Rive (7 page)

Celeste pushed his arm. “Rylan!”

“No, it’s fine,” Victor said. He popped up from the bed. “I’m intruding. Just one more thing. I think the only way I can guard you properly is to enroll in your school. I turned in the paperwork today and so I’ll be starting tomorrow.”

“That’s great,” Rylan said stiffly. “Just what I was hoping for.”

“You stop that right now,” Celeste hissed to him. “I seriously forgot that school started tomorrow. When did it become August?”

“Two weeks ago,” Rylan said.

“And with that, I’m off!” Victor said. He flashed a broad smile that looked eerily like Mateus then disappeared.

Celeste jumped off the bed then spun around to face Rylan. “Why are you being a dick to him? He’s a freaking assigned guard! Do you think he wants to be here?”

Rylan rubbed his forehead. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He pulled her toward him. “Sit back down. Don’t be mad.”

She did, leaning into him, closing her eyes as his arms went around her. “Are you jelly?”

“Jelly?” She felt his chest heave with laughter against her face. “No. Maybe my man-pride is taking a hit since a teenage body-builder-esq
Sidhe
is somehow a more fit guard for my girlfriend than I am.”

She buried her face deeper. “He’s trained.” Her voice came out muffled.

“Yeah, yeah. He’s trained. I’m just an asshole.”

“Stop it!” She raised her head to look at him, relieved to see he was smiling.

“I’ll be good, I promise,” he said. “As far as my behavior toward him goes. I don’t make any promises about you, though.” A dangerous glint in his eye made her insides warm up.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Using his super fast
Sidhe
speed, he flipped her over, pressing himself into her. His lips met hers, slow and gentle at first. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tighter into her. Damn, he was good at the whole kissing thing. Her heart melted as his arms caressed the outside of thigh, moving up until his hand was pressed inside her shirt, against the bare skin of her stomach.

She wrested her hands free, tugging his shirt over his head. She admired his ridge of muscle in stomach, his broad strong chest, and the bands of lean muscle around his arms.

“Celeste.” He breathed into her ear. He pushed his weight off of her, rolling gently to the side.

She pulled him back on top of her. “I’m ready.” She pulled him close, pushing her lips to his, hands working the button fly of his jeans.

He sighed into her, his kisses becoming rough and demanding. She welcomed it, finally getting the last button open and yanking his jeans down.

“Wait,” he said. He grabbed her hands, moving them off his pants and onto his face. “Not that I don’t mind them down there.” He flashed a crooked smile. “I’m the dumbest guy in the world for stopping you, but this doesn’t feel right.”

She lifted his hand off her face and pushed it into her chest, so he could feel her heartbeat and the swell of her breast under his hand. “There is nothing about this that isn’t right.”

“Damn, Celeste.” He slid his hand up her collarbone, resting it on her shoulder. “You don’t even know what you do to me.” His eyes were a crazy whir of gold and green. They flashed like lightening across a distant sky. Only she could make his eyes move like that. “I’m trying to do that right thing.”

“What do you mean?” Her heat was morphing into disappointment. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no.” He kissed her softly on the lips. “You’ve been a little off since the ritual at the funeral. You seem…” He tucked a tight curl behind her ear. “Scared. Alone. Like you think I’m going to disappear at any second. I want you, Celeste. I want you so bad it consumes me, but I don’t want it to be an act of fear for you.” He cleared his throat. “I sound like a douche bag.”

She put her hand over his. “You did just turn down sex with me. You’re crazy, but not a douche bag.

His crooked smile was back on his face. “God damn, woman. You have no idea, do you?”

“What ever are you talking about?” She rested her finger on the top button of her shirt, slowly pulling it open. “Are you sure?”

“Don’t do that,” he growled.

She put her finger on the second button. In a split second, she was in his arms and moving, twisting violently through the air. He was teleporting her.
Damnit, Rylan.

The moving stopped, so she opened her eyes. It was still night, wherever they were, but they were definitely not in Kansas. “Wow.” She stared at the giant statue towering over her. “Is that… are we in Brazil?”

“Yes. How ever did you guess?”

She giggled “Well, uh, that is the Christ the Redeemer statue, isn’t it?” Her eyes traveled to the top of the statue, then flitted over the narrow mountains, bright lights, and jagged coastline around them. “Beautiful,” she said.

“Yep.” He put his arm around her. “I thought he would help you cool off. Remind you not to be naughty.” He shook his finger at her.

She laughed, loud and natural. “I’m not even that religious.” She smiled at him. “It’s so nice up here, though. Thanks.”

“Sure.”

She rested her face on his shoulder so they could look at the beautiful surroundings together. She forgot about the guards, forgot about Victor, and forgot about
Tuatha,
that is, until she heard Victor’s sharp voice behind them.

“Visiting my homeland?” he asked.

Rylan shrugged. “Well, you kept mentioning it, so…”

“It took several minutes to track you. Please give me a heads up if you need to travel so I can assure her continued protection.”

“Sorry, dude,” Rylan said.

“Sorry,” Celeste piped in.

“No worries. Enjoy.” There was no smile on his face though, and then he disappeared.

“I think we’re in trouble,” she said.

“Teen beefcake is right. We should be more careful,” Rylan said. “It’s dangerous for us to disappear like that.”

“Five more minutes?” She kissed his chin. “Please?”

“Anything for you.”

***

“Are you ready for your first day of high school?” Celeste asked.

Victor put his backpack on, one shoulder at time. “Are you kidding me? I’ve never done this before. It’s going to be fun.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Celeste said. “And only dorks wear their backpack on both shoulders. You’re supposed to let it casually hang off your shoulder.”

“Oh, I see.” He let it drop off one shoulder, then sauntered down the stairs, pushing past her. “Is this up to your expectations?”

She chortled. “Yes, that will do.”

Tink’s car screeched into the driveway. He was out the driver’s door in a second and walking up the long driveway.

“Tink!” They hugged briefly. “This is Victor.” She let him go, so he could shake Victor’s hand. “I don’t think I got a chance to formally introduce you guys at the funeral.”

“So, nice to, to um, meet you,” Tink said.

Wow. Tink actually stammered
. She watched him carefully. Cheeks flushed, tension in the air, his best knockout smile on his face.
Oh, wow
.

“Very nice to meet you, Tink, was it?” Victor skin was flushed, too. He batted his eyelashes and held Tink’s hand way longer than the handshake dictated.

She could practically see the fireworks exploding between them.
Oh, for heavens sake.

They stood their like morons, continuing their long handshake, appraising each other. “Um, freaks? We need to go to school,” Celeste said.

“Right,” Victor said. He dropped his hand.

Tink cleared his throat. “What’s your um, cover story, guard man person?”

Victor smiled so wide, revealing a row of perfect white teeth and one dimple on the left side. Celeste hadn’t seen that dimple before, and she hadn’t seen that smile before. It was real, genuine Victor. “I take it Celeste told you all about me.”

Tink flicked his eyes over to Celeste. “Well, clearly she didn’t tell me everything.”

Victor’s laughter rang out in the morning. “I’m a friend she knew from California. I just moved here.”

Tink saluted. “Understand. Friend. California. New. What an original cover story.”

They laughed, chattering to the car. Celeste watched them walk away, then forced her feet to move so she could slide in the backseat, alone.

The ride to school was mercifully short. Victor and Tink were still flirting like crazy in the front seat. She understood the true meaning of third wheel, now.

Tink parked his car. She got out then pulled her backpack out after her. It was weird to go to school with all this other crap going on, but her parents demanded normalcy. Heck, they were probably right that it was best.

Rylan moved toward them, long legs carrying him across the parking lot. She pecked him on the lips as soon as he was close enough. “So glad to see you.”

He glanced up at Victor and Tink, so absorbed in their conversation they didn’t even acknowledge Rylan. “What’s going on there?”

“Fireworks, my dear. Fireworks.”

“Really?” He put his hand over his eyes. “Now I look like the most insecure asshat ever.”

“Yep,” she said.

“Come, you.” He grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the school. “Kittens!” he called over his shoulder. “You’re going to be late.”

They all walked into the school building together. Victor barely noticed the stares of every single female as he walked down the hallway.

They parted ways. Rylan had a different homeroom then Celeste and Tink. Victor headed to the office to get his class schedule.

As soon as Victor was out of ear shot, Tink grabbed her arm. “Holy hot boy! Why didn’t you tell me he was playing for my team? Or hot? Or Brazilian? WTF, bestie?”

She pulled her arm back. “I didn’t know.”

He gestured toward Victor’s receding figure. “How could you not know he was hot?”

“I didn’t know he was gay,” Celeste said. “Sorry. We weren’t exactly discussing our sexuality, okay?”

“Oh, honey. No need to apologize. You can bring that to school with you anytime you want.” The second bell rang. “We better go,” he said. They settled into their seats just as the final bell rang.

Tink sat quietly in his desk, cheek resting on his hand, distant daydreaming gaze in his eyes.

Oh, boy. He had it bad.

Chapter 8

“And how was your day?” Ryan’s voice moved over her like butter.

“Good.” She took another bite of the crunchy caramel popcorn from the bag between them. “Tink and Victor drooling all over each other. Tink talking incessantly about Victor. Victor telling Tink he’s a powerful witch.”

“The usual, then.” He shook the bag, forcing the seeds to the bottom of the bag.

“I can’t believe you got popcorn,” she said.

“I think this will be entertaining.”

She watched Victor and Tink move through the trees behind Rylan’s house, seeing the occasional flash of light or hearing a strange bang. “He really thinks Tink is powerful. He says he can teach him. He says Tink has some of the old world magic in his blood.” Celeste shrugged. “I think so too. I think there’s some magic left in this world.”

“This world,” Rylan echoed. “Interesting words.” He crumpled the nearly empty popcorn bag. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“And I want you to answer it honestly. Don’t brush me off.”

“Okay,” she said.

“What happened on stage at the funeral? I felt the power of that explosion of light. And don’t tell me it was nothing. That may work with you parents, but I know better.”

She tucked her feet underneath her, letting her hair tumble around her shoulders and ribs. “I can’t tell you, Rylan.”

“What?” He lifted the curtain of hair so he could see her face. “Why can’t you tell me? You can tell me anything.”

“It was a
Tuatha
thing. I can’t discuss it with non-
Tuatha
.”

“Oh, I see. A
Tuatha
thing.” Hardness passed into his eyes, and then he dropped her hair. He shifted away from her.

“Are you mad?”

“Of course I’m mad.” He threw the crumpled bag on his lawn. “You’ve not been the same, and you won’t tell me why because I’m not cool enough.”

“That’s not fair,” she said. She picked up the bag and threw it in the small trash container on the back porch. “I have responsibilities and stuff that you don’t understand. I don’t want to burden you. I can’t. I won’t.”

“Right. Just push me away, that’s fine.”

“I’m not pushing you away.” She sat next to him. “Please don’t be angry.”

“Rylan.”

They both turned around, Rylan getting to his feet in a split second. Rylan’s dad, Sean, stood in the doorway to his home as if he owned it.

“What are you doing here?” Rylan asked.

“I am visiting my son.”

“How nice. Don’t recall the last time you dropped in,” Rylan said. His biting tone made Celeste wince. Some of that anger was for her, not his father.

“I’ve come to talk about something important with you.” He bowed toward Celeste. “Would you excuse us,
Tuatha?
”

“Um, sure.” Celeste moved toward the forest to join Tink and Victor.

“No. She stays,” Rylan said.

She froze, standing a few feet away from Rylan.

“Fine.” Sean crossed his arms over his chest. “You may not date the
Tuatha
anymore. I talked to your mom. Once I explained the situation to her, she agreed.”

Celeste felt her chest drop to her feet.

“What!” Rylan hands dropped to his side. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“I am your father. And I forbid it. It is done.”

Rylan let out an ugly, dark laugh. “It is not ‘done.’ You’re a sperm donor, not my father. Hell, I’m surprised you even know my name.” Sean winced and stepped back. “Go away,” Rylan said. “You’re not welcome here.”

Sean’s expression softened. “I’m trying to help you, son. Things are changing in the
Sidhe
world. It’s very dangerous, for you and the girl. She will only bring you danger and complications.”

“Don’t you ever talk about my girlfriend again!” Rylan shouted. His face was bright red and veins bulged out of his forehead. “Oh, and fuck you!” He spun on his heel and walked into the gloom without another word, leaving Celeste alone with his father.