Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel) (9 page)

There
was no denying what he was after that.

His hand clamped around Kaleb’s throat, squeezing tightly
and trying to make himself let
go at the same time. He could taste Kaleb’s arousal in the air, feel it
trickling down his spine and seeping into his bones.
“You need to back away, now,” Rome whispered.
He relaxed his
grip, curling his fingers in slightly and biting into skin with nails.

Kaleb
shivered. Rome was so close to changing he could practically feel his wolf
breathing down his neck – sense it daring him to test its restraint. “You’re an
alpha,” he said, stunned. “That’s so fucking hot.” The hand around his throat
tightened and the tang of blood hit the air.

Rome felt the metal at his back disappear as he spun them
around
so fast it
left him dizzy. He’d put so much force behind the blow that Kaleb was now
pinched between him and crushed steel.

“I
don’t want to hurt you,” he said.

“I
wouldn’t mind if you did.” Rome tried to pull away and Kaleb grabbed him,
digging his fingers into his hips and tugging him against his body. “You can
hurt me if you want to.”

“I
don’t
want to,” he said, trying to make himself
believe it, trying to make himself let go. The only thing Rome could think was
that he didn’t
want
to be the very thing they created him to be. It was that thought alone that
dulled the impulses firing in his brain – the ones making his teeth ache and
his stomach feel like a black hole.

“I’m
not their puppet, and I’m
definitely
not your plaything.”

“Maybe
I’m offering to be yours.”

“Do
you have a death wish?” Rome asked. He tilted his head down, staring
dangerously up into his eyes.

Kaleb
clenched his jaw, cheek twitching.

“Don’t
flatter yourself,” he breathed. “I’m not so easy to kill.” He shoved him back,
stalking off down the hall. The game was over for him. The fun had reached its
end. Now Rome was just pissing him off.

***

Rome stepped onto the fourth floor with resignation. It
had taken him several minutes to calm himself down after the altercation with
Kaleb. That, and about a gallon of soap to wash away the blood under his nails.

Even
now, he could smell it.

Rome wasn’t really concerned with seeing the Dean. He
still felt like what he’d said was right, and he didn’t regret his choice to
speak up in the slightest. Still, he knew getting kicked out of class on his
first day was going to leave a lasting impression. The Dean’s assistant told
him to wait in
the
teacher’s lounge, which was where he found himself sitting for what
felt like forever. He was almost ready to fall
asleep when he noticed Christian walking out of the counselor’s office. He
reeked. The peculiar scent was so strong that Rome could actually smell it from
across the room. His shirt was even off a button – a small, yet noticeable,
detail.

“Hey,” Rome said, watching him storm past. He sat there
staring
after him for a moment before getting up and wandering into the
counselor’s office. There was a small waiting area up front and two doors just
a ways behind it. One was open, and he could see an older woman sorting throug
h tall stacks of papers at her
desk.

The
other, however, was closed.

Rome hesitated for a moment before walking right up to the
door and opening it without warning. He stood there with his hand clutched
around the handle, staring at a man latching his belt.

“Sorry,” he muttered, turning to close the door as
abruptly as he’d opened it. He blinked back the information trying to invade
his brain. Had he really just seen what he thought he’d seen? He took a shaky
breath, pushing away from the door just before it opened at his back.

“Can
I help you?” the man asked.

“No,”
he replied.

He
didn’t turn around. He didn’t say another word. He just left.

Chapter 7

Christian
hated soup. He’d had enough of it growing up. It didn’t matter if it was
homemade, or from a five star restaurant; he despised the stuff. Why he’d
chosen it today was anyone’s guess. He glanced down at the brown muck on his
lunch tray, letting his spoon slip into the mixture with a sigh. He was trying
not to think about this morning. Trying, and failing. He picked up his fork,
watching it descend into the bowl with the rest of his silverware. This was
going to be a very long year.

“Hey,
how are the prospects looking?” Dallas said, plopping down beside him.
Christian leaned away, uncomfortable with his proximity.

“I
got a little someone in mind,” he said.

“Anyone
I know?”

“I
doubt it. She’s a girl from my grade.”

“I
thought you only went after older girls? She must be…” Dallas smoothed his
hands in the air, making the silhouette of a girl with the movement of his
palms.

“Dallas,
you are always a welcome distraction,” he laughed.

“Distraction?”

Christian
waved a hand dismissively at him. “I’ll admit, she’s cute, but I’m only going
after her because that guy, Rome, likes her.”

Dallas
stopped smiling.

“Point
her out,” he said, his voice deceptively calm.

Christian
frowned, turning in his seat to point at Aria. “She’s the redhead.” Dallas
smacked him right over the back of the skull.

“Ow!
What gives?”

“Find
a new target.”

“I
can’t; I’m like a torpedo. Once I latch on there’s no stopping me… until the
moment of impact,” he grinned. Dallas looked like at any
moment h
e was going to spontaneously
combust.

“Something’s
going to impact, alright.”

“What,
do you got dibs or something?”

Dallas
thought about it for a second. If he was smart, he’d say yes. Then again,
knowing Christian, he might take it as a challenge.

“What
was the first rule I taught you?”

“Don’t
go after girls who have brothers. She doesn’t, I checked.”

“Well
you got your facts wrong.”

“Impossible.”
Christian sat there in silence for a moment, letting himself buy into Dallas’s
conspiracy. “Who?” he asked.

Dallas
jabbed a thumb toward himself. “You’re lookin’ at him.”

A singular laugh crept up Christian’s throat. “You are not
her brother. I know for a fact that you don’t have any siblings, and you are
definitely not a redhead.”

“I
was adopted?” Dallas tried.

The
smile fell from Christian’s face. Dallas had struck a nerve and he didn’t even
know it. “How about the truth,” he said.

“…She’s
my neighbor.”

“Do
you have any other neighbors I should know about? Seriously, Dallas, you know
that doesn’t count.”

“Alright,
new rule: You can’t sleep with anyone I say you can’t sleep with.”

“Nice
try, but no. Don’t worry; I’ll show her a good time. Besides, wouldn’t you
rather have it be me than—”
Speak of the devil
. Christian lifted his
chin, nodding towards Rome as he walked into the cafeteria. “Than that,” he
finished.

“I
don’t want it to be either of you. In fact, I think I just solved my own
problem. I’ll just tell her what a player you are.” Dallas poked Christian on
the chest, feeling smug and satisfied. There was no way he was getting around
that.

“If you want to help me out, go ahead, be my guest.
Whatever you tell her to do she’s going to do the exact opposite.” Christian
wasn’t entirely sure that was true, but he didn’t let his mask of confidence
slip once. If he
was lucky, Dallas might even put in a good word for him.
Never underestimate the power
of reverse psychology
, he thought with a smile.

***

Rome’s
boots tapped against the tile as he approached, drawing Ariahna’s attention. He
pulled out a chair, dropping into it and folding his arms over his chest. “Were
classes really that bad?” she asked. Rome looked perturbed, and she had the
sense that there was more behind his unrest than just a difficult teacher. Then
again, it was kind of hard to tell; he always had that thoughtful look on his
face. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s
nothing,” he muttered.

He
didn’t know what else to say. He was dealing with a conflict that wasn’t even
his own, and the fact that he could see Christian sitting across the cafeteria
wasn’t helping him any. It was bad enough that he’d spent three of his classes
worrying about a guy he didn’t even like. He certainly didn’t want to think
about it with him staring at him.

“Do
you maybe want to get out of here?”

“Sure,”
Aria mumbled.

Rome
stood wordlessly, walking off towards the back doors that led out into the courtyard.
Ariahna hurried after him as he slowed to wait for her. He really just needed
some time to work through this, away from everyone else. He found it a little
funny that he wasn’t excluding her from that list. Rome held the door as she
stepped out onto the sea of cement. Several stone tables littered the area.
Other than a small collection of kids here and there, the place was mostly
deserted. Apparently not many people ate lunch out here. Everyone who did
seemed like they’d be his kind of crowd, if he was the crowd type. He hung a
left around the side of the building, stalking past the track and making a
beeline for the Performing Arts building.

“Where
are we going?”

“Does
it matter?” Rome asked.

She
didn’t reply.

He
took a moment to stop outside the building, turning around and pressing his
back against the double doors. “Do you trust me?”

“…Yes,” she whispered, surprising herself with the
sincerity in
that
word. She watched Rome curiously as he pressed down on the handle. It jarred
him a little, making an unappreciative sound. “It’s locked,” she said.

Rome
smiled at her, letting the door swing open behind him.  “Really? Are you
sure about that?” He reached out, offering her his hand.

Ariahna peered inside before darting a paranoid look
around to make sure no one was watching. The building was supposed to be
locked, and they definitely weren’t supposed to be going inside. But she’d
never had
much fun
doing what she was supposed to
do. She took his hand and he
tugged her
eagerly after him. They went racing down the corridor in a burst
of
spontaneity, smiling as their feet slapped against the sparkling floor. The
sound of her quiet giggling echoed eerily off the walls.

Rome could hear her heart hammering in her chest. He
could feel the nervous sensation of butterflies flitting around in her stomach.
He
was bathing in
her excitement, her fear. It left his skin tingling. He rounded a corner and
stopped, finally finding what he’d been looking for. The exterior of the music
classroom was just a small wooden door with a glass viewing window and the name
of the class painted over it in golden letters. He was hoping the inside would
be a bit more impressive. Rome turned to Aria with a grin, cradling her hand
still gently in his own as he backed towards the room, drawing her along with
him.

She
was gazing into his deep blue eyes, and without her realizing it, he had gotten
her backed against the door. Aria parted her lips in a subtle suggestion of
what she’d like to come next.

Rome brushed a palm down the length of her arm, caressing
her
softly
and then threading their fingers together. Their
joined hands dangled
on either side of their lightly touching bodies.

“I
really want to kiss you right now.”

“What’s
stopping you?” she whispered.

Rome
leaned in, admiring her beautiful face as the distance between them grew
smaller and smaller. He wanted this, badly, but he also wanted it to be right.
He stopped a millimeter from her lips, so close the phantom sensation of touch
was tickling across his skin. This had to last, he thought. He had to
make
this moment last.

Ariahna
was standing so very still, waiting so patiently that her chest was aching. She
needed him to kiss her. It was all she’d been thinking about
since the first moment they’d met. Rome pulled
away abruptly, and the
air left her lungs in a shudder of
disappointment. But then, he was pressing his lips against her neck and sending
a spark of heat, a slow building fire, spreading through her.

Rome
was kissing over her silky skin, each gentle touch like a silent promise. They
were sharing secrets with their bodies, and his was telling her that he… he
loved her. The realization was enough to leave him terrified, shaking, and
desperate to express this overwhelming and unexpected affection. How was this
even possible? They’d just met, and yet he felt as if he’d been missing her all
his life – waiting for her to find him and make him feel this complete. A trail
of slow, passionate kisses was leading him to his ultimate goal – the perfect
curve of her lips. He traced her jawline with his mouth, and as he did, he
could feel her trembling against him.

Ariahna
felt like she was falling, tumbling down a bottomless well of desire. It felt
like he was the only solid thing she had to hold on to. Her fingers curled
tightly over the back of his hands as a soft sound passed over her lips. And
then he was pressing his mouth to hers, swallowing her hot breath and the
beginnings of a plea. He was warming her from the inside out, lighting some
long dead fire in her soul. His lips were soft, his jaw strong as it worked
against hers. She was losing herself.

Rome
leaned in close, their bodies melding together against the door. He went to
brush his tongue into her mouth as she parted her lips to let him in. They
kissed in wet, gentle strokes, exploring each other without hurry. He slipped
his hands away, letting them come to rest along the curve of her jaw. He felt
her fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt a moment later, pulling him
even closer. They were already flush against one another, and yet it was as if
she knew that it still didn’t feel close enough.

The
soft sound of a piano started seeping through the door, and Aria was smiling as
it wrapped them up in its sweet, magical embrace.
They were floating away with the notes dancing in the air, swept up in
feelings of
elation. She’d never been this close to anything so radiant.
Kissing him was like soaring into the sun. She was burning alive right now, and
nothing had ever felt better.