Treasured Secrets (Coveted Saga #1) (The Coveted Saga) Page 12

  It was a charcoal gray color with lighter gray squares painted all around the room. A very large king-size bed was draped with a brilliant pale blue comforter with a charcoal trim. He had so many pillows. They were everywhere.

  There was one wall of windows, and the other walls were littered with pictures of various countries from all over the world. He had been absolutely everywhere, it seemed. I found myself feeling slightly intimidated.

  His tone was warm as he spoke to me. "This is where I am when I'm not keeping you safe."

  His iridescent white shirt was unbuttoned slightly, showing off his navy blue T-Shirt underneath. His dark denim jeans were tailored to fit him perfectly, not too tight and not baggy at all. I hated baggy pants. I was glad he didn't follow that trend.

  He pulled my hand in his and walked me over to his bed. Then he laughed nervously.

  "This wasn't as awkward at your house last night." He scratched his forehead uneasily.

  "That's because it wasn't your room with your secrets. It was my room and my secrets," I playfully teased.

  He winked at me as he replied enticingly. "Yeah, I know all of your secrets."

  "Not all of them," I said, raising my eyebrows and smiling somewhat deviously.

  He laughed slightly. "I know most of them. I do a thorough job of studying the people I hang out with."

  My tone turned to a playfully serious one. "Well, then I guess I need to do some serious snooping so that I'm not at such a disadvantage." He laughed as he bounced onto his bed and propped up on his side.

  I walked over and pulled a book off the shelf. I opened it up to see all kinds of writings. I tilted my head quizzically. "What's this?"

  He raised up a bit to answer me. "Oh, it's a book my mom gave me to learn about my heritage."

  There were hieroglyphic type symbols and all sorts of different words that I had never heard of. “What language is it?"

  "Mayan mostly, with various other dead languages mixed in. My family are very cryptic sort of people. I know more languages than I can count." He smiled so smugly.

  "Yeah, you got me there. I got nothing. I thought being bilingual was pretty good." I sat down on the edge of his bed, placing the book beside me. "So educate me."

  He let out a laugh before responding. "On what?"

  "On you." I smiled at him as I awaited his response.

  "What do you want to know exactly?" He scooted down to be beside me, putting his arm around my waist.

  "Everything I don't know." I crossed my left leg over his right leg and locked my eyes onto his, inviting him to make a move.

  His finger started drawing imaginary lines on the leg I had draped across him. "Okay. Well, you know that no seer can see me because of my changer half being immune and you know my essence can't be smelled, right?"

  "Yeah the whole half and half thing, they cancel each other out. You're lucky in that way."

  "I know, but you don't have it so bad. I like the way things are now, but before you, my existence was a secret. Who would have guessed that saving you would save me from a continued life of ostracism."

  I reached across and ran my fingers through his hair. He leaned into me, inviting my touch.

  "I wish I didn't have to live like a hermit. I like going and doing as I please. Now, I'm constantly guarded." I looked at him looking down. "I'm kind of happy that you're doing the majority of the guarding though. I guess the only time I really mind being guarded is when it's McKee instead of you. School today sucked."

  He raised his head up, smiling now. "Yeah, I'm not crazy about McKee guarding you either, but he has two classes with you. At least I've got an even amount of time with you. Two to two."

  My focus quickly shifted with that statement. "Why are you in school?" I had been meaning to ask him that, but I always got sidetracked.

  He laughed again. "I like to keep an eye out for new witches. They're always sixteen or seventeen when they come, depending on the allowance for guardianship and the strength of their blood. They're usually juniors or seniors. It's the best place to start looking.

  "My family and I have been guarding new witches for a while. You were the first one I had to reveal myself to though. I'm just glad that it gave me the opportunity to steal your attention from McKee." He winked playfully.

  "You didn't have to try to do that. You've had my attention since the first time I saw you. I'm glad it was you that stayed in my room." I blushed slightly, possibly being a little too brave with my words.

  He spoke with laughter in his tone. "Oh, I had no intention of letting McKee sleep in there. I would have kidnapped you before I let that happen." He reached over and kissed my hand.

  I sucked in a breath because it felt so good to have his incredibly soft lips touching my skin.

  "I'm glad you didn't."

  "I'll be there again tonight, too."

  I looked up, trying not to blurt out anything stupid. I was controlling my breathing so that I didn't sound overly excited. "How did you swing that?"

  "Your grandmother actually asked me to. She called me just a little while ago. She said she feels like you're safer with me there. I have to say that it made me feel pretty good. The fact I saved your life won me some brownie points. She trusts me a little more than she does McKee, since he lost his grip on you in the woods. The fact I can blow things up probably has something to do with it, too." He snickered smugly. "She wants me to stay with you as much as possible."

  I was kind of embarrassed by that. That made me feel like he was obligated to be with me. I didn't want that to be the reason he was staying with me.

  "Sorry. I didn't know about that."

  "Hey, it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it," he joked.

  "You don't have to. I can get McKee to do it." I bit back my smile when his smug grin faded into a scowl.

  "I think I have it under control." Then he jumped to his feet and grabbed me up. I was being carried bridal style before I even realized it as we made our way over to the wall of open windows.

  I looked down at the large drop. "What are you doing?" I asked shakily.

  He grinned at me and raised his eyebrows. "The meeting should be over now. It's time for the fun stuff."

  I didn't realize what time it was. We had been talking for at least forty-five minutes.

  He stepped up on the window ledge. "You might want to hold on tight. And no, that's not a line."

  He winked and jumped out of the window. A gargled squeal slipped through my tightened lips. I was holding so tight that my knuckles turned white.

  He landed on his feet with me still delicately placed in his arms, barely even letting me feel jostled. I didn't want him to let me go, but he did.

  I looked around and spoke with a bit of guilt. "Sorry we missed the meeting. I didn't realize it had even started."

  He looked at me and touched my chin, leaning over to kiss the top of my head. "I missed the meeting on purpose. It was nice having you all to myself. The meetings are always the same anyway. Desmond will fill me in if there was anything new. I just wanted you to watch them duel. That's the fun part."

  My eyes widened with a bit of surprise. I wasn't sure how to respond to that, or if I even heard him correctly. "Duel? That sounds dangerous."

  He laughed. "Not really. It's not like the wild west - take ten paces and shoot, or anything. Desmond is pretty good, but dad usually always ends up on the top of the podium. They set up a string of obstacles and they have to change all the way through it to get to the end. It's sort of a changer's version of the Olympics. We have a lot of newbies tonight, so it should be pretty interesting."

  I shrugged slightly. "Why?"

  "Because they have a hard time swapping from one animal to the next as effortlessly as the older ones."

  There was an oversized tree trunk that Desmond picked up and moved out of the way. Two birds flew high in the air, holding hoops. Then there was a giant wall of broken down trees. I still didn't understand what was going on.

&nb
sp; "Certain obstacles require different creatures. You'll be disqualified if you use an unapproved animal for certain obstacles. For instance, if there's a climbing obstacle, you can't use a bird to simply fly over it," Tallis said, continuing to explain some of the rules.

  I nodded softly, distracted by all the action going on.

  Desmond lined up with another guy, both of them standing behind a white line painted on the ground. Their shirts were off, but they were both wearing shorts... thankfully. A gunshot rang out, startling me a little.

  They jumped off their platforms and burst into monkeys. Their shorts fell to the ground, abandoned and forgotten, as they went to scale the wall in front of them. When they got to the top, they jumped and landed on their feet as fierce cheetahs.

  They were in a mad sprint toward two trees. Desmond turned into an elephant and the other guy turned into a grizzly bear. Desmond knocked his tree over first and changed to a bird to fly in a predetermined pattern through the hoops.

  The other guy followed him as soon as his tree fell. Desmond dropped to the ground as a fox before he ran through a tiny burrow in the ground. After a few seconds, he emerged from the other side. He dove into a pond, shifting into a fish before he slapped the water.

  He jumped out from the other side, turning into a panther, and within a breath, he was crossing the finish line. The other guy was at least fifteen seconds behind him.

  I noticed Ash watching him with absolute tunnel vision. I hadn't even noticed my family before that moment.

  She saw me looking at her and waved at me. I waved back and her eyes quickly cut back to Desmond. She would've probably liked the little show I got earlier from Desmond.

  I shivered slightly as the embarrassing moment popped into my mind. My nose turned up.

  Tallis and I watched for a while. There was one up there who was kind of sad. The guy kept changing into a kitten and a chicken.

  "What's wrong with him?"

  Tallis tried not to chuckle. "He's still new. He's trying to change into a big cat sometimes and a bird at other times. He needs a little more practice." The guy finally crossed the finish line. As he ran across, he accidentally changed back to human.

  "Oh no. Another naked guy. Seriously?" I buried my head in Tallis's chest and he put his hand on the back of my head. I could feel his chest bobbing slightly as he laughed.

  "Sorry, Aria," he said while still laughing. "I guess they're not so modest after all."

  My stomach growled, and he looked down at me. "Let's go see if there's any soup left."

  "I don't want you to miss the games. It can wait." I was somewhat embarrassed by my grumbling guts.

  "It’s fine. I see this all the time. I'm hungry, too. We missed the food while we were in my room.” He took me by the hand and led me in.

  We sat at the bar and ate soup and little mini sandwiches. Ash came in and saw us sitting there.

  She smiled as she spoke to Tallis. "Can I grab a water?"

  Tallis shot up and grabbed a bottle of water before tossing it to her.

  "Thanks," she said while smiling.

  Tallis smiled back. "No problem."

  There was a small candle on the bar that suddenly lit up by itself just as Ash turned the lights off. I turned to glare at her but she winked at me.

  Tallis just shook his head while smiling. "Blazers. They always have to show off."

  I just laughed and enjoyed our makeshift candlelit dinner.

  Chapter 10

  Looking Over Your Shoulder

  The same monsters are still there in the light, but they always strike more fear when they're hidden within the shadows of darkness.

  I jumped straight up in the bed in a cold sweat. My heart was racing and my hands trembled in fear. I was breathing hard, like I was exhausted. I couldn't come to grasp with the reality that I was safe in my room.

  After a month, you'd think I wouldn't still be waking up so disoriented. I didn't come to terms with where I was until Tallis put his hand on my back.

  His voice was soothing and compassionate, but there was a hint of worry as well. "Aria? What's wrong?"

  "I was just dreaming. Sorry. Go back to sleep. I'll be fine." It seemed to happen more and more lately. I was glad Tallis had been sticking around.

  I knew I probably wouldn't sleep too much more after that.

  "Tell me what it was about." His tone was so considerate and concerned at the same time. He pulled me into his arms and my head rested on his right shoulder.

  "A dark figure draining me dry. Same as always."

  I felt like I was annoying everyone with my constant worry. I was still adjusting. My whole life had changed drastically in the past couple of weeks.

  "Aria, it's going to take some time. I'm here though. Don't worry."

  "I know I'm safe," I said, smiling as he kissed my forehead. "I've got you and my grandmother has enlisted an army of bodyguards."

  He tensed a little, and then he let out a harsh breath. "Yeah. Plenty of bodyguards."

  I was quick to question his odd response. "Why do you say it like that?"

  He shrugged and loosened his grip on me.

  "I just don't trust bodyguards. I've got good reasons for that." He sounded a little distressed with a hint of anger. There was something eating at him.

  "Why don't you trust them?"

  He took a deep breath and his eyes shifted toward mine. His look turned from deep thought, to forced comfort. "Another story for another time. It's late and you've yawned like five times in a row. We have to go to school soon. Sleep deprivation is never a good thing for young minds."

  He leaned over and kissed me on top of my head. He was hiding something that had happened.

  He slid down into the covers and patted the bed beside him, gesturing for me to join him in comfort. But I refused to relent that easily. "I want to know. There's something bothering you, so I have to know. If you expect me to confide in you, then I should be entitled the right to expect the same."

  He sat back up and stared into my eyes, stroking my cheek with the back of his hand. "Maybe I just don't like bodyguards because I don't like McKee watching your every move." He smiled playfully, proud of his witty little cover up.

  "Uh-uh. It's not that easy. I want to know the truth." I crossed my arms over my chest in protest of his unwillingness to confide in me.

  He sighed and shook his head. "Okay. I'll make a deal with you. If you lay down with me right now and go to sleep, I promise I'll answer any question you have before we go to bed tomorrow." His eyebrows went up and down mischievously.

  My heart fluttered. I'd been sleeping with him for a while now, yet we hadn't even kissed. It was confusing and frustrating. Especially since he never slept with a shirt on.

  I leaned in closer to be inches from his face. "Well, that depends on if you plan on avoiding me all day tomorrow."

  His eyes softened as did his voice. "I couldn't avoid you even if I wanted to. I can't stay away from you any longer than what I'm forced to, in case you haven't noticed. I've been sleeping in your bed for a while now, and it's not just because I was asked to watch over you." He rubbed my side affectionately.

  I looked down a little embarrassed. "Sorry. I guess you probably miss sleeping in your own bed, in your own room, in your own house. You should probably stay at your own place tomorrow. I shouldn't be so needy. I promise I-"

  He stuck one finger over my lips to stop my incessant, embarrassing ramble. "There's no way I wouldn't be with you for any reason unless I was hurting you. I wasn't complaining about being here with you. I was pointing out the fact I can't be without you."

  Now I was really blushing. "Thanks." Then I raised my head. "It's odd that everyone is so okay with you sleeping in my bed with me. I don't say anything about it because I keep worrying they'll make you stop."

  He laughed and then covered his mouth to muffle the sound.

  "They're definitely not okay with it. Your dad would probably hate me if I wasn't here for your s
afety. They want you to feel safe, as well as be safe. Not to mention…" He hesitated to finish. "They sort of have the impression that I've been sleeping on the floor."

  "Oh… Well that makes sense."

  I thought to myself about how they had nothing to worry about. If it was taking us this long to get to first base, I would be, well, immortal by the time we even rounded second. There's no telling how long it would be before I got any farther.

  I assumed his concept of time was goofed up due to the fact that he was immortal. I wasn't going to be pushy about it either, at least not right now

  I finally decided to agree to his terms. "Okay. Deal. Tomorrow I question, and you answer. No diverting."

  He yawned before responding. "Good, because I'm so beat." He slid me down into his arms and pulled me to his body.

  I wasn't sleepy at all at first, but as his fingertips trickled up and down my arm, I found myself more at peace. My eyes got heavier and heavier until finally I was out.

  The alarm sounded its infuriating buzzing noise. I rolled over to my stomach and pulled a pillow over my head. I heard it suddenly cut off. Then there were two hands on my shoulders, massaging them.

  I loved it when Tallis touched me for any reason.

  "That feels good," I mumbled, relishing the strength and softness he used.

  That fire didn't seem to be blazing inside me as it usually did under his touch. I assumed I was getting used to it.

  I still had my head buried under the pillow as the massaging continued. I was in a pair of boy-cut panties and a white tank top. I didn't realize I had kicked my shorts off during the middle of the night. Now I could feel a gentle breeze hitting my skin, alerting me to that fact.

  I didn't race to cover up though. I was thinking it might encourage him to move things along a little faster if he got a tiny little peek. I smiled to myself as I thought of my scandalous plan. Then I rolled over as his hands were rubbing my lower back.

  As I turned around, I was greeted with a horrible realization. It was McKee, not Tallis. I screamed.

  "What the hell are you doing?"