by H G Lynch
“Are you remembering your girlfriend is part witch?” Ricky asked.
Reid’s mouth twitched. “Part,” he emphasised, as if it made all the difference in the world. “And she’s different. And I bet Owen knows it, too. I don’t know what exactly he’s doing here, besides pissing me off. But it’s nothing good. And if he keeps flirting with my girlfriend, I’ll break his nose. He’s been here two days and he’s laying on the charm already. Whatever he’s planning, I think it involves Ember.”
Ricky stared at his friend and came to a conclusion. Reid didn’t just have feelings for Ember; he was actually in love with her. Ricky didn’t think Reid even realised it himself, didn’t think Ember knew it either, but the boy was in love. It was clear as day every time Reid looked at Ember, when he spoke about her. Acorn Hills Academy’s most infamous playboy was head-over-heels in love, and Ricky just had to wonder how long it would take the blonde boy to realise it.
“Oi, did you hear me?” Reid shook him out of his thoughts. The wind was blowing his blonde hair around his face, and he was giving Ricky that you-weren’t-listening-to-me scowl.
Ricky sighed. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
They were almost back to their dorm now, the building looming up before them. The huge, granite bricks were slick with rain, and green moss was crawling up the corners. Brown leaves danced about on the stone steps, playing in little whirlwinds with empty crisp packets.
“I was saying, I think I need to make it clear to Owen that I’m not just around as Ember’s lapdog. I’m her boyfriend and if he wants to move in on her, it’s his face,” Reid said, his lips pressing into a flat line. He had anger in his eyes, and jealousy. Reid had never been jealous of anyone before; this was new for him.
Ricky wanted to say that violence wasn’t the answer but no doubt Reid would respond with a blank stare, the way he always did when Ricky suggested something like that, as if Ricky was speaking another language. With a frown, he said instead, “I’m sure there’s no need really. Ember will put him in his place if he comes onto her.” Ricky smiled reassuringly at his friend and saw the blonde boy’s tension ease a little.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. But I still say the guy’s a sleazy worm,” Reid grumbled.
“Fair enough,” Ricky agreed.
** Ember **
“Seriously, I’m never going shopping again!” Ember groaned as she lugged her three shopping bags into her room. Mrs. Jennings followed her in with five of her own bags of new clothes, shoes and jewellery. Ember dumped her bags by her bed, and kicked off her trainers, dropping onto her bed. It felt like heaven to get off her feet after walking all over town, trailing after her mother from shop to bloody shop.
“Never? Not even for books?” Sherry asked. Amusement laced her voice, and she smiled. Ember glared at her – she hadn’t had to spend two and a half hours walking around town. The green-eyed girl was folded on the chair by the desk, reading a book, and she’d swirled around in the chair when Ember and her mother came in.
“Okay, I’ll make an exception for books,” Ember amended, rubbing her aching feet.
Behind her, Carol closed the door and sighed. “Ember, I swear you are not my daughter,” she joked, brushing a lock of dark hair off her face.
Ember snorted. “Yeah, I’m adopted. Anyway, no more shopping for a long time. Not for clothes.” She relaxed back onto her pillows and her mother batted her feet to the side to dump down her own shopping bags on the end of her bed.
“So, what did you actually buy?” Sherry asked with a little too much enthusiasm.
“Clothes,” Ember muttered, entirely unenthusiastic. Sherry glared at her meaningfully. Ember sighed. “A new leather jacket, new trainers…and three new books,” she answered, waving her hand dismissively at her bags on the floor.
“Ooh, let’s see!” Sherz squealed.
Ember arched a brow at her. “Ooh, let’s not!” she replied dryly.
Mrs. Jennings and Sherry both laughed at that and Ember rolled her eyes. It had been a long and painful day so far, filled with whirling images of store after store after store, hundreds of clothes and shoes. Ember would be happy if her mother would just leave and let her relax for a while before she had to go find Owen for her ‘magic lessons’ and then Reid for…well, probably either some sort of lecture, or a game of avoid-the-groping-fingers. Fantastic.
“Okay, I’m going back to my room to unload my new shoes!” Carol laughed lightly and picked up her loaded bags from next to Ember’s feet. She struggled to open the door but Ember didn’t make a move to help her; her own muscles were groaning, and she didn’t feel like moving for a while.
“‘Kay, Bye,” Ember called brightly as her mother left. Then she let out a sigh of relief and pulled out her bottle of Coke from under the bed, taking a few swigs to ease her oncoming headache. She untied and re-tied the ribbon in her hair pointlessly, just to give her something to do with her hands so she wouldn’t hit something in frustration. She still had a lot to do today.
Glancing at the time on her phone, Ember groaned and rolled off her bed. “I’ve got to go. Got a thing with Owen. If you see Reid, tell him to swing by later.”
Sherry nodded, and Ember slipped out, headed to the visitors’ dorm to look for Owen.
*
Two hours later, Ember was sweating and breathless and her head hurt like hell. God, it took so much effort to levitate branches when she wasn’t seeing red with rage. And testing other possible powers, such as controlling plants and animals, manipulating the elements, et cetera…it was not only tiring and painful but frustrating, when she discovered she couldn’t do any of those. Plus, there was the fact that she was constantly on edge, waiting for Owen to bring up something about her dream. It was driving her nuts, not knowing if he knew.
“Okay, I think we’ll give it up for today. You did well, you deserve a rest,” Owen said with a sympathetic smile. She might’ve deserved it but it wasn’t going to come just yet. She still had to see Reid before she could rest up…and there was still her dream; she couldn’t stand not knowing.
“Thanks. Hey, by the way, I thought I told you to stop messing with my dreams,” she said as casually as possible, wiping a hand across her forehead. Well, it was said now, whether or not he’d been in her head last night. Owen gave her a surprised, confused look, his deep purple eyes flashing with something she couldn’t identify. It could’ve been amusement.
“I haven’t messed with your dreams since before I arrived. I swear. If I was in your dreams, it was your own imagination that put me there,” he said with a wry smile, and she swallowed. Was her face giving away what kind of dream it had been? Well, she was blushing like a beetroot, so maybe.
Leaning closer, Owen raised an eyebrow. “Was I in your dreams? Was that why you couldn’t sleep last night?” He smiled, but it was a smile she wasn’t used to seeing on Owen’s cute face. It was a sensual, warm smile, and she felt the heat burning in her cheeks like an open flame on her face. Damn it. She should have kept her mouth shut.
“No, I told you,” Ember said, shaking her head, “I had a book report…to…do.” She slowly trailed off, as Owen reached out and stroked across her cheekbone with his thumb. She felt a flutter in her stomach, not a pleasant one, and froze under his intimate touch. His eyes were bright, mesmerizing, drawing her in…
No! She pulled away from him and frowned. “I-I have to go. Um, Reid ought to be looking for me,” she lied. She needed the excuse to get out of there before she did something beyond stupid. Owen let her go with just a knowing smile that made her shiver with anxiety. She made her way back to the dorms, through the bushes blowing in the chilly October breeze, feeling confused and unnerved.
** Reid **
Reid waited for Ember to disappear through the trees before he leapt from his hiding place in a nearby tree.
He was ashamed to admit he’d followed her out here the minute he’d realised she was going to be with Owen. He’d watched them work with her magi
c for what felt like an eternity, and was amazed at Ember’s skill. She was picking this stuff up fast; he was glad she was on his side.
But maybe she wouldn’t be for much longer. Because he’d seen the way Owen touched her, he’d heard what she’d said and his reply. Reid didn’t doubt for a second that Owen was messing with her dreams and lying to her about it. And he’d seen her blush so he knew exactly what kind of dreams he’d been forcing into her head. Now he understood what had brought on her eagerness last night: guilt.
His stomach clenched with anger, and hurt. He knew Ember wasn’t entirely comfortable with getting physical; she was too shy and anxious. But he didn’t mind taking things slow with her – he didn’t want to push her. Things were different with Ember. Every touch, every kiss, felt special, felt like an achievement. He could and would wait for her, for weeks, months, as long as it took for her to trust him completely.
He wanted her to come to him when she was ready. What he didn’t want was for any single one of their kisses to be tainted by guilt or uncertainty. It hurt him to think that the only reason she’d come to him last night was assuage her guilt for dreaming about Owen, not because she wanted him, not because she was learning to trust him.
Reid had to wonder just how many times she’d dreamed of Owen and found him the next day with guilt hidden under her smile, how many times had she kissed him while thinking of Owen? He wondered if, that day in the woods when he had to push her away, had she really been so eager for him because of her ramped-up emotions and hormones, or had she dreamt of Owen and tried to erase it by giving Reid the attention she thought he wanted?
Just thinking about it made Reid feel sick. The edges of his vision stained red with fury as he glared down through the boughs at the dream-walking creep below. And suddenly, he couldn’t stand it anymore, the idea that this freak, this warlock, was messing with Ember’s head.
Reid snarled, dropping from his tree and landing in a crouch just a few feet from the surprised-looking Owen. He bared his fangs, but Owen just blinked, and then flashed an arrogant smile. It boiled Reid’s blood. “I want you ssstay out of Ember’s head, you sssleazy little twerp,” he hissed.
“Hello, Reid,” Owen said casually. “I suspected you were watching. But like I told your girlfriend, I haven’t been in her head since…Sunday night I think it was. Anyway, if she’s dreaming about me, it’s her own desires, not mine, that are invading her sleep.” Owen smirked, those freakish purple eyes practically glowing with smugness. The wind blew sharply through the trees, churning colour into Owen’s skin. The trees made a harsh chuckling noise and Reid growled, feeling the magic Owen was using to make it happen sparking in the air like faint static electricity.
“Bullshit!” Reid snapped. “She doesn’t want you. You’re screwing with her head, trying to get into her pants. Putting your sick desires into her mind…” Reid felt sick to his stomach, thinking about the kinds of things he could’ve put in his Ember’s head. Owen looked infuriatingly thoughtful for a moment.
“Hmm. Yeah, I’ll admit it. I do want in her pants. But I’ve wanted that since I was twelve years old. I must say, she’s really grown up. Not much up top, but that ass–” Owen’s laughter cut off in a strangled sound as Reid grabbed him round the throat, slamming him back against the nearest tree. The tree quivered and showered down pine needles.
“Ssshut up!” Reid snarled. “That’s my girlfriend you’re talking about! And she will never let you touch her! Got it? No matter what you put in her dreams, she is never going to want you. She will always come to me!” Reid knew his fangs were gleaming in the shadows of the tree and his eyes were silvery, but Owen barely looked fazed.
The warlock just smiled thinly, contempt on his lips. “Oh, you mean like last night? Yeah, I knew what you two were doing when I walked in. I’ve got good hearing, you know. I didn’t call you out because I knew it would piss you off more to see me walk out with your girl.” The little bastard was still smirking, though his voice was distorted and rough from the pressure Reid was exerting on his neck. Much more force and he could crush the boy’s windpipe, cut off his air for good. It took all his control to not to do it.
Pressing his face close to Owen’s, Reid hissed, “You stay out of her head. Ember is mine and mine only. And just so you know, if you lay a hand on her again, I will snap it off and drain every drop of blood from your pathetic body, got it?”
Reid wanted to do it right now, to snap the warlock’s neck so he wouldn’t have the chance to put more of his twisted fantasies into Ember’s head. This asshole was playing her, but Reid couldn’t tell her that without hurting her. She needed the lessons to help with her powers, and as much as Reid hated to admit it, he couldn’t help her with that – he was born a vampire; he had no idea what she was going through, and there was only so much he could do to for her – but this piece of crap could. And god, that pissed Reid off to no end.
He consoled himself with the thought that he’d only be here for two weeks, and then he’d go away and leave Ember alone, leave them both alone.
Owen made a choked noise that might have been a scoff, a mix of fury and disgust showing in his eyes. “She’s going to realise she doesn’t want you anymore, you know. She’ll realise she was drawn in by your so called good looks, but that’s not what she really wants. She’s going to come to me, and then I’ll put my hands wherever I want, and you won’t be able to do a damn thing about it.” Owen laughed a harsh, dirty laugh, and Reid’s control snapped.
He whirled around and threw the boy across the tiny clearing, way past it and into the trees. Owen’s body hit a thick pine with a sharp crack. Reid watched in satisfaction as the warlock boy slumped to the ground, gasping. His previously-neat black hair was tangled with twigs, and bruises were already forming on his throat.
Reid gave one last growl and stalked up to the boy, kicking dirt on him as he walked past and knelt by his ear to snarl a warning. “You’re wrong, Owen. Ember is so much more than you can even imagine. You’ll learn that one way or another,” he whispered darkly, before shoving the semi-conscious boy’s head so he toppled sideways. And then Reid headed for Ember’s room. They really needed to talk.
** Ember **
There were three quick, sharp knocks at the door and Ember groaned, shooting Sherry a look. Sherry got the hint and went to open the door, letting Reid in as she went out. The door closed behind her and Reid stood facing Ember with an unhappy expression. Ah, bugger, she thought. That couldn’t be good.
He didn’t say anything, possibly choosing his words or biding his time, or waiting for her to fess up to her guilt-inducing dreams. With that thought, a horrible suspicion hit her: what if he’d been reading her thoughts while she’d been thinking about Owen at some point today? Usually she felt it when he tried to get into her head but she’d been so busy with her powers and having Owen right in front of her, she might not have noticed. Oh, crap.
“Ember, I think we need to talk.” Reid’s cool voice punctured her panicky speculating. She glanced up at him and could barely stand to meet his blue eyes, feeling waves of guilt rolling over her. His words sparked a kind of horrified panic, so much worse than her worried thoughts. It was never good when a guy said they needed to talk; it was practically unheard of except for one reason.
But she couldn’t believe it. It had been such a long day already and she’d known he’d have something say about last night but... even if he knew about her dream, if he was thinking of breaking up with her, that was a little extreme. Understandable that he might be pissed, yell at her, yell at Owen, but it’s not like it was her fault really! She didn’t control her dreams! And she cared about Reid, she really did. She could’ve sworn he cared about her too but if this was going to be his answer to her just dreaming about another guy, he couldn’t care all that much. Seriously, she knew Reid was unpredictable but it’d be ridiculous for him to dump her just over this!
“Ember, whoa, calm down!”
She hadn’t even realise
d her eyes were wet and her hands were shaking until Reid put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently, pulling her to his chest. She clutched at the front of his t-shirt and gasped air in, trying to calm down. He hadn’t even said anything yet, and she was falling apart. This, her mind whispered, is why you don’t let yourself get emotionally involved. “Ember, what’s wrong? What’s wrong? If that asshole, Owen, did something or said something to you…” His voice trailed off in a growl that rumbled against her ear.
So this was definitely Owen-related, but…maybe it wasn’t what she thought. Reid sounded angry and concerned, but not, she thought, how he might sound if he really was breaking up with her. Was she being paranoid again? Her guilt was making her paranoid and overly sensitive, and her tendency to assume the worst had her thinking that Reid was going to break up with her because he’d somehow found out that she’d had that dream about Owen last night. Right. Great, I’m pathetic, she thought, feeling embarrassed for almost bursting into tears for no good reason. Damn it, she needed caffeine.
“Shh, Ember, calm down. What’s wrong?” Reid murmured, stroking her hair gently. “I just want to talk. Jeez. I don’t know how to deal with crying girls. For God’s sake, don’t make me get Ricky,” he begged. She sucked in a deep breath to calm herself and rested her hands against his chest, pulling away from his embrace. It was only then that she noticed he was holding her kind of awkwardly, like he was unsure how to touch her while she was upset. And oddly, it made her feel a little better, and a little surer that maybe he wasn’t here to ditch her after all.
“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know what the hell that was about.” Ember rubbed her eyes dry, starting to feel like an idiot for over-reacting.
Reid just sat back and looked pointedly at the floor while she swiped the water from her lashes. “It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Your emotions are still out of balance, remember? It takes more than a few days after Turning to for it all to even out. Plus, you’ve had a crappy day. Am I right?” He leaned forward and she sank against him in a less awkward kind of embrace, tucking her head under his chin.