Forgotten (10 page)

Between all that, the nausea, clammy
skin, and a headache that had come out of nowhere, I was exhausted
and cocooned in sweat. I’d given up on fighting him, deciding that
if he wanted to make me suffer, there wasn’t anything I could do. I
was surrounded by people who couldn’t possibly know Jace was the
culprit of my current state of health. Even I wouldn’t have
believed me, if I didn’t live through the torment.

Only when I surrendered to him did I
relax enough to breathe normally. A serene tingling sensation
trickled through me. Since I wanted nothing more than to knock Jace
on his back, I knew the tranquility couldn’t possibly be mine, but
I was simply too tired to fight anymore and was apparently
delusional. When the bell sounded, I turned to Bree and informed
her that I needed to make an emergency stop at the bathroom before
lunch – by myself.

Bree hesitated. “You sure you want to
go alone? You don’t look the greatest.”

“
I fell asleep listening to
the drone teacher and had one of those nightmares that you know
isn’t real but couldn’t wake up,” I lied and prayed that she
believed me. My foot cramped suddenly. I winced and pretended that
Bree hadn’t noticed. Jace stood up and walked away. I breathed a
sigh of relief that he was finally going to leave me alone. “I just
want to clean up a bit before lunch and gather my
thoughts.”

I knew she didn’t believe me for one
second. I pressed my lips together and held my breath, hoping she
wouldn’t make a big deal in front of everyone. She hesitated, but
promised she’d save me a seat at lunch.

Waiting long enough for the room to
empty, I closed my eyes. Students shuffled out the door after Miss
Conner left. I waited for the room’s utter silence before I made
any attempt to move. If I was going to fall on my face, I would
prefer to do it in private. My legs threatened to buckle so I kept
my hand on the desk. As soon as I was sure I wouldn’t topple over,
a smoky aroma drifted around me.

Jace walked up behind me as close as
he could without actually touching me. I swore I heard him leave
the room! How did he slip back in without me hearing him? He
brushed my damp hair away from my neck. Apparently sweat didn’t
bother him the least.

“
If your tolerance were
stronger, being in close proximity to me, while I’m in my true
form, would have been so much easier, dearest.” He spoke like it
truly bothered him that I was utterly exhausted. “You hunger for me
because of what I am, what we are.”

I wanted to ask him what he
meant by
what I hungered for
and
what we are,
but it’d only encourage him. He was baiting me,
again. I needed space – away from him. He edged closer. His hot
breath trickled down my neck and onto my chest. Swallowing hard, I
faced him. His white silhouette shimmered brighter than I’d ever
seen, making my eyes water. I wasn’t sure if my legs would hold me,
or if my bones would crack under the pressure, but I didn’t back
down. He didn’t either.

Even though I was sure I’d trip or do
something else that was just as graceful, I crossed my arms and
stood as defiantly as possible, considering my current state of
exhaustion. Clenching my jaw, I tried not to notice how every
molecule of spit vanished from my mouth when I took a deep breath,
taking in his smoky aroma.

He deliberately put me through hell
for an hour, I reminded myself. I pointed at myself. “This is not
the depiction of desire.”

“
Agreed, but this
is.”

After dimming himself significantly,
he reached for my hair again. I slapped his hand away. His light
flared, but he quickly regained his composure. Grabbing my wrist,
he held it and easily blocked my right hook. Twisting my hand in
his, he pulled me against him with such excitement, a moan grew in
his chest. He silenced it before it escaped his mouth; the
disposition between us shifted. My irritation turned like he’d
flipped a switched. I wanted nothing more, needed nothing more,
craved nothing more, than taking in his sight.

And he knew it.

“
Your gasp beckons me,” he
whispered. “You stand against me, refusing to indulge in your
desires and temptation, yet your pulse beats loudly enough to
deafen my ears. You bat your ocean-eyes whenever you look my way.
You flick your hair whenever you catch me staring. Even now you are
leaning into me, trying to pinpoint my scent, yet you can’t admit
that you’re into me.”

Even though he called me out, the
deepness of his voice lured me closer. I couldn’t deny any of it,
but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try. “I don’t want you.”

He released his grip but stood close
enough to tower over me. His figure brightened slightly when he
dropped my hands.

“
Lie,” he said
coolly.

“
Oh that’s right, you’re
like this hunk-a-lious dude that has too many muscles to count,” I
said, doing my best blond impression. “So you’re not used to
hearing the word no. I get it, but I’m sorry buckaroo; I’m just not
into jocks.”

He chuckled, “You have yet to tell me
no.”

I groaned in frustration. He made a
similar sound but not because he was frustrated.

“
Splitting hairs, aren’t
we?” I said, and then backed away. After picking my backpack up, I
walked towards the door. My legs obeyed. I couldn’t have been more
grateful.

“
Turning your back on the
truth is the Master’s signature move, not yours,” Jace called
out.

Hearing
that
name – the Master – roll from
his mouth instantly fueled a fury hiding within my soul that I
didn’t know existed. I didn’t know what irritated me more – the
instant rage against someone I’d never met or that Jace knew it’d
bother me.

“
Who’s the Master?” I said
without turning around.

“
Analee – a cheerleader of
sorts,” he answered, leaving out much needed detail. “And lethal to
humans.”

What? Lethal to humans? He definitely
caught my attention, but I wasn’t going to bite. He probably said
it for shock factor and was a lie. “I still don’t care,” I said
unconvincingly but walked away.

“
Perhaps you’d care about
this?”

Glancing back, he waved a light gray
object, which was suspiciously the size of my cell phone. I
completely forgot he stole it! He closed the gap between
us.

“
A company called HomFree
phoned a few minutes ago. Any particular reason why?”

“
That’s none of your
business,” I said, reaching for my cell.

Holding it above his head, easily out
of my reach, he chuckled. “Admit that you want me.”

“
What exactly do you
think
we
are?” I
demanded, changing the subject. I crossed my arms, making it clear
I was not going to play a sick game of keep-away. “You act like
you’re not human.”

Without actually touching
me, he reached around me and slipped my phone into my back pocket.
His perseverance
unnerved me, scrutinizing
my every move like a twisted guardian angel. He waited patiently
for me to join him. Like he knew my defiance would crumble under
his intense gaze. Standing so close to Jace without actually
touching him, made me want to crumble into his arms, but I wouldn’t
do it – no matter how inviting.

“
I’ve been called worse,”
he said and left me standing in the empty classroom wondering how
the conversation had become too warped for any sensible person to
follow. Steadying myself with the desk beside me, I willed my heart
to slow. We had chemistry – that was for sure. I just didn’t know
if I wanted to kill Jace, more than I wanted to kiss
him.

***

The tantalizing smell of taverns made
from yesterday’s spaghetti sauce was the lunch special. I scanned
the assortment of dark shadows until I spotted Bree sitting in our
usual table in the far corner. Ryker was nowhere to be seen, so I
took it as a hopeful sign he developed malaria or some other
disease and had to drop out of school. I’d even settle for mono,
because then I’d be rid of him for a couple weeks.

“
I got you some grub,” Bree
said, pushing a tray of steaming food toward me.

“
Where’s your boyfriend?” I
asked.

“
He went off campus with
the team to grab a slice of pepperoni pizza. Apparently, this slop
isn’t edible for football players. Side note, Ryker’s having a few
people over tomorrow night. Want in?”

“
I’m busy,” I mumbled. “Got
a new arrival; her name’s Elsie. Shy little thing, she bunkered
down in the bedroom next to mine as quickly as possible and
probably hasn’t left since. I’m thinking about coaxing her out of
her room with some ice-cream.”

Bree sighed.

She set her cell down to reach for my
hand which I placed in my lap before she could give me the
pity-pat. “You know you don’t have to be best friends with everyone
who lives under that roof, right? Winnie, I’m not trying to be
mean, but you get –”

“
Attached.” I tried not to
grit my teeth. “I’m aware.”

“
I’m not saying it’s a bad
–”

“
When you get a minute, can
you check this to make sure it’s okay?” I interrupted as I dug my
cell out of my pocket. I did not want to have this conversation
with her again, not ever.

“
Anything in particular you
want me to scout?” she asked, when I handed it to her. Our hands
grazed each other in the hand off. “Jeez Winnie, you’re
freezing.”

I rubbed my hands together and
frowned. When I realized they were chilled, my body instantly
froze. I dismissed it as a dehydration symptom from sweating
through my clothes. “Just let me know if it’s set to Spanish, if
any strange texts were sent out, or anything else odd.”

It didn’t take her more
than ten seconds to discover a new contact I hadn’t added. “When
did you score
his
digits?!”

I groaned. “Just delete
it.”

“
Delete scar-face’s
number?” she demanded in the exact tone she would have if I asked
her to saw off my leg. “Are you insane?”

“
Scar face?”

“
Yeah, Mr. Right has this
thin scar under his left eye; Jace is totally dark and secretive
about it,” Bree said, distantly, like she was picturing Jace
beating up a gang of ninjas that robbed a bank on Valentine’s Day.
“FYI, you look like you just showered in your own sweat, and you’re
freezing, Winnie. I wasn’t going to say anything after class
because I got the impression Jace was waiting for you since he was
standing just outside the classroom, but I’m not dense. What’s
going on?”

“
I’m trying a new look,” I
said dismissively and yanked the ponytail holder off my wrist to
fix my hair. “Since when did you start passing notes to Jace –
forget about your own boyfriend?”

“
Jealous much?”

“
Curious,” I corrected as I
finished twisting my hair up. Figuring she’d fix it if it didn’t
look better, I left it.

“
I’ve got seventh-period
gym with him. You should see how his shorts cling to
his–”

“
And now Lit,” I
interrupted. “Y
ou’re
the one with a stalker.”

“
And now I’ve got his
number,” Bree said cheerfully as she pulled out her phone to
transfer the contact info. “Though I’m pretty sure the dibs effect
isn’t going to work, especially since Ryker and I are
just fine
– thanks for
asking BTW. I know you’re totally pulling a ‘mom’ on my
relationship with Ryker. We not ready to go steady; we both just
want a casual relationship so you can stop with the eye rolls
anytime. I can talk to other guys without getting the fifth degree
from you.”

“
Duly noted,” I said and
purposely rolled my eyes.

“
Jace is totally into you
even though you are being a complete cretin,” Bree said like she
was warning me that I wasn’t going to get valedictorian if I didn’t
change my attitude or my opinion about guys in general.

“
I do attract psychos,” I
mumbled, pushing the baked beans with my fork. The cold lumps had
the same texture of dried cat vomit on my tongue. After forcing it
down with a swig of milk, I attempted the main course. Not
horrible. The hint of garlic actually complimented the barbeque
flavor that the cooks added to the tavern.

“
Besides, rumors have it
that Jace is totally loaded. He got this huge inheritance after his
folks died,” Bree said after taking a bit of her lunch. “You
wouldn’t have to clean the gym for extra cash if you were Jace’s
girl
and
you
wouldn’t have to worry about parental-surveillance at his place.
I’d give anything to be able to hang out at the house without my
mom and dad hovering over me.”

I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t interested
in dating anyone, and I certainly wasn’t interested in making my
debut as a gold-digger.

“
What was on the note he
passed to you in fourth?”

“
He wanted to know your
number, address, social security number, birthday –”