Every muscle in my body freezes.
“Is that so?” I whisper.
“Yes, that’s so.” He makes a face.
Logan pulls me away from his raven-haired nephew. He pulls me in by the waist, and I lean my body into his just to keep from clawing Chloe’s eyes out. I glance back at her, and the protective hedge winks over at me with its silver filigree edges, delicate as lace, that pure blue eye dotting the center, clear as a summer sky.
“Is this a private conversation, or can anybody join?” He blows it hot in my ear as Gage hardens his expression.
“No, I’d love to change the subject,” I say. If Gage’s strategy is to make me want to murder Chloe he’s already achieved it.
“Great.” Logan takes up my hands and twirls me around until we’re face to face. “I’m thinking we should do that light drive this weekend.”
“Logan,” I gasp. “We should go tonight.” I don’t mean to make Gage insane, but I’m dying to find out all I can about the pendant. Plus, meeting Logan’s grandmother is a total bonus. Technically she’s Gage’s grandmother, too—great-grandmother.
He withholds a smile as he glances over at Gage. “Saturday.” He leans into my ear. “I want you all day and all—” Logan thrusts backward as a loud explosion goes off. A plume of smoke appears in his wake.
“Sodium.” Marshall barrels in, tossing his briefcase rather violently over the counter. “Explosive in nature.” He strides toward the center of the room still wearing his dark trench coat, his eyes narrowed in on Logan. “How dare you get in my way.” His voice rides low, just this side of fury. Marshall scoops Logan up by the shirt and thrashes him against the wall. “Repeat what I just said to you,” he grits it through his teeth.
“Sodium is explosive—like you.” Logan gives a placid smile at my favorite Sector, only at the moment his standing is teetering on oblivion. If he thinks he’s going to spend the entire next year making my boyfriends disappear and appear at random, only to accost them in his downtime, he’s got another thing coming. Did I just say,
boyfriends
?
Marshall drops him like a dirty dishrag and heads to the front.
Do you know where I’ve been, Ms. Messenger?
Marshall turns his back to the class and begins jotting something down on the board.
“No,” I say it low, but Gage twitches his brows at me with curiosity.
I’ve been to see the Justice Alliance. They weren’t too interested in my teaching hobby, thus the unexpected delay
.
Crap.
I glance over at Logan as he makes his way back to his seat and take up his hand low by my thigh.
Marshall said he was with the Justice Alliance, and he sounds good and pissed!
I give Logan’s hand a squeeze. He knows damn well he’s responsible. He’s the one that threw him under the litigious celestial
bus to begin with.
I could have guessed
. Logan gives a slow blink.
Marshall turns around and openly glares at Logan.
“Some properties have things they don’t wish for the other elements at the table to discover about them.” He takes a step forward, never breaking his stare with Logan, and I’m quick to cross my arms. No use in enraging an already ticked off Sector. In fact, I scoot a little into Gage to defuse the situation all together. “Some properties have the ability to self-destruct all on their own and when they panic, they try to take others down with them. Tsk, Tsk.” Marshall twitches a smile. “They usually only hurt themselves in the end.”
Marshall gets to the task of class business by passing out textbooks, lab manuals and the syllabus.
“Looks like a lot of work,” I say it under my breath.
Gage steps in behind me. His warmth radiates over my body like a magnet pulling us together.
“Let me help you. It’ll be fun, just like last year.”
I glance over at him and smile just as Marshall clears his throat.
“Each person is to choose a partner. You have one minute to decide, pair up so we can begin.” Marshall blinks a smile at me because he knows I can’t decide.
Logan and Gage stand on either side of me. Logan latches onto my gaze and ticks his head as if inviting me to the other side of the room. I glance over at Gage, and his eyes widen with promise.
I raise my hand and wave Marshall over.
“Ms. Messenger?” He averts his gaze as if he knows what’s coming next.
“Do you need a partner?” I’m desperate here.
Marshall’s lips curve into a devilish grin as he observes both Olivers with a look of smug victory.
Only in the bedroom
, he muses. “I’m afraid you’ll need a peer, Ms. Messenger, to assist you with assignments.”
I spoke with your mother
. He dips his chin as if he’s trying to seduce me with my mother of all people.
“Excellent.” I raise my brows. He knows I’m dying to hear what she has to say. “Oh! Is Ellis in this class?” Ellis could be the answer to all my problems.
Why, yes, he is—truant at that
. Marshall leers at me like it’s all my fault because it sort of is.
“How is he?” I whisper. Logan and Gage lean in to hear the news as well.
“In need of recuperation. And to answer your first question, indeed, Mr. Harrison is in this class.”
“Great.” I lean back and take a breath. “That’s who my partner will be.”
“Very well.” Marshall straightens the excess papers in his hand. “In the meantime, I’ll allow you to join the Oliver clan.” He pulls his lips in a line, no smile.
Such as in life. But make no mistake about our future. Delphinius was at the trial and gave a startling revelation.
I take a breath and wait for it.
It involves flesh
. He tilts his head seductively.
A strong pull of attraction sizzles between us. I can feel Marshall’s good vibrations launching an assault on my body without him even having to touch me. A warm tingle rides down my spine, circles around my waist before dipping down to far more intimate places—places that have the ability to set my insides on fire.
I gasp for air.
“What in the hell is going on?” Logan whispers, trying to break me from the trance I’ve fallen into.
I open my mouth to say something, and only a choking sound comes out.
The bell shrills through the air unleashing me from the bondage Marshall held me captive in—an alarmingly wonderful, achingly enjoyable bondage.
The class disbands around us. Marshall occupies himself in the front, and I don’t dare go near him in fear of another fit of pleasure that both Logan and Gage will bear witness to.
Instead, I stuff my books in my backpack and head toward the exit with Logan and Gage. I don’t have Marshall again until fifth and that’s for trig which is useless. A few hours might give me enough time to catch my breath. If he plans on launching a tirade of seduction each day,
twice
a day, I’m in for a hell of an exciting senior year.
Chloe cuts us off at the pass with a pissed off Miller by her side.
Michelle doesn’t waste any time in jabbing her finger into my chest. “I knew you hacked my head off.”
“No,” I try to deny the allegation. That was at Ethan’s stupid party last summer.
“Don’t worry, Skyla,” Chloe says it in a way that assures me I have plenty to worry about. “You don’t have to hide anymore. I filled Michelle in on every last detail. She knows all about the fact you’re a witch with magical powers.” Her lips curve at the tips.
“I’m not a witch,” I hiss. “I’m an angel,” I say it directly to Michelle, pumped and ready to correct all the wrongs Chloe most likely filled her in on, except for the fact I hacked off her head—that I’ll deny until the day I’m dead even if it is true.
Gage wraps an arm around my shoulder and leans in. “Let’s get out of here.”
But Chloe doesn’t look at Gage once. Instead she steps past me and gets right into Logan’s face.
“I know,” she whispers.
Logan gives a slow blink and the slightest hint of a nod.
Gage ushers me out of the room as an entire sea of bodies stream between us and Logan.
Just what in the hell does Chloe Bishop know?
Friday after school, and a rather torturous session of cheer practice, I straggle home with my brain on overload. I lounge in a nice hot shower trying to melt this entire week off my body—out of my mind. West doesn’t have a football game for two weeks which gives Logan and Gage a tiny reprieve before the skull cracking initiates. Logan and Gage. They waft in and out of my mind like ghosts, each calling for my attention. I try to put them out of my mind, focus on Ellis—the fact Ezrina is taking her sweet little time with my favorite party animal. It would figure Chloe’s blood is incapable of healing anyone. I thought for sure he’d be back by now, sporting a scar that would lure all of those
love honies
into his den of seduction. I’ll have to make arrangements with Marshall and head down to the Transfer. If anyone can speed things along with Ezrina, it’s him.
Afterwards I head downstairs in hopes of smelling something delicious emanating from the kitchen but no such luck.
“How was school?” Mom asks dressed in her best cashmere sweater, her navy pencil skirt, and pointy black heels. She’s got Beau strapped to her chest like a bomb while she spastically loads his diaper bag with plastic containers, bibs, and spare nipples.
“School was school. Where you headed off to?” If she says Demetri’s I’m going to hurl the burrito I scarfed down from the caf. I should have taken Gage up on his offer and went off campus.
“Tad and I are catching the last ferry to Seattle.” Her eyes expand, and her lashes flex like spider legs. “I owe the fertility clinic the final payment, and Tad wants to deliver it in person with a few choice words thrown in.” She shakes her head.
Tad is a world-class ass. Mortifying my mother, or anyone for that matter, is just par for the course with him.
“Sounds like a good time will be had by all.” And by
all
I mean me and not my mother. I do rather enjoy a ‘rent free weekend.
“Anyway it’ll be good to get away for a minute. I’ll be back Sunday afternoon, so hold down the fort would you?”
“Sure. What could go wrong?” The entire last year plays out in my mind like a horror movie. Cerberus actually showed up to one of the cringe-worthy events that were hosted at Casa Landon.
“Absolutely nothing,” she says with her best sarcastic undertone. “In fact, I was just thinking, both you and Gage turn eighteen in a couple of months,” she sings, as wedding bouquets spray out in her eyes. “And, I guess since you’re almost an adult things are probably getting serious.” Her demeanor shifts, she’s donned the good mom hat, and I think this conversation is about to enter the ovum protection zone.
“Gage and I, we’re—”
“Someone say my name?” A familiar voice booms from behind.
I spin to find Gage smiling back at me, and I wrap my arms around his neck. Giselle is standing behind him, speaking with Mia, and I give a wave.
“I miss you,” I say it low, for his ears only. I’d much rather spend time holding Gage than exploring the wonderful world of contraceptives with my mother.
“And, God, I miss you,” he blows it in my ear before placing a careful kiss just under my jawline, and my body quivers from his electric touch.
“OK, you two.” Mom taps me away and pulls Gage into an enormous bear hug, squeezing the crap out of Beau in the process, perhaps quite literally. And by the looks of things, Mom is getting more action with Gage than I am. “Your neck!” She gasps as she touches the air just shy of the bright red line that travels ear to ear.
“You got your stitches out,” I say, maneuvering closer to inspect the scar. Crap. Chloe took a perfectly good Gage Oliver and left her rabid mark on him. I’ll have to infuse him with more of my Celestra goodness to bring him back to his normal gorgeous self, not that he’s not gorgeous even with it—Gage is sublime either way.
“It’s more comfortable without them.” He moves his head side to side. “But I still need to be careful.”
“Are they going to let you play?” I’m mildly alarmed over his status on the field. I only have one season left to cheer for Logan and Gage, and I’ve been craving to do just that. I want to scream my head off for the two of them, on and off the field.
“Totally.” He nods. “I’ll be perfect in two weeks. It’s not a big deal.”
“You’re perfect
now
,” I purr, wrapping an arm around his waist.
Mom shakes her head at us with a gentle smile tacked to her lips. “It’s so nice seeing the two of you so in love.” She touches her hand to her heart. “There are some people on this planet who never get to experience what you have. You’re very, very lucky.” Her features fall flat as if she were one of the unfortunate few that Cupid forgot to mow down with his arsenal of arrows. “Anyway, there’s always a time and place for true love. Speaking of which…” She digs a piece of paper out of her pocket. “I wrote down Demetri’s phone number in the event an emergency arises while we’re gone.”
What? I snatch it from her. “Thank you, I think.” I shoot Gage a look. Why my mother equates Demetri with “true love” of all things is beyond me. Obviously Cupid shot her with the stupid arrow that day—and again when she met Tad. The more I think about it, the more certain I am that Cupid hates my mother.
Tad stalks into the room with an overstuffed duffle bag.
I suppose if Tad were my alternative, cowering Fems wouldn’t look all that bad either, but still, Demetri removed my father from the planet.
So
not cool.
I make a face. “I’ll be sure to prank call him from the hours of midnight to four a.m. until you get back.” I flick the paper behind my shoulder in open defiance to her sickening quasi-obsession.
Tad frowns openly at me. “And who is this you think you’ll be prank calling on my dime?”
“Demetri.” Mom is quick to retrieve his number and settle it on the table as if she were serious. “There’s money for pizza under the cookie jar.” She shoots me a look while Tad brazenly walks over and retrieves the bills tucked under the cookie jar.