Hold Tight (The Embrace Series) (18 page)

I had two answers to scribble in when Mr. Chapin told us to listen up. When he turned his back to the class, I gave Kaylee her worksheet back and mouthed,
Thanks.

While Mr. Chapin discussed the significance of Hester having to wear a large letter A stamped across her chest in
The Scarlet Letter
, I enjoyed my pumpkin spice latte.

The first few periods went by quickly, but halfway through fourth hour, Kaylee figured out that I knew what Josh had planned for her birthday celebration. Her constant begging for me to tell her made lunch the longest fifty minutes in the history of time.

“Josh will kill me if I ruin his surprise,” I said, thankful we didn’t have the next period together. I was sure if she gave me the puppy-dog eyes one more time I’d cave and at least tell her it included sushi.

“Just give me a hint,” she pleaded.

“Can’t. I promised.” I got up, tray in hand, and headed toward the exit.

She followed. “Why’d you do that?”

I hadn’t actually
promised
Josh I wouldn’t tell Kaylee about his surprises, but I wished I’d thought to use that magical loophole an hour ago, because she finally stopped badgering me.

I tossed the rest of my fries into the trash, turned, and bumped into Caden.

“Shouldn’t you be at work?” I asked. I had enough problems without adding a Witch Wannabe to them.

He took my and Kaylee’s trays and deposited both on the tray return. “I’m on lunch break. Do you have a minute?”

“I have to get to class.”

Caden grabbed my wrist, his hand wrapping around one of my fancy iron bracelets. Still no sizzle of flesh. “One minute,” he insisted.

I huffed. “I can’t help you find Emma. Sorry. We done?”

He ignored me and instead addressed Kaylee. “May I borrow Madison, please?”

Kaylee looked at me.

My gaze fell to Caden’s hand. He let go of me. To Kaylee, I said, “It’s fine. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Caden held his arm out to his side. “I’ll walk you to class.”

“Fine.” I led the way, although Caden set the pace to a slow stroll. “Seriously, Caden, Emma’s not worth all this trouble.”

“I’m not here about her.” He stepped in front of me. “Look, normally I stay out of other people’s business, but even I have a code of honor I live by, and trickery is not part of it.”

“What are you talking about?” As I said the words, my powers made the trek down to my fingertips, ready to strike should I need to.

“Reed,” Caden spat. “You know, it never turns out well for a person who’s been marked by the Fae.”

“You know what he is?” I whispered, checking to my left and then my right to make sure no one was listening. “How? Who are you?”

“I can see through his glamour. Call it a gift. I can help you, if you ask.”

“I don’t even know you.” I stepped around him.

Caden kept pace with me. “Sure you do. I’m the Creepy Dude turned Mystery Guy turned Nice Guy watching out for a friend’s brother. Ask me.”

I stopped just outside my next class. “How do you know what I’ve called you?” I’d never said those nicknames aloud. He didn’t answer. “Are you psychic?” Again he was silent.
Asshole.
I waited to see if he got that thought. After a few seconds, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t need help, and your minute’s up.”

With that, I marched into my classroom without looking back, seriously wondering what the hell was up with Caden, who I decided was definitely Creepy Dude squared.

Chapter 16

Intruder

That evening, Chase and I sat at the kitchen table, sharing a frozen pizza and swapping stories about our day. Dad had promised he’d be home early, but these days that meant sometime after seven.

“And then Haley dumped green paint all over Suzy. Suzy cried worse than the baby seals at the zoo. Her mom had to come and bring her new clothes.” He had already told me that Suzy had called Haley’s painting ugly, claiming she knew art when she saw it. Chase assured me that the only thing Suzy knew was how to be mean to Haley.

“I bet Suzy will think twice before insulting someone else’s project again,” I said.

Chase plucked a piece of sausage off his pizza. “They both had to sit on the bench at recess, and Haley has to pay for Suzy’s top.”

There never seemed to be a shortage of drama in his first grade class. In turn, I told him about surprising Kaylee for her birthday and how I had to read twenty pages in
The Scarlet Letter
to catch up on my homework. “Speaking of homework, you got any?”

“Nope.” He pulled the cheese off his pizza and stuffed it into his mouth.

“You know, the whole idea of pizza is to eat the crust, cheese, and toppings together,” I said, handing him a napkin.

We were silent as we munched on dinner. I had told Isaac about Caden’s visit on the way home from school. Based on what Isaac’s grandfather had told him about psychics being able to read minds, sense witches, and see through glamours, we decided Caden had to be a psychic. But we also deduced he wasn’t clairvoyant or else he’d know exactly where to find Emma.

Regardless, neither of us trusted Caden enough to ask him how he intended on helping. Not to mention psychics were extrasensory, but they didn’t possess supernatural abilities. Our coven was already four strong—together we represented the elements: Kaylee earth, me air, Josh water, and Isaac fire. So four witches trumped one psychic in our book.

The wind hit the house, causing the siding to creak. The front screen door rattled too, and I wished I had reminded Dad the screws were loose. I was on my third square of pizza when the floor above us groaned. Chase and I stopped chewing and stared at the ceiling.

“It’s just the wind,” I said, hating how our old house squeaked and moaned on gusty days.

The next noise sounded identical to that of someone stepping on the wobbly floorboard in front of my closet.

It’s just the wind,
I repeated to myself.

But the
eerrrrr
that followed sounded more like the drawer on my nightstand being slowly slid open. Winter’s bony fingers clawed at the siding. Chase chomped on the remainder of his crust, obviously trusting that I knew what I was talking about when I’d said the strange noises were the blustery weather.

“I’m going to make sure I closed my window,” I said as I placed another slice of pizza on his plate.

I glanced up the staircase.
It’s the wind. You’re only checking for peace of mind
.

Climbing two steps, I paused with my fingers curled around the banister as if it were a lifeline. What if I was wrong? What if someone was in the house with Chase and me? The wind hit the front, rattling the screen door forcefully and sending my heart into a frantic jog.

I took a deep breath. “You’re not going to find anything,” I whispered and forced myself to walk up another step. “And you don’t want to worry Chase.” The last thing I needed was for him to see me scared to death in our home. He’d never go upstairs by himself again. That thought was enough to have me taking the remaining steps two at a time.

A sad melody filled with flutes and strings drifted out of my room. The song was too extraordinary to be coming from the radio.

“Finally!” I rushed into my room, expecting to find Brea.

Instead, I found myself alone listening to the longing of what might have been a waltz spilling out of unseen speakers all around me. A cool breeze brushed the nape of my neck. The alluring aroma of meadowsweet mixed with the woodsy scent of pine filled my senses. Brea’s perfume had reminded me of a summer’s day. This was more like the dead of winter.

My pretty bouquet was encased in ice once again. I focused on my powers, hoping they would allow me to see what I knew was just beyond my human sight. I still appeared to be alone. The urge to bolt back down the stairs was strong, but my legs locked in place, frozen in fear. I dug my nails into the palms of my hands to keep from screaming and scaring my brother.

“I know you’re here,” I said, my voice much steadier than my tangled nerves. I kept chanting silently to myself,
Please let it be Brea, please let it be Brea,
even though I knew if she was there, I’d be able to see her. I pulled my powers closer to the surface and let their strength support my trembling knees as I continued to survey the room. “I know what you are.” Silence answered. “I’m wearing iron.” Nothing. “I know it’s your cologne I smell.”

Reed appeared near the window. He stood with a clear flask in one hand. Iridescent blue liquid sloshed back and forth inside it. Instead of workpants and a flannel jacket, he wore khakis and a dark long-sleeved turtleneck.

He looked at the glowing contents of the flask when he spoke. “You’re not wearing enough iron for it to be bothersome, and I’ve no need for cologne.” His voice was as sad and longing as the song that continued its depressing ballad.

“Where’s Brea?” I would have felt safer if she were near.

“She went home.”

Knowing I’d been right about who’d invaded my privacy didn’t make me feel any better about Reed standing in my bedroom and looking back at me with eyes as white as snow. Without his glamour, he was taller and leaner and incredibly handsome. His ears poked out from beneath pale blond hair that looked as if it were spun from silk, and his skin was as smooth and creamy as Brea’s.

My powers itched to be used, but I didn’t want to be the one who scarred such a beautiful face. I could strike lower instead, propel an energy ball right at his rock-hard chest.

What was wrong with me? Who cared if I marred his pretty face? He was a faerie. One who—if Isaac was right—collected human girls for sport, and I was next on his list. Feeling surer about my emotions, I said, “Isaac told me about you.”

“I bet he failed to tell you everything.”

“He told me enough. I’m not going to join your harem.”

“I hardly have a harem.”

“Really, then what are Natalie and that brown-eyed girl to you?”

“You scried. Very good. Annabeth was homeless when I crossed paths with her. She’d run away from an abusive father. I offered her a new life, and she accepted. And Natalie wanted romance. She wanted to be whisked away from the everyday to live a fairy-tale life.”

“She wanted that in her own realm near her family and friends. A girl wanting her version of happily ever after doesn’t mean wanting to leave her existing life behind altogether. Did she even know what you are?”

“When you saw her, did she look in anguish? Was she sad?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t see why you’re upset.”

“You took her from her family! That’s not ‘romance.’”

He raised a shoulder. “Semantics.”

“You’re a cold-hearted bastard, you know that?”

Reed took a sip of the curious blue liquid and then held the flask out to me. A tantalizing, fruity bouquet nuzzled my nostrils.

I shook my head.

“Did Isaac tell you how we first met?” There was a bitter edge to his words.

“You need to leave.” I stepped aside, providing a clear path to the door.

Instead of taking the hint, Reed placed the flask on my nightstand and took a seat on my bed.

“We were courting the same girl,” he said, his voice like the purest honey. “She was special, as you are.”

“She possessed the powers?”

“She did. Only, unlike you, she not only invited me into her world, she was happy to see me.”

“She cast the same spell I did?” I interrupted again. This girl must have been the one to write
Dellis
and
Rhoswen
in Isaac’s book. But if Reed expected me to be glad he was in my personal space, drawing lazy circles on my comforter with his long fingers, he was sadly mistaken.

“Yes, although I see now she had better manners than you.”

“Since you liked her so much, why don’t you go torment her?”

“Maddie,” Chase bellowed up the stairs, startling me. I’d almost forgotten Reed and I weren’t completely alone. “I’m done!”

I quickly stepped into the hall so that my brother wouldn’t run upstairs. “Wash your hands and go watch TV,” I hollered.

“’Kay!” His small feet thudded all the way from the foyer into the powder room downstairs.

Reed’s unearthly music continued to seep into my pores.

“Shall I go on?” he asked.

“Do I have a choice?” I replied, exasperated yet curious about how Reed and Isaac had come to date the same girl.

Reed’s lips quirked upward into a coy smile. “Heather was stunning. She had crystallized amber eyes and silky caramel-brown hair. She was tall and slim with some of the most delicate features I have ever seen on a human.”

Feeling suddenly inadequate compared to the girl Reed described as perfect, I fought the urge to run my hand over my hair to smooth it. I didn’t dare look at my reflection in the mirror. I knew what I’d see: an average girl who hadn’t brushed her hair since she’d gotten out of the shower that morning and whose makeup had faded hours ago. Reed’s voice was soothing, though. Like a child’s lullaby.