***
Austin wasn’t in Professor Whitman’s class, and Nicole noticed with some satisfaction that Judith Ann seemed to be annoyed about it. Nicole almost felt bad for her, but couldn’t quite muster the emotion. Didn’t Judith Ann know that Austin was dating Savannah now?
Whitman’s substitute bustled into the room, and Nicole was mildly surprised it was a woman, not the man Whitman had mentioned. She was trailing papers and pulses of magic behind her. She was a short and portly Arete, and even though she looked frazzled, she already had a grin on her face.
“Students, my name is Toni, and I’ve looked forward to today all week. We’re going to be discussing Tarians. Has Professor Whitman covered their history at all?”
Several students responded in the affirmative, and Toni smiled. “Good. Now, why would I be so excited about Tarians?”
Lizzie raised her hand. “Because you’re a little twisted?”
“Oh, I’m definitely twisted.” Toni laughed. “No, it’s because it’s the most interesting part of Arete history. As you know from Whitman’s lectures already, Aretes and humans coexisted nearly seamlessly for centuries. Because royal families gave birth to both Aretes and regular humans, they frequently shared responsibilities. Most feuds throughout the years have been family against family and country against country, but rarely Aretes against humans.”
She strolled to the other side of the room, hands clasped in front of her. “It wasn’t until the early nineteen hundreds that a group of people rose up who felt that Aretes, even those in their own families, were not worthy to lead or even to live. They spread lies that Aretes had been controlling everything for centuries, and they believed that Aretes needed to be eradicated—destroyed completely.”
Nicole raised her hand. “But how did they expect to do that when the fourth child of a family is always born an Arete?”
Toni nodded. “Good question. They decided that if they made Arete births almost never happen, then the gene would eventually disappear.”
“Is it possible to manipulate the genes like that?” a guy on the back row asked.
Toni shrugged. “Who knows. I’m sure scientists will eventually figure it out.”
She then began a lengthy discussion about the key figures in those early days. Nicole listened closely, but didn’t recognize any names. Either no one knew about Rebecca and Captain Christopher Price, or those two were lying to her about who they were.
She enjoyed Toni’s teaching style. The woman was engaging and funny, answering openly and honestly. She was so different from Whitman that Nicole wondered why Whitman had chosen her to substitute. Perhaps the university had a say in the decision.
Nicole perked up when Toni started talking about Shoggoths and Agarchs.
“Tarians believe that they were called of gods—Agarchs, specifically—to protect all humans from Aretes, and ultimately, to rid the world of our kind.”
Toni laughed. “Those of us who don’t believe in the myths of Shoggoths and Agarchs recognize that they don’t exist, that Tarians have no authority over Aretes, and that their ideas are based in extreme fascism.”
Nicole raised her hand. “Are there any Aretes who have joined them or have sympathized with their cause?”
“Yes, there have been at least two that I can think of. The first was named John Williams, and the second was Ben Fifield. We don’t know much about those two—they weren’t very influential.”
Nicole nodded, and Toni continued with her lecture. How did Rebecca and Christopher play into all this? She hadn’t found anything about either of them when she’d searched online. Perhaps she should ask Rebecca directly. Nicole frowned, wondering if the woman would answer honestly. Sure, Rebecca hadn’t given her a reason to distrust . . . but there also weren’t any good reasons to trust yet, either.
Chapter Four
After not seeing Austin for two days, Nicole was surprised when he showed up at the study session on Friday.
And right off the bat, she realized something had changed. In fact, he was standing in the hall when she walked down the stairs to Coolidge’s office, waiting for something. When he opened the door for her, followed her inside, and sat next to her, she figured out he’d been waiting for her.
Of course, realizing this made her instantly nervous. Her palms began sweating, and the cello almost slipped out of her grasp.
“Whoa,” Austin said, steadying the instrument. “Careful there.”
He smiled at her and for a moment, Nicole stopped breathing. His dark eyes searched her face, seeming hungry to take her in. He held her gaze for a long moment before Nicole chickened out and looked down, remembering her frustrations with him. Seeing her shirt reminded her about the tear in her blouse on Monday.
She told Austin about snagging on the doorjamb, and how it had cut her without causing pain.
“I’m glad you said something. We’ll take it easy this time.” His eyes never left her face.
She tightened her bow, glad the other two students hadn’t yet arrived and that Coolidge was distracted. What had happened with Austin? Why was he so friendly, so intense, all of a sudden? Was it possible that he’d moved on from Savannah, and if so, how did Nicole feel about that? She’d spent the last couple of days ranting and raving against him, trying to force herself to hate him. Would she be able to flip the switch if he asked her to?
She wasn’t sure.
But she did remember the kisses they’d shared in Arches and how urgent and eager he’d been, how he’d said he had waited a long time for something to develop between them. Even though she tried not to soften, she felt her heart warm just a little. She did her best not to think about how it would feel to have his lips on hers again.
The door swung open, interrupting her thoughts, and Toby and Pete walked in.
Coolidge looked up from his desk. “Welcome, gentlemen.”
He immediately started the study session, focusing a lot on Nicole and her cello. Nicole was grateful for this because it made her work harder, allowing her to dwell on something other than Austin’s very attentive behavior. He was smiling a lot, and his arm and hands frequently brushed hers. Nicole knew that none of this was by accident. He truly wanted a connection with her, wanted to be close to her.
Even though she was still frustrated with him, every sense fired up. The cologne he wore, mixed with his natural musk, wafted toward her, begging her to breathe him in. She found herself leaning closer, enjoying the proximity, enjoying his scent. She’d pull back, reprimanding herself, then moments later, found it happening again. Despite her firm resolve to be angry with him, their every contact made her ache for more.
Through all of this, Nicole was aware of Toby. He seemed distant, but she recognized he was probably masking his feelings. She met eyes with him just once and then tried not to let that happen again. The hurt, the betrayal she saw and sensed made her agonize for him. After that, she had even more reason to distance herself from Austin. She needed to spare Toby from having to witness anything else.
Nicole and the guys focused on building up her powers before releasing them, rather than encouraging them to go full speed. She practiced on inanimate and animate objects with much the same results as before.
Periodically, Austin would poke her with the sharp end of an open paperclip. After they’d practiced for an hour, the pain stopped registering.
“That’s as far as we go,” he said. “We don’t want to cause any damage to your brain.”
Nicole nodded and Coolidge agreed that they’d practiced long enough. She put the cello away and packed her things, trying not to notice Austin’s every action as he picked up his backpack and held the door open for her.
“I’d better take you home to make sure nothing happens on the way,” Austin said once they were out of earshot of the others.
Nicole tried not to glare at him while her insides warmed considerably at the thought of being alone with him. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” She folded her arms and
stared at him. “What happened this week? Why are you being so nice now?”
Austin sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m really sorry about earlier.” He looked at her, his eyes serious. “Starting a new relationship scares me. I have a hard time opening up to new people. And the idea that you’d learn so much about me made me panic.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “It’s just how I’ve always been. It’s hard for me to trust.”
“It is for me too, but I was willing to give it—us—a shot.”
Austin’s eyes searched hers. “Please forgive me, Nicole. I won’t let you down. I promise.”
“How will I know you won’t go back to Savannah again?”
“You won’t, not at first, and not until we know each other better. But I promise you this much—you will never have a more loyal boyfriend, and I will always let you know if I’m struggling in the relationship. I’ve never cheated on a girl, not once. I’ve never even been tempted to. It’s simply not an option for me.”
Nicole took in a deep breath, considering what he was saying. She waved hi to Toby and Pete as they walked past, then she looked back at Austin. “All right. Let’s see where this takes us.”
The smile and relief that spread across his face showed just how worried he’d been that she’d say no. He leaned forward and for a moment she thought he would kiss her. How would she feel about that? She froze. It was too soon—her emotions were too fragile still.
Instead, he brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers before taking the cello and leading the way up the stairs and out the building. Nicole held her hand to the spot on her cheek—it was warm and tingly—and she couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face. She forced it away when Austin glanced back.
“Your car or mine?”
Nicole pulled out her phone, checking the time. “It doesn’t matter—I have to be at rehearsal for symphony in three hours and need to come back to campus either way.” She tucked her phone in her purse and glanced at him, not sure if he’d want to stay with her that long.
“We’ll take mine,” he said. “I’ll drop you off for rehearsal on my way home.”
Nicole smiled. “Sounds good.”
Austin shifted the cello to his other arm, then casually dropped his hand, nudging hers, giving her a questioning look. When Nicole didn’t pull away, he intertwined their fingers. She shivered briefly at the electricity that shot up her arm and crossed her shoulders. Austin was holding her hand. She couldn’t believe how good it felt.
And she would need to get used to these sorts of things, because apparently, they were about to happen a lot more often.
She couldn’t wait.
“You’re progressing really well, now that you’ve got the right instrument.”
“But not as fast as I’d like.” She hoped her voice sounded casual enough. Her heart was racing just from holding hands—it was like she was in high school again!
Austin led them between two buildings and toward a parking lot. “Trust me, you’re doing well.”
Nicole glanced at him. “But compared to what? Surely, not you.”
“Compared to other above-average Aretes. I have no doubt that you have an impressive future ahead of you.” He went somber and didn’t say anything for a moment. “I know you might not understand why, but Restarting at fifteen isn’t easy.”
“I can imagine—you must have been under a lot of pressure.”
He nodded. “People always asked me for help, adults, other students. At first, when I was really young, I was eager to help, but then I started noticing trends.” He glanced at her. “My family is powerful, and many people crave power. They used me to gain access to my parents. A simple request for assistance with a project frequently turned into a crusade to get my parents or even me to perform tasks that might have killed us or caused small civil wars to break out.
“More than once, I discovered that a seemingly innocent person needing help was actually a Tarian wanting to destroy me or my mom and dad. My first-grade teacher is still in prison for trying to kill my parents through me.”
Whoa. Insane. “That’s horrible! How did your teacher try to pull it off?”
“She sent me home one day with poisoned muffins. Mom took a bite, then had to answer the phone. Because of how slowly the poison worked, it wasn’t until forty-five minutes into her call that she passed out. She’d only had one bite, and it landed her in the hospital for several days. It nearly destroyed her liver.”
Nicole didn’t respond at first. They’d just arrived at Austin’s car and he opened her door, then put their things in the back. Nicole felt bad for Austin—for what he’d apparently been through—but she couldn’t stop thinking about why he might have been telling her all this, especially since he tended to under share information. Was he still apologizing for his behavior earlier that year when he’d turned down her request for help?
“Austin, I’m not upset with you,” she said as they pulled out of the parking lot. “For saying no to me earlier, after our first class with Coolidge.”
His eyes flicked toward her. “I know. And I’m grateful for that.”
“Good,” she said. She then gave him instructions to her house. Once they’d gotten well on the way, she said, “Tell me more about your family. What are your parents’ names?”
“Dave and Elyse.”
“Dave and Elyse Young? I haven’t ever heard of them.”
“I’m not surprised,” Austin said. “They’re quiet people and don’t live in the limelight. But word has spread around Montana. They still do small missions here and there, but they used to be very active.”
“What do they do for work? I assume they’re professional Aretes?”
Austin shook his head. “Mom is a homemaker and Dad is a rancher.”
Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Your dad ranches? But why? It sounds like he could have his choice of any Arete career.”
Austin shrugged. “He loves it. He inherited two ranches from my grandpa—one in Billings and another in bear country near Missoula. Dad loves working with animals and the land. It makes him happy, and we don’t see a need for him to stop.”
“I can understand that.” Nicole pointed. “This is my turn.”
Austin took it and Nicole showed him where to park. They got out of the car and Austin grabbed Niko and walked Nicole to her door, again holding her hand.
He looked down at her for several seconds before saying, “I . . . I missed you a lot.”
Nicole’s gaze didn’t waver, but the familiar hurt welled up inside. “What happened, anyway?”
Austin sighed. “Savannah is a very persuasive individual. I’m not attracted to her or interested in her anymore, so she changed tactics. But it went the exact same way it always does—her throwing fits when things didn’t go how she wanted them to, and me breaking up with her. She doesn’t handle rejection very well.
“The thing is, I couldn’t stop thinking about you while I was with her. I hated having her touch me. We didn’t even hug.”
Austin raised their hands to his mouth and kissed the back of Nicole’s. A grin stole across his face as something occurred to him. He nibbled on one of her fingers. “Did that hurt?”
Nicole returned his grin, savoring the tingle that spread down her hand. “No.”
“Well, I guess that means I can’t leave you alone yet. One can never be too careful.”
Nicole laughed and opened the door, leading the way in. She showed Austin where to put the cello, then stashed her things in her bedroom.
When she came out, Austin was leaning against the counter, arms folded, looking so attractive, it made her hesitate for a moment. His tee was tight on his biceps and pecs, his tanned skin contrasting against his white shirt. His dark hair was disheveled, his brown eyes bright. Could it be possible that he was here, with her?
Austin motioned for her to approach. She did so shyly, feeling unsure of herself, and stopped a foot away. He laugh
ed and put his arms around her, nestling his face against her neck.
Nicole’s stomach fluttered. Would he kiss her now?
He pulled back, his lips not more than an inch from hers, and looked deeply into her eyes for several seconds before placing a kiss on her cheek. “Popcorn and a movie?”
Nicole nodded, trying not to feel disappointed that he hadn’t done anything more. She took a breath, firmly telling herself that going slow was just fine. “Your pick.”
Austin sifted through Nicole’s DVD collection and chose a movie while she popped popcorn. She joined him on the couch, setting the bowl within reach. He opened his arms and she scooted over, nestling against his chest, enjoying the warmth his embrace offered.
Nicole heard Lizzie’s door open and shut, followed by the sound of feet coming down the hall and into the room. The footsteps paused abruptly.
“Oh,” Lizzie said. “Well, I guess I don’t need to ask Nicole about Savannah today.”
Austin chuckled, rubbing lazy circles on Nicole’s back. “Join us? We’re watching Indiana Jones.”
Lizzie shrugged. “Sure.” She plopped on the couch on the other side of Nicole and tossed a handful of popcorn in her mouth.
***
Austin ended up going with Nicole to symphony. He sat at the edge of the room, reading on his phone, but every now and then, she would catch him watching her. They would meet eyes, and he sent her a half smile before turning back to his phone. He was so much more relaxed now than he had been days earlier.
For the time being, Nicole was using a school cello. Once she figured out her Channeling and returned Niko, she’d rent a cheap instrument and save up money to buy a good one. Or maybe the university would finally respond to Coolidge’s queries about her cello getting destroyed on the university-led expedition to Arches and replace it for her.
Nicole invited Austin to go to the party Saturday night, but he and his father would be negotiating the purchase of more land near their Missoula ranch. So, Nicole and Lizzie both went dateless.
Perceive, Mosaic Chronicles Book Three Page 5