Enchanted By Him, page 9
“The window,” he said as if it should be obvious. “You ready?”
“Um, yeah,” I said, still shocked. “I just have to grab Dennis’s leash.”
“Bring a bathing suit too,” he added.
The thought of swimming with Noah had me shivering with excitement. I grabbed a pale pink one-piece out of my drawer and slung my backpack over my shoulder. I started down the stairs. Dennis was trailing behind me with anticipation, he could sense we were going somewhere fun. Noah slid down the banister past me and beat me to the bottom of the stairs.
I just shook my head and grabbed my keys and the leash off the counter. Before I opened the door I hesitated.
“The camera! I almost forgot,” I told Noah.
With a wave of his hand a dense fog appeared throughout the whole front porch. I couldn’t see one foot in front of me. I felt a hand grasp mine, and he led us through the fog. As soon as we cleared it I turned back to see a cloud covering the entirety of my porch.
“Now that is cool!” I told him with a smile.
I noticed Noah’s motorcycle was nowhere in sight. Did he fly here? I started getting into the driver’s seat when he stopped me.
“I need to drive,” he said.
“Why?” I asked.
He responded holding out his hand for me to give him the keys.
I handed them over, and reached down to pick up Dennis, and sat him on my lap when I got into the passenger seat.
The drive was the same, but it seemed to go by slower. I was so antsy, I had to turn on the radio to give myself a distraction. Dennis put his front paws on the window and looked outside as we drove. I rolled down the window, and he looked out, ears flapping in the wind. After what felt like forever, we pulled onto the familiar dirt road. We both got out when we got to the hill, and I attached the leash to Dennis so he would not run off.
“So,” I said walking up the hill, “We are almost done with our project. We just need twenty-five more plants and then the finishing touches to make it look good. If we finish it today, we can turn it in tomorrow.”
“Sounds good,” he said, walking with his hands in his pockets. I was kind of reluctant for the project to end. I enjoyed working with him, but after the big secret he spilled I was sure he wouldn’t just abandon me. We were friends now, and close enough that he trusted me.
I cleared my throat, “So how does Paige fit into all this?”
He cringed at the sound of her name. He took a moment to answer, “Like I said before, she is a family friend. In the Fae world, arranged marriages are extremely common, and it is hard to find a marriage that comes from love alone. So, her parents and mine are pushing the idea of us being together.”
“Oh,” I responded.
He is basically engaged to her then. I was confused.
Before I could ask, he continued, “I wouldn’t let that happen though. No one, not even my parents, are going to tell me who I get to marry.”
He reached out for my hand, “Don’t feel bad about her being a bitch to you. Being mean is kind of her defense mechanism.”
We kept walking until we reached the top of the hill and it was as beautiful of a sight as it was the first time. Dennis bounced around excitedly, and Noah and I both laughed at his reaction.
“Let’s finish our project, so we can go swimming.”
“Ok!” I responded excitedly.
After thirty minutes, our project was completed, and we started to chase Dennis. It was a strange game of tag, that we could never win. We chased the tiny dog through the fields of flowers, and he was hard to see because of the height of those flowers. We would be chasing him one direction, and then he would pop his head up ten feet in the opposite direction.
While I searched for Dennis, hands shot out of the flowers and tickled my sides until I could not breathe.
“Stop,” I huffed out in between my laughs.
After a few moments, he finally stopped and grabbed my hand, “Come on, let’s go swimming! The water is amazing!”
I followed him, my hand still entwined with his, as we headed over to the rainbow tree, went through the vines, and saw the amazing water. It took my breath away. I peeled off my t-shirt and jean shorts, feeling Noah’s eyes on me the entire time, making my heart race. Noah threw off his shirt and bounded straight for the water. It was impossible not to watch his back muscles flex as he made his way deeper and deeper into the water. When my feet first touched the edge of the water, my entire body sizzled with electricity. It was like nothing I had ever experienced; the water had a magic-like quality. I lowered myself all the way into the water, and my entire body tingled. I felt filled with energy and my vision seemed clearer and sharper than before. I swam over to Noah.
“How do the wings work?” I asked him. “Can you just summon them whenever you want? Or are they always there and I just can’t see them?”
At my question, his wings appeared out of his back, showcasing the marvelous baby blue color, mixed with black and silver swirls. His waist was only covered by the water, exposing his full chest and back. I scooted closer to him, to see what was showcased on the wings.
“I can summon them. There is a spot in my back in which they grow out of, and I can make them appear and disappear at will.”
His voice was shaky, and it might have had something to do with how I was gawking at him. I moved even closer until we were only a breath apart, and I could feel the heat radiating off his body. I steadied my breathing and looked up at his tall form. Placing my hands on both of his shoulders, I gently pushed him enough to turn him around.
His wings were breathtaking. There were delicate snowflakes and swirls of wind, covering his wings. The black and the different shades of blue blended perfectly together. His wings were thin, but strong. I could see the power that could come from them with just a few flaps.
After a few moments, he turned back around to face me and tucked in his wings again, “I have a hard time using my wings when they are wet though. They become heavy, and it makes it much harder to fly from place to place. It gets exhausting.”
I looked back up at his face to his chiseled jaw line and strong cheekbones. He was magnificent. How did I even question if he was human before? He is too perfect to be real.
He reached a hand down in the water and brought it up quickly to splash some on my nose. I laughed, but before I could splash him back, he was already ducking under the water out of sight.
Dennis came running into the water, and I was surprised to see him swimming like a champ. Noah threw a stick and then Dennis paddled his way through the water to fetch it. Noah locked eyes with me and then smiled, beckoning me to come in.
He started splashing me. Accepting the challenge, I began splashing him back even harder, and soaked his hair. He playfully shoved my head under the water, and when I came back up, we were closer together than before. I could feel his warm breath on my face.
His eyes locked with mine, and he reached out to move a hair that was stuck to my lip. My eyes lowered to his lips, and I instinctively moved closer. He reached under the water to pull my waist against him, then he brushed his lips softly against mine.
I felt safe, whole, as if something clicked into place, and I knew we were meant to be together. It must have only been a couple seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. He began deepening the kiss, just as a wet nose rubbed against my arm.
Laughing, I pulled back to spot Dennis with a stick in his mouth, struggling to stay above water. Noah reached over with his free hand, took the stick, and threw it. He kissed me once more, then grabbed my hand to lead me out of the water.
“It is about time I get you home,” he said.
I frowned. I did not want to go, but Steve was strict on curfew. Now that I knew who Steve really was, I was anxious, even more than usual, to be around him or to upset him. My mom would be home earlier tonight, she was expecting to eat dinner with me. We waded out of the water, and I noticed his heated gaze trail down my body to my legs. I blushed and then hid behind the banana tree vines to catch my breath.
I threw back on my t-shirt and shorts and came out from behind the vines to see Dennis shaking roughly, spraying the surrounding flowers with water. I smiled at him and walked closer to Noah. A bright light came from behind the vines hanging on the rainbow tree. It was on the left side, not the one we used to cross over to the water. The light continued to get brighter and brighter. Dennis began barking. I walked closer wanting to see, but a figure appeared and started pushing the vines out of the way. I arched my neck to see who it was when my mind started to go foggy, and everything faded to black.
Chapter 18
I woke up to the feeling of wet slobber on my cheek. “Dennis,” I said groggily.
I could still feel the grass beneath my body, and it took me a moment to remember what had happened. The bright light, the tall figure. I sat up fast, wanting to see who it was. When I looked back in the direction of the rainbow tree it was just as it had always been, completely normal. Well, as normal as it could be for a magical garden.
I looked around and saw Noah. When he saw I was awake he crouched down next to me and began stroking my hair. “Hey,” he said. “Sorry about that.”
“What happened?” I said, waving him off.
He sank his head down, right next to my ear, his breath sending shivers down my spine, “I’m not sure how much you saw, but that was the gate to Flora being opened. A few sentries were coming out to do a routine check, and I couldn’t let you see them. I would get in a massive amount of trouble for telling you about us.”
I nodded and stood up dusting off the grass. “I understand,” but as I looked around, I saw that the sun was almost set. How long had I been out for?
He did not give me time to think about it though, because he wrapped an arm around my shoulder directed all my thoughts to where our bodies touched. We made it quickly to the car, Dennis in tow, and I slouched in my seat not realizing how tired I was.
“I’m really sorry I had to do that,” he tells me again.
“It’s ok,” I say yawning. “Is that one of your powers then? You can knock other people out at whim?”
He laughed, “That’s one of them. I have access to a lot of powers, but in Flora you are not allowed to legally use them until you turn twenty.”
“What?” I asked confused. “Why?”
“Because powers are developing when you are young, and they can be dangerous to yourself and others. You do not have enough control over them to direct them solely to one thing. When I was five, I tried to grow a garden with my mom’s favorite flower, a gardenia, and nothing sprouted. But when I went on a walk later, there were three ginormous gardenias sprouted right in the middle of the local playground.”
He got out of the car, and I met him around the front. Dennis jumped out and bolted for the front door, ready to get back to his chew toy.
He handed over my keys. As I was reaching out for them, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me in to his chest. He leaned down and gave me another gentle, toe-curling kiss.
“I will see you tomorrow,” he said as he kissed my cheek. He slowly released his hold on me.
“See you then,” I replied.
I watched him walk down the sidewalk a few houses away, turn abruptly, and then he disappeared.
I saw my mom’s car down the road and hurried inside so I could escape to my room before we ate.
Chapter 19
A hand slapped on my desk with a piece of paper as soon as I sat down. “Are you going to this?” Sam was attached to that hand.
I was in a giddy mood. The more time I spent with Noah, the more I looked forward to going to school every day.
“Going to what?” I asked, looking up at her after getting out my notebook.
“The drive-in! They are playing Peter Pan! The whole school is going. I think you should come too.”
I paused, zipping up my backpack, “This looks really fun! Wouldn’t you be going with Jackson? I don’t want to be the third wheel.”
“Invite Noah, silly! The whole school can see he is all over you. Are you guys a thing now?” She sat on the edge of the desk in front of me and peered down excitedly at me.
“I’m not really sure. We haven’t talked about it. Maybe if I ask him to come with me though, this can be like our first official date.”
“Yes! Get on it, girly!” Sam said.
I took the flyer from her; the date set was for next Saturday. I would have to sneak out, since the no leaving the house rule was still a thing, which I was not opposed to do, but it would take some work.
“Ok, I will be there!” I beamed up at her.
At lunch, the drive-in was all that anyone was talking about. And I heard about the plans all the girls were making for the event. I made my way to seventh period with stars in my eyes, excited for how cute of a date it would be. My belly filled with butterflies at the thought of asking him. What if I have interpreted this whole thing wrong and he says no?
Noah strutted into the classroom, and sat down, putting an arm around my shoulders. I shimmied out of his hold, not use to PDA, and he playfully frowned at me. He then started to draw patterns on my open palm laying on the table. It was as if every part of my body was being shocked with electricity, and the source was his finger making idle circles on my palm.
“Hey,” I started, “So I was wondering if you wanted to go to the drive-in with me?”
“Like a date?” he asked me, his mouth quirking up at the corner.
My face flushed and I looked down to my lap, “Yeah, I mean it doesn’t have to be if you don’t want it…”
He cut me off, grabbing my chin in his hands and tilting it towards him, “It’s a date.”
I looked up into his eyes and got lost in them for a moment. A smile appeared on my face. A date! Noah and I are going on a date!
Mr. Clark came over and slapped our tests down onto the table, breaking our connection, and I pulled my hand away, fisting it with the other in my lap. I took a good look at Mr. Clark. He had bags under his eyes, stubble where he was normally smooth shaven, and he seemed to be in pajama pants.
Concerned, I asked him, “Are you ok, Mr. Clark? You seem a bit tired.”
He gave me a kind smile, “I’m fine, Aubree, thanks for asking. Great job on that test by the way.”
I looked down and saw the 95% I got on the plant reproductive system test. I looked over to see Noah’s 100% of course, but that was not what piqued my curiosity. He had a folded-up piece of paper in his hand, in Mr. Clark’s handwriting. It said, They are coming.
“Who is coming?” I asked Noah.
He leaned his head down next to my ear and whispered, “The Crem.” I shivered.
“Watch this,” he said back to his playful attitude. He crumpled up the note into a ball in his fist. He rose his fist up to his mouth and blew on it like he was doing a magic trick. He lowered his hand and handed me the note. I uncurled it, and the words were gone, replaced by a single smiley face.
He chuckled at my shocked face. He can make writing disappear! Does that mean he can erase contracts, the Declaration of Independence? I went to ask him, but Mr. Clark went over today’s assignment shooting worried glances Noah’s way every few minutes.
The thought of the Crem coming here terrified me. I could not protect myself from a creature like that. With all the time I was spending with Noah, I was nervous that the Crem would be led right to me.
When class ended Noah stayed behind in Mr. Clark’s room, and he told me to go ahead.
After school I found my phone laying on the dining room table. I assumed this meant I was done being punished, and I took the phone up to my room. Throughout the evening I texted Noah a few times asking if he wanted to come over, but he never responded. Anxiousness crept up within me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was more wrong than he let on. I tried to distract myself the best I could with homework until I eventually went to sleep.
In the middle of the night, I heard muffled, violent coughing coming from downstairs. Startled, I ran down the stairs and I saw my mother leaning over the kitchen counter shaking and coughing. I walked up to her and rubbed circles around her back and then got her a glass of water. She took it gratefully and chugged the contents. After a moment her breathing slowed, and she seemed to relax.
I placed my hand on her forehead and quickly pulled it back. She was scorching hot. “Mom, I think we need to take you to the hospital. You are burning up!”
“No,” she shook her head. “I’m ok, just a little bug. I just need to rest, that is all. Go back to sleep, I will be alright.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I promise, if I need you, I’ll send you a text,” she gently kissed my forehead and pushed me back towards the stairs.
It was a while before I could fall asleep after that. I got up an hour before I was supposed to and got dressed in a purple sweater and jeans. It was a bit cooler out today, which was kind of unusual for the middle of spring.
I walked down to my mom’s room and peeked in. She was sound asleep. I crept closer and felt her head, her fever was not as bad, and she was sweating. Satisfied that her fever was breaking, I went back out to the kitchen and made a bowl of cereal before heading to school.
Chapter 20
His seat was empty. He was not here. Neither was Mr. Clark. The boring substitute I had once earlier this year was taking rollcall. He was an old man and was a bit hard of hearing.
I plopped down in my seat and looked back to see if Paige was missing with the rest of them. She was here, surprisingly, but she looked glum and was typing fast on her phone.
She looked up at me but did not react and just went back to texting. That was strange, but she seemed stressed. Like something else was on her mind.
The bad feeling I had since yesterday only intensified. Were the Crem here? Was Noah in danger? Did they need my help? My foot bounced against the floor as my mind went to all the worst-case scenarios. The thought of Noah having to face such a creature made me sick.
