I let out a sigh intermixed with desire and impatience. “What are we doing then?”
“Let’s see if we can’t suss out your powers a bit,” he says, grabbing my hand and twisting around. He leads me out of my bedroom and down the hallway, back toward the main entrance. “You said you saw your uber-great grandma here…right?”
As we turn the corner, my eyes land on the rug beneath the second-floor landing and I nod.
“Were you doing anything? Touching anything? Maybe it’s tactile,” he offers.
I shrug. “I was just admiring the light coming through the windows and looked over. There she was, like it had just happened.”
“Did she seem like a ghost? You know, like wispy? Or was she solid?”
“Solid, I guess. She didn’t look like ghosts in TV shows, anyway,” I say, remembering back.
Wade nods. “Okay, that’s something. How did she die? Did it say?”
I scrunch my face and take a deep breath. “Yeah, basically she died after falling from there.” I point up to the landing above us.
“So, she was showing you her death. In my experience, that’s pretty significant,” Wade says, casting his gaze over the rug. “What happens if you touch the rug?”
“I don’t know, I’ve never bent down to give it go,” I snicker.
Wade eyes me expectantly.
“Oh, fine,” I mutter, dropping to my hands and knees. “I feel completely ridic—”
The moment my hands touch the rug, a swirling red and blue iridescent flame consumes both of my hands and radiates up my arms. I shift to a crouched position, pulling my hands from the fabric and stare at them. Other than the color being slightly different, the experience is almost exactly the same as when Colton touched me. The flames continue to travel up my arms until my whole body ignites in them.
Wade rushes to my side, his eyes wide, “Autumn, are you— does it hurt?”
I blink back my surprise, shaking my head. “No, not all.”
Then, as quickly as they sprang up, the flames extinguish. Exhaling in a loud puff, I drop onto my backside.
“Well, I have no idea what that was, but it’s safe to say, dear Dru, mundane human, you are not.”
I lift my gaze, staring at his sideways grin and sparkling eyes. He’s so happy about this, but the only thing I can think about is how similar it was to when Colton touched my hand.
With wide eyes, I nod quickly. It’s all I can think to do.
Wade drops to a crouch beside me. “You don’t seem happy. Why aren’t you happy?”
I chew on the side of my cheek and swallow hard.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” He says, an air of panic rising in his tone.
“I have something to tell you,” I say, patting the spot beside me.
Wade’s eyebrows lower and he actually stands instead. Cramming his hands into his pocket, he eyes me suspiciously. “It’s something bad, isn’t it?” His voice is barely a whisper.
Pushing myself to a stand, I shake my head. “No, I mean, I don’t think so. At least, not in the way you’re probably thinking.”
“Okay…” His silver eyes narrow to slits and his goofy grin has all but evaporated.
“Yesterday, I went to the library with Cat and Colt,” I begin, watching his every move.
“All right?” he says, his face guarded.
I clear my throat, casting my gaze to the rug. “We were only researching, but something strange happened when Colton touched my hand. It was weird, and I didn’t tell you about it because I wasn’t sure how I felt.”
“How you felt?” Wade says, his eyes widening.
I take a step back. “No, not like that. I mean, I wasn’t sure how I felt when it happened. It was weird.” I lick my lower lip, suddenly parched. “Innocent, even. It’s just…when we made contact, it was like I was completely mesmerized by his skin—then it burst into flames. Almost identically to how it did just now.”
Wade’s dark lashes flutter as he takes in the new information. He’s utterly silent.
“Say something,” I whisper.
“I’m not sure what to say. I—” he shakes his head. “Part of me thinks, ‘so what? Some guy touched your hand. It was just your hand.’ The other part of me is furious he even had the audacity to do that. Then, there’s the other part of me…” his voice trails off.
“The other part of you what?” I ask, walking up to him.
His eyebrows tip up in the middle and his jaw clenches. “The other part wonders why him and not me? Why would you have that reaction with such an innocent touch, but never with—”
“I don’t know how it works. I don’t even know what it is or why.”
Wade takes a deep breath through his nose. “Why did he touch you?”
I take a step away, trying to remember. “I don’t know. I think he was trying to console me. Or try to get me to trust them. We were talking about all the weird goings on and they’re trying to help me sort out all of the confusion around my family and my powers. They know more than they’re telling me and he was just trying to make me feel better.”
“Good people don’t keep the truth from those they care about.”
I flinch, knowing his words are aimed at more than just the Gilbert twins.
“There is nothing going on between Colt and me. You know that, right?” I whisper, pushing back the urge to cry.
“Maybe for you. But what about him?” Wade asks, his face scrunching together like he ate something horrible.
Taking a step toward him, I wrap my arms around his waist. “I don’t care what he thinks or whether or not he’d like there to be more. I’m yours, Angel. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Wade takes a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders as he wraps his arms around me. I sink into his embrace, resting my head against his chest. His heartbeat is loud and fast, but he pulls me in tighter, dropping his chin to the top of
