Book of Love (5 page)

I turned and leaned against a nearby stack,
placing my forehead against the spines of the books—trying to
regroup—trying to calm down. I could feel the glares of every
person in the room.

Why me?

Max:

I watched Jane as she stood with her sister,
spying between the books with nervous energy.

Why didn’t I say something
more?

I felt her heart racing,
her body heat rising. She looked around her, her brown eyes
scanning the room. Her sister left her, and she leaned against a
stack of books, looking so alone—
feeling
alone. She stayed there for
a moment before adjusting the bag on her back and walking briskly
toward the door.

I shook my head, angry with myself for
acting so stupid, so juvenile. Almost one hundred years, and still
I hadn’t gotten past the awkward feeling that comes with being a
teen—

“
Nice try.”

The voice forced an instant flash of anger
into my heart. I shut my eyes. I’d been hoping he wouldn’t come,
but I was naïve to think he’d finally leave me alone. I turned to
face him, my jaw clenched.

“
I knew it wouldn’t take
you long,” I seethed.

He smirked, his green eyes accompanied by a
dark afterglow.

“
I could
never pass up a chance to play with my
dear
brother.” He sneered, his eyes
sharp and his black hair spiked accordingly. He looked over my
shoulder. “So, who is
she?”

“
Gregory, it’s nice to see
you.” I addressed him with a nod, hoping I could avoid the question
he’d asked.

Greg laughed under his
breath, leaning against a stack of books. “Nice to see me?
You’re pathetic.”

It had been ten years since I’d seen him
last. When I’d left Glenwood Springs, I’d gone to a place he didn’t
care to follow. Naturally, he hadn’t changed much, except for the
new hairstyle that left his once wavy black locks spiked.

“
What do you want,
Greg?”

He looked amused. “So, you like my hair?” He
touched it. “I think it’s a nice way to change things up. Keep it
fresh and interesting for the ladies.”

I stared blankly at
him.
“What do you want?”
I repeated.

“
Like I
said, Max—to play.” Greg tilted his head. “Looks like you’ve come
back for
her.”
He sighed. “So have I. Mostly because whatever interests you,
dear brother, interests me. Plus, she is a bit of
unfinished business.”

“
I saved her, Greg. You
can’t touch her anymore. I made sure of that,” I
snapped.

He laughed, acting calm.
“Max. You know I’ll find a way. You can’t toy with fate. She was
meant to
die.”

“
You caused the accident.
How is that not toying with fate? I saved her; she is mine to
protect. You can not touch her.” I threatened him.

“
She shouldn’t be alive,
Max. You know that’s against the rules.”

I felt my teeth grind
together. “Your crusade is without just cause. You tried to murder
them without a valid reason. It’s because of that that she should
be allowed to
live.”

Greg laughed quietly. “I have to kill all of
those we leave behind, Max. That is the balance of the Earth.”

“
Then why
didn’t you ever come back for Erik?” I challenged. Erik had been
the reason I was here,
like
this
, in the first place.

Gregory’s black eyes glimmered with evil.
“He’s different. He was never supposed to be there, so there’s no
need to do any clean up.”

“
You
murdered our parents.
You don’t
care about anyone but yourself.”

Greg shrugged. “You’re
just upset that I didn’t care about
you.
Erik just got in the way. He
shouldn’t have been there that day.
”

I was surprised by his remark. It was as
though he was admitting that he cared about our little brother
after all. Even if he had once almost killed him, he claims now
that it was an accident that Erik was even there. I never figured
he had the heart.

I watched the dark green afterglow of his
eyes, a telltale sign of what he was—a Black Angel. Greg had defied
the Heavens, turning to the side that wanted to drag every human
soul to Hell. I, on the other hand, I wanted justice, peace and
equality. There was no need for this separation of the supernatural
and the human. Regardless of what was right, Greg was evil now. His
heart burned, and he no longer understood rationality. There was
nothing left of the human for whom I once cared. There was nothing
left of the brother that still shares my blood.

“
She is not harming
anyone,” I spat, trying to remain quiet. “Her fate here will not
affect the balance of the world. Jane has a simple
soul.”

Greg narrowed his eyes. “Doesn’t matter.” He
toyed with the spine of a book on the shelf beside us.

I grumbled. “And what
about the
magick?”

I saw my brother looked confused.

“
There is more here than
you think,” I continued.

I thought of the boy I’d seen with Jane. He
was turning, growing into what his parents left for him to become.
I knew that with him here, Greg would have a harder time getting to
Jane. His magick was an ancient kind of magick, bred into his blood
for generations.

“
You can’t deny that magick
is coming back to the area, Greg, no matter what you do to try and
stop it.”

Greg looked defeated by my words. “In time,
it too will be eradicated on Earth.”

I shook my head. “This magick is dangerous,
Greg. I’ve dealt with it before. This is not the kind you used to
know when you were young. But, luckily for me, all the magick here
is on my side.” I lied, but I knew that if the boy understood, he
would help me in the end. “Those touched by that kind of magick are
strong, perhaps even stronger than you.”

“
And far
stronger than
you,
Brother.” He smirked.

I wasn’t afraid of what was here. Glenwood
had always been a place of magick. I shook my head, my anger
growing tired of his games. “Stay away from her, Greg.”

Greg pressed his lips together, seeming to
conform to my wishes. “But nothing keeps me from her family, Max.
Remember that.”

A half smile crept across his face as he
faded into the air like a cloud of smoke. As quickly as he came, he
was gone, leaving nothing but a feather that lingered in the space
before me, pitch black as it spiraled to the ground.

Emily:

I looked back as Alexis and I stormed away
from Jane and the library, my grip on her arm tight. I hit the
handle of the door with the butt of my palm, throwing it open. We
exited into the hall, the fluorescent lights pouring down on
us.

Alexis laughed. “You’re sister is such a
nerd. She’s so easy to frighten.” Her footsteps were sloppy as I
continued to drag her.

I glared at Alexis. “Leave
her alone,” I said in her defense. I squeezed my eyes shut and
opened them.
What was I doing? Why was I
defending her?

Alexis shrugged away from me and we halted
in the hall. She crossed her arms against her chest, discontented
by the fact that I’d side with Jane. “Don’t tell me you’re going
soft, Em.”

I scratched my head as I
pushed the hair from my face, annoyed. “I’m not
soft,”
I retorted.

“
Whatever.” She rolled her
eyes before her face changed completely. She grinned wide. “Did you
see the new guy?” Alexis looked over her shoulder toward the
library.

I was shocked by her ability to change the
mood of a conversation so quickly.

“
He was standing by your
sister in that aisle.” She laughed. “He may be cute, but he sure
has bad taste.” A snort passed her lips.

I was hearing her words,
but none of it was registering. I was too confused, too clouded.
The Vicoden I took earlier was numbing my ability to hear her
thoughts, and I was thankful for that. I didn’t need to hear about
how big she thought his
stuff
was.

“
Hello!
Earth. To.
Emily!”
Alexis shook me.

I snapped out of it. “Yeah, bad taste.” I
wasn’t sure exactly what I was agreeing to.

Alexis crooned once more.
“Maybe we won’t have to worry about him, though.
Check this one out.”

I looked up, seeing a boy just like the
other, though not identical, walking toward us down the hall from
the library. His green eyes were gazing beyond us, as though we
didn’t exist. He had an identical dark grey T-shirt on, but his
jeans were a noticeable upgrade. He, too, had tattoos on both
forearms, much like the other boy. They had to be brothers. There
was no other explanation.

Another sickening wash of fear drowned my
heart. I stopped breathing. The whispers that filled my head were
screaming in agony, this new boy’s mind a mess of pain. He glanced
at me and smirked. I gasped, seeing danger in his eyes as he drew
close.

“
What—”
My voice echoed in my
head, as though my ears had been stuffed with cotton.

“
Wow,
he’s way
cuter
than the other one. Better dressed, too.
They must be related.”
She was
whispering, or at least that’s what it sounded like over the
screams in the boy’s head. He was about to pass us, the thoughts
growing louder. I saw Alexis strike a pose beside me, attempting to
attract his attention.

The boy smirked then, his expression
nonchalant. He winked.

I felt disgusted and intrigued at the same
time, completely confused by the mess of emotion that was balling
up inside my chest.

He passed us as though in slow motion. Sweat
gathered on my brow, the pain of the screams resonating through my
very core. I shivered, refusing to turn and watch as he walked
away. When the whispers finally faded, and he was gone from view,
my shoulders sank. I was able to relax. Ambient sound rushed back
to me, leaving my ears numbed.

What was that?

Wes:

I was gripping the
steering wheel, my knuckles white. Sweat dripped down my brow and
hit my arm. The splash of it was magnified in my ears. A sharp pain
pulsed through my chest, my heart racing.
What was wrong with me?
I tried to
move my arm but it was frozen on the wheel. I took another moment
to try and relax, but the feeling only seemed to expand.

Attempting to distract
myself, I thought about the new kid I’d passed on my way out. For a
split second, the pain inside me had been relieved, as though he’d
absorbed it. My head had become clear, but there was another
feeling that had replaced the pain—undeniable and
overwhelming
hate.
I’d never felt so much hate. And the way he
smelled—
like ash.
I felt him. I felt his soul, but there was nothing
but…
ash
. The
chill that had pulsed through me was hard to ignore.

Who was he?

My grip on the wheel released. I felt my
forehead; it was still burning. I wasn’t out of the woods yet. I
pulled the visor down, flipping up the mirror to look at myself. My
pupils were dilated, their shape wavering. A metallic flavor filled
my mouth. I wiped it with the back of my hand, seeing blood stain
my shirt. I looked back in the mirror, seeing blood now drip from
my nose. I needed to get away from the school, and fast.

I wiped my nose on my sleeve, struggling to
put the keys into the ignition as my hands trembled. The engine
turned over as it roared to life, silencing the painful cry that
escaped from my mouth. My bones felt like rusted steel as I moved
them. I slammed my hand down on the shifter, throwing it in reverse
as I pressed down on the gas. My tires burned against the pavement,
releasing a plume of smoke that engulfed my car. I shifted once
more, emerging from the cloud and speeding down the aisle of
cars.

Once out of the lot, I turned toward home,
not knowing where else to go. I could feel the warm blood dripping
from my nose, my attempts to blot it on my sleeve useless. I looked
down, mesmerized by the deep crimson. I forced my gaze away,
keeping my eyes on the road as my vision began to blur.

Finding I could go no further, I turned onto
the shoulder. I quickly scanned my surroundings. There was an old
forest road just to my right that led back to an abandoned steam
cave where students would escape to make-out. I drove on the
shoulder until I reached it, hoping it would help hide me. I turned
in, driving a few yards further before stopping the car all
together. As the trees surrounded me, I felt safe. I shut the car
off, leaning back against the seat.

I took a deep breath, feeling things begin
to cool. My eyelids drifted shut. There was something about the
forest that brought relief, the branches like open arms. I heard a
hawk cry out, the sound muffled by the walls of the car. I opened
my eyes, peering through the windshield. The hawk sat in a nearby
tree, watching me. It tilted its head from one side to the other.
Its feathers were a dark brown, its eyes like solid amber. It
stayed there with me until I fell asleep, watching me like a
friend.