In the Shadows (13 page)

“What’s a little overboard? Please tell me there isn’t going to be another ball.” I gasp as they all exchanged a guilty look. “No!”

“It’ll be fine. This time I’ll be there,” Jacoby whispers huskily in my ear before kissing my cheek.

“When is this dreadful event supposed to take place?” I ask grudgingly.

“That part’s supposed to be a surprise,” Jacoby says with a smirk.

“Not cool.”

“I will tell you, it’s not going to interfere with prom this weekend.” He smiles slyly.

Despite the threat of a birthday ball, the rest of the day is fine, great even, until the final bell rings and I realize that the only thing that would’ve made today more perfect is if Hannah and I could’ve made up. Unfortunately I didn’t see her at all today.

“Why the frown, Lark?” Jacoby asks as we’re walking out to my car. 

“Hannah wasn’t here today.”

“Are you sure? I thought I saw her this morning.”

“She wasn't in class.”

“Maybe she skipped? You know, maybe she just wanted to avoid you today?” He says carefully.

“Yeah, maybe.”

Jacoby stares at me with a pondering look in his eyes before saying, “I know everyone else is waiting until your party to give you your presents but—” He smiles slyly as he slides the key to my car out of my hands. “I get to drive though.”

“Where are we going?”

“Now if I could tell you that I wouldn’t have to drive now would I?”

Jacoby drives down Tuttle Creek Blvd until we are so far outside of the Manhattan city limits that I’m not even really sure where we are anymore. He turns onto a steep side road that winds down into a valley tucked inside a heavily wooded area. We pull up to a tiny white paint-chipped house that has one window with broken blue shutters and a wrap-around porch complete with a splintered wooden porch swing that looks as if it would collapse under the slightest weight.

“Where are we?”

“This,” he gestures widely, “is my house. Well, at least the home address the school has on file as my house.”

“Do you ever stay here?”

“Eh, occasionally. When I’m not on overnight duty watching you anyway.”

I don’t worry so much about Grey and Adele’s lack of sleep since they are pure Light Elves and don’t require as much sleep as humans and Half-bloods do. But I always feel bad when Jacoby has to guard overnight since he goes through about five cups of coffee and at least two shots of those 5-hour Energy drinks the next day.

We step up on the creaky porch and he digs the key out from underneath the dirty Welcome mat.

He follows me in and flips on a light switch revealing that the inside of the house is just as run-down as the outside, although it appears to be tidy. There aren’t even any unwashed dishes in the sink.

“Don’t be too impressed,” Jacoby says in response to my thought. “I rarely eat here.”

“Why do you stay here at all? You have such a nice room in Álfheimr,” I ask curiously.

“It’s less hostile here,” he replies with a shrug and a piece of my heart breaks because I remember what it was like when I first got to Álfheimr. As much as I tried not to let it bother me, I hated the whispers and stares that accompanied me wherever I went in the castle. There was really no way anyone could deny that I belonged there, I am Alberico’s daughter after all, illegitimate or not. But Jacoby lived with the Dark Elves for most of his life so even though his mother was a Light Elf, his loyalties remain in question in the minds of most of the Light Elves.  Jacoby has never let on that it really affected him until now.

“I didn’t realize it bothered you so much,” I tell him as I wrap my arms around his waist.

“It’s fine. Really. I’ll get over it. It’s just nicer here.” He laughs as I gaze dubiously around the rundown shack. “Well, I mean, not really in that sense but it’s quiet and peaceful here.”

“Is it safe for you though? To be here alone?”

“I can take care of myself,” he says with a smirk. “Stay here for a minute.”

He steps into what I assume is his bedroom and returns with two badly wrapped gifts. I can’t help but laugh a little.

“Next time I’m hiring someone to wrap your presents for me,” he says.

“Don’t. I like it better like this.”

He hands me the bigger of the two first. As soon as it’s in my hands I have a hunch that it’s a book. He used so much tape to compensate for his lack of wrapping abilities that it’s hard to actually rip into the pink crinkly paper. Once I do, I realize he has given me a copy of my favorite book, which seems funny since he knows I already have one. I’ve only read it about ten times in the short amount of time he’s known me.

“I know you have a copy. But open it up.”

I do as he says and realize that not only has it been signed by the author, but it’s been personalized to me.

“No way! Oh my gosh! How did you get this?” I squeal shamelessly, hugging the book to my chest.

“I used my powers of persuasion,” he grins excitedly.

“It’s perfect! Thank you so much!”

“You’re not done yet,” he says, handing me the second box. It’s much smaller than the first and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that this is a jewelry box. I gingerly lift the silver lid off the box to reveal a white gold necklace with a bird in flight suspended from the chain.

A lark.

“I saw it and knew I wanted you to have it.” He takes the necklace out of the box and fastens it around my neck, kissing my shoulder before turning me around to face him so he could see it on me. The chain is slightly shorter than the amulet that Alberico gave me months ago to help me transport on my own. I know from the moment he fastens it around my neck that, like the amulet, I’ll never take it off.

“It’s beautiful. I love it!” I stand on my tippy toes so I am eye level with him. “I love you.”

“Better than Old Navy?” he teases.

“A million times better. I couldn’t have picked out more perfect gifts myself.”

“So,” I start. “Are we alone?”

“Yeah.” He makes a show of looking around the room.

“I mean really alone.”  His eyes light with understanding as he realizes that I’m referring to his assigned partner on duty.

“Um…” He gazes intently out the window before chuckling, clearly amused. “Actually we are. I guess Adele decided to disappear for the moment.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I can’t see her aura anymore.”

I’m going to have to thank her for this later.

“So we aren’t going to be interrupted anytime soon?” I ask demurely.

“For the time being anyway.” He tilts his head to the side, obviously confused by my line of questioning. I take his hand and pull him over to the faded floral couch sitting against the wall in the living room. He doesn’t sit down right away and is still looking at me like I’m nuts so I set my new book down on the coffee table and gently push him down onto the couch before climbing into his lap. I stifle a giggle when his eyes widen in surprise.

Get the drift now?

I hear his heart pounding in sync with my own and I take a moment to appreciate the way his green eyes sparkle mischievously and the way his auburn hair falls casually in front of his eyes. His cheeks are scruffy but I don’t mind. He licks his lips nervously.

“Mia,” he whispers, right before I press my lips firmly on his. Though he’s hesitant at first, I begin to trail light kisses down his neck and he finally gives in, gripping me around the waist, pulling me closer to him.

Our lips collide and the fluttering in my stomach takes full flight. I feel like I’m being lifted off the earth, flying amongst the clouds closer and closer to the sun until my entire body is blissfully on fire. Jacoby shifts, lowering me gently onto my back. He hovers above me as he lifts off his shirt. I run my hands over his taut stomach, up to his chest and wrap my hand around his neck, pulling him back down to me.

There’s a new eagerness in the way that his lips dance with my own. I lower my hands to the hem of my shirt and as I start to yank it up, he grabs my hands firmly.

“We’ve got to stop,” he whispers huskily, his breath ragged as he breaks the kiss.

“Why?” I ask breathlessly.

“Because we shouldn’t do this and if we don’t stop now, it’s going to be impossible for me to control myself.”

I bite my lip teasingly in response. “What if I don’t want to stop?” The whispered words hang in the air for a moment.

“Our first time is not going to be on this ratty old couch.”

“What if I don’t care?” I retort stubbornly as I arch my back and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling myself up so our eyes and lips are aligned.

“I care—so we need to stop.” He pulls both of my hands down from around his neck, shifting our bodies into a much more PG sitting position. He must’ve seen the disappointment in my eyes. “Believe me, that was much harder than I made it seem.”

He kisses my cheek and when I still refuse to crack a smile he starts tickling me until I’m in tears from laughing so hard.

“Okay, okay, I give up trying to seduce you,” I say between giggles. “I solemnly swear I’ll never do it again.”

He stops abruptly.  “I didn’t say never do it again.” He reaches down and pulls me back into a sitting position on his lap. “I just said I didn’t want it to happen on this couch.” He smirks mischievously and the wheels start turning in my head.

Hmmmm, prom is coming up
.

As soon as I think it, his suggestive smile widens and my breath hitches in response to his smoldering gaze. He suddenly closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, leaning forward so our foreheads are touching.

“Come on, Lark. I need to get you home before my self-control wanes.”

Prom is looking better and better.

He carries me out to my car over his shoulder but he at least lets me drive.

When I pull into the driveway, I look over at him and he gives me that adorable half-grin of his.

“Can I walk you to your door?”

I laugh. “Sure.”

He holds my hand, swinging it as we walk up the sidewalk to my house. Before we even get to the first step, the front door opens and Grey’s standing there holding Maddie Rose in his arms with an annoyed scowl on his face.

Maddie’s waving her arms and calling out to me, “Mimi’s home!”

“Hi Maddie-girl!” I take her into my arms and ask Grey, “What’s going on?”

“Where have you been?” he demands in a hushed tone, not wanting to upset Maddie.

“With Jacoby.” I blush thinking about what I’ve been doing the last hour, really hoping that Grey doesn’t press for a more specific answer. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Your mother has been trying to reach you. Something happened to her art exhibit.”

“What? What happened?” I dig my phone out of the bottom of my purse and sure enough, I have twenty-seven missed calls, fourteen voicemails, and eleven text messages—each one progressively more desperate than the last.

“Somebody broke in through a window and vandalized every single one of her paintings.”

“Are you serious?”

“It gets worse. Out of all the pieces in the entire gallery, only her paintings were disturbed. Someone specifically targeted her. Nothing else was even touched, but everything with her name on it was destroyed. It's as though someone wanted to send a very specific message.”

“Who would do something like that?”

Grey fixes me a pointed look and I know exactly who would do something like that.

“Ethan,” I state.

“Who else?” 

Jacoby wraps his arm around my shoulders, tucking me close to him and says, “We’ve got to do something about this.”

None of us even knows where to begin as we mull the situation over in frustrated silence in front of my house. Mom’s probably devastated. She has been working nonstop for the past year and in one single night all of it is ruined and it’s all my fault.

“Gaway fixed me sgetti and meatbawls,” Maddie babbles, interrupting the silence.

“You cooked?” Jacoby cocks an eyebrow at him clearly amused.

“Obviously I wasn’t going to let her starve, Jacoby.” 

“Yeah, but you cooked. A normal guy would’ve just ordered pizza or something.”

“I hardly consider spaghetti and meatballs a culinary challenge but regardless, she needed fed so I fed her.”

“Sgetti and meatbawls!” Maddie chirps. She beams up at Grey and surprisingly he smiles back at her--a genuine smile that he reserves only for rare occasions. I myself have only witnessed the gloriousness of his true smile a couple of times. Maddie flaps her arms and reaches for him. Grey’s eyes soften as he affectionately scoops her out of my arms and she squeals with delight.

“Why did she call you anyway?” I ask him, completely baffled. After all, it seems odd that she would call Grey of all people.

“Kate trusts me,” Grey answers pointedly, and I can’t help but think that his words are meant as a jab towards Jacoby since he knows my mom isn’t a big fan of his. “Actually, I was looking for Jacoby and figured he’d be wherever you were so I stopped by here and heard Kate frantically trying to reach you. I told her I’d stay here with Maddie and keep trying to get a hold of you so that she could go tend to the damage.”

“Thank you, you’re a life saver.”

“My pleasure.” He then turns to Jacoby and asks, “Are you able to cover the shift tonight? Adele and I have some work to do in Álfheimr.”

“Of course,” Jacoby replies.

“Thank you,” Grey says before turning back towards me. “I’ll go now so you can get Maddie to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Gaway!” Maddie waves.

“Good night, Maddie Rose. Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite,” he tells her as he pats her on the head making her giggle. Grey nods once to me and walks down the sidewalk out of Maddie’s line of sight before transporting—not that she’d understand what just happened, but better safe than sorry.

Jacoby takes Maddie out of my arms and swings her around in a circle. “Grey may make spaghetti and meatballs but I bet he doesn’t do the voices when he reads your favorite book, now does he?”

Maddie claps and giggles.

I follow my sister and my boyfriend into my house, feeling heartbroken. Mom’s probably devastated.