Orion (13 page)

His cheeks filled with color.  Score!

“…or kissing protection Liz talked about, or flirting, or compliments, but I do know you are the most amazing person I’ve ever met.  I can’t lose you, but sometimes the gods,” I looked up at Orion, “are against me.”

He didn
’t get the last part.  “Amazing, huh?”

“Cocky, ever?”

“Not at all.  Just stunned by you.”  He was telling the truth there.

“
Likewise.  Here goes.”

I took my shoulder bag off and laid it down beside me.  I went back to my knees and began to undo my belt. 
             

His hand went out to protest
, but I clicked my tongue at him, “Just…trust…me.”  He watched my stomach again taking a turn tracing the dots to the place he’d just termed Rigel.  Even though I’d always named it that, it seemed so much more amazing coming from him.

I laid the belt down beside my bag but didn't want to overwhelm him.  Untying it, I dropped the patch and throwing knife out before him. 

“This is my brother’s patch.  He plays, or played polo and was wearing this on the day he disappeared.  I am looking for him.  And this is
my
throwing knife.”

I picked it up and showed him the side of the hilt.  Centered was the constellation, Orion.  Rigel was the brightest star in Orion and it glowed in the moonlight on the knife.  “I lost this when I was twelve.  Or so I thought.”

I watched him process all this.  I told myself I could let this end without him knowing what I really am.  I could.  “How old are you, Calum?”

“Seventeen.”   As I figured
. 
I’d lost my knife at twelve like his letter.  These weren't coincidences.  I sighed heavily still facing him on my knees.  “I have a very bad or good feeling I know the answer to my next question.”  I don’t know how I know, I just do.

“What?” he was whispering now.  It
’s all too much.  He’s going to break.

I closed my eyes.  “On the count of three, say your birthday.”

“One,” I barely whispered. I felt the fear rolling heavily between us.

“Two.  Three.”

“February 29
th
.”  At the same time.

Bodies frozen with absolute fear and nothing else to describe it, we were petrified.
His mouth collided into mine giving off sparks and waking up my first reaction.  And not the kind of sparks I imagined coming from my first kiss.

Sparks, currents, electricity!  It all went through us like someone had stuck a rod in our hands and the storm was colliding within us.  The initial pain turned to a soft tingle and subsided as the taste of him stayed on my lips. My mind swirled to the rhythm of him.   He bit playfully on my bottom lip and I felt something urging my lips to open more.  This was more than I could have ever imagined.  This was the gods in the heaven
’s reaching to make the earth shatter into a thousand pieces and then find their way back together at the first taste.  An intriguing and utterly surprising experience I can truly say I’d do again.  I wish I could say the sparks were an indication that it was true love or something like that, but it was really nothing more than a kiss to me.  He didn’t seem to act the same, but I wasn’t sure. It was obvious it wasn’t his first time.

“Eh, um.”

Pulling apart, I fell sideways and down, my eyes still half closed.

“Dr. Quinn.  Sir.”  Calum found his speech faster than I did.

“Eh, you two seemed to have hit it off well I see.  Not being a
spy
…but just wanted to remind you…we are on display here.  Just being the teacher role, I would caution you to slow it down a bit.  Hormones can be a strong influence and not all of us are destined for the other.”

“Yes, sir.  Sorry, sir.”

I wanted to scream because the first thing that came to my head was to please not tell my father.  Then I remembered his little powwow in the darkness of night before today.  He didn’t know what I knew which made his words stranger than ever.

As the doc disappeared back around the gym wall into the shadows, I couldn
’t help but let the thoughts in the back of my mind wonder how long he stood there.

Calum and
didn’t look at each other just that second, whether embarrassed or in shock or both.  I panicked suddenly at remembering the items that would be sitting between us for Dr. Quinn to have seen and was comforted somewhat at the fact that I was now sitting on them.  Had the doc been there, spying just before and knew I had them?  This was bad, if so.

I gathered them back into my little bag since we couldn
’t seem to find any words.  He just watched for a second.  I didn’t know what to do next.  When the pouch was back on, he watched me like he didn't know how to go forward either.

“Why did you take off your belt?”

The letter.  He hadn’t seen it yet.  The Doc.  What will Calum think when he finds out I was snooping in his father’s office? I’m reasonably sure after a couple minutes of thought that the Doc said the word spying in his spill a moment ago.  And that was intended for me I’m betting. 

“Oh, I will show
only
you
another time.  I don’t…want to go showing the D—Dr. Quinn all my secrets just yet.”  I smiled. He hasn’t asked where the other two items came from and I’m hoping he doesn’t.

“Why don
’t we snack for a minute.” 

“That sounds great!”  I was starting to wonder now why the Doc came out and if he did that often.  I wasn
’t sure how often Calum did this kind of thing or if the Doc was “chaperoning” so to speak.  I had to know, so here I go. “Do you,” eating a bite of the yummy cookies he’d brought, “do this a lot?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, bring a girl out here and kiss and stuff.  Liz said—

“Ignore everything she has to say.  She
’ll fill your head with nonsense.  No, I don’t do this,” he waved his hands around, “I’ve never done this.  I couldn’t even find a basket, remember.  And…I’ve never kissed anyone like that before.  That was…”  Now he really was blushing but not looking at me.

This seemed to be a huge confession for him.  I smiled.  “Me too.” 

He looked up now. Relief seemed to hit him seconds later, so I wondered if he was thinking long about what I just said or just about the kiss.  I didn’t mean heavy feelings like his face seem to say.  Just that it was my
first
kiss.

He spread his palm out to smooth the blanket where we'd bundled it up in our haste, “I
’ve never wanted to do all this before.  Well…I have…but no one was really—

“I know what you mean, I think.  No other male has ever appealed to me like you do.  I just never really had the opportunity.”  I finished my cookie and patted the crumbs off my hands.

“You talk funny sometimes,
male
?”  He shook his head side to side finishing his own cookie.  He handed a mint to me and popped one in his mouth.  The soft peppermint taste was really good.

I hit his chest.  I seemed to like doing that.  And I wanted another mint.  “You know I like chocolate?”

“Studied up!”  He was fast enough he caught my hand and kept it there.  “Stace, I…”

He leaned in.  Our lips met.  And just stayed there for about five seconds and broke apart again.  I could just do this all night.

“I don’t really understand what is happening, but this,” he pointed to our abdomens, “there is a reason, I’m sure.  The jolts of fire running through my body right now, it’s all crazy meant to be kind of stuff even if it is utter pain."   He paused and said, “We will find out, but just know how happy I am you came into my life.”

I felt nausea coming on.  And not from the food.

“Your middle name is Rigel?”

“Yeah!  What is yours?”

“Anastacia Anat…Rohkea.  My full name that is.”  Oh, I probably just compromised the entire freaking mission if he mentions this to anyone.  I didn’t tell him my real last name.  He’s bound to recognize that.   He’d surely recognize Hathown, so my name for the mission was Rohkea.

“Anat was the ancient Battle-Goddess who fell in love with Aqhat, Orion, but was double crossed by her and ended in his death,” he clipped his tongue and raised an eyebrow, “
Any evil plans Anastacia Anat?”

I nodded back and forth real slow.  “
You do read!”

“So shocked,” he continued before I could offer an honest answer.  He just didn’t play himself off as the scholarly type. 

“Both the same birthday, names related to Orion, electric touch powers that only work on each other, and,” he pointed to my stomach first and then his.  “This all means something, don’t ya think?”

I
’ll not keep everything, I thought.  “I did some research after realizing the voltage sparks weren’t going away.”

“How?”
             

“
Google!” 

“And?”

He will laugh.  “A folktale really.  A Hunter,” not mentioning the mate’s true identity, “creates an alliance with another who will be filled with a surge beyond physical comfort and unites all in one.  And…” I tried to make it sound like it’s a farce, but deep down, I knew he wouldn’t.  I tried rolling my eyes to look less serious about it.  His eyes were taking it in without revealing how he felt.  “And he would bear the mark of Orion.”

He was still silent.

“And so would she.  But it has to all be coincidental.  It’s just mythology and folklore kind of stuff,” I added.

His head went sideways, “I wouldn
’t rule it out in a world where vampires and werewolves run free.”

In addition, a super, very nice Valkyrie girl who accidentally falls over every time a certain Hunter boy comes near in a crazy kind of world like I
’ve seen recently.  “Either way, it sounds like some kind of save the world project that will lead us to be poked and prodded by strange doctors because our alien appearances seem too otherworldly.”

“Agreed.”  He laughed.  “Either way, we need to know more.  I can ask my father?”

“NO!  I mean,” taking my voice to a lower octave, “I think we should keep this between us for now.  I don’t won’t any doctors poking me, much less people finding out about our differences.”

“I
’m not ashamed, nor ashamed to show it.”

“That
’s not what I mean.  No..yes…I’ve hidden this from everyone but my father and brother for seventeen years,” signaling our navels, “I don’t want to get poked for want of seeing the simple or not reasons for this, and I...I just think we need to think this through some more.”

“Okay.  It
’s okay.”  He pulled me too him and held me against his warm chest.  I kept my hands in between us. 

“I really don
’t know what to think of all this.  It’s just a lot, really quick.” 

“You know what
’s odd?”

I was a little scared to find out.

“I’ve always just been me.  Standoffish.  Tough guy.  But you…you did this to me.”

“What?”

“Soft.” 

He just gave me my first kiss and he thinks he is soft?  I am the on
e turned to mush.  I laughed.  I l laughed and sat back.  “Funny, that.  All the girls around here say you are,” I ticked off on my fingers, “allusive, hard to get, not interested in anyone around here, brave, smug, cocky, hot, gorgeous, sexy—

“And what do they say about you back at your home?”

“Well, I can’t speak for them and yes, I forgot to add, moody.”

“
Pretend.”

“Pretend what?” 

“What would they say about you?”

“Oh, I guess, shy, secluded, bookwormish.”

“Beautiful, brave, strong, smart, kind, unique,” he continued.

“
Unique?”

“How many girls, guys,
people
do you meet that make you buzz all over at their touch, share the same birthmark and birth date, and have a similar reference in names to the constellation Orion?”

“Well, put that way, we must be the oddest two
people
in the universe.”

“Really kind of cool though.  I
’ve always hidden my stomach.  I didn’t want anyone to know.  It’s nice someone does now.”

“Me too.”  I think.  I hope.  No one had ever seen his mark. “No other girl has seen your mark?”

“No!  Just my father.  Too afraid to say I was born with it and didn’t want to lie in that kind of...situation.”

Confessions flowing freely.  “I
’ve never kissed anyone before.”

“Really?”

“Really.”  That was rhetorical, but what really could I say?  He smiled.  He leaned in.  I knew what was coming this time.  His eyes open, he touched his lips to mine and back away.  I shivered.

“That was your third kiss."

"Can I ask you something?”  I asked.

Calum nodded, smiling wider letting me get a shot of his wonderful dimples.

“Is this date like something married people do?  I’ve only ever watched people who married actually go places like on TV.  At home, we don’t choose who we marry and no one ever dated.”

“Seriously?”

I nodded.

“Where are you from?” Calum asked incredulously.

I froze. 

“
Never mind,” he grumbled.

“No, it
’s just my father really.  He’s, I’m finding out since coming here, very overprotective and dominating over others." I hated to stretch truths, but what alternative did I have?  “I didn’t mean anything.  I’m sorry.  Let’s pick up.  It’s late.”

“It
’s okay, Stace.  I...you can tell me later.  When you’re ready.”

I smiled.  No, he would probably still hate me later.  We picked up everything with a lot of unanswered questions hovering in the air. 

We were at the outside door to my dorm now with a little more light than by our bench.  I turned to face him before I would open the door and not see him again for over ten hours.  The boy who knew some of my secrets would be far enough away I wouldn’t know who he told after he left me for the night.  He was right beside me watching as I fretted.  Close!    And the irritating alarm that something was as intense as back near the woods.   It was there with me too.

His face said a lot, but his mouth and hands said a lot more. I watched his lips part just slightly.  His hands were flexing and stopping and he walked closer still.  Our bodies touching a
t strategically placed spots, but no skin.  He laced his fingers with mine in both hand and felt the other wince with pain standing straighter against each other.  His face was close enough I could smell the mint from our snacking. 

I curled my lips in from the sensation
s sending his gaze to my mouth.  I was fascinated by the process of kissing.  When my own eyes closed, I felt his cooled lips from the night air barely touch mine.  One of his hands released mine, not sure which, and slipped up my neck, searing hot.  He pressed his thumbs into my neck and tipped my head back more.  Little shivers shot through me.  On tiptoes now, I felt his lips move slowly over mine sealing the heat in.  And then it ended.  Too soon.  I needed
more
!