Golden Blood (13 page)

“Hiding will keep us safe. I’m not ready for
everyone’s opinion.”

“Why not?”

“Because I know they think you should be with
someone better.”

He couldn’t help a small chuckle. “Gemma,
that’s not possible. There isn’t anyone better than you.”

She tipped her head with a frown.

Stepping forward, he placed a hand on either
side of her face. “People can think whatever they like. Nothing is
going to make me change my mind about you.”

Her blushing smile was sensational, but it
disappeared within seconds. Grasping his wrists, she squeezed and
looked at him with two pleading eyes that he knew he’d have to say
yes to. His heart sank a little.

“Please, just give me a little more time.
There are things I need to explain.”

“Alright fine, but after school today, you’re
all mine.”

She winced. “I can’t today, I have to get
home, but…”

He dropped his hands and stepped away from
her.

“Hey.” She took his hand and pulled him back.
“My parents are away this weekend. Meet me at the mall, we can go
for a drive, spend the day together.”

“The whole day?”

She smiled. “The whole day.”

“I’m keeping you to that.” Placing his hand
behind her neck, he pulled her into a kiss that had his body
igniting with fire and left his senses reeling. They staggered away
from each other and the only comfort to watching her sneak out the
door without him, was the goofy grin on her face.

Chapter
Thirteen

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - 2011AD

“And where do you think you’re going?”

Gemma spun around with a gasp and placed her
hand on her chest.

“Oh my gosh, Dom, you scared the crap out of
me.”

He stood tall and intimidating on the other
side of the kitchen counter. His hair was tousled, his t-shirt a
crumpled mess from sleeping.

“Where are you sneaking off to?” He folded
his arms.

“Just…” She shrugged. “Going for a
drive.”

His eyes narrowed. “And would you be going
for this drive if Mom and Dad were home this weekend?”

She blushed and bit back her grin. “I’d be
trying to, but probably failing.”

He picked at the grapes in the fruit bowl and
popped three into his mouth. His expression was a little dry when
he sniffed, making Gemma’s nerves do a quick disco number in her
stomach.

“Guess you better make the most of it
then.”

Gemma released a grateful sigh.

“It’s the Granger kid, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“He seems okay.”

“He is.” She spun to leave, then turned back.
“Can you not tell anyone…”

“I won’t, but just be warned that Ruby
figured it out when you floated in the door on Thursday afternoon.
Luckily Mom and Dad were too busy preparing for this weekend to
notice you. Be careful. They may not miss it next time.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Her eyebrows
wrinkled together.

“Just remember, light and…”

“Casual. Yeah, I got it.”

Dom took his handful of grapes and left the
kitchen with a grin. Gemma watched him throw them in the air and
catch them in his mouth as he went.

She felt like he’d just hosed her down with
cold water. The excited giddiness of spending the day with Harrison
had fled, only to be replaced with the reminder that she was
walking into a scalding hot fire that would burn and destroy.

She jiggled the keys in her hand thinking of
Harrison and if she should bail, but one image of his smiling eyes
and soft lips was enough to get her legs moving out the door.

There’s no way she was strong enough to walk
away from him. She couldn’t help a grin as she strapped on her
helmet and started up her bike.

* * * *

The sun was warm on their faces as they
leaned against the pier at Flagler Beach. Harrison stood behind
her, his chin resting on her left shoulder. He played with her
fingers as they watched the water rise and swell below them.

Harrison’s lips brushed the nape of her neck
and Gemma felt her insides jump with giddiness. She wanted to
giggle, but she’d already done that an embarrassing amount
throughout the day, so suppressed the urge.

Avoiding the whole “let’s keep this a secret”
topic had been easier than Gemma thought. She expected to have to
get it out of the way in the morning, but when Harrison had greeted
her with a long stemmed rose and whispered “Happy Valentine’s Day”
in her ear, she hadn’t wanted to ruin the tone. So they got
chatting about other things and the trip down the coast had been
filled with laughter and meaningless conversation.

Being totally unknown at Flagler Beach gave
Gemma the freedom to hold Harrison’s hand and pretend like they
were a normal teenage couple. They had walked along the beach,
eaten at a small diner, popped in and out of shops laughing at
merchandise and trying things on. Not once had the conversation
turned serious, but Gemma knew they were running out of time.

She opened her mouth to talk, but clamped her
lips closed again. This moment was too perfect to ruin with a
discussion that would most likely end in a disagreement.

“So I was thinking last night,” Harrison
whispered in her ear. “I never asked you… are there more time
spirits?”

She looked around to make sure no one was
eavesdropping, but the only people nearby were two old men fishing
and three raucous boys dropping rocks off the pier. She turned and
spoke softly. “According to my parents there are, but I’ve never
met any of them. At least, I don’t think I have. We do meet up with
old friends of my parents when we travel each year, but they never
talk about “travel” when we’re around, so I’m never sure.”

“When do I get to meet them?”

“Who?”

“Your parents.”

Her stomach constricted into a tight knot.
“Never.”

“Why not? I want you to meet mine.”

This was just proof that he didn’t get it.
She held in her sigh and kept her voice neutral.

“I told you I’m not allowed to date.”

“I know, but you can’t stay single for the
rest of your life. I just figured eventually it would come
out.”

“It can’t. Ever!” Her desperate fear was
starting to show. “Harrison, I can’t stress this enough. They will
never, ever,
ever
be okay with you.”

“Why?”

“Well, aside from the fact I’ve broken an
ancient oath…” She winced. “I’m not allowed to be with normal
people. I have to… end up with my own kind.”

“But you’ve never met any of your own
kind.”

“I may have. I’m guessing,” she swallowed
convulsively, “it’ll be arranged.”

“What?!”

“I know. It makes my stomach curdle.”

“It’s totally archaic!”

Gemma nodded and gave him a glum smile.

Turning her in his arms, Harrison forced her
gaze to his. “I’m not going to let that happen to you. The only guy
you’re ending up with is me.”

Her expression turned to marshmallow. “Well,
that suits me fine, but my parents will probably disagree with you.
Can we just leave it for now?” She placed her hand on his chest. “I
don’t want to mess this up. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the year
and we can face this problem later. Please.”

“We can’t hide forever, Gemma.”

“I know, but we can keep things under wraps
for now. The fewer people who know about this, the safer we are. I
wish I could explain this better.” She felt tears forming and hated
herself for it. She turned around and leant her elbows on the
railing.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He rubbed her arms. “We’ll
take necessary precautions. I’ll never call you at home. I’ll only
ever smile at you at school. I promise.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her and placed his
chin back on her shoulder. “Look I know this probably seems like a
stupid question right now, but how about my family? Do you want to
meet them?”

“Um.” She giggled. “I’ve never really met
anyone’s family before. I probably won’t be very good at it, so…
no.”

Harrison laughed. “I think you’ll be great.
How does next weekend sound?”

“Um…” She felt herself falter. He actually
sounded serious. “I think I’m busy next weekend.”

“How about the weekend after that?”

She frowned at the tension she could feel
creeping into his body. “Busy next weekend too.”

“The weekend after that?” His voice was
getting terse.

“Okay, Harrison.” She looked over her
shoulder at him. “When it comes to meeting your family, I’m
probably going be busy every weekend for the rest of my life.”

“Oh come on, you chicken.”

“What? Haven’t we just agreed to keep this
quiet! Why would I go and meet your family?”

“Because you’re important to me and I want
you to meet the other most important person in my life.”

“Your mom.” Gemma kept her eyes on the ocean,
feeling her emotions roil in the same sickening pattern.

“Besides, it’ll be a safe place for us to
hang out. No one else would need to know we were there.”

“But, we’ve only just started… I mean, I
don’t… what if they figured out I was weird and then they wouldn’t
want you to be with me and then-”

“Gemma.” He silenced her with a quick squeeze
to her fidgeting fingers. “My parents are different to yours.
They’re really happy I’ve met you.”

She jabbed her elbow back and was satisfied
to hear his “oof!”

“You told your mom?”

“That was before I knew we had to keep it
quiet! She guessed anyway when she saw me float in the door on
Thursday.”

Gemma couldn’t help a grin.

His arms encircled her again and she didn’t
fight it. She loved the feel of his breath on her skin when he
whispered, “I’ll protect you. You’re safe with me, always remember
that.”

Her hands stilled, as did her breathing.

“To my family you are just going to be
Harrison’s girlfriend. I promise, there’s nothing to worry about
and Rosie won’t say anything at school if you ask her not to. She
may be a pain in the butt sometimes, but she knows how to keep a
secret.”

Her eyes scanned the horizon. Harrison waited
out her contemplation in agitated silence. Scratching the side of
his nose, he cleared his throat and looked away, trying to appear
casual. It was adorable!

She knew if she said no right now he’d accept
it. He’d be angry for a while, but then he’d get over it and they’d
have a great evening together. He’d kiss her goodnight. He’d look
at her with those dreamy eyes and…

“Okay.” She bit down hard on her lip.

What did I just say?!

“Okay?” His grin stretched wide.

Too late to back out now. Look at his
face!

She pasted on a smile and nodded again.

“You’re gonna be great, Gem.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

He turned her in his arms and gazed down at
her. His eyes flickering with a mix of emotions. “This means a lot
to me. Thank you for trusting me.”

She forced a smile and shrugged. “I guess
you’re putting up with a lot from me.”

He laughed. “Yeah, well that’s gonna cost
ya.”

Her brow wrinkled with concern. His eyes
filled with mischief as he held her tight and raspberried her neck.
She yelped and let out a giggle.

“Stop.” She lightly slapped his back.

“Not a chance.” His lips nibbled her neck.
“If I don’t get to maul you at school, I’m just going to have to
save it all up for the weekend.”

He ran his lips up her neck eliciting a
second round of giggles.

Chapter Fourteen

St. Augustine, Florida
- 2011AD

Gemma slowed the Ducati as she turned into
Harrison’s street. It was a typical suburb and she liked the
simplicity of it. The neatly trimmed edges, the mown lawns, the
bikes left in disarray on front yards, the basketball standing post
beneath the hoop, the bark of a dog, the chant of little girls as
they played jump rope in the driveway.

Her nerves grew as she approached number 176.
Harrison had been prepping her all week. Helen was his mother,
Bryan his stepfather. Rosie and Justin belonged to Bryan, and Sam
was born three years after Helen and Bryan got together. She went
over the names again as she pulled the bike to a stop. She switched
off the engine and slowly undid her helmet. With shaking fingers,
she ruffled out her helmet hair and sat chewing the inside of her
cheek.

Just breathe, Gem. Just breathe… oh yeah,
and smile!

Her lips turned up at the corners just as
Harrison was opening the front door.

“Hey,” his voice was all gooey, which kept
her grin in place.

“Hi.” She cleared her throat and tried not to
pull away when he leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips. She
could feel her cheeks blooming with color and shot Harrison a
pleading look. He just laughed, grabbed her hand and pulled her
from the bike.

“Come meet everyone.”

She didn’t have to go far, three pairs of
drooling eyes were standing in the doorway, staring at her bike.
Harrison made the introductions while they swooned and she felt her
fears ebb. She liked the boys immediately. Rosie was sweet and
wrapped her in a friendly hug before she got through the door.

“I haven’t said a word, I promise.”

Having been taken off guard by the embrace,
Gemma felt her muscles relax just a little at Rosie’s whispered
words.

Finally released, Gemma stepped back and was
facing the last member of the household.

Harrison’s mother was beautiful. Her blonde
hair waved around her face, nestling just below her ears. Her
sapphire eyes were piercing and her smile was serene as she
listened to Harrison’s introduction.

She held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet
you, Gemma.”

Gemma felt something twitch inside her as she
reciprocated the words. There was something magnetic about this
woman. She felt the same pull she had with Harrison and wondered at
its meaning.