“And that means to you the same as it does for me?” I blushed profusely hating my impulsion to just be blunt. I wanted confirmation that I was on the right track.
“Yes, Emma. Yes.”
“Why do you feel that way...about me?” I asked slow and stopping at each word. Oh yeah, the wrong track. The track labeled dark and dangerous and loads of T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
“Emma,” he hid his face again, “you are good. To good for someone like me. And you don’t realize the power you hold.”
I was irate. Did he really just want the power? That really stuck in my craw. “I’m leaving,” I threw the door open. Where did I think I would go?
“WHAT?” he jumped out with me.
AMES
“You are like the rest anyway. You only want me for the power. You don’t care about me,” she stomped and kept moving away from me.
“What did I do? And what others?” What did I do? I was insane with worry making me yell a little louder than I meant too and wishing like anything I hadn’t just admitted how weak she makes me.
“You are here for the power, not me. Others came and watched me just like you, but I hid it and they went away. Why can’t you do the same?” She heaved an angry sound. “Call me when you actually care,” she stomped off away from the Jeep now into the middle of the road.
“Emma, would you wait, please,” I resulted to saying the magic word again that worked for me the first time.
She stopped. Heck yeah. I found my new weapon.
She didn’t speak or move her legs, just her hands up and down her arms like she was cold.
“I don’t want you for your power. I don’t need your power. I have my own. I want...”
“WHAT?” she circled around and resounded the same word I just shouted in her direction but she sure didn’t count on landing just close enough she had to tip her head up to see me. Close enough to...
“What do you want Ames Cahn? Because I sure think I made an insane mistake coming out to the woods with someone who I can’t even trust. I thought maybe, just maybe I’d pegged you wrong. And then I thought maybe, just maybe you were really different. Maybe being like me would make you kinder, more sympathetic than others. I don’t know what you want?” She locked her arms on her hips and clucked her tongue at me. A standoff.
But no directive.
I stood there long enough to think about my king and what he would want. Not an option. A second later I thought about what she would want. Not him.
Then...her eyes did this little swirling motion at me and that was it. I knew exactly what I wanted.
I locked onto her mouth with such an intensity that it consumed my every thought and inhibition. She tasted like candy. Sweet. I’d predicted that from the first time I met her. Her lips were hesitant at first, gauging like the rest of her did when she was around me whether from attraction or anger, I never knew.
I dug my fingers into her hips and held own. As soon as my grip tightened she pulled her lips away from me.
“What are you doing?” she said breathlessly. She licked her lips sending fire into my loins and I realized I’d just daydreamed about kissing her. I imagined the whole damn scene.
But not all of it was a dream. Her lips were touching mine on the very edge. She was this close to a treacherous decision she wouldn’t know she was making. I might have extended the kiss in my head, but my lips were feathered against the side of hers nonetheless. Shaking my head into reality, I gave her one truth as I lifted my face from hers.
“Admitting what I shouldn’t want?” Can’t have. I wanted to move her back towards my lips, feeling the way our energies mixed all up into one. She was right about one part. It was insane for her to be here with me, but sane and normal didn’t hang out together in my world.
“You’ll not get anything from me?” She promised, her eyes appeared hurt and full of misunderstanding. Not ideal words after even pretending to kiss a girl.
I would honor that. I would wait. I would do anything for her. “I know. You’ve been hurt a lot. I get that,” I pulled back enough to look her in the eyes without having to hide it, “I won’t let you get hurt.”
“I can’t trust that yet either,” she whispered. "And besides, I don't know you. I shouldn't be here."
That guy really hurt her. Maybe she was right about the human guy department. Maybe there really were some dogs out there, but that didn’t mean all of us were. I would prove it to her. “I know. I will show you.”
She didn’t know half my secrets and she was giving more to me than she should. I had to believe she was doing it out of pure goodness and want for me. That made me swell to all kinds of smug. No girl had ever wanted me like I was. The power was always needed to give an illusion of normal human behavior.
And I couldn’t tell if her words toward me about desiring her or trust issues towards keeping her safe. Her undulated appearance was hiding the strong energy and unparalleled desire I’ve never seen from a girl before. I’ve never been able to read feelings before now so I had nothing to gauge it by.
I pressed my lips together hoping to keep my mouth off her. After a heated few minutes and less handsy action that I would have wanted, we broke apart. I wanted more, but I would wait. Heck, I wanted all, but I would wait.
Cures for curses were more important. A curse she knew nothing about.
“I need to show you something,” I murmured throatily into her hair. It smelled like peaches. Sweet like the rest of her.
“Okay,” her lips moved across my chest as she said it into my shirt. Oh yeah, that was nice too. She was going to kill me.
I took her hand and led her into the woods.
“Where are we going?” her feet locked with the pavement.
“Just inside the trees, part of the mountain. You need to see more of what you are?”
In the hidden haze of my world, her world. A cursed world.
She nodded reluctantly and followed with my hand attached to hers only after she texted her friend Tonya. Good girl!
The trees were thick enough to hide what was in there, but clear enough for anyone to walk through. The ground was all flat with not a twig of brush in the way of a tracker. The birds sang above with singsong voices. I looked to Emma for reassurance and found her staring straight up.
My mind caught on to what my nose had found. I snatched a flower off the vine beside us and tried to smell it before she caught me. I didn’t manage it that way. When she saw me drop the flower, I just answered with the word, “Honeysuckle.”
She puckered up her nose and smelled the air, but didn’t say anything. It was her scent. I’d finally identified her scent. I wanted to shout out my find.
“Their beautiful,” she said to the air. She watched the squirrels jump tree to tree. The light from the morning sun was all around her illuminating her hair and face in an ethereal way. She had no idea what it did to her skin to stand in the light with it shining on her.
“Yeah, I know.” I watched her.
Her eyes popped down from the trees to mine. Her cheeks lit like little cherries around the tops of her cheekbone. It was cute.
“Let’s get going. We’re almost there.”
“You know, they call this the devil worshipper woods,” she shared with me.
“I can imagine.” I knew what went on here and she was about to.
“They’re not though, are they?”
Was she trying to find out before we arrived? “And you call me the conman,” I laughed.
We cleared five or so yards just past the haze and I could hear the voices. Could she?
I checked her face for acknowledgement. Every time I looked back at her she squeezed my hand like she was afraid I’d let it go. I would never let go.
“I hear it too if that’s what you’re trying to read from me.”
I gasped.
“I can’t read your mind or anything, you just had that look. And I heard them when we entered the woods. I just wanted to see if they were bad or not. I
’m guessing not since you’re walking me straight to them. Unless you’re a cannibalistic crazy non-human who wants to sacrifice me or hand me over to the head crazy devil worshipper in charge and let him do it.”
Her speech was none other than very close to the truth. How could I tell her? She’d never trust me. “You’re very perceptive, Emma Steele. I hope your sidekick is as kickin’ as your mouth if you are ever in real danger because I’d like to see it. I’d bet on you if my life depended on it.”
I was screwed.
She looked at me weird, “Thank you.”
I was very screwed.
“You’re very welcome.” The words hung in my mouth. I’d never said them before. It was nice.
EMMA
Beyond the clearing the voices revealed a group of people. No, not normal people. They were like me. I knew because one of them exploded a pumpkin right in front of me from six feet without touching anything. I’d blown up many things in my life.
Ames Cahn crouched down and pulled me with him touching my arm to do so.
I really needed him to stop touching me—but maybe not now. It was still on the harmless, friendly side, right?
“We take all of our excess pumpkins that will never be missed and bring them here for newlings to practice on.”
“Newlings?” I asked starving now for information. He didn’t seem upset in the least that I was finding all this out.
“New to the power. They don’t know how to harness it. It doesn’t come into you until you hit puberty. So when it does, we bring them here to the rock and let them get it all out of their system before they blow up their sister or something worse.”
I glared daggers. That was scary sounding. I didn’t have time to laugh or get mad at his sarcasm. “I’ve had my powers since I was a child. Born really.”
“I know,” he looked down.
“When will you tell me why that is?” I guessed his mood swing before the emotion waved over me. He'd said my eyes talk, but his face spoke loads.
He looked up like he was amazed I’d figured him out, but I think he really just wanted to tell me and find out if I would accept it or not. Maybe he was that worried I would hate him or reject our kind. I felt his fear again, though it rarely ever went away.
He didn’t answer so I answered for him, “I understand, Ames. You said you wouldn’t lie and you don’t want to now. So you stay silent to keep yourself safe from getting me angry or walking straight back through those trees and away from all this. I get that. But I want to know more and you’re just going to have to get this done with.” I scooted down more to the ground to make me eye level with him and continued on before I chickened out. “I will give a small amount every time you do. That is all I can promise. I will earn your trust and you mine. It’s called compromise. But I swear if you hurt me,” I gritted my teeth in fear, “I will cut your balls off and serve them to Russian speaking monkeys.”
He coughed out a response. Score. I made my point. “Deal, Ace.”
“Ace?” I whispered since we were incognito. That was a perfect nickname for him and I knew just what it stood for.
“You are one of a kind, Emma. Nothing could top your speeches or your promises,” he shook his head with a disbelieving laugh.
“You know it,” I smiled at his compliment and looked away from him just to prove that I could. That he wasn’t consuming me. That his changing attitude towards me didn’t affect me. He was already different from just yesterday. More relaxed.
A tree branch fell behind us. Ames covered my head with his hands. Well, not completely relaxed. More like on guard.
When he felt there was no danger he uncovered my face with my hands and said presumptuously, “So is it a deal breaker if I kiss you because I could really after that speech. In fact you’re little speeches strike up many emotions in me your little emo reader can’t detect.”
He liked to irritate me. He was amused by it even.
I could take that really wrong, but I chose to take it like I wanted it to be. I hit his chest where I could reach. “That’s where you messed up, buddy. My speeches are usually reserved for people I like.”
“So you kiss a lot of people you don’t like,” his eyes darkened, velvety and inviting.
I pushed him down on the ground. When he fell back, I giggled. For an idle moment, my heart froze at the idea of him kissing anyone else.
“I’ll never have that privilege.”
I pretended not to hear him mostly because I didn’t know what he meant by it.
When we righted ourselves, over a dozen pairs of eyes were looming above us. Oh, snap!
AMES
Crap!
“What do we have here, Cahn?” Wicker asked suggestively.
I was severely screwed. Way off the mission.
“Nothing, Wicker. Go back to your fireworks and mind your business. We’re all good here,” I shot out like a bullet. I hoped to steer them away from her though I'd walked her right into it. I didn't have that choice once Joshlin stepped in.
“What are you doing here then?” he challenged me. He was the same size as I was. We all were. Wicker trained the newlings. He’d been the best bud for years, but that was just that, years ago. And nothing else mattered in my eyes, but it did to him. I still think he would do anything for me, but his resentment towards Jem’s reason for existing made him bitter in recent months. I needed to know if he was still with me.
“Emma here was curious so I brought her to see.” I thought fast. Reality was a stronger dose of why she was really here.
The crowd dispersed and Wicker with it. He looked back over his shoulder though and said with a small salute making me sting with anger, “Let’s see what she’s got.”
Uh, oh!
I leaned into her neck and whispered, “Don’t tell them how long you’ve had your power or anything else. And don’t let them see how much. Even if it makes you look weak, stifle the amount. Understand?” I moved my face to her eyes. She nodded and bit her bottom lip in confusion. I felt the heat of the hot breath she released, and reserved to kiss that lip very soon. I needed a way out of that curse she was in.
Wicker watched her walk out with the prowess of a tiger circling the ring kicking up another emotion in my system. He looked her over more than once and licked his lips at her. She saw all this and moved like the fair-haired lioness she carried herself as when the opportunity was presented. This was a situation that required tact and careful examination of what your ally, or enemy, would do next. Or at least that’s what my head saw when she pranced about.
Wicker snarked a remark out, “What can that body of hers do, Ames? Have you checked it out thoroughly?”
I growled but then tapered the anger, pinching the bridge of my nose. I wanted to punch him, hard!
“Dude, what’s up with you?” he raised both eyebrows at me.
I nodded and then looked at Emma. She was watching me now with a burning amount of energy that only meant she was wigged by me or wanted to kill Wicker along with me. Great.
“You are dangerously close to being sent to the wall again.” I knew he didn’t want to go back to doing surveillance.
Emma came over to me and planted the biggest kiss ever across the stretch of my stubble-covered cheek. I stayed stiff and alert to every eye watching. She let her lips pull back a little and she started to speak before my head caught up, “Stop your emotions. I get it that our bodies rely solely on the amount of energy you expel and restore. I am a master of this, just not mastered. If you burn it all at once, you’ll feel like you’re sleepy or even black out. I’ve got this, you hear me? They learn to train their energy stores. You’re going to kill over right here of an emotional heart attack if you don’t. I get it that he is unaware of whatever secrets you’re still hiding and I get that he is a jerkface like all the rest I told you about. Just don’t turn into one. Now, taper down your jealousy and ape man protector mode so we can get this done. I’m thrilled to get to use my power. I can do this.”
/>
She didn’t leave me any air to breathe with. She was amazing. And trusting me. Wow didn’t cover it.
Wicker laughed wickedly. What would he do next? Or her for that matter.
“Don’t let her have that wish. Clearly, she doesn’t know the power of one kiss, man.”
“Shut up already,” I snapped.
Wicker shot up both hands and returned to the standing line to wait.
I stepped back and let her take the reins. Emma sidled up closer to Wicker and he locked in the invading personal space to a mere inch or two. My belt tightened around me as I held back the anger. She wasn’t mine. I’d spent time teasing her, but she took it just in fun. And besides, I was on a mission.
“Let’s see it, babe,” he called to her.
She stood spread eagle with her hands wiggling out beside her. A new pumpkin had been placed on the tree stump. She had her back to me so I didn’t see how she harnessed the power or what she did first or last, but the object just exploded into a thousand bits the second she stilled.
Every hand clapped and Wicker pulled his hand to his chin. He made circles with his mustache and said, “Can you do it with other objects not planned for?”
I thought this wasn’t planned so I couldn’t see the advantage of doing this. He aimed her to the target boards with a handful of arrows. She looked back at me for help and I gave the smallest of nods. My heart thumped harder at her wanting my help or approval or whatever it was.
Emma took them from him and he helped her out with, “Do the same with the arrows hitting the target.”
She stood as she did before but her left hand pulled back above her head with an arrow aimed in her hand. Two seconds later it was in the center of the bulls-eye. She wasn’t fully one of us. She had something else in her. Something from her human side that made her so much more dynamic.
Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) Page 8