Awakened (22 page)

“According to your grandfather, a few here and there. We should head home.”

I didn’t want the night to end. I remembered the terrible headache I would get when I first got my powers. “Does it hurt when your wings come out?”

He was quiet for a long time as though pondering my question. “A bit. I’m getting better at it. When my wings appeared, it hurt like nothing I’d ever experienced before. Luckily, I was alone. It took a while to learn how to focus and contain the pain. It took me a year to master flight because I had to practice in secret. Flying with a passenger is new to me though. You’re the second person I’ve taken up.”

Who was the first? Envy rippled through me. “So why do you keep it a secret?”

“Because I didn’t want to end up in Coronis’ breeding program. In my family, only Celeste knows. She almost gave me away though. The one and only time I took her up, we found out she suffers from motion sickness.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah, she threw up all over me. It was a real mess.” He chuckled. “We stunk so much we had to wash off in a stream near Mount Hermon, then sneaked back inside the house and changed before our mother got home. She smelled it anyway. Celeste faked a stomach ache.”

We crossed the valley sky and headed toward our picnic ledge. Bran hovered above the ground then stepped down.

My legs wobbled when I slid off him. He steadied me, his hands firm on my hips. “You okay?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. That was…amazing. Thank you for taking me up.”

“So you would do it again?” he asked, sounding anxious as though my answer was very important.

“In a heartbeat. I don’t know how you can stand being on land when you could be up there.”

“I try to fly every night. It might sound weird, but I often feel like I’m leaving all my worries and problems behind whenever I take off.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I felt free and uninhibited up there.” We shared a smile. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, and didn’t want to leave though I knew we had only a few minutes.

“We should go,” he said but his hands tightened around my waist as if he didn’t want to let me go. Then I felt his energy reach out to mine, a gentle caress that lingered and left me breathless.

“Yes,” I answered in a sigh. But kiss me first, I wanted to tell him. Give me the perfect ending to a perfect date. But Bran seemed content with studying me under the moonlight just like I studied him. He was beautiful, the silver feathers reflecting moon beams and making him glow.

He reached up and caressed my cheek. “No, you’re the beautiful one.”

“Get out of my head,” I ordered him though my voice was shaky and my mouth dry.

He chuckled, forked his fingers through my hair and lowered his head toward mine. My eyes widened. Energy zipped through my veins. Then he stopped. Just like that, he went still as though unsure, as though debating with himself whether to go through with it or not.

15. FIRST KISS, TRUTH AT LAST

As though giving me a chance to stop him, Bran leaned closer and closer. We shared a breath so sweet and intoxicating my eyelids dropped and a soft sigh escaped me. Then he was there, his lips touching mine. Soft brushes. A spark of electricity shot from my lips and raced underneath my skin.

He pulled me closer and anchored me to him. Incredible sensations blazed through me like wildfire. I didn’t know what to do. Kiss him back? My mind went blank, and a ringing started in my ears.

Then his lips were gone, and I was left panting. He stroked my face and pressed his forehead to mine. I don’t how long it took before I felt near normal enough to open my eyes. Bran watched me, his chest expanding and contracting. His grip tightened on my waist while he massaged my scalp in slow soothing motion with his other hand.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice above a whisper.

“I think so. You?” My voice was shaky, but for once I didn’t care.

“I’m good.”

This was my first kiss, and now I knew why kids made out in cars or wherever they could. I wanted Bran to kiss me again. A lot. “Is it always like that?”

A dimple appeared and disappeared from his cheeks, his eyes twinkling. “Like what?”

“Exciting and beautiful.”

He touched my cheek, again. “No. It’s different with you.” His watch beeped. “Nine-twenty-five, we’d better go. I’ll collect the picnic stuff later.”

I didn’t want to leave, didn’t want the night to end. But his wings had already retracted, and when he reached for his shirt, the moonlight showed smooth skin, no scar or hint that wings had graced his back. But one lone feather floated to the ground right beside me.

I scooped it up, twirled it between my fingers. A faint pine scent teased my senses, and I smiled. “Look.”

Bran turned and saw the silver plume. I couldn’t read his expression as he stared hard at it. I offered him the feather. He shook his head. “No. I don’t want it. Keep it if you like.”

I slipped the feather in my back pocket. Not that I needed a reminder of tonight. Every tiny detail of my date with Bran was etched in my brain.

When Bran opened his arms, I slipped in them and hugged him close. My earlier insecurity was gone. I liked Bran, more than liked him, and I refused to pretend otherwise.

“Will I see you tomorrow?”

His arm tightened around me. “I’ll stop by your place in the evening if your grandfather doesn’t mind.”

This time around, I didn’t close my eyes when we teleported. One minute we were under the moonlight, mountains behind us and the valley before us. The images peeled away to be replaced by neon lights, walls and furniture. My feet sunk into the carpeted floor. We were at my trailer.

Grampa in his striped pajamas and a navy blue robe sat on his favorite rocking chair, his long graying hair a spiky mess around his shoulders. It looked like he ran his fingers through it. He looked up from his watch when we appeared.

I grinned, stepping out of Bran’s arms. “Nine-thirty, here we are,” I said.

“Ninety-twenty-eight,” Grampa corrected and stood. He extended a hand toward Bran. “You kept your word.”

Bran gripped the offered hand, grinned. “I did, sir. I’ll go get your truck now.”

Grampa nodded. “Good. However, next time you decide to take my granddaughter flying, stay within our airspace. The protective shield over the valley doesn’t cover the mountains.”

Bran nodded. I could only stare at Grampa in shock. Did anything ever escape him?

“Now head on to Hsia’s, son,” he told Bran. “We’ve a long night ahead of us.”

Bran turned toward me and for a brief second there was awkwardness. Grampa hadn’t moved an inch and we couldn’t ask him to give us privacy.

“See you tomorrow, Lil.”

“Yeah. Don’t forget this.” I removed the coat he’d loaned me and passed it to him. Our fingers grazed, lingered. He winked, which I hoped Grampa didn’t see, then he was gone. I dropped on the nearest couch and sighed.

“I’ll warm up some food. Do you want anything?” Grampa asked, heading to the fridge.

“No, I’m fine.” I replayed the evening in my head. Bran and I were
alrunes
.

“What did you two eat?” Grampa asked, intruding on my thoughts again.

“Pizza, vegetable salad.” Then what he was doing registered. I pushed the images of Bran aside and watched Grampa with a frown. He removed a plate of leftover meatloaf and rice from the microwave then poured a glass of orange juice. “You haven’t eaten dinner yet?”

He grimaced. “I wasn’t hungry.”

Yeah, right. I looked around the room at the pages of tabloid newspaper scattered on the floor around his rocking chair. The last time he couldn’t eat was because he was worried about me on the morning of my first day in junior high. Before then, he’d homeschooled me. I remember how he sat across from me as I ate my breakfast, kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to go as he tore through the various magazines he often read. I was tempted to ask him why he allowed me to go out with Bran when it bothered him so much.

No, I should be happy and leave well enough alone. He carried his food back to his chair and dug in with gusto. I didn’t speak until he placed the empty plate on the side table. “So what did you do while I was gone?” I asked in a casual-like way.

“Searched for any unusual reports in the newspapers.”

I picked up one sheet and read the headline, “‘Zombies Attacked People in Baja, Mexico.’ Do you really believe there’s any truth to such stories?”

“Ninety-nine percent of the time. Whatever escapes the radar of the tech guys at the High Council offices tends to end up in the tabloids. We take care of the demons responsible before the incidents work their way into more respected newspapers, air waves or television. With information flow on the Internet, it’s even harder to contain incidents like that. I can’t remember the number of times I’ve erased memories or had planted new ones.”

I stared at him with slack jaw. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No. You sure you don’t want something to drink while we talk?” He sipped his orange juice and eyed me with a slight frown.

“I’m okay, Grampa. No, actually, just one thing.” I ran to my bedroom and grabbed a throw blanket. I left my hoodie in the truck and was feeling the chill now that I didn’t have Bran’s coat to warm me. Back at the couch, I curled up under the thick, warm furry coverlet and tucked it around me. I looked at Grampa and waited

He put his glass down. “What is it you want to know?”

I shook my head. Now that I was about to get some answers, I wasn’t sure where to start. “Is it true Grandma and Mom weren’t allowed in Xenith?”

He sighed. “Yes and no. Marriage between our people and humans is frowned upon since our forefathers broke that particular law, but we’re allowed to petition the circle if we fall in love with a human. I loved your grandmother and couldn’t imagine not having her in my life. The circle gave their approval, but the decision, like many we make everyday, comes with a penalty.”

He paused as if to let the point sink. I couldn’t help wondering if he was warning me about my friendship with Bran. I scrunched my lips and waited for him to continue.

“It’s true that non-Guardian spouses are not allowed on the island, but Flora, your grandmother, didn’t care about that. Her only concerns were always me and Tatiana. She was happy when Tatiana showed signs of having powers at sixteen. We couldn’t hide from her who we are and what I did for a living. Like most
Nephlings
, once Tatiana showed that she had powers, she could go to Xenith whenever she liked. Your mother might not have had enough to be a Cardinal, but it was enough. Yes, she could use telepathy like any pure Guardian child, but her clairvoyance abilities were exceptional.”

I frowned. “What’s clairvoyance?”

“The ability to see things from faraway.”

Cool. I leaned forward, my gaze not leaving his face. “So Mom visited Xenith?”

A tiny smile touched Grampa’s lips. “No. I would have loved for her to visit, see where I was born, but once she heard that your grandmother couldn’t go, she refused to go, too. Your mother was a very stubborn young lady.”

Way to go, Mom. I wished I had her spirit. As for Kim, she’d lied. I couldn’t wait to tell her to shut her trap about my family. “Uh, so what was your penalty for marrying grandmother?”

His mouth turned down at the corners and his eyes narrowed. “It was selfish of me to expect her to accept our differences. Watching the light in her eyes dim and her spirit wane as years went by while she aged and I didn’t was my punishment. Towards the end…,” he paused, ran a hand over his long, graying hair and dragged air into his lungs. “She couldn’t even look at me.”

He mumbled the last sentences, but I heard him. Stabs of pain rained on my heart. To love like he did and then lose it all must have been soul-crushing. Tears crested in my eyes and spilled over. Grampa’s eyes were bright as he reached for my hands.

He gave them a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. For forty years, we had the time of our lives. So much love, so much laughter. I made sure she was the happiest woman alive.”

I laughed through tears, knew he was trying hard to be upbeat for my sake, but I was an empath like him. With ours hands linked, I could feel his pain, his heart aching for her even now.

He patted my hand, nodded. “Let me make us something to drink.” His voice broke, but he tried to cover it with a cough. “I’m parched.”

My heart ached for him. He walked to the kitchen and opened the cupboards. We both needed the time to compose ourselves. I swiped at my cheeks, questions zipping in my head. Where did Mom meet my father? Why wasn’t I with her when she and Grandma had that fatal traffic accident? I looked up to find Grampa adding powdered chocolate mix to our drinks, his eyes on me.

“You want to know about Tatiana.” It came out as a statement, not a question.

I pretended not to be desperate for more information on my mother and shrugged. “We can talk some other time if you prefer.”

He carried the steaming mugs to where I sat, gave me a cup and took his seat. He sipped his drink. I couldn’t bring myself to drink mine. I set it on a side table and focused on him.

“Your mother was brilliant. She spent years getting one degree after another. Communications. Computers. Finance. She attended the top universities, Stanford undergraduate, Yale and Cornell for her masters. She could have been anything she wanted to be, but she liked new challenges. She spent years traveling and doing odd jobs here and abroad. At last, she joined the African High Council in Johannesburg. We thought she’d settle down there, but she transferred to Australia then to South America.”

“She must have inherited the gypsy wanderlust from Grandma,” I teased.

Grampa laughed. “That’s what your grandmother used to say. While in South America, she fell in love with a young Civilian Guardian and got engaged. She was about to bring him home to visit us when she called. The engagement was off. His family was not sure marrying a
Nephling
was the right thing to do.” Grampa blinked and cleared his throat.

My heart strained to keep beating at a steady pace, but a chill streaked down my spine. “Was he my—?”