Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (197 page)

“
And you tell me not to worry?” I straightened, tucking my legs
under me.

Forced
air pushed through his nose. “It was hunting, and you were in its
path. It’ll not happen again. I promise you.”

The
determination in his voice made me stare at him. His head bent
slightly forward, his eyes intently watching his fingers pick at
his clean nails. “I don’t know why it went for you. I think you
just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.” His
words came out slow and punctuated, like he’d been rehearsing them.
“You need to rest.” He gently helped me lie back down.

As I
drifted off to sleep, I hoped so hard he was right, even though I
didn’t believe him.

Chapter 5

Something warmed one side of my face. My head instinctly
moved towards it and the other side of my face cooled against the
pillow. Fluttering my lids, the sun shined through the window,
creating the heat. Burrowing deeper into the heavy duvet, I
drifted, not asleep, but enjoying that wonderful half-awake feeling
when you know you don’t have to get up and rush off to school. The
scent of delicious male cologne filled my nostrils. I moved closer
to the smell.

“
You know, you’re very cute when you sleep.”

My eyes
popped open. Michael lay on the bed, his head leaning against the
headboard of Grace’s bed, arms crossed, hair perfect and an
unbelievably sexy grin on his face. Last night’s memories came
crashing through my mind.

I sat up, very conscious of my heavy,
tired eyes and morning breath, positive the back of my head had a
rat’s nest tangled in it.
Why do guys always have to look so
perfect?

His face
lost its humor. “Are you okay?”

“
I’m, uh, fine.”
Just in dire need of a brush and a
bottle of mouthwash
.
Maybe throw in some kind of manual on crazy beasts living
in the forest
.

“
You feel like getting up and going for a drive?”

With him, no human would say no.
Except…
“I should find Grace, and see if she’s planned
anything.”

Michael
let out an intoxicating laugh. “She’s fine.” He paused, staring at
the ceiling a moment. “Grace and Sarah are out running an errand.
We’ve plenty of time to go for a ride and still be home before they
get back. I promise. She’s not mad.” His hand came up in a Scout’s
honor position.

“
If you’re sure…” Guilt washed over me for preferring to hang
out with Michael rather than Grace. However, if she’d gone out with
Sarah, a short drive wouldn’t be so bad. “Give me ten
minutes.”

I
waited. Michael didn’t move. My only way off the bed would be to
crawl over the top of him. Kicking the blankets off, I shuffled to
the foot of the bed. Still unable to avoid not touching him, I
edged over his legs and let my toes reach for the floor. My hands
brushed against his shins, enjoying the hot and cold feeling his
body gave off. Once off the bed, I stood in the middle of the room
not sure where I’d left my backpack or what to do.

“
I’ll meet you downstairs.” He dropped his legs over the bed
and stood, relaxed and confident. He walked by me, his arm brushing
against mine. When he opened the door, he turned. “I’ll make some
breakfast while you get ready.” He pointed at the ground beside
Grace’s closet and disappeared down the hall.

I looked
down where he’d pointed. My bag. The door behind it led to a
bathroom. Alone, I grabbed my backpack and dumped it on the bed,
hoping I’d packed something decent to wear today. The leather book
from the bookstore slid to the floor. I leaned over and grabbed it
then tossed it on the bed, more concerned about dashing to the
bathroom, showering and getting dressed in record time.

I did
manage to get ready in a decent amount of time. Unfortunately, my
sneakers decided to play hide and seek. Michael knocked on the door
just as I was crawling around on the floor looking for my right
shoe.

“
Do you remember where I tossed my shoes
last night when we got back?” Near the corner of the bed, a sparkle
caught my eye. “Forget it. Found you.” I grabbed it and held it up
triumphantly to Michael. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a
long-sleeved black shirt.
Incredibly hot without even trying to
be
.
Okay. Enough with
the oozing over the guy
. I was starting to annoy myself with my inability
to let it go.

“
I made coffee and Sarah bought muffins. She bought like ten
different kinds. Are you almost ready to–” He stopped mid-sentence,
dropping the travel mug on the nightstand, and muffin bag on the
floor. He swiped something off the bed.

I
reached out to stop the wobbling mug.

“
Is this
yours
?” He held the book at arm’s length, by the
corner.

I
nodded.

He
snorted.

In disgust?
“I got it from The Eclectic Bookshop
yesterday.” Pulling my shoe on, I peered at the cover.
Why’s he acting so
weird?
“I
haven’t had a chance to look at it. It looks really
old.”

“
Yesterday?” He glared at the book and mumbled
something.

All I
caught was “…makes sense now.” I had no idea what he
meant.

“
We need to get this out of the house before Caleb gets home.
He’ll freak if he sees it.”

“
Why? It’s just an old folklore book.”

“
Let’s go.” He reached for my elbow and steered me toward the
hall. “You can drink your coffee in the car.”

Gravel
sprayed as we spun out of the driveway. Michael finally slowed the
car when he turned onto a scenic route to the mountains. He sat
rigid and quiet, so I sipped at my coffee and ate my muffin. I
picked up the book and flipped it open to the middle. “Holy
friggin’ smokes!” The hand drawn picture was of the ugliest,
crudest looking thing I’d ever seen—some kind of ancient scary
mythical creature. I traced a finger along the charcoal ridges.
Some kind of fountain pen ink had been used in tracing
it.

I turned to the first page and read the
single sentence on it. “Grollic Monstrum. A
n aberrant occurrence that has the ability
to produce fear or cause physical harm. Can the beast be tamed? Or
controlled?”

I
flicked through some of the drawings scattered throughout the book.
Large, dark, omniscient animals had eyes that stared directly at
you from the paper. A page on the left showed a drawn photo which
had been painted in. Amber yellow eyes.

I gasped
and then tried to catch my lost breath. What knocked the wind out
of me was cold, hard realization.

“
That animal last night, it…” I couldn’t finish the sentence.
It couldn’t be. This kind of stuff was all myths and legends,
folklores.

Michael
continued to stare at the road, his knuckles white against the
wheel he gripped. His posture confirmed what I didn’t want to
believe.

“
It can’t be. It doesn’t exist.”

The
silence drove me crazy.”

“
It isn’t real.”

“
They are.”

What
?
Wait a sec.
“Not just one, there are more?
H-How do you know?”

“
I just do. The grollic’s smell was all over the
forest.”

Turning
to face him, I studied his tense profile. “You could smell it? I
didn’t even hear that thing until it was three feet in front of me.
A grollic?” The word was foreign to my tongue. I needed to
concentrate but it all seemed ridiculous. What normal human could
hold a conversation on real-live monsters seriously? “You’re not
one, are you?” I giggled. He did seem to have some peculiar habits,
obviously not spooky, but, in my anxiousness, I couldn’t resist
teasing.

“
Never!” He snapped like I’d whipped him.

I
exhaled, letting my head fall against the back of the seat. “Sorry.
I’m only kidding.” Michael obviously wasn’t. I’d hit a nerve with
my crappy humor. A reminder of why I should never use
it.

He
pulled over on the side of the road at a lookout point. Something
about the intensity in his blue eyes captivated me. I didn’t bother
glancing out the windows at the scenery. I had all I needed in the
car.

Michael
shoved the car in park and drummed his fingers against the steering
wheel. “This is real. There are things I’m not allowed to say,” he
scoffed, “and other stuff you wouldn’t understand.”

Crazy alert. Get out of the car and walk
away
.
My brain seemed to
think it knew better than my body. I sat silent, unsure what to
do.

He
stomped a foot against the car floor. “I’m not sure what to tell
you.”

“
The truth.” I barely knew the guy and here I sat, in his car,
demanding he spill his guts. I crossed my arms, ticked at my
inability to keep my mouth shut.

His eyes
ran up and down me, obviously misreading my body language. “I tell
you a hideous creature went after you, and you barely bat an eye.
You just turn and ask if I’m one.”

“
I was joking.”

“
Yeah, you said that.” He shifted, turning back to the wheel
and staring straight ahead.

My right thumb traced the pad of my left
hand. If I told him my feelings, I’d step over a line I’d never
crossed before.
Totally risky, but is it as dangerous as the animal in the
forest last night?
Swallowing hard, I hesitantly laid my fingers on his wrist.
When he looked at me, I stared back into his ocean blue eyes. “I…We
haven’t known each other very long, but there’s something...I
li-like you.” I wanted to add it was different, not like anything
I’d ever felt before. Instead, I babbled. “This may sound weird,
but I can’t get you out of my head. I hardly know you, but I trust
you with my life.” Horrified at what I’d admitted, I pressed my
lips closed tight. When Michael didn’t say anything, I sat back
against my seat.
Crap! I’ve just screwed up royally.
I dropped my face in my
hands.

“
Trust
me when I say I’m not right for you.” Michael’s
voice took on that husky rasp which made my breath catch. “I’m no
good for you.”

My heart
sunk. Grace had been wrong last night when she said Michael liked
me. My brain kept sending my heart mixed signals. I responded the
way I always did. I got defensive. “Isn’t it up to me to decide
what’s good or bad for me?”

“
I was afraid you’d say something like that.” Without another
word, his hands pulled at my wrists, forcing me to look at him. The
anger in his face softened as his eyes danced back and forth. His
face close, he leaned forward and as he opened his mouth to speak,
he brushed his lips lightly against mine. Fire and ice. Like
dynamite exploding inside my head.

Without
thinking, one of my hands touched his face and the other went
behind his head, its fingers curling in his soft hair. Then he
kissed me, this time with intention. It was intoxicating, left me
completely breathless.

As
quickly as he’d begun, he pulled away, heaving. “Sorry. That wasn’t
supposed to happen.” His eyes were shut tight.

“
I didn’t mind at all.”
Could
my mouth, for once, keep up with my
brain and shut up?

“
Rouge,” he whispered. I loved the way my name rolled off his
tongue. “This can only end badly.”

“
How do you know? We’ve barely started. Why not give this a
chance and see what happens?” Terrified he’d push away, I reached
out and grabbed his wrist. I’d never wanted someone like this. I’d
been content to live my life on my own and suddenly it seemed the
loneliest option in the world.

Michael
rubbed the light stubble on his jaw. He appeared torn, trying to
wrestle his version of good versus evil. He sat perfectly still for
a few minutes and finally turned, his blue eyes boring into mine.
“Screw it. I can’t fight this. Just promise you won’t hate me in
the end?”

“
As long as we don’t burn in hell, we’re good to go,” I
joked.

His jaw
dropped and his eyes grew big. Then he laughed, a deep throaty one
straight from deep inside. “Alright. Let's head back to my place.
Grace is already bugging me, wondering where you are. And,” he
swallowed, “it’s time you met Caleb.” He squeezed my hand and
turned the car around.

The way
he spoke made me anxious. I thought about those terrible yellow
eyes again. Thankful now it’d been too dark to see the thing
properly. “What are they?”

Michael
sighed. “Grollics? They’re human but biologically messed up.
Something’s wrong within their natural order. It’s impossible to
explain.”

I had no
reply. I didn’t get it nor could I fathom it. If I hadn’t seen
those freakish hollow eyes last night, I wouldn’t believe a word
Michael said.