Pinehurst: A Magical Olympian Adventure-Young Adult Romantic Adventure/Fantasy Novel (18 page)

“Oh, alright.” I released the charm, letting my bag fall with a thud.

I watched as Antonio righted himself. His hair was messed in a sexy sort of way. He ran his fingers through it, combing it back. Even while highly pissed off, he managed to look yummy.

Antonio met my smile and frowned.

“This is all very interesting, but we’re wasting time.”

I looked over at Havoc. “Sorry to have bored you.” I picked my pack up off the ground and huffed past Antonio, brushing his shoulder as I went. Maybe now he’d take me seriously.

We continued on in silence for some time. Well, at least most of us were silent. Havoc took advantage of the tension and used it to tell me every sordid detail of her life. She had a boyfriend, I think? He was definitely a romantic interest. They were tied to one another somehow, or maybe it was bound? I don’t know. I was too busy watching Antonio, my eyes doing their best to assess his mood.

How could he just be-bop along like our argument hadn’t affected him? How could he continue to evade my questions? He’d been here before, I was sure of it. The fact that he felt he had to hide the reasons why only fueled my belief that it had been bad.

“Now isn’t the time for this conversation, Evie.” He glanced back at me, giving me an exasperated look.

“When then? When we're standing at the threshold of Hell?”

“You’re being dramatic.”

Me? Was he kidding? I wasn’t the one hiding things. I wasn’t the one pretending to care about someone. I wasn’t the one who looked incredibly hot at any given moment. Well. That wasn’t technically his fault. But still, he used it for evil, I was sure of it.

“I do not pretend to care about you,” he groaned. “I
do
care about you.”

Yeah right. Mr. “it cannot be me.”
What
an ass!

“I am not!” He turned on his heel, my body nearly slamming into his.

“You are so!” I said, squaring my shoulders with his. “And, you shouldn’t be listening to my private thoughts all the time!” I put my hands on my hips, giving him the haughty look I’d mastered at age seven. “I can think what-ever I want.”

“If you two are going to play-fight again, you mind if I take a nap under that tree?”

I huffed at her. “We don’t have time for you to take a nap. And we are not play-fighting.” We so did not have time for this. But damn it, how could Antonio expect me to drop it? I deserved answers!

“Go,” Antonio ordered Havoc, sparing her a quick glance.

“Now you listen to me,” he inched closer, not bothering to leave any air between us. I momentarily forgot I was mad. His lips were a perfect shade of pink. So close, I could almost taste them. He grabbed my arms, pulling me tighter to him. “It cannot be me you fall in love with, do you understand? It cannot be me!” He shook me slightly, his words coming out through gritted teeth. He looked as if he would thrust me away from him at any moment. But he didn’t. He pulled me closer still.

“Why not?” God, could I sound anymore needy? Being this close only weakened my knees further. I already felt like putty in his hands.

“Just tell her!” Havoc shouted from under a tree. So much for napping . . .

“Tell me what?” So help me, if he brushed me off now I was going to kick him in the—

“Alright!” He released me, allowing me to stagger back onto a nearby rock to sit. “There’s no need to resort to that.”

I stared up at him, my heart beating at a ridiculous pace. What sort of bomb was he going to release on me now?

“I won’t be coming back with you.”

My heart stilled.

“It makes no sense to develop a relationship we cannot have.” His words were absolute.

I stared at him, incredulous. “You wanna explain that, now!”

Antonio’s eyes shut for a moment, as if gathering the strength to continue. “I can’t go back with you.” Silence. “You asked if I’ve been here before. I have. Many times. It’s how I met your father.”

I sat there open mouthed. Trying to comprehend what he was saying.

He lifted his chin high. “I am a Guardian for the Devine Army.”

I couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d smacked me in the face with a brick. “But you’re Mageian?” What the heck was he talking about, the Devine Army. I glanced over at Havoc. She nodded her head at me, grimacing.

I was adopted and raised by Mageians,” Antonio explained. “My adoptive father is a Slayer like your father. George Hollyander was the first to sense that I had . . . unusual powers.

I studied him for a moment. My eyes were looking for any sign of a lie. I couldn’t find one.

“I knew I was different than any other Slayer,” he continued. “I could hear others' thoughts and move things with my mind; I just didn’t understand why?”

I stood there speechless. How in the world could I have missed this? My dad and Antonio were BFFs?

“George Hollyander trained me to become a Guardian. He said I was the best student he’d ever had.” Antonio beamed with pride.

A small pang of jealously rose up within me; I wished my father had taken the time to train
me
. Now he was gone. I shook the thought away. I’d get him back—soon.

“But how did you get to be a . . .
Devine
Guardian?” I asked. “Wouldn't you have to be an angel to be in the heavens?” And what would my father have to do with that?

Antonio shifted uncomfortably. “It's a long story.”

I waited for more but that was apparently all the info I was going to get on
that
subject! I huffed in annoyance.

“I ultimately earned your father’s trust and charge of his most cherished possession,” he continued. Antonio’s eyes looked fondly into mine. “An honor to be sure.”

My heart fluttered. But I was mad, damn it! I tried to clear my mind—a futile act. “That doesn’t explain why you won’t be coming back with us?” My voice cracked. I couldn’t even comprehend the idea.

“I'll be bound to the gate. The only way one can leave Hell is if they offer a soul in exchange, a soul besides their own.”

“So. You’ve got me, problem solved! Use my soul to get us in.” I'd worry about the “getting out” later.

“No!” He blurted, causing me to jump.

“What do mean, ‘no?’”

“If I enter with you as my soul, you’ll be bound to Hell. You would be condemned there, and more Daimonas than you can imagine will seep out into the outer world.” Antonio looked uneasy. As if he’d just divulged a piece of the puzzle he hadn’t meant to.

I looked over at Havoc. She sat on a small log, her elbows propped on her knees. “A Child of Light?” I asked her.

“Yes. You’re the key to their freedom,” she explained. “I tried to tell you.”

I thought about that. “Is my father a . . . Child of Light too?”

Antonio had gone pale. “Your father has powers that you cannot imagine, Evie, powers that he has passed onto you. If you were bound to that world, the Daimonas could use the two of you together to open the gates of Hell completely. The world as we know it would cease to exist.”

Of course! It all made sense now! That’s why George sent me to Pinehurst. He knew I’d be hidden and by sending Antonio to look after me, he figured I’d be safe. The Daimonas wanted me too. Roland, well gargoyle Roland, wanted to capture me, not kill me! That’s why they took my father. They wanted to use us together to open the gates of Hell—permanently!

Antonio nodded, hearing my inner revelation.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” I demanded.

“Because I feared you’d react this way. That if you learned of this before we entered Hell, I knew you would insist we offer yourself up in exchange for my freedom. But you can see now why I can’t let that happen. My sacrifice will save everything.”

The Daimonas had my dad, and now they had Antonio? No. They would not get Antonio too. I’ll never let that happen.

“They’ll never have
you
.” The sky seemed to darken around us with that promise. I won’t bring you into Hell, Evie. You will not be bound there.”

“You’re not going without me,” I threatened. He was
not
leaving me behind.

“I’ll find a way to rescue your father, I promise. I owe him everything.”

“So he taught you to fight. That's not worth giving up your life! Y
ou’ll
be stuck there forever!” Desperation coated every word, every thought. Antonio was stubborn. He wouldn’t use me to get us in, and the consequence to that would make him a prisoner for the rest of eternity. I felt my hands fisting at my sides. Over my dead body—which incidentally, may be the case.

“Understanding took hold of me. “That’s why you’ve been pushing me away, telling me that we can’t be together . . . ” I opened my mouth to continue—nothing. I swear I felt like a fish at times.

“Do not worry.” Antonio squatted to his haunches, leveling his stare with mine. He reached up and stroked the side of my face. “I knew when I agreed to help you on this quest, this would be my fate. It will be an honor to save your father. He has done so much for my . . . family.”

“I don't care what he's done for your family,” I shouted, pushing his hand away. “Antonio, you can't give up your life! My father wouldn't want you to!” I knew in my soul I spoke the truth.

He forced a smile. “You’re young, Evie. You will have many loves. Don’t waste your heart on me.” By the look in his eyes, I knew he was forcing himself to believe what he was saying.

“Many loves . . . don’t waste your heart on me?” No. I’ll never love another like this. Who else would sacrifice himself like Antonio was doing for me? “Many loves?” No. Antonio was all I wanted; I knew that now with great certainty.

“You’re young, Evie. You can’t know that yet,” his words came out soft, like a whisper. But he couldn’t hide the heartache in his eyes. If he thought for one minute that I was going to let him “go gently into that good night” . . . he didn’t know me very well.

I grabbed Antonio by the scruff of his shirt and yanked him toward me, right into a lip-locking kiss that would melt the ice off a glacier.

His body took about two seconds to respond. His arms wound around my waist and pulled me to my feet, bringing me closer to him, while his lips met mine; kiss after eager kiss. He’d been dreaming of this moment too. There was no way he could hold me like this and not be head-over-heels for me. I could feel it in his lips and in the heated embrace his arms provided. He couldn’t hold me close enough, and that was fine by me. I surprised myself and deepened the kiss, unfortunately startling him back to sanity.

He pulled back. Small beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. I wasn’t sorry. Not one bit. Roland’s kiss, or whoever the heck he was, definitely rated a knock-your-socks-off experience. But, it was nothing in comparison to Antonio’s. This kiss would be legendary. It was the type of kiss dreams were made of. And my dreams were just beginning.

I blushed, knowing full well he’d heard me. “Well, I figured if I was going to Hell, I should at least be able to say that I’d been kissed before . . . by something human anyway. And since you clearly weren’t going to do it, I—”

His lips collided with mine again, stopping me mid-sentence. His hands, gently cupped my neck, drawing me closer, as his mouth moved over mine. This kiss was more passionate, heady. I’m pretty sure it was full of desire too. Yep, that’s exactly what it was—
full—of—desire
. Man could this guy kiss!

My legs wobbled beneath me. His hands, traveled down my neck and arms, winding their way around my back. He pulled me against him, our bodies meshing into an airtight embrace. It was then that I realized my feet were no longer touching the ground. Somehow he’d lifted me without me knowing it—or perhaps I was floating.