ICE (The Benders Series) (15 page)

“So you think my dad is evil?” Kenna was entirely insulted by such a statement. Bashing her father was no way to reach her heart.

“No,” Jon corrected, “I think he
was
evil, but changed his ways. Can’t hold that against him.”

“And why would you say something like that? What evidence do you have to make such a statement? Because if you for some reason think that you are above my dad, you can go ahead and think again,” she shot back angrily as she removed her arm from his.

“So you are going to defend the man who didn’t tell you that you were a flame moiety? The man that lied to you for your whole life? Did you ever think that he lied to you to protect himself? To hide all the terrible things he’s done?” he contended as he came to a halt on the path. “I told you that I thought I was walking into a trap. Why would I have said that if I wasn’t expecting you or your father to attack me?”

Kenna had stopped too and managed to fold her arms across her chest. “Maybe ice benders are the bad guys, that’s why. Maybe you are just spying on me and my dad.”

“Why would your father allow you to date me if he thought I was a villain? He knows full well that flame benders are always the instigators,” he argued again, a little irritated that she would attack him after such a wonderful date. “I brought you pizza. Bad guys don’t buy pizza!”

Kenna glared at him but quickly felt her face begin to soften. Jon had just told her that he loves her, that he might even want to marry her someday. And here she was, questioning his integrity. As stubborn as she was, she knew that she was in the wrong.

She took a deep breath. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “You’re probably right.”

“I am right,” he almost yelled back at her. He let his anger fade too though and once again began to walk the path. Kenna took a stroll next to him but couldn’t bring herself to take his arm.

“So why do you say that flame benders are evil?” she asked, a little timid as she could see that he was still a little upset.

He sighed. His sigh a form of relief for both of them. “Not all flame benders are evil, I suppose,” he admitted. “But most of them are. They don’t believe that ice and flame should coexist like they do. They say the world would be better without ice benders and without ice in general.”

“But it’s all just talk? Do they try to melt polar ice or something?” she asked innocently, decided that she would indeed take his arm again.

He looked at her as she did it. His expression not an angry one, but a loving one. “Mostly,” he said turning his gaze forward again. “We’ve been on the edge of war for quite some time though. My mother was a peace guardian at one point, and she said ice and flame always seemed to be on the brink of battle. But as far as I know, nothing has happened, or at least not in a decade or two.”

“What happened a decade ago?” Kenna inquired, her curiosity always growing.

“There were assassinations. Several ice benders died, but the flame benders never took credit for the deaths. We all know it was them, but there was just no evidence. And ice benders, being the more peaceful group, decided not to act on their suspicions and just wait to gather more evidence. Evidence that never came and the attacks seemed to stop,” he explained. “Or at least that’s the story I know.”

“I see. So, you don’t think my dad was in that crowd or anything, do you?”

He shrugged his shoulders as they turned to take a path that would lead them back to his truck. “It’s tough to say. There are only so many full blooded benders out there, and your father is one of them,” he said. “I imagine that he was high up on the chain at one point.” He could see the look of disappointment come over her. “But I guess my mom and I are full bloods, and we aren’t exactly in the loop. My mother was at one point but took time off to raise and teach us. Kinda like your dad.”

Kenna appreciated his comparison, but none of it sat well with her. She knew her father had done a lot of traveling for business at one point and that he did altogether hate the idea of flame bending now. Those two facts made her feel like he’d done and seen a lot in his time as a bender.

“I suppose,” she agreed. For some reason, she felt as though she couldn’t pass such information on to Jon. The last thing she wanted to do was further strain their relationship.

“But I suppose it’s getting late,” he noticed. “I suppose I should take you home?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. For how high the highs of the evening had been, the lows were certainly low. As happy as she’d been, now she was very worried. Her head was swirling with thoughts of her father being a plotter or worse, a murderer.

“Sorry,” Jon apologized as they reached the truck. They’d both been silent for the last several minutes of the walk back. “I didn’t mean to say that your dad is a bad guy. Obviously, he’s not now, and that’s what matters.”

She nodded but the worry was still spelled out across her face. “Just a lot to think about,” Kenna commented, not wanting to seem too distressed.

“I know. I don’t mean to throw everything at you,” he replied. “But I am an asshole, so what do you expect?” he joked.

And it was just enough for Kenna to let a small smile escape her determined frown. As Jon shifted his truck into drive and made the short trip back to the Rosen household, the pair managed to make lighthearted conversation.

Kenna took a deep and dreading breath as he parked. She stepped out of the vehicle, as did Jon, and he walked her slowly across the street.

“The stars are beautiful tonight,” he pointed out, seeing that Kenna remained overwhelmed with the information he’d passed on to her the evening.

Kenna stopped in the middle of the road and looked up.

It was true. The stars were shining as brightly and breathtakingly as ever. Somehow, the view managed to sooth her, if only for a moment. “They look like snow,” she said, captivated by the twinkling lights that hung so effortlessly in the blackened sky.

“A lot of them are fire, suns even,” Jon said as he took her hand and looked upward with her. “Even our sun is made of fire. So clearly not all fire is bad.”

Kenna left out an unintentional laugh. “Yea, not until you get too close, and it burns you to ash.”

Jon smiled. “I suppose that’s fair. But still, as far as you are concerned, I’d prefer not to keep any distance.”

She rolled her eyes at the sappy statement. The Colewell laughed, too, the romantic words too corny for him to keep a straight face for long.

Despite their reactions, Jon still saw it as a perfect moment. As she glanced up at the stars again, he reached for her face and drew her upward for a soft and tender kiss. Though the kiss may have literally burned from the heat, the sparks that they felt shoot through them at the touching of their lips was enough for both of them to let out a euphoric shiver.

“Worth it every time,” he said as they opened their eyes and stared deeply into the others.

Kenna smirked as she flung her arms around him for a brief hug. “I don’t feel like going home,” she said as she let him go and stepped backward towards her house.

“You should sleep. And stop thinking,” he shot quickly. “Don’t worry too much.”

Kenna rolled her eyes again and took yet another deep breath. “Easy for you to say,” she replied as she began to walk away from the handsome boy.

“Have a good night. I love you,” he said again as she disappeared into the darkness and through the entry door.

Good night
? She thought.
Cause I’ll be able to sleep with a murderer in the house
. She took a few deep breaths and marched to her room. How could she possibly trust her father?

CHAPTER TWELVE

Bedrooms.

Whether the average teenager wanted to admit it or not, bedrooms were a very “exciting” place to be.

And with that thought in mind, Kenna was bent on getting into Jon’s. At least for a few minutes. Having been together for over three months, she figured she was entitled to a little messing around. Jon seemed to have been getting used to the sting of their kisses as he’d been more physically affectionate than usual lately. He didn’t even really blister anymore, which to Kenna meant that he was adjusting quite quickly, quickly enough that she felt comfortable pushing things a bit if given the opportunity.

Kenna ran her fingers through her hair one more time as she exited the bathroom and made her way downstairs.

“Awfully low cut, don’t you think?” her father asked as she walked into the kitchen for a drink of water. Kenna decided to take Jon’s advice and had let go of her ill feeling toward her dad shortly after she’d felt them. After all, he was good now so why incriminate him about the possibilities of him having a bad past.

Kenna looked down at the rather modest v-neck sweater she was wearing. “Not really,” she laughed as she sipped happily on the drink.

“You’ll behave yourself and be home by eleven?” he clarified as he put away a few more pots and pans.

“Yes, Dad,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about anything. I told you, Jon wants to wait on all that.”

“Mhm,” he said, obviously unconvinced. “Well, I’m trusting you,” he added, with a forced parental confidence.

“Awesome,” Kenna replied. “I’ll be home later,” she promised as she galloped out the door and into her vehicle.

The five-minute drive was about all she could handle, her joy making her glow as she stepped out of her vehicle and into the front yard of the Colewell residence. Jon was waiting outside like the arrogant gentleman that he was and walked up to her to take her arm.

“So where is everyone today?” Kenna asked anxiously, hoping the answer was far away.

“Oh, everyone’s around,” he answered, his words forcing a look of disappointment to come across her face. “I told them we were going to watch a movie downstairs this evening, so they’ll all be hanging out upstairs for the most part hopefully,” he went on to say, apparently having read her mind.

Kenna immediately smiled. “Perfect,” she said. “It’ll be nice to have a little bit of privacy indoors for once.”

“If you say so,” Jon replied as they strode into the house together.

Kenna took a good look at the Colewell as he climbed the front steps. He was wearing a wonderfully thin shirt and casual black athletic shorts. His biceps and deltoids clung tightly to the short sleeves, and his butt wasn’t the only bulge she could see from her current view of Jon’s toned and masculine bottom half.

She swiftly reverted her gaze to the door in front of them before she could start drooling.

“Checking me out, huh?” he chuckled. “I hope you like what you see.”

Kenna’s face immediately went red when she realized she’d been caught. She rolled her eyes and gave the boy a hard push, enough to throw him off balance and off the first step. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she shot, though her blushing face was another give away of her feelings of attraction toward him.

Jon, of course, took the push as a challenge and came barreling back at her. He crouched down and lifted her by the waist and over one of his solid shoulders.

“Jon, knock it off. Put me down,” she demanded though she was laughing at the same time.

He opened the door and continued to carry her as she beat on his back to be let down. “Jon, my butt in way up in the air. Your family is in there!” she said more seriously this time.

“Perfect. They can enjoy the view, too,” he said as her gave her heinie a little tap with his other hand.

Having no more time for the games and growing increasingly embarrassed, Kenna forced herself to resort to warlike tactics. She quickly lifted his shirt and pressed her hand hard on his cold back. The skin to skin contact would surely be enough to catch him off guard.

And it did. He immediately arched his back and flung her around, mistakenly dropping her to the ground in the process. “Not fair,” he cried as he fixed his shirt and rubbed the spot on his back where she’d burned him.

“Gotta play to my advantages,” Kenna laughed as she brushed herself off and found herself once again standing next to her date.

“Whoa, what’s all the commotion over here!” came Bryce’s voice as he came into the entry area.

“Just asserting my dominance,” Kenna rejoined.

Bryce raised both eyebrows. “And that was too much information.”

They all laughed a little as they made their way to dinner. For the first time since she started dating Jon, they actually sat through a smooth and delightful dinner with his family. Though she still felt like Bryce was the only one who completely and truly accepted her, the others seemed to be trying to wrap their heads around Jon dating a flame moiety.

After they all wrapped up the dinner and chatted for a bit, Jon announced that he and Kenna would be headed downstairs for a movie date and were not to be disturbed unless necessary. Elisa, of course, shook her head and gave her son a very stern and warning glance.

“We will behave,” Kenna assured them. Hating to lie, she quickly added, “Let’s face it, we can hardly touch each other, what could he possibly do?”

Jon’s mother seemed unconvinced, just as her father had been, but agreed to let them have a bit of privacy, though she added that she’d be checking on them on occasion.

“Don’t worry about her,” Jon said once they made their way downstairs and out of earshot. “She actually has to go shopping this evening. She always goes shopping on Sunday evenings.”

“You sure?”

“Positive,” he guaranteed. “My mother is a woman of routine. And quite frankly she knows that we can hardly touch. She’s not that worried.”

“You do seem to be in less pain though,” Kenna noted. “Are you getting used to this hotness or what?”

At the comment, Jon rolled his eyes and proceeded to take a seat on the couch. He patted the seat next to him to indicate where she should sit.

“So what movie would you prefer, your royal hotness?” he asked after giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Yeah, I am getting used to you,” he agreed as he reached for the remote. Kenna tried to hide her excitement as he asked again. “So what movie would you like?”

“I’m okay if you’d rather just watch ESPN. Otherwise, I like probably every Disney movie in the book,” she answered honestly.

He turned to her with a look of dread. “You want to watch a Disney movie? Hardly a romantic date if we are watching Disney.”

“How about
Frozen
? You could probably relate to those characters,” she taunted as she curled her head into his chest.

“Here,” he said, placing a pillow on his lap so she could rest her head there.

Without hesitation, she placed her head on the pillow and fell into a very comfortable rest. Jon grabbed the blanket he had set out earlier and pulled it over her.

“Now all we need is some Disney,” she commented. “But I’m good with ESPN too. Whatever you want, I’m comfy.”

“Let’s face it. When a woman says ‘whatever you want’ it means ‘whatever I want, or you die’,” he joked as he scrolled through the Disney movies on Netflix. “I suppose
The Jungle Book
isn’t that bad,” he admitted, turning on the movie and making himself comfortable as well.

At first, he kept one hand resting on the blanket where Kenna’s waist synched in underneath it and the other on the armrest to his left. But as the movie progress, his left hand began to play with her natural blond hair and the other slid under the blanket and caressed her waist with only her pink shirt between their longing skins.

“I haven’t seen this movie in forever,” Kenna commented, trying to keep things somewhat casual. She could tell Jon was nervous by how he was breathing and by how timidly his right hand held her.

“Yeah,” he agreed, not seeming too interested in conversation.

His lack of response was quite flattering as his hand slid ever upward until it sat gripping the collar of her v-neck shirt.

Kenna could feel her heart racing. Technically he wasn’t even touching her, but she could feel his coolness through any layer of fabric, and it was beginning to make her lose it. She swallowed hard as if it might hide the power of her pounding heart or decrease the rate of her loud and quickening breathing.

“You have no idea,” he said as he swallowed as well. Kenna had been so busy focusing on herself that she hadn’t noticed how deep Jon’s breathing had become or how he was almost shaking beneath her.

She closed her eyes and pressed his hand against her shirt so that it caressed one of her breasts. They sighed simultaneously at the touch, her breast fitting perfectly in his rough and icy hand. He didn’t move his hand at first but began to stroke his thumb over her perfect little curves.

“Just kiss me,” she blurted, unable to control her progressively dirty thoughts.

Jon, however, didn’t think twice about her words as he threw the pillow to the side and practically lifted the girl to sit next to him. Before either of them could form another rational thought, Jon’s mouth was on hers as if two magnets being held apart were finally able to physically connect.

Even if she wanted to, Kenna couldn’t form a rational thought. His cold hands were clinging desperately to her face, their touch sending euphoric shivers down her spine. Her hands became suddenly alive as well as she began to tug on his shirt, pulling his body ever closer to hers. As if practiced, Jon then swung an arm around her small waist and forced her against his masculine form.  He leaned closer and closer until he had her laying on her back where he could position himself more securely on top of her.

Kenna felt her arms reach around him, and her fingers begin to dig into his muscles. His lips were coming harder now, stronger and wilder than before. With each striking of their lips came more passion, more heat, and less control.

Just when Kenna became satisfied with how things were going, Jon abruptly pushed himself off of her and shriveled away from her as if scared.

“What gives?” Kenna asked, hardly able to form words through her heavy breathing. She hadn’t sat up to observe him, but if she had she would have thought twice about asking such a question. When he didn’t answer, she lifted her head to see that Jon had curled up on the opposite side of the couch and was hiding his face in his hands.

“Are you okay?” she asked apologetically this time. “Was it hurting you?” He shook his head no as Kenna took a sit next to him. “Then what is it? Was it that bad?” she shrugged, starting to feel a little embarrassed.

At this, Jon removed his face from his hands. His face had become freakishly pale, and his eyes had begun to turn white as well.

“I suppose now is a good time to get something off my chest,” he said, his breathing still heavy.

“Or get onto mine,” Kenna mumbles inaudibly. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I have a bit of a temper problem,” he explained, too ashamed to make eye contact with the girl.

Kenna laughed. “Yea, you couldn’t get that one by me. Though I’m not sure what that has to do with anything at this particular moment,” she replied, doing her best not to be too disappointed with their cease in kissing.

“Well, it’s not a normal temper problem, Kenna,” he said very seriously. “I go into these manic rages where I lose control over myself.”

“Like when your eyes go all white and creepy?” she asked, still attempting to add some levity.

Jon, however, didn’t appreciate her jokes. “This is serious, Kenna. I’m one outburst away from being sent up North. I could really hurt someone, even you.”

At this, she became gravely serious as well. “Can I do something to help?” she asked. “I’m just not sure what you are getting at.”

Jon shook his head again. “I don’t know if we can kiss. I’m too attracted to you,” he admitted, looking downward. “Even now, I’m sure I haven’t returned to normal color. I can’t overheat like that. I can’t. I’ll lose it, and I could hurt you.”

Kenna nodded, doing her best to understand. “Well, what exactly happens when you go into one of these rages?” she inquired concernedly as she inched closer to him to add some comfort.

He sighed, still unable to look at her. “I start bending. Usually, I have some kind of target. Like if my mom and I argue I bend ice at her. I can’t control it when I’m too emotional. I just can’t. And kissing you… it’s just too much I think,” he tried to explain, clearly disappointed as well. “I thought maybe I could. But just that two minutes was almost too much.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond or how to comfort him as she was quite saddened by such news.

“How do you come out of a rage then?” she inquired, hoping that conversing would ease their pain.

“My body temperature has to return to its cold self, and my emotions have to settle. It’s not an exact science. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of people like me to experiment on to find the best method,” he said, lifting his head as he took a few deep breaths.