Accordance (23 page)

I blew an exasperated breath and ran my hand through my hair.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to control it, Caleb. I feel like such a freak, I‘m all over the place.”

“A hot freak.” I gasped and then laughed as he tickled me. Then he got serious. “I’ll help you. Don’t worry about that. If you can’t reign it I, at least we know,” he moved to nip my chin, “that I can kiss you senseless and that’ll do the trick.”

“You’re insane,” I giggled and accepted his kiss.

“Maybe we should try something else, too. Don’t you usually see the ribbons when we, um…when we get excited?” he asked.

“Sometimes, when it’s intense-“

He cut me off with a kiss and I saw his plan, to push me beyond excited, beyond wanting, beyond frustrated and have me pull back from that too, to see if I could. It was dangerous for us to be careless around others. Ralph saw the beginnings of my ability tonight and it could have been so much worse.

He pushed me to lean back a little on the freezer and leaned with me against me. I knew the best way to build the intensity would be to get him even more excited than me. I totally loved it when he lost control and I drove him crazy. So, I lifted his face with a nudge from mine to reach under his jaw. A surprised noise came from his throat as my smiling mouth moved from under his chin to his neck and then his collar bone as I pulled the collar of his shirt down.

He leaned his head back, his breaths became faster, a low growl of a noise coming from his throat. His fingers dug into the shirt on my sides as my legs wound themselves around him for leverage. Then his heartbeat began to beat its way into my chest. Usually, I only felt it if I was focusing on him or if he was really, really anxious or upset…or excited. Now, it beat strong and fast beside mine.

I saw the first signs of our melding, the little energy sparks in my side view. I pulled back some from my mental grip on him and returned to his lips. He wasn’t letting me have any leeway though. He immediately began his own assault and as his lips wasted no time on mine, his hands moved to hold my face. I pulled him closer by his collar, forcing him to brace himself with a hand on the wall behind us.

I had completely forgotten what we were doing except for this. There was only him and what was in his head was agreeing with me. The way he wanted me…the way he loved me and vice versa, was enough to take us both to places we’d never been.

I felt him messing with the buttons of my shirt with the other hand. In no time it was undone and my cami was all that was left as I felt the warm air hit my arms as he pulled my shirt down my shoulders to my elbows. He kissed my skin there then he wound his arm around my lower back to press me to him as he took my mouth again. I’d never wanted anyone as much as I wanted him right then so I took my hand and let it graze up his skin under his shirt. He chuckled huskily.

“I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one.”

I giggled as he continued to kiss me. I didn’t hear the thoughts of Kyle and Bish until they were almost through the garage door, so the first thing I yelled to Caleb was ‘Stop!’

Well, that was a mistake and Caleb didn’t have time to obey before it was too late.

When Bish opened the door and found us like that and I yelled ‘Stop’, he was livid. Caleb looked up and immediately pulled my shirt closed for me, even though I was wearing a cami, the gesture was sweet. Bish didn’t think so given by the heinous glare he was giving Caleb.

I’m gonna kill him. He finally gave me a reason to kill him.

“What’s going on in here?”

“Just, uh…fooling around,” Caleb explained and gave me a helpless look. “Sorry, man, we didn’t hear you coming.”

“Maggie,” Bish pleaded, taking a step forward and imagining his fist connecting with Caleb’s jaw repeatedly. “Come here.”

He wanted to get me to safety first.

“I’m fine, Bish,” I said, reading his misinterpretation of the whole thing. “I wasn’t in trouble. We were just playing around.”

“Did you have something to drink tonight, Caleb?” he asked suspiciously and inspected him with his gaze.

“Nah, man, I don’t drink. I told you that.” He sighed. “Look. I’d never hurt Maggie. We were just playing around. I promise you, I’d never hurt this girl. I love her more than my life.”

My heart jolted at his words but Bish wasn’t moved.

“Pretty words don’t mean jack. Actions are what make us and it didn’t sound like playing to me.” He turned back to me and stepped even closer, holding his hand out. “Maggie, I promise you I’ll get you out of here and you won’t have to see a soul. You won’t be embarrassed or whatever. He won’t hurt you and don’t feel bad about it. If he’s pushing you to do something you don’t want to-”

“No,” I said and knew right then what I had to do.

Are you sure?

Yes,
I
answered and nodded my head, not caring if Bish saw or not. I’d had enough and I was gonna lose him if I didn’t start to produce answers. He may call me a freak or run away but so be it. At least my conscience would be clear. I looked at Caleb imploringly. He nodded.

I told you I’m with you, one hundred percent.

Ok, I’m going to tell him but I think I need to tell him alone. He won’t be like my dad, he’ll be furious with you. I don’t want him to fight with you.

You’re doing the right thing, no matter what happens.

I nodded.

“
Bish,” I said softly.
“
Let’s go take a walk.”

I knew it!

“I knew it, you little bastard! What did you do to her!” he roared and came at Caleb, prompting me to jump down and stand in front of Caleb. Caleb quickly changed my plans though and put me behind him, mentally chastising me and forbidding me to do that again. “I’m gonna murder you.”

“I want to walk because I have something to tell you. Not because I’m trying to get away from him,” I said quickly around Caleb’s arm, gripping his shirt for support.

Dad, Peter and Jen had come to the doorway; all had heard the ruckus.

“Button your shirt,” Bish sneered.

“I have another shirt on underneath,” I said but still found myself buttoning up anyway. “We weren’t doing anything inappropriate. He’s my boyfriend, Bish.”

“Inappropriate,” he scoffed at me like I was the most naïve girl he’d ever seen then turned his glare back on Caleb. “You better pray that she doesn’t tell me that you hurt her, even a little. I will break your legs,” Bish growled. “Let her go.”

“Bish, enough!” I yelled.

“I’ll let her go with you when you calm down. I want you to talk to her. I’m not worried about that. I told you I’d never hurt her. You’ve been so mad at her this whole time because we were keeping something from you. I’m surprised you aren’t jumping at the chance to learn what it is.”

“Don’t act like you know me! Move!”

He pushed Caleb’s chest and it was too much for me. I came forward, ducking under Caleb’s arm and grabbed Bish’s huge forearm in my little hand but I knew I was no longer a normal little girl. I pushed through my thoughts to make him stop, for him to feel my power, the sting of my touch when I wanted something my way.

It worked.

He jumped back with a yelp, prompting a gasp from my father who tried to come our way but Peter stopped him. Bish looked at me with a strange expression.

“You shocked me.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Static…static electricity,” he mused.

“No, not static, me. Don’t touch Caleb like that again,” I told him firmly. I heard Peter’s proud thoughts that I was protecting his son and in his eyes, I was fierce. “Now stop being an idiot and come take a walk with me.” I glanced over at Dad quickly. “I’m sorry, Dad. I can’t do it anymore. I’m going to tell him.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Yep,” my one word clipped answer explained it all.

“Peter?” he asked, hoping for a little help, in in his mind.

“It’s Maggie’s decision. I trust her judgment.”

“What in God’s name is going on here?” Bish boomed. “What are you all talking about?”

I decided to give him a taste, if nothing else to shut him up. Feeling Caleb’s hand on my arm to steady me, or more probably to keep me away from Bish’s raging form, I let all my feelings come to me, felt all the aggravation at Bish, at being interrupted, at having to explain myself and saw the energy right before I felt it hum. I saw a few ribbons dance in between us and he sucked in a quick breath.

I’m imaging things.

“Nope, you’re not imaging things,” I answered and let the energy on my skin activate the air. The blue haze and energy was everywhere. When the windows started to rattle in the car he just stood, gawking at it, looking back several times to see if everyone else was seeing what he was seeing. Dad gave him a sympathetic tilt of the head and Kyle smirked at me, a glaring ‘show off’ in his mind that I had to ignore and focus. “Go for a walk with me.”

“Are you asking,” he asked looking back to me with a new intensity, “or telling?”
“Asking.”

“Just you and I?” Bish asked.
“You scared of little old me?” I asked playfully but it was one of my fears.

“No, I don’t want Caleb to come,” he said pointedly, glowering at him over my shoulder.

“Fine with me,” Caleb said, not unkindly.

“Let’s go,” I suggested.

He started to make his way to the door and I turned to Caleb.

I’ll keep my mind open to you. I know you’ll freak if I don’t.

He sighed gratefully and touched my cheek.

You know me so well. Be careful.

I’ll be ok.

I know. Just remember that if he doesn’t take it so well now, he will eventually. Just give him time and don’t jump to conclusions. I’ll be right here, waiting for you if you need me, just call me.

He kissed my forehead and I heard Bish growling in my mind, making me sigh and pull away from Caleb. I gave Dad and Peter a smile to assure them as I followed Bish out into the night.

“Ok,” he said.

His mind was a total blank. He had no idea what to think.

That was the big silence breaker after our long, slow, quiet walk to the shore behind the house. And that was it, he didn’t say another word. He watched me as he walked backwards and sat in the sand with a plop of exhaustion. It was like now that I was gonna let him in on the big secret, he was no longer sure he wanted to know.

“I love you,” I started off, startling him. “I just want you to know that. I have always appreciated you looking after me.” I moved to sit on my knees in front of him, not too close. “You are my brother. I don’t care what some piece of paper says, you always were my brother. I didn’t tell you about everything that’s going on because I was trying to protect you. It wasn’t not trusting or not wanting you to know.”

“Ok,” he ventured cautiously. I’d never seen him so cautious before. “I’m listening.”

I began to unravel the story. I started from the beginning, about meeting Caleb and imprinting all the way to now. The words seemed jumbled and rushed to me. Over the span of I didn’t know how long, I laid it all out and he just sat back and listened.

“I met him…touched we imprinted…my soul mate…have to be together…. Kyle’s mad or jealous…hurt me in echo dreams...Marcus and his hateful family… ascension you get these abilities… kidnapped by Watson clan…theories and this well….got away and Caleb’s family found me…abilities in a dream…family loves me…I love him…airplane to escape…beach house…my hair…you’ve been so….and Kyle is acting so…Dad understands that I need… have to sleep together to keep me safe…I want you to know…. Caleb loves me, he’d never hurt me…his mind is laced with protectiveness…hear everyone’s thoughts…lose control…trying to figure this all out…Visionary, some kinda leader…freaking me out…but, Jen is off limits…but I love you, so much. Please don’t hate me.”

I had felt Caleb checking in on me several times so I figured it had been a while. I assured him I was alright, just needed some more time. Bish watched me and I waited for the thought to come. The same thing Dad had wanted that day, for me to prove it all, to demonstrate my powers, but it never came. He believed me, completely but wanted to get me away from it all. Like Dad, he wanted me safe and happy and thought there was no way for that to happen in this life. I was a little surprised at how well he took it all and believed me so easily.

So, Caleb knew if you touched him, this would happen?

“No,” I answered his internal question. “No, he didn’t. The imprints had been dormant for over twenty years. He had no idea. But it happened and it wasn’t anybody’s fault. It’s not a bad thing.”

“Debatable.”

“No, it’s not actually.” I crossed my arms and looked at him sternly. “I didn’t tell you all this so you’d have more ammunition against Caleb. I told you so you’d be aware and stop trying to find reasons to pummel him all the time and to get off my back.”

“So, you’re saying Jen can’t date anyone. Unless they touch each other and sparks fly or something,” he said the sarcasm evident.