Starbound (10 page)

“You,” she simply stated.

I stiffened. I really shouldn’t have been surprised. Glancing up at Elena, I met her with frigid eyes. “You want
me
?”

“Yep. You got it. That’s my offer.” She crossed her arms. “Going once…”

Looking down at Kat fading in my arms, I knew there was no other choice. I didn’t have time. “Fine. Just do it.”

Elena smirked and kneeled down on the other side of Kat. “It would be my pleasure.”

I squeezed my eyes. It felt like I had just made a deal with the devil. What was done was done. The important thing was that Kat got better—that she lived. And maybe when I had time to digest what I had done, I would think it was better this way. I couldn’t have Kat regardless, so maybe if she saw me with someone else, she would move on.

Without me.

Elena’s hands hovered over the seeping wound on Kat’s head, heat radiating off her touch. I brushed the hair from Kat’s forehead, needing to touch her. It might be the very last time that I had the chance. Elena’s cat-eyes closed as she concentrated, muttering words under her breath, and the air fizzled.

Only a few minutes had passed and already the opened flesh wound had closed. There was still dried blood caked on her forehead, but no new blood flowed.

Elena opened her eyes. They were bright and a little tired. Her shoulders dropped, and her body relaxed. “She will have the mother of all headaches when she wakes, but there will be no scarring. She’ll live to annoy me another day.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, gathering Kat’s lifeless body in my arms. I stood up, overwhelmed with the desire to get the heck out of the el-creep-o cemetery.

“Where do think you are going?” Elena asked, her yellow eyes glowering.

“I’m taking her home. I’ll be all yours tomorrow.” I cringed even as I said the words.

God. What a catastrophe
.

Me and Elena? I was going to puke.

“Call Zeke,” I added bitterly over my shoulder and took off to where I was pretty sure I’d parked my truck. I didn’t care that I was leaving Elena fuming and alone.

Kat fit extraordinarily in my arms. Her head was nestled in my neck, and her soft, even breaths teased my skin. Now that I knew she was going to be okay, I was assaulted with a wave of relief. Without her, I would have eventually faded and withered away. Kat was my life, she gave me life. We might not have spoken the scared vows, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t already a part of me. With or without magick she was already mine.

I slid into the seat of my truck with Kat still in my arms. Laying her down as carefully as possible, I brushed the hair from her heart-shaped face. I couldn’t stop myself. Not after what I had just gone through.

I kissed her still lips. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. Then I picked up my phone and punched in Zeke’s number. He answered on the first ring. “I found her, but Zeke…I need you.”

“Elena told me. We’re on our way,” he advised without question.

I could always count on Zeke.

He and Olivia arrived at my truck in mere minutes. Kat was still unconscious, which was probably better, because she would most certainly not go along with what I was about to ask Zeke to do.

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” Zeke asked.

I nodded. “It is the only way.”

“I don’t understand, Seth. Why do we have to erase her memory? I like having her back,” Olivia complained, nibbling on her bottom lip.

“I don’t have time to go into the details.” My words were rushed. “I’ll let Zeke take care of that, but Olivia, she will still remember coming to the clearing tonight, she just won’t remember who she saw in the smoke, or how she hit her head.”

“This is such a bad idea. I can feel it my gut,” Olivia grumbled.

“It’s the only way. I swear.”

Olivia relented, but the doubt never left her silky violet eyes.

Zeke placed a hand on either side of Kat’s head. “Here goes nothing,” he mumbled, and then he cast a spell to make her forget most of the night. At least right up to before she learned that we were starbound.

It was done.

And I felt sick about.

Katia

I opened my eyes with what sounded like sirens blaring through my head and grimaced. My head felt like it was going to explode. I touched a tentative hand to my tender and sore forehead. Moaning, I stumbled into a pair of green eyes watching me with concern.

“Seth,” I said, my voice scratchy.

“Hey there.” His voice washed over me, soothingly.

“What happened?” I twisted my head to the side. Pain blasted, and I regretted the movement.

“You took a nasty hit on the head. That rock did a number on you.” Seth’s fingers were in my hair.

It was then I realized that I was lying in his lap. I felt my cheeks turn five shades of pink. Several long moments passed before I tried to sit up, and when I did the world spiraled on its axis.

Oh crap
. I closed my eyes against the whirling colors.

“Hey, take it slow.” He guided my head to his shoulder, and I leaned my full weight into him, grateful for the support. “You’re probably still a little fuzzy. That was a wicked gash you took to the head.”

“Oh.” Why couldn’t I remember that? Probably because being so close to Seth, I couldn’t remember my name, let alone details. His body was firm, warm, and enticing, even with a splitting migraine.

Of course, I wasn’t supposed to notice those kinds of things.
I. Don’t. Like. Seth.
Now if only someone reminded my heart, so it would stop jackhammering against my chest.

“Here, let me help you inside.” He kept his voice low and quiet, like he knew my head was in agonizing pain.

I gripped his shirt, as the car felt like it was flying. “No.” My voice was hoarse, and I dropped my head back against the seat.

He arched a brow.

“C-could we just stay here for a little bit? Just until the car stops spinning?”

The corner of his mouth lifted as he tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear, his hand lingering. “Whatever you want.”

Oookay.

Either someone had taken some happy pills, or I had hit my head a lot harder and was hallucinating. He was being far too nice and accommodating, which made me very suspicious. It didn’t help that his touch was fire-bolt electric. “What happened? The last thing I remember is being in the circle.”

“You slipped and hit your head on a boulder.” A flash of pain shot through his eyes. “It wasn’t pretty. I’d rather not relive that moment.”

I cracked a small smile and winced. Even that hurt like something fierce. “Oh God. Don’t make me smile.”

A lopsided smirk started to form on his lips.

“I’m serious. It’s painful,” I said not all that convincingly.

“I’ll do my best, but I make no promises.” Amusement betrayed his words.

“You’re such a jerk-face. I’m remembering that I hate you.” I took a glance at myself in the rearview mirror and hissed. There was dried blood plastered on my forehead and in my hair. I looked atrocious. Tentatively, I pushed back my hair, assessing the damage. “Elena?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“And she healed me willingly?” It was hard to believe. If there was one thing I remembered about Elena, she never did anything without getting something in return.

His eyes flared. “I didn’t give her a choice.”

Whoa. There always was a shadow of darkness lurking in Seth, but getting a glimpse up close was intense. If pushed, he could be ruthless. “I should thank her,” I replied, looking down at my hands. It was the polite thing to do, but it didn’t mean I had to like it. Actually I was surprised that she had even wasted her magick on me.

“Later. Right now you need to get to bed and lie down. A couple of aspirins wouldn’t hurt either, might take off the edge. I’ll call you tomorrow and see how you are feeling.”

God. That sounded like bliss. “Thanks, Seth. You seem to always be there when I need you, even if you’re an ass most of the time.”

His eyes lost their luster. “Don’t mention it.”

As I got out of his truck for the second time in the last month, I glanced behind me for one last look at his face. I couldn’t explain it, but sitting in the cab of his truck, I’d never felt so close to anyone in the galaxy—human or alien—if you believed in that kind of thing. But I couldn’t say the same thing for Seth. He wore a dark frown as I waved from the porch.

Was I destined to always want what I couldn’t have?

Chapter 10

Katia

A bath was just what I needed. My body was chilled to the bone, I felt grubby, and my muscles ached along with my head. Taking Seth’s advice, I popped two little white pills before filling the tub with steaming bubbles that frothed to the top of the tub. I added a subtle hint of rose-infused oil I’d made myself. It would do wonders for the pain and make my skin smell like a bouquet.

Sinking into the foam, I sighed and closed my eyes. My mind wandered, thinking about Seth and the circle, how nice it had been to use magick again. But that was where I hit a wall. My memories went no further. Every time I tried to think past the casting of the spell, I got nothing but blackness. It was frustrating.

Finally exhaustion won, and I crawled from the tub straight into bed. I fell asleep almost instantly, with the soft rainbow of colors dancing behind my eyes from the moonlight hitting the prism of crystals.

I spent the next day gnawing away at this blank spot in my head. It was like a pesky mosquito buzzing around my head on a humid summer day. Nothing I did brought back the memories I’d lost on All Hallows’ Eve, yet I couldn’t shake this feeling that something big had happened. And I was determined to remember.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I lifted the hair off my head, inspecting where the wound should have been. The skin was smooth and flawless, no lingering evidence that I was a klutz. The funny part was I could almost convenience myself it hadn’t happened. After all, I had no memory of it. My mind was as swirly as the blue smoke from last night, before it all went black.

When I got to school, I couldn’t concentrate to save my life. The morning was brutal and long. By lunch, I’d had enough and was ready to call it a day. Fleetingly, I thought about ditching the rest of my classes, and then I remembered that I had practice after school. Claudia didn’t care if we were knocking on death’s door; you didn’t miss cheer practice.

The lunch bell rang, and I winced. Pressing my fingers to my temples, I tried to shut out the snapshot of images that had been flashing behind my eyes most of the day. I was starting to wonder if I was going nutty, or if Elena had done more than just heal me, like a hex.

I still had to thank her—or curse her. I was undecided. Scanning the sea of people, I looked for a girl dressed in all black with purple spiked hair. Now was as good a time as any to get it over with. And if I was lucky, maybe she would give me answers for the blank spots that eluded me. Not that I expected her to be obliging. It wasn’t in her nature. If anyone could be persuaded to the dark side, my bet was on her.

I spotted her at one of the far lunch tables, and my heart plummeted. Clearly it must have shown in my face.

“What is going on with you?” Claudia asked, coming up behind me in line. “You skipped out on me last night at the Halloween party, and now you look like death.”

I gave her dry look. “Thanks, Claudia. Remind me never to call you to talk me off a ledge.”

She shrugged and bumped my shoulder. “If you’re dumb enough to get yourself up there, you can get yourself down.”

Mental note
:
Do not ask Claudia for advice. She’ll make you feel like crapola.

I slumped into one of the round tables and twisted the top off my water. My appetite had vanished, and I was feeling bitchy. “Thanks for the solid advice. And nothing is wrong. I’m just feeling out of it.”

“Does it have anything to do with that?” She indicated with a nod to where I’d seen Elena with none other than Seth.

I hadn’t been able to tear my eyes off them since I’d stepped into the cafeteria. They were cozying up to each other over a plate of fries. Elena had one leg swung over the top of his, and she was dangling a fry in front of his mouth. Our eyes clashed from across the crowded room, and she smirked.

I was going to vomit.

And I couldn’t pinpoint why.

I squeezed the bottle of water in my hand, plastic crunching under impact as a slow burn of animosity flickered inside me.

“I am going to take that as a yes,” Claudia muttered.

“That bitch,” I said, looking to Claudia who was watching me curiously.

“I don’t get it, Katia. If you want Seth, why don’t you just go get him.” She popped a seedless grape into her mouth. Claudia thought everything was at her fingertips, including boys.

This was hard to admit. I played with the cap from the water bottle. “Believe it or not, I did.”

“And…” she prompted, hating to be left dangling.

I sighed. “And he wasn’t interested in me.”

“He what?” she shrieked and then glanced at Seth, studying him. “Hmm, he must be gay.”

“Claudia,” I grumbled, my lips twitching.

“What?” she replied innocently when she was anything but. “Look, I am going to be straight with you. I know guys. I know how they think, what they want. I have two brothers, so it’s like second nature to me. And I am telling you, no matter what comes out of Seth’s edible lips, he wants you.”

I rolled her words in my head. “Maybe, but it looks a little late now.”

She pursed her lips. “Girl, it is never too late. Fact. He couldn’t be any less into that blood-sucking vampire chick if he tried. Any minute he is going to remove her leg from his. She is suffocating him.” Claudia sat back, and I propped on my elbows as we both watched, waiting.

Sure as shit, Seth nudged her leg and leaned as far back in his chair as possible. Elena scowled.

Claudia grinned, completely pleased with her guy-intuition, and popped another grape. “Told ya.”