From Ashes

by Amanda Perry

Dad lets out a long, dramatic sigh. “It was a long day. Big project due next week that Derek and I have to finish.”

  I vaguely hear Leanne ask more details about the project, but my mind is stuck on the mention of Caleb’s father, Derek. Until now, I didn’t realize I never gave them an answer about Thanksgiving. I wonder if Derek and Susannah think I hate them because I haven’t met them yet.

  At first, it was the attack that prevented our meeting. Then Caleb and I had our falling out and just made up a few days ago. I haven’t had another chance to meet them yet. The idea scares me to death, but it has to happen sooner or later.

  Lifting my head, I peek up at Caleb over my shoulder. “Can we talk about something?”

  “Of course.” His forehead creases with worry, but he doesn’t hesitate to lead me to the back deck for some privacy. He drops down onto the wicker loveseat and pulls me into his lap. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Thanksgiving. It’s in five days.” My nerves kick in, and I opt to play with the collar of his shirt rather than look directly at him. “I was wondering what you think about me finally meeting your parents.”

  He doesn’t respond for a long time, and I worry about what he might be thinking. My fingers fidget with his collar faster as my heart rate spikes. Dr. Paine’s suggestion to use my affinities to calm myself waft into my mind.

  I close my eyes and focus on turning the air around us into a light breeze. It blows across my face, cooling me down and ruffling my hair. I pull in deep breaths of the fresh air until I have a better grip on my anxiety. When I open my eyes again, I realize Caleb has been watching me.

  “Did you use your affinity for Air to calm you down?” He runs his hand softly up and down my back.

  “Yeah,” I admit sheepishly. “Dr. Paine suggested I use my affinities to help calm my anxiety. I figured I’d give it a try.”

  Caleb gives me a prideful smile. “You did good, baby.”

  I flush with happiness. “I’m glad it worked.”

  “You have no reason to be nervous about my parents, though.” He rests one hand on my knee while the one on my back comes to a stop against my lower back. “I’ve wanted you to meet them from the start. They know you’re it for me, and they’re ready to meet you. They’ve been texting me daily asking when you’ll be ready.”

  “Really?” I was told that before, but I didn’t expect them to be so eager.

  “Yeah, really. Cassie has to get her impatience from somewhere.” Caleb chuckles. “The thing is, I don’t want you to feel rushed. If you’re ready to meet them on Thanksgiving, they’ll be ecstatic. If you want to wait, then they’ll deal with it and wait.”

  I tilt my head and study him. “What about you? Do you want me to meet them?”

  “I do.” He nods vigorously. “I’m excited to show off the girl I love. They’ve listened to me talk about you nonstop for months. I’m ready to finally introduce you.”

  Caleb’s tone is so full of hope; I couldn’t say no even if I wanted to. The surprising thing is that I don’t want to say no. I want to meet his parents and get the experience out of the way. It terrifies me, but it needs to happen, eventually. It’s long overdue at this point, and if it means that much to Caleb, then I’ll do it now. It’ll be one less thing for me to spend time stressing about.

  A sudden thought occurs to me before I can agree, and I stiffen on his lap. “Do they know about my stepfather and my mother? Do they know everything about me?”

  He’s shaking his head before I can even finish my question. “Nothing like that, baby. They don’t even know about you being the Chosen. They know you came from a different background, and it’s complicated. I told them the rest was up to you to talk about.”

  “They don’t even know about my affinities?” I blink in shock. “I figured that would be the first thing you told them.”

  “The first thing I told them is that I found my soulmate, and she’s absolutely perfect.” He takes his hand off my knee and runs it through my hair, pushing it away from my face. “I told them how smart you are, how beautiful you are. I told them you’re the kindest, sweetest person I’ve ever met. I told them I couldn’t wait for them to meet you and fall in love with you, too.”

  “You’re perfect,” I whisper as I rest my forehead on his chest.

  He drops his cheek onto the top of my head. “I’m not quite perfect, but I try damn hard for you.”

  “Well, you’re perfect for me,” I counter.

  He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight. “And you’re perfect for me.”

  “I’d like to meet your parents on Thanksgiving,” I tell him after a long silence.

  I feel his smile against the top of my head. “I’m happy to hear that, and I know they will be, too.”

  Not only will it be strange meeting Caleb’s parents for the first time, but I’ll also get to celebrate my first real holiday with a family. I’ve seen how Thanksgiving looks on television and read about it in books, but I never celebrated holidays growing up.

  The special days throughout the year that most families celebrate were just regular days to me. Sometimes my mother and Samael would exchange gifts with each other, but generally, it ended in arguments because one or both didn’t get what they truly wanted. They would scream at each other while I hid somewhere in the house and tried to tune them out.

  There were a few holidays when the library stayed open, and I looked forward to those because I had the place mostly to myself. My mother didn’t care if I spent the whole day there because she knew no one would be around for me to talk to.

  Memories flash through my mind of the last day I spent at the library across the street from my old house. It was my seventeenth birthday, almost exactly a year ago. My mother had let me spend other holidays at the library over the years, and I stupidly thought I could do the same on my birthday. Instead, the day ended in her death and nearly my own.

  My heart fills with regret that I’ll never know if my mother would have changed her ways without Samael around. I used to dream of him leaving us and her turning into a loving parent. It’s not likely that would have ever happened, but it was the only thing I ever wished for when I was growing up.

  “Baby, you’re shaking.” Caleb pulls away and uses his finger under my chin to lift my face and meet my gaze. His eyes widen with horror. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying? If you’re that nervous about meeting my parents, we can wait.”

  “It’s not about that.” I swipe at the tears I hadn’t noticed were falling. “I was just thinking about the holidays. This will be the first time I celebrate any special occasion.”

  Caleb runs his thumb across my cheek to catch a few stray tears. “Why does that make you sad?”

  “It doesn’t.” I sniffle and let out a long breath. “I was also thinking about the way I used to spend holidays.”

  “Things will be completely different here, I promise.” He pulls me back to his chest and runs his hand through my hair. “I’ll make sure you have the best Thanksgiving ever.”

  “I love you,” I whisper against his chest.

  He squeezes me tighter. “I love you, too, baby.”

  After a while of sitting in each other’s arms, Caleb inhales deeply and stretches his arms out. “We need to get ready for tonight, baby.”

  “I’ll need to know where we’re going, so I can get dressed.” I bat my lashes innocently.

  Caleb snickers and shakes his head. “Not telling. Just go up to your closet, everything is taken care of for you.”

  With an exaggerated pout, I slide off his lap and mope to the house. He follows me into the house, laughing the whole time. When we reach the hallway upstairs, he urges me into my room then locks himself in his.

  I close my bedroom door and realize too late I don’t know what I should be doing.

  “It’s about time you showed up.”

  Chapter 16

  The voice from behind me startles a screech out of me. I swirl around with my hand over my heart an
d glower at my best friend. “Did you have to do that?”

  “Sorry.” She shrugs, her apology is about as sincere as my anger. “We have work to do. You’re going on your first official date with Caleb, and I’ve been asked to get you ready.”

  “A date?” An idea creeps into my head, and I give Cassie my sweetest smile. “Do you know where he’s taking me?”

  “Not a chance, Storm.” She drops her fists onto her hips and taps her foot. “If I told you his plans, he and Jaxon would kill me. Or worse, they’d delete the shows I have recorded before I can watch them, which would put me in a real quandary. I can’t chance that kind of torture.”

  “Quandary?” I bite my lip to hold in a giggle. “That’s the word of the day, right?”

  “Yes.” She nods with relief. “I’ve been waiting all freaking day to use it. It’s been surprisingly difficult to slip it into casual conversation.”

  “It worked where you used it.” As she leads me to the closet, I decide to push her a bit more. “What about a hint?”

  “I gave you a hint.” She gives me a look over her shoulder. “You didn’t catch on, which isn’t my fault. I tried.”

  “When did you give me a hint?” I think I would have remembered her mentioning a date with Caleb and his potential plans. We haven’t talked about it at all since he and Jaxon plotted it out.

  Cassie growls, “You’re not getting anything out of me, Ri. Now shush before I accidentally spill the beans and get myself in trouble.”

  I do as she asks and put a hold on the inquisition to let her do what she wants with me for the next hour. After curling my long, blond hair, Cassie applies more makeup than she normally does. At first, I worry it’ll make me look like a clown, but I actually like the way the smoky color palette makes my violet eyes pop more than they already do.

  “You’re gorgeous,” Cassie gushes. She spins me in a slow circle to admire her handiwork. “He won’t be able to keep his eyes off you.”

  “Am I just wearing my jeans and a t-shirt?” I glance down at the plain clothes I put on before my appointment this morning. “It’s not my best outfit.”

  “No way am I letting you wear that on your first date.” She ransacks my closet until she finds an outfit that she deems worthy of tonight. She tosses a pile of clothing at me. “Put that on.”

  I rifle through the pile in an attempt to make sense of her choice. The first thing I pull out is a pale blue, long, flowy dress which has a slight silver shimmer to the fabric. Along with the dress, Cassie picked out a pair of white lacy panties with matching bra.

  “When did you get these?” I ask as I finish my inspection of the outfit. Cassie rounds it off with a white cardigan and strappy sandals. “I don’t remember seeing any of this in my closet before.”

  Cassie strolls back into my closet and opens the jewelry box she claims magically appeared one day. “I bought them this morning while you were at your appointment.”

  With her back turned to me, I take the opportunity to quickly change my clothes. While slipping on the matching bra and panties, I decide to try again for some sort of hint. “Do you think I’ll be too cold in this? Is he taking me somewhere outdoors?”

  My final attempt doesn’t do me any good. She simply turns around with a handful of jewelry and shrugs. The mischievous glint in her eyes isn’t lost on me—she enjoys making me wait.

  With a defeated sigh, I finish pulling on the dress, cardigan, and sandals. Cassie hands me a pair of silver drop earrings. They perfectly match the necklace Caleb had made for me. She fastens a sparkling tennis bracelet onto my wrist, then another silver chain around my ankle.

  She stands back and gives me a once-over. “Damn.” A wide smile spreads over her face as she admires her handiwork. “I’m so good.”

  I check myself in the full-length mirror on my closet door and have to agree with her. She thought of every detail, and I feel beautiful. I only hope Caleb feels the same way when he sees me.

  Realization hits me hard that I’m going on my first, real date tonight, and my airway closes up. “Cassie, I don’t think I can do this.”

  “What?” She hurries over to me and twirls me to face her instead of the mirror. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’ve never been on a date before. What am I supposed to do? Is there a rulebook for dating?” My shaking hands fidget with my cardigan’s buttons. “I don’t know how to act or what to say. What do you say on a date?”

  “Riley,” Cassie grabs my biceps and shakes me, “calm down, woman. You’re going on a date with Caleb, not Zac Efron.”

  “What does Zac Efron have to do with this?” My unease doesn’t allow me the opportunity to process her words, and I realize too late she was trying to crack a joke. “Oh, I get it. Never mind.”

  “It’s Caleb,” Cassie repeats slowly. “You don’t need to worry about anything when you’re with him. He’ll take care of you.”

  “You’re right.” I nod, shake my head to clear my thoughts, then nod again. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s Caleb.”

  “He’s planned this entire thing for you. Don’t stress out. Just let him treat you to a fantastic, first date and have fun.” She releases her grip on my arms, only to pull me in for a hug. “You look beautiful, and I can’t wait to hear all about your date, but you have to get going.”

  “Going where?” I pull away from our hug and grin. “You could tell me where I’m going, right?”

  “Not even a little bit.” Cassie links her arm with mine and opens my bedroom door.

  She pokes her head out and searches for something. When she’s decided she’s happy with whatever she’d been looking for, she opens the door and pulls me along beside her. I follow her lead until we walk out the front door. Jaxon sits in the driver side of his car with a cheesy grin on his face.

  He quickly hops out of the car, rushes around to the passenger side, and opens it with an exaggerated bow. “Your chariot awaits, milady.”

  “Uhm.” I glance around, expecting Caleb to jump out and yell, ‘Gotcha,’ but he’s nowhere to be found. “I thought I was going out with Caleb tonight.”

  Cassie lets out a string of giggles. “You are. Jax is your ride. Caleb will be waiting for you when you get there. Just trust us.”

  “I trust you guys,” I mutter and slide into the passenger seat.

  Cassie pops up beside me before Jaxon shuts the door. “Good, because there’s one last thing.”

  I eye her warily. “What?”

  “Put this blindfold on.” She tosses me a piece of black silk fabric, then skips away while yelling over her shoulder for me to have fun.

  Jaxon closes the door as I open my mouth to yell at Cassie, which he likely timed it in anticipation of my reaction. My brother can be pretty clever sometimes.

  As soon as he hops into the driver’s seat, I pin him with a glare. “Is she joking about the blindfold? If she is and I end up wearing it for no reason, I’ll blame you.”

  Jaxon holds up both hands in surrender and chuckles. “She’s not kidding. We’re just following Caleb’s orders. He doesn’t want you to guess where we are headed, and you will if you watch the road.”

  “Ugh.” I carefully tie the sash behind my head without messing up my hair or makeup. “If Caleb requested it, I’ll do it for him, but I won’t like it one bit.”

  “Noted.” Jaxon takes his job seriously and waits until I have the sash tied before he starts the car and drives off. “I should have demanded payment for this job.”

  Chapter 17

  Jaxon takes his role in Caleb’s plan seriously. The drive doesn’t take nearly as long as I expect, maybe at most, a half an hour. I pass the time asking Jaxon questions about where we may be headed and fish for hints. He’s a steel trap, though, and won’t let even the smallest detail slip, and I’m both exasperated and giddy because of it.

  “All right, sis, we made it.” As the car rolls to a stop, I reach for the blindfold only to have my hands blocked. “Nope, not yet.�
�

  “But we’re here. Why can’t I take it off now?” My protest comes out as more of a pathetic whine than a protest. It can’t be helped. My patience has worn thin, and if I don’t find out what the surprise is soon, I might throw my first Cassie-sized tantrum.

  Jaxon snickers. “Patience, mini one.”

  I start to reprimand him for the short joke, but my door opens before I can. I jolt away from the cool breeze, unsure what’s happening. Jaxon never left the car, so I don’t know who opened my door or why.

  “It’s me, baby.” Every bit of tension in my body drains at the sound of Caleb’s voice. “Let me help you out.”

  He unbuckles my seatbelt and takes both my hands in his. He guides me from the car until I’m firmly on my feet, then he envelops me in a warm hug. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.” I wrap my arms around his neck and pull myself closer to him. “Can I take this blindfold off, yet?”

  Caleb laughs softly. “Almost.” He rests his hands on my shoulders and slowly spins me to face away from him. “I’m going to take you where we need to go first. It’s not far.”

  My insides vibrate with excitement. “Then I can take off the blindfold?”

  “You’re an impatient little thing,” Caleb muses. “I didn’t realize how terrible you’d be at waiting for a surprise.”

  “I did wait,” I counter with a huff. “Then waiting took too long, and no one will give me any hints.”

  Caleb chuckles and rests his hands on my hips. “You’re too fucking adorable.” He doesn’t wait for a response. Instead, he literally sweeps me off my feet.

  I squeal and grab at his shirt for dear life. “Caleb! What are you doing?”

  “I told you I was taking you where we have to go.” I hear the humor in his tone. He’s loving how crazy this whole surprise is making me. “If I let you walk, you’ll guess.”

  It takes a second for his words to sink in. “That makes no sense. How would walking ruin a surprise?”

  “You’ll understand in a second.” He won’t budge. With a heavy sigh, I relax into his arms and allow him to carry me away.