Shadow's Dangers (34 page)

I didn't need to answer. He knew. I stared at him and saw he was anxious because of me. As always. Even the death of his brother overwhelming him, he wanted to share my burden. I realized I wanted to share his, too. It was more than obvious we needed each other tonight. However, I knew Garreth well enough to be certain he would never ask to stay or impose himself. So I took the lead.

“Can you stay with me tonight?”

“I doubt your sister...”

“Forget my sister,” I interrupted forcefully. “This is my home, too, and I’m no longer a child.  We’re doing nothing wrong, after all.”

“For now. But later who knows...” he replied, his intonations suggestive.

I laughed slightly at his attempt to play down our situation. It worked. A little bit.

“Even if we did something, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with that,” I affirmed with sincerity and I couldn't be more serious about it.

I had barely finished my sentence before his mouth covered mine. He kissed me long with a fervor I didn't know he had in him. I reciprocated with the same passion and, during our long kiss, I forgot everything. No more families decimated, no more prophecy, no more ancient war, no more Travis... There was nothing, except Garrreth and I, being here for each other. It was exactly what we needed at this very moment.

***

I woke up feeling something touching my eyelids, my cheeks and my lips. I finally opened my eyes and immersed myself in the emerald eyes that I loved so much. To my relief, there was only contentment in his eyes. No trace of the torment that had inhabited him yesterday.

“Good morning,” he said, fully awake, his famous crooked smile playing on his lips.

Knowing that Garreth slept very little, I wasn't surprised to see him so alert when I was still disconnected from reality.

“Hello,” I replied in a voice heavy with sleep.

“Did you sleep well? For my part, I did. I would have no objection in sleeping and waking up every day at your side.”

He said it in a tone full of mischief. I smiled, finding the idea more than tempting. I put my hand on my pillow so as not to loosen my neck to look at Garreth. I froze for a few seconds, realizing that my fingers rested on his warm skin and not on my pillow. By becoming aware of the situation, I got up abruptly and stood there speechless while ogling him like an idiot.

“How do you...when did you...like that?”

My words were incomprehensible, but he understood the meaning of my question, anyway.

“I got too hot during the night, so I took off my sweater...but I kept the decent minimum on.”

“Decent minimum?” I repeated stupidly, unable to take my eyes off his sculpted torso.

“My underwear,” he confessed, his smile accentuating even more.

I was aware that I was making a fool of myself, but it was the first time I’d seen him so...exposed. His “decent minimum” was far from my definition of decency, but whatever. In the past, I had some nice dreams in which I'd almost seen him naked. It was safe to say my subconscious didn't do him justice at all. He was far more handsome in real life. During a moment, I felt insignificant next to him and wondered what he was doing with me when he could have anyone out there. I quickly chased this thought out of my mind, remembering all the things Garreth had explained about his feelings for me. I was who he wanted and it would have been stupid of me to bring everything back to the physical. There was much more than just that between us. My eyes spotted a few white or pinkish scars, large and small, on the skin. I couldn't help myself and I touched them, one after the other. When I stroked the larger one on his stomach with the tip of my fingers, a chill ran through him.

“Sorry,” I replied, trying to pull my hand away.

He forced me to leave it where it was by grabbing me by the wrist.

“If you don't hear me complaining, don't apologize,” he objected in a tone that became a little hoarse.

He paused before going on.

“And I don't know why you apologize. You were much more tactile last night and apparently, it didn't bother you like now. I must admit that it wasn't unpleasant.”

I had to look as ashamed as I was feeling because Garreth laughed, something he did each time I was embarrassed.

“What did I do?” I croaked in spite of myself.

“Oh, you didn't do anything deliberately. You were just in a rather pleasant dream. By the way, do I have to be jealous? Because you did seem to be in good company in there.”

He raised an eyebrow and I fumbled in my memory in search of my dream last night. I didn't remember much of the dream, but Garreth was certainly a part of it.

“Unless you can be jealous of yourself, I think there's no point in feeling that way.”

“Believe it or not, I just might be. I wish it were me, rather than the me of your subconscious.”

I shook my head, amused.

“We can always remedy that,” I told him jokingly.

Garreth took it more than seriously and his lips suddenly found mine. I soon responded to his kiss and my hands wandered on his chest, as if they had a will of their own. His hands crept under my top to caress my back and my hips. However, he was careful not to go too far.
Always the gentleman...
I couldn't suppress the smile that came to my lips, which ruined our kiss. Garreth withdrew his face slightly from mine to look at me with curiosity.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said.

“Just thinking of something silly.”

My hands were still on his chest, brushing against his biggest scar. I let my eyes stray to it.

“How is it that you have so many scars? I mean, the fact that you heal quickly because of what you are, how... ”

I was silent, realizing it might be inappropriate to ask this. And all of a sudden, it made me uncomfortable to remind myself of how we differed. I easily forgot he wasn't human and when I remembered it, the fear I felt the first time I discovered he was something else threatened to engulf me again, making me remember only our differences rather than what brought us together.

“I shouldn't have them but no matter the appearance that I have, I always recreate the scars of my injuries so I never forget them. Because even though I tend to forget it, despite my immortality, I’m not invincible. In fact, I almost died several times. It's also a way to remember that each battle, each person lost, defines me and that all these injuries and deaths aren't in vain. Also that one day we will succeed in our struggle and this war will come to an end.”

It was a peculiar practice, but one I could understand. I watched more carefully. No doubt, he had fought countless battles in his life, by evidence of the many brands across his body...and yet, these were only the ones I could see.

“How did you get that scar there?” I asked him, pointing my finger to his stomach, where the enormous scar was.

“My first real confrontation. I almost died. An insurgent I was fighting took the appearance of something looking like a beast issued from his imagination, a kind of snake-headed crocodile. One of his teeth was planted in my stomach, in addition to other damages caused elsewhere on me. I managed to push him away but the tooth remained in my flesh. When some people of my community came to rescue me, I was still vaguely conscious but I had lost so much blood that they thought my fate was sealed. As you can see, it wasn't.”

I was completely shaken by his story. I didn't dare to imagine what other horrors he had to experience during his lifetime. He saw my eyes move to another scar, not really big, not far from the one he had just explained.

“This one,” he continued, “is the one I got when I defended you, the first day of school. It's because of this we had to put up a second mental barrier.”

What I remembered from that day was still a little blurry, although Leighton had allowed me to have access to all my memories again. She explained to me that in the school corridor, before I left, she had “suggested” to me using her gift that I shouldn’t worry about anything anymore and especially not my dreams, hence the fact that I had felt so stress-free on the way home. The attack, however, was very clear in my mind. At least until I passed out. Apparently, I hadn't lost as much blood as I had thought at the time. It was actually my mind that had preferred to shut off instead of facing reality and in particular, the black monster of my nightmares. I realized just now that the wolves were not animals created by Garreth and his peer, but themselves.

“Other marks will surely add themselves to all the ones you already have. This isn't fair. You shouldn't have to suffer all this,” I concluded, any lightness having finally deserted me.

“Neither should you. You shouldn't have to face all these tests. Yet this is the case. Life isn't fair and we all have to face our share of misfortunes.”

He paused, took my face in his hands to fix me straight in the eyes. At that moment, the intensity of his gaze was breathtaking.

“But if I had to get through all of this again to find myself here, with you, I wouldn’t hesitate. Not even for a second.”

I smiled sadly. I was moved but not like I should be after such a declaration.

“Really? You think I’m worthy of anything you had to go through?”

“I have no doubt about that and I never will,” he assured me with no second’s hesitation.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before kissing me on the forehead. At the same time, the doorbell rang. I frowned and took out my cell phone to check the time. I was horrified, realizing it was only eight in the morning. Why on earth did Garreth wake me this early on a Sunday? And who could be ringing at this hour? Fear that it might be Hayden won me over as I pulled myself together. There were no messages on my phone and she never came without sending me a text to say she was en route to my home. Besides she was hardly a morning person. It couldn't be her. Well, anyway I hoped it wasn't her because I had no clue how I would justify my absence at yesterday’s party.

“Deliah! Down! Now!”

Annabelle’s tone made me understand it wasn't Hayden. She would never have spoken to her that way, even if she didn't really appreciate her. I hurried out of my bed while Garreth did the same and pulled on his clothes quickly. I gave him a dumbfounded look, not understanding what he was doing.

“It’s Leighton,” he announced, having surely felt her energy or whatever. “Your sister always talks to you like that?”

I said nothing and went to the door, Garreth on my heels.

“Someone should teach her some manners,” he muttered to himself.

I suddenly did an about-face and my eyes widened slightly, considering his outfit.

“You're gonna go down like that?”

He had put on his jeans but nothing else. He couldn't be shirtless in front of my sister. He would cause a third world war like that.

“Why not? Your sister hates me, what’s a little more or a little less? If she has something to say about what I wear, or rather what I don't wear, I’d love to argue with her about it.”

He had a little mischievous expression that predicted nothing good.

“Garreth, please...”

My pleas were in vain as he was already approaching the stairs. I sighed ostentatiously before catching him. We both went down, a new call of Annabelle echoing through the house.

“I’m here,” I said to my sister and her look became even more icy when she took notice of the presence of Garreth and his lack of clothing.

As Garreth told me, Leighton was on the doorstep. I hurried to go to her and took her by the hand to see her in. We didn't make people wait on the threshold for ages. Tess didn't educate us that way.

“Courtesy would have been to let her in,” I said to Annabelle with irritation.

“I already told you, I don't want these people in my house,” she replied in a tone filled with bitterness. “And what is he doing here like that?” she added. “You’re a big girl, enough to make your decisions, but I would have thought that after my revelations yesterday, you would have at least had the common sense not to spread your legs for this monster.”

The horror came over me when I realized what she had said. Anger quickly took over, however. Garreth and Leighton seemed about to jump at her throat. Swallowing my resentment, I tried to calm things down while putting the record straight.

“This is my house too and they have the right to visit me. In terms of what I do in my personal life, as you rightly said, I’m old enough to do what I want and deal with the consequences of my actions. And let it be said frankly, you’re in no position to lecture me on that subject,” I concluded by emphasizing my last word and I thought I saw Annabelle blush a little--either out of rage or embarrassment, I didn't know.

Leighton smiled, looking pleased and Garreth nodded in my direction, his famous smile on his lips, as if to confirm to me I had replied well.

“In fact, I felt compelled to point out that this house is yours and only yours, Deliah. It's stipulated in Tess’s will and Annabelle has the right to stay here whenever she wants, but the house is in your name. Isn't that right, Annabelle?” Garreth concluded, sly as ever.

Her face was disfigured by anger. Her eyes flashed toward Garreth. I didn't attend to the reading of the will, Annabelle being in charged because she was my legal guardian until my maturity to   adulthood. But given her reaction, Garreth might have told the truth, even if I didn't know how he could know such a thing.

“I’ll take a ride,” she said suddenly. “They can stay but when I get back home, I want them gone from here. Or anyway, I don't want to cross their path again. You got it?”

Not wanting to make things worse, I merely nodded. My sister took her jacket and car keys, then without a word, she slammed the front door behind her.

“What a bitch! How can she treat her own sister like that? Travis, even though he isn't the kindest person in the world and not even really our brother, has never been so hateful. At least until...”

“Leighton, you stop. Right now,” Garreth interrupted in a way that left no room for discussion.

Seeing my shock, Leighton seemed to realize the impact of her words on me.

“Travis...Travis is not your brother?”