Catch Me When I Fall (23 page)

“Well done, Lucca,” I said with a smile. Ivan needed to be knocked down a peg.

I left the two of them to center in on another pair—Lian and Irene. Neither of them I knew very well, but Lian moved with grace and speed. Irene was a powerhouse and swung at Lian’s legs with a strength that, had she hit Lian, would’ve left a large welt in seconds. But Lian was quick and jumped before the pole could hit her. She smacked the back of Irene’s shoulder.

Nodding in approval, I moved on. Hakan battled against Lizzie. The two of them taunted each other like players in an American football game. I laughed when Lizzie stabbed her pole into Hakan’s stomach like a sword and stepped back with a cheer.

Finally, I focused on Samantha and Brian, a blue-eyed, blond-haired boy who sounded like he was from Chicago. He couldn’t have been older than Tabbi. He’d had the least training of anyone in the group, and it showed. Samantha was kicking his ass. Every time he swung or lunged at her, Samantha spun out of the way and landed a blow somewhere on his body. He was the first to hit the floor. He tried to jab Samantha like Lizzie did to Hakan, but Samantha stepped out of the way and swung at the back of Brian’s knees. He crashed to the ground.

I returned to where Kayla and Tabbi stood, watching and keeping track of points. For another twenty minutes, my team fought, then I called time. Every chest rose and fell in deep breaths of exhaustion.

“Well done,” I said. “Take a break for lunch. We meet at two o’ clock for round two.”

I spent lunch in the dining hall for the first time in years. Tabbi, Kayla and I joined Seth and Samantha. Seth devoured his turkey sandwich like a bear after hibernation.

“You both did well today,” I said as I sat down.

Seth mumbled a response, while Samantha turned to Tabbi. “Why are you training? You’re a Weaver. You shouldn’t have to fight.”

“I want to learn how to protect myself. And I think Giovanni wants me to oversee the care of the witches. You know, in case they need anything.”

“Speaking of, what is Kayla’s purpose in this, exactly? I mean, she can’t fight. Have you ever thrown a punch?” Samantha asked.

Whoa. What the hell got up her nose?

Kayla’s cheeks reddened. “I’m sure Daniel will show me how.”

“Right.” Samantha waved a carrot back and forth between Kayla and me as she spoke. “And is that before or after he beds you and pretends like nothing ever happened?”

“Sam, that’s enough,” I said. Samantha had her bitch tendencies, but I’d never known her to lash out at people. Especially about something that happened
twenty years ago.

“No, really. I want to know. Can she do anything other than stand there and look all mopey? I saw the way she watched us. She couldn’t hurt a damn fly. She’s going to walk into that warlock’s den and get herself killed.”

Kayla set down her fork, stood and left the room without a word.

I glared at Samantha, and the corners of her mouth turned up in an arrogant smile.

“Tabbi, can you go make sure Kayla’s okay?” I asked. “I’ll be right behind you.” When Tabbi disappeared, I narrowed my gaze at Samantha and lowered my voice. “What the hell is your problem?”

“Nothing.” Samantha bit into her carrot and swiped a loose strand of blonde hair out of her face. “Just making sure your little
girlfriend
knows what she’s getting herself into.”

I ground my teeth and kept my voice low for Samantha’s sake. “What happened between us was twenty years ago. I have already apologized for the
mistake
I made, being with you. You really need to grow up and move on. Clear off, or I will make sure you never have another opportunity to even breathe the same air as her. Is that clear?”

Seth stared at me, slack jawed. Samantha’s face reddened, and her eyes glistened. In one swift motion, she grabbed her glass of water and threw the liquid in my face. She stormed out of the cafeteria before I could respond.

“Man, I do not want to be you right now,” Seth said.

I rolled my eyes, wiped my face with my hand and evaporated to Kayla’s room.

Kayla sat on her bed with her knees up to her chin. Her eyes were red. Tabbi was nowhere in sight. I joined Kayla on the bed and touched her cheek. She leaned away from me, and her rejection forced a pang in my chest.

“I’m sorry. Sam had no right—”

“Did you sleep with her?”

My heart raced. “What?”

“Did you sleep with her?”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

Kayla pushed me. “Samantha, really? God, Daniel. You have your ex-girlfriend looking out for your new one? Are you insane?”

My palms sweat. “First, she was never my girlfriend.”

“Oh, great. So you just screwed her and threw her to the curb. That’s so much better.”

“That’s not how—” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’d lost my mentor, my closest friend, and she was there. I was loaded. It just… happened.”

Kayla’s lips pursed in a tight line. When she spoke, her eyes remained hard. “I’m sorry about your mentor. I know what it’s like to lose someone you care about. But you could’ve at least told me. And now every time I look at her, I’m going to picture you two—”

I grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry for what Samantha said, what happened between us. But that was twenty years ago, and I let her know right away it’d been a mistake. She’s just jealous because for the first time, I’ve found someone I truly care about.”

Kayla stared at me like she was afraid of who I might say that person was. If my heart hadn’t been racing in my chest, I might’ve laughed. “You, Kayla. She doesn’t even hold a candle compared to you.”

Her face softened. Then she leaned into me and wrapped her arms around my stomach. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did about throwing Samantha to the curb. I was just jealous and she’s so pretty, like model-pretty, with her blonde hair and blue eyes and big boobs, and I thought maybe—”

I lifted her chin, looking into her eyes. “Stop talking.” And then I kissed her. She let out a soft whimper and held me tighter. I kissed her again, deeper this time, and laid her back so her head rested on her pillows. The fabric of her gym shorts slid up her legs, leaving her thighs exposed. My hands wandered down them. They were so soft and feminine, and my excitement grew as goose pimples rose on her skin.

Kayla’s breathing became heavier as my lips moved from her mouth, down her chin and neck. They wandered over her collarbone to her shoulders, nibbling gently. She moaned and grabbed my face, bringing my mouth back to hers.

I was about to strip off my shirt when Tabbi popped into the room. Kayla yelped, and I jumped off the bed.

“Jesus, Tabbi! We still knock on doors, you know,” I said.

“I know, I’m sorry. This is as awkward for me as it is for you.”

Not likely
.

“But I need you to come quick,” she continued. “Alex is trying to kill Bartholomew.”

Tabbi, Kayla and I popped into Bartholomew’s study. I ducked just in time to avoid a book smacking me in the face. A small, African-American girl crouched in a corner and covered her head with her arms. Bartholomew was pinned to a wall by a hat rack. A tall boy with sandy hair and green eyes stood in the middle of the room, his arms waving around his head as he threw objects at Bartholomew—and now us. I could only assume this was Alex, one of the other Magus.

Again, I ducked just in time to avoid injury.

“Go away! I didn’t ask for this! If one of you doesn’t take me home now, I will kill him!” Alex yelled.

Holding my hands up, I walked toward him. “Calm down. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

“Bullshit you’re not!”

Another book flew at my head. I ducked and checked behind me to make sure Kayla and Tabbi were still unharmed. Then I turned back to Alex. “I promise. We’re on your side. Please let Bartholomew go.”

Alex glared at me. My heart raced. I couldn’t hurt him, and I couldn’t stop him. I was powerless.

Kayla appeared at my side, her own hands held out in front of her. “Alex, right? Look, I know you’re scared. I was pretty freaked too when I found out what they were and why they brought me here. But Daniel is right. They’re on our side. They won’t hurt you.”

“You’re not one of them?” Alex asked. He eyed Kayla with as much fear as he had me. The hair on my arms bristled. I stood on the balls of my feet, ready to jump in the way if he tried to strike her down.

Kayla shook her head, keeping eye contact. “No, I’m like you. I have powers too. And you’re right. This sucks. But there’s someone out there who wants to hurt us. All they’re trying to do is protect us, keep us safe and teach us how to fight back.”

“They want us to kill someone, did you know that? I’m not a killer!”

Kayla nodded. “I know that. Neither am I. But maybe we won’t have to. We’re gifted, Alex. If we can get them close enough to this guy, they can take care of him for us. And then we can go back to living relatively normal lives. Please put Bartholomew down.”

She was incredible. Her hands were steady, her voice didn’t shake, and her eyes never left Alex. Maybe it was because they had something in common, or maybe it was the same compassion I’d seen in her that first day in the asylum, but she handled Alex like a pro. My heart swelled with pride.

Alex dropped his hands, and Bartholomew crashed to the ground. Stepping slowly past Alex with my hands still in front of me, I ran to Bartholomew. He was unconscious, but alive.

Alex fell to his knees. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right, Alex,” I replied. “Tabbi, would you mind taking the other girl to her room?”

Tabbi nodded and helped the girl—she had to be Margaret, the other Magus—to her feet. They evaporated.

“Kayla, I need you to find Giovanni. He should be on the twelfth floor in his office. Turn right at the top of the stairs and walk straight ahead through the double doors. Alex, help me carry Bartholomew down the hall. He’s too heavy to lift on my own.”

Alex looked at Kayla who nodded. When he stood, Kayla ran out of the room. Alex took Bartholomew’s legs while I carried him by his shoulders. Evaporating with him to the medical room would’ve been easier, but the last thing I wanted to do was take my eyes off the boy.

After a few stops, we reached one of the “hospital rooms.” I grabbed the sheet off the bed, and together, we rolled him onto it. Alex lifted one side of the sheet while I lifted the other, and, after a lot of effort, we managed to get him on the bed. Good thing Bartholomew was a small man.

The silence was awkward as we waited, so I had to speak. “We really are on your side, mate.”

Alex nodded and looked at the floor. “Yeah. Sorry I threw the book at your head.”

“I’ve faced worse than killer novels.”

Alex looked up at me and forced a smile. Moments later, Kayla returned with Giovanni. I explained to him what happened, and when Tabbi returned from settling Margaret down, she took Alex to his room.

Having calmed the storm, I grabbed Kayla’s hand and walked her to her bedroom. “You were brilliant with Alex.”

She shrugged. “I could see how scared he was, and he was going to hurt you. I couldn’t let him.”

“Well, it’s good to know you have my back.”

Standing in the hall, she smiled mischievously. Her golden eyes stared into mine. “But what if he hadn’t listened to me? Maybe tomorrow you can show me how to fight? You know, like arms and legs around each other, pinning each other to the floor, that sort of thing.” Her voice dropped, and she ran a fingertip down my chest.