Under A Blood Moon (Elemental Enchanters) (23 page)

The sh
ock of the pain paralyzed her, and she could not focus enough to think of water. She blinked but all she saw was blinding flashes of white.

“Thomas!
” Lance knocked him back, and crashed onto the floor.

Ava
collapsed to her knees. The pain was so intense and it was hard to hear everything that was said. Melissa moved closer to her, and checked her arms.

“You’ve got to sta
y under control,” Lance demanded.

“What am I supp
osed to do when she is with him?”

“
Ava, is it true?” Lance asked, annoyed.

“
He came over,” she choked. Even though his hands were free of her arms, the burning throbbed. “He just wanted to know how I was doing. And then he left,” she panted.

“See
? Nothing happened. Jesus, Thomas, get a grip.”

Melissa examined Ava’s arms. “You burned her bad.” The green sleeves of her sweater were tattered, revealing a dark red color where his hands had been. Blood oozed in small amounts.

Jeremy kneeled down. “
Are you okay?”

“I think you need to get this taken care of,” Melissa said.

“I-I’ll go to Savina’s.”

“
No,” Thomas said, and got to his feet. “Oh god, Ava, I never meant to hurt you, I swear.” A string of obscenities flew from his mouth in anger.

She
looked at him, disgusted. Jeremy and Melissa helped her to her feet. “I’m going.”

“No
, please. How could I have done this?” He stepped closer to her, but Lance held him back. “Let me help.”

“
Stay away from me,” she demanded.

“You’re not going to follow her
,” Lance said. “You’re staying here.”

“She’ll go to him.”

“Right now, even as much as you are my brother, I’d rather she go to him. You cannot be like this with her. Ever. If she does not love you, you can’t force her.”

“
But I love her.”

“
If you really did, you would never treat her like that.”

Ava
turned and Melissa helped her outside.

Melissa frowned.
“This is bad. I’m sorry he did this to you.”

She
shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Savina will heal me.”

“I’ll take you.”

“No. I’ll go alone.”

“You’re not going to
Peter’s are you?”

“
I don’t know.” But all she wanted to do was see him. “I’m through pretending.”

“
You know I want you to be happy, but there’s no way you can tell Peter any of this. You know as well as I do it isn’t safe. And you know what will happen if you tell him.”

“H
e doesn’t know anything. I promise. I would not compromise us like that.”

“
Have you two been seeing each other this whole time?”

“No
. Today was the first time we spoke in months. I don’t know why he came to talk to me after so long. But I have to at least somehow explain it to him.”

“
It’s too dangerous.”

“Thomas is too dangerous,
” she cried. “I’m through with him. It’s like he is just taking his power for granted and using it to the extreme.”

“We’ll figure something out.”

“Please, Melissa. I just need to see Peter. Just long enough to tell him how I feel and then I’ll leave him alone for good.”

“
What’s wrong with leaving it alone?”

“I have to tell him something.”

“What could you possibly say? If you feel so strongly about him now, how do you think it’s going to be when you leave him again? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Peter’s never hurt me.”

Melissa sighed, and opened Ava’s car door. “I cannot believe I’m letting you do this. Just don’t tell him a thing. And what will you tell Savina?”

“
I’ll figure it out.”

“W
e’ll keep Thomas here. Get that taken care of.” She nodded to her aching arms.

“Thank you.”

“If you say anything to him, you won’t be thanking me.”

As
Ava drove, she contemplated whether she should actually go to Peter’s or not. But the thought of seeing him was like hearing the beep of an alarm clock in a dream—one that constantly sounded and didn’t end. She wanted to give into her feelings, finally. She also wanted to test her theory—that if she was in pain, Peter could somehow take it away. She wouldn’t know how to explain any of this to Savina anyway. Giving in

Pulling up to the curb outside Peter’s house, she cut the engine, and waited for a moment
. What could she possibly say to him? Would he even talk to her after today?

She opened the door and fumbled out of the car, trying to ignore the throbbing pain
. As she carefully placed her jacket over her arms, the uneasy feeling of someone watching her returned, and then she froze. Had someone followed her or had they followed Peter? She looked around the quiet well-lit neighborhood.

A few porch lights were on a few houses down. There wasn’t a single movement or sound.
She put her hand on her car door handle. She needed to get out of there, but then a light behind her flicked on. The door opened and she turned around.

Mr. McNabb carried a bag of trash.
“Ava? Is that you?”

“Hi,” she said. “I know it’s late.”

“Are you okay?” She guessed that she must not have looked very well, given his reaction. He lifted the lid off the plastic trash bin at the curb and shoved the bag inside.

She nodded
. “Is-is Peter—.”

“Come o
n in, he’s upstairs in his room.” He invited her in with his hand and they walked up the sidewalk together. Just before she entered, she no longer felt the mysterious presence.

“Thank you.
” Ava forced a smile, and then walked passed him and up the stairs.

She
appeared in the doorway of Peter’s room. He wasn’t there, but the shower sounded across the way. The nightstand lamp filled the spacious room with a soft yellow light. She crossed his room and peered out the window to see if she could see anything, hoping she hadn’t led anyone to his house, but nothing stirred.

Easing herself on his unmade bed, s
he lay down and cuddled with one of his pillows in an attempt to ignore the agonizing burn. She closed her eyes.

“
What are you doing here?” She jumped at his sharp tone, and sat up.

Peter hesitated in the doorway
. His wet hair stuck out in different directions. She noticed how sexy he looked in just his gray jogging pants and tried not to stare at his smooth bare chest. Her heart thrummed against her ribcage.

She met his warm brown eyes and
his jaw relaxed. “I came to talk about today. And the past few months.”

“What’s the point? I think you made it perfectly clear earlier that you feel nothing for me.”

“I came to tell you the truth. This isn’t some crush for me either.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Why should I care now? Did you finally realize I was right about Thomas?”

“Peter, there’s been so much going on with me and I can’t tell anyone about it. It hasn’t been easy. So much has changed and I’m not the same person I once was.” The words spewed from her lips as tears welled in her eyes. She didn’t realize so much emotion had bottled up inside her. “I don’t mean to play games with you. I just don’t know what to do.”

His eyes softened
, and he sat down next to her. “I’ve noticed you changing, but I’m not talking about the front you’ve been putting up for me. You seem stronger and more aggressive actually. What’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“You can tell me anything, Ava,” he said.

She shook her head. “It’s not
that I don’t want to, I just can’t.”

“
Why?”

“I’m afraid of you
…” Getting killed. “Look, if I tell you anything, they’ll hurt you.” She euphemized it for him.

“
Who? Your friends?”

“No.”

“Who?”

“I can’t say.”

“Okay.”

She looked away and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

“I don’t understand why we can’t even be friends. I’m so frustrated by it all. It’s been so hard for me these past few months without you. I know that sounds ridiculous.”

“
It doesn’t. I’ve wanted to be with you,” she whispered. “But we can never be together.”

“
Why? What is this hold that Thomas has over you? There has to be a way around this.”

The conversation with her dad flashed in her mind. No, no, no, she argued with herself. Peter needed to stay out of this. “There isn’t.”

“Does your dad know how Thomas treats you?”

“Yes.”

“And he’s okay with this?
”

“No
. Dad doesn’t like Thomas.”

“
He doesn’t own you. I mean, if it comes down to it, we can call the police on him. Or talk to his parents. Or—.”

“No.
” She looked up into his worried eyes. “We’re not together anymore, but it’s complicated. I’m bound to them. There are things that we’ve done, and things we have to do, but I can’t tell you what they are.”

“
What are you talking about? Bound to them? What does that even mean?”

“I can only tell you that there would be dangerous consequences if
you and I were together. I can’t promise your safety. I couldn’t bear to see you get hurt.”

“Is he forcing you to stay with him
? Would he come after me again?”

She honestly didn’t know if he would, but
she wouldn’t put it past him. “I wish I could tell you my situation,” she said, and her eyes welled up again.

“
What kind of danger are you in?”

Feeling him so close made her want to forget all her inhibitions and kiss him
. She hadn’t even felt the throbbing in her arms. Rebellious tears streaked down her face.

“Ava, what is it?
” He swept her hair away from her face, which sent a shiver up her spine. She made herself stop crying before the necklace would glow.

“
I knew this would be hard. This isn’t fair to either of us, but I just had to come.”

“I can’t imag
ine what kind of situation you’re in. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe from him. I just want to be with you. I can’t explain it.”

“I know
. But please realize that Thomas isn’t the one you have to worry about. I just needed to tell you how I feel.”

“
Would your friends seriously hurt me?”

They threatened
before, but she wondered if Devon and his Cimmerians were still watching them. She couldn’t take any chances. “Not my friends. There are others, Peter.”

She’d said too much and needed to leave.

“Others?”

She didn’t answer.

“So, you just came here to tell me your feelings and then tell me we can’t be together.”

“Call it a forbidden l
ove. Call it whatever you want, but yes. As much as I want this…You know, when you were going to kiss me today, it took everything I had to avoid it. Even after all this time, I still think about you.”

“I promise you, if you left him, he would never hurt you again
. I would see to it that he couldn’t.”

She reached up and touched his cheek.
“You have to forget about me.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“I have to go now.” She stood, but his hand caught her arm, pressing against the burns. “Ow!”

He immediately removed his hand
and got to his feet. “What? What is it?”

“
Nothing.”

“
Did he hurt you? Let me see.”

“
I guess I should take care of this.” She removed her jacket.

Blood rushed to her cheeks as his eyes widened.

“What happened to you?”

“I got…burned.”

“
What?” He looked at her in disbelief, and then examined the loose strands of her sweater. “It’s very red and swollen and drew blood. How did this happen?”

“
It’s nothing.”

“He did this
, didn’t he?”

She remained silent.

“Come on,” he told her, his voice unnerved. He led her to the enormous bathroom, complete with a garden tub and marble countertops with double sinks. The room could’ve been the size of a small bedroom. The green and blue striped shower curtain pulled against the edge, still wet from Peter’s shower.

“Can you.” He cleared his throat. “R
emove your sweater?” His cheeks reddened.

She cautiously removed her sweater and looked away from his shocked eyes.

He gawked. “What the…It looks like hands. How did this happen?” 

She swallowed and refused to meet his gaze.

“You’re not going to tell me?”

“No.”

He shook his head. “What is he? A pyro?”

She shifted
. What could she say? “It doesn’t hurt now.”

“You’r
e probably numb from the pain. You’re lucky we have gauze in here.”

Ava focused on his face as he
grabbed a roll of gauze. His smooth features were wrinkled from worry and confusion. He unraveled it and wrapped it around each burn. She didn’t wince once.

He grimaced.
“Hopefully that’ll heal soon. Does it hurt now after I messed with it?”

She shook her head
, and smiled. “I had a distraction.”

“Should I put a shirt on?”

“No.”

She hesitantly raised her hand, and placed it over his heart. His heartbeat was sporadic. She liked that it did the same as hers. Then, she removed it, embarrassed. It was way past time to go.

“Do you have a shirt?”

“Yeah,” he stammered.
He turned out the light and they returned to his room. He pulled out a white tee from his dresser and handed it to her.

S
he pulled it over her head. “Thank you.”

“
You’re welcome.”

“
For healing me too.”

“I barely did anything
. If it doesn’t get better, you should go to the hospital.”

“No
. You healed me. I don’t feel pain when I’m with you.”

“I’m sure your
arms are on fire now.”

“They’re not.”

“Wait, you really feel
no
pain?”

“I’ve never quite figured it out
. Remember that day I had a migraine and I sat with your friends?”

“Yes.”

“Once I saw you, it was gone. If I’m ever in pain, every time I’m near you, it vanishes.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “
How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know. A
ll I feel is an intense feeling.”

“Wow
. Are you just that happy to be around me?”

“It’
s not the happiness, I don’t think. I think it’s
you
. Or maybe I feel this way about you and it’s stronger than any pain.”

“I thought it was just me that felt this intense.
” He took her hand in his and stroked it. “I can’t believe he did that to you. Why did he do it? Were you two fighting?”

She crossed the room to his window, and peered out into the dark night. “He knew you were
at my house today.”

“
Is he spying on you now?”

Thomas wasn’t spying but she couldn’t say who was. They could be out there waiting for her to leave. Or waiting to hurt Peter. Maybe she could stay the night or somehow leave without being seen. How could she have gotten herself into this? Or Peter for that matter.
She’d done so well over the past few months.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. She saw his reflection in the window. He
moved closer to peer outside. “Is someone out there?”

“No. I have to go now.”

“Wait. Isn’t there any way we could make this work? Ava, I would do anything for you.”

“No.” Hearing him say those words filled her heart.

“Well, if this is the last time we’re going to speak, can’t you stay longer at least?”

His eyes were begging her. She couldn’t say no. “Okay. But just for a little bit.”

“How would your friends find out about this? I mean, if we kept it a secret. There’s no way they could know.”

“
They’d know,” she said. “We can’t talk to each other anymore. You can’t come to my house. I’m sorry.”