The air had vanished from my lungs, so I sucked in a breath. “That’s horrible! Who raised you?”
“My Uncle George and Aunt Mary.”
“They’re still alive. They live in the burbs.” A smile flickered. “They’ve always been good to me. Strange how things work out. Sort of like how you’re a witch. How did that happen?”
“Apparently, I’m from a long line of witches. There are so many rules and stuff, if I explained it all we’d be here till morning.”
“That’s cool…I could brag about how we spent the night together.”
I narrowed my eyes at him in fake anger. “You wouldn’t!”
“Sure, I would! Put it all over my Facebook website. Twitter it out there on Instagram.”
I smiled at his mixed up interpretations of social media. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, do you?”
“But hey,” he continued, ignoring my question, “I’d treat for breakfast.” He offered a slight smile. “So I can’t be that bad, can I?”
“You’re a jerk.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.”
His amused expression told me otherwise. “Anyway, I’d rather not get into the whole witch-thing. But you’re only the third person I’ve told, so I’d appreciate it if—”
“No worries,” Nolan said, this time looking sincere. “Your secret…is our secret.”
I liked that he referred to us in a conspiratorial manner. It felt intimate, even a little bit special. “You don’t talk about yourself much, do you?”
“I leave that for my lyrics.”
“We have that in common. So why aren’t you afraid of me?”
He contemplated that question. “I don’t know.” His eyes twinkled. “Should I be?”
I thought about my inability to control my powers. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
Nolan wore a peculiar expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“A man was looking at you from the bar before we first met.”
It meant he’d noticed me before we met. My heart pattered at that thought. Nolan must have noticed Darius. “Oh, well, you don’t have to worry about him.”
“I don’t trust him.” His shoulders stiffened. “I think he’s dangerous.”
His conviction surprised me. “Why do you think that?”
“I didn’t see his face for more than a second, but there’s something…off about him.”
“He won’t hurt me. He’s sworn to protect me.”
“From who? Or what?”
“Demons.” Nolan didn’t respond, so I said, “And vampires.” Still no reaction. “Werewolves.” Nothing. “And shapeshifters, among others.”
He took in a deep breath and let it out. “You’re trying to scare me away, aren’t you?”
“From the band?” I asked, unsure if we should continue flirting. At least, I hope we’d been flirting. I didn’t do much of it, so I couldn’t tell for sure.
“Yeah.” He stood upright, all business. “I didn’t even get an audition with you guys, so if you’re having second thoughts, it’s no big deal.”
“I’m not,” I said, my legs weak at the insinuation of his intentions. He gazed at me, and the weight of his stare entranced me. My heartbeat quickened. My toes curled. And I couldn’t catch my breath, even though I stood perfectly still.
“But when I write music or lyrics with a partner, I need to trust and believe in that person.” He let that comment settle between us for a second. “If you’re not that person, you need to let me know.”
I shook my head, overcome by his confident tone. Every muscle in his body appeared to tense as though anticipating an argument. His confident yet detached tone enthralled me. “You can trust me.”
“You’re not going to turn me into a rat or anything?”
That made me chuckle. “I just found out about all this yesterday. And now, I’ve got these powers, and…I can hurt people.”
“But you don’t want to…”
“No. But it can happen anyway. I practically set you on fire last night.”
His serious expression softened. “I knew it! I planned to do it myself, but I couldn’t get a flame going. Then this force hit me. I thought maybe someone saw me struggling with the lighter and decided to help me out. It was perfect timing. I just needed the flames to take the crowd over the edge.”
“You don’t seem that freaked about it.”
“Should I throw a tantrum?” He flicked a few fingers at me as though he’d hit upon a great idea. “Maybe I should pout. Yeah, that would probably be more authentic.” He nodded, resolute on following that plan of action. “Just give a few minutes, okay? I might need to practice a little. Pouting is brand new for me.”
His stoic, dry sense of humor made me chuckle. After losing Grams, I needed someone like Nolan on my side: someone who trusted me and believed in me. “Why did you stop by?”
“I thought you were acting kind of strange while we were…I mean, while I was dancing with your sister. At least now I know why.”
“What was strange?” I asked, hoping to find out if he had any feelings for Alexis.
“She seemed like she had something to prove: like she needed to be the center of attention. That didn’t seem like you at all.”
“How did you feel about that?”
“No offense, but I didn’t like her. At all. That’s why I left. I wanted you. I mean, I wanted…” He looked down and shook his head, a conflicted expression on his face.
My heart melted at that. Before I knew it, I’d made my way around the counter and stood before him. “Thanks for being honest with me.”
“That’s important. Honesty.”
I took another step closer, leaving only a few inches between us. Part of me wished that he’d continue talking, so I could hear his rough yet sensitive voice. A larger part of me wanted him to be quiet, wanted him to look in my eyes, wanted him to touch me.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, trying but failing to avert his eyes.
“Like what?”
“We’re band members.”
“I know,” I said, unmoving. “But we haven’t even played together yet.” I hadn’t intended those words to sound so naughty, but as they echoed in my mind, and as Nolan kept looking in my eyes, I didn’t mind that they did.
“Don’t do this,” he said, giving me a sideways glance.
Once more, I saw his muscles tense. “Do what?”
“You’re too pretty, so…don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
A second later, he slipped an arm around my waist, drawing me toward him.
The spot where he touched me went numb for a moment. I felt weak in his arms, fragile.
“Don’t,” he repeated, holding me a little tighter with each passing second, staring at my lips.
“I want to,” I said, enjoying the light-headed sensation that came over me. My knees felt like they’d give out at any second.
“Yeah.” He lowered his head toward mine, lips barely an inch from mine. “Need to.”
At that moment, I recalled Grams explaining that supernatural creatures gravitated toward each other. And that might explain why Nolan didn’t seem the least bit surprised by my abilities…or that vampires and werewolves existed. I pulled away, and the moment we separated, I felt as though I’d been sitting under the hot sun all day, drained of energy.
“What do you mean?” I asked backing away from him, thinking he might be a paranormal creature. “Why do you feel that way?”
Breaking out of a daze, Nolan’s eyes looked brighter. He breathed heavily. “Huh?”
I analyzed him, watching his expression shift from shock to confusion.
“I don’t know. I said how I felt.”
“Are you like me? Do you have any special powers?”
“No.”
Relieved, I let air slip out of my lungs. I didn’t want to broach that topic and risk spooking him any more than I already had. I presumed that
Nolan had already freaked out internally, while displaying an unrivaled poker face. Still, what prompted him to disregard my abilities?
Surely, no ordinary person would consider me as anything but a freak. Kendall and Brandon had known me for years and knew I wouldn’t intentionally hurt anyone, so they surely relied on our friendship to guide them in relating to me on a normal wavelength. Then again, my heritage proved that plenty of men had overlooked the gifts of my ancestors. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been born.
I extended my hand toward the counter without looking, but I obviously misjudged its distance because with nothing to grab hold of, my body tilted in that direction. My thighs felt rubbery, almost as though I’d just run a few miles, and where I would normally have pushed off on my feet and twisted my hips so I could clamp onto the counter and hold myself up, I didn’t have enough strength in my legs to turn my torso.
With unexpected reflexes, Nolan swooped in front of the counter, so rather than falling into the hard wood, I fell against his chest. To prevent me from staggering back, he clutched me tightly. Once more, I felt weariness take hold of me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, alert and eager to help. “You look pale. Have you eaten? Do you need medication for anything?”
“No.” I shook my head, but that only made me feel loopy, as though intoxicated. “You look so serious,” I said, attempting to emulate the concerned look on Nolan’s face.
“Because I’m worried.” He studied my expression. “You didn’t take anything, did you?”
“Like what?” I asked, unable to stop grinning. “Drugs? Nope, I’m a good girl.” I giggled. “Never taken drugs.” I paused and moved in closer, feigning a clandestine nature. “Why? Got some you’d like to share?”
“No, I don’t do drugs.”
I reached out, wrapped my hand around his mouth and chin, and swung it side-to-side. “You don’t look so hot now…do you, Mr. Marvelous?”
He smiled under my palm, placed a hand over my knuckles, and tried to pry it loose.
I chuckled. “You’re not too strong either. What do women see in you, anyway?” I felt him ever so slightly increase the pressure around my hand, but I kept it around his mouth, the effort almost making me sway to the side before I regained my balance. “Okay, fine,” I said, raising a hand to halt all conversation but mine. “I’ll admit it: I’m just like all the other girls.” I nodded. “You are definitely the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of them. Every day.” I looked down at my hand and pinched my pinky finger. “On the sidewalk.” I ticked off another finger. “In restaurants.” I decided to keep picking a different finger for each location I mentioned. “On the bus. The train. Wrigley Field? They’re there, all right. Macy’s? You betcha! Listen to me, they’re all over.” I looked up at him. “Oh, don’t look so surprised, Mr. Marvelous. You know it! And those muscles,” I said, moving my free hand to his left bicep. I tried to squeeze it, but it didn’t budge. “They’re like…metal.” The play on words in correlation to the music we played made me giggle. “Like heavy metal!” I guffawed so loudly that I actually snorted. Startled, I removed my hands and teetered backwards.
Nolan let me move, no longer holding onto me, although he was prepared if I hadn’t corrected my center of gravity. Now free of his grasp, I felt my fatigue wear off a bit. I raised a hand to Nolan, waving off any need for further assistance. I stamped my feet onto the floor and remained in place. My head ached and I felt nauseous.
“You haven’t been drinking,” he said more to himself than me. “So, what’s—”
The bell above the entrance jingled, announcing a visitor. It now dawned on me that I hadn’t locked the door, which explained why Nolan, and now, this visitor had appeared. I glanced in that direction and saw Darius step through the threshold.
He met my gaze, expressionless. But when he set his eyes on Nolan, they widened. With lightning speed, he crossed over to us, reached over the counter, grabbed a fistful of Nolan’s shirt, dragged him across the countertop, and threw him at the wall closest to the front door.
Nolan slammed against the drywall. He appeared only a little bit phased by the blow. He stepped away from the wall and met Darius’s gaze. “It’s you: the stalker from last night.” Then he must have recalled that I’d mentioned that Darius protected me because he looked my way. “Why is he protecting you?”
“Do not say a word,” Darius shouted at me. Then he raced across the floor and swung an uppercut that Nolan sidestepped, only to send off a punch of his own. Darius slipped under it with unexpected speed and plowed a furious punch into Nolan’s solar plexus, eliciting a grunt. Darius followed up with more intended damage, but he landed only one blow for every three punches until Nolan bashed a fist across Darius’s cheek, sending him skittering across the floor.
A second later, Nolan had vanished, the only indication that he’d left being the jingling bell over the doorway.
What the hell just happened?
Watching Darius shake his dazed head, I rushed over to him, unwilling to let him chase after Nolan without first getting an explanation as to why he attacked him. “What the hell are you doing?”
He got to his feet with incredible speed, but he took his time dusting off his suit, looking irritated. “My job. Protecting you.”
“From Nolan? Why? He’s not a threat.”
“He’s not entirely human. Power vibrated off him in waves. I don’t recall ever meeting anyone like him.” He examined me with suspicion. “You couldn’t sense it?”
“No. Am I supposed to?”
“You’re probably too new to magic. But yes, with time, you’ll be able to identify and distinguish between all supernatural beings. And this creature…it seemed like he’d just hooked into a power grid. I’m fairly certain he’s a trillium.”
I shook my head, unfamiliar with the term.
“With a simple touch, a trillium sucks the life out of those with supernatural powers.” He looked pensive, disturbed.
“But Nolan’s not...” Then I realized that, both times Nolan touched me, I felt weak, followed by effects similar to those of being more than a bit tipsy. Had Nolan lied to my face…after saying that he found honesty incredibly important? “He’s not a liar.” I couldn’t be certain, but it sounded like I was trying to convince myself…more than Darius. “But what is a—”
“A trillium is half-demon and half-human.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“That’s impossible,” I said, hoping that my words would influence reality.
“Depending on the power source, once a trillium extracts life from a supernatural being, he has enhanced strength, speed, and stamina. He is also resistant to pain and injury. You saw me throw him into a wall. Did he scream in pain? Was his head busted? And yet you disregard what you’ve seen?”
“He wouldn’t have lied to me—”
“In all probability, he didn’t even know about his demon side until there was a tear in the fabric of your line. Just like everything in the magical world, there are three possible groups that Nolan might fit into: near-mortal, balanced, and near-demonic.”
“This can’t be happening.”
“Your magical abilities will hasten the recovery period, depending on how long the trillium had you in his grasp.”
“It was less than a minute,” I said, barely able to comprehend Darius’s words. True enough, my headache and nausea began to subside.
“I’m uncertain how much time he sucked out of your lifespan. Nevertheless, you are now older than your actual age.”
“Great. I’ll bet you’re a hit with the ladies!”
“Near-mortals are mostly similar to humans. They often think in human terms and show no physical indication that they are demon offspring.”
“He can’t be a demon.”
“A balanced demon,” Darius said, ignoring my remark, “is just that: mentally, physically, emotionally, instinctually, spiritually, and supernaturally split between the two. However, every h
alf-demon has free will to determine his path. Once he selects a side, he begins to develop the temperament of either the near-human or the near-demonic, the latter of which favors immortal parentage, although these creatures are able to resist the pull of a full-demonic entity.”
“This is all a bunch of—”
Without warning, Darius grasped my upper arms and tossed me aside with unusual force.
Slung sideways, barely able to see straight as I swiveled in place, I managed to right my balance and prevent falling into the back counter. My martial arts training prepared me for an unexpected attack like this, while giving me the tools to remain on my feet to mount a counter-attack. If this was how Darius “protected me,” I wondered how our relationship would shift if he considered me an enemy.
He obviously hadn’t anticipated that I’d avoid falling to the floor. He hurried to the door, but not hearing my body crash to the ground, he stopped a few feet away and spun around to check on me.
At that moment, I’d rushed forward and threw a right hook to his left cheek.
His head snapped to the side, and he grunted in irritation, rather than surprise or anguish. “Must you continue with these childish antics?”
Stunned that he regarded the blow as anything but painful, I wished I’d had a couple more seconds to put my body weight into the punch.
“You are trying my patience,” he said.
“He’s not a demon.”
“I’d wager that he is,” Darius said between clenched teeth.
“Why are you so certain? Have you ever seen a trillium before?”
“Yes.”
I waited, hoping he’d expound on that answer, but he didn’t. “We finally get a badass guitarist, and he turns out to be demon. You know, a lot of band members around the world have issues with drugs and alcohol, so I guess we should count ourselves lucky to have a guitarist who merely sucks the life out of people.”
“Not people, only those with supernatural abilities.”
I relied upon humor for two reasons: first, to distract Darius, thereby giving Nolan a chance to put more distance between them; and second, because I didn’t want to admit how deeply it hurt to hear what might potentially be the truth. To find someone I was interested in on a romantic level, as well as a friend, dashed my hopes of a potential relationship that might never gel.
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