Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (46 page)

I think Tonya knew she was
somewhat different...like me. Not because of anything Katelyn did,
but because she arrived with Ames. Since we spread around that Ames
went off to another school and graduated early, he was only around
when I was. Katelyn arriving was the final factor in the weirdness
overdrive. Tonya convinced her she looked like an elf and asked if
elves were real. We warded off the conversation, but Ames squirmed
every bit as much as I did.

Once, Tonya set up a whole party
at her house and everyone in our class developed the stomach flu
epidemic in one day flat and started spewing the bathrooms with
puke. Several guys even made good on throwing up in the hallways. I
fell into the trap and was surprised when I arrived at her house
with close to a hundred bodies lining the walls. Her mother liked
to have killed her.

Like I said, she was capable of
anything.

Tonya was
leaving to go to college. I
’
d heard that Rick was already
gone to spend the summer working so he could party all first
semester of college. I would miss the idea of going to college.
Maybe I could take a few classes at a time. I
’
d broach that subject
with Ames at a later date.

We all vowed to spend every Friday
at the taco shop and then head over to get coffee. Weird
combination, but it works.

Katelyn was hooked on frappes and
after taking one to Wicker on the second Friday, he vowed to not be
left out of anything she was in so he came with us on the third
occasion. Our group was growing and so was my relationship with
Ames. I still tingled when his arm went around my shoulders to push
into the booth at the restaurant, but it was calming and reassuring
that someone cared deeply about me for reasons other than my
abilities to move the Earth.

The
Friday
’
s would end though. And I was ready. I wanted to move on,
start my life that I
’
d missed out on for so long. With
Ames. Before Ames and after Ames is a distinguishable marking point
on my timeline. I was never whole until I met him. Maybe it was
magic alone, but my heart felt it nonetheless.

We
’
d discussed the “magic” of it all. With the kiss, the magic
touch every time he even slightly feathers my skin. He told me once
that he was overcome and intrigued the first time he saw me in the
hall. He even described it telling me how he dropped his notebook
and fumbled around nervously. I couldn
’
t help but see past the
magic. I was as taken with him in that second as he says he was
with me. It was several minutes later when I clumsily fell across
him grabbing his arm (arm hairs he said he lost that day) and tried
to balance with him as my crutch, that we physically touched for
the first time. I just wanted to see past it all and accept that
the two of us were unnatural and happy with it.

At the same
time, I shuddered in a bad way thinking what could have happened if
Ames had not changed his mind. I could be a prisoner in
Joshlin
’
s pathetic display of a poorly ran realm. And worse was what
I might of had to do...with him. Could destiny be a real thing and
Ames was never really in control?

One night, Ames
took me on a movie date and dinner. Ordinary and human.
He
’
d
been trying too hard lately and I kind of wanted it to be said that
I was over it now.

I leaned over to him in the car
sitting in my driveway. He normally walked me in and said goodnight
with my parents watching. Way too old fashioned if you ask
me.

“Ames, can I tell you
something.”

His fingers drumming the steering
wheel suddenly stopped and his faced steeled in my
direction.

“I
don’
t want normal. I thought I did, but I
realize now that there is a balance to be had. I want this,” I
waved my hand around, “but I want you too. And this,” I waved
again, “is not you.”

A smile played
on his lips as he grazed his thumb over my cheek. “I
can
’
t tell you how much I—

His words cut
off and he made his face straighten to a fierce lack of expression.
He
’
d
been about to say...

She
wasn
’
t ready for that yet. I was getting ahead of myself. I shut
off the stupid poetic junk professing my every want and need that
was about to spew and got my head on straight. I could never really
have her. I was keeping her hidden, to myself. But soon, that would
all change.

Besides, I was
distracted enough with what I saw at her house to meet her parents
and leave them at the same time. She didn
’
t have any idea what trace
was there and her house was covered up in it...except for her.
She
’
d mentioned showing her friends, but it
didn
’
t click that what she showed her friends had to be brought in
to be there.

An heir
wouldn
’
t carry a trace. Only the two of us were immune. Every member
of her family had had their hands in it. When I asked her about
seeing any goblin
’
s gold, she was kind of in shock
and even said she couldn
’
t recall meeting any of my kind
before where she took gold from them like candy from strangers. But
she obviously remembered her dad having the box of gold. She
didn
’
t know where he
’
d received it from. When I showed
her a chunk of it made into an unstamped gold coin, she flinched
enough to tell me she
’
d seen one before and
that
’
s what was in that box. I reserved to ask her later because
something else bothered me more. Where they came from and who else
of my people got that close to her.

And she still
didn
’
t know about her own realm and how they were truly trying to
get her back. This may not be for very long and I selfishly kept
that to myself. I was determined to see her happy for awhile. Once
Caydon made the promise that I could keep her close to train her
before coming to meet him, I lost track of time. Before long,
he
’
d
coming knocking.

“...I
can
’
t wait to show you all that you
’
ve missed. I can take you to the
hidden caves of Carlsbad and the Grand Canyon. We have hundreds.
Our realm manages the Smoky Mountain range, but your family was
over the Alps. Since I
’
ve been old enough to know this,
I
’
ve
been keeping tabs on both of them.”

I stopped to
look at her anticipating her smile but was met with a huge look of
surprise. “What
’
s wrong?”

“I
didn
’
t know all that much less that I really was holding you
back,” her sweet face was hurt as she said it. “Ames.” Her voice
was a whisper.

The way she said
my name. It did things to me. And it wasn
’
t holding me back in anyway,
just the opposite.

“I
didn
’
t mean that I was unhappy. That
’
s not it at all. I told you, I
could give it all up. I just thought you meant that you would like
to join me in what I want to do,”
I told her.

“I
don’
t want you to have to give anything
up,” she mumbled.

I yanked on the wheel and pulled
into an empty gas station parking lot to see her face and not miss
what she might really mean.

“That
’
s not it either. Oh, Ames I
don
’
t mean anything. I just want to get past all this waiting in
the dark part. I feel like I can
’
t move on until I get out of this
house and in the realm with you. It
’
s where I belong. I
don
’
t mean stop going to the movies or stopping my human side.
And I don
’
t mean stopping the other. I want both. If that means
mountain vacations with you, I
’
d love too. If it means leaving
here, I
’
ll go too.”

“What if the path is
cursed?”

“Heard that
before. Seems to be a theme among you guys. I still
don
’
t care.”

“Someone else may.
”

“Who?” she asked unknowingly.
Brooks may have discounted the curse as a hoax, but now, since
kissing her, I just wanted to be sure. I don’t want the fortune
teller to be right after all. Doubt had a way of weaseling in and
making camp.

“You
’
ll know soon.”

“Still don
’
t care.”

That
’
s all I needed for now.
She
’
s all I needed. I jumped half out of the seatbelt and bustled
around the Jeep dragging her into my arms. I would find a way out
of the curse. Denying it's hold over me was half the battle.
My body shuddered at her touch and it made me know my weaknesses.
I
’
d
never had them until her. She was a welcome distraction and never
would I let her go. My thumb raked across the side of her cheek
making her eyes close shut. I loved that I could do that to her.
Melt her completely.

“Can I stay with
Katelyn tonight so I can see you in the morning and not have to
wait till the afternoon.” Her voice was raspy and filled with
something I didn
’
t ever see in other girls. Her
face pressed against my chest and relaxed beneath me as I kissed
her forehead, my favorite comfort. I could feel the warmth of her
body straining towards me allowing me to take in her sweet
scent.

She could have
told me to buy her diamonds and I
’
d be on the way already. Who
could say no to a statement like that when the girl you were in
love with says she can
’
t be away from
you?

“Ames?”

I chose to forget to ever answer
the last question. “Can I see you some before you go to
sleep?”

She lowered her
eyes showing me just who had all the power in this scenario. “I was
kind of hoping you
’
d take my hint that I wanted to
stay with you. Only sleeping, I mean. If you can handle
that.”

Does a bull have horns?

I grinned with an answer that made
no sense to the question, but meant everything to her, “I will if
you will.”

I knew when I
woke up cold he was gone. Him sleeping on top of bed sheets to
“keep him honest” as he put it was annoying, but sweet. I could
tell he was honorable, but had to work at it sometimes. Some may
say they wouldn
’
t want a damaged man, but Ames
was far from it in my eyes. He was never loved. We had that in
common despite our differences in growing up. He told me once he
was changing and it sometimes felt like he was out of his own skin.
When I apologized for being a possible reason for changing him when
it wasn
’
t my place, he argued back and said that was the best
he
’
d
felt in his life. That I was the best change that could have ever
happened to him.

He was for me too.

I took my time
getting ready. When I came out of the bathroom that I
didn
’
t have to share with another person watching, the bed was
made and a note lie in the middle.

Emma

Meet me in the book
room.

Ames

Odd. He showed
no feeling in the note. I expected after kissing the guy and making
his dimples activate he would have a little more heart. Guys were
so hard to figure out sometimes. It was a lucky thing I had an
emotion meter when I was around him to pick up on what I
couldn
’
t decipher in his verbal language. There had been times in
the past weeks that I thought he was being curt, but his emotions
said otherwise. How did any other girl ever figure a guy
out?

I dried my hair and headed to my
destination according to the note.

“You could have just cost Emma her
life.”

“Don
’
t you think I know that?” I
screamed at Wicker.