CRYSTALLUM (The Primordial Principles Book 1) (34 page)

Her breath rushed out, heart hammering.

"And, yes, before you say it, I know that means I'm breaking more rules than I can probably count, and that we would have to stay under the radar, but I don't care." He gazed at her. "I want to be with you. I've wanted to be with you since you tackled me." He grinned. "You were trying to protect me that night, weren't you?"

"Yes, but—"

"You didn't even think about your own safety when you did that, did you?" His fingers ran over her jaw.

"No, I didn't, but even if my dad did allow me to date, which he doesn't," she stammered, "Primeva are forbidden to date Primori, and I..." She gazed at him, still not convinced that she was a Primeva anyway. "And I...why would you risk that for me? We could get caught. You could. I can't ask you to do that."

"I don't think I've ever gotten that kind of reaction before." He glanced at the sky like he was pondering it over.

Her blood boiled and she stepped back. "I really don't want to hear about what kind of reactions you've gotten with any other girls you've asked out, and I know everyone at school wants—"

He grabbed her waist, pulling her back to him, and kissed her.
Kade's hands wrapped around his neck, her fingers threading
through his hair. "Please, go out with me," he whispered, against her mouth. "I was totally kidding."

Kade made a growling sound, kissing him again.

"Is that a yes?" He smiled against her mouth. "That feels like a
yes."

"Yes." She nodded with what she knew was a stupid smile.
"Definitely. Yes."

Cole picked her up off the ground and kissed her again.

***

Monday morning's drive to school had Kade's stomach in knots.
After spending the entire day alone with Cole at the spring on Saturday, and texting him on Sunday, she couldn't imagine how
they were going to pretend to just be friends. There was also the uncomfortable situation with Kade leaving the dance with Cole instead of Jake. An issue she had absolutely no clue how she was going to handle when it came up.

She noticed Cole's Jeep immediately as she pulled into the dirt parking lot on campus, and the knots in her stomach grew into flutters. She still couldn't believe Cole had asked her to be his girlfriend. That he was her boyfriend. That he wanted her. She didn't think she would ever get to use the word boyfriend until college,
maybe, but with
everything that had happened in the past week, she was beginning to wonder if college was an option anymore. From the way Cole described it, once a Primordial graduated from high school, they were placed in various positions throughout the Ward. She was anxious about that, as well, but maybe she could be a Primeva. Just blend in with everyone else. Learn all the ins and outs of this new
life she'd been catapulted into. A real life. One she'd never imagined she could have.

Kade tracked across the slush and tried to suppress the grin that
tugged at her lip when Cole stared at her from across the parking lot with a sweet tilt of his head. The unmistakable yellow color of Tiffany's hair came into view as she walked closer. Kade's steps slowed, pulse racing, as she realized the girl's hand was on Cole's
jaw, near the cut on his mouth. Kade's grin vanished. The girl's hand lingered on Cole's face for no more than a second before he shrugged her off. Kade averted her eyes and walked straight past them, the flutters and knots in her stomach boiling into acid.

***

Giselle waited by the stairwell, a bright pink backpack slung over her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I like your new backpack."

"Thanks. Lindsey got it for me."

"That was sweet." Kade pictured Tiffany's hand on Cole's face and reached into her pocket, fingers searching for her crystal. The usual calming effect was absent. She might as well have been
holding a chunk of asphalt. Rolling the crystal between her fingers, she pulled it out and looked down. Its multifaceted faces sparkled. The same crystal she always used.

"Is there a reason you're being so quiet? Are you mad about the other night? I'm really sorry I told you that way." Giselle exited the stairwell onto the second floor.

"It's not that. I already knew most of it." Sort of. "About me, anyway, and even though it's completely crazy that you and Lindsey are, well, you know, it's good." Kade nodded. "I'm glad you're like me." Or whatever.

"Yeah?" Giselle smiled. "I figured Cole filled you in on
everything, but I wasn't sure if, well, you would freak out. A lot of newcomers do. So, you're really okay with it?"

"I really am. Thanks for worrying. It's nice having a friend."

Giselle did a little hop skip move. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong then?"

Cole stood by the door to American History, ankles crossed, hands in his pockets. Kade's gaze tracked his body up and down, and the way
he grinned at her when her gaze reached his face, like he was beckoning her, should've been illegal. He smirked, and she forced herself to not smile. How he had made it to class before she did,
she'd rather not know. Probably ran at light speed, which was so risky, and he knew it. He was still supposed to be taking it easy per the Warden, not to mention his doctor, but he clearly wasn't heeding anyone's advice.

"Nothing's wrong." Kade lied, still staring at Cole, wanting to run to him, throw her arms around him, kiss him, claim him, while simultaneously yelling at him for parking his Jeep next to Tiffany's car...for talking to her at all. Letting her touch his face.

"Right." Giselle glanced between Kade and Cole, gazes locked on each other. "There's about as much of nothing wrong with you, as there's nothing wrong with me."

“What? Was that even a complete sentence, because it made no sense?"

Giselle walked into the classroom. "Actually, it made complete sense." She sank down in her chair.

"Okay, then tell me what's wrong."

Cole brushed his hand against Kade's shoulder as he walked in. She ignored him, or she tried to. He was hard to ignore. The heat he emitted was like a drug, luring her to look at him, smile at him, talk to him...Kade forced her focus to stay on Giselle.

"It's nothing." Giselle shrugged. "Really, I'm fine." She leaned
over and unzipped her backpack.

"Hey, G?"

"Yeah?" She set her notebook on her desk.

"You can tell me anything. Anything at all. I'm good at keeping secrets and I never judge."

Giselle glanced at her notebook. "Thanks."

"All right everyone," Mr. Robbins spoke. "Since all of you enjoyed our DVD on the American Revolution last week, and you all
passed the quiz, I've decided to show another one."

Hoots rang through the room.

"Again?" Giselle groaned. "I'm going to fall asleep."

Cole shifted his desk into the center of the aisle, the same way he'd done the first time they watched a DVD, and nudged it forward little by little until it was wedged next to Kade's.

"Hey." He smiled.

"Hey." Kade faced forward, tapping her fingers on her desk.

"Hey, Giselle," Cole said.

Giselle rolled her eyes. "Are you seriously going to do this every time we watch a movie?" She jumped her desk over, away from him.
As much as Giselle complained about Cole, and told Kade that he was an ass and trouble, to stay away from him, there was a constant affection in her tone whenever she talked to him that Kade found
curious.

"Maybe." Cole stretched his legs out, leaning back in his seat.

Giselle stared at him. "You really have it bad, don't you?"

Kade coughed, choked really, but Cole only smirked.

"You have no idea." He tilted his head toward Kade, light eyes sparkling, and he reached over, squeezing her thigh with his hand.

Kade's body flooded with heat. So, maybe she'd overreacted a little bit about the Tiffany thing. It happens.

***

Since Kade was officially under everyone's watch, Giselle was
sticking
to her like glue, or really thick paste. Her only break was in
American History and Algebra because those were the classes she had with Cole. She kept wondering if she was going to spot Jake in the hallway since they didn't have Calculus together anymore, and what she would say when she did, but she never saw him, and she wasn't sure if she should be thankful or worried.

Lindsey was also missing from school.

"Is Lindsey sick?" Kade asked when she and Giselle sat down for lunch.

"Not really."

"Oh."

Giselle poked at her food, even her ketchup sat in a red puddle on her plate.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure how to tell you." She dragged her fork through the ketchup so it created long red lines on her pink plastic lunch tray.

"How about you start by telling me what it's about?"

She continued to drag her fork around. "Telling you what it's about is the same as telling you, period."

"We could trade secrets if you want." Kade opened her water.

Giselle popped her head up. "What kind of secrets?"

"Whatever kind you want. A secret for a secret."

"What if it's a secret you can never tell anyone?" Giselle looked back at her tray.

"I think that's the definition of the word, G."

She nodded. "Do you have a secret that you can never tell anyone? Something that's bad? That people would hate you for if they knew?"

Kade tried not laugh. "No one is going to hate you."

"People will. It's not something...that's looked on in a good
light." She took a sip of water.

"I'm dating Cole," Kade blurted out. "Like officially dating him. As of Saturday.”

Giselle spit her water across the table. "What? That's
completely...I mean, I know you like each other, it's so damn obvious, but Kade, that's—"

"Forbidden. I know."

"It's more than that." Giselle's green eyes were wide. "Cole...the Ward, it's his life, his entire life. It's all he knows, and he..." She
shook her head like she couldn't get the right words out.

"He what?"

"He never opens up to anyone. Until he met Danny, he was basically a loner. No friends, his parents were still in Rome, and I guess Plumb had a really hard time getting him to talk to her, associate with the other kids in the Brotherhood. He was pretty
messed up from what I heard."

The information made Kade sad, but it didn't surprise her. She'd picked up on how wounded Cole was, and not just because of the scars on his back.

"Just be careful. Cole's a good guy—don't you dare tell him I said that." She pointed a finger. "He just doesn't get close to people. Well, besides Danny. He dated Tiffany for a year, and I swear to you, I'm not sure he even liked her that much." She shrugged. "He's dated a lot of girls. Although dated is probably the wrong word."

Acid, like bile, hit the back of Kade's throat, and a shudder rolled through her body. "I'll be careful. I'm taking a huge risk by telling you this."

"I won't tell a soul." Giselle looked her in the eyes. "I promise."

"I know that. Your turn. Tell me anything."

Giselle bit the side of her lip, glancing down at her tray again. "No one can know," she whispered. "I have no one to talk to about it." She picked at her thumb nail, still not lifting her gaze.

"Okay."

She inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I'm...I...see...I'm see...seeing...I'm seeing...Lindsey." Her gaze focused on Kade's as if she was waiting for a hit.

"I know."

"What? What do you mean, you know?"

"I've always known, G. Well, I've always suspected."

"What? Why?"

Kade laughed. "You argue like an old married couple for one, Lindsey would do anything in the world for you, including putting up with all your tantrums—no offense, but it's true—and you look at each other the same way Cole and I do."

"It's really that obvious?"

"To me. To everyone else? I doubt it."

Giselle glanced at her hands picking at her thumb nail again. "And is that, do you hate me? Want to stop being friends with me?"

"Why would I hate you?"

She shrugged. "Because you know, that means that I'm..."

"Gay?"

She winced. "Can we not use that word? I mean, I'm not ashamed of liking Lindsey, I'm not, but being what I am, what we are, no one in the Ward is like us. Like, no one. And it isn't that we're told we can't be...you know, but no one is, and I don't know what
people will think. We could get kicked out of the Kinship, the whole Ward. Banished."

"G, just because you don't know about anyone else being gay, doesn't mean people aren't. They could be as afraid as you are to say something."

"Maybe. Can you keep it a secret? I know I have to say
something eventually, but...I'm not ready to do that yet."

"Everything in my life is a secret at this point," Kade said. "I'll never say a word, Giselle. I promise."

"Thanks."

"So, where is Lindsey?"

"Doing rounds. Everyone's searching for Kyle. I have 'Kade
duty.'" She made little quotes in the air. "Not that I mind or anything, I'm just worried."

It was hard to argue with that, and Kade still had no real idea what doing rounds for the Ward meant, so she wasn't sure how much danger Lindsey could be in. A lot, likely, with the way Giselle was pouting.

"Lindsey's tough. She knows what she's doing and everyone is searching for Kyle. Doubt he'll get far."

Giselle looked passed Kade, eyes darkening the same way she’d seen Cole’s do so many times. "What happened?" Giselle asked, fear spiking through her words.

Kade turned around, following her gaze, and Cole straddled the bench next to her, his knee firmly pressing against her thigh. "I just got off the phone with Danny."

"Oh, god."

"Don't panic, G. We've had some activity near the Eureka mine. Lindsey was involved."

Giselle's hand went to her mouth and she popped to her feet. "Where is she?"