by S J Crabb
Looking at us all in disbelief Gabe then storms out of the room angrily shouting at us as he goes. “You will regret this all of you. When Grace is gone we will all suffer the loss. I can’t believe you are all willing to take that chance.” We jump as the door slams behind him and seeing my Aunt’s worried expression I smile at her reassuringly. “It’s ok, I can feel that it will be alright.” Moving over to her I hug her and she instantly relaxes. “I love you Aunt Sarah, thank you for this, I really mean that. Please don’t worry, Ash is not as bad as you think, I trust him with everything.” Her eyes swimming with tears my Aunt says, “I hope so Grace, for all our sakes.”
Chapter 24
Ash and I sit together on the porch side by side on the swinging seat. Holding my hand in his he says gently. “This is all I wanted Grace. To be able to spend time with you out in the open and not in the shadows. You are my girl and I want everyone to know that. No more hiding and we will deal with every obstacle as it comes.” Seeing my worried expression he reaches up and traces the worry lines around my eyes. “Don’t worry little Tess. You and I are good together; nobody will want to mess with that.” I try to relax but my mind is buzzing with everything that has just happened. I wonder if it will all be as straight forward as he seems to think it will be.
Suddenly Ash jumps up. “Look I’m going to leave you to eat something and get changed.” I look at him in surprise. “Why, what’s happening?” Grinning he says, “I am taking my girlfriend to the party. We may as well have some fun whilst we still can and I am going to deal with the next barrier standing in our way.” As I look at him with a puzzled expression he winks. “It’s time our friends knew about us. That way there will be no more worrying about Skylar and her bunch of losers and it will also send a message to all those other guys that are after you that you are taken.” I look at him in surprise. “What other guys?” His eyes flash angrily. “You obviously don’t know but I hear them talking. You are in demand more than you know. They all want to date you and it won’t be long before one of them plucks up the courage to ask. They won’t dare when they realise that you are already taken.” Thinking about Easton I know that he is right. I watch as he leaves and my thoughts turn to the evening ahead. I am not sure if I am ready for this.
Ash picks me up at around 9pm. It feels strange to be going out on an actual date and watching my Aunt look at us with a worried expression I try to contain the nerves that I am feeling. Gabe never came back and I know that she is worried. Tucking myself behind Ash on his motorbike I wave at her as we speed off. Wrapping my arms around his body I savour the feel of him. I can feel him tense up under my touch and laugh to myself as I realise the effect I have on him. As we draw near to the Sullivan’s place I see several other motorbikes parked outside. I can tell that they are Ash’s friends and my heart sinks. Turning to face me Ash kisses me gently. Pulling back I see his eyes flashing in excitement. “Are you ready Grace?” I nod nervously and grabbing his hand I follow him inside.
The party is in full swing and I look around me with interest. The music is extremely loud and there are people milling around everywhere. As we enter the house I notice the stunned looks as people see us walking in together hand in hand. Most of the kids here are from our school and I can see the shock on their faces as they see us. Ash squeezes my hand and walks through them all, acknowledging nobody and looking around him with the arrogance that follows him wherever he goes. I can see his friends grouped outside by the pool. They are laughing and joking loudly with each other and with a sinking feeling I see Skylar draped all over Jace. Teagan is sitting opposite them looking annoyed at something and I watch as they all turn to us in surprise. Jacob comes towards us looking worried. Smiling gently at me he turns to Ash with a worried expression. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ash looks at him angrily. “Grace is my girl and they have to deal with it. Nobody better get in my way otherwise they will regret it.” Raising his eyes up Jacob steps to the side and Ash pulls me with him into the group. Grabbing a beer off the side he hands it to me and takes one for himself. Sitting down he pulls me beside him and just looks around him with a hooded expression. Angrily Skylar walks over and stands in front of us. It all goes silent and her eyes flashing angrily she sneers. “Are you kidding me? You can’t seriously be telling me that you have ditched me for that.” As she waves her hand towards me Ash grabs it and I see her wince in pain. In a menacing voice he says, “Her name is Grace and she is worth more than you will ever be or ever wish to be. Just you remember who you are talking to and if I ever hear one bad word said about her or if you try anything to hurt her then you will have me to deal with.” He pushes her roughly away and she stumbles back in surprise. His friends all look amused, even Jace who I would have thought would have stood up for her. Teagan looks angry and hisses at Jacob. “Did you know about this?” Looking at her with a bored expression he says, “What’s it to you?” Angrily she shouts. “Skylar’s my friend. The least you could have done is tell me. I am your girlfriend after all.” Jacob looks at her with a sneer. In a chilling voice he says, “Yes, about that Teagan. It would appear that I have no further use for you in that role. Consider your position terminated, effective immediately.” Ash snorts beside me and the other guys laugh out loud. Teagan looks at him in shock and disbelief. “Jacob, no. You can’t mean that. I’m your girl, what are you saying?” Raising his eyes up Jacob says, “God you’re so stupid. Let me spell it out for you. You are no longer my girlfriend so get lost. Is that clear enough?” Bursting into tears Teagan races off closely followed by Skylar and their friends. The guys all laugh hysterically and I feel extremely shocked at the brutal way that they dealt with them. Ash squeezes my shoulder and leans in saying. “I’m sorry Angel. I forget that you’re not used to this. Don’t think badly of Jacob. He has wanted to do that ever since that night on the beach. All he wants is Cally and like us it has been eating up at them. I did this for them too. He will go and find her and they will be together like us. No hiding anymore, there’s no need. He had to do it that way. Those girls need to know that they can’t mess with us, it’s how we will protect you both.”
Shrinking back into my seat I feel out of my depth. This is a whole new world for me and I’m not sure that I will fit in.
Soon the party carries on around us and I notice that Jacob has left. Thinking of Cally I know that she will be as anxious as I am. Soon I spot a familiar face and jumping up I race over to Piper who has arrived with Gabe. They both look warily at me and I say, “Please don’t judge me. I can’t do this without you two. Say we’re ok, please.” Piper looks at me with a worried expression and Gabe hugs me tightly saying softly, “I’m always here for you Grace. It’s my job remember, the protector. Fat lot of good I am at it though.” Laughing I pull away and look at Piper. She also hugs me and whispers. “I’ll always be here for you Grace, what are friends for. I am just worried for you that’s all.” Feeling an arm snake around my waist I am pulled against Ash firmly. Piper’s eyes widen and he says, “Listen, we all want what’s best for Grace. You are her friends so now you are mine. You have nothing to fear. I will look after her better than anyone else possibly could. She is safe with me and so are you.” Gabe nods and pulls Piper away with him to get a drink. Spinning me around Ash looks deeply into my eyes. “Now I am going to do what I have wanted to do ever since I took that book away from you that first day in the library.” Looking puzzled I say, “Do what?” He leans down and looks at me gently. “Let everyone know that you’re mine.” He then reaches down and pulls me towards him. Tilting my face up he kisses me softly and gently with so much love that my knees go weak. Leaning against him he strokes my hair lovingly and I can feel that every set of eyes in the place are upon us. Then he takes my hand and leads me back over to his friends. Sitting down he pulls me on to his lap. Whispering he says, “I think they know now don’t you?” Snuggling into him I do feel safe and loved. I just hope that it won’t all be taken away from me because now that I have found
it I never want to let it go.
Chapter 25
It must be an hour later when I spot a familiar face heading towards us looking just a little bit nervous. Jacob is holding on tightly to Cally’s hand as she looks around her fearfully. Jumping up I rush over to her and she relaxes as she sees me. Jacob grins and I pull her away from him and hug her. Piper also sees her and rushes over and we group together looking at each other with wide eyes. Piper says, “Oh my God. I never thought I’d see this day happen in a million. You two have got some serious explaining to do.” Cally grins at us. “Jacob turned up at mine and told me that he’d finished with Teagan. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and made me get ready and come here with him. He said that we didn’t need to hide anymore and that nobody would bother about us now that Ash and Grace were official.” Blushing, I see the incredulous expressions on their faces as they look at me. Before I can answer I feel an arm pull me against a hard muscular frame and know at once who it is. I watch as Jacob grabs hold of Cally and in front of everybody kisses her and holds her tightly against him. Piper laughs as she sees us both blushing. “You two had obviously better get used to this, I have a feeling that it won’t be long before word gets out and then you’ll have a lot more than me looking at you.” Ash laughs. “Welcome to my world girls, you’d better start getting used to the attention, you’re no longer invisible shall we say.” Just then Gabe comes over and I can feel Ash tense up as he grips my hand. Gabe nods at them both and pulls Piper against him. Turning to Ash and Jacob he says seriously. “Listen I just want to say that I am cool with this as long as you treat them right. If you don’t then we’ll have a problem and I don’t care who you are. Grace is like a sister to me and I love her as one. Cally is both her and Piper’s friend and so the same goes for her.” I can feel Ash relax. “You don’t have to worry Gabe, we all want the same thing. No harm will come to the girls; you have mine and Jacob’s word on that. There is nobody better to look after them and we don’t have a problem with you.” Gabe nods and whispers something to Piper. Nodding she looks at us apologetically. “Sorry guys, I’ll catch up with you both later.” Watching her go I think about how quickly our lives have changed over such a short period of time.
Cally grins at me as Jacob pulls her away to get a drink. Leaning down Ash whispers. “Your cousin really does have nothing to worry about. Nobody could love you more than I do and if anyone dares to even upset you then I’ll sort them out. You know you’re safe don’t you Angel?” Smiling at him I kiss him gently. “I know that Ash. Gabe just worries about me and you know why. I just hope that all of this isn’t too premature. As soon as my guardians find out they may not be as understanding.” A shadow crosses his face. “All I ask is that they meet me first before making any decisions. If I lost you now then I don’t know what I’d do.” He pulls me tightly against him and I can feel his heart beating quickly in his chest. As I hold him to me I share his worry. This could just be the beginning of the end.
Cally and I sit with Ash and his gang and it feels so wrong and yet so right at the same time. They spend their time joking around and drinking. Lucian, Quade and Killian are different to the others and I find that I warm to them a lot more than I do Jace, who still intimidates me. I wonder what will happen between him and Skylar now. Lucian is a quiet guy who just sits there taking it all in. I notice that he is always alert and looks around him constantly as though he is looking for something. Ash sees me looking at him and whispers, “Lucian has a nose for trouble. He is like an early warning system. He hears things and what’s the saying, oh yes, he’s silent but deadly.” Seeing my eyes widen in alarm Ash laughs and pulls me on to his knee. Looking over I see that Cally is sitting on Jacob’s knee and she grins at me. I am glad that they are together. I like Jacob and he seems a decent guy, who obviously adores her. I realise that Ash seems to spend more time with him than anyone else and I am glad about that.
After a while I need the rest room and whisper to Ash that I won’t be long. His eyes narrow and he says, “I’ll come with you.” I laugh at him. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t come everywhere with me and especially not there. If it makes you feel any better though Cally can come.” I shout over to her. “Cally, do you need to freshen up?” Jumping up she heads over and I laugh as I see Jacob frown. Shaking my head I wonder just what we have gotten into to. Ignoring the two of them I pull Cally along after me. We push our way through crowds of people, all having fun either chatting or making out. The music is extremely loud and we have to shout to be heard. As we get inside the house it is no different. Seeing some stairs we decide to head upstairs in search of the rest room. We grin at each other as we see that there are several couples all kissing on the stairs and in every corner. Pushing open a few of the doors to find the right room we are greeted with shouts of anger as we disturb couples making out in the bedrooms. By the time we find the right room we are both laughing hysterically. As soon as we get inside Cally sinks down on to the floor and says laughing, “If you had told me all of this last week I would have thought you were mad.” Sitting beside her I nod in agreement. “Things have certainly changed. I’m worried though.” Suddenly looking serious Cally says, “So am I. What if Jacob and Ash can’t protect us from Teagan and Skylar? I mean we’ve taken their guys and they’re gonna be mad as hell.” Silently I think that they are just but one of my worries. I may not even make it back to school if my Aunt makes that call. Pushing the unwelcome thought away I jump up. “Come on, let’s do we what came here for and then go and enjoy our new found happiness whilst we can. We’ll worry about the rest some other day.”
As we head back towards the group I see Easton chatting with a group of people. As I look at him he catches my eye and smiles at me with a worried expression. I smile at him reassuringly. He is a nice guy and I don’t want him to get involved in any of this. Hopefully he will keep away and find another girl to take out. Judging by the amount of them around him it won’t be long. As we get outside I can see Ash and his friends all laughing together. A couple of girls have joined the group. One of them I recognise as a friend of Skylar’s. Her name is Paisley and I see that she is holding on to Killian. I also recognise her friend Indie, who is also part of Skylar’s group. She is a pretty girl with a gentle face. I always liked her despite the company she keeps and as we approach she smiles shyly at us. I notice that she is holding on to Quade’s hand and realise that they must be going out. Seeing us coming Quade says, “Grace, you know Indie don’t you?” Nodding I smile warmly at her saying, “Hi Indie. Good to see you.” Looking nervously at Paisley she smiles and says a quiet, “Hi.” Paisley looks at me with interest but I can detect no animosity in her, just curiosity. Her eyes widen as Ash pulls me against him, dropping a light kiss on the top of my head. Turning to look at the girls he says, “Grace and Cally are one of us now. Tell Skylar and Teagan to keep away from them from now on. If I hear that they have threatened these girls in any way or anyone else for that matter then Jacob and I will show no mercy. Got it?” The girls nod nervously and then Ash pulls me down next to him. Turning towards me he pulls me against him and kisses me so deeply and passionately that I think I am going to burst into flames. By the time we have come up for air I notice that we aren’t the only ones and look with amusement at the couples making out around me. Only Lucian and Jace are alone and are deep in conversation instead. I wonder if Jace will continue seeing Skylar. The thought of her in this group is not a pleasant one, but I know that they are together so it may not be as easy as I think.
Chapter 26
Ash dropped me off home around 1am. As I wake up the events of last night come flooding back. I have a warm feeling inside and finally know what it is like to be part of something, like an ordinary girl. As I finger the locket around my neck I feel the heart that Ash gave me. It makes me feel close to him when he isn’t with me and I feel comforted by its presence.
The door opens and my Aunt comes into the room with a cup of coffee. Smiling gently she sits d
own on my bed saying, “Good night?” Grinning I gratefully take the drink. “The best, thank you Aunt Sarah.” As she smiles at me I feel a sudden rush of love for her. Looking at her sitting there I wish with all my heart that I had always lived with her and Gabe in a normal family, doing normal things. Even though I love my guardians, life with them was certainly not what you would call normal.
Seeing my expression Aunt Sarah reaches over and smoothes my hair away from my eyes. “Don’t worry Grace. I am sure it will all be fine.” Lowering my eyes I say hesitantly. “Aunt Sarah, have you called them already?” I hear her sigh and she says, “I had to Grace.” My voice trembling I look at her dreading what she will say next. “What did they say?” She looks down and instantly looks upset. “They will be here soon.” Seeing my alarmed expression she says, “Don’t worry, we always knew they would have to come. It doesn’t mean what you think it does. I am sure that we can convince them.” Jumping up she says brightly. “Anyway, get yourself dressed and call your friends to meet you for breakfast. I’m sure that you could do with talking over events at the party anyway and it will take your mind off things.”