by Quell T Fox
I stay close to him, rubbing my hands up his sides, reveling in the feel of his strong body, the lines of abs under his shirt.
He leans down and I meet him, wanting his lips on mine. I dig my nails into his chest to pull him closer, latching onto his shirt. He squeezes me tighter, pulling me into him, causing me to moan into his lips. I don’t miss the thickness that is growing against my belly. I moan at the thought of what we did, the sounds drowning in the waves. His hands slide down, reaching around to cup my ass and pressing me closer into him. I’m seconds from dropping to my knees, but Thorne’s abrupt parting halts my decision.
“Wha—”
“Leona?” It’s Callan. “You should come in now, before one of the others hunts you down.”
I was so caught up in Thorne I didn’t even hear Callan calling me.
But Thorne did.
“Now’s not the best time for this,” he chuckles softly, brushing a thumb over my bottom lip.
I take in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. He’s right. I can’t believe I even let it get that far. I mean, I was about to give the guy a blowjob in the back yard with my entire family home. He’d be dead for sure if someone caught us.
I take his hand and we walk back to the house, letting it go before we’re close enough for anyone to see, though I’m pretty sure Maddox can see in the dark. He’s never gone into full detail with what his powers are—it’s not something we talk about often. He likes to be mysterious.
“You good?” I ask, biting my lip.
“For now.” He smirks.
I pull open the sliding door and we make our way inside and back to the table. A fresh honey and ricotta cheesecake is sitting in the center. Fresh berries spread out on top. Cheesecake is one of Callan’s favorite things to make. I appreciate it because it’s one of my favorite things to eat.
“Is that honey I smell?” Thorne asks, sitting back in his seat.
“Sure is. Is that okay?” Callan asks.
“Absolutely. I love honey.”
We eat our dessert and share chit-chat, mostly about how school is going. I’m thankful they’ve stopped grilling Thorne with silly questions. I was starting to worry my family would scare him away.
When we’re done eating, it’s Maddox who finally speaks up. I open my mouth to object, because we’re all too happy and full to want to deal with this, but Friday catches my attention and shakes her head slightly. So I sit back and let Maddox say whatever it is he wants to say.
“Thorne, as much as I don’t like your name, I have to admit you seem like an alright guy. Not good enough for Leona, but no one ever will be.” His face is stern and his words are harsh, but Thorne sits there and listens to what Maddox has to say. “I think you know enough about us to know if anything ever happened to her, we would kill—”
“Maddox!” Friday chides in. He holds up his hand and continues.
“We would kill you,” Maddox repeats and I roll my eyes. “And we could make it happen. It wouldn’t be the first time we killed someone and got away with it.” I hide my face in my hands, unable to watch the rest of this unfold. “With that being said, Leona must have some serious trust in you, for whatever reason, because I know my girl and she wouldn’t put someone in harm’s way if it wasn’t worth it. So, this party tomorrow?” He tilts his chin up, folding his arms over his chest. “She gets hurt, you get hurt. Got it?”
“You have my word; no harm will come to her.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Leona
“Leona, take a pic.” Lenny shouts. “Send this to your boy so he knows what to expect if something happens to you.”
I walk down the stairs to find Lenny at the bottom holding a shotgun big enough to take down a bear. I roll my eyes.
“Lenny, seriously? Don’t you think your powers would be more frightening?” I hold up my hands and wiggle my fingers at him.
“Guns are scary to everyone, little sis!” Lenny defends.
“Where did you even get that? Does Friday know you have it in the house?” Lenny freezes and swallows hard. He opens his mouth to say something when he’s interrupted.
“Don’t listen to him, he seems like a good guy,” Alec says, giving Lenny side eye and pausing on the side of him. He’s wiping his hands on a dirty rag he then shoves into his back pocket. His jeans are torn and covered in grease. Callan would be pissed if he saw him in the house like this. I give Lenny the I told you so look and turn into the kitchen. “You think it’s serious?”
A smile appears across my lips as I grab a bottle of water, twisting off the cap. I turn around to find Alec standing in the doorway and shrug a shoulder. “Could be.” Lenny is nowhere to be seen, probably putting the gun back wherever he got it from. If Friday sees it in the house with the kids here, she’d have a conniption.
Alec takes a step closer to me and pulls me into a hug. I wrap my arms around him in return. “Just be safe, okay?” He squeezes tight and I’m so shocked I can’t respond. He is not a hugger. I am not a hugger. Yet here we are in the middle of the kitchen—hugging. “In all aspects.” He pulls back, leaning down so we’re eye to eye. He raises a questioning eyebrow. “I’m not stupid, neither is anyone else. We were all your age, we know how it is. Promise me.”
“Promise.”
A car horn sounds from outside and we both turn our heads towards the door.
“If you need anything, call me.”
“Thank you,” I say, hurrying towards the door. I grab my jacket off the rack and head out, shouting goodbye over my shoulder. Thorne’s green Jeep is already turned around and facing down the drive, back towards the gate. I assume one of the guys let him in. I didn’t even get the notification.
Progress, I sing to myself.
I smile as I take him in. He’s leaning against the Jeep, one arm resting on the top while the other is holding his cell phone to his ear. He’s dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt, and a thick flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair is hidden under a charcoal beanie. I just about burst into flames at the sight.
He seems to be having a heated discussion with whoever is on the other end of the phone. It doesn’t take him long to notice me. When he does, he pulls the phone from his ear, presses something on the screen and shoves it into his pocket.
He doesn’t do it in the way of hiding it, he’s doing it in the way of fuck whoever I’m talking to, my girl is more important.
And fuck if it doesn’t cause my heart to skip a beat.
“Hey, baby,” he says in his husky voice, meeting me halfway and pulling me into a hug. He rests his chin on the top of my head and lets out a sigh. He pulls back and takes my hand, leading me to my seat. Once I’m in, he shuts the door for me and walks around to his side. I look out the window and up at the house. Maddox is standing in the same front window upstairs. I hold up my hand, showing off a peace sign. His face is stern, but he pulls his hand from his pocket and returns the gesture. I face forward and grin so wide my face hurts.
The party is in the same spot it was last time: the deserted camping ground. And it’s only when we hit the dirt road that my stomach drops.
The last time I was here, I was with Lina.
Castor gave me a ride home that night.
“Are you sure everything is okay with you and the guys?”
“Just family stuff. We’re fine, babe.” His hand finds my thigh and he rests it there.
I nod, finding his hand with my own.
“Are they coming tonight?”
“They have stuff to do at home.”
Of course.
We pull up at the party, and the fire is blazing. It’s larger than I’ve ever seen it before. Kids are scattered about in their groups, all with cups in their hands. Everyone is having a good time, laughing and chatting with friends. We get out and make our way towards the fire. I’m wondering why I even wanted to come. I should have chosen to spend the time alone somewhere with Thorne.
“Drink?” Thorne asks, s
liding his arm around my waist and kissing the top of my head.
“Sure,” I respond. He bends down, tipping my chin up and gives me a lingering kiss before taking off to find us drinks. I sit down on an old bench which was dragged over from one of the cabins. There are a few of them lined up around the fire, along with some old plastic chairs that were found here and there.
Thorne soon disappears into the dark in search of the alcohol. I look to the glowing fire in front of me, my mind getting lost in the dancing flames. I’m startled back to reality when someone takes a seat on the side of me. I smile and turn towards him, expecting to see Thorne’s gorgeous face and bright green eyes.
“You came with him?” The words are filled with disgust.
“What?” I ask. Taken back by the question and especially the tone.
“You said you were going to come with me. I’ve been texting you all day.”
“Huh?” I can’t seem to find proper words because I can’t understand what is happening.
Eli’s words are slurred, I can tell he’s been drinking quite a bit. I’ve seen him like this before. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s had too much to drink. He does it a few times a year.
I pull my phone from my pocket and find quite a few missed calls and texts. One from Thorne but the rest from Eli. I put my phone on silent earlier, when I was home, because I was downstairs and Milo fell asleep. Basic protocol when that happens is to silence all phones. I must have forgotten to put the volume back up. It also explains why I didn’t get the notification for Thorne being at the gate.
“I never said—”
“You did, though.” He leans forward, his breath smelling of something much stronger than beer. “The other day when I saw you. You were rushing to class, I asked you and you said yes.”
I think back to the time he’s talking about, but I’m sure I didn’t tell him I would come with him. I barely remember the conversation at all. I had a lot on my mind, I was late for class. But I know I wouldn’t have agreed to that.
“Look, I’m sorry if there was a misunderstanding, but I didn’t agree to come with you, Eli. I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to come at all. My family didn’t want me out.”
His features are dark and angry for a split second, but they lighten up instantly and I think it was the dark playing tricks on me. He smiles and reaches his hand out resting it on my leg, the same spot where Thorne’s hand was a short while ago. I liked the way it felt. I don’t like the way this feels. I look down at his hand as if it belongs to a zombie and any sudden movement will cause it to attack. I bring my eyes slowly back to Eli’s.
“It’s cool.” He shrugs. “We’ve been friends for a while, right? No big deal. Just sucks that it’s only you and me now. No more Lina.”
The tone he uses makes me sick to my stomach. His voice is light and sarcastic, like he isn’t talking about my dead best friend… or someone he used to be friends with too.
I try to stand up but his grip on my leg tightens. I search around for Thorne, but I don’t see him. I keep my eyes locked in the direction he disappeared, willing for him to come back. It doesn’t work.
“It’s just us. Me and you,” he says, sliding closer and not trying to hide it. He’s so close his thigh is resting against my own. It feels icky. His hand trails up my leg, closer to a place I don’t want him to be. I feel like I’m going to vomit. “Come on, Leona. Don’t act like you don’t want me. I know you were jealous when you found out Lina and I were fucking. It’s the only reason she stopped seeing me. She knew it would upset you.” His head falls back and he laughs. “It wasn’t even her I wanted. It was you.”
“Eli, what are you talking about?”
I’ve never been interested in Eli. Why would Lina say that? Did she really tell him that or is he making it up? Lina knows exactly how I felt about him, she wouldn’t lie. Unless she used it as an excuse to break up with him, but I can’t imagine her doing that. Lina didn’t have a problem saying things how they were when the time called for it.
“You were jealous. I know you were. You were acting so weird when Lina and I were together. Whatever though,” he takes a swig from his cup, emptying it. He looks at it disappointedly and tosses it to the ground. “She wasn’t even good in bed.” He lets out a loud burp. I gag and force myself to look away.
Together? I didn’t know they were together. My mind is going a mile a minute with this information. I remember something happening between them but I never knew what it was, I didn’t ask. Sometimes Lina disappeared when she had guy friends, I didn’t think anything of it. I thought maybe something was going on between them, but it didn’t matter to me, so I let it go. If Lina wanted me to know, she would have told me. Does Eli really think this is true? And why is he being so mean about Lina? He was friends with her too. How can he talk about her like he didn’t care?
“I’d probably still be fucking her if she hadn’t found out it was really you I wanted.” He lets out another laugh and looks around. He groans as his eyes find the empty cup on the ground. “But that’s what she gets for going through my shit.”
He stands up, his hand reaching for mine. He grips it tightly with his cold fingers and yanks me up. I try to pull my wrist from his grip but I can’t; he’s too strong. Eli isn’t much bigger than your average senior, but he’s bigger than me and much stronger. I don’t want to cause a scene, so I try to get out of this situation quietly. With the way he’s acting, making a scene would only anger him more. Everyone around us is drinking, no one is going to notice he’s taking me against my will unless I start screaming and shouting. They’re all too busy laughing and having fun with their friends. It’s Saturday night, the weather is nice, and they’re feeling good.
Eli has a smile on his face and with the moon in the sky and the alcohol flowing, it looks as if we’re taking a walk, holding hands. Maybe disappearing into one of the cabins for some alone time like some other kids do.
“Eli, let go,” I plead, reaching for him with my free hand and digging my heels into the sand.
“No can do, Leelee. I’m finally going to show you what you’ve been missing. No need to be jealous anymore.” The thought makes me nauseous. My free hand finds my stomach and I literally have to hold back the vomit. “It should have been us from the beginning anyway. I was one of the first people you met, Leona. It was like, meant to be. It’s fucking poetic or some shit.” He tugs on my arm harder. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to hang out.” He looks down at me with a smirk. “We’re friends. Chill.”
“We should do this another time, Eli. You’ve been drinking. A-and I’m not feeling well,” I say. I think making him feel bad about me not feeling well will help.
“No? That’s okay. I’ll take care of you.” Eli continues to walk forward, dragging me on the side of him. The real panic hits when his car comes into view. I can’t get into the car with him, and not only because of what he wants to do to me, but because he is in no shape to drive.
I remember my phone is in my back pocket. I could pull it out and call Alec. Or any of the guys. They wouldn’t get here in enough time, but at least they’d know who I was with. Or I can call Thorne. That would make more sense, wouldn’t it? The only problem is almost no one gets service down here, and I have a feeling Eli would not be happy about me trying to call someone.
His car is getting closer and the vomit is burning at my throat.
“Eli, please.” Tears sting at my eyes.
“Leona, quit fucking whining,” he growls out, yanking on my arm causing my shoulder to pop. He leans down to whisper into my ear. “If you behave this will go a lot smoother.”
Right when I think I’m going to throw up, that I can no longer hold in it, a deep voice that will forever be remembered as my savior speaks up.
But then I wonder to myself… why do people have to keep saving me?
“Let her go.” It sounds from behind us. A growl so deep and primal it doesn’t sound human at all.
“Out of the way, outsider. You’re not welcome here.” Eli, having way too much liquid courage, walks towards Thorne, pulling me after him. He slaps one of the beers out of Thorne’s hand, causing it to splash up Thorne’s chest and all the way down to his boots. The cup falls to the ground with a flat slap. Thorne’s eyes fall to the ground slowly and then back up at Eli. “Oops, sorry,” he says sarcastically. My eyes widen. The pressure on my arm tells me Eli is walking away again but I can’t pull my eyes from Thorne’s. I dig my feet into the ground again, pleading for him to let me go as he spins me around once again.
Everyone around us is silent at this point. Frozen in place, all eyes on us. Eli drags me after him and I look over my shoulder, taking another glance at Thorne. He’s still in the same spot, frozen like the rest of them. I turn back towards Eli, digging the nails of my free hand into his, hoping it’ll cause him to let go. It doesn’t.
Why isn’t anyone helping me?
Anger takes over now, wondering why Thorne isn’t helping me.
He promised.
It’s only a few more feet to Eli’s car when the screaming starts. Loud, shrieking screams fill the air. Eli lets out another frustrated growl, “Fuck!” he shouts. He turns around once again, but this time he’s the one that freezes, dropping my arm in the process. I pull it up to my chest, rubbing at it with my free hand. I take a step back and turn around, wanting to see what the commotion is about. And what I see, I almost can’t believe.