A Man of Honor (A Young Adult Paranormal Romance) (The Honor Trilogy) (9 page)

“Your girlfriend’s in trouble, Ethan.” I get right to the point when we get inside. There’s no way I’m pussyfooting around this. Honor’s too important. “And I think Moore might have something to do with it.”

“What? Where’d
that
come from?” he asks with a tone in his voice that tells me he thinks I’m crazy.

“You said it yourself, you don’t trust him.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t thinking anything like that.” His eyebrows are crunched, and he’s still not getting it.

“You’re an empath, Ethan, you should be feeling this. Moore is hiding something…and looking for something…I think that something is in Honor’s blood.”

Ethan’s shoulders drop, and he rubs his jaw. “What makes you think that? What’s in Honor’s blood?”

“Are you blind, man? She brought me back from the dead. That’s crazy shit. I bet
you
can’t do that.”

“Well, no, I guess not…but remember Hanna was telling Honor that if we try hard enough, any empath could do it?”

“No…Hanna? She’s dead, what are you talking about?” It’s my turn to look at him like he’s crazy.

“Oh that’s right,” Honor says softly. “You didn’t see her.”

I shake my head, waiting for her to go on.

Honor walks up to me and sits me down on the couch like I’m a child. “When you died,” she pauses, worry inching across her forehead. “Um, there was like this white puff of smoke lifting from your body.”

She must have paused for my reaction, because she doesn’t say anything. “And?” I ask, quite agitated.

“And…after the smoke disappeared, your sister and my parents were standing over you…all of them dressed in white.”

I chuckle and turn to Ethan. “Is this a joke?”

He shakes his head.

“Storm,” Honor continues. “You had been holding onto their souls.”

“Yes,” I interject. “I’m aware of that.”

“No, but you don’t understand. They went to Heaven now. They were released from your body.” Honor smiles and rubs my thigh.

“
Yes, I know, you already told me that, but…?” I stand, feeling like I’m going to lose it, and pace the floor. I remember Honor explaining to me that her mother spoke with her, I guess it didn’t register that she saw her too. “You
saw
them? Like they were real?”

“
Yes,” Ethan says calmly, “It’s true. I saw them too.”

“You saw Summer?” I hear myself whisper.

Ethan smiles. “Yeah, I did. She was beautiful.”

“Oh my god.” Feeling nauseous, I sit back down. My sister. The one who died at my hands
. I want to throw up.

“It’s okay, Storm,” Honor says, returning her hand to my leg. “She’s good. She knows it was an accident. They all do.”

All the memories come flooding back. Especially the day I killed Summer.

**

“Hey, kid,” I force a smile when I see her on the bed. She’s so pale and drawn, her little body shivering under the covers. “How
ya doin’? Feeling any better yet?”

Summer’s smile is bright despite her sallow, speckled skin. “Yeah, my mom says my fever’s down. I should be all better by my birthday.” She beams.

“That’s right. Your birthday is in two days. How old now? Five?”

Summer laughs. “Oh stop, Storm, you know I’m
gonna be nine.”

“Nah, you’re not that old yet. You can’t be catching up to me.”

“Well I am, so ha, ha.” She brings her hand to her face and starts scratching.

“You itch?”

“Yeah, I got chicken pox. That’s why.”

“
Mmhmm, I know.” I sigh. Why hasn’t anyone healed her? “Hey, hasn’t like anybody tried to take your sickness away, kid? I mean we live with a bunch of people who can do that.”

“Mommy says they try to save their powers for the big stuff. She says it’s good to get chicken pox. Then I’ll be amused.”

“Amused? Are you amused you have the chicken pox?”

“You know, like when you can’t get it again.”

“Oh,” I laugh. “Immune.”

She giggles.

“Well guess what?”

“What?”

“How ‘bout I try to take the itch away at least?”

“Really?”

“Really.” Her smile is spread from cheek to tiny cheek, and I can’t help but smile just as wide. She’s the best. “Here goes, kid.”

I place my hand over her arms and concentrate really hard, like I always see my mother do, at taking away those stupid pock marks she doesn’t need. When I open my eyes, she’s gasping for air.

“What is it, Sum? Are you choking?”

Her eyes grow wide, and she shakes her head.

“Summer.” I move my hands to her face now. Her eyes roll behind her head. “Summer. Summer.” Her eyes close, and she starts turning a funny color.

“Summer,” I yell, then quickly put my hands over her heart. “Summer, please, I didn’t mean it. Wake up.”
Oh my god,
I think
. I killed her. Oh my god.

“What’s going on in here?” my step-mother asks, then she runs to Summer and picks her up. “What did you do?” she yells to me. “What did you do?”

My step-mother is crying. And shaking. And shaking Summer. “Summer, Summer, baby, wake up. Please,” she cries. “Go get your father…
now
,” she demands in a voice I never heard before.

But I don’t get my father. I’m scared. So I run.

**

I feel the tears on my face. There is no way they will see me like this. Finding a steady foot, I flee from the house and catch my breath out by my car. With my hands on the roof of the car
and my head against the window, my breathing slows down. The memory of Summer is too much for me to bear. I need to let it go, but I can’t. I killed my little sister. The only sibling I have ever loved, and I killed her. With my bare hands.

“Storm?” I hear my angel’s voice. I don’t deserve her…even as a friend. I need to get rid of the people after her and leave her for good. “Storm?” Her voice is closer. “Are you all right?” Her hand is on my back. “Were you thinking about her?” she whispers.

“Honor,” I whisper back, my eyes closed.

Now her other hand is on my arm. “Hey…it’s okay,” she speaks softly into my ear. “Summer knows you didn’t mean it.” I know Honor’s an empath, but it still floors me that she knows exactly what I’m thinking.
Well, feeling rather, but I guess the two go hand in hand. “She even said so to us. Storm. It’s okay. My birth parents even told us…they know you were trying to save them. They know, honey. You’re a good person. Please don’t think you’re not.” She leans her head on my arm. “Please, Storm. You gotta stop hurting like this. You’re always hurting,” she whispers. Her touch becomes more intense.

“Don’t
,” I insist and pull away. But I do look at her. She’s beautiful. Her violet eyes are glassy and her cheeks are pink. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I just…you can’t do that. You can’t try to take it away.
I
own my pain, Honor.
I
hurt the people I care about and only
I
deserve to hurt. So don’t.”

Her bottom lip quivers, but she smiles anyway. “I’m sorry.”

My arms instinctively go around her, pulling her to my chest. “Don’t be, I’m sorry I yelled. Thank you though. For your words. I appreciate them.”

When she sig
hs into my chest, her breath warms me through my t-shirt, rousing my desire for her. Damn that Ethan. I play with the long strands of her hair and inhale her scent. I want so badly to kiss her. To have her. To love her…like no one has before.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Ethan yells from the doorway, and we unlock our embrace. “What the hell’s going on, Honor? Every time I see the two of you you’re in each other’s arms. Do you like him?”

“Ethan, um, I was just comforting him. The whole Summer thing. It’s hard on him. I just…”

“Then he
shouldn’t’ve killed her.”

“Ethan,” Honor scolds. “That was cruel.”

I’m choosing to remain quiet. I’d like to see what Honor will say. Of course, I’ll come to her rescue if she needs me to.

“No, him holding you all the time is cruel. He’s in love with you, Honor. I know that. But tell me right now. Do you feel the same way about him?”

Her shoulders tighten. “Ethan, stop. That’s unfair. I was only…”

“Do you?” he interrupts.

“Ethan,” she cries.

“I want an answer, Honor. Do you love him back?”

I see her struggling. She shouldn’t have to do this now. “Leave her alone, Ethan. She was just trying to take away my pain. I wouldn’t let her. Just leave her alone.” Honor is looking at the ground, I know she’s embarrassed. “You have to stop being so suspicious. We’re good friends. She saved my life. You gotta accept that we kind of formed a bond. Nothing else.”

Ethan eyes Honor, but her eyes are cast down.

“Listen, drop it, Ethan. We have more important things to worry about. I’ll let Honor fill you in for now.” I open my car door and put a foot inside. “I’m not up for it right now. I’m going home to figure out something.”

I get in, shut the door, and peel out of her driveway. Needing to think. Needing to figure out how to save Honor, and then get the hell out of Jefferson.

Icy prickles nip at my spine on the ride home. Someone is following me. Though no one appears in my rearview mirror, someone is after me. At this very moment. I may not have my empath powers, but years of recognizing the inner feelings of everyone besides myself have left me with super intuition. And right now, I’m intuiting something bad.

The floor beneath the gas pedal prevents me from pressing any further
, but as fast as my Challenger will take me, I gun it on Berkshire Valley Road, heading for home as quickly as possible. I want this over with. Hopefully, once the elixir is in his hands, Honor will get a reprieve from any harassment before it even begins.

I’m not in my
driveway thirty seconds when my car hops forward.

Cursing out loud, I throw open my door and walk straight for the black Navigator jammed up against my car. “Was that freaking necessary?” I yell to the closed black window.

The back door slowly opens and out steps a black wing-tip shoe.
Wing-Tips?
I was not expecting that.

The suit that follows match
es the shoes, and the gray-streaked blond man that wears it matches the description that Honor gave me when he paid her a visit earlier. Only she didn’t mention he was this fancy. Or this intimidating – for a little man. Though I guess I knew damn well he was.

“Mr. Sutherland,” he greets me with a crooked smile.

“Mr…Gaffer,” I respond with no knowledge of his real name.

“I believe you have something that belongs to me.”

“I do.” I just stand there, uncharacteristically frozen where I stand. I need to shake this fast. “
Sarcasm. Use it, Storm,”
I say to myself. “I’m flattered you dressed in your Sunday best for me. Really. You didn’t have to.” Hopefully that came out as cool as I intended it, because inside I’m quivering like a little girl.

The passenger side door opens up and out steps the biggest person I’ve ever seen in real life. He’s huge. Like seven-feet-tall huge.

Then his twin slides out the back passenger side door.

“Hey, G., you need assistance here?” Thing 2 says.

“No, Jimmy. We’re good,” Gaffer says to his bodyguard before turning to me. “So Mr. Sutherland. My elixir?”

“Yeah. I’ll go get it. Be right back,” I say quickly and turn to go inside.

“No so fast. Jimmy and me will be going with you,” Gaffer commands.

I close my eyes to take in a huge breath. “Sure.”

In the kitchen, I fumble with the jugs underneath the sink while silently praying that this works. When I plop the jugs on the table, Jimmy’s in the doorway. “You want ‘em?” I say, pointing to the jugs. “They’re yours.”

Jimmy lifts them like the
y’re loaves of bread. I follow him out to the living room where Gaffer is having a look around my apartment. I don’t like him snooping.

“Jimmy’s got your jugs. You can go now,” I tell them, hoping it’ll be that easy.

He silently instructs Jimmy to put the dirty jugs on my end table.
No. It won’t be that easy.
G. inspects the jugs, pulls the cork out of one of them, and sticks his finger in the concoction. Retrieving his bloody finger from the jug, he sticks it in his mouth and sucks on it.
Puke. That’s what I want to do right now.
G. looks at me as he slips his finger out of his mouth. “Tasty,” he says with that crooked smile.

“You got what you want. Now, can you leave?”

“Not so fast there, Mr. Sutherland.”

I fight to hide my disappointment. “We’re not done here you know. Just ‘cause I got these jugs in front of me, doesn’t mean I’m satisfied with what I’m getting.
I
will
be testing this.”

Like I knew he would. “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” I say, hoping to convince him of my confidence in this handover.

“I know every move your precious Honor makes, so make no mistake. If this isn’t the elixir her grandfather made, I will come after her faster than you can blink, Mr. Sutherland.”

Of course he will.
I nod, too afraid to speak.

G. instructs Jimmy to take the jugs, and in an instant, they’re gone.

I remain frozen where I stand. How long will it take him to find out that he doesn’t have the original elixir? Will I even be made aware if he finds out? Will he go right for Honor without forewarning?

I manage to pull my cell out of my pocket and slide onto the couch. Though my fingers are trembling, I dial Ethan. He doesn’t answer.

Instead, I grab my keys and head straight to Honor’s house.

And sit out in my car across the street.

Telling her what the Gaffer said would destroy her. She’ll start worrying that he’ll find out the elixir is a fake. I just need to alert Ethan to not let her out of his sight. I try his phone again, but it goes straight for voicemail. Instead of leaving a message, I text him – alerting him to stay near Honor at all times. I even ask him to please stay in her room at night, afraid Gaffer will just take her in the middle of the night.

When my phone alerts me I have a text, it’s Ethan.

“
She broke up with me
,” the text says. “
I left right after you did
.”

Oh.

I’m not sure what to think of this just yet, but there is no time to think. Honor is alone. I don’t know if her parents’ cars are in the garage or if they’re just not home, so I do the first thing I can think of.

Ring her doorbell.