by Weil, J. L.
“Chase,” Lexi scolded. “I swear to God sometimes I feel like I live with a bunch of Neanderthals. It’s seriously ridiculous. You must be Emma.” She sent her a blinding smile with dimples just like Travis’s shining on both cheeks. Lexi was stunningly beautiful, and it was impossible to not feel dull next to her. She shared the same energy for life that Emma found endearing in Travis. “Come in. I think Travis is changing his shirt for like the upteenth time.” She rolled her eyes.
Emma immediately liked her and did her best to ignore Chase’s scowling frown.
“It’s so weird that we’ve never really talked at school before. Travis mentioned that your family moves a lot.”
She nodded folding her hands. “Yeah. My dad’s job is constantly relocating him.”
“I can’t imagine that being as glamorous as it sounds.”
“It sucks.”
Lexi laughed. “I bet it does.”
She never heard him come down the stairs, but she felt him behind her. Tingles frolicked through her body and it was instantly humming. Smiling, she turned around. “Hey.”
“You look great.”
His eyes always did crazy things to her. “Thanks.”
“You ready to go?” he asked, grinning.
She nodded feeling on the spot.
He drove some outrageously expensive car like an Audi or something. It road effortlessly, hugging the road, and it smelled rich.
“So where are you taking me?” she asked curled up on the plush leather seat.
“Guess.”
“You aren’t going to tell me even if I got it right, are you?”
Grinning like a little boy he replied, “Nope.”
“I didn’t think so.” She smiled.
When he finally stopped the car she was as confused about where they were going as she had been ten minutes ago. Taking her small hand in his, he led her through a slew of trees. He loved the feel of her quickening pulse. They came to a clearing with a little frozen pond. There were two pairs of ice skates propped up against the base of nearby tree along with a basket.
“Ice skating?” she guessed, smiling.
“This is the closest thing I come to dancing.”
“You can ice skate?”
“Does that surprise you?”
“I’m not sure anything can surprise me anymore,” she said, thinking about seeing her dad snooping around the house like a thief.
Travis wasn’t so sure about that, he had a few surprises up his sleeve that was for sure. She could never know, he reminded himself. Her life depended on it.
“Did you arrange all this?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow.
He flashed his dimples. “Impressed?”
She walked to the edge of the icy pond and turned around trying not to grin. “Maybe.”
He came to stand in front of her and tugged down on her knit hat. “Good. Did I already tell you how amazing you look?”
With him so close to her she lost the ability to think past how edible his lips were. “Hmm.” That was all she was able to manage.
“These are Lexi’s,” he said, holding out a pair of pristine white skates. “She is not much into any kind of outdoor activities. She is about your size, so I am hoping they will fit. Think you can keep up?” he murmured, his breath on her face.
Keep up? She could barely stand.
Lacing on her borrowed skates, she braced herself against the tree for balance. She was far from a pro skater, but she could hold her own. Easing her way to the iced pond, she took a cautious step onto the frozen glass. There was something risky about skirting on iced water like standing on the edge of the world.
Travis was at her side extending a hand. Together they crossed over, gliding on the sheer floor.
She was feeling comfortable and having the time of her life. Every second with Travis was unreal. Flying across the ice, she skating into his arms knowing very well he would catch her. If there was one thing Travis was, it was dependable and strong. Stronger than any boy her age should be.
His hands settled on the sides of her hips, spinning her in a circle. She let her head fall back, and her laugh rang out and into the puffy clouds above. He stole her breath away as the freezing air caught in her lungs.
Looking into his eyes, her laugh fell from her lips. His sea foam eyes were flickering with a ring of gold, and she instinctually knew that this was it.
He was going to kiss her. Finally.
Her blood spiked in anticipation. This was the pivotal moment she had been dreaming about for months.
Pulling her body flush against his, she let a little sound of surprise escape, never losing eye contact. The closer they got the more intense the gold ring became in his eyes. She was utterly fascinated and unable to tear her gaze away.
“You have eyes like a faerie, and your hair…” Brushing the hair from her flushed cheeks, he skimmed his fingers through her strawberry hair.
Her throat snapped closed.
He lifted a handful to his face. “You smell like a meadow,” he murmured, inhaling her exotic scent. How many times had he dreamed of touching her just like this? Her skin was silky and smooth like a petal.
She couldn’t move, could barely breathe. Her knees had jellied, and she stood staring into pools of turquoise swirling with gold.
Ever so slowly he inched closer until his lips skimmed the surface of hers. Trembling, her bones dissolved, her eyes clouded fluttering close, and her head fell back in utter surrender. She wanted him, like she wanted to dance.
Then his mouth was on hers and every willing thought died. Stunned at first, she felt the heat in her belly, a hot gush. A wild swirl of lights blazed behind her heavy eyes. Circling her arms around his neck, she swayed against him and demanded more.
Oh. God. Yes. She wanted this. Just him.
On a whimper of pleasure, she slid her hands into his hair. He deepened the kiss with a tangle of taste uniquely hers, and she felt the dangerous strength in his body. But she was afraid, not of him only of the crazy emotions and needs he enticed inside her.
Then she erupted. Her mouth went wild underneath his, and the kiss went from sweet to starving.
Holy hell. She stripped him of the control he desperately needed. What made him think one kiss would be enough? Or that it would be simple and sweet. This was strong, reckless, and left him stunned.
It took every ounce of control but reluctantly he pulled away, ending the kiss far too soon. He knew he was teetering on dangerous ground, and for her safety he had to stop while he still could. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first day I saw you.” He kept her close, unable to let her go.
She looked up at him, flushed and wide-eyed. “What took you so long?”
His laugh was like sunshine, bright and warm. The kind you couldn’t help but return. “I didn’t want to scare you away.”
She snorted. “Please. If I hadn’t made a move, I’d probably still be waiting for you to talk to me. And this…was so much better than talking.” When had she become a little hussy? Had she really just say that? There was something about Travis that made her throw caution to the wind.
He cocked a brow in amusement. “Really. Is that what you think?”
Before she knew his intent, she was on the ground in screaming laughter. His fingers tickled her sides bringing happy tears to her eyes.
“Stop,” she sobbed between giggles. “I relent.”
As soon as his arms let her go, she darted quickly over the ice out of his reach. Her bubbling squealed was like music, and he watched appreciatively as she skirted over the ice.
He was guy after all.
Staring at his illuminated face across the span of the pond, Emma was amazed she didn’t fall flat on her face. She was still drifting in a daze from his kisses. And washed in that daze she didn’t recognize the sound at first. It was the sudden change in Travis’s face that alarmed her. Gone was the lightness. It was replaced by stark terror and an eerie golden light.
By the tim
e she realized the ice was cracking under her feet, she was falling into an abyss of needle stabbing water. Opening her mouth to scream, the sound was filled with gushing sloshy water, burning her throat and lungs with its sharp coldness.
She knew she only had minutes before her body would shut down, and she would be lost to the darkness. Thousands of needles pricked everywhere over her skin. A million times worse than she ever could have imagined.
Thrashing, her body quickly started to sink. It was impossible for Travis to make it to where she was without him falling in and her descending out of his reach.
Travis. Her thoughts reeled around him, and the kiss she had waited so long for. It had been worth the wait.
Worth her life?
She was going to die.
She was going to die on the single most blissful day of her short-lived life.
Chapter 10
Looking above her, a halo of light surrounded the spot she had collapsed into the frozen tundra. The beating of her heart slowed in her ears, and she closed her eyes. There was nothing but blackness below her.
Nothing but her death.
Travis could not believe what his eyes saw. It had to be a joke. A cruel joke.
He heard the unmistakable sound of ice splitting, and the ground fell out under him. “No!” he thunder as he watched Emma submerge into the ghastly cold waters.
This couldn’t be happening. Not to his Emma. He had brought her here. Put her in danger. The laugh was on him. To think he spent all his time worried about hellhounds, lower-demons, and every other hellish thing out there that might hurt her, and in the end it was him.
How would he be able to forgive himself if she…died? He choked up at just the thought.
Never before had he been so glad for his superhuman abilities. Without them she would surely die…and that was inconceivable.
Oh my God. Please don’t let me be too late.
He didn’t even think about what he did, just reacted. Nothing matter except getting to Emma. The thought of her pain, of her death opened a gaping hole in his heart. It was his worst nightmare times a hundred.
His demon roared inside him, breaking to the surface in one smooth transition. The need for revenge, to punish was great, but not as pronounced as his need to save Emma. For once his demon and he were in perfect agreement. Emma was all that mattered.
Flashing to the spot of the broken ice, his speed was so quick he literally floated over the ice. It had only been seconds since she was sucked under, and he was pretty sure he had stopped breathing. Then his hand connected with her ice cube skin. Like pulling out a ragdoll, he lifted her effortlessly.
Out of nowhere she was plucked to the surface and cuddled against something warm and soft. Her first breath of air was blistering and painful. Coughing up a lung, water dribbled from her mouth.
She clung to Travis’s strong form, her arms feeling useless. Thankful he wasn’t letting her go. The world spun as Travis hurtled them inhumanly off the broken pond.
Her bearings were out of whack. Shaking uncontrollable, she starred into a pair of citrine blazing eyes. At first she didn’t comprehend that those eyes were Travis’s. It was startling to see his beautiful boyish face with menacing gold eyes. There was something just not right about it.
Travis’s eyes were a perfect blend of blue and green. She dreamed of those gemstone eyes and were etched in her memory. This wasn’t her Travis…but it was.
Her jaw fell open. He reminded her of a fierce lion. Deadly. Ferocious. Wild.
And he looked ready to kill.
His eyes narrowed, glinting gold that made her blink. Their faces were close, and all she could see were those deadly dangerous eyes.
He had saved her.
Whatever was happening here, happening with Travis, she owned him her life.
Swallowing hard, she cautiously stroked fingers that trembled down his cheek. “What – what are you?” she hesitantly asked, her voice inaudible. A wave of dizziness swarmed over her, and the blackness was right there luring her. She fought to keep her eyes open. The only thing keeping her from giving into what the dark easily offered was the sound of his voice.
Reassuring. Steady. Dependable.
“Emma. Em you have to fight it. Stay with me,” he coaxed, sounding different.
She couldn’t put her finger on it. Nodding, she snuggled into his chest, burrowing her head in his heat, anything to get rid of the bone-chilling cold. She couldn’t stop the shakes that racked her body.
“I’ve got to get you out of here.” There was panic in his voice.
She wasn’t out of the woods just yet. He needed to get her dry, warm and rid her of the drenched clothes plastered to her skin. This wasn’t exactly how he envisioned getting her undressed. He thought there would be candlelight, soft music, and something less life-threatening.
God there was never a dull moment in his horrendously cursed life.
She was so dainty in his arms, he dwarfed her.
Travis was about to expose himself and everything he protected to keep hidden. Expose his family. It wasn’t just him that would be affected. He had Lexi and Chase to think about. Right now her life was worth the risk of exposure, even Lexi’s and Chase’s. And that spoke in magnitudes. Then there was also a real possibility that once she realized how different he really was, she wouldn’t want anything do with him.
At least she would be alive, a small voice reasoned.
“Hang on,” he said, getting to his feet with her still wrapped around him. “You might want to close your eyes.”
And then he took off. If she thought she was dizzy before, it compared nothing to Travis running through the woods. She didn’t know how he was able to move with such blinding haste, but she didn’t have the strength to question it right now. Taking his advice, she squeezed her eyes shut.
What felt like only a blink, he had her securely in his car and flying madly down the road. Turning the heat on full blast, he knew that he needed to get her out those clothes now. His house was only a few minutes, but it felt like miles and miles stretched between him and his destination.
The pedal was slammed to the floor as he came to a screeching stop in front of the big old house. Not wasting a beat, he had Emma out of the car and in his arms. Kicking the door open, he rushed inside calling Lexi’s name.
She appeared in front of him taking one glance at the limp Emma in his arms. “What happened?”
“Help me?” he pleaded.
Never before had her brother ever pleaded anything from her. She nodded looking into the stone cold terror reflecting in his eyes. “Get her upstairs.”
Emma was too much in shock and too freezing to care about modesty.
Pushing Travis from her bedroom, Lexi ordered him to start a fire. The reluctance to leave her was pulsing from his body. She could see his control slipping a notch. “She’ll be okay. I promise.”
Nodding robotic, he took one last glimpse of Emma’s form curled up into a ball on Lexi’s bed and left the room.
Quickly she tore the soaking wet clothes from Emma’s tiny frame. As gentle as she could, Lexi helped her into a pair of sweats. Her skin was clammy and an unhealthily tinged of blue, but it didn’t look like any hypothermia had set in. That was good. Very good.
~*~
Wrapped in a thick blanket in front of a roaring fire, the clothes she wore were baggie and dry. Her hair was damp making what seemed like a dream a reality.
She had really fallen through the ice. And Travis had saved her life in an incredible feat. It shouldn’t have been possible.
She was alive.
Taking a deep breath, the fire crackled in the air. Regardless of the heat producing from the flames, her body was chilled.
She recalled gold eyes that were so familiar and at the same time out of this world. Had that really been Travis? Chewing on her bottom lip, she thought about the few other times she had caught glimpses of gold flecks in Travis. More than ever she was confused and uncertain.
A voice in the back of her head tried to frighten her, but she wasn’t having it. This was Travis. As soon as she found him, she would figure out what had happened. What he was.
Well as soon as her teeth stopped chattering.
“Your color is coming back,” said a lovely tiny voice behind her.
She was propped up on a mountain of cushy pillows. Lexi was smiling friendly at her, but there was a caution in her stance. Like she was afraid she was going to scare Emma off if she made any sudden movements.
Emma might look fragile but she was no deer. A small smile touched her lips “I am still so cold.”
Lexi sat at the edge of the couch watching her carefully. “I brought you some tea. It should help.” Lexi couldn’t help but think how delicate Emma looked wrapped in sea of blankets with firelight framing her face. It was a no-brainer why her brother was in love with her. She raised an instinct to protect he wouldn’t be able to ignore with those doe eyes.
Emma enclosed her hands around the steaming mug letting the heat seep into her pours and inhaled the steam. “Thanks. For everything.”
Lexi shrugged. “I’m just glad you are okay. How do you feel?” Lexi asked, tucking her legs underneath her. Hair like sunlight and summer outlined her perfect face.
“Like an idiot,” she replied, and heaved a sigh.
A softness touched Lexi’s expression. “It wasn’t like you could have known. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” She could hear the misplaced blame in Emma’s voice. No one was to blame.
She looked down at her joined hands around the mug. “I don’t know what would have happened if Travis–,” her voice hitched.
Lexi reached out and laid a hand on her arm. “Don’t. Don’t even go there. There is no point in rehashing it. Nothing will change from it. I can guarantee that he would do it again in a heartbeat. He’s never felt about anyone the way he feels about you.”
She could hear how much Lexi loved her brother. He had risked himself to save her. “He really is a great guy.”
“The best,” Lexi agreed, beaming her dimples.