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  Bending down, he picked up a small rock and turned it over and over in his hands, studying it. But Eren knew he wasn’t interested in the rock, he was using the excuse to look down and let his overly long brown and black bangs hide his expression from her. Anger sparked brighter within her. She hated that Virgil could have this effect on Aiden even after the man was dead.

  “One day I had enough. I shoved Virgil’s energy out of the bird he was using to spy on me,” he finally said in a voice thick with the dark memory.

  Determined to ease the pain in his eyes, Eren moved closer to him and took one of his hands in both of hers. She couldn’t not touch him. The force that drew her to him was too powerful. His angry energy bit at her but she ignored it.

  “I’m so sorry for the way you grew up, and that you never had the chance to confront Virgil.”

  With his free hand Aiden brushed a lock of her dark hair back, then pulled her closer. The bite of his energy faded and turned warm and inviting. His body pressed the length of hers, taking her breath away and scrambling her thoughts. She both loved and hated how he could do that. The allure of his hazel eyes, both brown and green splashed out from the pupil, drew her in until she wanted to drown in them. Sure, his hard, toned body was outstanding, but it was his eyes that always got to her.

  “None of that mattered anymore after I met you.”

  That made Eren’s heart thump so hard against her ribcage it hurt. “But it does matter. I hate that they hurt you.”

  Freeing his hand from hers, Aiden wrapped his arms around her and reached beneath her hair to cradle her head. The feel of his body and energy all around her set her on fire from the inside out. His eyes fluttered closed and he leaned his head against hers.

  “You fixed me,” he said in a deep tone that made her stomach clench. His eyes filled with a light that had nothing to do with his power and everything to do with her.

  As he started to bend down, she rose up on the balls of her feet to meet him. The touch of his lips sent a wonderful warmth tingling down into her. The chill of the brisk spring day, chirping of the birds, even the lapping of the river, all faded until there was nothing left but Aiden. Eren’s power rose to meet this and she let it, intending to allow just a little of it to mingle. Once the two energies touched, she knew there’d be no stopping it because the desire to do so melted away. A low, guttural sound resonated through Aiden’s throat, making Eren’s knees weak.

  “I can’t leave you two alone for a second can I?” Fane’s voice came seemingly out of nowhere.

  Aiden’s energy retreated from Eren so fast it left her feeling like she was on a rollercoaster that had just plummeted. He stepped back but kept a hand on her elbow. From the way he swayed, she wasn’t sure if the contact was to steady her, or himself.

  “Fane, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” Eren said. The sound of her breathy voice was made her cringe. She so did not want Fane hearing her like that.

  One dark eyebrow went up as a smirk touched Fane’s lips. “I practically barreled down the hill like a bull.”

  Heat burned Eren’s cheeks, forcing her to turn away. Aiden stiffened, embarrassment reverberating through his energy. “What’s up, Bro?” he asked in a tone that had a harsh edge to it.

  Fane laughed. “Certainly not the same thing that’s up for you.”

  Mumbling something in Irish, Aiden turned and put a little more distance between him and Eren. Her Irish was too rusty to make out much more than something about ‘pummel him.’

  To Fane he said, “It’s not like that. We were about to work on something that might keep Eren safe from Luke.”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Fane glared from beneath his dark curls. “Well this thing you were working on looks like it doesn’t keep my cousin safe from you.”

  The serious undertone made Eren smile. It was sweet that he was protective of her even though he worshipped the ground Aiden walked upon. On legs that shook, Eren made her way to Fane’s side and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Thanks, Cuz, but you don’t have to worry. We really were going to work on something to help me fight Luke.”

  His eyebrows rose higher and he cocked his head. “Alright then, I want to help.”

  “Fair enough,” Aiden said as he lifted an arm from his side and held out a finger.

  Power surged around Aiden—Eren felt it like a change in air pressure—but instead of pushing out, it pulled in. She recognized the feeling this time, he was calling something. A bright blue bird floated down from the tree above him and alighted on his finger. It folded its wings in and looked up at Aiden.

  “I’m going to pour enough of my power into this bird to control it completely. You try to push me out.”

  Eren nodded. The air around Aiden’s hand and the bird started to glow green then the glow seeped into the bird. It stood up straight as it could, spread its wings out, and bowed until its beak touched Aiden’s arm.

  “He has full control of it, give it a try,” Fane said.

  Doubt and reluctance sank into her. “But I have no idea how.”

  “Don’t look at me, I haven’t got a clue,” Fane said as he put his hands up.

  At any other time she would have congratulated him on sounding so American but right now she was too torn. The eagerness in Fane’s eyes made a big part of her want to be able to do this, but the part that still longed to be normal fought against it. Was she fighting who she really was, or changing to please the people she cared about? She wasn’t sure.

  The bird let out a piercing chirp and stared hard at her.

  “If this can keep Luke from spying on you then you have to try,” Fane said. The worry in his voice, combined with the threat of Luke watching her, were all the convincing she needed.

  Eyes on the bird, she let her energy flow toward Aiden. The presence of power within his body was dull from channeling, but around the bird it was strong. It wasn’t hard to tell with her extra sense that his power was in the creature. Beneath it she could feel the docile energy of the bird, muted, but definitely still there. Eren let her power flow out farther until it was touching Aiden’s. Willing it into a solid force, she used it to push against his. She might as well have been pushing on a brick wall.

  “Imagine its Luke,” Fane said.

  That was a stretch she wasn’t sure she could make. Aiden’s energy was pure and brilliant while Luke’s was like a tar pit. Just thinking about the oily feel of Luke’s energy made her own spike. Using the fear such thoughts stirred, she shoved at Aiden’s power again. The resistance crumbled before her power as if it had been only a stone façade, pushing his power out of the bird and leaving hers in it. They were falling but she was too disoriented to register much more than that. Being inside a body that wasn’t her own made her stomach lurch. Nothing felt, smelled, or sounded like it should.

  Her energy pulled out of the bird as quickly as it had fallen into it and she was suddenly back in her own body. The world swayed but Fane grabbed her arms and helped steady her. When everything came into focus, Aiden was on the ground and blue wings were flashing in the sun as the bird flew off. Strength and agility returned to her in a rush and she ran to Aiden’s side. Rocks bit into her knees as she knelt beside him.

  “Are you alright?”

  A big smile spread across his lips as his eyes focused on her. “That was awesome! Let’s do it again.”

  He pushed into a seated position and started to gather his legs beneath him, but she stopped him by putting a hand on his chest. The hard muscles couldn’t hide the rapid beating of his heart.

  “No way. I hurt you.”

  Aiden shook his head. “No, I’m fine. You just surprised me. I didn’t know you’d be able to do it so easily.”

  Considering she didn’t want to be able to do it, that wasn’t encouraging.

  Rocks crunched as Fane jogged over to them. “That was spectacular. You’ve got to do it again. Try it on me.”

  Eren’s wide eyes darted to him.
His smile was so big that it disappeared into the dark curls that framed his face.

  “Are you crazy? No way. I could hurt you.” The very thought made her shudder.

  Taking her hand, Aiden rose slowly, and shook his head. “No, really, the only part that hurt was landing on my butt in the rocks. I can stand behind him to catch him.”

  Having another ability she didn’t want was bad enough, using it on her cousin was unthinkable. She pulled her hand free from Aiden and crossed her arms over her chest. “No way.”

  Grabbing her by the shoulders, Fane fixed her with an intense, pain-filled gaze that made him look much older than he was and squeezed her heart. “Please, Cuz. If it helps keep you safe from Lucian then I don’t care if it is agonizing. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” There was a pleading tone to his choked up voice that melted her resistance.

  “Okay. I’ll try once. But if it looks like it hurts you, then that’s it.”

  His brown eyes widened and a smile banished the intensity from his face, making him look fifteen again. For that look, she was willing to embrace whatever bizarre ability she had to.

  “Rules are meant to be bent and reshaped.

  Each Society must decide what is right for them.”

  ~from Life In A Society

  Chapter 30

  Basking in the early morning sunlight, Eren sat on the bench in front of her grandfather’s store and waited for the others. She stroked the yellow and pink flowers that bloomed in the pot beside her. Their name was unknown to her, but they smelled wonderful. May had banished the rain and ushered in the growing season. The warm, relaxing days of summer were so close Eren could practically taste them. Unfortunately, there were a few weeks of school left. But as Eren watched Aiden, Fane, and Caitlin approach from down the sidewalk, even those few weeks didn’t seem like they’d be so bad.

  After a quick greeting, Fane and Caitlin picked up their pace and stayed several yards ahead. The nervous look on Aiden’s face told Eren something was up. He took her hand as they walked but it was a while before he’d look at her. She wondered if maybe there was something else about being a channeler that he hadn’t told her. It wasn’t fair, she knew, but she couldn’t help thinking it.

  “What’s up?” she finally asked when the suspense became too much.

  He stiffened a bit and found something across the road to look at. When he turned his head back it looked like he was fighting for words that wouldn’t come.

  “Would you go to the Champion’s dance with me?” he finally blurted out.

  Oh, no wonder it had been so hard to say. He had to know what her answer would be, it just wasn’t possible. The actual champions didn’t have a choice in who they went with.

  “Aiden, it’s very sweet of you to ask, but you don’t have to do it just to make me feel better. I know we can’t go together,” she said.

  He didn’t look relieved like she’d expected he would, instead he looked even more nervous. Could he be serious? Part of her was excited about the possibility, but another part was worried about the controversy it would cause.

  “It’s not right that tradition forces this on us. I don’t want to go with Bridget and you don’t want to go with Felipe. Patli was a good sport about losing to you. But I don’t think she’ll be so tolerant of you going to the dance with Felipe,” Aiden said.

  Felipe was champion of the Mayan boys, and therefore Eren’s date for the dance, according to tradition. Of course Aiden was right; Patli would not be a good sport about that. Eren couldn’t blame her since Felipe was also Patli’s boyfriend. All that aside, the only person Eren wanted to go to the dance with was Aiden.

  “You’re serious about this.”

  Aiden’s eyes were bright and wide as he stopped and turned toward her. He nodded.

  If they were going to do this she had to be absolutely sure he wouldn’t regret it later. “You’d risk ticking off the elders?”

  “We’ve been doing it since the day we met. Why stop now?” he asked with a smile.

  Laughing, she jumped into his embrace and hugged him so tight that he gasped for breath.

  “Of course I’ll go with you!”

  While she knew it would shake this small town up, Eren didn’t really care. Aiden was right; they’d been ticking people off since the day she moved here. Why make everyone involved miserable for sake of an old tradition that was meant to keep the races separated? Some traditions were meant to be broken.

  With her head buried in her locker, Eren never saw him coming. She dug the elusive pencil from beneath a stack of books and closed her locker door to find Felipe hovering over her shoulder. Instinctively, she jumped back and had to stifle the impulse to stab him with her pencil. She was glad she hadn’t. If she had ruined his perfectly polished, dark, and handsome look she would have felt bad.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said.

  “It’s alright. I’ve been meaning to find you anyways,” Eren said as she lowered the offending pencil.

  “Oh good. I wanted to ask you what color you’ll be wearing at the dance,” he said with a smile that looked a bit forced.

  He tried to hide it, but Eren caught him glaring at the pencil out of the corner of his eye. For him to be so surprised at her defensive reaction, he had to have led a pretty sheltered life so far. But then, Eren supposed not everyone had a psychotic wanna-be-channeler-Hunter out for their blood.

  Her mind finally wrapped around what he’d said. Wow, could he be for real? He wanted to know what color she was wearing! Ugh.

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Not the color thing, but the dance. Felipe, you’re a great guy, but I’m not going with you.”

  “Oh. You’re not going. I understand. That’s—”

  “No, I’m going, but I’m going with Aiden,” Eren interrupted him.

  Felipe stared at her, looking like he’d been punched in the gut. While he worked on absorbing it, Eren gave him her best serious look. She didn’t want him to think there was even the slightest chance that her mind could be swayed, because there wasn’t.

  “But that would break tradition,” he protested.

  “What kind of tradition forces people together who don’t want to be together? It’s not right,” Eren said, lowering her voice as other students walked by.

  Dropping his head into his hands, Felipe leaned back against the lockers. Sympathy for him reared up. If breaking one tradition was this earth-shattering to him she couldn’t imagine how uptight his life must be.

  “Look, they broke tradition when they let me compete in the first place. Since I’m a mixed blood traditions don’t really apply to me anyways,” she pressed.

  He lifted his head and gave her a thoughtful look. In his dark brown eyes Eren saw the beginnings of a growing respect.

  “The more I get to know you, the more I think maybe the elders are wrong about not mixing blood lines. Thank you. Patli is going to be so excited,” Felipe said.

  Walking backwards into the lanes of students coursing through the hallway, he smiled and waved. She returned his wave, tucked her books under her arm, and started toward her classroom. That went a lot better than she thought it would.

  Out of nowhere Caitlin came to walk beside her, making Eren think she probably hadn’t strayed out of hearing range.

  “That’s a shame. He was going to match your outfit and everything,” Caitlin teased with a sarcastic pout.

  “Shut up,” Eren said with a laugh as she slugged her lightly in the shoulder.

  Before they made it to the classroom, Patli stepped out of the flow of students to block Eren’s path. Winking at Eren, Caitlin nodded to Patli and went around her to step into the classroom. She put her books down at a desk in the back row, but lingered close by. Eren knew it had more to do with protectiveness than with a need to eavesdrop.

  For a moment the weight behind Patli’s eyes made Eren think she was angry. Then the mask cracked a bit and Eren got a glimpse of the dee
p gratitude behind it.

  “What you’re doing is wrong,” Patli began.

  She had expected this. Eren prepared to argue a point that she thought should have been obvious, but Patli quickly went on.

  “But thank you.” And with that Patli turned and walked off.

  Left alone in the hallway, Eren stared after her in disbelief. Considering she had a great argument all ready to go, she felt kind of cheated. Cheated, and pleasantly surprised.

  “The bond of a Society is a force

  to be reckoned with.”

  ~from Life In A Society

  Chapter 31

  Caitlin zipped her up and Eren stepped over to the mirror to take a look. The sleek purple dress clung to her every curve, curves Eren hadn’t even realized she had. It looked elegant and sexy with a neckline that dipped rather than plunged, and a hem that reached just above her ankles. She loved the feel of it, smooth and cool like water against her skin.

  “It looks wicked,” Caitlin said.

  Turning every which way to scrutinize each angle, Eren decided it looked almost as great as it felt. Still, she couldn’t help but be nervous about what Aiden would think. Would he like her hair all wrapped up on her head? Would he think the lipstick or black high heels were too much?

  “Quit worrying. He’ll love it,” Caitlin chided.

  She knew Caitlin couldn’t read her mind, but sometimes it felt like it. Turning to look at her, Eren felt foolish for worrying so much, and for not complimenting her sooner. In a champagne colored dress with subdued lipstick to match, she looked stunning. Her hair was woven up into a bun similar to Eren’s but with loose curls dangling here and there. Eren had never seen her friend look quite so mature and classy. It reminded her that it wouldn’t be long before they were both seventeen.

  “You look incredible. Seriously, you’re going to knock Fane dead.”