Beautifully Unnatural: A Young Adult Paranormal Boxed Set (107 page)

Alexander reached out and steadied her, pulling her against him. “Scary, huh?”

“Yeah.” She gazed up into his eyes, just a few inches away. The golden specks swam in a sea of blue. His face was so smooth it could have been chiseled from marble.

Energy surged through her as if the bolt of lightning struck her instead of the tree. He was so close, she could feel his warm breath caressing her lips with each exhale. He held her for a moment, until she realized Sammy watched them from only a few feet away. Pulling from his arms, her fingers tightened around the keys and she turned the lock.

Still feeling flustered, she cleared her throat and opened the door, gesturing them inside.

Muggy heat accosted her, with a weighted feeling of dread, as she entered the house. She flipped the switch for the ceiling fan, but nothing happened. She continued flicking the switch, hoping extra effort might force the fan to turn on.

Alexander reached out and covered her hand with his. “The electricity is out. Lightning must’ve hit a transformer.”

Feeling a strange tingle where his hand rested on hers, warmth radiated up her arm. This time it reached all the way to her face and her cheeks grew hot.

Gabby cleared her throat. “W-would you like something to drink?”

“Sure.”

She made her way into the tiny kitchen. Dreary gray linoleum led to an avocado green refrigerator, standing beside a daffodil yellow dishwasher. The entire room reminded her of a 1970’s TV show. Ignoring the faucet since their well water tasted like sulfur, she grabbed three bottles of water from the fridge.

Not wanting him to see more of the house than necessary, she spun around, only to find him standing two inches from her.

She sucked in a quick breath. “I-I didn’t hear you behind me.”

“What’re all the trophies in the living room? You a cheerleader?” he asked.

“No. I am not a cheerleader.” She winced at her harsh tone. Alexander took one of the bottles then returned to the living room where he sat on the armrest of the sofa.

She quickly followed and handed Sammy a bottle.

“Thanks,” Sammy said, smiling.

With her cheerful personality, Sammy could be a cheerleader. But there was no way Gabby could be that peppy all the time. It was exhausting just talking with people she didn’t know. Popularity never found Gabby. She felt awkward in social settings, causing most people to leave her alone. Their constant moves didn’t help any either.

She reached out, her finger tracing one of the brass-covered statues that crowded the small mantel. “They’re from various sports, like baseball, basketball, dancing, gymnastics. I think there’s even one for running.”

“Really?” Alexander rose from the couch and walked over to her.

“Don’t sound so shocked. A girl can play sports too, you know.”

“I know. I’m just surprised. It’s unusual for a person to succeed in so many things.” He paused, perusing the framed photos mixed in amongst the trophies. Sammy and Alexander exchanged a strange look before he turned with a smile. “I’m impressed.”

“Yeah, Gabby. You must be pretty athletic.” Sammy took a sip from her bottle.

Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment and pride. “I guess I lose interest easily.”

If only that were true. Every time she took on a new identity, she played a different sport. It made finding new ones more difficult. Although why they had to constantly go into hiding when her dad worked for the government, her parents never said, no matter how many times she asked. Their answer was always:
The work’s top secret and puts our lives at risk.

“You have to try out for cheerleading at school. I made captain this year, but I’m not that good at the acrobatic part,” Sammy said, her voice rising an octave in excitement. “I’ll help you with the cheering and you can help me with the flips and stuff.”

“I-I.” Gabby didn’t know how to tell her that it wasn’t an option. “It’s not a good idea. There is too much to get done around here.”

Sammy stomped her foot on the ground and groaned. “Oh, shoot.” She hurried to the door, opened it and peered out at the pouring rain. “I promised to meet a friend at the mall. I’ll meet you tomorrow morning so we can start practicing. There’s only a couple weeks until school starts, you know. Don’t worry about getting stuff done, we’ll help.” Sammy took off through the rain before Alexander or Gabby could say anything.

Feeling awkward at having a guy alone with her in her house, Gabby watched Alexander from the corner of her eye as she closed the door, shutting out the rain.

He walked around the room, looking at the pictures hanging on the walls of her being given medals and trophies. The images were a chronological account of her life from the time she could walk. She’d only put them up because it reminded her of happier times when her mother was around, but now she wanted to hide them. It looked like she actually cared if she won trophies and wanted to flaunt them.

She wondered if he noticed no teammates were ever in the pictures and that there weren’t any names on the trophies. She was always alone, even in team sports.

“Who’s into boats?” Alexander pointed to the cluster of model boats sitting on a shelf.

“My dad. We went fishing and boating a lot when I was younger. We had so much fun out on the lake.”

“Do you still go?”

“No, we don’t have a boat anymore and my dad wouldn’t have the time now anyway.” Gabby winced at the sorrow in her voice. Crap, what was it about Alexander and his sister that made her feel safe enough to open up? If she told them too much, it could be dangerous.

“Do you think if you had a boat he might go again?”

“Maybe, I don’t know,” she shrugged.

“Follow me.” Alexander turned and walked to the front door. Throwing it open, he headed into the rain, as undaunted as his sister. She paused a moment then followed. She hesitated on the front porch, glancing down the drive. It was only when they rounded the corner of the house that she let out a deep sigh, not realizing she’d been holding her breath. She had to be more careful. If her dad caught a boy inside her house, they’d be packed and moved before dawn.

****

The rain slowed to a drizzle. Alexander lifted a tree branch so Gabby could pass. He couldn’t help but notice the soaking wet cover-up clinging to her skin. The steam rising from her body and the way her curves swayed as she walked mesmerized him.

He passed her, leading the way once more. Her alluring scent of fresh cut flowers and ocean breezes drifted in the wind.

His body trembled the way it did when he first landed on Earth, when he indulged in empty fleshly moments with human females, before he learned self-control. He shook his head and refocused on the task at hand, sending the impure thoughts from his mind.

Needing a distraction, he focused on the overgrowth ahead of them. It was thicker than he’d expected. Granted, he hadn’t come to the old boathouse since he’d lost the use of his wings. But when he saw the boats back at Gabby’s house, he knew exactly how to stay close enough to protect her without inflating her already growing suspicions.

Sammy could use cheerleading and cover most of the mornings. He would just have to be around in the afternoons. It wouldn’t be easy to keep Forras away, but together they could protect her.

Gabby stopped and peered through the brush. At the sight of her long legs and curves, he realized the challenge would be more difficult than he originally thought.

Several branches blocked their path ahead. “Here, let me.” He nudged past her, his skin brushing against her slick arm, sending a current through his body. He cleared his throat and pushed through the overgrowth, holding the branches to the side for her to pass. “It’s a place I found a couple years ago. No one knows it’s here but me.”

“Wow, I’m honored you’d share your secret place with me.” She smiled. It was endearing, the way her full lips parted and her eyes shone bright. Something inside him glowed with a sense of hope. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever.

The last branch was hard to pull back without tearing the tree apart. Instead, he cleared a hole through the vegetation large enough for them to crawl through. He shimmied around the old, rusting hulk of a car to the front door of a dilapidated building. She grabbed his hand to follow and the hair on the nape of his neck rose in response. Distracted by her touch, he accidentally pulled the small boathouse door off its hinges. After a second, he dropped the door, pretending it was too heavy to hold.

She stared at him, her mouth wide. Scrambling to make up an excuse, a lie, something, his mind went blank, so he quickly ushered her inside before she had a chance to question him.

“Merry Christmas,” Alexander teased, pointing at an old powerboat resting on an equally old trailer.

“Ah, it’s July.” Gabby raised a curious eyebrow at him.

“I know, but look. We can fix this up by Christmas and surprise your father. What do you think?” Alexander tapped his fingers against his legs, while fighting the itch of his wings to explode and surround her. All this would be so much easier if he could just tell her the truth and protect her instead of playing these games.

“I think you’re crazy. I don’t know anything about boats. Besides, that barely resembles a boat. It’s got a hole in the back of it, which I’m pretty sure isn’t supposed to be there.” Gabby brushed the hair from her forehead. Soft, light strands cascaded down her shoulder. For a second, he thought she looked…angelic. She walked around the building, studying the old craft.

He looked away and took a deep breath. “I do.”

She gave him a skeptical look. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have money oozing from my pockets, and I’m sure this will require a ton of money to fix.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got a lot of the parts we’ll need, and I know how to fix it. I just need some help.” Alexander’s stomach knotted. She had to agree. It was the only way he could think of to keep an eye on her while keeping his hands busy at the same time.

“I can’t accept a boat that you paid to fix. Besides, doesn’t it belong to someone else?”

“The old couple who lived here abandoned this boathouse years ago. They didn’t have any kids so when they passed away, the state auctioned off the property. Now that you’re here, I assume anything on the property belongs to you.”

“Still, if you spend your money on it, I can’t—”

“I’ll tell you what. I will help you fix it up if you let me use it. Deal?” Alexander had to convince her. He wasn’t about to let Forras near her.

She stared at him for a moment. “Deal,” she said finally. Looking at her watch, she headed for the door. “I need to get going.”

“I’ll meet you tomorrow after you’re done practicing with Sammy then.”

“Great. It’s a date.” Gabby’s face flushed. “I mean—”

“It’s a date.” Without thinking, Alexander took both of her hands in his and kissed her cheek. Quickly pulling away, he cursed himself. What was he doing? This was a job, a reason to keep her safe. There could be nothing else between them. He was an angel, not some horny guy. And Gabby wasn’t some object to temporarily rid his human form of loneliness.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, and they walked back toward Gabby’s house in silence. They were almost there when they ran into Sammy.

“Hey, I was just looking for you guys.” Sammy bounced up in a short skirt and tennis shoes.

“I thought you were meeting friends,” Gabby asked.

Sammy shot Alexander a side-ways glance. “Yes, but Avery is running late and needs a ride, so I came to snag my brother to take us since I don’t have a car.”

Alexander nodded. “Sure.”

“I’m so excited about tomorrow. We’ll have a blast practicing,” Sammy bounced between feet.

“I’m not sure about this whole cheerleading thing, Sammy.” Gabby’s eyes shifted nervously from her feet to Sammy’s clothes then she bit her bottom lip. “I’m not that… um… cheerful? I think I’ll pass.”

He watched as a darkness fluttered like smoke from Gabby’s chest. The type he’d only seen and felt from an old soul, not a young girl, one with a lifetime of tortured regrets and loss. “Don’t worry about that. My sister has enough team spirit for the both of you.”

Sammy slugged him playfully. “How ‘bout I come over tomorrow and teach you a few routines, just the two of us, and then you can decide?” Sammy’s pleading eyes fixed on Gabby. “You never know, you might find your inner spirit.”

Hair on Alexander’s arms rose in warning, but a quick scan of the surrounding area didn’t reveal Forras or his friends. Then the sound of gravel crunching under tires approached from the distance. He glanced at Sammy and she nodded, revealing she, too, heard the car with her angelic hearing. He waited a moment until Gabby’s eyes went wide, showing hints of fear in their depths. He felt the turmoil in Gabby strengthen and he longed to quiet her soul, the way he’d quieted her dream, but he couldn’t.

Gabby shuffled forward. “Okay, I’ll try. See you tomorrow.” She ran to the back door of her house and disappeared inside.

Tension radiated in the air.

Sammy and Alexander looked at each other. Something was definitely affecting Gabby.

They watched through the trees as the car continued down the drive, until it came to a grinding halt beside the house.