Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (201 page)

“
You remain the age you were at the time of your
death.”

“
But you and Grace are so young.”

“
Long story.” He checked his watch again. “Too long to get into
tonight.”

I
planted my legs and crossed my arms. This was way too fascinating
to have him just tell me a little and say it’s time to go. “I’m not
finished. I have more questions.” I hadn’t even started to scratch
the surface. “What’s with Caleb?”

Michael
began pushing the logs around in the fire with a cast iron stick,
trying to get it to die down. “He’s an original of the
Coven.”

“
Coven?” I sounded like a parrot. It sounded like some vampire
story. Next he’d be telling me they existed as well.

“
Kind of like royalty…original bloodlines. That’s another very
complicated story. There are not many of his kind. He’s extremely
powerful and much respected in our world. No one crosses him. He’s
monumental to all of us.” Michael shook his head, his hair falling
forward. “We really need to get back to the house. I didn’t take my
phone and Caleb’s bugging Grace now.”

“
Fine.” I grabbed my shawl off the couch. “We’ll go, but you’re
driving slowly. I have a million questions.”

Michael
smiled. “I’ve a feeling they’re never going to end.” He killed the
fire and we left.

My brain
wouldn’t stop humming as we drove. “If you and Grace were together
when you… when you…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. “Did Caleb
find you after?”

Michael focused on the road, his tanned
knuckles white as he squeezed the wheel. “Sarah found us. We had no
idea what was happening, but she knew.” He was silent for a moment,
either concentrating on the stop light, or reliving what happened.
He cleared his throat. “Caleb met Sarah a bunch of years later,
after she’d adopted us. He saw her and immediately gave her
his
Siorghra
. She did the same without question. They were simply drawn
to each other. Caleb had been alone before he met her. She was his
first.”

I stared at my Spartacus sitting so close,
but seeming from another world. There was so much information to
sort through. It didn’t scare me, but rather fascinated me. It was
like I’d been waiting all my life for him. I’d never fit in
anywhere and this all made sense, like it was a part of me or my
ancestry. I don’t know why I felt the ties, but another part of me
was horrified at the thought. What I did understand: I wanted to
wear Michael’s
Siorghra
more than anything. It also made me wish I had one to give
him.

We pulled into the driveway and walked
silently to the house. Doubt began to fill my head. What if his
family was angry I knew their secret?
What would Caleb say?
Michael took my hand
and pulled me closer to him as we reached the front
steps.

Brushing
close, his silk skin touched mine and I groaned. “I need to change.
I can’t talk to your family wearing this.”

Inside,
Michael led me straight upstairs.

“
I gotta change, too.” He kissed my forehead and turned toward
his room. “Take your time. I’ll meet you downstairs.”

I walked into Grace’s empty room. Changing
into a pair of jeans and plain long sleeve top, I kept
Michael’s
Siorghra
on and slipped it inside my shirt.
Time to head into the lion’s
den.

First, I
needed to pee. I slipped into the bathroom.

“
You okay?”

I nearly
jumped ten feet when Grace spoke. I switched light on. She sat on
the counter, her bare feet swinging in the air.

“
You scared the heck out of me!” My heart felt ready to
explode, and there she sat, all chipper and smiley. “Why’re you
sitting in the bathroom, in the dark?” I punched her
shoulder.

“
Wasn’t sure if Michael would come in the room too. Didn’t know
if you needed some privacy.” Grace tilted her head. “Sooo, you know
our dirty little secret.”

“
Kinda.”

She slid
off the counter and staring at me. Then suddenly she lunged at me
and swung her arms around me, hugging me tight. It was a moment
before she let go and it took me a moment longer to catch my
breath. “I knew you were special the moment I saw you. I knew you’d
totally get it.”

“
You’re crazy. Even nuttier for putting
the
Siorghra
on me.” I touched the necklace, loving the feel of it but
not wanting to admit it.

“
You needed to know. I figured Michael would tell you tonight
if I did. I’ve no idea how, but you’re involved in this as well. I
feel it.” She stepped back and stared at me intently. “You don’t
care about what we are, do you?”

Me?
Involved? How and in what? “Why should I judge you? I liked you
before and nothing’s different.”

She
squealed and hugged me again, shorter in length but still enough to
knock the wind out of me again. “It’s about time Michael met
someone. You are so worth keeping around.”

I wanted to ask if I might be like them.
Maybe I was some sort of fallen whatever they were.
It kind of makes
sense
. I
didn’t know my parents and always had the feeling of needing my
freedom – that there was something more out
there.

“
They’re waiting. You ready?” Grace interrupted my
thoughts.

My
throat suddenly dry, I nodded. “Wait. I need to pee.”

Like a
best friend, she waited in the hall and we headed downstairs
together. Heavy silence greeted us in the living room. Michael sat
on the couch, dressed in jeans and a white shirt. Grace pulled me
into the room and set me between her and Michael.

Caleb
sat by the desk. Sarah stood behind him, her hand on his shoulder.
They made a stunning couple, and also frightening in a way I
couldn’t quite grasp.

“
Rouge knows,” Michael said in a low voice.

Caleb's
eyes narrowed as he stared at me. He didn’t say anything for a few
minutes. Then completely ignoring me, he turned back to Michael. “I
never considered you an idiot.”

My breath caught in my throat. I figured
he’d be angry, but I didn’t think he’d act like I was some kind of
insignificant fixation. I opened my mouth to say something and then
closed it.
It’s not my turn to speak.
This conversation was between Michael and
Caleb.

“
I’m not.” Michael’s jaw twitched. “Rouge’s not what you think.
She’s trustworthy.”

“
It goes against the Coven and its plans.”
He cleared his throat. “This’ll only bring trouble upon all of us
–
your
family.
You
need to consider this very carefully. I will ask once, what are
your intentions?”

“
I’m not sure. I need time to think things through.”

“
Think things through? Do you think you should have considered
that before you went and told her? Decide, Michael. I am not
willing to risk our safety for this child. A girl, who you know
nothing about. Do you know her past?”

My past?
I had nothing to hide. I literally had
nothing.

“
I understand your concern.”

How did Michael stay so calm sitting on
the couch?
I
couldn’t stop my right knee from bouncing.

Michael leaned forward. “Rouge’s not the
issue. What happened tonight is. While we were at the school, a boy
approached her. He saw my
Siorghra
on her neck. He threatened her, threatened
us.”

“
You put your
Siorghra
on her?” Caleb screamed.

Grace
spoke matter-of-factly, “No, I did…to go with the
costume.”

Caleb
threw his hand up to stop her. “I’ll speak with you later.” His
eyes whipped over to me. “Who’s the boy?”

I
swallowed, trying to push the butterflies back down my throat. My
shoulder blade began burning again. “Damon said… he knew what you
are…” I took a deep breath. When Caleb didn’t reply I added, “He
plans on destroying you.”

“
He what?” Caleb roared. His nostrils flared, and faster than
I’d ever seen anyone move, he flung the desk across the room.
Papers flew everywhere, as if trying to get away from him. “A boy?
A damn boy tried to intimidate my family? Impossible!” He glared at
all three of us on the couch. “Is this the first time?”

My butt clung to the couch beneath me and
I leaned against Michael’s shoulder.
How could someone toss a desk like it was
a book
?
Forcing courage, I made myself sit
straight.

Grace
didn’t even flinch at Caleb’s outburst. “Damon hit on me a while
back and got no where. He’s nothing, just a boy who’s jealous. He
doesn’t know anything. It’s a bloody game.” She glanced at me
before shifting back to Caleb. “He’s got a bit of a grudge and took
it out on Rouge at school when were we hanging out in the courtyard
a while back. He’s not worth it.”

Caleb
paced, his hands clenched behind his back. “This boy threatened
you?” He turned and glowered at her, his eyes shone a brilliant
blue. I pressed myself closer to Michael as he continued, “And you
did nothing?”

Sarah
interrupted, “He’s human?”

Michael
nodded. “He’s young. Too young to be—”

“
He’s just an idiot on a steroid rant.” Grace met Caleb’s stare
and then purposely turned to the overturned desk.

Caleb’s angry voice rang across the room.
“Is there anything about this person you
do
know? Who’s his family? His friends? Is he
a serious threat? What and why does he know? Something’s being
missed. A random nobody does get what the pendant represents. Does
he need to be eliminated?”

Sarah
touched his shoulder. “We can’t get rid of him until we understand
what he knows. Who he’s with. Kill without questioning him and we
accomplish nothing. We must remove the threat–all of
it.”

She sounded military.
What kind of lives had each of
them led?
What had they done in order to survive undetected to the
human eye?

Caleb
stood statue still. “Michael, find out about this idiot, and if he
and his little posse are any hindrance to us. Get rid of the girl,
she’s of no use.” He dismissed us with a wave of his hand and
stomped to his office, the slamming blood-red painted door
reverberating throughout the house. Some kind of crystal shattered
in the kitchen.

Sarah
touched Michael’s shoulder. “I’ll talk to Caleb.” She kissed him on
the top of his head, and went into the office.

“
This isn’t good,” Grace whispered, more to herself than
us.

“
Michael,” I said, my world crumbling and knowing I had to do
what was right. “I don’t want trouble with Caleb. He’s right, your
family comes first.” I reached and squeezed his hand before
standing. “Take care of what you need to. I’m going to head
home.”

He
stayed seated on the couch, looking confused.

Grace
jumped up and ran to the hall. “Take my car.”

I caught the keys she tossed me
automatically, like a robot, and watched her run up the stairs.
Michael sat still frozen on the couch. All of a sudden my heart
began tearing.
He’s not going to fight for me. There’s no such thing as a
white knight.
After everything I’d learned, he hadn’t told me everything.
I wasn’t supposed to be here.

I walked
the few steps back to him and leaned forward to lightly brush my
trembling lips against his cheek.

He
whispered in my ear, “It’s not safe for you to be with us. I knew
this was too dangerous. I should never have talked to you that
night you were running. This is all my fault.” He gently traced my
lips with a finger. “I’ll try and come for you, but it’s better if
you just forget about us. Act like we never existed.”

In dead silence, I left the house.
First there’s
Grollics and now…
It was too much for my little head to comprehend. Driving
home I realized I still had Michael’s
Siorghra
. I snorted.
Well, at least he’ll have to see me
one more time.

I
couldn’t shake the terrible sense of doom. We’d just been on the
edge of something that felt so real. For the first time in my
entire life, I was crying for someone I loved.

Chapter 9

The next
morning, I couldn’t tell if my head or heart hurt worse. My eyes
stung from the tears I’d shed and my throat killed from the crying
it had tried to swallow. However, my shattered heart made the
thought of getting out of bed almost too hard to bear. Tempted to
skip school I only went because I hoped to see Grace.

Pulling
into a parking space at school with the Smartcar, I wondered if
Michael might drop Grace off. No such luck. I waited near the
entrance of the school and reluctantly headed to class when the
buzzer went.