Blessed (Book 2, The Watchers Trilogy; Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (24 page)

With a resigned sigh he said, “Malcolm.”

I couldn’t help the giggle that burst out of my mouth as I tried to imagine Brand going to Malcolm with such a question.

“Why him?” I asked, still chuckling as I tried to imagine that scene between the two of them.

“He’s probably the most promiscuous Watcher I know. I figured he would know better than anyone how to not get someone pregnant.”

“He didn’t give you a hard time about asking, did he?”

Brand lifted an eyebrow at me. “Do you even have to ask?”

Poor Malcolm. I knew how he felt about me and could only imagine how awkward it was to tell Brand what he needed to know before we made love for the first time. However, I also knew him well enough to understand that he wouldn’t have been able to control himself and probably tortured Brand as much as he could to garner the information.

“I don’t want to use a condom the first time. Ok?” I said.

“Why?” Brand seemed suspicious of my motives.

“Because I don’t want my first time to be filled with passion and then you have to stop to put one on. I mean it’s not like we don’t know each other. Neither of us has a disease. Besides, I’ll be on birth control anyway. Please,” I begged. “Just not the first time, ok? After that, you can use as many as you want.”

A cheeky grin spread across Brand’s face. “I’ll remember you said that.”

Later that evening, Brand got a call from Allan. From what I heard on Brand’s end of the conversation, Allan had completed his genetic comparison of my grandmother’s DNA and found that the results were similar to my mother’s, as we had already thought they would be.

“We’d be delighted to, Allan,” I heard Brand say as I was just finishing my Chemistry homework. “Ok, see you then.”

“What are we delighted to do?” I asked.

Brand came and sat beside me at the dining room table. “He invited us to eat with him and Angela at their home, tomorrow night.”

“From the look on your face, I assume that’s unusual.”

“I’ve never seen Allan walk around inside his own home,” Brand said, completely astounded. He looked at me from the corner of his eye. “Though, I have my suspicions that he just wants to see you again, and dinner with them seemed to be the most congenial way to request your presence.”

“I wish I knew why I affected your kind the way I do.”

“It’s not just us,” Brand said.

“What do you mean?”

“That night your car broke down and you sought help from Abby. Do you remember what she did while you were in there?”

“Do you mean the growling?”

“Yes. She felt your presence in the house.”

“What do you mean she felt me?”

“It’s the only way she could explain it. She felt you there and had this almost uncontrollable urge to be near you. That’s one reason Rose Marie was so upset. She thought Abby was going to break down her cell and attack you.”

“You know, Malcolm said something similar happened with Sebastian the first night we met. I do remember feeling like Sebastian wanted to come closer to me then. Why do you think that is?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Do you ever think we’ll figure out why I’m so strange?”

I didn’t mean for the question to come out as a whine, but it did. Why couldn’t I just be normal?

“You are
not
strange,” Brand said, standing from his chair while taking one of my hands in his, urging me to my feet. “You are the most wonderful person I know. Don’t ever think of yourself as anything less.”

I leaned my body against his for warmth and comfort. “You’re just saying that because you’re hopelessly in love with me.”

“It’s because of who you are that makes me hopelessly and endlessly in love with you,” he said, trailing small kisses down my neck.

I completely lost track of time for the rest of the evening, which wasn’t a bad thing.

Since there was a six-hour time difference between our time and London, Brand and I ditched Physics class, and I took some time off from work that afternoon, so we could have dinner with Allan and Angela.

We needed to be there before nightfall anyway. Angela called Brand earlier that morning to make sure we came well before she was due to transform. She also asked us to bring Abby, since it had been so long since she last saw her friend. But, wherever Abby went, Sebastian had to go. They had been joined at the hip ever since they’d declared their love for each other. From what I knew, they spent almost all their time at Malcolm’s home.

“You know,” Brand said to me while we were getting ready to go to Allan’s, “why doesn’t Tara move into Abby’s house? She’s not using it anymore, and it would be nice to have Tara closer to us. Do you think she would like it?”

“Why don’t you ask her?” I suggested. “I think she would appreciate hearing the invitation come from you.”

If the offer came from Brand directly, I was sure Tara would feel like she was going to be a major part of our new family. I had worried about leaving her in the apartment alone, after I married Brand. For one thing, I wasn’t sure she could afford to pay for it on her own, and I knew she wouldn’t take money from me, even if I tried to help her out. Secondly, if she was just down the road from us, she could come over any time she wanted, and not feel like she was intruding.

I understood the relationship Tara and I had with one another would have to evolve once I was married, but I felt like our friendship was strong enough to endure such a drastic change in both our lives. We were sisters by choice, and I always thought that was a stronger bond than simply being born to the same parents.

By the time we all arrived at Allan’s, it was 4 o’clock London time. We had at least two hours before we would need to leave to get Abby and Sebastian back to Lakewood. Abby didn’t bother with ringing the doorbell to Allan’s house, and simply stepped inside like it was a second home to her.

“Angela!” Abby called from the foyer.

Angela came bounding down the stairs from the second floor and flew into Abby’s arms, laughing.

“Can you believe it?” she asked Abby, full of joy and excitement. “He’s really serious about changing this time. It’s totally different than the last few times he’s tried.”

“Well, I hope it works out, Ang,” Abby told her happy friend while kissing her affectionately on the cheek. “I know you try to pretend the way he is doesn’t affect you, but I know it does.”

Angela looked at Sebastian. “Hiya, you must be Abby’s new squeeze.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Sebastian said with a slight bow in Angela’s direction.

Angela looked to me. The unvoiced pleading in her eyes told me she hoped my presence would help her father overcome his fear of the outside world.

“Where is Allan?” Brand asked.

“He’s still in his room,” Angela answered, tugging her lower lip in worry, with her teeth. “I was hoping you and Lilly could go in there and get him. He might feel braver if she’s with him.”

We didn’t have to be asked twice. Angela opened up the hidden doors leading to Allan’s sterile environment. After passing through the decontamination chamber, we stepped in to find Allan sitting on one of the metal stools inside his glass bubble. He was dressed in a nicely-tailored grey pinstriped suit, with a white shirt and grey silk tie. The trepidation on his face had me worried. Angela was so sure her father was finally strong enough to face his fears. I was glad she wasn’t with us to see Allan’s anxiety. It didn’t take long for Allan to realize we were in his space. When his eyes rested on me, they immediately lit up, and his anxiety seemed to fade away a small bit.

He stood from his chair and opened the door to come out and meet us halfway.

“I’m so glad you both could make it,” he said, trying to put on a brave face.

I knew he was nervous about leaving his safety net, and venturing out into his house for what would be a prolonged period, at least long enough to eat supper.

I let go of Brand’s hand and walked up to Allan. I wasn’t sure how he would react, but if he was serious about changing his life and providing his daughter with a better way to live than the caretaker role she had been forced to play all these years, he needed to be nurtured and, at the same time, tested to see how far his limits could be stretched.

I put my hand on Allan’s forearm. He didn’t flinch away. He even seemed to relax a bit under my touch.

“It’s so good to see you again, Allan,” I told him. “Thank you for inviting us back to your home. I’ve been looking forward to it.”

A genuine smile graced his face. “I’m glad you’re here.” He put one of his hands on top of the one I had on his arm. “Shall we go out and join the others?”

I stood by Allan’s side, never taking my hand off his arm, and letting him keep his hold over mine as we left his self-imposed prison cell.

When we stepped out of the room and joined the others, who were still standing in the foyer, I thought I saw tears shimmer in Angela’s eyes. The pride she felt for her father couldn’t have been more evident. I felt a small sense of pride in being able to help give her hope for a brighter future.

From the way Allan looked at things inside his home as we made our way to the dining room, I had to assume it was the first time he had ever seen them himself. He scrutinized every detail, and told Angela where he thought things should be changed. She didn’t seem to mind his direction at all. In fact, she more often than not completely agreed with his assessment.

Dinner was an easy, comfortable affair, and everyone had a great time together. I sat beside Allan, so I could touch his arm casually if I saw him slipping away from us and into obsession. He still held onto some old habits, like wiping his utensils ten times each with his napkin before using them for the first time, but it seemed like a small enough indulgence to let slip by. He was making such wonderful progress, and seemed to enjoy our companionship and light conversation.

By the end of the meal, it was time for us to go back home. The sun was just setting and the moon was sure to follow in its wake.

“Perhaps,” Allan said as we were getting ready to make our departure, “you could show me where your home is one day soon. I think it might be too much for me this evening, but I would like to give Angela the opportunity to visit Abby on occasion.”

“Of course, Allan,” Brand said with a smile, showing how extremely pleased he was with Allan’s simple request. “Any time you’re ready.”

We made our goodbyes and promised to come back for another visit soon. When we phased Abby and Sebastian back to Malcolm’s house, Abby said, “Well, I think that went better than Angela could have hoped for. And she owes it all to you, love.” Abby gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m glad I could help,” I answered. “I just wish I knew why I can.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Will called Saturday morning to inform us that he had gone to Jackson on Friday, but wasn’t able to find Dr. Lucas Hunter. Apparently, the doctor was on an unexpected vacation. The nurse Will talked to was quite flustered about it, saying she had never known Dr. Hunter to go on vacation in the ten years she’d worked for him. It was uncharacteristic of him to dump all of his patients onto another doctor, while he took time off. He didn’t even leave a way for them to contact him. Will was able to get the address of Dr. Hunter’s home, but found the place empty. From the information gathered, we were all sure Lucas Hunter was no longer himself, but a body possessed by one of Will’s kind.

The rest of my week was normal, by my standards. I met all my classes, went to work, and came home to Brand in the evenings. I tried to enjoy the lull of normalcy in my life while I could. I was sure it wouldn’t last for long. I also found time to go to the gynecologist my mother recommended, in order to get my first prescription of birth control.

On the night of the Halloween dance, Tara and I got ready in our apartment. I wanted to be there when Tara’s date came to pick her up. I still hadn’t met him, and wanted to at least check him out before she left with a complete stranger. Tara just rolled her eyes at me when I told her why I wanted to meet Aaron.

“Girl, he’s just taking me to this dance. I don’t plan on marrying the boy.”

“But is he someone you might end up dating? If he is, I’d like to get to know him.”

Tara shrugged. “Can’t say for sure. I don’t know him all that well. I just wanted to go to this dance, and he offered to take me.”

Seeing that I wasn’t going to get a lot of cooperation from Tara, I decided to bide my time and make my own decision about Aaron.

I told Brand I would phase to his house after I met Tara’s date.

When I showed him the costume he would be wearing to the dance, the first thing he said was, “I assume Tara picked this out?”

“Of course she did,” I told him. “You
are
Prince Charming, after all.”

“You won’t disappear on me at midnight, will you?” he teased.

“I’ll try not to,” I told him.

Tara’s date picked her up at a quarter to eight. He was dressed as what I could only categorize as a pimp. He was wearing a black velvet-looking long coat, trimmed with fake tiger fur at the collar, with an oversized matching pimp hat and tiger-skin platform boots. He wore a pair of black slacks, but no shirt. There was a large gold chain around his neck with a dollar sign medallion. To top off the costume, he wore a pair of red-tinted sunglasses trimmed in gold, with dollar signs at the corners that covered almost half of his face.

I wasn’t sure I cared for Tara going out with someone dressed in such a getup. I mean, seriously, if he was the pimp, what was she supposed to be?

After making pleasant conversation with him for a few minutes while Tara finished getting ready, I decided the costume was just a costume. Aaron was definitely not a Leroy. Whether he was a Simon was hard to say, since the former didn’t show his true colors until well into their relationship. But Aaron seemed a decent enough guy. He even took off his hat and glasses while he talked with me, which definitely earned him some brownie points for politeness.

“I’ll be staying here tonight,” I told Tara. I didn’t want her out with a stranger and not have someone waiting at the apartment for her. It also gave me a chance to make sure Aaron knew that someone would be expecting her back home safe and sound, and at a decent hour.

“Ok, girl,” Tara winked at me, understanding my motives for saying what I did in front of Aaron. “I’ll see you and Brand at the dance.”

After they left, I went to my room to put on my Cinderella costume. It was a lot larger and more cumbersome than I had originally thought when I first saw it in the store display. It was about a third of the size of my wedding dress but, still, for a dance, it might give me problems. The dress was made of light blue satin with white satin brocade peplums on either side of the waistline. The costume came with a multilayered petticoat, long white gloves, jeweled choker, and rhinestone tiara. The low-cut top half of the dress had me worried at first. I was showing a lot more cleavage than I had intended to. Nevertheless, Tara assured me it wasn’t so low that it made me look indecent.

Tara helped me put my hair up earlier that evening in the same up-do Malcolm had designed for me the night Brand proposed. My hair bore no resemblance to Cinderella’s, since it was the complete opposite of blonde, but it did look elegant enough to belong to a princess. When I studied my reflection in the mirror, I really did almost feel like I belonged in a fairy tale. It made me think about what would be happening in only three more weeks. I would be at my wedding, walking down the aisle to marry my Prince Charming, for better or for worse. I was praying we would have more ‘better’ than ‘worse’, though.

I quickly put on a pair of ballet-style slippers on my feet. I knew if I had to deal with the petticoat all night, I didn’t need to add high heels to an already-precarious equation, or I might end up looking more like Alice in Wonderland, falling down rabbit holes all evening long.

When I phased to Brand’s house, he was adjusting the gold sash that crossed from his left shoulder to his right hip. The costume was simple, but the way he filled it out made my heart miss a beat. The white jacket was trimmed with gold satin fabric at the cuffs and neckline. On each shoulder was a black epaulette trimmed with gold fringe. It even had a couple of fake medals pinned to the left side of the gold sash. There was a narrow maroon leather belt around the waist, which matched his pants in color.

“You really do look like Prince Charming,” I told him, unable to move for fear that my legs would betray the effect he was having on me.

He grinned at me, and I watched as his eyes traveled over the length of my costume only to come back up and openly stare at the cleavage the dress so brazenly displayed.

“I definitely like your costume,” he said, coming to stand in front of me with an appreciative grin on his face. “I like it a lot.”

I felt my cheeks flush as I looked down at the tops of my breasts. “Do you think it’s too much?”

“No, my love. You look lovely,” he told me, leaning down to kiss my perfect red- stained lips lightly. “Shall we go, my princess?” he asked, offering me his arm to take, as any prince would do.

We drove Brand’s car to the dance. I almost wished we had just phased there. The parking lot outside the indoor stadium was so full we ended up parking almost a quarter of a mile away from the entrance. Luckily, Brand had been there before to watch an exhibition basketball game before school started and was able to phase us to the entrance, so I wouldn’t have to walk so far in my cumbersome dress.

The inside of the stadium was decorated with a plethora of orange, gold, and black Mylar balloons, streamers, and fake headstones. There must have been at least one or two smoke machines in operation, because the floor was covered with a thin layer of wispy white smoke, to give the dance an added feel of graveyard spookiness. The spotlights were covered with red and blue filters, casting an eerie glow across the room. There was a band playing on an elevated stage underneath the scoreboard.

I immediately searched through the sizable crowd to locate our friends. It didn’t take me long to find Tara and Aaron. They were boogying on the dance floor, keeping in character, gyrating as if they were at a disco party. Tara waved at me when she saw me looking at her, and pointed over to one of the tables set up with refreshments.

I’m not sure what I expected Malcolm to show up as. To be honest, I guess I thought he would wear a black cape and come as a vampire. The ironic statement of wearing such a costume would have fit his personality. But, as usual, he surprised me.

Malcolm and Will were standing beside the refreshment table Tara had pointed to, talking to a couple of girls I didn’t recognize; not that I knew many people on campus anyway. Will was dressed like Lancelot, resplendent in a costume of chainmail and black tunic with a gold griffin embroidered across the front. Malcolm was dressed like an Egyptian pharaoh. Dressed is a loose term for how he was clothed. All his costume consisted of was a knee-length hieroglyphic print skirt, large leather collar with gold-colored trim, and matching armbands and headscarf. It looked like he was carrying a riding crop of some sort in his hands. I understood why he had picked the costume. It displayed his muscular upper torso and legs, since there wasn’t any cloth to get in the way, but I instantly noticed there was something different about Malcolm. His skin color was darker than it should have been. I remembered him telling me that one of the ways I could tell if he had broken our bargain and consumed human blood was a change in his skin color. I was instantly worried he had done something very bad.

The blonde and brunette Malcolm and Will were talking to were dressed a bit trampy for my taste. The blonde had on a naughty nurse’s outfit that looked more like a corseted white teddy with red piping and three-inch lace trimmed skirt. She wore white fishnet stockings and red stiletto heels to complete the look. The brunette was dressed in a slim-fitting black faux-leather mini-dress, which zipped up in the front and a pair of knee-high boots. I assumed her outfit was supposed to resemble a police uniform, since she also wore a cop hat and had a pair of silver handcuffs dangling from her hands.

Malcolm must have felt me looking at him, because his eyes soon met mine. He said something to the girl in the police costume and handed her his riding crop before making his way towards us through the crowd.

“We wondered if you were going to show up,” he said as he approached us. “Will and I have been perusing the delicate young flowers here for almost half an hour.”

“She doesn’t look all that delicate,” I said, nodding toward Malcolm’s admirer, who was openly staring at us, apparently offended by being left alone holding something for Malcolm like a servant. “You’d better watch out. She might use those cuffs on you if you misbehave.”

“Well, I certainly hope so,” Malcolm’s cheeky grin irritated me for some reason. He held out his hand to me as the band began to play a slow song. “Could I have the first dance, fair princess?” he asked.

I looked at Brand to make sure he was ok with it.

“Go ahead,” he told me. “I need to speak with Will anyway to see if he’s been able to find out more about Lucas Hunter.” Brand looked at Malcolm with a silent warning in his eyes.

“I promise to be on my best behavior,” Malcolm held his hands up as if to prove he had nothing up his sleeves, if he had been wearing sleeves that is.

Malcolm took my hand and led me onto the dance floor.

“You look lovely this evening, dearest,” he said, holding me as close to him as my bulky dress would allow.

“And you look a bit too tan,” I quipped. “You haven’t been doing anything you shouldn’t, have you?”

Malcolm actually looked hurt by my accusation. “I promised you I wouldn’t do that anymore, Lilly. Why would you think to even ask me such a question?”

I immediately regretted having jumped to the wrong conclusion. But how else had he developed such dark skin in such a short amount of time?

“Then how do you explain why your skin is so dark?”

“Have you ever seen a pale pharaoh?” he asked. “I couldn’t come without a tan. There’s a salon in town that sprays them on.”

“It’s fake?”

“Yes, completely fake.”

I felt bad now. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. Will you forgive me?”

From the lopsided grin on Malcolm’s face, I knew forgiveness wouldn’t come cheap.

“I might if you do something for me.”

“What?” I asked, completely suspicious.

“I want to spend a day with you alone before you marry. Could we do that?”

“Why before I’m married? It’s not like Brand has me on a leash, Malcolm. He’s not going to make me stop being friends with you just because I’m his wife.”

“I’d rather not think about Brand when we’re together on that day, and if we waited until you were married, that’s all I would think about. Please, dearest. Just one day?”

I didn’t see why it was so important to him, but I also didn’t see what it could hurt to spend a day with my friend before I became a married woman.

“All right, if that’s what you want. Now, do you forgive me?”

“Yes.” Malcolm grinned in satisfaction and his eyes twinkled as if he’d just won the lottery.

When the song was over, he dutifully walked me over to Brand. I saw that the girl cop was eyeing my fiancé with more interest than she should have been. Not that I could blame her for practically salivating over him. He was the most handsome man at the party, though I guess I could have been a little prejudice in my opinion.

“Hey, Lilly!” I turned around and saw Malik walking toward me with a pretty black girl on his arm. I assumed she must be Cheryl.

Malik was dressed as Jack Sparrow, and Cheryl seemed to be dressed as a bar wench.

“You look great,” he said as they came to stand beside us.

“You too,” I told him, taking in the braided wig, tri-corn hat, and brown leather duster he wore.

“Y’all need to come on and dance,” Tara called from the dance floor. She and Aaron had danced their way over to us. I saw her give a sideways glance at Malik and Cheryl, but her attention was soon diverted by Aaron as he swooped her up into his arms and twirled her around, causing her to giggle.