Obsidian

No more than fifteen feet from us, a big bear, black and furry, sniffed the air with its long whiskered muzzle. Its ears twitched at the sound of our breathing. For a moment I was kind of stunned. I’d never seen a bear, not in real life. There was something majestic about the creature. The way its muscles moved under the heavy coat of fur, how its dark eyes watched us as intently as we watched it.

The animal moved closer, stepping under the rays of light that broken through the branches overhead. The fur had turned a glossy black in the sunlight.

“Don’t run,” he whispered.

Like I could move even if I wanted to.

The bear made a half bark, half growl as he rose onto his hind legs, standing at least five feet tall. The next sound was an honest-to-God roar that sent shivers through me.

This wasn’t good at all.

Daemon started yelling and waving his arms, but it didn’t faze the bear. The animal dropped onto all fours, his massive shoulders shaking.

The bear rushed us.

Unable to breathe past the ball of fear choking me, I squeezed my eyes shut. Eaten alive by a bear was so wrong. I heard Daemon curse and even though my eyes were closed, a blinding flash of light pierced my thin eyelids. There was an accompanying blast of heat that blew my hair back. And then the flash came again, but darkness followed this time, swallowing me whole.

Chapter 8

When I opened my eyes again, there was a strange metallic taste in my mouth. Rain smacked off the roof and thunder rolled in the distance. Lightning struck somewhere nearby, filling the air with a fine current of electricity. When did it start raining? The skies had been clear, blue, and perfect the last I remembered.

I drew in a shallow breath, confused.

My shoulder was pressed against something warm and hard. Turning my head, I felt the object rise up sharply and then slowly ease back down. It took me a second to realize it was a chest my cheek was pressed into. We were on the swing, his arm around my waist keeping me securely pinned to his side.

I didn’t dare move.

Every inch of my body became aware of his. How his thigh was molded to mine. The deep, even breaths moving his stomach under my hand. How his hand curved around my waist, his thumb moving in idle, soothing circles at the hem of my shirt. Each circle inched the material up a little, exposing my skin until his thumb was against the curve of my waist. Flesh against flesh. I was hot and shivery. A feeling I had little experience with.

His hand stilled.

Pushing up, I looked into a pair of startling green eyes. “What…what happened?”

“You passed out,” he said, pulling his arm away from my waist.

“I did?” I scooted back, putting distance between us as I brushed my tangled hair out of my face. The metallic taste was still on the roof of my mouth.

He nodded. “I guess the bear scared you. I had to carry you back.”

“All the way?” Dammit. I missed that? “What…what happened to the bear?”

“The storm scared it. Lightning, I think.” He frowned as he watched me. “Are you feeling okay?”

Suddenly, a bright streak of light blinded us for a moment. Moments later, booming thunder overshadowed the rain. Daemon’s expression was cast in shadows.

I shook my head. “The bear was scared of a storm?”

“I guess so.”

“We got lucky then,” I whispered, glancing down. I was drenched as was Daemon. The rain was coming down even harder, making it difficult to see more than a couple of feet off the porch, giving the sense we were in our own private world. “It rains here like it does in Florida.” I didn’t know what else to say. My brain felt fried.

Daemon nudged my knee with his. “I think you may be stuck with me for a few more minutes.”

“I’m sure I look like a drowned cat.”

“You look fine. The wet look works for you.”

I scowled. “Now I know you’re lying.”

He shifted beside me, and without a word, I felt his fingers lift my chin toward him. A crooked smile lifted his full lips. “I wouldn’t lie about what I thought.”

I wished I had something clever to say, maybe even a little flirty, but his intense stare sent any coherent thought scattering.

Confusion flashed in his eyes as he leaned forward, his lips parting slightly. “I think I understand now.”

“Understand what?” I whispered.

“I like to watch you blush.” His voice barely above a murmur as his thumb traced circles on my cheek.

He lowered his head, resting his forehead against mine. We sat like that, the two of us, caught in something that hadn’t been there before. I think I stopped breathing. My heart seemed to take several stuttered steps and then freeze, anticipation welling up through me, threatening to spill over in any given second.

I didn’t even like him. He didn’t like me. This was insane, but it was happening.

Lightning struck again, this time much closer. The following snap of thunder didn’t even startle us. We were in our own world. And then his crooked smile slipped from his face. His own eyes were confused and desperate, but still searching mine.

Time seemed to slow, every second stretching out before me, tantalizing and torturing every breath I took. Waiting, wanting to show him whatever he was looking for as his eyes darkened to a deep green. His face strained, as if he were waging an internal battle. Something in his eyes made me feel very unsure.

I knew the second he made up his mind. He took a deep breath and his beautiful eyes closed. I felt his breath against my cheek, slowly moving to my lips. I knew I should pull back. He was bad, bad news. But my own breath caught in my throat. His lips were so close to mine, I desperately wanted to meet him halfway, to rush forward to test if his lips were as pillow soft as they looked.

“Hey guys!” Dee called out.

Daemon jerked back, sliding in one fluid movement and putting a healthy distance between us on the swing.

I sucked in a sharp breath, surprise and disappointment churning in my stomach. My body was still tingling as if it had been deprived of oxygen. We’d been so absorbed in each other, neither of us had noticed the rain had stopped.

Dee came up the steps, her smile fading as her gaze went from her brother to me. She squinted her eyes. I was sure my face was blood red, making it obvious that she’d interrupted something. But she only stared at her brother, her lips forming a perfect, pouty O.

He grinned at her. The same lopsided grin that gave the impression that he was secretly laughing. “Hey, there, sis. What’s up?”

“Nothing,” she said, eyes narrowing. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he replied, jumping from the swing. He glanced at me over one broad shoulder. “Just earning bonus points.”

His words whipped through the pleasant haze as he hopped off the porch and ambled toward his own house. I glanced at Dee, wanting to chase after Daemon and dropkick him. “Was almost kissing me a part of the deal to get his keys back or to keep you happy?” My voice was tight. My skin hurt.

Dee sat beside me on the swing. “No. That was never a part of the deal.” She blinked slowly. “Was he about to kiss you?”

I felt my cheeks burn even hotter. “I don’t know.”

“Wow,” she murmured, her eyes wide. “That was unexpected.”

And this was awkward. I didn’t want to even think about what would’ve happened if she hadn’t showed, and definitely not while she was sitting here. “Uh, you went to visit family?”