Under A Blood Moon (Elemental Enchanters) (16 page)

“No.
They just don’t want me to be friends with you.”

“Why?”

He wavered. “They think you’re going to toy with me.”

“Why would they think that?”

“Because you have a boyfriend.” He looked away, acting as if he held something back.

“What else?”

“They think you and your friends are all in this thing with Xavier. And of course, people are spreading rumors about your necklaces. Valerie and Amanda think all of you are.” He paused. “Strange.”

Guessing by how Valerie and Amanda acted toward her, strange was probably
nice compared to what they had actually said.

“They don’t even know us,”
she said. “Why does she think I’m going to ask you to join my friends? What did she mean by that?”

Peter faltered
once more. “Xavier’s been watching us. At least, she thinks he is and that he’ll take another one of us. Or whatever he’s doing. I don’t know. This whole thing has gotten all of us paranoid.”

“You have to stay away from him.”

“I plan on it.”

Ava had to keep an eye on Xavier. “I’m not like him. And I would never hurt you. If she only knew what I went through to get
to school today to see you—.” She stopped. “Never mind.”

“Wait.
What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Ava.” He urged.

She sighed.
“I felt awful this morning. I was having a migraine, but I made myself come to school so I could.” She paused. “So I could…” Ava didn’t want to say the words.

“What? Tell me.” His brown eyes encouraged her.

“Peter, please don’t make me say it.”

His face wrinkled. “Is it bad?”

“Depends on how you look at it.”

“Tell me.”

“So I could see you,” she finally said, and buried her face in her hand. Why was she doing this to herself?

“Wow. That’s interesting.”

“Interesting? Oh, I shouldn’t have told you.” She groaned.

He pulled her arm away from her face, and closed the distance between them.
His touch was like an electric shock. Her breathing accelerated.

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he said. “
I’m relieved.”

“Why?”

“To know you feel that way. Ava, I think about you all the time. The way you make me feel, it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I get so nervous before I see you, but when I do, it goes away because it feels right. And when we’re together, it’s like my insides are on fire.” He blushed. “I don’t know how to describe it, but you fill something inside me that’s been empty for so long.”

Her heart railed against her ribs so loudly. She couldn’t believe this, and didn’t know what to say.

“It’s quite ridiculous actually, since you have a boyfriend. Which is why Valerie and Amanda don’t like you. They don’t want to see me get hurt.”

“
I think about you all the time, but I shouldn’t,” she blurted. She couldn’t believe she had just admitted that.

“If you aren’t happy with Thomas, break up with him.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

Ava shook her head. “I can’t say.”

“Okay. So what are we doing?”

She tilted her head up slightly. He was so close, yet she did nothing to increase the distance. His intense gaze made her feel as though she would just turn into a pool of water. Whatever she wanted to say lodged in her throat.

“
I want to be with you, Ava.”

“What?”
She wasn’t sure she actually heard what he said.

“
You heard me. And clearly you want the same thing.”

“
I have a boyfriend.”

“
Oh, come on. You don’t love him.”

“
That doesn’t matter.”

“It
should
matter. Why won’t you just break up with him?”

“It’s complicated.”

Peter
let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. “Why is it complicated? If you don’t love him, don’t be with him.”

“It’s not that easy.” Ava didn’t want to
argue with him.

“I don’t get you.” He raised his voice. “
You’re always saying bad things about Thomas, never anything good, and yet you are so attached to him…and your group for that matter. And it’s like you’re trying to break away but can’t.”

“
They are my best friends. They would never hurt me.”

“What about what Melissa said
about your mom?”

“It
was an accident. She didn’t mean it.”

“
Do you hear yourself?”

“Peter, I don’t want to argue.”

“Sorry,” he said calmly.

Ava knew she shouldn’t have said anything.
She was treading in dangerous waters now. She was only setting herself and Peter up for heartbreak. His friends were right. She was just toying with him.

“
Are-are you
pregnant
?” he asked.

She
let out a hard laugh. “No.”

“
I’m just trying to figure out why you started hanging out with me and admitted to liking me, but we can’t be together. Is this a game?”

“
No. You’re a good friend. Is it wrong for us to be friends?”

“No,
but you seem to like me more than that.”

Ava looked away.
“I shouldn’t have said those things.”

“
But you did.”

“
We just can’t be together. It’s too dangerous.”

“
Why? Because of Thomas?”

“No.”

“Then why would it be dangerous? We’re in high school. Who cares if Thomas couldn’t handle us being together?”

He wasn’t making this easy.
She couldn’t say anything. Even if she could, she wouldn’t know how to put it in words.

“Just let it go,” she said.

“
No.”

She could feel the bulge in her throat forming, and knew her eyes would begin to tear up, but she pushed them away. “You need to move on, Peter. I’m so messed up right now. You don’t want to get involved with me.”

“Don’t do that.”

Her phone
went off, and she was relieved for the interruption, but when she looked down at Thomas’s name, she cursed. Her pendent warmed, and she immediately hid it beneath her sweater.

“What is it?”

She looked up. “You should go.”

He arched his eyebrows. “What?”

The call went to voicemail, but then the phone rang again. And again.

She was angry knowing that Thomas could feel every strand of emotion she had for Peter,
and the pain of knowing it could never happen. She wanted to stop restraining her feelings for him, but didn’t have a choice. “I hate this,” she shouted, and then tore the necklace from her chest.

“Did your necklace just automatically glow?”

“Don’t say a word,” she told him, and then answered.

“
Ava, I’m on my way,” Thomas said in a rushed voice. “I’ll be there soon.”

“No
,” she shouted. “Everything is fi—.” She heard silence. He’d already hung up. Ava was exasperated.

“
What’s wrong?” Peter asked. “Are you okay?”

“
You have to go.” She grabbed his arm.

“Okay.
Ow! Not so rough.” He cried.

She dropped his hand instantly.
“Did I hurt you?”

“Kinda.
” He gave her a wary look. “What the hell you been doing with that arm?”

“Sorry.”

She heard the front door open, and then led Peter to the living room. Her father entered.

“Hey,” he said, and then furrowed his eyebrows. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Peter was just leaving.”

By the look in her father’s eyes, she knew he
could tell something was wrong “Okay. See you later.”

“Yeah, you too,” Peter said, and Ava pushed him outside.

A gust of wind welcomed them, a reminder of the colder nights, but she made herself warm.

“P
eter, I’m really sorry, but you have to go.”

A sudden realization flashed across his face. “He knows I’m here, doesn’t he?”

“No.”

“Why did he think something was wrong?”

How did he know that?”

“I could hear him shouting through the phone,”
he answered her silent question.

“
I can’t tell you.”

“
It’s your necklace isn’t it?”

Ava looked away. She had no answer.

“Is he going to hurt you?”

She knew any second Thomas would round the corner
on the dark graveled road and find Peter there. She couldn’t guarantee his safety and knew he had to leave.

“Peter,
please
go. I can’t let him see you here.”

“
What are you hiding? If you’re in any kind of trouble—.”

“I care about you too much for you to be here right now.”

“He can’t hurt me.”

“Listen to me.
” She put her hands on either side of his face. “Trust me. I need you to go.”

He searched her eyes.
“Fine,” he muttered, defeat written all over his face. Then, he got in his car and backed out.

Ava
felt her shoulders go limp with relief, once he was in the distance, but then her whole body froze the second Thomas pulled up. She knew he’d seen the taillights of Peter McNabb’s car.

“What the hell is going on?” Thomas demanded as he stormed toward Ava. “What was Peter doing here? Where’s your necklace?”

“Calm down. Everything is fine.”

“Did he hurt you?” He pulled her close, forcing her head against his hard chest. “I swear, if he did anything…”

“No, he didn’t
,” she said with clenched teeth, and releasing her head from his hands.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
He pressed his lips to hers.

Ava
pushed away from his hungry kiss. “Stop,” she yelled.

“What is with you?”
he asked.

“We’re done, Thomas. I can’t do this anymore.”

He narrowed his eyes. “It’s him, isn’t it?” He shook her.

“Let go of me
.”

“What the hell were you two doing?”

“Nothing. He was helping me with chemistry. That’s all.”

“Don’t lie to me. I felt you
. You were in so much pain, and then I felt nothing.”

“I told him about my mom.”
She’d just hit a new low.

“
You what?”

“We were just talking, and he asked.” Sh
e looked up into his blue eyes, and hoped he bought that.

“
Why would you tell him?” He shook her again. “What makes him so damn important?”

“Stop. You’re hurting me.” She struggled to break from his locked hands.

“Hey,” her father yelled behind them. “What the hell is going on?”

Thomas
released her. “I’m sorry, Sir. I was worried because she took off her necklace.”

Ava glared at him.
She knew he only said it to take the heat off him.

“You did what?” her father asked.

“Dad, I didn’t mean to.”

“
Get inside.”

“Okay,” she said, and glanced at Thomas before making her way toward the door.

“And I don’t ever want you to treat my daughter like that,” he said with an authoritative voice that Ava had never heard before.

“
I’m sorry, Sir. That was way out of hand.”

“You
’re damn right it was.”

Once Ava was inside, her dad came up behind her and slammed the door.
She was humiliated, and couldn’t believe Thomas had reacted like that. Especially, in front of her father.

She went to the kitchen, grabbed a glass from the cabinet, and filled it with water from the tap. The cold water soothed her parched throat.

Her father leaned against the doorframe, and crossed his arms. She knew he was going to yell at her for being irresponsible and foolish.

“How long has h
e been acting like this?”

“For a few
months,” she mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes.

“
What happened to your hand?”

She self-consciously moved it aside. “Nothing.”

“What did he do?”

“Burned it.”

“Let me see
it.”

“It’s fine.”

“Ava,” he demanded, and moved next to her.

She exhaled
, and unraveled the bandage. He carefully took her hand, and examined it.

“I should strangle him,” he muttered.

Ava wondered if he could make out the finger imprints from Thomas, but probably not since her whole hand was red. “He didn’t do it on purpose.”

He gave a
dubious look. “He could help it. He wasn’t focused enough. Have you talked to Savina about him?”

She shook her head.
“No.”

“You have to.
”

“
And tell her what? That I’m bound to an overbearing jerk, and in love with an Ephemeral—.” Oh no. No, no, no. The words had just slipped out. This was bad. She braced herself for the yelling, but when he didn’t say anything, Ava looked up. His eyes were soft.

He rubbed his face, and sighed.

“Dad, I-I didn’t mean that. Nothing will ever happen. I—.”

“
Ava,” he cut her off. He seemed to struggle with his words.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s wrong.”

“I’m a Halfling.”

The glass slipped from her grasp and shattered on the floor.

“What?”

“I was born a
mortal.”

He reached in the closet behind him, and retrieved a broom and dustpan. He swept the glass into a pile, but Ava didn’t move.

How could he be an Ephemeral? That was impossible. It was well known that Halflings were inferior to those of pureblood. At least, that’s how they were treated.

“
Why didn’t you ever tell me?” she asked.

“It never came up. And I was afraid.”

“Didn’t you ever trust me?”

He brushed the bits of glass into the dustpan and dropped it in the trashcan.
“Of course I did.”

“
Does this make me a…?”

“
No, you are all Enchanter. Those genes are very dominant, but I was made into an Enchanter before we had you.”

She relaxed, but then felt guilty. “How is this possible? You said you had an ability.”

“I did. It’s fading now because yours is emerging.”

“But how did you and mom end up together?”

“It wasn’t easy,” he admitted, looking away, lost in thought. “She struggled with it for quite a while. We had to convince her Aureole we were right for each other. She was stubborn and determined.”

“How did you do that? Isn’t it an unspoken rule that
Enchanters aren’t to fraternize with Ephemerals?”

“That was the hard part. Throughout the years, there have been several mixed couples, but they hide that. We went to Savina and Colden, and had to prove to the Aureole that we belonged together. They saw something in me and made me into a
n Enchanter.”

“Wait,
they made you an Enchanter? Isn’t that what we’re trying to prevent?”

“
You’re trying to prevent them from making an army. They only want fighters. It wasn’t an easy thing to face your mom’s coven, but they knew we loved each other. They felt it.”

Her knees were weak and the room seemed to swirl. Ava
pulled a chair out from the table, and then sank into it. She didn’t know how to feel, but knew there was no way she could bring Peter into this. “So, they gave you powers?”

He nodded. “When I was accepted, it was like
the first time you saw Savina and Colden.”

She
shuddered. “You had to drink blood, too?”

“Yes. It was as if I drank some of their abilities in a sense.
It took a couple of days to take effect, but when it did, I couldn’t believe the change. They used me a lot when investigating enemies. It was a good way to tell what they were up to, if they blocked their minds from Savina. I could tell if they were lying, but I couldn’t know the truth. Only if they lied.”

“
But now it’s fading?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, I can feel it slipping from me.”
He sat down across from her.

“Do you wish it
wasn’t?”

“Absolutely. If there was a way I could protect you, I would. I’ve tried so much to protect you from them all t
hese years. They almost took you…” He looked away.

“They? Wasn’t Corbin dead before I was born?”

“We think it was one of his followers.”

She knew it. They had tried to kill
her and her entire coven. “I don’t understand.” She raised her voice. “Something doesn’t add up. Corbin died, but you put all his supporters in prison. Yet, somehow, someone tried to kill us.”

He frowned. “We missed some. Some went to Caprington to hide.”

Caprington was Corbin’s hideout, or home. Everyone knew that as a dark place, but Ava wondered if anyone had ever gone there after Corbin died and burned it. They could have missed thousands of Enchanters that went back.

“Why didn’t Savina and Colden tell us?”

“They were trying to protect you. Luci always wanted you to be safe. And I thought I did my best.”

“You did.”

“I couldn’t defend you from your sickness,” he confessed with sadness in his eyes.

“But you couldn’t stop them. You didn’t know what they would do.”

“No, but that doesn’t change how I feel.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Dad.” She was upset, but it wasn’t her father’s fault. “Why haven’t you been concerned at all for me?”

“I am very much. But I also know how strong you are. You must understand just how powerful all of you together is. If this Devon guy finds out you are Elemental Enchanters…” He shook his head. “If he’s anything like Corbin, he would stop at nothing to have you.”

Chills tickled the back of her neck, and then she took a deep breath. “We really need to practice.”
Ava wondered if the others knew just how strong they were. She was curious to know what damage they could do together.

“Don’t worry so much.
I guarantee these spies he’s using aren’t anything to worry about, I promise you. I know you all can handle them. They’re pawns.”

“How do you know?”

“Devon Maunsell has been locked up and tormented for thirty years. He’s not as strong as he used to be. And I don’t think his supporters are powerful. They’ve been in hiding for so long.”

“
I think this kid at school, Xavier, knows what I am.”

His eyes narrowed in a way that made her feel small.
“Knows that you’re an Enchanter or an Elemental?”

“Enchanter.”

“How?”

“He
made a comment about my necklace. And he was the one who hit me.”

“What?” His eyes were angry.

“He had to have been. What if he is creating Halflings?”

“I wouldn’t worry about him.”

“Why?”

“If he really was creating Halflings, he wouldn’t be at school.”

“I think he’s spying on us.”

He shook his head. “You could just be paranoid. He hasn’t done anything but be a bully. If he was a Cimmerian, he wouldn’t just be bullying people. He’d be killing them.”

She nodded, but wasn’t so sure she agreed. “I’m sorry I got so angry with you about all this.”

“
You are so strong, so much like your mother. She had always accepted her responsibilities. Even from a young age. Why are you struggling?”

“I think you
know,” she murmured.

“Peter?”

“Yes.” She didn’t exactly want to talk to her dad about him, but some wishful thinking part of her wanted to know how being with him could be possible. “What did you think of all this when Mom told you?”

“I was actually pretty okay with it. Granted, it was hard to believe, until she showed me how she could control water. It was an amazing thing. She told me she would do anything to keep me safe, and that it was my decision if I wanted to be with her and be around all that.”

Her mother was much braver than she was. “I don’t think I could ever tell Peter what I am.”

“It’s not encouraged, as you know. But
if you love Peter, you’ll know what to do.”

“The others don’t see it as a good thing that I’m
even friends with Peter.”

“If Savina and Colden believe in it, they will give you permission.”

“I don’t think they would. If we have spies, Peter could be in danger. There’s no way. I just can’t.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. And after Thomas’s reaction, she definitely needed to detach herself from Peter. She needed to focus more on practicing and protecting the coven.

He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “You need to tell Savina about Thomas. You cannot have him treating you like that. And she of all people would understand you.”

“Okay.”

“Will you
talk to her?”

Ava didn’t want to and felt it wasn’t important. “Yes,” she told him, and then stood to leave.

“One more thing.”

“What?”

“Don’t ever take off your necklace.”

She was really hating his severe tone lately.
“Yes, Sir.”