Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) (53 page)

               
“What’s wrong?”

               
She shakes her head. “Nothing, I’m going to go find Tracy.”

               
Leaning in, he kisses her forehead. “If you need to run, just run.  You
should be fine for the next couple of hours.”

               
“Okay,” Kayla says.  She turns and walks back to the gym. 

               
Tracy is standing outside the gym door.  When she sees Kayla, she
exclaims, “What is going on with you, girl? You’re going to give me a heart
attack!”

               
“I have these weird spells of…dizziness.  I have to take a medicine. 
It makes me act funny.”

               
“Obviously. Are you okay?  Are you seeing a doctor?”

               
Kayla tilts her head. “Sort of.  I’m being taken care of by professionals;
that’s all that matters.”

               
“Okay, can you go into the sauna, or is it going to cause some reaction in
you?  I can’t deal with puke, remember that,” Tracy states strongly.

               
“It’s fine.” Kayla giggles.  “Let’s go.  I only gave us half an hour
and if I know Damien, it will be twenty minutes, if not less.”

               
They enter the poolroom, and Tracy stops. “This is incredible.”

               
“I know. Damien and I like spending time in here.”

               
“I bet.  That boy, wet, in water, sign me up.”

               
“Seriously, Tracy, you need a boyfriend.”

               
Grinning, Tracy says, “Yes, yes I do, but you won’t share.”

               
“I’m not dating both of them,” Kayla exclaims as she points to the sauna. She
turns on the switch, opening the door and following Tracy inside.  When
the door shuts, Kayla snaps, “Stop acting like I’m dating both of them. 
I’m not.  Damien is my…whatever.”
               
Tracy throws her hands up.  “Kayla, call him your boyfriend.  If you
insist on denying any feelings you have for Jackson, just go all in with Damien
and make the commitment.”

               
“But that makes it super serious,” Kayla whines as she sits down.

               
Her friend looks at her.  “Kayla, he bought you a car, and you’re living
in the same house.”

               
“Sleeping in the same bed,” Kayla whispers ever so quietly.

               
“Did you just say what I think you said?” Tracy spits out.

               
Twiddling her thumbs, Kayla responds, “We haven’t had sex, and I’m not planning
on it.  We just slept in the same bed last night, and the night before I
slept in Jackson’s bed.”

               
There is dead silence as Tracy stares at her.  “What…why…okay, just one
word…jealous!  What in the world is the reason for that?”

               
“Nightmares, horrible nightmares. At first Jackson kept me safe, but then I
realized it would be more appropriate to stay with Damien.  I was afraid
he would try to make a move on me, but he was a perfect gentleman.  He
wouldn’t even give me more than a peck good night.  I tried, but he
refused and told me to go to sleep.”

               
“Wow, girl, you are living my dream.  So tell me…who is the better kisser?”

               
“I am not answering that.” Kayla laughs.  “That would just be rude.”

               
Tracy leans over. “Highlights then, must have highlights.”

               
“Fine. With Damien there’s passion, like burning fire deep inside me. 
Makes me always want more.”

               
“And Jackson?”

               
Kayla looks at her friend. “If you ever tell Damien this, I will never talk to
you again.”

               
“Swear on our friendship that it will never leave this sauna,” Tracy promises.

               
“It’s like an atomic bomb.  I can barely pull myself away from him. 
If we are within five feet of each other and we don’t keep ourselves in check,
we are all over the place.  If I ever had a lapse in judgment, it would be
with him.”

               
Giving her a really thoughtful look, Tracy asks, “Why in the hell aren’t you
with Jackson?  That makes no sense.”

               
“A relationship with him can’t go anywhere.  We can’t be together. 
It’s just the way it is.  Anyway, Damien makes my pulse race too, and I do
really like him.”

               
“Wasted chemistry, I tell you.” Tracy sighs.  “But I’m glad you finally
found guys who actually make you want to date.”

               
Kayla laughs.  “It’s what we are that draws us together.  There is a
huge reason why I wasn’t interested in other guys.”

               
“Their intelligence levels?”

               
“Among other things, yes, they just match me in every way I could
imagine.  They’re holding me up right now when I need it most.”

               
She shakes her head.  “What’s going on with you?”

               
“If I could tell you, I would.  You’re my best friend, but it’s a family
secret that I can’t tell anyone.”

               
“But Jackson and Damien know.”

               
“Their families have the same secret.”

               
Giggling, Tracy asks, “Are you part of a secret cult?”

               
Kayla laughs with her.  “Yes, we sacrifice goats.  I was initiated,
and now there is a demon possessing my body.”

               
“That’s new,” Tracy quips.

               
Kayla smacks her in the arm. “Shut up!”

               
“So Damien, you really like him, huh?”

               
“Yes, very much so. He graduated already and attends Yale…dead sexiness. 
He is so nice to me.  The only problem is his past, but I think I can work
through it.  It’s not like he’s an untrustworthy guy.  Jackson would
tell me if he was.  Even he can’t say that Damien is a bad guy.”

               
The sauna door flies open.  Damien steps into the room, leaning against
the doorway. “Times up.”

               
“It hasn’t even been five minutes, Damien!” Kayla yells.

               
“It’s been long enough for me to get my suit on.  That’s as long as you
get.”

               
“Go away,” Kayla instructs with attitude.  “How are we going to talk about
you if you’re here?”

               
“Enough talking, time for play,” Damien says.  He walks in and picks Kayla
up.

               
She screams. “Put me down!”

               
“Nope.”

               
“Damien Blakely, put me down!”

               
“Never!”  He carries her to the pool.  “Ready?”

               
Kayla glares at him. “Don’t you
dare!
”

               
“Watch me.” He laughs and chucks her into the pool.

               
“Did you have a good time?” Damien asks as he pulls back the blanket on the
bed.

               
“Yes.” Kayla giggles.  “Tracy loves you guys.”

               
Damien smiles. “I think she’s great, right up my alley, personality wise.”

               
“Because she has the warped mind of a teenage boy?”

               
He nods. “Pretty much.  I think you should hang out with her more often
and listen to her advice.”

               
“No, she would have me doing all sorts of stuff with you.”

               
“Exactly.” Damien laughs.  “I’m only kidding.”

               
Kayla puts her stuff down and walks over to him.  He turns to her with a
smirk.  “Speaking of doing stuff with you, I want to give you a proper
kiss good night before we get into bed, since you won’t do it there.”

               
“It’s not that I don’t want to do it there.  I just don’t trust myself
enough.  I really like you, and my thoughts aren’t always so pure.”

               
She grabs his shirt and yanks him towards her. “Neither are mine,
”
she whispers before crushing her lips
against his. Damien hesitates for a second and then squeezes her against him.
Kayla starts to pull him to the bed.

               
“No,” Damien murmurs, pulling away from her.  “We aren’t going to do
that.”

               
“Fine,” Kayla whispers. “We can stand then.”

               
With a soft smile he replies, “No, we’re going to sleep.”  The ringing of
his phone cuts off any further arguments. His eyebrows furrow in confusion.
“That’s odd.  It’s so late.”

               
“If it’s a girl, you better not answer it,” Kayla teases.

               
He grabs it off the dresser and looks at the screen. “It’s my mom.”  He
pushes the button to answer the call. “Hey, Mom.”  He listens to his mom’s
response and then yells, “You only call me now!  What’s wrong with
you?  Is she all right?”  His face pales, and he looks at
Kayla.  “No, I’ll be on the next flight.”

               
Kayla steps towards him. “What’s wrong?” she whispers.

               
“I don’t care if she’s all right,” Damien retorts sharply.  “You know what
she means to me.  What?  Of course she’s asking for me!  You
should’ve told me sooner.  I
’
ll
get the next flight.  You already booked one?  At what time?” 
Damien looks at the clock.  “I’ll head to the airport right now. 
I’ll see you when my flight gets in.  Bye.”  He hangs up the phone
and looks at Kayla.  “Victoria fell off her horse tonight.  She broke
her leg and two ribs.  I have to go to her.  I’m sorry.”

               
“Don’t be sorry. You should be there for her.  I’ll help you pack.”

               
He barely nods and walks out of the room.  She follows him with a sad
look.  They pack his stuff up in silence. Damien finally looks up at
her.  “Come with me.”

               
“I can’t do that.” 

               
“Yes, you can and you should.  You’re under my protection.  I can get
you a later flight."

               
Kayla vigorously shakes her head.  “I hate flying, it freaks me out.”

               
“I want you with me.  I don’t want to leave you here.”

               
“I can’t fly Damien, especially not by myself.  I would keel over from a
heart attack.”

               
He looks at her thoughtfully. “Then drive.  It’s a two-day trip, but you
could do it.”

               
“And shift in the middle of the freeway?  That’s a good idea,
”
she says, rolling her eyes.
“
I would love to be there with you, but
I wouldn’t know how to get to San Diego.”

               
“Jackson can drive you.  It would be a road trip of sorts, a nice little
vacation.”

               
A little shocked, Kayla replies, “You want me to drive for two days with
Jackson?”

               
“Why would that be a problem?” Damien asks.  “He would do it.”

               
“Are you sure?” Kayla replies.

               
Waving his hand, Damien says, “Let’s go ask him.”  Kayla stands there
staring at him.  Damien gives her a look, so Kayla walks out of the room.

               
When they get to Jackson’s door, Damien knocks.  It takes a few seconds,
but Jackson finally cracks open the door.  When he sees the two of them
and their faces, he swings the door wide open.  “What’s wrong?”

               
“Victoria fell off of Jasper.  She broke her leg and two ribs.  I’m
flying out tonight to go home,” Damien answers.

               
“What can I do to help?”

               
Damien tilts his head towards Kayla.  “Drive her to San Diego.”

               
“Excuse me, what?”

               
“I want her with me and she won’t fly by herself, so I’m asking you to drive
her.”

               
The look on Jackson’s face is priceless.  If it wasn’t such a tense
moment, Kayla would have giggled.  Jackson looks at her.  “You want
to go to San Diego?”

               
Kayla opens her mouth and then closes it.  Finally, she nods. “Yeah, if he
needs me there.”

               
“Okay,” Jackson exhales.  “It’s a two-day drive.  We would have to
stop somewhere and spend the night.  That will be difficult since we’re
technically minors.”

               
“There’s a safe house in Las Vegas,” Damien replies.  “That’s where I
stayed on my way here.”

               
Jackson’s eyes skip between Damien and Kayla, almost debating whether or not to
agree to the road trip. When his eyes linger a second too long on Kayla, he
finally nods. “We’ll leave in the morning.”

               
“I should call my parents,” Kayla states.

               
“I need to get to the airport,” Damien replies.

               
“Do you want us to drive you?” Jackson asks.

               
He nods. “Yeah, I would rather not leave my car in the airport parking lot.”

               
“Let me get dressed then,” Jackson says, closing the door.

               
“Me too,” Kayla says. “I’ll call my parents.”  She turns and starts to
walk towards her room.

               
Damien grabs her hand and stops her.  “Are you sure about this?”

               
“Yeah, of course, I will be where you need me to be.”

               
He pulls her against him and kisses her hard.  Pulling away, he whispers,
“Thank you.”

               
“Let me get ready.  I don’t want you to miss your flight.”  He nods
and she goes to her room.  The first thing she does is reach for her phone
to quickly dial her parents.

               
Her dad answers. “Hello?”

               
“Hey, Dad, sorry it’s so late.”

               
“What’s wrong?”

               
With a smirk, Kayla answers, “Nothing with me.  Damien’s sister was in an
accident, and he’s going back to California.”

               
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

               
“The thing is he wants me to go to California too, and technically I’m supposed
to be with him since he’s supervising my protection,” Kayla mumbles.

               
Dead silence claims the other end of the phone for a moment before her dad
finally finds words to respond.  “Excuse me, what did you just say?”

               
“Damien wants me to go to California.  Jackson and I are driving there
tomorrow morning.”

               
More silence.  “Kayla…I can’t tell you what to do right now.  By our
law, you are not under our care, but I have to suggest that you not go.”

               
“But I can if I want to.”

               
“Yes, by our law, you should be where Damien is.  I know you’ll be going
away to college soon, and I’ll have to accept that you’re growing up, but San
Diego is a long drive.  Where are you going to stop?”

               
“Las Vegas,
”
she says.
“
At a safe house.  We’ll be fine,
Dad.  Jackson has money, and I bet I could get Damien to give me some if I
need it.”

               
“Kayla, this makes your mom and me nervous.”

               
“I’ll call you every two hours.  I promise.  After every stop, I’ll
call you and tell you that I’m okay.”

               
Her father groans.  “Okay, honey.  I can’t argue with you. 
You’re going to visit Damien’s family and they’re good people, and the safe
house is a good place to rest.  Just be careful, please, we wouldn’t be
able to survive if we lost you.”

               
“I promise to be as safe as possible.  We’ll come over in the morning, so
I can say good-bye, okay?”

               
“Of course, honey, we’ll go into work late,” her dad replies.  “Try and
get some sleep.  You have a long drive ahead of you.”

               
She sighs. “Yeah, I know.  I have to get ready, though.  We need to
get Damien to the airport.”

               
“All right, honey, have a good night.”

               
“You too, bye.” Kayla hangs up the phone.  She changes quickly and rushes
downstairs to meet the boys.

               
Damien holds out her jacket. “Here, babe, it’s cool outside.”

               
Kayla slides it on.  “Thanks.”  He bends down and kisses her on the
cheek, making her smile. “Are you ready?”

               
He nods.

               
“Let’s go then,” Jackson says, opening the front door.

               
They make their way out to Jackson’s car.  Kayla goes to the back
door.  Damien looks at her and asks, “Can I sit back there with you?”

               
Her eyes drift to Jackson.  He nods and gets in the car.  Kayla looks
back at Damien and smiles.  “Get in, stud.”

               
With a smirk, he opens the door and climbs in.  Kayla does the same. 
When they shut their doors, Damien urges, “Let’s go.  I have to be there
in an hour.”

               
Jackson laughs. “Good reason to actually use the gas pedal.  We should’ve
taken Kayla’s car.”

               
“Yeah, we’re so taking that to California,” Kayla interjects.  “I will eat
Kiej until I hurl just so I can drive.”

               
“Good thing we have a stock load of it in the basement.  I’m going to have
to stay up and make about a dozen batches of brownies.  I’m like a drug lord.”

               
Kayla giggles.  “But they’re such good brownies. You should put powdered
sugar on top this time.”

               
Jackson pulls onto the street. “You got it.”

               
Kayla focuses her attention on Damien.  His fingers fly across the screen
of his phone, his concentration on his texts. She puts her hand on his
leg.  “Is everything okay?”

               
“I’m talking to Courtney.  Victoria is sleeping, but she keeps asking for
me.  She’s my world, and I’m not there right now.  Courtney told her
I’m coming.”

               
“You’ll see her soon.  She will be so happy to see you.”

               
He smiles halfheartedly.  Kayla sighs and looks out the window. 
After fifteen minutes, Jackson turns music on low.  Damien spends most of
the time texting his sister, trying to figure out what exactly happened. 
Kayla can feel the tension coming off of him.  She reaches over and takes
his hand.  He squeezes hers back gently.

               
When they finally get to the airport, it isn’t horribly busy, due to the late
hour.  Kayla insists they park the car and walk Damien inside the airport.
They reach the security checkpoint, knowing Damien has to go the rest of the
way alone. Kayla turns to Jackson.  He smiles. “I’ll give you two a
minute.  I’m going to the bathroom.”  With that, he turns and walks
away.

               
Kayla nervously turns to Damien.  He looks at her carefully.  “Are
you sure about this?”

               
“About what?  Coming to California?” she asks.  Damien nods. 
Kayla smirks. “It’s like a vacation.  It’ll be fun.  Are you sure
your parents will want me there?  I mean, it’s kind of a family matter.”

               
“You are what matters to me right now, so you should be there,” Damien
whispers, stroking his fingers down her face.  “Are you going to be able
to survive with Jackson for that long?”

               
With a laugh, Kayla says, “I think we’ll be all right.  I promise to not
get into too much trouble on our way out there.”

               
“No kissing.”

               
“I think we would crash if we kissed while driving,” Kayla teases.