Book of Love (31 page)

Looking into Max’s eyes, I
could see the way he longed for life. I felt bad for him. Max had
been placed in his position without a choice. No part of him was
ready to leave. In all reality, he had done me a favor. Max had
given me a second chance—a choice. I could die now and move on, but
if I’d died with my father, I would have been left wanting—if not
right away, then in time. Max gave me something he never had the
chance to hold onto—
life.

The realization washed over me, and I was
overcome by sudden emotion. Tears began to fill my eyes.

Max touched my chin. “Jane, what’s
wrong?”

I shook my head, knowing that if I spoke,
the crying would be impossible to subdue.

Thank you, Max.

I let my thoughts say it for me, knowing he
was in there.

You gave me something—a choice you never
had. I get it now.

“
You don’t know how much it
means to hear you say that, Jane. I’ve felt so guilty…” his voice
was a whisper.

I got my tears under
control. “Release your guilt, Max. I’m here now. What’s done is
done, and it’s time to move on. You’re important to me in a way I
feel like I’ve known all along. I was so scared about the strong
connection I felt toward you, since the first day I saw you in the
hall. It makes sense now, and I know that you and I are bound by
more than just what you did to save me.” Max’s blue eyes suddenly
seemed more familiar than even Wes’s. Max was the best friend, the
best—
whatever
—I’d
ever had.

“
No matter what life, I
feel like I would have eventually known you, Max. You are the key
to all the things that I’ve been missing.”

I saw the dimple on his cheek threaten to
make an appearance. I could tell the things I was saying were
things Max had been waiting to hear since the day he saved me. He
probably felt then what I did now. It was an inkling—a taste on the
tip of my tongue. Max knew that there was something about me that
he needed to know, but time had been stolen from the situation.

“
You belong in this life,
Jane. I’m not sure just why, but you are meant for great things
aside from what I feel for you. There’s electricity that surrounds
you, far stronger than anything I’ve seen before. Something is
destined for you, and it’s not just me. Your father must have known
this. A part of me even wonders if you already didn’t have magick,
even before you became a Seoul.”

The mention of my father made me tighten.
“What happened that day, Max?”

The dimple on his face
faded. “I know I told you why I saved you, at least initially, but
there was more. Your father
wanted
me save you. Your father
asked
me to save you. And though I’d
already decided to long before his wishes, hearing him say it
sealed my decision. The look on his face told me that there was
more behind my connection with you—there was a mission.”

“
My father spoke to
you?”

“
He did. They were his last
words. I was able to grasp you before you crossed over, but I had
to sacrifice saving him in turn.” There was something personal
about the way he’d said it.

“
Why did Greg try to kill
him?”

Max looked away from me. “I knew your father
before the accident, Jane. Greg knew him, too. Your father lived a
secret life aside from his family. He led the Priory against the
division of the human and magickal world. Your father wanted peace.
In Greg’s eyes, he had to die.”

“
You
knew
my father?”

“
I did. But I didn’t know
about you, or your sister. He kept you all safe by keeping his
human life a secret, just as his magickal life was a secret from
you.”

“
So, you were
like—”

“
Colleagues—
friends
,” he interrupted. “I
respected your father.”

I saw the loss in his
eyes. They
had
been friends. My world was suddenly blown apart, all over
again.

“
His wishes were kept, and
I am honored to be the guardian of John’s child.”

The way he said
it—
John’s child
—it showed his age. I no longer saw the cool and collected
teen from Denver, but a web of history and fate. The fact that Max
was old in spirit did not bother me, and in fact, it gave me a
sense of security in knowing I was never alone—my father had made
sure of that. I suddenly felt as though my father had never left my
side. I was safe in his arms—in Max’s arms.

“
You should probably get
back to class.” He was eyeing the front doors of the
school.

My head was swimming with the things he had
told me, but he was right. I was yet again left with more questions
than answers, but right now was hardly the time to ask. A part of
my conscience was telling me I needed to get back to class, but it
was also screaming for time to think. I put my hand on the handle
of the door and clicked it open. “Aren’t you coming?” I asked.

Max pouted. “I have math class right now,
and I hate math.”

A roar of laughter passed my lips. “I get
it. Now that your secret is out you’re going to bail on me, aren’t
you? You’re going to leave me all alone in there. You only went to
school for the purpose of finding me.”

He glared. “That’s not entirely true. A part
of me was going because I never finished my senior year to begin
with, and I thought it might be nice.” He winked.

“
Then why are you skipping?
You’ll fail and they’ll refuse to let you graduate.”

He laughed. “At least I
can say I tried. Besides, you think I care about my GPA? I don’t
really
have
to be
there either. I can cheat like Emily does.”

“
Emily
cheats?” It made sense.
“Figures.”

Max laughed. “You’re a goody-goody who never
likes to skip class. I, on the other hand, resent school as much as
the next kid does and I’ll do the minimum necessary to get by. I
can allow myself the occasional skip. Besides, I’m trying to fit
in. I’m seventeen, remember? Technically, the law makes me go. I
can’t hang out with you on weekends and expect that someone won’t
notice I’m not going to school.” He thought for a moment. “Maybe
I’ll just transfer into all your classes, that way I can study
something worth learning about—like you.”

Max reached for me one last time, taking my
hand as he hooked his other behind my head. He pulled me into him,
kissing my forehead. When he pulled away, and my hand slipped out
of his, I was surprised when I felt something was left in my grasp.
I looked down, curling my fingers open to reveal the small white
origami dove he’d left behind.

I blushed, unable to think of a reply.

Emily:

I walked up the front porch and into the
house.

“
Emily,
what are you doing home so soon after school?” Mother said this to
me as though it were a miracle. A feeling of astonishment beamed
from her mind, her thoughts all jumbled and confused, as though it
were
so
shocking to see me acting like a compliant teen.

“
Leave me alone, Mother.” I
threw my pink bag by the shoes in the front hall, walking past her
without as much as a glance. I traipsed up the stairs.

She said nothing in my
wake—that is, at least nothing
out
loud—
and I liked it that
way
.
I hadn’t
medicinally diluted my clairvoyance in the past few days because of
my blinded love for Wes. But I was back, and the first thing I
wanted was a healthy dose of Vicoden.

My little trip down the lane of normal was
short and sweet, but it was time I stopped kidding myself. I knew
Jane only saw me as a failure, and likely someone that would end up
in all the wrong relationships, so why disappoint her now? I knew
what she thought of me, and that was never going to change.

I went into my room and straight to the
bathroom where I reached to the back of my drawer, finding one of
many bottles. I popped the lid and fished inside. It was the bottle
I’d gotten from Greg, filled with red and the white pills. I knew
the white ones were Vicoden, but every time I took the red ones, I
found they worked a lot better to numb my freakish abilities.

I grappled one out of the jar and threw it
in my mouth. I swallowed, then pumped some face wash into my hand
and turned the water on warm. I began to suds the soap and apply it
to my face, wanting to wash away the light fluffy pink makeup that
I associated with the normal. I needed to turn back into the
dramatic, troubled self I always was, because that was me. I turned
the water off with my face dripping. Reaching for the towel ring, I
was surprised to find the towel that was there a moment ago was
gone.

“
Here,” a deep voice echoed
in the bathroom and a towel touched my hand.

I jerked back and yelped, opening my eyes
and ignoring the residual soap that stung my vision. I wiped my
face with my hand, backing against counter. Bottles toppled to the
floor as I tried to balance myself. Greg smiled.

“
How did
you get in here?”
I hissed. My
heart was pumping and my voice low, afraid my mother would
hear.

He raised one brow. “I have my ways.” He
tossed me the towel and I caught it. “And your mother didn’t
hear.”

I wiped my face, never
breaking my gaze,
“Whatever.”
Shaking my head, I found I was too depressed to
care. First he had shown up in the yard, and now the bathroom. So
what? It was his thing and I was in no position to judge. His
thoughts weren’t screaming, and a part of me wondered what had
changed. All the voices I’d heard were now replaced with a series
of concise and organized bullet points.

Greg laughed. “You’re funny. Not many people
are as confident around me as you are.” He leaned against the
counter, lifting an eyeliner pencil and inspecting it with
arbitrary fascination.

I snatched it from him hand, leaning close
to the mirror and hastily applying a deep, thick line above and
below both eyes. “You’re just another loser like me, so why
shouldn’t I act with confidence?” I said bravely.

His brows shot up in his reflection. “And
you’re just another freak, so we’re even.” He watched me, mildly
intrigued.

I glared at him with my now darkened eyes,
back to the way they’d always been. I grabbed the tube of black
mascara, loading the brush and fanning my lashes.

I sighed. “Let me guess, you can read my
thoughts, right? No lack of people like that it seems.” For the
first time, it didn’t surprise me to think that was a normal
occurrence.

“
How did you guess?” He was
mocking me.

I snorted.

Greg laughed again. “We
should team up, you and I. I think we’d really make a
killing.”

I finished applying my makeup, assuming a
comfortable pose with my hand on my hip. “Sorry, Greg, but I think
my trust in human nature is about tapped out. Find a girlfriend
somewhere else.”

He chuckled to himself.
“Oh come on, Emily.” He stood and took a step toward me. “You can’t
resist me. You
love
me, right?”

I saw his eyes waver, enticing me. He was
handsome, I knew that. My impulse to hate him faded, replaced with
a tingling feeling of desire, and even lust.

“
I know you crave revenge,
Emily. So, why not join me?” He brushed the hair from my face,
pressing me against the counter. I felt his hips against mine, the
power of his body overwhelming.

His cold nose grazed my cheek, and I longed
to taste his lips, to devour the sweetness of his kiss.

“
See?
You
do
love me after all,” he whispered. “I knew you would.” He
traced the back of his hand across my cheek and into my hair.
“We’re the perfect pair, don’t you think, Emily? A match made
in
Heaven.”
He
smirked.

The more he kept talking, the more I
believed him. His mouth was so close that I could taste his icy
breath. My lip trembled and my thoughts were clouded. I leaned into
him, closing my eyes as my lips melted into his. His hands clamped
around my hips, and I began to forget who I was.

All my problems fell away as I was drawn
into his world. Being with him was better than any drug. Being with
him kept my thoughts clear. He lifted me off the ground and sat me
on the counter, wrapping either knee around his sides as his lips
kissed every inch of my face.

The Emily I was was gone now.

I liked it that way.

Wes:

I stopped by a tree to rest as the rain
began to fall. My fur was matted against my back, the steam from my
breath filling the air as I panted.

I liked it this way. I
liked to run, to feel that I was someone else for a
change—someone
savage.
The blood from the jack rabbit coated the fur on my front
paws, and I began to lick it off. The metallic sweetness was
delicious, far more appetizing than anything I’d ever had before. I
felt satisfied—my life as a human so distant, that I no longer
cared.

I began to wonder if this kill of mine was
the way it tasted for every animal. As a horse, would I enjoy
grass? As a monkey, perhaps a banana?