King 02 - Breathless (33 page)

“Michael? Oh, I thought that was you!” The young woman who approached us was an absolutely breathtaking vision. Her blonde hair was nearly white, piled atop her head in a calculated mess. The deep blue gown she wore set off her eyes, which were almost indigo. The smile that stretched her perfect lips didn’t quite reach those eyes, even though she never glanced away from Michael.

“Hey, Cathryn,” he greeted her. “How’re you doing?” He turned me neatly, keeping his arm firmly about my shoulders. “This is Tasmyn Vaughn.”

“Of course it is.” Cathryn extended her hand. “How nice to meet you. I think Michael might have mentioned you once or twice.” She slanted a quick look sideways at him and then laughed. “I’m only teasing. He talks about you all the time.”

“Cathryn—sorry, Cathryn Whitmore—is the TA for my advanced botany class,” Michael explained as I shook her hand. “She’s a senior here.”

“Where do you go to school, Tasmyn?” Cathryn asked. Only the hint of a challenge in her voice revealed that she already knew the answer.

“I’m still in high school, back in King,” I answered with as much dignity as I could muster. “I’m a senior.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right.” I couldn’t decide which unnerved me more: her smooth beauty or the fact that I couldn’t hear her at all—only that odd crackling noise. I tried to focus a little more, as Marica had been teaching me, but the white noise only grew louder.

Cathryn tilted her head, and I registered a slight flare of surprise in those amazing eyes. Her gaze slid off to the side for a moment, as though she were listening to something. A chill ran down my neck. I was certain that I had worn that expression myself more than once as I had tuned into the thoughts around me.

Michael was looking from Cathryn to me, a small frown playing around his eyes.

“It was good to see you, Cathryn. Tas is a little chilly, so we’re going to head back in and grab something to eat. See you later.” He deftly steered me around her, and we were nearly to the glass doors before I realized that she had neither replied nor moved.

“What was that all about?” Michael demanded once we were back at our small round table.

“What do you mean?” I wanted to know what he had picked up before I said anything.

“She looked at you like—I don’t know, there was just a really odd moment back there. It was almost like you two were talking—but not out loud.”

I sighed heavily. “Not me. I couldn’t even hear anything from her. What’s her story?”

Michael shrugged. “I told you pretty much all I know about her. She’s a senior, botany major, comes from somewhere up north, I think. We’ve talked a few times waiting for class to start. Nothing big. You really couldn’t hear her?”

“No. It always makes me a little uneasy when I don’t get anything from someone.”

“Is it like a black hole? Just a void?” he asked, teasing me a little.

“Sometimes, but not with her. It was like some kind of interference. Really weird.” I shook my head.

Michael took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Forget about it. You never have to see her again. By the time you get up here next year, she’ll have graduated and gone.”

I smiled into his eyes, sinking into the depth of his love. I could feel his longing, and it echoed my own.

With a quick mischievous wink my only warning, Michael scooped me out of the chair and into his lap. “I don’t want to let you out of my arms for even a minute,” he murmured against my lips before kissing me senseless. All thoughts of the mysterious Cathryn were gone, and I was wholly consumed in him.

When we came up for air, I let my head loll against his shoulder, reveling in the intimacy of body and mind. I could hear his every thought, every small sweet murmuring.

“Is this what it’ll be like when I’m up here with you?” I whispered.

He chuckled and tightened his hold on me. “Of course. All the time.”

I laughed, too. “I’ll flunk out then. Hard to do homework or go to class when I don’t want to be even an inch away from you.”

Michael lowered his head and rested his forehead against mine. His smile faded as his eyes bored into me.

“I love you, Tasmyn. Being away from you—it’s like missing a part of my body. I’m only whole when we’re together.”

As always, he robbed me of breath. My heart pounded, and I couldn’t tear my gaze from his.

Instead I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips back to mine.

Tawdra Thompson Kandle lives in central Florida with her husband, children, cats and dog. She loves homeschooling, cooking, traveling and reading, not necessarily in that order. And yes, she has purple hair.

Restless

By

Tawdra T. Kandle

When she agrees to allow Ms. Lacusta to help develop her powers, Tasmyn has no idea how deep and dark the journey will become. Trapped between fascination and fear, she moves farther away from friends and family, even her boyfriend Michael. Leading a double life forces Tas into decisions that will threaten her sanity and her future… and the very lives of those she

…

I was miserable.

I should have been supremely happy. It was Christmas in Florida, and just chilly enough to be seasonal, although of course there wasn’t any snow on the ground and the sun shone brightly through the rustling palm fronds. King High School, where I was a senior, was closed for the holiday, and our teachers had mercifully assigned nothing over the break.

Best of all, Michael was home. His classes had ended in early December, and I’d had him to myself for a week already. He would return to Perriman College after the new year began, but that was still weeks away. It was a slow time at the nursery that his family owned—and where I worked after school—so we had hours of uninterrupted time to walk, talk. . .to be together.

And I was miserable.

Oh, I did a good job of hiding it. When I was with Michael, I was the epitome of a perfect girlfriend. We laughed and talked about silly, inconsequential things. Part of me was simply resting in the peace of being with him.

But another part of me was constantly distracted. I wondered what Marica was doing, and I itched to stretch my newfound muscles of power and concentration. I was torn in two pieces: the old Tasmyn who only really lived when Michael was near, and this new and foreign me who was somehow able to manage a double life. I floundered between the two, unable to find peace with either one.

My former chemistry teacher and current mentor, Marica Lacusta, had suggested this break during the Christmas holidays. She knew that with Michael home, I would have very little opportunity to spend time working with her. At first, I was relieved; I had wondered how I would manage to explain huge chunks of missing time to Michael. But now I was restless, unable to stop thinking about her.

“Where are you?” As if sensing my preoccupation, Michael reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “Earth to Tasmyn…”

I forced a smile and shook my head to clear it. “Sorry. Just… I don’t know. A thousand miles away.”

“Can I come along?” His face was close to mine, lips hovering inches from my ear.

“Of course. Actually, I was thinking about—college. Next year,” I lied and that old Tasmyn was appalled. I never lied to Michael. Keeping secrets from him as I’d been forced to do earlier this fall almost crushed me. Yet now I was telling him total fabrications without blinking.

We were sitting in the swing on the deck at his parents’ house, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine and the cool of the late afternoon air. Michael had his arm draped around my shoulders as we lazily moved the swing back and forth.