Shifter Magick (10 page)

“I’ll bring your car back to campus
today.” He said. His expression was solemn.

Kera shook her head. She couldn’t deal with seeing him again after this. “Just take me to it now and I’ll drive it back.”

“No.” He refused. “Your ankle needs to heal Kera. You can’t just do everything yourself. You were attacked less than two days ago.”

“Please.” She choked out.

Maddox ran a hand through his hair and pinned her with a stare. “This is what you want?” he asked her.

Kera nodded. She hated herself at this point and regretted her life. She had to dismiss her emotions because of her vile secret. They sat in silence as Maddox drove away from campus and to the shop to pick up her car. Kera would abandon it
just so she didn’t have to deal with this heartache,
but she knew it was all she could afford. It was paid off with the hard work she did from the diner.

She kept up the stickers and insurance but with all of her money invested in college and her psychology degree, Kera didn’t have any other choice. She didn’t know how she would pay Maddox back for the repair bill.

Her stomach cramped as she imagined Maddox paying the mechanic for her car repair then
her driving away and never seeing him again. She felt like she was either going to be sick or burst into tears. It took every ounce of strength she had to sit there as still as a statue and pretend this is what she wanted.

It wasn’t. The turmoil inside her roused the beast. Kera clinched her jaw in pain but welcomed the punishment.

Maddox turned down a dirt road and Kera watched the tree’s pass outside of the window. A few minutes later he turned into an empty parking lot in front of a white building with two garages. There weren’t any signs or a name on the building. “This is it?” she asked confused.

“It’s where I work on my car.” Maddox pushed a button on his dash and the garage door opened slowly. She saw her jeep inside. “It’s where I fixed your door.”

Kera’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart had about ten knives in it right now and if she breathed she would surely die.

Maddox pulled up beside her jeep and got out of the car. He went to a tool box and pulled out her keys. When he opened the door for her Kera refused to look at him.

She refused to move from her seat too.

Maddox waited.

Could he tell that she wanted to cry? Did he know that if he touched her now she would break into a thousand pieces? Deciding to part ways with him even after knowing him for only a few days was unbearable to think about. Everything inside her told her that she needed him.

Did that mean she should use him? No. Did it mean she wanted to? Yes. Kera would never find another person to make her feel the way he did. The crazy feeling she had when he touched her was enough for her to think he was special.

Kera looked over to him and winced at the dark blue color of his eyes. “Can I ask you something?”
she asked him quietly.

Maddox knelt beside her to look at her eye level. “Yes.” He practically begged.

“Will you tell me a secret about yourself that you wouldn’t want everyone to know?” She watched his facial expression change from
upset to confused and then anger.

“You think it will change anything?”

Kera could only nod.

“
Okay
.” Maddox stood up and paced a little bit. His shoe squeaked on the concrete floor when he turned back to her. “I’m a virgin.” He announced. “A twenty two year old virgin who could go out right now and find someone who would sleep with me but I can’t do it because I think sex is only worth anything with the right person.”

Kera felt her jaw drop. She fell for him just a little bit more right then. Even with the honesty from him Kera still couldn’t find it in her to continue with her plan. She couldn’t ask him to keep her secret if the best secret he had was being perfect.

“Are you going to talk to me now?” He pressed.

Maddox’s voice echoed around the room and around in her head. Kera shook her head no. “It’s not enough.” She whispered.

His feet didn’t make a sound as he moved. Maddox knelt beside her again. “Two for one then.” He bargained and then didn’t wait for her to respond before he continued in a hushed voice. “I know every time you lie to me.
As soon as the words leave your pretty mouth I know if what you are saying is true or if it’s not. I want you to trust me but it hurts when it’s the little things.”

Kera listened as he spoke but didn’t know if she was grasping what he was saying.

Maddox put his hand on her leg and looked down at her ankle. “You don’t have to be brave Kera. I know you lied when you said you were just lightly stepped on your foot.” He caught her eyes in
his web when he looked at her. “Your doctor didn’t say anything about leaving your bandages alone. You are probably supposed to check on it if you do something that could tear your stitches.”

His hand trailed down her leg and she let him turn her toward the door so he could look. Kera felt her heart beating out of her chest. Was she going to let this happen?

Maddox began to untie her shoe and she stopped breathing when he pulled it off.

Her sock covered the ace bandages she had placed around her ankle to remind her it was supposed to be hurt. She kept her hands clinched in fear when he hesitated. Did he already suspect? What was he thin
king? Would he scream or
faint?

Kera felt like she would pass out.

Maddox looked at her. His forehead was crinkled in confusion. His heart seemed to beat just as quickly as hers. He pulled up her pant leg and rolled down her sock. The ace bandage was wrapped tightly around her ankle and she knew he could tell that she hadn’t hurt her foot worse. There wasn’t blood seeping through the missing gauze.

Kera wanted to pull her leg back and tell him that
he’d checked enough to know she was
okay
.
But
she didn’t.

Maddox unclasped the metal brads and began to unwrap the length of bandage. Kera closed her eyes as tight as she could and focused on the warmth radiating on her heal that rested in the palm of his hand.

Cool air hit her skin and she felt goose flesh pri
ckle on her leg. “Kera?” H
e whispered in shock. His fingers traced a hot trail across her ankle and she could feel the thump of her veins against his fingers.

Kera opened her eyes when he let go of her leg and picked up the other foot. He quickly but gently took off her other shoe and examined the skin on her other leg. “Are you going to tell anyone?” she asked him.

His eyes snapped up to her. “This is a miracle.” He looked back at her ankle and then back at her. “Does this have anything to do with your skin? With the feeling we spoke of yesterday?”

Kera nodded.

She watched as his fingers traced her ankle again. “I almost destroyed what is between us.” He whispered softly.

“No.”
Kera knew she did. She couldn’t let him take the blame for the decision she almost made.

Maddox laughed shortly. “Truth.”
He said. “At least in your mind.”

“You aren’t freaked out?” Kera was surprised at how he dismissed the conversation they had so quickly. Was he in shock? Her leg was healed and he was probably in shock over it. But he could tell the truth when she spoke? Maybe little things like this, the abilities she had
,
weren’t so uncommon after all.

He held a hand out to her and Kera grabbed it. Maddox pulled her to her feet and braced an arm around her back. “I have a freaky gift too.” he smiled. “It’s not that I’m not shocked because I am, but my family has seen some crazy things.”

“Like fast healers with tingly skin?” She joked. Inside she wondered if he knew anything about beasts that live inside of people
trying to get out
.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked instead of answering her question.

Kera didn’t think it was important anymore anyway. She felt the cold cement on her toes and she stood as tall as she could.

His lips came down on hers and Kera gasped.
She found herself trembling from the force she had to use to stay in control. She wanted to hold him tightly but she didn’t want to hurt him.

Maddox might be strong, but he wasn’t invincible.

“You’re not even listening.”
Julie complained. “We are supposed to be working together on this and all you are doing is staring out the window.”

After her clinical psychology class, she would see Maddox again. They had parted ways on good terms. She had her car and he had a promise to meet him after class today. Kera figured he got the short end of the stick.

“I’m sorry.” Kera turned her attention back to Julie. Her partner was stressed and it looked like she had been up all night studying. Her hair was tossed up in a messy bun and her glasses were sliding down her nose. “You were saying you wanted to map out the presentation.” Kera said to let her know that she was listening.

Julie rolled her eyes and huffed dramatically. “
I think I know what’s going on.” She leaned closer to Kera and whispered. “I heard you were going out with Maddox Howell.”

Kera hid the shock that word got around so quickly. “
So?
” She planned to see a lot more of him now that he seemed to have a tolerance for the unexplained.

Julie turned red with anger. “So you could at least try on this project. This will be fifty percent of our grade. I am working to be valedictorian.”
She said that every five seconds.

“I
am
working on the project.” Kera said grudgingly. “My relationships are not getting in the way of my schoolwork. I know you want to get together outside of class and I am willing to do that.” Kera
wanted to bring up the fact that Julie had been ready to blow off the project for a night partying with Andrew. Plus she had her phone number not the other way around.

“Whatever Kera. If you hurt my grade I will go to Professor Tate and tell him to grade us separately.” She threatened.

Kera groaned when Julie failed to believe her. “I already started my research.” Kera tried to reassure her.

Julie continued to argue but Kera stopped listening. She would just have to prove it to her.
She already had hours of research. She couldn’t help but turn her thoughts back to Maddox.
She saw him pull up as she looked out the window and Kera felt her pulse race.

The professor dismissed the class and Kera
picked up the crutches from beside her chair. Maddox convinced her they were the only way to go. He wasn’t able to be there all the time but he said word spreads and she had to keep up the premise that she was still healing. Kera wasn’t sure she agreed with the reasoning but she decided to trust him.

She found his car and him standing in front of it. The weather was beautiful and it was turning out to be a really great week. She ignored the whispered speculation around her. Maddox couldn’t hear it and that made her feel better. She would be mortified if he thought she dressed like a soccer mom. She didn’t have party clothes like Rebecca and Tori. She had functional t shirts and sweaters. Her jeans were well worn but they fit just right.

“It’s been two days.” Maddox said with a wry grin. “You couldn’t bother to call me?” He crossed his arms over his well defined chest and frowned at her in mock hurt.

K
era smirked at him. “Miss me?” S
he leaned her hip against his car next to him.

Maddox tilted his head to look down at her. His eyes were light and welcoming. “Absolutely.” He said. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

Kera
gripped the handles of her crutches and
shrugged. “I didn’t hear it ring.” She felt the urge to snuggle up against him. She had gone through withdraw from his touch in the two days they had been apart. Kera
could get used to using him as a crutch.

“Any idea what you want to do?” Maddox popped up from the car and opened the door for her.

She let him take her crutches but
hesitated before she got in the car. “I’d like to see where you live.” She had a plan. She wanted to know where she could find him if she needed him. Kera already knew her way to his workshop but she wanted to know where he slept.
What if she needed to hold his hand so he could calm the beast?
She was then going to ask him all the questions that were bothering her.

She stilled her nerves against the thought that he might not want to spend all day talking.
Would he say no?

Guys weren’t known to like to talk. It was a girl thing, or so she has heard. Maddox motioned for her to get in the car. “Whatever you want.” He told her.

Kera would just see about that. She
left the crutches in his Mustang and let him l
ed her through the halls of the
boy’s
dorm room
. She diverted her eyes from the other boys in the hall and felt her cheeks blaze at some of the suggestions they made their friends. Kera put her weight on her foot when the door shut behind her.
She took a moment to look around his room. She didn’t expect it to be so tidy. His room was very clean. It smelled just like him. Her sensitive nose usually picked up odors of dirty clothes or old food packages but his room was clear of all that.