Golden Blood (12 page)

“So, how does your Dad decide what to change?
Do you think God tells him?”

“No.” She shrugged and tipped her head.
“Maybe? I’m not sure. All I know is that he does a lot of
analysis.”

She could sense the answer wasn’t enough, but
how could she explain something she barely understood?

“Dad thinks it’s better to look at
individuals rather than the outcome of an entire nation. We can’t
help everybody, so we just do what we can. Certain life histories
capture Dad’s heart and those are the ones he focuses on.” Gemma
shook her head and threw the stick she was playing with towards the
water. “I struggle with these questions too, but I don’t have a
choice. My toes start tingling and five minutes later I’m in
another time and place. While I’m there I have a job to do and I
don’t have time to second-guess my father. The quicker we get the
job done, the sooner we can come home.”

Wishing she hadn’t gotten rid of the stick,
she resumed her drawing with agitated fingers.

“I’m locked into this life, so I just accept
what it is and try and find the good in it. Right now there are
twenty families who didn’t lose a loved one to a serial killer.
That’s got to have a positive impact on society, doesn’t it?”

Harrison nodded with a small smile. “I guess
re-writing history isn’t all bad.” A frown burrowed into his
forehead as he turned to look at her. “You really feel locked
in?”

Gemma felt the blush flaming her cheeks as
she dropped her gaze and shrugged. “I just feel like I have no
control over my future. I never know when I’m going to have to run
off to the “bathroom.” It’s so embarrassing. I’m sure half the
school thinks I have bowel issues.”

Harrison’s laughter made her smile, but it
soon faded.

“The worst part is having to lie all the
time. I don’t know why I hate it so much. My family are all
experts, but I…” Her voice trailed off.

“That’s why you push people away.”

“Well, I try to.
You
have been a
little more challenging.”

His chuckle was soft as he kicked the sand in
front of him. “I understand the need for secrecy. If the wrong
people knew about your family, you could be pretty badly
manipulated. Your… talent… holds a lot of power.”

Gemma’s insides churned as she listened. He
got it. He actually got it. She closed her eyes against the sudden
swell of tears. The relief was overwhelming.

“Are you okay?”

She felt his hand slide up her arm and rest
on her shoulder.

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, unable to look at
him.

“Liar.”

She could hear the smile in his voice as he
squeezed her shoulder. Opening her eyes with caution, she turned to
capture an image of his smile before it faded. His eyes softened as
his fingers slid down her arm and wrapped around her hand. Her
digits grew warm as the fire danced over her skin.

Harrison rubbed his thumb over the back of
her hand. “You think your power has anything to do with this fire
feeling?”

Gemma shrugged. “Who knows.”

“It’s definitely a sign though, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“A sign we should be together.”

“Too bad we can’t.” Gemma let go of his hand,
trying to ignore the depression that was pressing down on her.

“Why not?”

Gemma looked at him. “Haven’t you been
listening to anything I just said?” She stood. Wiping the sand from
her butt, she walked away from him, fighting for breath.

“Gemma, I heard every word.”

She turned to see him rising from the sand,
looking confused.

“Then you know why!”

A small smile jumped over his lips then faded
as he took a step towards her. “I know that you finally trust me
enough to tell me the truth.”

Gemma’s heart skipped as he took another step
forward.

“I know I want to be with you.”

He took another step.

“How are you okay with this?” Gemma took a
step back. “I can travel through time!”

Harrison shrugged and closed the distance
between them. “Hey, I was cool with alien, this isn’t much
different.”

“I’m a total freak!”

“Yeah.” He grinned as he thread his fingers
through her belt loop and pulled her towards him. “But you’re my
freak.” His breath tickled her skin as he leaned towards her and
whispered, “Face it, Hart, you’re stuck with me. I knew the second
I touched you my life had changed and you knew it too.”

“And, um… how do you know that?”

His eyes lit with amusement. “Your
birthmark’s showing.”

Gemma couldn’t swallow down her gasp. It came
out all breathy as she reached for her shirt and tried to yank it
across her collarbone. He stopped her with quick fingers. She kept
her eyes on his face as he moved her shirt aside and gently slid
his thumb over her skin. It burned hot.

His fingers lingered there for a moment as if
wondering at the searing sensation then began moving. They danced
over her flesh and came to rest on the back of her neck. His thumb
gently rubbed the edge of her jaw.

She could barely breathe as he leaned towards
her with a soft smile. Their lips met for a delicate introduction.
Gemma had never felt anything like it in her life. A tender flame
danced along her soft skin then grew with fervor as Harrison
deepened the kiss. His tongue was warm and delicious.

The world around her became fuzzy as every
sense in her body drew itself into the kiss. It was magic… and she
knew that one taste was never going to be enough. There was no way
she could live without this. The implications of that fact were
deadly.

Chapter Twelve

St. Augustine, Florida
- 2011AD

Harrison finished whistling the tune from the
car as he pulled open the kitchen door and dropped his keys on the
counter. Smiling at his mother, he kissed her cheek as he walked to
the refrigerator.

“You seem happy.”

He spun to face her with a can of Coke in his
hand, tried to pull his lips into line, but lost the battle.

His mother gave him a suspicious look before
turning back to the carrots she was chopping. “Are you going to
tell me why?”

He sauntered to her side, leaning his hip
against the sink. “I’ve just had the best afternoon.”

“I’m going to need more details than that,
Harrison.” She pushed him aside to reach the faucet and rinse off
the broccoli. “After nearly two weeks of moping around this house
in a daze of confusion, you come home smiling like a chimpanzee and
all you can tell me is that you’ve had a good afternoon.” She
raised her eyebrows at him. “This wouldn’t happen to be about a
girl would it?”

Harrison smiled again. “Maybe.”

“Are you going to tell me about her?”

He studied his Coke can, flicking the tab
repeatedly. “Mom, would it freak you out if I told you that I think
I’ve found my other half?”

Her body went still as she looked at him.
Rather than the disbelieving twinkle he’d been expecting, he was
met with a melancholy stare.

“I just feel like she was made specifically
for me.” He shook his head. “That probably sounds stupid. I’ve only
known her for a couple weeks, but she finally let me in today and I
don’t know, she’s just…” He finished with a blissful sigh.

“It’s not stupid.” Her eyes misted over.

Harrison felt his throat swell. There was
that look again. Such unrequited longing. It was heart breaking. He
knew who she was thinking about and needed to get the conversation
back onto healthier ground.

“Anyway…”

“Helen?” Bryan’s booming voice made them both
jump.

“In the kitchen, sweetie.”

The sound of the knife hitting the chopping
board punctured the air as Bryan lumbered into the kitchen and
wrapped his arms around his wife. After kissing her cheek, he
headed to the fridge for a beer.

“Hey, Harrison.” He screwed the top off his
bottle and threw it in the sink. “You’re home late today.”

“I had a meeting after school.”

“What’s her name?” He didn’t miss much.

Harrison took a swig of drink and grinned.
“Gemma.”

“Well, I want to meet her. Why don’t you
invite her over for dinner sometime.” Helen’s crystal blue eyes had
cleared back to their usual brightness when she glanced up at
him.

“Mom,” he pleaded.

“It’s about time you got yourself a
girlfriend.” Bryan’s eyes danced with amusement as he slapped
Harrison on the back.

“How about this weekend?”

“No way. Give me a break, Mom.”

“Well, how about next weekend then?”

“I don’t know. She’s kind of shy. It’ll take
a bit of convincing.”

Helen grabbed the crumpled towel off the
bench and dried her hands. “Look, Harrison, if you’re serious about
this girl, then you’ll find a way to persuade her. We have to meet
her eventually, right?”

“Yeah.” Harrison looked down at his soda.
“Eventually.”

His insides quivered. He was pretty sure
Gemma would hate the idea of meeting his family, but he was certain
his mother wouldn’t back off. She knew him too well to think this
was a casual fling. She’d keep needling until Gemma was standing on
their doorstep.

One evening meal couldn’t be all bad, could
it? He’d make sure things stayed light and casual. It’s not like
anyone would ever guess Gemma’s secret. But how did he persuade his
new girlfriend of that?

“So.” Bryan grabbed his shoulder. “What makes
this girl so great?”

Harrison shook free of his stepfather’s grasp
and headed for the hallway. “Well, for a start…” He turned and
played thoughtful for a moment. “She owns a Ducati.”

Harrison’s smile was smug as he walked out of
the room listening to his mother’s giggle. “Close your mouth,
dear.”

By the time Harrison arrived at school the
next morning he had concocted a few different conversations to
convince Gemma to meet his family. He decided to sit on them for a
couple of days first. He knew today would be challenging enough for
her. She hated how people talked and they would definitely be
talking when they saw them together.

Harrison grinned. He couldn’t wait to walk up
and wrap his arms around her. Her bike wasn’t in the lot yet, so he
decided to get himself organized then wait for her at her
locker.

“Hey man.” He met Darren in the hallway and
walked with him to their lockers, keeping his eyes peeled for the
brunette beauty while the guy chatted on about the movie he watched
last night.

He dialed the combination and flicked back
his locker, shoving books in and out of his bag with speed.

“Hey Harrison.”

Dana’s hand caught him by surprise as it
glided up his arm. Harrison stepped away from her with a friendly
smile. “Hey.”

He closed his locker and nodded at Dana’s
lengthy story about something. He kept his eyes on the steady flow
of human traffic and muted out her voice.

The girl he was waiting for appeared around
the corner with her brother and sister. He watched her bid them
goodbye then walk towards him. He kept his gaze on her, ready to
beam her his best smile. Intros to his friends would be first then
he could take her hand and walk her to class, maybe steal a quick
kiss.

His chest constricted when she walked
straight past him with her head down and her gaze locked on the
floor. He immediately tried to follow her, but she scuttled
away.

“Harrison? Are you coming?”

He looked at Darren and after a moment’s
hesitation gave his friend a sullen nod.

The day didn’t get any better. He ran from
his first period class to wait outside Gemma’s room, but she’d
already left. Second period, he sat with his leg jiggling under the
table, waiting for his next chance, but he missed her on all
counts. It was like she was avoiding him on purpose.

His anger bubbled slowly throughout the day,
growing in heat and intensity. Finding the library empty at
lunchtime made him want to explode. As he stomped towards the
cafeteria, he spotted her. She was just leaving the bathroom. When
she turned his way, he jumped behind a row of lockers, knowing he
would need an element of surprise to catch the sneaking beauty.

The hallway was practically empty as he crept
up behind her. He kept his steps light and wrapped his arm around
her waist, lifting her off her feet, capturing her arm before it
could hit him and carrying her towards the janitor’s closet.

“Don’t even think about kung fu-ing my butt.”
He opened the door and didn’t drop her indignant body until they
were firmly shut inside.

She spun to face him, but there was no way
she was entitled to the first word.

“What the hell is going on? What’s the matter
with you?” he said.

“Nothing! What’s the matter with you?”

He raised his arms and huffed in complete
confusion. “I don’t understand you. Are we together or not? Did
yesterday mean nothing to you?”

“What are you talking about?” She placed her
hand on his chest, looking pained that he would even think that.
“Of course we’re together. I just didn’t see why everyone else had
to know that.”

“Great, so I can have you, but I can’t have
you.”

“I’m sorry.” She ran her hand up to his
shoulder, distracting him with tickling fire. “I’m just not ready
for the whole school to start talking about it. People always
expand the truth and it’s embarrassing. You wouldn’t
understand.”

Harrison stepped away from her with a
scoffing laugh. “I wouldn’t understand? I’ve lost count of how many
times I’ve been the new kid at a school. Gossip. I get it. It
chases you down every hallway.”

Gemma frowned and bit the edge of her
lip.

He let out a long sigh and reached for her
hand. “I don’t care what other people say. I’m proud to be with
you. I don’t want to have to hide.”