Moondust (8 page)

Chapter
11

The big V-day had arrived.

Joy.

If Aunt Clara even suggested I wear red, I was going to quit, so when I strolled down the stairs dressed from head to toe in black, I waited. She glanced up from her cup of coffee and lifted her brow, but didn’t say a word.

I grinned to myself and poured my own cup of caffeine and sugar.
Taking the stool beside her, I let the brisk aroma rouse my senses.

“Are you ready for chaos?”
she asked, sipping from her white mug. Her caramel hair was in a messy bun similar to mine, but much more stylish.

“Ask
me after my third cup of coffee,” I grumbled.

“Boycotting as usual?”
she asked, finally commented on my funereal appearance. She knew me well.

I cast
her a sideways glance. “I just don’t want to clash with the flowers.”

She tried not to be amused by me.
“I thought since you had a
boyfriend
, you might have different feelings about heart-shaped candies and candlelit dinners.”

I scrunched my nose. “
So where is Chad taking you tonight?” I asked, changing the subject from me to her—a much safer topic.

This time there was no disguising the smile that spread
across her lips. “Bella Donna’s.”

“Ooo. Chad the
Stud Muffin is pulling out all the stops.” Bella’s was a fancy Italian restaurant right on the harbor. They had twinkling strands of lights, outdoor seating, and overpriced, but to-die-for food. I couldn’t afford half a meal from that place. Someone was looking to get lucky.

She tapped a nail against her mug
and I could see she had something on her mind beneath her excitement. “Are you sure you are okay with closing up by yourself? I can always have Chad change the reservation to later, or better yet, you could come with us?”

I had to stifle a groan. As appealing as Bella Donna’s was, being a third wheel on my aunt’s date was pathetic.
“I will be fine. Promise.” I crossed my heart with my finger. “You deserve a night off. Bring me a doggie bag?”

She smiled warmly.
“Always.”

Finishing our cof
fee, I grabbed a granola bar as Aunt Clara snatched the keys. Normally we drove separately, but today we rode together. Chad was picking her up from Mystic Floral for their romantic excursion. I tried to contain the need to gag.

As expected
, the shop was a madhouse. I didn’t get two seconds to myself since the doors opened, but it was good for business, or so I kept telling myself. I forced a bright smile for the next customer. My face muscles were in agony and there was a good chance that I would have a permanent creepy smile like the Joker by the time this puking pink holiday was over.

We had just made it through the lunch
-hour rush when Aunt Clara’s cellphone vibrated. Her face lit up as she glanced at the number flashing on her phone: Chad. She always got that goofy look when he called.

I rolled my eyes and started to restock the cases for the next rush. The entire shop smelled of roses and bab
y’s breath.
Beats coming home reeking of greasy burgers and salty fries, I guess.
In the background I heard her bubbly whispers, and it was a reassuring sound that let me know she was happy.

I
, on the other hand, was a bundle of turmoil ever since the other night, when I had come to the realization that no matter what kind of connection Lukas and I might have, it was Gavin I was in love with. That wouldn’t change. Now I just had to find the words to tell that to Lukas. I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to hurt either of them, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that that was exactly what I was going to end up doing: hurting people close to me.

Shooing Aunt Clara out the door with a dewy-eye
d Chad, I took a quick look around the shop and saw that I had a moment just to myself. I knew it wouldn’t last, so I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. I felt the gentle hum of magic swirling inside me for just a moment before the door chimed and I kissed my solitude goodbye.

I huffed, watching the gazillion
th guy scramble last-minute to get his wife or girlfriend a gift. If the bells dinged one more time before we closed, I was going to rip them from the above threshold and toss them out the door.

Shifting my weigh
t restlessly, I watched the hands on the clock. When at last nine o’clock struck, I already had the drawer counted, the shelves cleaned, and the flowers stocked. I was out the door. With the keys jingling in my hand, I turned the lock and set the security system to “active.”

As I walked around the building to the back parking lot, s
omething cold and prickly opened up inside me. I peeked over my shoulder, unable to shake the chill on my spine.

Someone was watching me
; I was sure of it.

B
efore I had a chance to process that I was in danger, it was already upon me. Out of the shadows, a figure immerged. Cloaked in black, with a hood shielding his face, the man stood between my car and me. Panic skyrocketed in my chest. The vibrations in the air were undeniable. He was a witch, and by the ominous sneer on his mouth, the only part of his face I could really see, he wasn’t here to buy flowers; He was here to kill me.

For the love of God.

I knew that my life was in danger, but it didn’t really hit me until I was staring it in the face. The mystery witch faced me and a shudder rolled through me. I took a step backward, away from the parking lot. If I could just get back into the shop…

A really stupid plan. He would catch
me before I had the chance to put the key in the door, let alone unlock it. I was cornered, and the feeling sucked big time. My eyes darted around the area, looking for any means of escape. There were two lampposts buzzing above us, flicking light across the parking lot.

I
sensed a tremor of power, and the parking lot went black.

Crap on a cracker.

“I have to say, you don’t look like much of a threat.” The sound of his voice was strained and sinister. That seemed to be a running theme.

Silence soaked up the night.
I was at a loss for words as I tried to figure how I was going to get myself out of this sticky situation—alive, hopefully.

“I’m not a threat,”
I stated, my voice quivering. I prayed he was a reasonable witch, but I wasn’t holding my breath. If it weren’t for his glowing eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to track his movements, or so I thought; it blows to be wrong.

Whipping a hand out
to his side, sparks of magic danced along his fingertips. Cool trick. Fear aside, I was kind of envious of how quickly he conjured his power. “There have been murmurings of your rise in command.” He cocked his head, the black hood falling low over his eyes. “Now that I see you, I think the forewarnings were over exaggerated.”

I couldn’t have agreed more.
It was unnerving knowing that there were witches out there talking about me, organizing my demise.

I at
tempted to sidestep around him, but he blocked my escape with his body. I guess the time for pleasantries had come to an end. A whitish-red light erupted from his fingers and shot straight toward me. The impact knocked me flat on my ass.

Wrong move
, dude.

My fear swiftly turned to anger. I don’t do well with bullies. Bad things happen when I get mad.
Blowing my hair out of my face, magic trembled in the air, mine. It gathered inside me. Pushing to my feet, a single spear of lightning broke the darkness with a blinding white light.

“You d
on’t want to mess with me,” I warned him in a tone I barely recognized as mine. I knew that my eyes were radiant.

A pair of boots came into my vision, and I lifted my head, prepared to protect myself. I stopped thinking
and began running on pure adrenaline and reflex. Ignoring the throbbing from having been tossed across the parking lot, I centered myself, wishing I could fully see my assassin rather than a shadow with eerie eyes.

He
hovered over me. “Power like yours should not exist. It’s unnatural, and you have to be stopped.”

I
realized that he was out of his freaking gourd.

No sooner had the thought occurred to me
than he struck. A green ball of energy whizzed toward me, slamming into my chest. I hit the ground—again— the air flying from my lungs. Shit, that stung like a bitch.

Stars exploded behind my eyes
, and I drew in a breath, scrambling to get to my feet before he released another ball of neon ectoplasm at me. “Look, I just recently found out what I am, and I’m not out to take over the world.” I kept babbling, hoping that I could somehow reach him emotionally because I was afraid I would hurt him physically. “I swear. I’m just a high school senior getting ready for college.”

Static charged in his hands, radiating in a blinding g
reen light. “It is only a matter of time before the temptation becomes too much for you. There is no stopping it.”

So much for
trying to be sensible. He made my life sound so despondent. This time, when he attacked me, I was ready. I dodged to the right, and I watched his attack whirl past me. “Asshole,” I muttered under my breath.

Well, he might think there was no stopping
my demise, but I was going to do my damnedest to stop him. I wasn’t some weak girl too scared to put up a fight. I was a God-forsaken witch. While I was letting my magic build up inside of me, the wind around me picked up, blowing my hair out around my face. Energy crackled over my knuckles, mimicking the lightning in the sky, a daring show of heat and light.

“
You don’t know what my future will hold. What makes you any better, playing God with my life?” I contradicted. He must not have liked my tone, which I thought sounded very authoritative.

“I
like to think of this as protecting my family’s future.”

Family
. I had a family too—my aunt. Already, she had to deal with the loss and pain of losing my mom, her twin sister. I shuddered to think about what losing me would do to her. I was all the family she had left and the last connection she had to her sister.

Something inside me snapped.

What about the family I would never have if he succeeded?

A rage
I’d never felt before came blistering to the surface, setting every molecule in my body on fire. In the center of my chest, a heady surge of power arose. I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I shouldn’t release the energy that was bursting to break free, but that voice of caution was overruled.

My
bluish-white strand of magic hit the mysterious man right in the heart. He stumbled, his hood falling away from his face. For the first time, I got a clear view of the man trying to killing me.

He had skin paler than I’d imagined, like he didn’t see much sun
light and lived among the shadows. A mixture of green and brown blended together inside his wide eyes. Short brownish hair teased his temples. There was nothing special about this man, nothing that jumped out and screamed murderer.

I stood above
him, as he lay pinned to the ground by my spell, one that I had cast but had no clue what it was. Regardless, it was effective in paralyzing my attacker. Looking down into his eyes, I felt like a different person—detached, emotionally and physically, from my body. My other hand reached out, and this indisputable need inside me fought to be set free. It whispered in my head, begging me to release the power that was gathered at my fingertips. The voice lulled me in a sweet, tempting caress.

There might have been a
split second in which I knew what I was about to do— unleash that dark part of me that I had locked away and sworn never to use—but with my life being threatened, I was willing to pay the price that came with using it. Just as my hand trembled to release the power, I hesitated.

Somewhere
, through the haze of darkness, I heard a voice that was both familiar and warm. My fingers twitched, the magic trying to lure me, but the sound of Gavin’s voice broke its hold.

He grounded me.
I grasped that thought and, dropping my hand, the energy fizzled.

“Gavin?” I
murmured.

Chapter
12

He looked like he was fighting the urge to commit first-degree murder. In five ground-eating steps, he was at my side. I knew his next move was going to be epic.

The attacker at my feet mo
ved, crawling slowly away, assessing the unexpected newcomer. I, on the other hand, was relieved to see my boyfriend. The jerk didn’t get very far in his escape; Gavin’s foot connected with his gut, sending the guy back to the ground, groaning. “I might have stopped the lady from killing you, but you can bet your ass we’re not done here. Not by a long shot,” Gavin growled.

The
anonymous man winced. “You are a fool. She is wicked. You will be abetting the extinction of power.”

Obviously
, he didn’t get the message. There was a satisfactory thud when Gavin followed his first kick with a second. This guy was glutton for punishment. Curled up on the blacktop, he began to laugh—a sick and twisted laugh that made my skin crawl.

Gavin’s eyes darkened.

When I first saw him, I had assumed he was planning on blasting this guy to the next planet, but I realized that he wanted the satisfaction of hurting him with his bare hands. It must be a guy thing. He had come in guns blazing.

Gavin
paused for a moment from thrashing the other man to catch a glimpse of me and make sure I was still standing, not passed out. At least that’s what I figured he was doing when his eyes connected with mine. In that moment of distraction, a flash of light exploded in the night, and when the blinding glow faded, my mysterious assailant was gone.

And the kicker
was… that meant he would probably try again.

Great. Something to look forward to.

Gavin’s gaze scanned the tree line. “Looks like our
friend
didn’t want to stick around. How disappointing. The fun was just beginning.”

I didn’t have the
quite same reaction. Springing to my feet, I threw myself into his arms.

“Hey, I’ve got you,” he murmured as
I buried my face into his neck.

I was
encompassed by his warmth, and then I started to babble incoherently like an idiot. Random words describing what had happened just started spewing from my mouth: incomplete thoughts, run-on sentences, made-up words, the whole nine yards. It was bad.

He listened
to me, getting the gist of what I was trying to articulate. Putting me at arm’s length, he helped calm me down. I don’t know how it happened, but over the last few months, Gavin had become my anchor. He was able to pull me back from the darkness, but I had to wonder if there would be a point at which I was too far gone for even him to reach me.

I prayed that never happened.

In the afterglow of the events, guilt gnawed at me, bit by bit. “Did I—?” The possibility that I had done the unthinkable plagued me.

Gavin
shook his head, staring off into the darkness. “Not a drop.” Facing me, his eyes surveyed my face. “Are you okay? If he hurt you—”

I swallowed.
“I’m fine. Just a few scratches.” I thought it would be better if I left out the details about what happened before he gallantly arrived. The last thing I wanted was for him to off go on some kind of revenge mission.

“That is one hell of a scratch,” he said, s
tepping forward, the pad of his thumb lightly tracing the side of my cheek. I flinched. Tomorrow that would be the mother of all bruises.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I
started to shake. “No. I’ll be okay. I need to get the car home.”

The
heat from his eyes was gone now. “Don’t worry about that now. I’ll arrange for Jared to get it. You are no condition to drive.”

Maybe he was right. Fatigue hit me like a seven-pound wrecking ball. With an arm around my waist, I let him le
ad me to his car; the conjuration of magic had depleted me of energy. I slid into the leather seat thinking about how close I had come to ripping the power right from that guy’s soul. It was my last thought before I crashed, darkness devouring me. Magic overload.

***

My eyelids fluttered open.

A heartbeat
of time passed as I lay there putting together the pieces of how I got
here
. Where exactly was here? The last thing I remembered was some douchebag ranting on about how I was evil and had to be stopped. Then Gavin showed up out of nowhere. Everything after that was fuzzy.

I twisted on my side.
My bedroom, with its soft lavender walls, came into focus. I was stretched out on the white sheets, the sweet scent of a wildberry candle and fresh flowers filling the room. Someone had lit the candle at my dresser, its flame casting a small glow in the dark room.

Gavin
.

I thought his name before I saw his face. He
moved silently through my room, prowling toward me. Tingles skirted across my skin, and the tattoo at the small of my back came alive. The mattress shifted under his weight as he settled down beside me. He propped himself up on his side, using his arm to hold up his head. “Hey,” he murmured, brushing a chunk of hair off my face.

“How long have I been out?” I asked, staring into his bright blue eyes.

“Not long.” He played with the hoop at his lip, searching my eyes. “How are you feeling?”

Like I got tossed around in a dump truck.
My clothes were torn, and there were streaks of dirt on my arms. “I’ll live.”

“
Good, because it would really piss me off if you didn’t.” He placed a hand on my hip. Fireflies fluttered in response.

“What
were you doing there?” I asked. Don’t get me wrong; I was eternally grateful that he had been at right place at the right time.

One side of his mouth tipped up.
“I wanted to surprise you. Valentine’s and all…”

“Valentine’s Day sucks,” I murmured.

He shoulders moved in a silent laugh. “I believe you now.”

Now that I was fully awake, t
he griminess was getting to me. I wanted to scrub away the memories, erase them from my brain. “I need to clean up. Don’t leave, okay?”

He grinned.
“I wouldn’t think about it.”

Making haste to
ward the bathroom, I glanced at him over my shoulder right before I closed the door. It was a tempting sight, seeing Gavin sprawled out on my bed with all that bad boy, yummy goodness. I took the fastest shower ever known to mankind, then quickly threw on a pair of shorts and a baggie t-shirt. I didn’t want to give him the chance to sneak away.

A steam of fog followed me out of the bathroom when I remerged. He was right where I had left him, and those warm fireflies returned, darting
around in my belly. “I’m happy you’re here,” I said, climbing back into bed with a huge grin on my lips.

“And
?” He had a hand behind his head.

I lifted my hand, running my fingers through his silky hair that tumbled over his
brow. “Stay,” I whispered. “I can’t bear to be alone.” I needed him. His presence was the only thing that was going to calm me. Inside, I felt icy, and Gavin was the one person who could melt that cold.

His eyes drifted shut as
he leaned his forehead against mine and my breath caught.

“You’re killing me,” he sighed.

A smile swept across my face.

His eyes popped open
suddenly. “I didn’t mean that literally.”

I wrapped both my arms around his neck.
“I know.”

His e
yes darkened and his lips brushed across mine in the most tantalizing way. “If anything had happened to you…”

“It didn’t. You were there.” He was always there.

In soft caresses, his fingers slowly trailed down the underside of my arm. Tiny blue sparks skimmed over the surface. It was unearthly. Then he was kissing me and his lips were cosmic, out of this world. I was transported to another galaxy—just where I needed to be: no worries, no one threatening my life, no Lukas.

His
mouth was warm over mine with a hint of coolness coming from the silver hoop in his lip. My lips tingled, but it wasn’t long before my entire body was sparking. What started off as tentative and sweet soon spiraled, creating a yearning inside of me. Our hearts beat heavily, quickening.

The sensations he enticed
ignited something deep within me: the knowledge of what I wanted—him. I wanted Gavin.
Holy moonbeams.
I was love-struck, spellbound, hypnotized by his touch, and I wasn’t alone in my feelings….

He made a guttural
sound in the back of his throat as his fingers made quick work of the thin straps of my tank top. Hooking a finger under the light material, he brushed them off my shoulder, pressing a kiss where the straps had been. “If you don’t stop me soon, I won’t be able to.”

I’m counting
on it.
Instead of telling him with words, I showed him. Crushing my body to his, I deepened our kiss, sweeping my tongue against his in a seductive game of tag. I was blown away, not only by the intensity of my feelings, but also by realizing that I had this strong, violent emotion inside me—love. It took me by surprise.

If someone
had told me last summer that the edgiest, not to mention the hottest, boy at school would be in my bed, I would have laughed in his or her face—heck, I probably would have snorted. But a lot had changed; I had a changed. Four months ago I didn’t believe in witches, and here I was, not only believing in them, but also knowing that I am one. That was one heck of a pill to swallow.

Now I was approaching a different milestone
, a much more intimate one, and I knew to the very depth of my core that I had made the right choice, fate and premonitions be damned.

I got hung up on the feel of his
mouth. My body was molded to his, and I parted my lips, intoxicated by the taste of his breath. There was fire in his eyes as he pulled back. “Bri?”

I knew what he was asking, and my answer was still the same.
I nibbled on his ear. “I want this,” I murmured.
I want you,
I added silently—at least, I was pretty sure it had been in my head.

I trailed my tongue over his bottom lip
, and Gavin growled, claiming my mouth in a branding kiss. Magic picked up inside me, flowing through my heated veins, stirring a delicious storm of need. Clothing vanished in a wink, leaving us skin to skin.
A neat trick.
Having a witch for a boyfriend definitely had its perks.

He leaned over me, my auburn hair spilling over the white sheets. Marvel
ing at his sun-kissed skin, I ran my hands over his chest, feeling the muscles jump under my touch. I never wanted to stop. I didn’t need tender words or sappy romance. All I wanted was to feel loved, safe. Gavin gave me those feelings in abundance. He would never let anyone or anything harm me, and that was damn sexy in my book.

When we came together,
I felt as if my body were a part of his, like I were burning, reaching for something. My head twisted to the side and… starbursts in all the colors of the rainbow shot through me, glorious and dreamy. I bit my lip to keep from crying, out and I lost control.

Magic tumbled from my fingertips, haloing
the room in a bluish-white light. It swirled, spun up, and spun out. At the same time, dry lightning flashed across the sky outside, striking in a jagged and terrible display.

Oops.

God, I hope that doesn’t happen every time we…

“Should I take that as a compliment?” Gavin asked huskily,
his brow rose.

I let
out a breathy giggle.

Poised above me,
he brushed away some strands of hair that were stuck to my face. “Your eyes are glowing.”

Imprisoned by the darkest blue eyes, I murmured,
“So are yours.”

Moonlight
, like a blanket, spilled through the window as I snuggled into his arms. Only moments later, my eyes drifted shut.