“You’re the new Rapunzel.” She cackled as we lugged our bags down the hall and stuffed ourselves into the elevator. When the doors closed she turned to me. “Besides, all the blondes at this school are crazy. It’s time for a new reign.”
“Hear, hear.” I raised my right fist to the ceiling, happy to have full movement again with only a slight twitch of pain. “To the reign of Shanda and Lucy.”
“I second that.” She clapped as the bell dinged. We both cracked up all the way to the lobby.
Bryan rested against Shanda’s little Fiat, that red ski hat covering most of his dark hair. When he looked at me with those aqua eyes, I wanted to melt away with the snowflakes. Instead, I just let him load my luggage into the tiny car.
“I guess I’ll see you girls in January.” He closed the trunk, shaking Shanda’s hand. “Take good care of her.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” She punched his shoulder, ducking around to the driver’s door. “I’ll give you two a minute.”
As the engine roared to life, I huddled next to Bryan. “I’ll miss you.” Biggest understatement of the year.
His arms wrapped around me, holding me close. “I wish I could take you home with me. Promise you’ll be careful.”
“I will.” Squeezing his hand, I forced myself to get in the car.
As we drove off, I stared at the mirror until I couldn’t see that red ski hat any more. When I closed my eyes, not even Shanda’s swerving and sudden braking couldn’t distract me. All I could think about was that stupid red hat and all the things I should’ve said.
Chapter 31
We drove through the silver city frosted with gray-edged streets. Shanda’s car sloshed to the curb in front of her condo. Snowflakes landed on the windshield, melting as they slid down. In the distance, a speck of red dotted the white landscape of Central Park. It couldn’t be.
“How on earth did he beat us here?” I turned to Shanda.
She had an enormous grin all over her face. “What? I took the long way. Something about him wanting a moment with you away from the academy’s prying eyes. So sue me.” She nodded out the window. “Go on. I’ll be inside.”
As I opened the door, she nudged me into the icy wind, toward Bryan. I crunched through the snow until I reached him. His face lit up like a Christmas tree as I approached.
“What are you doing here?” My heart drummed a new rhythm as his eyes softened when he looked at me.
He pulled a bouquet of fresh-cut red roses from behind his back, holding them out. “These are for you.”
My cheeks flamed as I lifted the soft petals to my lips, inhaling the sweet scent. “I don’t know what to say. They’re beautiful.”
His gloved hand took mine, drawing me close. “I couldn’t let you leave without telling you the truth … about how I really feel. It wouldn’t be fair.”
The air froze in my lungs, I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. I just stared into those eyes, biting my tongue. He pressed his forehead into mine, his breath warming the space between us.
“Lucy, I love you.”
My heart soared as if it suddenly grew wings. I couldn’t believe it. He said the three little words I’d longed to hear so badly. I threw my arms around his neck.
“I love you, too.” Finally, I had told him the truth. It felt good, like a heaviness sloughing off my back.
“You do?” That handsome face split into a mega grin as his arms cradled my waist. “I thought I was all alone here.”
“How could you possibly think that?” Butterflies danced my stomach as he lifted me off my feet with the lightest touch, spinning me in circles like a china doll.
Chaos, confusion, and too many emotions fluttered around me with the snowflakes. He stopped and set me down on the snow-packed sidewalk.
Something inside me snapped, and I knew I wanted more. “What does this mean? We can be together now—bring down Nexis as a team. Right?”
His gloves brushed my cheek, smoothing my hair back. “I want that, Angel Face.” A muscle in his jaw twitched even as those icebergs sizzled. “My parents want to train you.”
I arched forward, those blue eyes drawing me in like a tractor beam, inches from his nose. “What are you talking about?”
Those lips curved into that same smile he wore when he told me those three little words. “I want you to come back to Pennsylvania with me to start your training.”
“You mean, like Seer training?” That had a really cool ring to it. The idea rolled around in my brain, the workings of a brilliant scheme forming in the corners of my mind. I could meet his parents, his sister, get closer to him. Maybe they could even show me how to control the visions, or at the very least help me figure out what to do when they came. I could learn how to protect myself and develop my Seer powers.
Hands twitching like he couldn’t wait another second, he enveloped me in his arms and squeezed me tight. “Since it’s obvious your powers have come early, the council has mandated your training, and your dad approved the trip. We’ll just have to keep our relationship on the down low when we get back to Montrose. It’s not exactly sanctioned.”
“Sanctioned?” Leaning away, I wanted to choke on the word, but instead I stamped my boot in the snow. “Are you really going to let the Guardian council dictate who you date?”
“I wish is what that simple.” He drew me close again until his Adam’s apple bobbed against my forehead. He was silent for a while. Then he cleared his throat. “Should I not have told you the truth, you know, the L word?”
“No way.” I arched on my tiptoes to get a good eyeful of him. A spark of hope danced in those baby blues.
