Catching Temptation (In Darkness She Fades (Book 1) (8 page)

“I said what are you two doing?”
Mr. Dredfield’s eyes remind me of some insane patients I saw in the hospital
months ago.

“Chasing the white rabbits of
course! What do you think we were doing? Totally wicked fluff balls. Stole my
homework too, so…the assignment you gave me. Don’t think I can do it.”

Mr. Dredfield rolls his eyes.
“Back to class. Both of you! Don’t let me catch you trying to cut school again.
There’ll be consequences next time.”

I allow Whelan to lead me back to
the school, but someone still keeps us under observation. The knot in my gut
constricts. I know. To my left, I spot the Jenkins twins leaning over the metal
rails on the stairs. Their eyes are inhuman.

Crap, they are pissed.

Though the twins are inhuman, I
accept it. After almost a year of monsters haunting me, this pair of new
stalkers adds to my ever-growing list.

****

The envious gazes of the twins
never leave me for the remaining week, but I learn to block them out.
Victoria’s desperate efforts to tempt Herald’s gaze back never works. Jerald
tries to stop me in the hall a few times, but I blow right past him every time.
One twin is enough for me to deal with, without the other also jumping my ass.

I hang out with Whelan at lunch
most of the time. When I ask him why he wants my friendship, he brushes it off.
Everyone in school is his friend. I suspect he is hiding the real reason.

“I’m glad it’s Friday,” I say to
Whelan as we exit our class.

“Totally. I’ve gotta jet, though.
Mr. Dredfield gave me detention for tardiness all this week. Peace.”

Shaking my head, I giggle. I like
chilling with Whelan. His friendship helps tune out the tension from the other
students. At least he never bothers me about my past.

The bell echoes across the
hallways. Thank the Gods the school week is finally at an end. Out of the
hectic school, I walk down the street, with my tribal belly dancer skirt
swishing around my ankles. Sunlight beats down on me. I remove the mesh shirt
covering my black tank top. The new henna-tattoos on my arms, along with my
outfit, make me look barbaric; pagan.

Catcalls and whistling
rouses me from my thoughts. One of the boys from the crowd shouts, “Keep taking
it off!”

In the parking lot, I spot the
twins on their motorcycles with their usual crowd. Victoria wraps her arms
around Herald’s neck and sits down behind him on the skull bike.

Jerald’s grin stretches out
across his handsome face. His human eyes roll over my figure.

My stomach lurches with unease at
the catcalls, but wrestle with the telltale heat of flattery coloring my
cheeks. Choosing to ignore the catcalls, I keep strolling in the direction of
home.

Predatory eyes still follow.

A roar of motorcycles deafens my
hearing and in a split second, Jerald stops his bike at my side. “Hop on
Temptation, you’re coming with me today.” He scoots so I can slide on.

I twirl my black and white hair
between my gold fingernails. “I have things to do. Maybe another day.” I
continue walking, a bit faster this time. Honestly, I thought the guy would
take the hint.

Jerald’s bike lurches forward. He
reaches out and grasps my hand; tugging me closer. “I’ve been trying to talk to
you since the first day of school and you keep avoiding me. I don’t know the
whole story of what happened between you and my brother, but I can assure you I
hold opposing characteristics from him. Besides...you’ll like where we’re
going.” He pulls me over to the bike, trapping me with his arm.

Inwardly cursing my hormones, I
say, “I made an agreement with your brother to leave the goblins alone, not to
do anything either of you asked of me. But if you promise not to threaten me
like Herald did a couple weeks ago, I might reconsider.”

Jerald’s facial features soften.
“I’m not my brother, Temptation. We may look identical, but are
complete
opposites. Herald possesses more of…an animalistic edge.”

“You mean a jerk edge? I picked
up on that one when he tried to bite me.”

Jerald winces proving either the
shame of his brother’s actions or of his own inaction. A few strands of his
black hair blow across his forehead.

I find myself staring for too
long and say in a stronger voice, “I’m not taking any more of my clothes off.”

Jerald’s depressed demeanor
vanishes. I swing my leg over the hot metal. He reeves up the engine once more.
The motorcycle lurches forward. Herald and the rest of the crowd follow. They
whoop and holler at the passing school buses.

The scent of gasoline surrounds
me for a brief moment. Flashes of the burning car, screams, and monsters, cause
me to shudder.

Jerald must have felt my arms
tremble, because he uses one hand to reach behind him to press me closer
against his back; an oddly comforting gesture.

A bus passes.

I smile at the startled face of
my cousin.

At the theater house, we turn
right, and travel out of town. Picking up speed, I wrap my arms tighter around
Jerald’s waist. After traveling a few miles, the bike swerves down a dirt road
leading into the woods. Tree branches swish and sting my skin. The motorcycles
skid to a halt at the top of a small hill. A car stops behind the motorcycles.
A group of girls emerge from the car.

I worry about another
encounter. Jerald strokes my hand in a calming sort of way. I like it.

A glistening lake stretches out
below us with picnic benches and a few grills on the shore. Oak and pine trees
encircle the lake.

“I’ve got the beers!” Someone
shouts in back.

“Woo! Last one to the tables
takes all their clothes off,” Herald shouts.

All the boys rush past me, while
the girls take their time sashaying to the shoreline. Victoria ignores Jerald
and me. She and the other girls start pulling their shirts off while the boys
camp out on the picnic tables, egging them on.

I slide off the bike and narrow
my eyes at Jerald. “I’m not stripping for anyone.”

Jerald’s amused laugh does not
help my nervousness. “It’s okay, Temptation. The only person you have to strip
for,” he rises off the motorcycle and grabs my waist, “is me.”

I plant a hand on his chest and
push. “I told you I’m not taking any more of my clothes off.”

“You’re going to have to if you
want to get in the water.” Jerald pulls me down to the rest of the crowd. “Come
on, Temptation. Relax. Have a little fun for a change.” Jerald grabs two beers
and hands me one.

Maybe he is right. I take the
cool beer from Jerald and sit at the vacant part of the picnic table. The girls
strip down to their bras and panties, while the boys strip to their boxers. My
jaw drops slightly when Jerald and Herald remove their shirts. Greek Gods would
envy their bodies! I study the other girls and know the same thought surfaces
in their minds. The boys rush at the girls and carry them to the water, while
they giggle and scream. Jerald stays behind with me. I look away and take a
swig of beer.

Yuck – it tastes disgusting!

How people enjoy drinking beer
stretches beyond my comprehensive abilities. As I sit the bottle down, I wish
for the taste to subside.

Jerald slides off the table.
“Don’t you want to go swimming?”

“Not really.”

His fingers comb my hair off my
cheeks while his other fingers trail up my jawbone. Little tingles of desire
follow beneath the surface of my skin. “Come on, I promise the other guys won’t
touch you.”

“Why’s that?” I ask. “I never
agreed to be your girlfriend. I don’t need a guy.”

“Hmm, it’s a good thing I’m a
demon and not a guy.”

Sighing, I shift my gaze away
from him. “You know what I mean.”

“Well, if you’d rather sit up
here and play a drinking game with me…”

Ready to gag at the idea of
drinking more beer, I grumble. “I’ll get in the water.”

“Good choice. Learning you can’t
win against me, huh?”

“No.” I slide off the table and
walk in a circle until the table divides us. “I’m learning the next time you
ask me to go anywhere, I’ll run like the hounds of Hell are chasing me.” I
remove my shirt and skirt.

Jerald’s eyes roam over my figure
and then stop on my abdomen. “Whoa. No one works out to have a stomach that hot
without wanting someone to see it.” Jerald leans against the table and crosses
his arms. A string of black hair slices across his face. “I think you enjoy
surprising me.”

I swing my hair forward so it
covers up my chest and part of my stomach.

“Jerald – Temptation! Come on,”
Herald yells, while Victoria pouts into his shoulder.

“Coming!” Jerald snatches me up.
He carries me down into the water.

“Unbelievable as it might seem,
I
can walk!
”

“Yes, but then I don’t get to
touch you.” He grins when I glower at his response.

Descending into the water brings
shivers to my skin as the cold lake encompasses my abdomen. He releases me,
twirls me, and then presses my bare back to his chest. I do not resist this
time. His warmth in the cold water stops me from shivering. Strange. I always
thought demons are supposed to be cold.

“Are you in love with Whelan?”
His claws grow against my skin.

“What makes you ask?”

“You keep sneaking off with him.
Makes me wonder what you two are trying to do. All alone.”

Making Jerald mad is not an
option. I remember quite vividly how Herald reacted and I wonder if Jerald will
react the same way. Will he hurt me in front of witnesses?

As if sensing my thoughts, Jerald
rests his chin on the curve of my neck, and pulls me closer to his abdomen.
“I’m not going to hurt you even if I don’t like the answer, Temptation. I need
to know.”

My heart simmers down. “Fine. No.
Whelan and I are friends. Period.”

His claws retract. A warm kiss
heats the side of my neck.

“Hey, who’s up for a race?” Herald
asks.

The crowd cheers in response.

“Whoever swims to the island
first, gets to choose who they want to make out with.”

“What island?” I whisper to
Jerald.

“In the middle of the lake. Do
you see it?” He points out in the distance.

I spot the wooded island. Thank
the gods I know how to swim.

“Ready?”

Jerald releases me with a feral
look of determination. He is aiming to get to the island first. An equal
determination stirs in me.

“Set.”

A silence sweeps across the lake.

“GO!”

The group lurches forward and starts
swimming. I duck under the water. I never quite got the hang of regular
swimming, but I can swim fast underwater. After a couple of minutes, I emerge
to the surface for air. Jerald and Herald are neck and neck in the lead. At
least I am holding second place. Frustration causes Victoria to dig harder into
the water.

I immerse myself back in the
water and keep swimming. A few more stops to the surface for air, and a short
while later, I make it to the shore of the island. The Jenkins twins gaze down
at me with satisfied smirks. They haul me out of the cold water. I ring my hair
out and check out the lake, where the rest of the crowd is wading to shore. Wet
ringlets twist down to my waist. The Jenkins twins watch me with identical
lust.

“What?”

“Herald’s trying to decide who to
make out with. I choose you.”

I cross my arms. “Who won?”

“We both made it to shore at the
same time,” Herald says.

“You’re with Victoria. Aren’t
you?” I eye Herald’s uncaring reaction. “Shouldn’t you be making out with her?”

“We’re not dating,” Herald says
with a casual wave of his hand. “We’re more like friends with benefits.” He
exposes his perfectly human teeth.

“Does
she
know that?” I
raise my sleek eyebrows and twist a ringlet of hair in her violet-tipped
fingers.

Victoria stumbles onto the
pebbled shore along with the rest of the crowd.

“You know this is starting to get
old,” one of the boys says. “You two always win.”

I shift to one leg. It had been a
set up.

“So.” Victoria passes me, bumping
my shoulder. “Do you want to make out here or somewhere more private later on
tonight?” She wraps her arms around Herald’s neck.

Herald removes her arms from his
neck. His face holds a look of revulsion. “We’ve both chosen Temptation this
time.” Herald gives her a slight shove.

“What?” Jerald and I voice in
unison.

“But I’m your girlfriend!”

Guess she didn’t know she is just
his play toy.

A loud siren echoes out over the
lake from the direction of Rosewood. Frenzy and a loud splash startle me. For a
moment, I think someone may have been drowning. In the lake, the Jenkins twins
are racing to shore. “What’s going on?”