Unfaithful (49 page)

I pivoted slowly, my face to the treetops. They were a fascinating sight. I couldn’t find the words to tell Evan how touched I was to know he’d already been there to prepare everything for me. I noticed he was staring at me, a smile still on his face as he waited for me to say something.

“Is all this real?” I murmured. “You know I don’t like it when you confuse me like that—are we really here or are we in my mind?”

Evan laughed. “No, you aren’t dreaming. If you were, I wouldn’t have been able to take you wherever I wanted. Don’t forget, in your dreams you’re the one who calls the shots.”

“You know how to take my breath away. It’s beautiful,” I exclaimed. “But why are we here?” I thought of the ice skates on the back seat of his car. There weren’t any skating rinks in this area, and the school was far away.

Evan came up behind me and rested his hands on my hips. He glanced briefly at the lake through the trees, then looked at me, his expression uncertain but full of promises. “Have you ever skated on the lake under the stars?” he whispered, his lips brushing my ear. His hot breath tickled my skin.

 “Of course,” I said, thinking of the dozens of times Peter and I had stayed up late, skating on the lake and around the Oval outside the school.

I bit my lip, instantly regretting my impulsive reply, but Evan was quick to ask, “Have you ever watched it freeze over?” he whispered, pointing at Lake Placid in front of us.

Up until now I hadn’t even thought about the lake. From the distance I’d seen the moonlight sparkle on its surface, but I hadn’t been sure if it was frozen or if Evan was planning to make our skates glide across the water. With him, anything was possible.

“Are you kidding?” I said, turning my head to look at him. His chin was resting on my shoulder and my cheek brushed his. I already knew he wasn’t, but his smile confirmed it. “You’re not kidding,” I murmured to myself.

“Come with me.” Evan took my hand and led me toward the shore. I followed him. He let go only when we were at the water’s edge, when he looked at me for a long moment, either to encourage me or more likely, to pique my curiosity even further. This was the part he always loved most. I watched him kneel down and reach out his hand until his palm was almost touching the water. I held my breath as the surface of the lake trembled below him, rippling slightly. Suddenly the water froze under his palm. I gaped as the ice spread out, stretching across the entire surface of the lake in crystal ripples, transforming it in seconds into a perfectly smooth mirror.

Evan turned toward me with a satisfied look on his face and I blinked, entranced. “You froze the lake,” I whispered as if what he’d just done wasn’t clear enough already.

“Nothing escapes you,” he teased.

I opened my mouth, still amazed, and pointed at the shiny surface in front of us.
“You froze the lake!”
I repeated, dumbfounded.

“Yeeeaaaah.” Evan frowned, looking puzzled. “I’ve done worse things in my life.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“You don’t like it?” he asked, sounding confused and concerned.

“No—Yes—It’s just that it seems—” I struggled to find the words. “Unbelievable,” I said, entranced. “It’s really too much just for me, Evan.”

“Nothing is too much for you,” he was quick to reply, as if what I’d just said was silly. He stroked my cheek and disappeared. In a fraction of a second he was back and handed me my skates. He’d already put his on, though I was sure he didn’t even need them. When I’d put mine on I took the hand he held out to me.

“Ready?” he asked, looking at me encouragingly.

I stared at the sheet of crystal that stretched out in front of me. “I’m not sure,” I admitted, a bit worried.

“Trust me.” He squeezed my hand. I rested one foot and then the other on the icy surface of the lake, moving hesitantly. It was harder than I’d imagined.

“Careful,” Evan said softly, still clasping my hand. I’d always been good at skating, but he seemed like a pro in comparison. “This will be a bit different from the other times,” he warned.

“I’d imagined that,” I shot back sardonically, feeling like I was sliding across a soapy surface. No matter how hard I tried to keep my balance, it was impossible to maintain arm-leg coordination. The ice beneath us was perfectly smooth, as crystal clear as the icicles that hung like jewels from the tree branches.

“You’ll get used to it in no time. Meanwhile, don’t let go of my hand,” he said, his voice deep.

“Okay.” I struggled not to fall as I awkwardly made my way forward.

The air was so cold I couldn’t feel my cheeks any more. My hand clasped in Evan’s, instead, felt cozy and safe and its warmth spread all the way up my arm. I tried not to think of the cold, deep water beneath us; the layer of ice was thick and there was no reason for me to worry. With Evan I wasn’t running any risks.

“Okay, I’m ready.” When I felt fairly sure I could stay standing without his support I took a deep breath. “You can let go now,” I told him. I didn’t want him to leave my side, but I wanted to show him I could do it.

“You sure? It might be dangerous.” My expression had probably given away my uncertainty. Evan relaxed his grip.

“I’ll manage,” I said in a low voice, mostly to reassure myself. He let go of my hand and I found myself teetering on my own.

It seemed easier when he was near to instill me with courage, yet I knew I could do it. I made my way forward determinedly, digging the blades in one after the other, faster and faster, pretending to have mastered the ice. The lake was immense, but it didn’t matter how far out I went—Evan would be there to bring me back. In an instant he was at my side, skating in sync with me. Then, with a decisive movement, he swung out in front and skated backwards as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I’d always wondered how people could do that.

“This is fun!” I murmured, in spite of feeling a little dizzy from watching his face as we moved.

“You got used to it pretty quick,” he said, pleased.

“Did you doubt me?” I grinned, finally finding my feet again.

“I’m still not so sure, actually.”

Was he challenging me? With my next steps I pushed harder against the ice and moved faster. “Let’s see if you can catch me,” I said, taking up the challenge though I knew I’d already lost the race. Evan’s laughter rang out behind me as I narrowed my eyes and focused on the ice in front of me. The air was so cold it took my breath away, but all I was worried about was not falling. I could hear his strokes behind mine as I gathered all my energy to stay out ahead of him. I knew perfectly well it was only a little game we were playing and that if he wanted to he could catch up with me in the blink of an eye.

Carelessly, I turned around to see how much of a lead I had. Wrong move. In a second I’d lost my balance and tripped over my own feet. Why did I always find a way to make a fool of myself? At this speed the impact with the ice was bound to be violent and painful. I instinctively put my hands out in front of me and tensed my muscles, bracing for the pain. From the corner of my eye I saw a blur shoot toward me at warp speed a second before I hit the icy surface and something cushioned the blow. I opened my eyes. It was Evan. He’d grabbed me and slid beneath me, his back on the ice, my body on top of his. For a moment I lay still, panting, my lips on his ear, my heart racing. Then I raised myself slightly and looked him in the eye, a cloud of breath escaping my lips.

Evan smiled, his expression tender. “Got you,” he whispered, his eyes fixed on mine, his hands encircling my waist.

I bit my lower lip. Evan wasn’t just talking about my fall. “I could have beaten you,” I said defiantly, unable to handle defeat.

“No doubt about it,” he said, an impish sparkle in his eye.

“Don’t tease me. It’s not my fault you’re way faster. I’m just a mortal soul.”

His smile softened and became more tender. With his hand he followed the curve of my face as he pushed back a lock of hair that had fallen over my forehead and swept it behind my ear. “You aren’t just a mortal soul, Gemma. You’re much more than that to me.” My gaze locked onto his. “Otherwise I would never have fallen in love with you. You’re—” He stared at me intently as if searching for the words inside me. “You’re like a flower that blossomed from the snow.” He stroked my cheek again.

I slowly lowered my head toward his face.

“A beautiful flower, so strong it defies the cold,” he whispered, “but so delicate and fragile it needs protection.”

I rested my lips on his. When I pulled back, he looked me in the eye, his expression proud. “And I
will
protect you from everything, at all costs,” he said with determination.

I trembled at the memories his words conjured in my mind. There were moments when I could forget about everything else. At those moments Death stopped haunting me—there was no Executioner hunting me, threatening to kill me. There was nothing for me to be afraid of because Evan would always be with me. No one else. Just me and him, forever.

Then I would come back to reality. I couldn’t escape my fate forever. Sooner or later I would have to pay the price. Deep in my heart, the only hope I nurtured was that I could avoid death as long as possible and spend what time I had left with Evan. That’s all I wanted.

A snow flurry drifted through the air, caressing our faces as we lay on our backs, gazing at the sky. All around us, the spheres of fire glowed with their white light, hidden in the trees like fireflies peeking down at us from behind the leaves. Who knew how long we lay there on the ice, one next to the other, looking at the dark mantle overhead. I couldn’t even feel the cold any more. Or maybe I simply didn’t care. The warmth in my heart was enough to keep away the chill.

Evan had taken off his skates, disappearing and reappearing with his shoes on, but I’d decided to keep my own skates on a little while longer to prolong this magical experience. We hadn’t spoken for a while now, maybe because the pure white moonglow had absorbed my thoughts, releasing them in a thousand reflections that touched the sky.

I wondered if there was some other place, apart from the earth, where Evan and I could live together without the constant threat of being separated. A world where my fate would be different from the one in store for me here. Then reason brought me back to the present. There was no other place I could seek refuge, and no matter how hard Evan tried to hide me, no matter how he struggled to protect me, Death would never stop hunting me down. It pursued me like a hungry feline, pulling down all the branches I managed to scramble up onto. I was its prey. How much longer would I have breath enough to run? It was impossible to say. But one thing was inevitable: the day would come when I wouldn’t be able to endure it any more. I could only hope it didn’t come too soon. I didn’t want to lose Evan.

“What are you thinking about?” Evan rubbed his head against mine as he continued to stare at the sky.

I didn’t want to drag him into the melancholy depths of my brooding mind. “Ice sculptures,” I lied, but he must have realized it because he studied me silently for a long moment as if trying to probe my mind.

“You don’t have to prove you’re brave through all this. No one expects that of you, Gemma.” I didn’t reply. Nothing escaped him. “Besides, I already know you are. In fact, you’re a lot braver than you imagine. It can’t have been easy to face everything you’ve been through, but you’ve never given up.”

“How could I? I had no choice, Evan,” I said sadly.

“You know that’s not true. Others would have broken down if they’d been in your shoes, but you’ve always taken everything with your head held high.”

“Only because you’re here to protect me.”

He squeezed my hand and I understood what he was trying to say: he would always be there for me. We turned to look at each other and he smiled. For a fleeting moment, his smile seemed to be telling me everything would be fine—but now he was the one who was lying.

“So what were you saying about ice sculptures?”

I smiled at his attempt to change the subject. Playing along, I lost myself in my story. “I remember one in particular. I must have been seven or eight but I remember it like it was yesterday. It was this huge carriage made of ice—or maybe I was just really little so it seemed big to me. In any case, I remember going to touch it. It was so smooth and transparent it looked like crystal.”

“I wish I could have seen you back then. And to think I was who knows where in the world, living an empty existence, while you were here,” he reflected, the thought saddening him. “You must have been adorable.”

“Actually, I was a little monster,” I admitted.

Evan burst out laughing and propped himself up on his elbows. “I don’t believe it.”

“Ask my mom and dad. They’ll be happy to tell you.” I did as he had done, sitting up on the ice. My back was damp. “When they would come looking for me I was always out climbing trees with Peter. I was a total tomboy! It must have been his influence.”

Mischief glimmered in Evan’s dark eyes, so deep I risked losing myself in them. “A tomboy?” He raised an eyebrow. “That’s hard for me to believe, especially after the other night.”