by Evie Del Mar
“Drake, man, what are you doing?” Blake called out, hoping to finally get an answer. “Is it your crystal piece?”
Still ignoring us, Drake lifted his arm in front of his shoulder, palm up. The ground beneath us suddenly started rumbling, like something was brewing right under our feet. Not able to fully see the bottom of the crater, I looked down past Drake, and saw a tiny spot of red, getting bigger against the black vastness. Following his command, a small, steady stream of lava erupted from the ground and into Drake’s hand. My heart rate quickened as I expected him to scream out in pain from the heat, but instead, he just smiled.
Just a few seconds later, the lava stream flowed out of Drake’s hand, leaving a small lava rock, and went back down until not even a tiny spot of red could be seen.
“You are one crazy lady!” Drake laughed, causing the ground to start rumbling again. “I’m just kidding! Calm down!” The ground became still. “Sheesh…”
He turned around and looked up, noticing us for the first time. “Oh, hey guys! What’s up?”
“‘What’s up?’ Are you kidding me?” Blair put her hands on her hips. “What the hell was that?”
“Can I get a little help out of here first? Cole?”
Cole stopped to the edge of the crater and crossed his arms. “I don’t know, I kind of like this view,” he said through his teeth.
Drake’s eyes grew big. “Excuse me? You’re just going to leave me here?”
“I’m thinking about it.” Cole glanced my way, but instead of his usual sexy grin, a scowl formed, making my breath hitch, and not in the same way he had before. He looked extremely pissed. Blake walked up next to Cole and whispered something in his ear. Cole grunted and rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
Cole twirled his arm in a circle, while slowly lifting the other arm. At his command, a gust of wind slowly lifted Drake off the ground, out of the crater, and sat him down in front of us. I had never seen Cole do this kind of thing with his power before. If I weren’t already worried about his strange, albeit deeply concerning, attitude, I would have been ecstatic to have seen Drake being lifted off his feet like he weighed nothing.
“Ok, now what was that? Who were you talking to?” Blair demanded.
“Oh, I was talking to Pele,” Drake said, nonchalantly. “When we arrived at our lodge, I heard a faint voice, whispering to me to ‘come’. I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, so I blew it off, but then it got louder and clearer as we came closer to the crater. She told me to jump inside and then I would know what to do. I don’t know how, but something, maybe instinct, took over. Next thing I knew, I had this lava rock in my hand.”
I cocked my head to the side, confused. “But it’s a lava rock, not a crystal piece.”
“I’m assuming you don’t know what lava rocks are?” Drake questioned me. “When a volcano erupts and rapidly cools, it crystalizes and forms igneous rocks, or in other words, lava rocks. I’m assuming your mom threw my piece into the volcano, hoping Pele would keep it safe until I came to get it.”
Blake walked closer to inspect the lava rock. “Well, how do we get the piece?”
Drake smiled triumphantly. “Like this.” Both of his hands grew bright red as he cupped the rock in between his palms. As he concentrated, dark, red liquid lava began pouring out from the bottom of his hands. When the liquid stopped, he opened his hands. He had melted down the lava rock, which was surrounding the crystal. “Four down and only two more to go.”
I looked at Cole, ours being the only two left, but he didn’t hold my gaze very long before he looked down at his feet, a scowl still on his too perfect face. Fear gripped my insides. What did I do to upset him?
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
After some research and discussion, we figured out Cole’s piece was somewhere in Chicago. We first searched for the windiest city in the U.S., but the result came back Kansas. We knew that wasn’t right because the rest of the song mentioned ‘near a salty sea board’.
Lily had the idea of typing “windy” and “city”, but Blake stopped her, remembering that Chicago was also called “The Windy City”. We searched online and found out that it had a place called Navy Pier Park, which we knew was the salty seaboard. From the pictures we saw, it seemed to be a very large tourist attraction. I had no clue how Cole was going to access his piece surrounded by an audience.
So, here we were, back on the jet, heading to our next destination. Cole’s attitude hadn’t gotten any better. After he called Tony, I tried talking to him while he was alone, to see what was the matter, but he told me he was busy with Blake, and stormed off. I could tell that he was seriously upset about something. I told myself that I would give him some time to calm down, so we could try and talk about it later. He’d come to me when he was ready to talk. This eight and a half hour flight was going to be the death of me.
To pass the time, I fell on the bed and tried to take a nap, but sleep never came. I tossed and turned, my brain not wanting to shut off with thoughts of Cole, The Brotherhood, and my own crystal piece. I still had no clue where mine was. I felt the bed shift on both sides, as two people sat down.
“Melody,” Lily whispered. “Are you ok?”
I sighed and sat up, giving up on sleep. “Yeah, I just wish I knew why Cole keeps ignoring me.”
“That’s not like him,” Blair mentioned. “Maybe he’s worried about getting his piece, so he’s trying to stay focused.”
I threw my hands up. “Well, why won’t he tell me that, instead of letting me walk around thinking I’ve upset him?”
Blair put an arm around me, chuckling. “That’s the male species for you. They’re not very good at communicating.”
I tried to think back to certain events that might have upset him by something I did, but came up blank. Why did this bother me so much? I had wanted this, to put whatever was going on between us on hold until our mission was over, but his furious scowl haunted my every thought. His coldness was taking over every good memory I had with him, and it tore me up inside.
“Maybe you should ask Blake? I believe there’s something going on that he may know about,” Lily suggested. “He was able to calm Cole down and get him to pull Drake out of that crater.”
I had completely forgotten about that! Blake definitely knew something, and I was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another. I just had to figure out how to get him alone to ask.
◆◆◆
When the jet landed a few hours later, Colin assured us that there was a van waiting to take us to our hotel, which happened to be down the street from the pier. After saying goodbye, we all gathered into the van and made the forty-minute drive in silence.
Cole ended up driving and demanded Blake sit in the front seat. It was then I finally realized something that almost slapped me in the face. I wasn’t the only one Cole was ignoring. He was also avoiding Drake. Cole’s hands were almost white as they gripped the steering wheel with so much force, the bones of his knuckles protruded against his skin. The tension in the van was so heavy I felt like I was suffocating. I clawed at my knees as the anxiety grew unbearable.
We finally arrived at the hotel, checked in, and went up to our rooms on the top floor. We met back in the guys’ room to discuss what to do now.
Lily turned to Cole. “Do you feel any pull? Any sort of ‘feeling’?”
Cole just shook his head, grimacing. “No, I don’t feel anything.”
That’s a lie. I know you’re feeling something, and it has nothing to do with the crystal. I threw my thoughts at him sternly, my jaw clenching in annoyance.
“Maybe if you relax a little bit and focus it’ll co—”
“I am relaxed!” Cole barked. We all jumped at his sudden outburst. He took a deep breath and let it out, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Lily. That was uncalled for. I don’t feel anything right now, so maybe if we walk around the pier, I’ll feel something.” He headed to the door and stomped out.
All of us stood still, looking at one another.
“Come on,” Blake laughed uncomfortably. “Let’s go follow him and head to the pier.” Before he could move, I grabbed his arm and kept him from leaving the hotel room. “Melody? Is everything ok?”
I waited until everyone else was gone before I said anything. “Why the hell is Cole acting like this?”
“Li-like what?” he stammered.
“Come on, Blake. Tell me you don’t see the way he’s acting. He’s pissed about something. What is it?”
“Nope. I’m not getting in the middle of this.”
My eyes grew large. “Middle of what? Is he mad at me? What did I do?”
“Ugh,” he groaned. “You’re just going to have to talk to him yourself.”
“I’ve been trying to! He’s ignoring me.”
He put his hands on my shoulders. “Look, just give him some time. Let him cool off first.” He dropped his hands and left the room. I followed him out of the hotel, silently cursing at him for not telling me why Cole was mad. So, he was upset at me. Then why the hell not come talk to me about it? Ugh. Damn men.
◆◆◆
After parking the car, I could definitely see why Navy Pier was such a popular tourist destination. Excitement buzzed everywhere mixing with the welcoming salty breeze. It was like a miniature outdoor mall, with a large Ferris wheel, a Carousel, different restaurants, and different attractions. Yells and shrieks filled the air as kids were lifted up in the air and spun around.
“How the hell are we going to find the crystal piece with so many people around?” Blair looked around, eyeing the large crowd.
Cole walked down the pier, looking back and forth and turning in circles while running into people.
“Hey, watch it!”
“Dude, excuse you.” A lot of people were giving Cole death glares as he pushed his way through.
I quickened my pace and caught up to him. “Cole, what is wrong? You’re pissing off a lot of people and I don’t think we need to be doing that.” I reached up and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop and face me, but he shrugged me off.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m trying to find my piece.”
“Well, looking frantically while bumping into people isn’t helping.”
“I don’t need your help,” he snapped. I took a step back, feeling like I had been slapped. Everyone else caught up to us.
“Dude, she’s only trying to help. We all are,” someone said behind me.
Cole took his eyes off me and looked above my head. I didn’t have to turn around to know he was looking at Drake. I could almost feel the rage coming off Cole. His eyebrows drew deeper. “And I most definitely don’t need any help from you.” A low snarl emanated from the back of his throat.
“Ok, what the hell is your problem?” Drake demanded. Cole moved past me and stood in front of Drake’s face. The two men were so close, their noses almost touching.
“You’re my problem, Drake,” Cole seethed. “Always have to hit on every woman, don’t you?” All of a sudden, the wind picked up, blowing my hair in front of my face. People around us started getting nervous as their hats flew off their heads and ropes from the rides banged against railings. I looked at the others to ask what was going on, but they all looked just as confused as I did, except Blake. He had his hands cupped around his mouth, shouting Cole’s name.
“What are you talking about?” Drake yelled.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Cole put his hands on Drake’s chest and shoved him backward. His voice grew louder and louder as his frustration built, making the wind blow harder. “You know how I feel about her! You’re supposed to be my best friend!” Everyone around us began pushing and shoving each other as they tried to exit the park.
“I do know how you feel about her, which is why I haven’t done anything!” Drake shoved Cole back. Who were they talking about?
“Why would you even think for one second I would do that to you?”
“Because I saw you both on the plane!” Cole shouted. Wait. Was he talking about me? I gasped as the sudden realization hit me like a ton of bricks, knocking the wind out of me. Drake and I looked at each other, wide-eyed and completely speechless. I thought he had been asleep the entire time. I thought back to the conversation between Drake and me, trying to remember if I ever saw Cole wake up.
Oh. My. God.
Was that why his face looked so tense after Drake was done telling me his story? I just thought he was having a nightmare! I never would’ve guessed he had woken up and saw me with Drake. My heart started breaking at what Cole had been thinking this entire time.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Cole spun on his heel and headed toward the end of the pier.
I was frozen in place, still not believing what was happening. Blake came up to me and put his hand on my shoulder, breaking me out of my daze. “Blake, you’ve got to believe me. It wasn’t what it looked like!” I cried. Tears were already clouding my vision.
Blake put his hands on my shoulders comfortingly. “I know Melody, but he’s hurting. Go try and talk some sense into him before we all get blown away.”
Without a second thought, I raced to the end of the pier where Cole was standing, the brutal wind having no effect on him as he looked out at the lake.
“Cole!” I yelled against the wind, my heart racing. “Please talk to me. It wasn’t what it looked like.”
He turned to me, his eyes burning with hurt. Hurt that I seemed to have caused. “Then please, by all means, tell me what it was because it’s been eating me inside from the moment I saw it. I mean, damn Melody, don’t you know how I feel about you?”
The tears pooled over, cascading down my cheeks as the determination in his eyes shot right into my soul. “If it’s anything like the way I feel about you, then yes.” I grabbed my hair that was slapping me in the face from the wind, and held it at the base of my neck.
I took in a large breath, wishing it would calm my racing heart. “That night, on the plane, I had a nightmare. Drake woke me out of it, but it was so intense that I started sobbing. He sat me down to talk about what happened, hoping it would make me feel better.” Just thinking about the nightmare brought even more tears, re-opening the wound in my heart that I thought I finally sealed.
“Why wouldn’t you want to talk to me about it?”
I didn’t answer, not wanting to hurt him even more. Honestly, I didn’t want to talk to him about it because I didn’t want him to see me differently. He still had one parent alive, and I wasn’t sure he would understand the guilt I had been carrying. He wasn’t walking around feeling like he caused his mother’s accident. He was a baby when it happened, for crying out loud.
He pleaded. “Melody, why didn’t you talk about it with me?”
“Because I didn’t want you to look at me like I was a murderer!” I yelled. I covered my face, ashamed and too afraid to see his reaction.
The wind around us died down, leaving just the thuds of the water lapping below. Large, strong hands grabbed mine and pulled them away from my face. I looked up and saw Cole’s face had softened. His mesmerizing blue eyes, full of concern, locked with mine. They seemed bluer and brighter than I’d ever seen them. Sparkling so much, that in that moment, I forgot my pain.
“I would never think that of you,” he whispered. “You have the kindest soul I have ever met. There’s not a malicious bone in your body.” He went silent, as if a thought popped into his head. “Are you talking about your parents’ accident?”
All I could do was nod my head. Cole yanked me toward him, his arms tightly wrapping around my waist. I breathed in his dark scent, cardamom, black pepper, and sandalwood, and relaxed into his chest.
“Melody, you did not cause that crash,” he soothed. “I would know because I was there. I saw the whole thing.”
I pushed against his chest, looking him in the eyes. “You did?”
“Yes.” He looked down, like he was afraid to say the next words. “You already know we too
k you to the hospital, but there’s more. Whatever is growing between us is stronger and deeper than we can understand. Didn’t you feel a strong connection when we first met?”
My breath caught. So, the impulse to dive in headfirst whenever he touched me wasn’t just one sided? I’d been nervous about my feelings for Cole since the day we met. Had it really only been two months? Because it felt like an eternity had passed. It seemed that my brain was trying to tell my heart to slow down, that it was way too soon to feel something so strong for someone.
“What you don’t know is that I actually met you before you met me,” he muttered, smiling slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re going to think I’m super weird,” he chuckled uncomfortably. “But I actually had a dream about you before I met you.” The corners of his mouth tilted into my favorite grin as he remembered the dream. “I dreamt of this beautiful girl, with auburn hair and gray eyes, who could move water with her hands. Her smile brightened up an entire room and her laugh was music to my ears.
“Lily was the most recent one to join our group, so we spent some time looking for you to complete it. I can’t explain it, call it intuition if you want, but something told me to look in Dallas. Dad and I hopped on a plane and flew to Dallas the next morning. We got lost driving to our hotel when a car in front of us skidded around a corner and down a ditch.
“Dad and I raced out to help whoever was in the car, but I had no idea fate led me right to you.” He lifted one of his hands up and gently pushed back a lock of hair from my face, leaving his hand cradling my cheek. “Melody, when I found you…” He stopped and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Seeing you like that, upside down in that car, unconscious…”
I placed my hand on top of his. “Cole…” A new ache formed in my chest, but not from pain. The agony he experienced at the thought of losing me was clearly visible on his face.
He smiled at me. “Dad told me to wait in the car so he could check the scene first. He went to the passenger side and saw that you were still alive, so he called me over to help. You had an arm sticking out of the shattered window. When we saw that the rain didn’t touch you, we knew that you were the one. As soon as we got you out of the car, I flew you to the nearest hospital. Don’t you see? There was nothing you could’ve done to prevent the accident.”