Unfaithful (10 page)

I’d had no idea how quickly time had flown until I felt how cool the air had become that September night. I looked at the dark sky hidden behind a leaden veil of clouds that promised a storm and tried not to think of it as an ill omen since Evan wouldn’t be with me that night. I was safe now—I just had to find a way to convince myself.

I walked over to the black MV Agusta, squeezing my eyes shut at the wild roar that filled the courtyard as Evan gunned the accelerator with a smug expression on his face. Stroking the leather seat before climbing on, I experienced the thrill I always felt before we went out on his bike. I readied myself for the charge of pure adrenaline waiting for me, sitting behind a wild, totally out-of-control Evan. The adrenaline went to his head too.

“Shall we?” He flashed his foxiest smile. I slid forward on the seat and wrapped my arms around his chest. “Hold on tight,” he said, tilting his head, but I already knew what to expect.

I rested my chin on his shoulder, giving in to my insane, never-ending desire for his body. “Sooner or later we should buy helmets.”

Evan grinned as if this were a joke. “We don’t need helmets,” he said. His laughter shook his chest.

“That might be true for you, but in case it’s slipped your mind, I’m still delicate and fragile!” I teased, and his expression softened.

He lowered his hand and stroked my calf while perceptibly slowing down. His touch was so gentle it made me tremble. “If you were alone, I would
insist
you wear one. No one knows better than me how dangerous the roads can be for a mortal. But when you’re with me you don’t need one, Gemma.” He flashed a smile, tilting his head back until it touched mine. “Nothing could ever happen to you. I wouldn’t allow it. I’m an Angel. You’re safe with me,” he said comfortingly. His tone made me melt. “We could take a spill at two hundred miles an hour and nothing would happen to you,” he added with a smirk.

“Don’t you dare!” I warned, instinctively holding him tighter.

“That I can’t promise you,” he murmured with a grin, giving me a sly glance. His hand left my calf and I had only a split second to register his warning before he gripped the handlebars. “Hold on tight, babe,” he said. The instant Evan felt my arms tighten around him, he twisted the throttle, hauling the bike up onto its back wheel.

There was no denying the excitement that ran through me whenever he did a power wheelie like that. His wild riding style thrilled me and I surrendered to the exhilaration that filled my head, the adrenaline that flowed through my veins. The sensations left me dizzy. At times like this I could sense every detail with incredible precision. It was as if my vision became sharper, triggering a sort of super high-res optical zoom in my brain.

The air was chillier outside Lake Placid, far from the glow of the streetlights that made the roads seem warmer, but I didn’t care. As long as I was holding Evan tight I was in heaven.

Unfortunately, reality always returned to tear me away from him and there was never enough time. To my regret, Evan pulled into my driveway and turned off the engine. The knowledge that he would be gone that night returned to frustrate me. I climbed off the seat, pushing my hair to one side. It had gotten tangled in the wind and I tried to comb it out with my fingers, but it was futile. “Well, good night, then.” I raised my lips to his in a shy kiss.

“That’s what I wish you. As for myself, I already know it won’t be good, not without you.” He kissed me back.

“So don’t go.” The words escaped me even though I knew it was impossible.

“I’ll stay if you ask me to,” he said tenderly.

“Don’t get my hopes up. You know you can’t,” I reminded him in a whisper.

Evan sought my lips, smiling. “True. Still, I’ll be back soon. I promise,” he murmured, his face inches from mine.

“I’ll be waiting on pins and needles.”

“Dream of me.” He kissed me again and started the engine.

“That’s like wishing me good night.”

He winked at me and rode off, trailed by the sound of his engine. When the echoing roar faded, the darkness sank into my bones.

I was outside, all alone and in the dark.

“No way! Young Casanova, back already? Aren’t you spending the night with your babe?”

I smiled, switched off my motorcycle in the driveway, and turned toward Drake. He was bare chested, hanging upside down from the branch of an oak tree.

“Trying to turn into a bat?” I asked—jokingly, because my brother had the power to change his human appearance but couldn’t transform himself into an animal.

Drake laughed and flipped off the branch onto his knees. He looked up at me, his icy Subterranean eyes glimmering in the darkness. “Did you mistake me for a vampire?”

“Same difference, isn’t it?”

“You need to keep up with the times, bro. Vampires aren’t the same as they used to be. Speaking of which, I hope you didn’t come to ask me to fill in for Gemma. I’ve been spending more time with that mutt of hers than with you guys lately.”

“He isn’t a mutt, he’s a pug.”

“He’s a rat with a pig’s tail. If that’s not a mutt I don’t know what is.”

I laughed. “Gemma loves him. You’d better not go calling him that in front of her or she might sic him on you.”

“Can’t promise you that. I don’t get it. How can she love the thing? It’s a monster. The other night it tried to bite my finger off! I can barely keep myself from throwing it out the window when it growls at me. Stupid dog, don’t you see I’ve got your owner’s face?”

“If he recognizes you he’s not so stupid after all. When you take on Gemma’s appearance, not even I can tell the difference.”

“Where is she, anyway?”

“It’s midnight. Where do you think she is? I dropped her off at home. I’d still be with her if it were up to me. But no, I get to spend the night with a bunch of drunk teenagers instead.”

Drake threw his hands up, annoyed. “I knew it! They always give you the fun missions.”

“What on earth could be fun about a group of sixteen-year-olds?”

“Don’t ask him that.” Simon had appeared, leaning against the doorway, his hair wet. “You’d be shocked by all the answers he’d manage to come up with.”

“Look who’s back. Finally risen from the ashes, I see,” Drake said.

“Did I miss something?” I asked, looking at Simon who had a smug smile on his face.

“I went for a little swim with Ginevra, that’s all,” he said.

“Yeah, right. A little swim in a fiery pool of passion. Why do you think I was training outside?”

“If you didn’t want to hear us you could’ve used the workout room. The walls are soundproof,” Simon pointed out.

“Not when the two of you are around.”

Simon laughed out loud just as Ginevra sprang up behind him. “I finally found you! Were you hiding from me?” She bit his earlobe and whispered something I tried hard not to hear.

Simon grinned and took her hand. Turning to Drake he said, “Maybe you should stay out here a little longer.” He winked as Ginevra led him away, shutting the door behind them.

“I’d better take his advice,” Drake grumbled. “C’mon, bro,
please
let me come with you.”

“Forget it. I already know what you’re thinking. I’ll do a nice clean job and be back before dawn.”

“Come on, you want to leave me here with those two? Don’t forget I always cover for you while you’re out having fun with your girlfriend.”

“You bastard—you thinking of bailing on me?”

Drake flashed a crafty smile. “Not if we have a little fun tonight like back in the old days.”

“Sounds like extortion.”

“Seems more like negotiation to me.”

I sighed. Drake could be stubborn. “Okay, as long as you don’t overdo it.”

Allen County, Kansas

12:15 a.m.

“Shit! I think I stepped in something,” Drake cursed, making me laugh. The mission had taken us to the fields of Kansas. Nearby we could hear the excited voices of a group of teens. Drake and I drew closer and watched them for a while.

“No fair! Layla pushed me out into the open!” said a blond with dark eyes.

“It’s not my fault you got caught, Audrey! Now you’re it,” said another girl. Her hair was raven-black hair with a silver streak on one side. She wore black eye makeup and her neck was tattooed.

“Forget it, Layla. I’m afraid to go around looking for everybody,” Audrey said. She grabbed the hand of a guy who must have been her boyfriend, instinctively seeking his protection, but he just smiled.

“What are you scared of, possums? You can always use your claws on them,” he said, grinning. “Sometimes you leave me with some pretty nasty scratches.”

“Whoa!” chorused the other kids.

“Asshole.” Audrey dropped his hand, annoyed. “It’s dark out and this place gives me the creeps. I’d rather hide. Is there a problem with that?”

“What did I say? I just wanted to reassure you. No ghosts around here.”

“I’ll be it,” another boy told her. He was tall and lean and had just been staring at her hand as she’d reached for her boyfriend’s.

I looked him in the eye and instantly understood what he felt for her: he was jealous. It made me think of Peter, the way he stared at Gemma and how his face changed when she looked at me instead of him. I decided I might have a little fun tonight after all.

“You can’t, Adam. We have to follow the rules,” said a black boy with cornrows.

“What do you care, Jarret? Mind your own business. You heard Audrey—she’s afraid of the dark. You want to force a girl to wander around the fields in the middle of the night? I said I’d take her place, so you all go hide.”

“I’ll do it, then,” Audrey’s boyfriend said. “It’s not your job to protect my girlfriend, McGrent.”

“You could have thought of that before, Ron. Or maybe you’re afraid of the dark too,” Adam sneered.

Ron grabbed him by the shirt. “This is my place and I make the rules. You want to look all brave in front of the girls? I’m not afraid of anything,” he snarled. His eyes were glazed over. Judging from the smell in the air some of them had been drinking.

“Okay, chill. Whatever,” Adam said, holding up his hands. Ron let go of him.

Drake laughed as he watched the scene. “I’ve always loved hide-and-seek!”

Five guys and three girls had gathered in the clearing in front of the house. Two of them had snuck off to one side, their intentions evident on their faces, while a third was fiddling with his iPhone.

“Aren’t they a little old for this game?” I said.

“They’re teenagers, Evan. Most of these guys have more testosterone in their systems than gray matter in their skulls. I bet none of them can wait to find a spot to hide with one of the girls—two, if they’re lucky.”

Drake reached down and took a brownie from a plate resting on a low stone wall. He inhaled its aroma deeply and closed his eyes before slipping it into his pocket.

“Did you really just put a pot brownie in your pocket?” I scoffed.

“You’re right. I’ll grab one for you and Simon too. Think little Gemma would want one?”

“Forget it. I’m not giving her one of those things.”