Starbright (The Starbright Series) (43 page)

             
And then Tristan’s shaved head appeared beyond the glass and I fought quickly to find my sanity. He watched me come back to myself through the window pane, his hands rubbing over his head roughly. I carefully set the sword down on my night stand, and collected myself before throwing off the blanket and walking to the window.

             
“What are you doing here?” I asked out of breath. “You scared me to death!”

             
“I’m sorry,”
Tristan mumbled. I could tell he felt bad for scaring me, and then I saw the emotion in his forest green eyes. “I was just worried.”

             
“Oh my gosh, Tristan, I
should have called,” I cried, as I pulled him in through my open window and thr
ew
myself in his arms.
“It’s been a crazy night.”

             
I nuzzled my face against his neck and let his arms circle around me. This was a different kind of comfort than Seth. Tristan was absolutely safe because there was no immediate danger with him, he wouldn’t face the Darkness head on and risk his life, he wouldn’t be hunted by the worst kind of evil on planet. He was sheltered from all of that.

             
And yet his arms didn’t feel like I was lying to myself, or sheltering my own fears from reality. I felt the legitimate safety that came when someone cared about you more than themself. Tristan would fight whatever evil faced him to protect me. I knew that in my heart of hearts.

             
So I let his strong arms pull me to him and the excitement his closeness brought lessen the demons that haunted me.

             
“Are you Ok, Stella?” He asked against my bedhead hair.

             
“I am now,” I breathed, pushing up on my tiptoes, so I could hold him tighter around his neck.

             
“What happened tonight?” he asked and I noticed the careful tone he used. He was afraid I wouldn’t tell him.

             
Or
maybe he was afraid I would
.

             
I pulled away and led him to my bed. We sat down, keeping our closeness, my hands slipping into his immediately. He sighed next to me, and I debated whether or not to tell him the truth. Part of me wanted to protect him from having to carry that kind of scary
truth
and the other part, the part that would win, just wanted avoid having secrets between us.

I rested my head on his shoulder, nuzzling against it until I found a soft spot around all of his

sharp bones. “Seth and I…. th
ose
were some really bad men at the pizza restaurant…. like
really
bad.”

             
“I thought you didn’t fight men?” Tristan asked, his voice trembling with anger at events that weren’t even revealed to him yet.

             
“No, I don’t. Sorry, these guys at least look like men. I mean, they’re like me. They’re called Fallen. And most of the time that means they become bad over time, but Aliah pretty much started
out
that way. He was one of the original third that fell from heaven. He’s pretty much the worst of the worst,” I explained meekly.

             
“And you fought him tonight?” Tristan growled.

             
“No, not really,” I admitted. “There wasn’t actually any fighting tonight. He…. he pretty much proved who was the stronger Warrior and it was definitely not me,” I laughed humorlessly.

             
“But you’re Ok?”

             
“He let me go…. he could have killed me, but he let me go.”

             
“Why?” Tristan choked, and I could tell he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

             
“I’m not sure. But I do know he will never let me go again. This time was a warning, he was proving his dominance. I won’t get so lucky next time,” I whispered.

             
Tristan pulled me to him again, gratitude for my safety radiating from him. I breathed him in, savoring this moment, especially now that I knew how quickly it could have been ripped from me.
I felt Tristan still beside me, his body tensed and aggressive. He pulled away for a moment and opened his mouth. I knew he wanted to ask more questions, or say something…. or I don’t really know what. But he stared at me for several seconds until he pulled me back to him without saying anything.
             

             
He
lay
back on the bed, pulling me with him and into the nook of his arm. I cuddled closer, so thankful that he came tonight and was willing to just hold me. My eyes fluttered closed. With Tristan so
near
I couldn’t keep them open anymore. I was drained, physically and emotionally.

             
I took one more big breath, inhaling Tristan, his clean, masculine scent that belonged only to him and let sleep finally take me away.

----
 

             
“Hello?” I grumbled after picking up my phone without even looking to see who called. My voice was scratchy and raw, fresh from a good five hours of sleep. I tried to sit up in bed but an arm tightened around my waist, pulling me back down to the bed.

             
“Good morning!” Piper chirped, sounding like an over excited bird this early in the morning.

             
“Piper?” I asked, confused and disoriented. My voice did not get any better.

             
I looked down at Tristan who was still cuddled against me, his face so sweet and soft with sleep. His jawline had some overnight growth on it that I desperately wanted to run the palm of my hand against. He was so peaceful, so comfortable that I found myself just staring at him.

             
“What happened to you last night? Are you and Seth Ok?” She demanded, her voice losing the Disney-princess-sweetness she had woken me up with.

             
“Yeah, we’re fine,” I answered and hoped my morning voice disguised the fearful hitch. “Those guys were just friends of Seth’s gra
nd
pa.”

             
“Oh. Because they were seriously scary. S
eth’s grandpa
isn’t in the mob or anything is he? Maybe like a former hitman?” Piper laughed.

             
I forced myself to laugh too. “Yeah right,
that’s
why Seth transferred here. H
e
and his grandpa were put in witness protection.”
I tried to joke.

             
“Well you never know. Seth is so
mysterious;
he’s got to be hiding something!” Piper exclaimed dramatically.

             
“Pi, it’s not the mob. Trust me. My parents have known his grandpa their entire lives. Do Micah and Celina honestly look like they would know anyone with mob ties?” I tried for reason, knowing everything I said was technically not a lie, but not really the truth either.

             
“You never know,” she countered. “They don’t seem like they would run around with criminals…. But then again they don’t really seem like the kind of people to hang out with hillbillies either, so maybe you’re whole life is a lie. Maybe you’re in witness protection too and you just don’t know it!”

             
“That sounds about right,” I groaned. I finally sat up and smiled when Tristan shifted to curl his body around mine. “Is this why you called? You were worried my parents got the shake down?”

             
“Shake down? I don’t think you used that correctly,” Piper laughed loudly in the phone.

             
“It’s all part of my witness protection act. First I misuse the mob terminology to throw you off track, next I turn all CI on you and the DA is suddenly knocking at your door with a warrant,” I laughed.

             
“No more TNT dramas for you!” Piper demanded in between gasps for air as she laughed at me. “I’m taking away all basic cable privileges!”

             
“So Tristan’s a total douche,” Piper declared after our laughter had died down. I looked down at his sleeping form next to me and highly doubted that.

             
“What now?” I sighed. I couldn’t stop myself from brushing my fingers against his jawline, feeling the rough hair against the pads of my fingers. He let out a quiet sigh and pulled me tighter against his chest.

             
“He totally ruined the night after we left you guys last night. Bree was so excited to go on a date with him, but as soon as you and Seth left he just moped around and wouldn’t even talk to her. We dropped him off as soon as the movie was over, but then
Bree was in a bad mood so then I felt bad…. She asked me to stay the night with her, and I couldn’t say no, especially after how Tristan treated her, so then my night with Lincoln was ruined.” Piper huffed angrily and I wanted to feel bad, or at least feel kind of bad for Bree, but I couldn’t help the happy little dance my heart did knowing that Tristan moped around after I left…. even if it was because he knew I was in mortal danger and for no other reason.

             
“He is just the most aggravating person ever!” Piper continued and for a minute I had no idea who she was talking about so I just listened. “It’s just like, we don’t want to sit here and arrange our lives around the fact that he won’t go after what he wants. You know? Maybe he doesn’t want to ruin the friendship, or I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him, maybe he’s just afraid, but you don’t deserve to be strung along. And Bree
especially
doesn’t deserve it.”

             
It took me a minute to get my head around what Piper was saying, and that she was defending Bree more than she was defending me until I realized what she was saying. But when then light bulb clicked I knew I had to control the damage.

             
“Piper, Tristan doesn’t like me,” I said adamantly and then regretted it immediately when he stirred next to me.

             
“Please don’t play this game with me, I had to listen to Bree talk about herself for eight hours straight. I’m not kidding, the girl talks in her sleep and she dreams about herself! I can’t take anymore self-denial this morning….” Piper whined, and I couldn’t help but laugh and feel a sick sense of relief that Piper still liked me better than Bree.

             
There was something wrong with me.

             
“Pi, I’m not in denial. Tristan and I have only ever been friends…. that’s all we can be
otherwise the world just might explode
,” I sighed and hated how sad I sounded. I looked down and Tristan was looking up at me, some emotion so volatile in his eyes that I couldn’t even distinguish it.
“You know this better than anyone.”

             
Only she didn’t know
it better than Tristan and I or
that the world might actually explode.

             
“
And I’ve always been fine with the whole destined to just be friends thing. That is until Tristan started ruining
my
dates with his big ol’ pining heart. I can’t take it anymore. Can’t you just make out with him so you both realize it would be like kissing your sibling and we can all go back to normal again?” Piper argued.

             
I looked down at Tristan who had smiled a little at Piper’s comment. She was talking so loud he could hear everything she was saying. He had slid his hands under his head and looked up at me with an eager expression, waggling his eyebrows. My eyes flickered down to his lips and I nearly forgot how to breathe.

             
“That is not going to happen
,
Pi,” but even I didn’t believe my overly breathy voice.

             
“Whatever,” she grumbled. “Just, next time you
see
him tell him he better get his crap together and stop emotionally tormenting my best friend or I’m going to castrate him.”

             
“I’m sure Bree is just fine,” I laughed.

             
“I’m not talking about Bree,” Piper sighed sadly.

             
“Bye, Pi,” I said absentmindedly, still transfixed in Tristan’s naughty gaze. His expression was so cocky and suggestive, that I suddenly felt I was being pulled into very dangerous territory.

             
“Bye, Stel,” she mumbled, but I was already clicking off the phone.

             
“What did Piper have to say?” Tristan asked in a deep voice that sent common sense
far, far, far away.

             
“She said to stop leading Bree on,” I paraphrased. Tristan found that amusing, his lips twisting into a smirk.