by Kirk, A
“Bloody hell!” Matthias’s eyes blazed. “Are you following me?”
“Of course not.” I rubbed my behind and pushed to my feet. “Be quiet or Caviezel will have us both in detention.”
Matthias glanced over his shoulder then seemed to remember the phone and ducked it behind his back. “Then what are you doing here?”
“Nothing. What are you doing here?”
“Nothing.”
We stared at each other for a long moment.
Then I asked, “Who’s on the phone?”
He paled. “My…uh…dad.” He brought the phone around and spoke into it. “I’ll have to call you back…Dad.” He shot me a nasty look. “No, I’m with Aurora…What?... I’m not with Aurora…Don’t be…”
I squinted. “Is that a new phone?”
“No.” He looked offended. “Same phone. The only one I have. Why would I have a second phone?”
“I happened to get a good look at your phone when you were out cold last night and that’s not it.”
“You’re wrong. Moron. It’s the only phone I have.”
A phone rang. And not the phone in his hand. Another phone. In his jacket pocket. His regular phone. I recognized the ringtone.
Matthias locked his gaze with mine. I smirked. He closed his eyes and sighed, chin dropping to his chest.
After a moment he spoke into the first phone. “Gotta go.” Then he shoved that phone in one pocket and pulled out his regular phone from his other pocket. “What!”
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I sensed I had just gotten some leverage on the Aussie.
“Wait, Ayden.” Matthias’s irritated expression cleared, and he actually smiled. “What about Aurora? She ditched you and you don’t know where she is? That’s interesting because I think I might be able to help you out with that.”
So much for leverage.
I waved my hands and shook my head whispering a frantic, “No, I’m not here!”
Matthias held the phone against his chest and whispered, “And I don’t have another phone, right?”
“Fine.” I gave him a look. “No second phone.”
Matthias got back on with Ayden. “Yeah, I found her.”
I stomped my foot. “Really?!”
He rolled his eyes. “She’s in the library. She didn’t ditch you. Luna needed her help. Everything’s fine. Go to class. I’ll make sure she gets to P.E.” He ended the call and turned his attention back in my direction. “Do I need to know what you’re doing here?”
“No.” I brushed past him. “But you might want to check out a certain alcove on the second floor. I think something of Flint’s still lives.”
“Great. What did you do now?”
“It wasn’t me.”
“It never is.”
I made my way out of the library and down the hall toward the gym, Matthias right on my tail.
“I can get there myself.”
He didn’t answer, didn’t look at me, just made a dismissive “keep going” gesture.
If he didn’t leave, I couldn’t double-back and figure out what was up with the spiral. Usually wasn’t hard to get the Aussie to keep his distance. There had to be something I could …
I flipped my hair back and smiled over my shoulder.
“Just can’t get enough of me, huh? First the kidnapping then following me to the library and now the gym.”
“I didn’t…do any of that.”
“Jeez, Matthias. I get it. You adore me.”
He snorted. “You are a certifiable loon.”
“But you keep following me which just proves how deeply you’ve fallen for—”
The lights went out. People screamed and raced around in the total darkness of the windowless hallway. The walls and floors shuddered and groaned, like the entire building was some stone giant waking from a deep slumber.
Something slammed me up against the wall.
“Get off!” I pounded my fists, fighting for freedom, but the monster was made of brute force and brawn, and rigid as rock.
And it wasn’t letting go.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Shut it!” Matthias hissed in my ear. “Stay still.”
Oh. The Aussie had me pinned. His chest was rising and falling at a rapid rate, muscles flexed into granite. At first, he got jostled from the running crowd while protecting me from the fray, but then he used his power of seeing in the dark to shove off people before they even got close.
“Did you do this?” I tried to scratch my nose.
“No,” he snapped. “I said stay still.”
“Then quit moving your head. Your hair is tickling my nose. It’s getting really long.”
“Well sor-ry, but I’m scanning for threats trying to save your worthless hide.”
“If it’s so worthless, why are you trying to save it?”
“Because I’m an idiot.”
“Finally we agree.” I sniffed. “Are you wearing cologne?” It was nice, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Shut—”
The school stilled. Lights came on. The crazed crowd froze, looked around with anticipation, then as the lights stayed on, they relaxed. Someone starting hooting, others clapped. Matthias kept me covered, his hair still wisping across my face. I thought I was going to sneeze.
Three girls in my P.E. class walked by and one of them, Katie, our local basketball star, who towered over even me, lightly backhanded Matthias’s shoulder.
“Jeez, you two. Get a room.”
Matthias looked as if he’d just drank sewage. He quickly shoved off the wall — and me — but kept monitoring the immediate area.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Don’t know, but I don’t like it. I’ll get Blake or Jayden and check it out.” He grabbed my bicep and gave me a forceful push. “Right after I drop you off.”
We walked for a while then I said over my shoulder, “Why don’t you go take care of it now? Could be serious. I can get myself to P.E.”
“Just keep moving.”
He dug his fingers into my back and shoved me forward.
“Ow!” I grabbed my calf, hopped a few steps to the side, and leaned on the wall. “Shoot. Must have pulled something when I fell in the library.” I massaged my leg. “But, hey, don’t let me slow you down. Get the guys and take care of things. I’ll, uh, rest a minute then get to the gym. Unless,” I reached out a hand and grasped his wrist, my look pleading and pathetic “you want to carry me the rest of the way?”
He looked at my hand on his arm, then back at me, his grey eyes cold and flat. “I don’t think so.” He shook off my grip. “You can manage.”
“Yeah, sure. You go…save stuff.”
I waited until he turned his back before I smiled. Such a sap. My phony damsel in distress routine got him every time. Brilliant. Now I just had to double-back and—
Matthias whirled around and scooped me up into his arms so fast my lungs whooshed out all air.
He caught the look on my face and smirked. “Not this time.”
I glowered. “Think you’re so smart.”
“Smarter than you.” He headed down the hallway.
I squirmed. “Let me down.”
His grip became steel. “Oh, no. You wanted to play this game. Let’s play.” He picked up the pace and pushed through the crowd speaking very loud. “Excuse me! Watch out! Coming through.”
We got a lot of looks and several wolf whistles as he carried me through the halls.
“I hate you,” I muttered under my breath.
That made him smile.
“I said I’d get you to P.E. and now,” he shouldered open the swinging door to the girls’ locker room and literally threw me in, “you’re at P.E. Whatever you do from here, don’t make it my problem.”
As my butt thumped to a stop on the cold linoleum, I ripped off my shoe and threw it at him, but it only hit the door which had already closed behind the annoying Aussie.
“Jerk.” I got up and
found the three girls that had seen us in the hallway staring all moony-eyed where Matthias was last seen.
“He is so cool,” said Mika, a short brunette who seemed incredibly shy but worked diligently as the editor and photojournalist for the school paper, and all around Gossip Central. The other two girls nodded.
“You can have him,” I muttered.
“Don’t we wish,” sighed Katie. She picked up my shoe, handed it to me, and gave me a hand up, smiling easily. “But when Mika asked for an interview about saving your sister in L.A., he shut her down cold. She did manage to get a few photos before he ditched her. Keeps them on her bedroom wall.” She turned to Mika. “Aurora might not appreciate that.”
Mika blushed.
“Don’t worry about me.” Jeez, did everyone in this town have a stalker wall?
The third girl, Natasha, was our head cheerleader who also happened to be captain of the debate team, founder and captain of the archery team, president of the chess club, and class president. Such an over-achieving configuration I figured she had to be some sort of supernatural being.
Or I was jealous.
Behind her thick black frame glasses that somehow managed to be cool instead of nerdy, she narrowed big, dark Indian-from-India eyes at me. “I thought you were dating Ayden.”
“So did I.” Although at this point, it may not be as exclusively as I thought.
The girls circled me.
Natasha pushed her not-nerdy glasses up on her nose. “Because he denied my request for a dance at the Spring Fling. Said they were all for you.”
“That’s what he told me too,” said Mika.
Katie rolled her eyes. “That’s what he told everyone.”
I found myself smiling. “Oh, well, that’s good.”
“So if you’re dating him, what’s going on with Matthias?” Natasha asked.
Mika cooed, “And the other dreamy Hex Boys?”
Then just because she could — stupid taller-than-me girl — Katie gave me a playful tap on the head. “Yeah, when are you going to share? Give up at least one of them.”
“Trust me,” I laughed. “It’s not like that.”
Katie’s blonde ponytail swung as she tilted her head. “That’s what you keep saying, but you never tell us what it is like.”
Natasha removed her glasses and began nibbling the end of one ear piece. “Come on, Aurora. Give us something.”
Mika smiled slyly. “Or someone.”
There was a collective gigglefest.
I folded my arms and smiled. Usually, I brushed off the questions I got from girls about the Hex Boys, but today a delightful thought slipped into my head.
“Okay. Actually,” I looked over my shoulder and lowered my voice, “there is something you might be interested in.”
The girls eagerly huddled around and minutes later as I finished giving my new BFFs The Scoop, the gym door opened and another girl poked her head in, face flushed, eyes bright.
“Oh, my God!” she squealed. “You have got to see our substitute teacher. He’s so hot!” Then she disappeared.
The rest of the girls in the locker room dashed to the door and peeked out.
“She’s right!” Katie confirmed.
“Ladies, please join us.” The deep voice came from within the gym.
The girls shoved and fought each other for who would get out the door first.
I ran too, but stopped short when I looked out the door. “Oh, no.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Holding a clipboard and wearing a blue track suit, baseball cap, hightops, a pencil behind one ear, and an orange whistle hanging from a lanyard around his neck, Rose ushered students toward the door that led to the outdoor fields. He gave me a brief glance and winked before returning his attention to the class.
“Yes, I’ll be there shortly, but now everyone, especially you lovely ladies, make sure young Logan gets that dance class started. I hear he’s quite the Fred Astaire.”
“Who’s that?” someone asked.
“Oh, my,” Rose breathed a weary sigh.
After the gym emptied, Rose strode over. I considered running but had a scary thought. I met him halfway and thumped his shoulder with my fist.
“What’d you do with Coach Slader? He better be okay or I will—”
Coach Slader burst out of the boys’ locker room wearing street clothes and slapped Rose on the back as he rushed by.
“Thanks again! What luck you happened to be here visiting when they insisted I bring in the car right now or forfeit the claim. Idiots.”
“Coach,” I said, “you okay?”
“It’s that stupid insurance company demanding another investigator see it for themselves. They never believe me. How would I know how some hoodlums covered my car in lava?” He backed out the door. “I was inside the restaurant enjoying a plate of spaghetti!”
“Oh, boy,” I sighed. “I’m so sorry.”
Coach disappeared without hearing me, but Rose raised a brow. “Something you want to tell me?”
“Get lost.”
“Interesting.” Rose plucked the pencil from his ear and scribbled something on the clipboard. “Now perhaps you’d like to take another crack at the library?”
“How did you know about that?”
“You should hurry. I’m not sure how long I can keep young Logan occupied.”
“If I go, you promise no one gets hurt?”
“Not by my hand today.” He bowed deeply and his expression turned serious. “I swear upon my solemn oath. And in my world, that means something.”
I was halfway out the door when he said, “Although…”
“What now?”
“With all this,” he swept a graceful hand from his head to his toes, “I cannot promise that hearts will not be broken.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I weaved through the library and toward the back room, taking Rose’s map from my backpack, studying it like I could find answers. Didn’t happen. I almost made it to the Flint section when the girls working the counter said, “Hi Ayden!”
Oh, come on! I skidded a sharp right and hunkered down, peeking through shelves.
Ayden strode past the front desk. “Ladies. Don’t you all look especially radiant today.”
They giggled like toddlers. Pushovers.
“Ayden, could you help us put some books away on the taller shelves?”
“Can’t. Sorry.” He faced them but walked backwards, arms spread wide. “I’m on a mission. Maybe you can help. Did you happen to see a stunning redhead? Tall, leggy. I call her my goddess of a girlfriend.”
More giggles. From me. Pull it together, Aurora.
“She just headed back there,” one of the traitors told him. “Is Matthias with you?”
“Not my day to watch him. Check with Blake.”
They laughed. “We will.”
I jammed the map into my back pocket and took off along the far wall of a remote back aisle at high speed. But not high enough. I felt Ayden’s presence behind me.
“There’s my—”
“Goddess,” I snorted and kept moving. “Yeah, yeah. I heard.”
“Where are you running off to? Although, thanks.” I heard the smile in his voice. “The view is pleasurable.”
“Oh, for—” I shoved my backpack over my behind.
“Ahhh, that’s just cruel.”
I whirled around and walked backwards. “Would you please—”
“Full frontal.” His smile broadened. “That works too.”
“Don’t—! Oh, forget it.” I grabbed a book off the shelf and ruffled the pages to hide my smile.
“You know you love it.” He sauntered down the aisle, a mischievous grin on his face. “The chase. The bated breath of anticipation as you wait for me to track you down. It’s the only explanation for why you ducked out of P.E. to hide in the most isolated part of the library without your smokin’ hot boyfriend.”
“You need to let that one go.” But I laughed.
As he neared, the scent of sandalwood and leather came with him, the aroma slinking into my subconscious and acting like a drug to ease my tension and chase away doubt.
He stood close. I felt his gaze upon me. I tried to control my breathing but my out-of-control heartbeat wasn’t helping. I stared at the pages of the book, words blurred and shaky. Kind of like my emotions.
His hand stroked my cheek. “Imagine the things we could do.”
I closed my eyes as a few thoughts came to mind. More than a few. Between my lascivious imagination and his gentle touch, heat took no time infiltrating my cheeks.
Suddenly, his mouth was brushing my cheek, trailing kisses over my skin. Then his lips tickled my lobe as he spoke next to my ear, his voice low and smooth, a gentle caress.
“And what a pleasure it would be for us to do more than just imagine.” He nuzzled my neck. “But to generate that kind of heat takes energy and to create energy you need sustenance.” His teeth nipped softly, and I shivered. “So I thought it prudent to provide one of your favorites.”
He leaned away and tossed something at me. After some spastic juggling, I held the yellowish-green pear in my hands.
“Got myself an apple.” Ayden held up a shiny red fruit, his grin wicked. “Because I love a good temptation.”
He took a generous bite and chewed slowly, leaning up against the bookcase. And looking himself to be quite edible. I shuddered my breathing back to normal and did my best to ignore the chill I felt since he backed away. The pear tasted juicy and sweet, although I was sure nowhere near as yummy as the Hex Boy staring me down.
“So,” he said with an all-too-knowing look, “fess up.”
I studied my fruit with great intent. “About what?”
“Oh, come on.” Ayden’s tone took on a frustrated edge as he rested both hands against the shelves just outside my shoulders, standing way too close for me to keep my wits about me. “Enough with the secrets. Give it up on whatever shady, secretive mission you’ve been up to.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
One hand dropped to my shoulder, slid down my arm, and snuck into the curve of my waist. He pulled me close. I felt his body, hard and unyielding. Once again, my heart tried to escape from beneath my ribs.