Ten seconds into picking up Colin and he was already fuming. "I feel like I hopped in the truck of doomsville. You two fuckers are killing my vibe." Blue eyes glared at Josh and me.
Josh shrugged in the backseat. His eyes remained out the window as if seeing our town for the first time.
Colin sighed. "I'm tired of this shit!" His gaze flickered to me. "What beez bit your ass last night?" Taking my silence for an answer, he unhooked his seatbelt and did a ninety-degree turn to look at Josh. "Jesus Christ, Josh! You're not going to die. Courtney is a hot chick."
Josh shuffled in his seat. Brown eyes never strayed from the wonders outside his window. "And, a boring one."
His comment was empty of conviction. The three of us knew the reason he hated the idea of mating with Courtney. She was a vampire. Though there was no law forbidding them from mating, Josh's mental law overruled those of the land. Mating her would mean his goal for revenge would be far-fetched. I guess I, too, would despise the creatures who massacred my entire family. Wait, almost. He still had Heather.
"I bet she's a virgin," Colin chided. "I've never seen her with any guy for more than two minutes, and trust me, I've listened in on those convos. They are pretty boring."
Josh ignored him.
A cat and mouse game Colin enjoyed. Ever since they met a semi-centennial ago, Colin took perverse satisfaction in angering Josh. At first, Josh used to grab the bait and they would end up in a brawl. Colin often lost those fights because of Josh's temper and the age difference between the two. Anyone would think the beatings would cool Colin's behavior, but if anything it replenished. On the bright side, the continuous squabbling caused Josh to become immune to certain insults and bashing. His temper was buried beneath quietness and neglection for self-preservation but surfaced when needed.
Colin tapped his temple with an imperious chuckle. "Think, man. You'd be the first to touch her. All those centuries of pepped-up sexual frustration." A dreamy sigh parted his lips. "It would be like heaven."
Josh fidgeted but said nothing.
Silence engulfed us until another smile brightened Colin's face.
Knowing the ass, he had something up his sleeve. Colin had traits of the devil. He was observant and slick. Therefore, when he was ready to make a move, he knew the exact words to bring anyone's world crashing down.
"You know, I totally get it. You like them experienced. Touched. All the witches you've fucked were already tapping the bench." With each work spoken mischief flickered in blue eyes like light bulbs going on and off. "I guess, being second is your thing. Or maybe fourth. Fifth perhaps." Two fingers collided, causing a snap. "Oh, I know, a hundredth." He stroked his imaginary beard. "Damn! Another guy telling her how pretty she looks, admiring her nudity—"
His words brought back the image of last night. The one which hindered sleep.
"—Him kissing and marking every inch of her body. Him whispering filthy secrets in her ear that only they'll know the next day."
A new image formed in my mind. There they were, standing by the patio doors. Her eyes closed while he whispered in her ear.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel. My brows furrowed.
"She would kiss him back with the same interest; the same eagerness to explore his body. He would find out how she liked to be touched, how she sounded when she moans."
My lungs struggled to pull in air.
Fuck!
She did kiss him back, not even bothering to pull the curtains together before she wrapped herself around him.
My foot pressed on the gas pedal. The vehicle sped down the street.
"He would be the first to know how she cried out his name during an orgasm. He would have that knowing smug look on his face the next morning when he sees the scratches and bite marks she left behind."
Colin was right. Since of late, Brian had been smiling more often. Maybe last night he knew I hadn't left. Maybe he knew she was my mate and that was why he gloated all the fucking time.
I scrubbed my palm across my face.
Shit! It would be his name on her lips. She would wake up to the memory of what happened last night. It would never be mine, but his.
The school's lane came into view a little too late. My gaze flickered to the side mirrors. Grateful no one was behind us, I turned the steering wheel. Tires screeching blasted in the morning air.
Colin grabbed onto his seat with a, "What the fuck?"
I paid no attention to his rapid heartbeat, nor the frightened expression he wore. He deserved it.
My foot never eased off the gas pedal as we dashed through the school gate, and into the parking lot. With one smooth drift, the vehicle came to halt in my reserved parking spot. Shutting off the vehicle, I turned to Colin. "You're the one to fucking talk. While you're here chastising everyone else, Sabrina is probably fucking Eric."
Colin jerked backward. His widened eyes simmered into a glare. Tight-lipped, he dragged his bag from the dashboard. He yanked the doorknob, opening the door, and marched away. Closing back the door was forgotten in his haste to get away.
I glanced in the rearview mirror. Josh was still in the back seat. His hands folded in fists at his sides. Brown eyes still peered out the window. The muscles in his jaw rigid as if he was grinding his teeth.
Unbuckling my seatbelt, I climbed out of the vehicle and left him there. No point in bothering him when he was trying to compose himself. When he was done, he knew how to lock up.
Instead of heading to the entrance of the school building, I detoured to the football field. Using the bleachers as a haven, I tried to get myself together.
'You know this is all your fault, Kyleon,' Wolfie, the voice in my head sneered. 'You were the one who stayed last night. If you had let her go, you wouldn't have seen them.'
Another imaginative erotic scene of Brianna and Brian swam to the forefront of my mind, of that look on her face.
'You say you want to be free of witches. Yet, your actions speak otherwise. Scarlett could find you at any time. Still, you want to be trapped by another witch.'
Wolfie's disapproving words did nothing to quell my thoughts. He was right. I was stupid. Broken by a witch and instead of staying away from them, a millennium later, I was running after another.
Oh, God!
I squeezed my eyelids shut, knocking the heel of my wrist to my forehead.
Stupid, Kyleon.
For a century I was trapped in a one-sided love until I managed to escape the jaws of the deceptive relationship. Yet, another hot witch came along and I was ready to throw my freedom away. Again.
'You are pathetic.' The voice came back louder; more brutal. Wolfie was upset. I, too, would be upset.
I hugged my foot, and rested my forehead on my thigh, rocking back and forth.
A calming spell my mother taught me poured from my lips. "أزل الغضب واستبدله بالهدوء ، أعطني القوة للتغلب على هذا المزاج." (Take away the anger, and replace it with calmness. Give me the strength to overcome this temper.)
The repetitive chanting appeared to be working. My blood cooled and my heartbeat steadied. That was until her scent floated to my nostrils. Her tranquilizing flowery fragrance was mixed with something else. His scent. Two more whiffs and all the anger came rushing back.
'Colin may be an ass, but knew what he was talking about. She smells like him.'
"I don't need you to tell me," I growled at the mental voice. "I have a fucking nose!"
Jumping down the rows of seats, I stomped towards the forest.
I needed to get my head clear. Staying at school was not an option. My steps quickened the hotter I got. The freshly cut grass on the football field stained and wet my sneakers.
In the middle of the field, a faint sound traveled to my ears. I never stopped and neither did the sound. It got louder and louder, transforming into a word; my name.
"Kyle!" It came from the voice I least wanted to hear right now.
My grip tightened on the straps of my bag.
The forest only a yard away.
The stumping of footsteps came up fast. The wind from a hand slicing through the air found my ear. I shifted to the side before it got a chance to grab my arm. Brian smiled at me, and unlike other times it appeared tainted with smugness.
I shook my head.
My vision cleared to justify the genuine smile Brian wore. It was real, not fake. No smugness.
"Fuck off, Brian." I pushed past him and continued on my journey.
Not taking the hint, he grabbed my arm successfully this time. "Hey?"
Yanking my arm free, I shoved him. "I said, fuck off."