Emanare (Destined, #1) (19 page)

CHAPTER 23

Sam lay on her bed, resting her head against her fluffy white down pillow, pondering everything that had just occurred. Her wing bumps began to hurt so she switched to her side. They still hadn’t gotten any larger, and fortunately the uncomfortable itching had stopped. But her wings were definitely forming; she could feel them developing. It seemed she felt stronger every minute. An unbelievable energy, like she had downed a case of Red Bull, minus the shaky I-want-to-jump-out-of-my-own-skin feeling. She was full of life, even though the life she knew was coming to an end.

Sam reflected on her conversation with her mother. She had seemed so vulnerable in the hospital. A side of her mother she hadn’t seen since her parents’ divorce. And now she had to leave her, just when she had started to understand her. They could finally have a meaningful mother-daughter relationship, one built on mutual understanding. Suddenly, the thought of not having her mother around to offer her unsolicited opinions made Sam feel afraid and alone. She had taken her mother’s love for granted and never fully appreciated how hard she’d worked to support her as a single mother.

Sam buried her face in her hands and ran her fingers through her smooth, board-straight blond hair, clutching the back of her head in her hands. It was unbelievable that, of all people, Vicky was her protector—the thought had never crossed her mind.
Which archangel would entrust my life to Vicky?—Michael, Gabriel, Rafael
.
Maybe they weren’t paying attention or had taken the day off the day my protector was assigned.

But her supernatural friends had protected her, not Vicky. Lauren was missing, and Vicky refused to help find her. Ann couldn’t know they suspected Lauren had been taken by a demon. Thinking of Ann, Sam realized she hadn’t heard from her all day. She was sure Ann would have come sprinting into her room after her Biology class, asking about Lauren.

She stretched, extending her legs over the edge of her bed, and placed her feet on the floor. Her muscles were stretched so tightly, they felt like elastic bands that could snap at any moment. A hot shower would help her loosen her aching muscles. Then she’d go find Ann.

Sam let the warm water run over her. She inhaled the steam, letting the moist, dense air rise into her nose and settle down into her lungs. After washing her hair with her pomegranate-almond-scented shampoo, she drenched her mesh scrubby ball with lavender body wash and did her best to remove all of her stress. A shower was just what she needed to relax and clear her mind.

Sam drew the curtain back. Ann stood in the bathroom, only a foot from the tub. Sam slipped trying to grab the curtain to cover herself up. Ann stared at Sam catatonically.

“Ann, are you okay?”

Ann mumbled something inaudible.

“What’s wrong with you? Could you hand me my towel?” Sam wrapped her arms around her body, shivering and doing her best to cover herself.

Ann didn’t blink. “S-sorry, S-sam,” she slurred. Ann handed Sam her towel, extending her arm with a shaky hand. She stumbled out of the bathroom in a groggy trance-like state. Sam wrapped her towel around herself and followed Ann into her room, but the dormitory door slammed shut. Ann had disappeared into the hallway.

Sam hurried back into her room, feeling desperate to speak with Chase. She slipped on a pair of skinny jeans, an eggplant-colored long-sleeved shirt that dipped in the front, exposing a hint of Sam’s not-so-voluptuous cleavage, and a pair of black ballet flats. She threw her hair back, not bothering to dry it, and dabbed on concealer, blush, mascara and an application of her rose-colored lip gloss.

Chase answered, wedging the door open only enough to peer out at her. “What, Samantha?”

“When are you going to stop being mad at me?”

“I don’t know,” he said flatly.

“You’re being ridiculous.” Sam used her shoulder to put her weight into the door. Chase held it securely. She pushed harder. He resisted even more. “Stop acting like a child.” With a deep breath, Sam channeled all of her energy into the door, hurling herself into it. It flung open, sending Chase flying onto his roommate’s bed, both feet in the air with his back flat against the mattress. The door smashed into the closet door with a loud crash and bounced back into Sam. She shot her hand up quickly, blocking the door before it hit her.

“Shit, Samantha…you’re strong! And your reflexes! That door should’ve swung back and hit you.”

“I’m stronger than you now.” Sam smiled, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Hardly,” he grunted. Chase pulled himself upright and balanced on the wadded ball his roommate had made out of his comforter. “I let you push the door open.”

“Seriously, are you okay? I didn’t mean to.” Sam shut the door, wanting to check if she’d hurt him, but also not wanting to invade his personal space.

“I think I need a hug. My shoulder hurts.” Chase pouted, rotating his shoulder in backward circles.

Screw personal space. He was acting like an ass. “Aren’t you supposed to be a tough football player? And you don’t get a hug. You lied to me. You never told me that you spied on me at Evrik’s.”

“Yes, I did.” He fell backward attempting to roll off the comforter mound and got tied up into the sheets. “I told you I was the bat.”

“The blue-eyed deer?”

“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell you. Trust me, I told you before you lost your memory. We’ve already had this conversation, Samantha.”

“You still lied by omission.”

“So I’m supposed to tell you everything I’ve done since we’ve known each other. That might take a while.” Chase finally freed himself from the wadded cotton nightmare his roommate called bedding.

“I guess you’re right,” Sam accepted. “Are there any other things you want to tell me about before I remember them myself?”

“No—” He teetered off of his roommate’s bed, grimacing as he removed a pair of worn boxers from his lap. “You should know that I stood frozen in the cold for hours. And thanks for your help, by the way. Yeah—I saw you that day. You just left me there, frozen. You could’ve at least thrown a blanket around me.”

“It serves you right for spying on—” her words snapped. Everything suddenly went black.

Sam stumbled over a pile of laundry and dropped to her knees, landing on the cushion of khakis, a long-sleeved Polo, and a heap of stinky socks.

She felt like razor blades were slicing through her head.
Damn Vicky
. She was probably upstairs roaring with laughter, delighted by the pain the memories created. Her memories were becoming more intense and occurring more frequently now. She clutched her head tightly at the tidal wave of smells, images and sounds…

“Sam—Are you okay? You don’t look well. I’m really worried about you.” Chase paced back and forth from one side of Sam’s dorm room to the other, finally stopping right in front of her.

“I’m fine, Chase.” She stood firmly between her bed and Lauren’s.

“Don’t tell me you’re fine. You don’t ever leave the dorm without Alea or Evrik, except to eat and go to class. What’s going on? Is it Evrik?” His brows dipped accusingly. 

“No, Evrik hasn’t done anything.” Sam turned away, placing her stare on the bathroom door, anywhere other than Chase’s disappointed frown.

“Don’t lie to me, Samantha. If you aren’t with him, you’re with Alea. They’re strange. There’s something off about both of them. Haven’t you noticed?”

Sam ignored Chase’s comment. She walked over to her bed, pulling down her comforter and fluffing her pillow. “Chase—is there something you need? If not, I’d like to get ready for bed.”

“Get ready for bed?” his voice growled
—
literally growled, like Sam’s childhood pet German Shepherd. “It’s a Saturday night and you want to go to bed at eight.” His irritated growl turned into a persuasive whisper. Sam felt like her friend was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, only Hyde was an angry dog, not a misanthrope. “Samantha—please come out with me. We can go get something to eat—off campus, or walk around the mall, anything to get you off this campus.”

Walk around the mall. He must really be desperate, Sam thought.

“I can’t. You don’t understand. Evrik will be here soon. Please—Chase—just leave,” Sam pleaded.

“Evrik—” Chase’s face turned beet-red and he started to shake. “Come to think of it, I’m going to stay right here with you tonight. We can all hang out—the three of us. I have a few things I’d like to discuss with Evrik anyway.”

Sam had to laugh. “You have totally lost your mind. Get out. Go do whatever jughead jocks do on Saturday nights and leave me alone to spend time with my boyfriend.” She pointed to the door, stomping into the bathroom to compose herself. Moments later she reentered her room, but Chase was gone. She had obviously hurt his feelings. 

Evrik only came by for an hour. Sam really did want to go to bed. She told Evrik she would be going to Chase’s game Monday night. Sam felt really bad about how she’d treated him. Chase was only trying to help, and he was right—she did feel trapped.

Evrik was much more understanding than Chase was, as always.  “Whatever you need to do,” Evrik had said. “Chase is right. You need to leave this campus and experience your college life. I was wrong to trap you in my own fears. I’m sorry.”

“But what about the Kavari?” Sam had asked.

“Don’t worry about the Kavari. I’ll deal with them.” Sam could tell he was torn between protecting her and wanting her have a normal college life.

It was Monday night. She hadn’t spoken to Evrik or Chase since Saturday. English class had been canceled, so her hopes of seeing Evrik were crushed. Sam felt torn in two. Lauren and Ann offered to go to the game with her. Vicky was not as understanding. Sam wondered why Vicky even cared. Sam wished she could tell her human friends the real reason for her hermit-like behavior.

The game started at seven. Sam, Lauren, and Ann chose seats near the front of the stands, right behind the team. Sam hoped Chase would see her. She needed him to see how sorry she was.

After the team entered the field, Chase gave her a nod from the sideline, indicating that things were okay between them. He played really well, running the ball into the end zone for the winning touchdown. Sam was amazed at how he plowed through the defensive players like they were standing still—and they were big guys. 

After the game, Chase met Sam next to the entrance of the stadium, wearing a goofy smile. “Hey, you,” he said.

“Hey yourself.” They shared a laugh.

“Are we talking again?”

“I hope so. Who else is going to barge into my room every day to bother me with his continuous rambling?” 

“Where did everyone go?” Chase asked.

“They left. I told them I was going to wait for you.” She touched his arm.

“I’m glad you did.” He smiled warmly.

“Me, too.”

“Where’s Evrik?” he asked briskly.

“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him since Saturday night. He’s probably just giving me my space.”

“Good, I’m glad to have you to myself,” he said, looping one arm around her and guiding her into his chest. She was relieved to hear his playful response.