The Oath (15 page)

“I freaked out when you kissed me…”

“You kissed me!” I interrupted. I knew without a doubt he was going to kiss me again, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to or not. I was already in the deep end, no need to drown if I could help it.

He gave me that crooked smile that sent my heartbeat into warp speed five. “When I kissed you, I freaked out. I don’t want you to remember that every time you think of our first kiss.”

“That’s the only kiss we’ll have.” I tried to pull away, and his arms became an iron cage around me. I didn’t feel threatened. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me physically, but that wasn’t what spooked me. This boy…this Gargoyle could tear my heart to shreds, and that was what terrified me.

“Rose, Rose, Rose,” he murmured, his lips ghosting across my jaw. I shuddered at the light touch. “My strong, beautiful Rose in winter…” His lips traveled up my jawline and caught the sensitive skin of my earlobe between his teeth. I gasped at the sensation that rocked through me. “I’m going to kiss you again…and again…many, many more times.”

His lips settled on mine, and I couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped. He felt like water to my parched lips. They’d ached for this all day. That deep, burning flame raced through my veins, the desire consuming me, and I was lost to the feel of his lips moving against mine. I felt my back hit the floor, but paid it no mind. My tongue decided to dance with his, and I arched into him, needing him closer. That strange, humming/purring noise vibrated around me, and I sighed. I could taste him all day and never grow tired of it. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling him as close as I could get.

Everything shattered. I knew there was no turning back from Xavier. It was a simple truth. I fell harder than all the crushed hearts of every girl I knew combined over
Star Crossed
getting cancelled on the CW. This was bad, very, very bad, but I didn’t care anymore. No matter what happened over the next few days, in this moment, I let myself fall and enjoy it.

When Xavier pulled away, we were both panting. He stared down into my eyes, and I flushed. His eyes were intense, and it made me all kinds of crazy. In this moment, if he pushed, I wouldn’t fight it. That’s how much he affected me. And I just didn’t care.

“Rose, the things you do to me,” he murmured. I could see the war with himself in his eyes. He wanted me as badly as I wanted him. I reached up and ran my fingers down his face in a caress and attempted to pull him back to me. He groaned and gently pushed my hand away. “No, Rose, not now. I don’t want you to regret it later.”

I almost snarled at him, I felt so frustrated. He chuckled at my expression, but pushed himself up. His knees straddled my upper thighs, and it was my turn to groan at the sight of him above me. Damn, but he was beautiful. Monster or not, Xavier was sheer beauty in its truest form.

“Come on, my greedy little Rose, time to get you home, or your grandmother will have my head.” He stood and then reached a hand down to me. I stared up at him mutinously. I wanted him back here with me, not herding me home. I’d gone from declaring I wanted nothing to do with him to virtually needing to feel his skin against mine to a degree of obsession. Stupid Elements. Why did they have to choose now to do this to me?

With a frustrated sigh, I let him pull me up. “Can I have my phone back now?”

He pulled it out of his back pocket and tossed it to me while he collected our coats. I did a quick skim and saw several texts from Jeff and one from my Dad. I opened that one and nearly groaned out loud. He said he’d booked a flight for Friday night, and he’d see me Saturday morning. Whatever I was going to do, it had to be done in the next few days. Once Dad got here, all bets were off. He’d stop me faster than even Xavier would. Xavier was giving me a choice to do the right thing, but Dad would take that choice away from me. What was I supposed to do?

The ride back to Gran’s was quiet, but it was a nice quiet. Xavier and I were both lost in our thoughts. At least I didn’t have a small heart attack on the back of the bike this time. Blessing in and of itself. My simple plan had gone out the window the moment I’d seen Xavier that first day at the airport. The guilt he’d made me feel then had started to eat away at me. He was right. Deep down I knew that murdering them all was wrong, but what other choice did I have? How could I get justice for my sister? The police would laugh at me if told them what really happened, or worse, think I was having issues adjusting to my sister’s death and force a shrink upon me. In the world of witchcraft, humans who dealt in magic weren’t treated the same as witches. They’d get by with a slap on the wrist from the Council. How could I make them pay if my hands were tied so effectively?

When we pulled to a stop in front of my house, I sat there for a moment, not wanting to go in. Once I went inside, today would be gone, and I’d need to deal with everything. I wanted to relish the emotions of the last few hours, to enjoy that small happiness. Xavier turned off the bike and set the kickstand before getting off the motorcycle and turning to face me.

“Ready, Rose?” he asked softly.

“No,” I answered honestly. “Today…”

“Was rough,” he finished for me. “You’ll get through it. You’re stronger than you think.”

“I’m afraid,” I admitted. “I’m afraid I’m not the girl you think I am.”

He smiled that cocky smile of his. “Then if I end up with a black soul, at least I can behave as badly as I want to.”

“That’s not funny!” I yelled, furious he could make light of the situation. He’d terrified me, thrust all this responsibility for his soul on me, and he was making jokes about it?

“Rose…”

“No! Don’t Rose me. How can you joke about your soul? Don’t you know how hard this is for me? You’re making me choose between my sister and you and all the rest of humanity!”

Next thing I knew, Xavier hauled me off the bike and I was wrapped in his arms. “Shhh, Rose, it’s okay. I’m sorry.”

“Just…don’t do that again,” I said, drinking in the warm, earthy smell of him.

“I won’t, I swear it.”

I pushed him away and took a deep breath. He tried to pull me back, but I took two steps backward. I couldn’t think around Xavier, and I needed a clear head to make some very hard decisions. “No,” I said. “I want you to leave now, Xavier.”

His eyes narrowed. “Rose, if you think for a second I’m going to let you pretend today didn’t happen…”

“How can I pretend today didn’t happen?” I laughed harshly. “You’ve just saddled me with saving humanity and freeing the Gargoyles from slavery.”

“That’s not what I meant, Melinda Rose, and you know it.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I told him, working hard to try and put some kind of barrier back up between us.

“Rose, don’t make a big deal out of a joke…”

“It
is
a big deal, and if you don’t know why, then you can just get your ass gone!” He looked shocked at my outburst, and I stormed up the steps and slammed the door behind me. I was fine with him being shocked and pissed if it kept him away for a couple days while I sorted through everything.

“Meli?”

I looked up to see Gran frowning at me from the living room. I grimaced. She had to have heard me slam the door. She looked to be in full Inquisition mode. Great. Just great.

“Hey, Gran. I’m not late, am I?”

“No, you’re not late, dear,” she said. “You look a little shell shocked, though.”

I sighed. “I guess maybe I am. What do you think of Xavier?”

Her eyebrows shot up. I’d never asked her about a boy before. I’d told her about my boyfriends, but had never asked her for any kind of advice. “Did he do something to upset you?”

“Yes…no…oh hell, I don’t know.”

“Language,” she clucked and then motioned me to the kitchen. I took off my coat and followed her. She had her teapot out, heating milk. I could drink a gallon of her hot cocoa and die happily. I went to the fridge and pulled out last night’s leftovers to heat up. I may have eaten lunch, but not dinner, and I was starved. Dad always told me eventually my eating habits would catch up with my metabolism, but until then, I was going to eat what I wanted, when I wanted.

“Another boy came by today looking for you.” Gran handed me a paper towel to put over my plate of spaghetti before I popped it into the microwave. “Very handsome young man.”

“Who was it?” I asked and grabbed the milk out of the fridge.

“I believe he said his name was Sebastian.”

Sebastian was here? My eyes went a little wide. Gran had pictures of me in my Goth look. If he saw those, he’d know exactly who I was. Damn Xavier for keeping me out all day. “Sebastian came by?” I asked, trying not to sound nervous. “Did he come in?”

“Well, no,” Gran said. “He came by, and I told him you were out for the day. He said he’d be by in the morning to talk to you. You’ve become quite popular with the boys, Melinda Rose.”

Ohhh, Inquisition Gran kicked into high gear.

“Not really, Gran,” I said, grabbed my food out of the microwave and sat down. “Sebastian is just a friend from school. He’s not someone I’d ever date.”

“Why not?” she demanded. “He’s extremely handsome.”

I laughed at her outraged expression. “He’s too gorgeous for his own good, Gran. I’d end up with a rap sheet from all the assault and battery necessary to deal with other girls ogling him. What’s worse is he knows his effect on women. He’d enjoy it.”

She laughed. “He is a pretty one, that boy. I could understand the need to defend your property with him. I might run low on bail money for you within the first week.”

I grinned at her speculative look. Only my grandmother could say that with a straight face.

“Now, about Xavier. Why are you so upset?”

“Gran, how long before you knew how you felt about Grandpa?” I asked. Grandpa had passed away when I was about ten, but I remembered how much my grandparents loved each other.

“I knew I liked him the first day I met him.” A slow smile spread across her face as she settled down across from me at the table. “Did I ever tell you how we met?”

“Nope, I don’t think so.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Gran said, grimacing. “My parents and I lived in a rural area in Missouri at the time. My mother asked if I could walk into town and pick up a few things at the store for her. It was only a short walk, so I agreed. I was about halfway there when the sky darkened and then unleashed a torrential downpour. I was soaked in less than ten seconds. Your grandfather came along in his brand new 1954 Mercury Monterey Coupe. It was all shiny and new. I remember seeing this red monstrosity barreling down on top of me, and before I could move out of the way, it splashed mud all over my new dress.”

I gasped, and my mouth formed a tiny O.

“To make matters worse, he didn’t even stop, just kept right on driving.”

“Grandpa did not!” I gasped, outraged for Gran.

She chuckled. “Oh, he did. When I reached town, I saw the car parked at the drugstore soda shop. Your Grandpa was leaning against it talking to Betty Milner, a pretty little thing. I was beyond angry at this point, marched over, and told him off. He just gaped at me. I told Betty I wished her luck with an inconsiderate jerk. She stared at me, aghast, never having seen me lose my temper before.”

I could just imagine Gran, soaking wet, covered in mud, screaming at Grandpa like a lunatic in the street. A giggle burst out, and Gran smiled at me, barely suppressing giggles herself.

“I picked up my mother’s things, ignoring all the stares from everyone, and proceeded to walk home. Your grandfather pulled alongside me as I was walking and offered me a ride home. I refused. He parked his car, and walked all the way home with me, apologizing the entire time. Now, your grandfather was quite the catch back in the day, and he knew it, much as you describe your friend, Sebastian. I admit I was a little flattered he actually walked home with me instead of just driving away when I refused his offer of a ride.”

My grandparents were both lookers in the day. I’d seen the pictures. Gran’s always reminded me of those old classic movie stars from the early forties. She was gorgeous, and Grandpa was no slouch either. He probably could give Sebastian a run for his money today with his dark good looks. So, my Gramps had been a player. I just shook my head and giggled some more.

“So that is how your grandfather and I met. He spent the next several weeks trying to woo me.”

“Woo you?” I laughed at the old-fashioned term.

“Yes, woo me, young lady. Or court me, if you will. My family, of course, was thrilled. He came from a very prominent family of witches. Which only made me more determined to ignore him.”

“And knowing Grandpa, that made him more determined to
woo
you,” I said, barely suppressing a laugh.

“Yes, he set out on a quest to win me.” Her expression turned wistful. “I miss him very much.”

“So do I,” I said. My grandfather was awesome, and even though he’d been gone for several years, I still missed him terribly.

“Talk to me about your young man,” Grandma said, pouring herself another cup of hot chocolate.

“I’ve never met anyone like him,” I said softly. “He makes me feel things, things that confuse me, and sometimes he makes me so mad, I want to
hurt
him.”

“Well, what do the Elements tell you about him?”

I pushed my plate away and let my head fall onto the table. Gran sighed. “That bad, huh?”

“I don’t know what to do, Gran,” I whispered.

“I think it’s pretty simple, sweetie,” Gran told me. “The Elements are never wrong about these things.”

“Did they speak to you about Grandpa?” I asked.

“Yes, the first time I kissed him. That’s when I knew he and I were meant for each other, but I made him chase me anyway.”

Damn, damn, damn. How was I supposed to condemn his soul now?

“You realize your young man isn’t quite human, don’t you, Melinda?”

My head snapped up. How could she know that? “What do you mean?”

“It’s not a bad thing,” she hurried to assure me. “Many of our kind have married non-humans before. I just thought you should be aware.”

“Do you know what he is?” I asked, wary.