Hold Tight (The Embrace Series) (28 page)

I glared at Caden. “Yeah, I did. Is there anything else
you’d
like to share about that night?”

Caden smirked. “No. Now had we made out…”

“We talked about Natalie. Don’t try to make it more than it was,” I retorted, ready to send a burst of power at him if he said another word.

“Why are you working for her father?” Isaac asked. The fingers of his right hand curled and uncurled, over and over.

It was a good question. Something I probably should have asked the moment I’d discovered Caden was a demon.

“Boredom.” Caden shrugged. “And quite honestly, I didn’t like the devious glint in Reed’s eyes as he followed Madison that night. I decided to keep a close eye on her.”

Obviously not close enough or he would have stopped me from eating the damn faerie food in the first place.

His lips tugged upward into that wily smirk of his. When he continued, his dark eyes were trained on Isaac. “What can I say, Madison has spunk. I like that in a girl.” He winked at me, and I couldn’t help remembering the feel of his soft lips pressed against mine. A warm heat crept into my cheeks.

“Son of a—” Isaac finished his sentence with a right hook aimed at Caden’s chin.

Caden was too quick, though. He dodged the punch with ease. But he wasn’t so lucky with the energy ball Isaac pelted him with next. Caden closed his eyes and shook his arms as if shaking off Isaac’s powers. When he opened them, his irises were red. In the next moment, Isaac’s jacket burst into flames.

Isaac struggled to undo the buttons.

“Stop it!” I screamed, shoving Caden.

Caden’s eyes narrowed. In a low, amused tone, he asked, “Did you tell Lover Boy how we sealed the deal?”

“Put him out!”

Isaac frantically patted at the flames.

“Put him out or the deal’s off!” I screamed.

“I highly doubt that,” Caden said.

I pushed him with both hands. He barely flinched.

“Have you thought about that kiss?” he asked.

I shot a look at Isaac, but he was too busy trying to get his coat off to hear. I shoved Caden again.

Caden glanced at Isaac too, and the flames grew smaller. At last, Isaac was able to undo the buttons. He threw the jacket on the ground and watched it go up in smoke.

“
I’ve
thought about our kiss,” Caden whispered, right next to me.

I pushed him away. “Why are you here?”

“I need to find Emma Scott.”

“So, go find her,” I said.

“That’s the thing. I can tell you the exact location of every single soul who made a deal with me except Emma’s. The only way that’s possible is if magic is hiding her, and since her magic came from me, there is no way she’d be able to pull off that type of spell. I pegged the two of you as witches the moment I met you. You’re in a coven, I presume?”

“Not with Emma,” I said.

“Why are you telling him anything?” Isaac asked.

I sighed. “It was part of the deal. I can’t lie if he asks a direct question.” To Caden, I said, “That doesn’t mean I can’t slap that stupid smile off your face.”

He chuckled, then said, “But Emma is in a coven. Who are the other members?”

“Aren’t you the one who can read minds? You tell me,” I challenged.

“I can only pick out thoughts, and right now you’re too busy cursing me, and he’s”—Caden indicated with a jerk of his head to Isaac—“dreaming up ways to get me back for setting him on fire. I’ll ask again, who’s in her coven?”

“She
was
in a coven,” I corrected. One that had spent a lot of energy trying to kill me. “They disbanded a while ago.”

Caden’s irises burned crimson, and I guessed his patience was wearing thin. I was pretty sure telling Caden Emma’s address was the same as buying her a one-way ticket to hell. Normally, I’d have a problem with that. I’d think that no one deserved to be damned. I’d forgive, even if I didn’t forget. But not with Emma. She’d made the deal; let her suffer the consequences.

“She’s a resident on the fifth floor at the hospital. Room labeled Bitch.”

Caden cocked his head to the side. “She’s in the psychiatric ward?”

“We expect her to be there awhile,” Isaac added. “Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

“No. That should do it for now.” Caden walked over to his car and then added, “Madison, I’d love to hear the full story. Say, dinner sometime?”

Isaac raised his arm, and power crackled over his fingertips. Caden held his hand in front of him, his fingers pinched together ready to snap.

I grabbed Isaac’s arm. “He’s trying to egg you on. Isaac, look at me.” I put my palm on his cheek, guiding his gaze down to me. “Don’t let him get to you or he’ll win.”

Isaac lowered his hand. I heard the car door open behind me. Its engine started, and the door closed.

When Caden was gone, Isaac scowled. “I don’t like him.”

As if I hadn’t figured that out. I thought about reminding him that prior to my deal he’d been the one insisting Caden was a nice guy, but I didn’t.

“Still think I’m worth the trouble?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m not going anywhere.” Isaac’s eyes met mine. The sun caught the speck of ocean blue at the edge of his right iris. He rested the palm of his hand on the side of my head, and his thumb gently caressed my cheek as my heartbeat sped up. “And I’m not going to let that jerk manipulate you. If he tries, I’ll find a way to send his ass back to hell for good.”

If there was anyone who could hurl a demon back to damnation, it was Isaac.

His lips met mine. With my powers shoved behind the wall in my mind, I let him entice my lips open with his tongue. His guttural groan was muffled by our kiss, which he deepened, sending elated shivers racing to my toes. It wasn’t the soft sensual kiss I was used to. This was untamed, giving me the impression that Caden’s visit had torn down Isaac’s self-control. His lips pressed harder against mine as our tongues did a dance of their own. I wanted to kiss him forever, but I could feel my powers weakening their steel prison.

Coming up for air, I said breathlessly, “I need a moment.”

The air around us hissed with power. Isaac rested his forehead on mine and took a few long, slow breaths. I had my hands on his hips to keep them from trembling at the thought of tonight’s plan: Mission Faerie Detox.

Translation: Isaac and me, alone in his bedroom for the entire evening.

Chapter 25

Operation Detox

Ever since the accident, Dad had scarcely spent an hour at work. Apparently, Caden and Reed kept the remodeling job moving forward without him. I wasn’t sure what their motives were now that everyone’s identities had been exposed; I only prayed that it didn’t mean Demon Boy and Prince Fae felt I owed them something in return.

At least they were no longer around Dad, who took care of Chase at home instead. With my brother’s miraculous recovery, I couldn’t blame him. He probably worried Chase would have some type of a relapse, but I knew better.

Regardless, Dad being home did make this the perfect weekend for me to be away. When I told Kaylee the plan after I got home from the lighthouse, she dropped what she was doing and came right back over.

“Thanks for coming,” I said as I rummaged through my dresser drawers.

“No problem.” Kaylee lay on my bed, fixing the red bow on Jeffery the Giraffe.

“What?” I asked when I caught her staring at me out of the corner of my eye.

“It’s just—” She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “I can’t believe Isaac dropped you off and left you alone in your room. What if Reed showed up?”

“What was Isaac supposed to do? Stand next to me while I told my dad I really needed a girls’ night? Don’t you think Dad would have put two and two together?”

Dad might have been exhausted from worrying about Chase and work, but he wasn’t an idiot. He’d have figured out I wasn’t spending the night at Kaylee’s if Isaac had stuck around.

She rested Jeffery on her stomach. “Then you should have stopped at my house, and I would have driven you home.”

“I don’t need a chaperone.” I set a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top on my dresser and opened another drawer.

“Really? You think you have everything under control?” She paused; if it was for effect or because she was waiting for my reply, I didn’t know. “You’re like a shopaholic with a maxed-out credit card. You know you shouldn’t go shopping, but you can’t resist the sale. Only in your case, Reed is what you’re supposed to be avoiding and his treats are the sale you can’t resist.”

“I resisted last time.” Barely. “I don’t know what to wear,” I said as I stuffed a pair of hot-pink panties back in the drawer and pulled out a pair of blue cotton ones instead. “I’ve never spent the night at a guy’s house before, and the only reason I’m doing it this time is because of Reed.” The blue pair went right back on top of the pink ones. “Do you know how messed up this is?”

“What?”

“I’m spending the night at my boyfriend’s because of another guy. For all I know, Isaac’s planning on eating popcorn and watching horror films.”

Kaylee got up and bumped me aside with her hip. “The only reason Isaac would put on a scary movie is to get you to cuddle in his arms. Here, change into these.” She handed me my white lace bra and matching tango panties and moved to my closet. “They say ‘sexy’ without being obvious.” She slid hangers aside one by one. “And now you need something that says ‘casual evening in.’” After several seconds, she tossed me a low-cut red sweater and my faded skinny jeans.

I looked at the clothes she selected. “I’ve been alone with him before. Why am I so nervous now?”

“Maybe it’s because his kisses melt your knees.” Her eyebrows rose and fell rapidly.

We broke into a fit of laughter.

“Madison?”

“What?”

“Do you love Isaac?”

I fell backward onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I do.”

She sat on the corner of the mattress. “And does he love you?”

“I think so.” No way would he stick around if he didn’t.

She rested her hand on my leg and said, “Then pretend this is like every other time you’ve spent with him and stop worrying about what might happen. Besides, the two of you are still working out the colliding-powers thing, right?”

I rolled to my side and propped myself up on my elbow. “Don’t remind me.”

“Have you ever stopped to think that your powers might cease to collide with Isaac’s when you’re ready to take your relationship to the next level?”

I gave her a puzzled look.

“People with powers are drawn to each other, we already know that, but you and Isaac have something more. Something worth exploring. Maybe the little problems you have getting close is nature’s way of pumping the brakes. You know, making sure you’re ready when it happens and that you go there because you care about each other and not because of some witchy connection.”

“It’s not like I’m a virgin,” I replied. Kevin and I had been each other’s first, and he was still the only guy I’d been with.

“And how long were you dating him before you did it? Well over a year, if I remember correctly.”

I shrugged. She was right. Of course, Kevin and I had been fourteen when we’d started going out. Back then, taking things slow had come easily.

“Stop stressing and let things fall into place naturally. Besides, you have demons and faeries to worry about.”

Kaylee had a way of putting things into perspective. I heaved out a breath. “You’re right. Supernatural problems tonight, relationship problems tomorrow.”

“That’s my girl.”

I slipped into the bathroom to change outfits. After a quick stop in my bedroom to swap my dirty clothes for my backpack, I then followed the sound of Kaylee’s and Chase’s laughter down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Kaylee leaned against the counter near the sink. Dad and Chase sat at the table. It was cooler downstairs than it had been upstairs, though, and while I knew heat rises, I didn’t want to take a chance that Reed was there.

Let’s go
, I mouthed when I caught Kaylee’s eye.

“Thanks for the soda, Mr. Riley.” She put her glass in the sink. To my brother, she said, “Later, dude.”

“You girls stay out of trouble,” Dad said.

“Always,” Kaylee replied as I waved over my shoulder.