by Shelly Crane
Hey, I shook my head ‘no’. Stop, don’t do that.
I need to think. I need to be focused on keeping you safe. To be one step ahead of them at all times. I won’t even let them get close to you and I won’t hesitate the next time I see Marcus.
Just don’t, we’re a team now. You and me, remember? We don’t need to drive ourselves crazy with worry about it all. We’re powerful enough even to make them scared, so don’t worry. We’ll handle anything they throw at us.
I placed my cool hand on his cheek and he sighed. Then nodded and smiled sadly in gratitude and I was happy he was trying at least.
You ready to go home? I asked. We can take Ralph and Beck surfing in the morning and get them out of the house.
You just want to show off your new skills.
Yeah, so.
He laughed and squeezed me to him. His blue eyes latched onto mine, all the lights and noise and bodies fading away around us.
Gah, I’m sorry, I don’t want to bring you down but I can’t help what’s in my head.
Don’t worry about it, nothing’s going to happen to me. I know you. You’ll take care of me. You’re a really good dancer, by the way.
It’s pretty easy with you.
It’s easy with you! You make me look good.
Baby, that is not possible.
I rolled my eyes. Let’s find the gang.
Gang?
Shut up!
He laughed as I poked his stomach.
Alright, gorgeous, let’s go home.
You had me at gorgeous.
He smiled and led me threw the throngs of thrashers with a firm grip on my hand. We found Bish and Jen together at the bar and from across the room they seemed to be arguing. Caleb looked back at me curiously and I opened my mind to focus on them. That’s when I realized what was going on, that they weren’t arguing with each other but someone else. Bish was defending Jen against the guy she’d been talking to at the end of the bar.
It was aggravating trying to pay attention to their voices and their thoughts but as we tried to push our way through to get to them, Caleb encouraged me to try harder.
It seemed that the guy had asked for Jen’s phone number and when she explained she didn’t live here and was just out having fun, he apparently didn’t take the news well. He tried to coax her to go home with him and when she refused he got angry and threw his shot glass. Bish had been watching her on the sly and when he saw the guy, he got up from his seat - mid sentence with the girl he was talking to - and went to stand in front of Jen. She’d been so taken back from his gesture that she was standing behind him, leaning on the column with a hand on her chest and trying to catch her breath. Bish was holding his own to a very drunk guy who was practically in his face, yelling.
Crap.
If he swung, that’d be it and Bish would let him have it. Caleb emerged just in time to catch the guys arm as he made a clumsy try for a swing. He grappled with Caleb but eventually stumbled to defeat on a stool as the bartender threatened to call the cops. I assured him we were leaving and took Jen’s arm as Caleb and Bish looked for Beck and Ralph. We found them near the bathroom and told them it was time to go.
As we made it through the door, Jen’s arm linked through mine, Toad winked at me and made some comment about coming back to see him. Caleb turned and gave him a look that suggested otherwise but we kept walking. Once to the cars, Beck asked what was going on and Caleb told them about the little altercation. While he was doing that, Jen turned to Bish who was standing beside me.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “I don’t know what happened. One minute we were telling stupid jokes and then next he was…” She choked up a little and I saw flashes from the little bit she remembered from when she was raped. Just bits and pieces was all she remembered, but it was enough to rile her. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok,” I assured her and gave her a sideways hug, trying to keep the images from reaching Caleb.
“Hey,” Bish said quietly and smiled. “It’s ok. It’s good for the heart to get pumping a little bit. I haven’t been in a fight in a long time.”
She laughed a little and sniffled.
“Well, I’m glad I could help. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
And then, feeling soft towards her, he moved in to give her a sideways friendly hug. Something took over me. I just knew I couldn’t let them touch. Something would happen- bad or good, I didn’t know which. I didn’t understand it but I went with my gut, not like I could stop it, when my hand shot out and the words ‘No, don’t,’ shot out of my mouth. I clamped down on Jen’s arm, pushing her behind me. Bish looked confused and his eyes traveled back and forth between mine and Jen’s. Jen was, unfortunately, more perceptive.
Maggie? What? What did you see?
I turned to look at her sadly, having no answer, but knowing exactly where she was going with it. She thought I saw her imprint with Bish.
“I’m sorry, I’m just really ready to go. I’ll drive.”
She looked unconvinced as she handed the keys over.
“What is it?” she asked in a whisper. “Please tell me.”
“It’s nothing. It’s not what you think.”
She looked at Bish with the saddest expression, longing and want etched on her face as she closed her eyes and tried to hold her tears back. She thought I was lying but couldn’t bring herself to touch him, to find out for herself. She was just lonely.
Caleb came up beside me and asked the silent question as well. What did I see?
Nothing, I just had a feeling. I…I just couldn’t let them touch each other. I don’t know why. Something…something happened.
Caleb’s eyes roamed the parking lot, as if it contained the answers and then back to me.
Let’s get out of here and go home. I nodded. Be careful. Follow me.
In the car as I drive, I tried to focus on Caleb and not listen to Jen’s inner monologue of self pity, but Caleb was just as bad. His eyes shifted and he looked in the mirror for me every five seconds. He was thinking about his dad hiring someone to watch the house at night and installing a newer security system. He regretted bringing Beck and Ralph here because they’d just cause more distractions and make them and us vulnerable.
Beck was anxious for the rest of our trip and mad because I hadn’t told her I’d cut my hair as she glanced at me from the passenger seat. Mad that I didn’t ask permission, like it was girl-code or something.
When we pulled into the huge houses driveway, we got out and by the time I reached the porch, after listening to all their ranting, I was pretty upset by it all. Feeling and hearing someone else’s thoughts was exhausting and it messed with me, made it hard to tamp down on my own feelings. I felt close to losing control like before and I saw a few energy ribbons bounce in my sideways glance.
“Lightning bugs,” Ralph muttered and kept walking, not realizing that I had frozen in fear at the fact that he had seen them.
Caleb took my trembling hand as everyone else went inside.
“There’s something we need to do first,” he said and I knew he’d seen what just happened.
“What?”
“We need to practice.”
“Practice? Practice what?” I asked puzzled as he towed me to the garage.
“That Marla is pretty, right?”
“What?” I asked and heard my voice take a harder note. Why the heck would he say that? “What are you talking about?”
He shrugged, rolling his shoulder and sticking his hands in his pockets.
“I was just saying that she was pretty. I haven’t seen her in a while and she’s sure got a lot hotter since I last saw her. And there’s gonna be tons of girls at the reunification I haven’t seen in a year. I wonder if everyone is gonna be able to make it, hope so.”
“Ok. That’s nice,” I said still confused but feeling a ping of unease as to why he was bringing this up.
“You know you were right. They are a lot of girls who a
re gonna be upset to see you with me. Last year was the worst,” he groaned like I should feel sorry for him and leaned against the big chest freezer behind him. “I spent the whole time fending off phone numbers and offers to visit other clans.” He clucked his tongue. “I guess this year will be different, huh? Oh well. I’m sure we’ll still have fun, even without all that female persuasion.”
I looked at him closely. His mind was closed, cut off from me so I couldn’t see anything but I sensed something. Why was he bringing this girl stuff up? It seemed there was a point somewhere but as my skin began to tingle with annoyance and energy, I had a feeling I was missing it.
“I’m sure we have bigger things to talk about.”
He quirked a brow and seemed to be a little annoyed.
“I bet Ashley would love something like that.”
I froze and stared at him. Really? Did he just say that?
“What are you doing?” I asked in accusation.
“What? I’m just thinking. Ashley would fit right in with the rest of the clans. She’s just like them in some ways and they’d probably really like her.”
I balked and glared at him.
“Ok,” I bit out, feeling my breaths begin to shallow.
“I can’t wait to take you to London. Show you off to all those significant-less jerks.” He walked slowly to me and put his hands on my hips suggestively. “My girl. My hot, sexy girl that only I can have. They’ll be so jealous,” he crooned.
“Caleb, that’s terrible. Why are you saying that?”
“And Bish and Jen. Wa, wa, wa,” he said, making horrible baby noises. “Get a life already! I’m so sick of hearing them complain.”
I pushed away from him and looked at him incredulously. I felt and saw a few ribbons of energy dance in the background. My fingers started to shake.
“Caleb, what are you doing?”
“Nothing. Just saying out loud what we usually don’t. Like the fact that your brother hates me. The fact that Kyle’s in love with you,” he growled.
“Caleb, stop,” I breathed and felt the air shaking around me, too warm and too blue to be normal.
“The fact that you feel sorry for him, the fact that every man I pass looks at you like they have the right to. Like you would enjoy them looking at you.”
“Caleb-“
“The fact that if you’d never met me, you’d probably be dating that tool Chad, again.”
“Enough!” I said loudly and the light bulb above the counter burst, then another above the trash as the air around me turned scalding.
“Finally, took you long enough,” he groaned in relief and came forward.
He wrapped his arms around my back, pressing me to him, and kissed me fiercely as he gathered me up into his arms and lifted me, setting me atop the freezer. He stood between my knees and they clamped onto his sides automatically as I saw the blue energy ribbons writhe and dance in a haze, me letting my focus shift. But I was mad…right? Confused was what I was. I pushed him back a little.
“What are you doing?” I said through puffs of breath. “Why did you say those things?”
“I needed to get you riled up,” he explained and let his palm drift down my neck to my chest. “We need to practice your taming the emotion, when you get overwhelmed like you did in the alley.”
“You said all that just to get me riled?”
“Yeah, you didn’t think I’d ever say those things for real did you?”
“No,” I admitted. “But you’re a good enough actor,” I answered wryly.
“I’m sorry,” he said and nuzzled his way into my neck, kissing my throat and pulling me closer. “But we have to do things we don’t want to sometimes, for research purposes.”
“Research,” I repeated breathlessly and anticipated his next move. Then he pulled away and crossed his arms, out of reach, leaving me cold and strange feeling sitting there. “What?”
“So, what are we gonna do about Bish and Jen? He’s really suspicious.”
“Now you’re talking about Bish? Caleb…you’re driving me crazy.”
“I know,” he said poignantly. “Feel it. We need you to feel it and let it take you over, then we’ll reign you back in. Practice. We can’t have you breaking light bulbs and making energy strings out of thin air every time you get upset.”
Ohhhh… I got it. He was purposely trying to piss me off, to help train me to control it. And boy was it working. I focused on what he said, Bish and Jen. That whole situation was aggravating and sad. I thought about it, how I’d feel if it was me, if I were Jen and had to watch her little brother imprint instead of me. After everything that happened to her, she deserved to be happy. And Bish’s story was even worse…I saw the ribbons start to appear, Caleb noticing them too. Bish had a life no one should have to endure…the glass on the car window started to rattle and Caleb quickly stepped forward to capture my lips with his, rubbing his hands down my arms.
His touch soothed away the anxiety quickly. I pushed him back a little.
“Ok, let’s go again.”
“Good. This time try to pull yourself back to normal.”
“Ok,” I agreed as he moved to stand just out of reach of touching.
“Think about something you don’t want to,” he said, the protectiveness in his voice spiking at the idea.
I nodded and bit my lip, thinking. I thought about what Marcus had done to me, cutting my hair after making me trust him. I felt the energy and my skin started to tingle. The air felt hot and crackly around me as I picture strands of hair falling around my shoulders. Then I pulled back.
I took a slow deep breath, closed my eyes and thought about Caleb and I on the beach when we’d slept on the sand. I was sitting in his lap, he was being very sweet and about to ask me…a very important question. I felt the warm energy in the air cool off.
My eyes peeked open and looked up at Caleb to see him grinning.
“You did it.” He came close, putting his arms around me. “It’s amazing to watch. I always feel it with you but to just sit back and watch it…it’s amazing. The air is so blue but I can still see you through the fog. The little strings move around you and through you. Wow.” He touched his lips in awe. “You burned me earlier, when I kissed you.”
“I did?” I asked, the thought oddly horrifying.
“No, it’s ok. It’s just when I touched you, you were so hot. It was crazy but I didn’t want to break the spell. I thought that day that I pulled you from the shower that you were so hot from the water but it wasn’t that. It was just you.”
I blew an exasperated breath and ran my hand through my hair.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to control it, Caleb. I feel like such a freak, I‘m all over the place.”
“A hot freak.” I gasped and then laughed as he tickled me. Then he got serious. “I’ll help you. Don’t worry about that. If you can’t reign it I, at least we know,” he moved to nip my chin, “that I can kiss you senseless and that’ll do the trick.”
“You’re insane,” I giggled and accepted his kiss.
“Maybe we should try something else, too. Don’t you usually see the ribbons when we, um…when we get excited?” he asked.
“Sometimes, when it’s intense-“
He cut me off with a kiss and I saw his plan, to push me beyond excited, beyond wanting, beyond frustrated and have me pull back from that too, to see if I could. It was dangerous for us to be careless around others. Ralph saw the beginnings of my ability tonight and it could have been so much worse.
He pushed me to lean back a little on the freezer and leaned with me against me. I knew the best way to build the intensity would be to get him even more excited than me. I totally loved it when he lost control and I drove him crazy. So, I lifted his face with a nudge from mine to reach under his jaw. A surprised noise came from his throat as my smiling mouth moved from under his chin to his neck and then his collar bone as I pulled the collar of his shirt down.
He leaned his head ba
ck, his breaths became faster, a low growl of a noise coming from his throat. His fingers dug into the shirt on my sides as my legs wound themselves around him for leverage. Then his heartbeat began to beat its way into my chest. Usually, I only felt it if I was focusing on him or if he was really, really anxious or upset…or excited. Now, it beat strong and fast beside mine.
I saw the first signs of our melding, the little energy sparks in my side view. I pulled back some from my mental grip on him and returned to his lips. He wasn’t letting me have any leeway though. He immediately began his own assault and as his lips wasted no time on mine, his hands moved to hold my face. I pulled him closer by his collar, forcing him to brace himself with a hand on the wall behind us.
I had completely forgotten what we were doing except for this. There was only him and what was in his head was agreeing with me. The way he wanted me…the way he loved me and vice versa, was enough to take us both to places we’d never been.
I felt him messing with the buttons of my shirt with the other hand. In no time it was undone and my cami was all that was left as I felt the warm air hit my arms as he pulled my shirt down my shoulders to my elbows. He kissed my skin there then he wound his arm around my lower back to press me to him as he took my mouth again. I’d never wanted anyone as much as I wanted him right then so I took my hand and let it graze up his skin under his shirt. He chuckled huskily.
“I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one.”
I giggled as he continued to kiss me. I didn’t hear the thoughts of Kyle and Bish until they were almost through the garage door, so the first thing I yelled to Caleb was ‘Stop!’
Well, that was a mistake and Caleb didn’t have time to obey before it was too late.
When Bish opened the door and found us like that and I yelled ‘Stop’, he was livid. Caleb looked up and immediately pulled my shirt closed for me, even though I was wearing a cami, the gesture was sweet. Bish didn’t think so given by the heinous glare he was giving Caleb.
I’m gonna kill him. He finally gave me a reason to kill him.
“What’s going on in here?”
“Just, uh…fooling around,” Caleb explained and gave me a helpless look. “Sorry, man, we didn’t hear you coming.”