Authors: Anna Banks
“Mom’s home,” Emma says softly.
He smiles. Her hair is still damp from the shower she took at his house, and her spare change of clothes— jeans and a paint-splattered T-shirt—are a bit wrinkled from their time spent shoved in a travel bag in the bottom of Rachel’s closet. This cozy look is just as inviting to him as the little purple dress she wore on their human date. He’s about to tell her so when she opens her door.
“Well, I’m sure she heard the car pull up so I’d better get inside,” she says.
He laughs, trying to swallow the disappointment as he walks her to the door. She fi dgets with the keys as if she’s trying to decide which one will unlock the dead bolt. Since there are only three keys on the ring— and the other two are car keys— Galen
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takes delight in the fact that she’s stalling. She doesn’t want this 0—
day to end any more than he does.
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She looks up then, meeting his eyes. “I can’t even tell you what a great time I had today. The best time, honest to goodness.”
“You know what my favorite part was?” he says, stepping closer.
“Hmm?”
“We didn’t fi ght. Not once. I hate fi ghting with you.”
“I do, too. It seems like a waste of time when . . .” He leans impossibly closer, holding her gaze. “When?”
“When we could be enjoying each other’s company instead,” she whispers. “But you probably don’t enjoy my company here lately. I haven’t been very nice—” He brushes his lips against hers, cutting her off . They’re softer than he ever imagined. And it’s not enough. Moving his hand from her jawline to entwine it in her damp locks, he pulls her to him. She tips up on her toes to meet him and as he lifts her from the ground, she folds her arms around his neck. Just as hungry for him as he is for her, she opens her mouth for a deeper kiss, pressing her soft curves into him. And Galen decides there is nothing better than kissing Emma.
Everything about her seems made for him. The way her mouth moves in perfect rhythm with his. The way she combs her fi ngers through his hair, sending a stirring jolt down his spine. The way her cool lips ignite heat through his whole being.
She fi ts in his arms, as if her every curve fi lls a place on his own body. . . .
Neither of them realize when the door opens, but their lips break apart when Emma’s mom clears her throat. “Oh, excuse
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me,” her mom blurts. “I thought I heard a car pull up. . . . Uh,
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well, I’ll just be inside then.” She disappears behind an almost slammed door.
Galen grins down at Emma, still in his arms. The content-ment he feels is shattered when he sees pain in her eyes.
She tugs free of his grasp and steps back. “All this time, I worried you wouldn’t be able to perform, but I almost dropped the ball.”
“Dropped the ball?” he asks, alarmed by the way her swol-len lips quiver. Is she about to cry? “Did I do something wrong?” he whispers. She moves away when he reaches for her.
Giving a forced smile, she says, “No, it was perfect. I didn’t even hear her coming. Now she won’t have any doubts about us dating, will she?”
Understanding hits him like a rogue wave. Emma thinks I kissed her for her mom’s benefi t. “Emma—”
“I mean, for a minute there, you almost had me convinced that we . . . Anyway, I’d better go inside before she checks on us again.”
“Have you lost your mind?” someone hisses from the bushes beside the porch. Galen doesn’t have to turn around to know it’s Rayna. She marches up the stairs, already pointing at Galen.
Oh, no.
Rayna pokes Galen’s chest. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, you know that? Following her all over the world, pretending to have the kingdom’s interest in mind. You slimy eel! You kissed her.
I can’t believe you kissed her.”
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Emma gives a ner vous laugh. “You knew he was going to do 0—
that, Rayna. We told you, remember?”
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Rayna’s give her a horrifi ed scowl. “Oooooh, no. He was going to pretend to kiss you. That kiss was real. Trust me on this one, Emma. I’ve known him a lot longer than you have.”
“Maybe we should take this out back to the beach?” Emma says, glancing at the front door.
Rayna nods, but Galen shakes his head. “No, you can go in, Emma. Rayna and I can talk about it on the drive home.”
“Uh- uh. No way, Galen. You’re telling her the truth.” If Rayna keeps raising her voice, Emma’s mom will hear. Galen grabs Rayna’s arm and pulls her from the porch. When she struggles, he throws her over his shoulder.
“Emma!” Rayna shouts, wiggling around like a hooked fi sh.
“You need to hear this! Tell her, Galen! Tell her why you shouldn’t be kissing her at all.”
Emma walks to the edge of the porch and leans on it. “I already know I’m of the Poseidon house, Rayna. I won’t tell if you won’t,” she says, smiling at Galen.
“Stop being dumb, Emma,” Rayna yells back as they round the corner of the house, disappearing from sight. “You’re supposed to mate with Grom. Galen is supposed to take you to Grom!”
Galen stops. It’s too late. She’s said too much. The conversation could have been salvaged up until now. He sets his sister down. She won’t look up at him, just keeps her eyes focused behind them.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” Rayna says without looking up. A tear glistens in the moonlight as it slides down
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her cheek. “How the fi sh follow her around? You thought I was
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too stupid to fi gure out why we tracked her across the big land, then stayed with her after you found out she was a half breed?
It’s not right what you did. She belongs to Grom. The decision to breed with her or not is his. It’s not fair to Emma, either.
She likes you. The way she should like Grom.” It’s kind of bittersweet in a way. His sister just ruined the best night of his life and possibly any chance of getting what he wants. But she did it out of respect for Grom. And for Emma.
How can he be mad about that?
Galen hears the front door open. Rayna stiff ens. “What’s going on out here?” Mrs. McIntosh says.
“Oh, um. Nothing, Mom. We’re just talking, that’s all,” Emma says, from the corner of the house. Galen wonders how long Emma’s been standing there, looking at his back. Listening to Rayna accuse him of all sorts of nasty, true things.
“I heard yelling,” her mother says in a no- nonsense sort of way.
“Sorry. I’ll be quieter.” Emma clears her throat. “Galen and I are going to walk on the beach.”
“Don’t go too far,” her mom says. “And don’t make me come look for you.”
“Mom,” Emma groans at the shutting door.
Rayna visibly relaxes when they hear the dead bolt slide into place. Emma pushes past them both and heads toward the sand dunes behind her house. Exchanging a look, Galen and Rayna follow.
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At the edge of the water, the moon seems to shine down at 0—
them like a spotlight, as if somehow the universe knew to night
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would be one of enlightenment. Emma turns and faces them, her face stricken.
She looks at Rayna. “Spill it.”
“I just did,” Rayna says. “I just told you everything I know.” She wraps her arms around herself as if she’s freezing.
“Why am I supposed to mate with Grom? I’m of the house of Poseidon. I’m Grom’s enemy.”
Rayna opens her mouth, but Galen cuts her off . “Wait. I’ll tell her.” His sister stares at him, doubtful. He sighs. “You can stay if you want. In case I miss anything.” She juts her chin out and nods once, ready for him to begin.
Galen turns back to Emma. “Remember when I told you that Grom was supposed to mate with Nalia, but that she died?” Emma nods. “In the mine blast.”
“Right. They were supposed to mate with each other because they were third generation, fi rstborn of each house. Anyway, the reason they needed to mate was to perpetuate the Gifts of the Generals. To make sure the Gifts—”
“I know what perpetuate means,” she says. “Get on with it.” Galen shoves his hands in his pocket to keep from moving toward her. “I told you that King Antonis refused to sire an heir after Nalia’s death. Without an heir for Grom to mate with, the Gifts could disappear. At least, that’s what the law says. When Dr. Milligan told me about you, when I saw you, I knew you had to be a direct descendant of Poseidon. So I—” She holds up her hand. “Stop right there. Like you said be-
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fore, I know how the story ends, don’t I?” She doesn’t try to wipe
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the tears streaming down her face. She laughs, a sharp sound, full of venom. “I knew it,” she whispers. “Deep down, I knew you had some ulterior motive here. That you weren’t trying to help me out of the kindness of your heart. Geez, I really fell for that, didn’t I? No, I fell for you. Lesson learned, right?”
“Emma, wait—” He reaches for her, but she backs away.
“No. Don’t you touch me. Don’t you ever touch me again.” She keeps backing away as if he’s going to attack her or something. His gut twists.
Galen and Rayna watch as Emma disappears between the sand dunes in front of her house, taking double- size steps like she were late for something.
“You hurt her,” Rayna says quietly.
“You didn’t help.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.”
He sighs. “I know.”
“I like Emma.”
“I do, too.”
“Liar. You love her. That kiss was real.”
“It was real.”
“I knew it. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” he says, watching the light fl ick on in Emma’s third- fl oor bedroom. He scratches the back of his neck. “In a way, I’m glad she knows. I didn’t like hiding it. But she probably wouldn’t cooperate if I told her the truth.” Rayna snorts. “You think?” She tucks a short tendril behind
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her ear. “Besides, everything turned out sooo much better now 0—
that you hid it.”
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“What are you doing here anyway?”
She shrugs. “You might remember that you sent my mate on some sort of secret mission. I was bored.”
“Glad we could entertain you.”
“Look, I wanted to see Emma’s house. Maybe meet her mom.
Do something girlie. I didn’t come over here to ruin your life.” Her voice is quivering.
He puts his arm around her. “Don’t cry again. Come on. I’ll take you home,” he says quietly.
Rayna pinches the snot from her nose. Then she backs away from him, too, just as Emma had, only she’s moving toward the water. “I know the way home,” she says, before turning and diving in.
It’s only second period, and the whole school knows Emma broke up with him. So far, he’s collected eight phone numbers, one kiss on the cheek, and one pinch to the back of his jeans. His attempts to talk to Emma between classes are thwarted by a hurricane of teenage females whose main goal seems to be keeping him and his ex- girlfriend separated.
When the third period bell rings, Emma has already cho-sen a seat where she’ll be barricaded from him by other students. Throughout class, she pays attention as if the teacher were giving instructions on how to survive a life- threatening catastrophe in the next twenty-four hours. About midway
through class, he receives a text from a number he doesn’t recognize:
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If u let me, I can do things to u to make u forget her.
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As soon as he clears it, another one pops up from a diff erent number:
Hit me back if u want to chat. I’ll treat u better than E.
How did they get my number? Tucking his phone back into his pocket, he hovers over his notebook protectively, as if it’s the only thing left that hasn’t been invaded. Then he notices the foreign handwriting scribbled on it by a girl named Shena who encircled her name and phone number with a heart. Not throwing it across the room takes almost as much eff ort as not kissing Emma.