday, and it had happened to be the moment you and Ethan were sucking each other’s faces.”
Alexia’s mouth popped open in a big “O”, and her face turned almost crimson. Melanie snickered as Sean flashed Alexia one big, apologetic smile.
“This is so embarrassing. I’m glad Gary didn’t hear that!” Alexia whined before she turned and left the kitchen.
As soon as she was gone, Zach threw an empty juice box at Sean. “Idiot!”
“Hey, I’m sorry! I couldn’t keep it in any longer. I had to say something. Now that it's out of my system, I don’t have to replay it in my mind anymore.”
“You’re sick!” Zach replied before he also left the room.
“Nice save by embarrassing the shit out of her,” I said before I made my exit too. Sean was going to be a problem. He couldn’t technically tell Alexia the truth because of the compulsion, but he could definitely make her suspicious. The big mouth had zero self-control.
CHAPTER 18
Samantha
“You're kidding me.” Matthew looked stunned.
After my conversation with Gary, we had managed to sneak out of the house separately. I jogged to the beach and Matthew drove. But once we got there, we realized that we were too exposed. Anyone could recognize us, especially with my bright white hair and Matthew’s exotic looks. We weren’t exactly inconspicuous. So we drove instead to the one place that would probably be empty during this time of the day: the Kissing Grove. It was the make-out spot for kids from our school. It was on top of a hill with a view of the city, and it had several groves that provided the perfect coverage for parking with privacy, hence the name. It was also convenient that it was located on private property – the owner was a former LJP Prep student, and he had baptized the place – which also made it sort of exclusive.
“Nope. Gary said that I could have my training here.” I didn't believe Gary when he told me. He said that with Alexia living with us, it would be too hard to excuse my absence, so the Council was going to send someone to Earth to train me.
“Did Gary say who's going to train you?” Matthew asked as he tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, sending tickling sensations throughout my body.
“Does it matter?” I tried to suppress my smile, but the look on Matthew’s face was too much, and I grinned broadly. My heart swelled, and I thought I could never love someone as intensely as I loved him. The world around us ceased to exist. It was only Matthew and me. I could hear our hearts hammering in our chests and saw my passion reflected in his eyes.
“No, it doesn’t matter at all.” He leaned toward me. For a brief moment, I remembered when I had “parked” with Julian and how that had gone. But I quickly brushed those thoughts out of my mind, because this was different. I loved Matthew with my heart and soul. This felt right.
Matthew backed me up against the passenger door, and his face was inches from mine. The hunger in his eyes made my body heat up like a supernova. It was the same hunger I had witnessed at breakfast. He brushed his lips against mine, teasing me, and my breathing grew erratic. Would I ever get tired of his touch? I hoped not. When he finally kissed me, it felt like I was in flames. His hands scorched everywhere they touched me, and it seemed I couldn’t get close enough. I pulled him toward me, but Matthew groaned and broke the kiss.
“I don’t think we can both fit on that seat,” he said breathlessly.
“Should we move to the back seat then?” The question might have been bold, but this was Matthew. There was no need for pretense. I was sure he could feel how much I wanted him.
He glanced at the back seat, then back at me. “Are you sure? I might not be able to restrain myself.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” I replied and gave him another quick, passionate kiss before we relocated to the roomier part of the car. Not that the Jeep provided a lot of space there, either, but it was definitely better than the front. Matthew left the car on so we could have AC, and soon enough all the windows were foggy. Thank God for the cover of the trees.
Matthew’s t-shirt was gone in two seconds, and so was mine. He was lying on top of me, but his forearms were resting on either side of my body as his gaze took me in completely. A mix of feelings ran through me: eagerness, anxiety, love. He brought his face close to mine painfully slowly. I could do nothing but lay there, paralyzed. I closed my eyes as Matthew’s lips brushed mine, then moved down to my chin, my neck, then further south. When I felt his warm lips kiss the edge of my sports bra, I whispered his name and squirmed against him. He froze for a brief second, before his mouth found mine again to perform the hottest kiss in the history of kisses. As we started to move together, it was like my awareness had expanded to encompass the entire universe.
Matthew pulled back suddenly, breaking the kiss, and I wanted to weep. “Sam, you’re sort of glowing,” he said in awe.
“So are your eyes,” I said, also mesmerized. His irises looked like live flames, bright and terrifyingly beautiful.
“What do you think it means?” he asked as he traced his fingers from my right cheek to my lips.
I didn’t know. I had seen Matthew’s eyes glow before when he’d lost control, but the quality of the glow was different this time. I didn’t feel threatened by it. I was about to answer his question when we heard the sound of a car door closing nearby.
Matthew straightened up and wiped the foggy window with his hand. “I can't see anything through the trees. I bet another couple had the same idea as us.”
I sat up and searched for my discarded t-shirt on the floor. Matthew was already putting his own shirt. “I think that's unlikely. Besides, why would they leave the car?”
Matthew shrugged. “Maybe the guy had to pee.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “How romantic.”
“Hey, when nature calls, what are you gonna do?” His eyes were no longer glowing, and I bet I wasn’t, either. But Matthew’s face was still flushed and his lips swollen from all the kissing. His hair was completely disheveled, and I kind of wanted to forget about our parking neighbors and resume our make-out session. However, when I heard another car approach, I knew our alone time had expired.
Matthew's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me. I rolled the windows down so we could hear what was going on outside.
“Did you bring it?” I heard a nervous male voice ask. There was something familiar about it. I felt Matthew’s body go rigid behind me, and I half-turned to face him. He shook his head and put his finger to his lips.
“Yeah, I brought it. But I’m not sure I want to sell it to you.” The second voice was also male, but it had an imposing tone, like the owner of it didn’t lack confidence. It was also familiar, but harder to recognize.
“What? You said, you said… I need it. Please! If it’s more money that you want, I can pay, I swear.”
“It’s not about the money. I’m not sure I can trust you after the stunt you pulled at that party last month.”
Party? Oh my God. I did know the first voice. It was Johnny. And the second voice was probably his drug dea
ler. We needed to do something. This guy had the answers to a lot of our questions. My hand reached for the door handle, but Matthew grabbed my arm. I looked at him again, frustrated this time, but he mouthed for me to wait. He was probably right. The more information we got before we busted this drug deal, the better.
“What is it to you? You didn’t sell me the stuff I took at the party.”
“That's exactly my point. How come you didn’t contact your usual guy? I don’t need that kind of heat. I only sell to people who can handle their shit and don’t make a spectacle of themselves.”
“I didn’t know that was going to happen. It was my first time. Hell, I didn’t even buy it. Somebody gave it to me.”
I heard shoes scraping loose gravel. “Tell me who, and I might consider selling you some of mine.” The drug dealer’s voice had gone ten degrees cooler, and I shivered. I felt Matthew’s hands on my shoulder, comforting me, and I relaxed against him.
“I, I don’t know his name. He was a bartender at the party.”
“You took something from someone you didn’t know? What kind of an idiot are you?”
The drug dealer was angry. I didn’t know if that was because someone was cutting into his market by giving away freebies, or because he actually cared about Johnny. Probably the former.
“I didn’t think. I figured it was a party favor or something.”
Johnny was really clueless, and now he was in a big heap of trouble. He was a nice guy, and I would hate to see him waste away in the world of drugs — especially one that made him violent and extremely strong, a bad combination for him and anyone around him.
“Describe him to me.”
“He was that really good-looking bartender at the party. All the girls were swooning over him.”
“That doesn’t mean anything to me, does it, since I wasn’t at the party?”
“O-okay, sorry. He had olive skin, long, dark-brown hair. Oh, and his eyes had a very unusual color, super light-green.”