CRYSTALLUM (The Primordial Principles Book 1) (30 page)

"All fledglings need to be trained in order to protect themselves, stay hidden from humans. That sort of thing. Your dad didn't tell you that?" He sounded irritated.

"No ... he, we don't ever talk about anything. Only Dracon—" she stopped short as darkness bled into the blues and grays of Cole's eyes.

"Only Dracon what?" His tone was deadly. She remembered him taunting Dracon in the woods outside of her house. Telling him to let go of Kade's arm. The realization that all of that actually happened swept over her again and made her want to vomit.

"He...he's the only one who's ever told me anything about the Primordial race. Did I... didn't I tell you that before?"

"Yes, and I don't understand it any better now than I did then. And it doesn't piss me off any less, either." Cole made a growling sound. "The more I hear, the less I like. Let's get you to the Jeep. Can you walk?"

"Can you?" She noticed his color had faded.

"Don't worry about me. Can you walk?"

Kade took a shaky step forward, wondering if she should take her shoes off for better balance. Rubbing her hands down her arms, Kade followed Cole into the empty hallway, slightly steadier on her feet. The girl's bathroom door swung open, and Cole stopped.

"What the hell is this?" Tiffany stormed toward them, her curtain of straight hair fanning out behind her like a cape. "You sneak out of the infirmary to come here. Against doctor's orders, and now you're out here in the hallway with
her
?" She thrust her arm in Kade's direction. Again with the
her
. Like Kade was a pariah.

Cole snuck out of the infirmary?

"You said there was nothing going on, Cole!" Tiffany yelled.
"And now you're out here with this little...little," she glared at Kadence, "low life bitch."

Come again?
Before Kade realized she'd moved, Tiffany's back was against the lockers, and Kade was two inches from her face, charged energy shedding off her body like a second skin.

"Whoa." Cole chuckled, no, he laughed. "Whoa, now." His hands wrapped Kade's shoulders, sending heat down her arms, and he pulled her away from Tiffany. All of the tension humming inside her body doubled under his touch as if he was a conduit.
Her
conduit. "No need for all of this. Just a misunderstanding. I needed to talk to Kade regarding Ward business."

Tiffany shot Kade a furious glare. "You better watch yourself, new girl."

Kade grinned. "Backatcha."

"Two minutes, Cole. That's all you get. Two." Tiffany held her fingers up. "Or I'm calling Plumb."

The usual cocky arrogance Kade had come to know so well, flashed across Cole's expression. The part of him that made her want to slap him and kiss him at the same time. It wasn't the first time she wondered if he always got whatever he wanted.
Whoever
he wanted, whenever.

"Two. Minutes," Tiffany said again, and the gym doors swung closed behind her.

"That wasn't very nice, Sparrow." He gave Kade a sideways grin.

"Not very nice? She called me a bitch." She patted the pockets on her coat. Nothing. Her fists clenched and unclenched, energy increasing. Unzipping her purse, she dug through it, searching.

"Need something?"

Her eyes narrowed as she glanced up. "No." She lied, her body shuddering slightly where she stood.

"Gotta control that temper of yours." He stepped closer to her. "It's a lot fiercer than I would've pegged you for. It's cute, though," he whispered. "I like it on you. Don't take crap from anyone, do you? Wouldn't have guessed that either, honestly."

"Cute?"

"And when your face gets all red,” he grinned, “sexy."

Kade's entire body might as well have been on fire and she had the overwhelming urge to touch him. Inch a little bit closer, close the gap between them.

Cole's head tilted. "And I thought you only got hot for me."

Her mouth dropped open, and she fought between wanting to kiss him, and wanting to yell. "Your loser of a girlfriend just got in my face. And you're flirting with me like you don't even have a girlfriend. And you kissed me before. At my house." Her voice cracked as she stared at
him. "There's nothing sexy or cute about that if you have a girlfriend. I appreciate you helping me, more than you'll probably ever know, but—" With more effort than she would've imagined, she took a step back.

"Actually, you got in her face." He grinned and closed the space she'd created between them. "We should really go." Reaching for her hand, he started down the hallway.

"Go? But—you." Kade gestured toward the gym. "Did you hear anything I said?"

"I heard everything you said. I have excellent hearing."

"Well?" Her high heels clacked off the floor. "What about
Tiffany?"

"She'll be fine, but I'll let her know you were worried about her later if you want." He gave her a cocky sideways grin.

"What is it with you? One second you're a complete douche and the next you're ... you're..."

"I'm what?" He smiled, the sweetest smile she'd ever seen, and the gym doors flew open with a thwack against the wall.

"What do we have here? The new girl and Cole?”
Alex stood near the doors.

Kade dropped Cole's hand.

"Alex." Cole crossed his arms.

"I heard you were incapacitated. Got the shit beat out of you.
'Bout time."

Cole's arrogant smile returned. "You heard wrong, obviously. That's the problem with the Kinship. They can't tell their head from their ass half the time. It's not your fault. It's in the blood." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

Something about the way Cole spoke...the formality and
politeness of his tone, while still being completely arrogant,
fascinated Kade. He seemed totally at ease in his own skin, while at the same time, an
unharnessed power radiated off of him all the time.

"Was there something you needed to enlighten us with this evening?" Cole asked. "Or were you out for a stroll in the high school
hallway?" His gaze tracked the plain off-white walls with feigned interest. "No one you should be doing rounds to find?"

"Considering the way your face looks, you might want to check your mouth," Alex said. "And my rounds aren't your concern."

"Speaking of the way my face looks, and your obvious ignorance as to how it got that way, where's Kyle?" Cole's smile vanished, replaced by a hard line marking the edges of his strong jaw.

Kyle did that to his lip? His cheek?

"Haven't seen him."

"Well, when you do, let him know that he already earned one strike for touching Kade." Cole's gaze tracked her from head to toe before he faced Alex again. "Let him know that he earned the second strike for yesterday—he’ll understand—and let him know that when I see him, and I will make it a point to see him, that he used up his third and final strike when he ran like the coward that he is."

Alex's eyes narrowed.

Another door opened near the gym's entrance.

"What in the hell are you doing out of bed? Here of all places?" Danny yelled from the end of the hall, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, smears of black dirt everywhere.

"Look, it's my most loyal friend." Cole gave a curt nod. "Dan, I thought you were aware this was a formal event?"

"Alex, if you could excuse us, I have some business to discuss with Cole." Danny walked toward them.

"Jake was looking for Kade earlier." Alex glanced at her. "He thinks you left."

Kade's stomach dropped. She had no issue with Jake, and when
she'd left the gym and gone into the hallway with Cole it was
because she had to. She would've exposed herself if she'd stayed, but she'd had no intention of hurting Jake's feelings.

"I don't give a damn what Jake was looking for," Cole said, before Kade could respond.

"She's not one of your own," Alex said.

Cole cursed. "I swear to god the next person who says that is going to find my fist lodged in their throat."

Kade grinned against her will, glancing at the floor.

"Kade stays with us unless she chooses otherwise." Danny stopped a few feet away, his stance broad. "In which case she stays with Giselle. And Giselle only. Kade?" His green eyes brightened as he glanced at her.

"I'm staying with Cole if that's what you're asking." Girlfriend or not, Kade felt safe just standing next to him.

Cole grinned, a quick, shy smile.

"It's what I'm asking." Danny turned toward Alex. "She stays. And like I said, I have business to discuss, so if you could…"

"Primordial business is my business. And fledglings aren't privy. She goes, I stay."

Cole's head dropped back. "Good god, man, just go. I'm being as nice as I can possibly be at this point. You have no idea."

"Not without Kadence," Alex said. "She doesn't belong with you."

"I am seriously beginning to hate the word: belong," Cole said. "But, you're right. She doesn't belong to me. She doesn't belong to anyone other than herself, but she does have free will, and that free will is what's keeping her standing next to me instead of next to you, or next to Jake. It's easy math."

The gym doors swung open again.

"Really?" Cole said in a bored tone. "Please, join the party, Lindsey. Who's wheeling the dessert table out? Danny, you can carry the punch bowl and the cups. Maybe someone could convince the DJ to set up out here, too. Oh. We can have a dance off. I bet you'll win,
Alex." Cole turned around, reached for Kade's elbow, and tugged her forward, walking away. "Goodnight, everyone," he said without looking back. "It's been thrilling."

"Cole!" Danny shouted.

"I'm fine, Dan. Really."

Danny let out an exaggerated sigh.

***

Cold air hit Kade like a slap and knocked her breath away as they exited the gym. Wrapping her arms around her body, her heels sunk into newly fallen snow.

"My Jeep isn't far." Cole sounded distracted.

She nodded, teeth chattering.

"Come here." He pulled her against him, and warmth radiated
through her body. "Why'd you wear that? I mean you look..." His gaze traced her bare legs. "It's like thirty degrees out here."

"It's a dance. You dress up for dances." She motioned toward his suit.

"Here, wear my jacket." He started unbuttoning it.

"I'm not wearing that," she stuttered. "Then you'll be cold.
Besides, I have a coat—it’s just my legs."

"Are you always so stubborn?" He wrapped both arms around her.

Kade's entire body zinged like a live wire, and she trembled, but it was no longer because of the cold. "Not always."

"If you won't wear my jacket," he whispered, "well—" In one swooping motion he picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "Then I'll just have to carry you to the Jeep. I can't have you getting chilled again. It took me forever to warm you up last time."

With a laugh, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You should put me down. It's obvious you're supposed to be taking it easy. Infirmary?"

"I'm fine. I do keep wondering how you broke the memory
modifier, though. I don't know if that's happened before."

Kade's brow crunched. "If you wish I hadn't remembered anything, then just say that." She tried to wriggle free, but Cole
tightened his grip and leaned forward. Kade thought he was going to kiss her, but he only crouched down a little like a cat.

"I didn't say that.
You're so feisty all the time.
Now, hang on to me. I'll be fast."

"Seriously?" Kade glanced toward the parking lot. "We look stupid. People are staring at us."

"Like I give a damn about anyone who goes to school here. Hang on."

Kade tightened her grip, and he took off. Like a rocket. He shot across campus, weaving in between people, and cars, and they were standing beside his Jeep.

"Fast, huh?" He winked. "Told you."

Kade gazed up at him. Did he really just run with her in his arms?

He set her on her feet and Kade remembered how high off the ground Cole's Jeep was. With a groan, she stared up at the seat, knowing with a short dress and heels, nothing graceful was about to happen. Cole cradled her in his arms again, stood up on the running boards, and set her down on the seat. Kade reached for the center console to steady herself, but her hand slid on the cold leather, and she fell sideways into the driver’s seat.

"All this time I kept thinking maybe you were just clumsy." Cole helped her to sit up with a grunt, and she thought he was favoring
his
right arm. "But, now I'm starting to think it's just when you're near me." He reached across her chest, and she sucked in a breath.
"Seatbelt." Smiling, he
drew it across her lap, clipping it into place.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Sparrow," he whispered and shut her door. "Do I make you nervous?" He climbed into the driver's seat.

"No." Yes. But in a very good way.

He grinned and started the Jeep. Cranking the heat, he directed all the vents toward her. "Better?"

Still shivering,
she nodded, finding it impossible to look away from him.

"Can I ask you something?" He rested his head against his seat. "You and Jake."

Kade raised an eyebrow.

"Is it real?" His clear-eyed gaze held hers. It was the third time he'd asked her about her relationship with Jake. Not that she had a relationship with Jake.

"Real?"

"I came here," he said. "Because I couldn't not come." He motioned to the cut on his mouth. "I'm supposed to be in bed, healing. Danny wasn't lying about that. I'm sure he's a little pissed, but I had to come. I had to know. It's been driving me crazy staring
at those white walls in the infirmary."

"I'm confused. You had to know what?"

"If it's real. What you feel for Jake."

The question shocked her. "You have a girlfriend, Cole." Kade faced her lap, wondering if she should even be in the car alone with him. The answer was no. She shouldn't be. No matter what he'd done, how sweet and incredible he'd been, how safe he made her feel, she still shouldn't be.