Hold Tight (The Embrace Series)

by Cherie Colyer

  Caden looked at Isaac. “We had a nice chat that night, your girl and me. Did she tell you that?”

  I glared at Caden. “Yeah, I did. Is there anything else you’d like to share about that night?”

  Caden smirked. “No. Now had we made out…”

  “We talked about Natalie. Don’t try to make it more than it was,” I retorted, ready to send a burst of power at him if he said another word.

  “Why are you working for her father?” Isaac asked. The fingers of his right hand curled and uncurled, over and over.

  It was a good question. Something I probably should have asked the moment I’d discovered Caden was a demon.

  “Boredom.” Caden shrugged. “And quite honestly, I didn’t like the devious glint in Reed’s eyes as he followed Madison that night. I decided to keep a close eye on her.”

  Obviously not close enough or he would have stopped me from eating the damn faerie food in the first place.

  His lips tugged upward into that wily smirk of his. When he continued, his dark eyes were trained on Isaac. “What can I say, Madison has spunk. I like that in a girl.” He winked at me, and I couldn’t help remembering the feel of his soft lips pressed against mine. A warm heat crept into my cheeks.

  “Son of a—” Isaac finished his sentence with a right hook aimed at Caden’s chin.

  Caden was too quick, though. He dodged the punch with ease. But he wasn’t so lucky with the energy ball Isaac pelted him with next. Caden closed his eyes and shook his arms as if shaking off Isaac’s powers. When he opened them, his irises were red. In the next moment, Isaac’s jacket burst into flames.

  Isaac struggled to undo the buttons.

  “Stop it!” I screamed, shoving Caden.

  Caden’s eyes narrowed. In a low, amused tone, he asked, “Did you tell Lover Boy how we sealed the deal?”

  “Put him out!”

  Isaac frantically patted at the flames.

  “Put him out or the deal’s off!” I screamed.

  “I highly doubt that,” Caden said.

  I pushed him with both hands. He barely flinched.

  “Have you thought about that kiss?” he asked.

  I shot a look at Isaac, but he was too busy trying to get his coat off to hear. I shoved Caden again.

  Caden glanced at Isaac too, and the flames grew smaller. At last, Isaac was able to undo the buttons. He threw the jacket on the ground and watched it go up in smoke.

  “I’ve thought about our kiss,” Caden whispered, right next to me.

  I pushed him away. “Why are you here?”

  “I need to find Emma Scott.”

  “So, go find her,” I said.

  “That’s the thing. I can tell you the exact location of every single soul who made a deal with me except Emma’s. The only way that’s possible is if magic is hiding her, and since her magic came from me, there is no way she’d be able to pull off that type of spell. I pegged the two of you as witches the moment I met you. You’re in a coven, I presume?”

  “Not with Emma,” I said.

  “Why are you telling him anything?” Isaac asked.

  I sighed. “It was part of the deal. I can’t lie if he asks a direct question.” To Caden, I said, “That doesn’t mean I can’t slap that stupid smile off your face.”

  He chuckled, then said, “But Emma is in a coven. Who are the other members?”

  “Aren’t you the one who can read minds? You tell me,” I challenged.

  “I can only pick out thoughts, and right now you’re too busy cursing me, and he’s”—Caden indicated with a jerk of his head to Isaac—“dreaming up ways to get me back for setting him on fire. I’ll ask again, who’s in her coven?”

  “She was in a coven,” I corrected. One that had spent a lot of energy trying to kill me. “They disbanded a while ago.”

  Caden’s irises burned crimson, and I guessed his patience was wearing thin. I was pretty sure telling Caden Emma’s address was the same as buying her a one-way ticket to hell. Normally, I’d have a problem with that. I’d think that no one deserved to be damned. I’d forgive, even if I didn’t forget. But not with Emma. She’d made the deal; let her suffer the consequences.

  “She’s a resident on the fifth floor at the hospital. Room labeled Bitch.”

  Caden cocked his head to the side. “She’s in the psychiatric ward?”

  “We expect her to be there awhile,” Isaac added. “Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

  “No. That should do it for now.” Caden walked over to his car and then added, “Madison, I’d love to hear the full story. Say, dinner sometime?”

  Isaac raised his arm, and power crackled over his fingertips. Caden held his hand in front of him, his fingers pinched together ready to snap.

  I grabbed Isaac’s arm. “He’s trying to egg you on. Isaac, look at me.” I put my palm on his cheek, guiding his gaze down to me. “Don’t let him get to you or he’ll win.”

  Isaac lowered his hand. I heard the car door open behind me. Its engine started, and the door closed.

  When Caden was gone, Isaac scowled. “I don’t like him.”

  As if I hadn’t figured that out. I thought about reminding him that prior to my deal he’d been the one insisting Caden was a nice guy, but I didn’t.

  “Still think I’m worth the trouble?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’m not going anywhere.” Isaac’s eyes met mine. The sun caught the speck of ocean blue at the edge of his right iris. He rested the palm of his hand on the side of my head, and his thumb gently caressed my cheek as my heartbeat sped up. “And I’m not going to let that jerk manipulate you. If he tries, I’ll find a way to send his ass back to hell for good.”

  If there was anyone who could hurl a demon back to damnation, it was Isaac.

  His lips met mine. With my powers shoved behind the wall in my mind, I let him entice my lips open with his tongue. His guttural groan was muffled by our kiss, which he deepened, sending elated shivers racing to my toes. It wasn’t the soft sensual kiss I was used to. This was untamed, giving me the impression that Caden’s visit had torn down Isaac’s self-control. His lips pressed harder against mine as our tongues did a dance of their own. I wanted to kiss him forever, but I could feel my powers weakening their steel prison.

  Coming up for air, I said breathlessly, “I need a moment.”

  The air around us hissed with power. Isaac rested his forehead on mine and took a few long, slow breaths. I had my hands on his hips to keep them from trembling at the thought of tonight’s plan: Mission Faerie Detox.

  Translation: Isaac and me, alone in his bedroom for the entire evening.

  Chapter 25

  Operation Detox

  Ever since the accident, Dad had scarcely spent an hour at work. Apparently, Caden and Reed kept the remodeling job moving forward without him. I wasn’t sure what their motives were now that everyone’s identities had been exposed; I only prayed that it didn’t mean Demon Boy and Prince Fae felt I owed them something in return.

  At least they were no longer around Dad, who took care of Chase at home instead. With my brother’s miraculous recovery, I couldn’t blame him. He probably worried Chase would have some type of a relapse, but I knew better.

  Regardless, Dad being home did make this the perfect weekend for me to be away. When I told Kaylee the plan after I got home from the lighthouse, she dropped what she was doing and came right back over.

  “Thanks for coming,” I said as I rummaged through my dresser drawers.

  “No problem.” Kaylee lay on my bed, fixing the red bow on Jeffery the Giraffe.

  “What?” I asked when I caught her staring at me out of the corner of my eye.

  “It’s just—” She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “I can’t believe Isaac dropped you off and left you alone in your room. What if Reed showed up?”

  “What was Isaac supposed to do? Stand next to me while I told my dad I really needed a girls’ night? Don’t you think Dad would ha
ve put two and two together?”

  Dad might have been exhausted from worrying about Chase and work, but he wasn’t an idiot. He’d have figured out I wasn’t spending the night at Kaylee’s if Isaac had stuck around.

  She rested Jeffery on her stomach. “Then you should have stopped at my house, and I would have driven you home.”

  “I don’t need a chaperone.” I set a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top on my dresser and opened another drawer.

  “Really? You think you have everything under control?” She paused; if it was for effect or because she was waiting for my reply, I didn’t know. “You’re like a shopaholic with a maxed-out credit card. You know you shouldn’t go shopping, but you can’t resist the sale. Only in your case, Reed is what you’re supposed to be avoiding and his treats are the sale you can’t resist.”

  “I resisted last time.” Barely. “I don’t know what to wear,” I said as I stuffed a pair of hot-pink panties back in the drawer and pulled out a pair of blue cotton ones instead. “I’ve never spent the night at a guy’s house before, and the only reason I’m doing it this time is because of Reed.” The blue pair went right back on top of the pink ones. “Do you know how messed up this is?”

  “What?”

  “I’m spending the night at my boyfriend’s because of another guy. For all I know, Isaac’s planning on eating popcorn and watching horror films.”

  Kaylee got up and bumped me aside with her hip. “The only reason Isaac would put on a scary movie is to get you to cuddle in his arms. Here, change into these.” She handed me my white lace bra and matching tango panties and moved to my closet. “They say ‘sexy’ without being obvious.” She slid hangers aside one by one. “And now you need something that says ‘casual evening in.’” After several seconds, she tossed me a low-cut red sweater and my faded skinny jeans.

  I looked at the clothes she selected. “I’ve been alone with him before. Why am I so nervous now?”

  “Maybe it’s because his kisses melt your knees.” Her eyebrows rose and fell rapidly.

  We broke into a fit of laughter.

  “Madison?”

  “What?”

  “Do you love Isaac?”

  I fell backward onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do.”

  She sat on the corner of the mattress. “And does he love you?”

  “I think so.” No way would he stick around if he didn’t.

  She rested her hand on my leg and said, “Then pretend this is like every other time you’ve spent with him and stop worrying about what might happen. Besides, the two of you are still working out the colliding-powers thing, right?”

  I rolled to my side and propped myself up on my elbow. “Don’t remind me.”

  “Have you ever stopped to think that your powers might cease to collide with Isaac’s when you’re ready to take your relationship to the next level?”

  I gave her a puzzled look.

  “People with powers are drawn to each other, we already know that, but you and Isaac have something more. Something worth exploring. Maybe the little problems you have getting close is nature’s way of pumping the brakes. You know, making sure you’re ready when it happens and that you go there because you care about each other and not because of some witchy connection.”

  “It’s not like I’m a virgin,” I replied. Kevin and I had been each other’s first, and he was still the only guy I’d been with.

  “And how long were you dating him before you did it? Well over a year, if I remember correctly.”

  I shrugged. She was right. Of course, Kevin and I had been fourteen when we’d started going out. Back then, taking things slow had come easily.

  “Stop stressing and let things fall into place naturally. Besides, you have demons and faeries to worry about.”

  Kaylee had a way of putting things into perspective. I heaved out a breath. “You’re right. Supernatural problems tonight, relationship problems tomorrow.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  I slipped into the bathroom to change outfits. After a quick stop in my bedroom to swap my dirty clothes for my backpack, I then followed the sound of Kaylee’s and Chase’s laughter down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  Kaylee leaned against the counter near the sink. Dad and Chase sat at the table. It was cooler downstairs than it had been upstairs, though, and while I knew heat rises, I didn’t want to take a chance that Reed was there.

  Let’s go, I mouthed when I caught Kaylee’s eye.

  “Thanks for the soda, Mr. Riley.” She put her glass in the sink. To my brother, she said, “Later, dude.”

  “You girls stay out of trouble,” Dad said.

  “Always,” Kaylee replied as I waved over my shoulder.

  The MINI idled quietly in the Addingtons’ driveway. I hugged my backpack. The jitters that had snuck up on me had nothing to do with faeries or demons. It was easy to say that tonight was no different than any other time I’d hung out with Isaac, but it didn’t feel that way.

  “If you’d like, Josh and I could hang out for a while,” Kaylee offered.

  “Thanks, but I’m good,” I said.

  “You’re going to tell Isaac that you think Reed was at your place again. Right?”

  Nope. The moment I’d told Kaylee I thought Reed had been listening to her and my dad, she’d gone quiet. The more I thought about it, the more I was sure he’d been there. But he hadn’t joined us in the car, thank goodness.

  “Yeah, of course,” I lied. No need to have Kaylee escorting me inside and spilling the beans herself. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll call you in the morning.”

  Worried that Reed would show up at any moment, I sprinted up the walk, poked my finger several times on the doorbell, and proceeded to bounce impatiently on my toes as I waited for someone to open the damn door. Isaac answered. I could hear his mom in the kitchen asking if his friends had reverted back to being five years old.

  “Hi!” I gave him a peck on his lips.

  We went downstairs to his room.

  “Any problems with your dad?” he asked.

  “No. He thought it was a great idea, actually.” I breathed in deeply. Spearmint, vanilla, and fried food filled my lungs and eased my nerves. Well, the first two did the easing; the last made me realize I was starving.

  “I borrowed a couple movies from my parents and got us take-out from The Grill.”

  “Perfect.” I grabbed our dinner from the dresser and made myself comfy on top of the blankets on his bed while he popped a movie into the DVD player.

  He handed me a bottle of lemonade and joined me on the bed with a soda for himself. An upbeat jazz song announced the start of the movie, followed closely by the deep vocals of Louis Armstrong.

  “Serendipity?” I asked, my fingers loosely covering my mouth to hide the French fry I’d been munching on.

  “It’s one of your favorites, right?”

  “Yeah, but how did you know?”

  “Kaylee,” we replied in unison.

  “I know we planned tonight as a way to get Reed’s poison out of your system, but I wanted it to be special.” He flashed a grin and took a bite out of his bacon cheeseburger. I noticed Isaac’s hair was combed a little neater than usual and he had changed into a white button-down shirt and dark jeans.

  My grin had to have taken up half my face. I gave a nod to the stack of DVDs on top of the TV stand. “What else is in the pile?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see.” Isaac beamed, obviously pleased that I was happy.

  We ate as we watched the movie’s two main characters debate who would get the pair of cashmere gloves in the opening scene. When they reached the restaurant scene, Isaac asked, “Do you believe in fate?”

  I wanted to, I really did, but believing in fate meant accepting I had little control over the things that happened in my life. If I thought too hard about it, I’d have to admit I wasn’t the one directing the movie that was my life—Fate, if there was such a deity,
was. She’d taken my mom from me when I was eleven. She’d ripped Kevin out of my life. She’d made Paige so jealous she had resorted to dark magic to try to get me out of her way. So then believing in Fate could mean Reed was right and I was meant to end up with the prince of faeries.

  But it would also mean Fate had given me a father who held our family together and a little brother who had Mom’s eyes. She would have been the one to put me in the same kindergarten class as Kaylee and then plopped Josh in our fourth grade one. She would have been the reason Isaac’s parents had bought the house across the street from Josh, and why I’d discovered my powers. So did I believe in fate or in coincidence? Given the long list I’d just rattled off, my answer became obvious.

  “Yeah, I do,” I replied just as the actress on television said she liked the sound of the word serendipity, which means a fortunate accident. She ran down her feelings on accidents and fate, and I decided she might be right: Fate sent us signs, and it was how we interpreted them that determined whether we’d be happy. Somewhere along the line, I really misinterpreted one of those signs, but I’d fix things. Eventually. “Do you believe in fate?”

  “Nah. I think our choices determine our destinies, but the movie isn’t half bad.”

  When Serendipity ended, we cleaned up our take-out containers and started the next movie. We stretched out across the bed, my back to Isaac’s chest and his hand resting on my side. His thumb slid under the waistband of my jeans and back out in a slow, steady pattern. I shifted and met his smoldering gaze as his hand moved to my stomach.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked. I was pretty sure he meant how were the cravings and not Is your heart fluttering a gazillion miles a minute?

  “Good. I think the detox is working.” As I said it, I realized I did feel better. The only emotion brewing inside me when it came to Reed was annoyance at what he’d done to me.

  “I’m glad.” Isaac tugged me closer to him. The movement caused my jeans to slide a little lower on my hips. He licked his lips as his fingers traced the white lace of my underwear. “These are pretty.”