Allegiant (37 page)

“
Miss Scarlet?” Dane
smirks. “I thought you’d choose someone more pure, like Mrs.
White.”

“
The maid?” I scowl. “I can
be a maid in real life. I want to be the sexy vixen.”

His eyes shoot up, and he suppresses a
grin.

I give him a tally sheet then divide the
game cards into piles: one for the rooms, one for the weapons, and
one for the suspects. I take a card from each pile and place them
in the secret envelope then shuffle the rest. I give them to Dane
to divide evenly between us.

Once we’re ready, I roll the dice and move
four spaces. Dane rolls and moves ten, landing in the lounge.
“Okay,” he says. “I think it was Professor Plum in the lounge with
the…” He peruses the board. “Knife.” He moves both Plum and the
knife into the lounge.

I sift through my cards and show him the
knife. He marks it down.

I roll again and move, ending up in the
hall. “I think it was you,” I move his piece, “in the hall with the
candlestick.”

He flips through his cards and shows me the
hall. I mark it on my paper.

“
Do you ever wonder why Mr.
Boddy was murdered?” Dane asks, referring to the fictitious victim
in the game of Clue.

“
Because he was
rich?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t think it was
the money. I have another theory.” He rolls the dice.

“
What’s that?”

“
I think,” he moves seven
spaces, “that Mr. Boddy was having an affair with Miss Scarlet, but
he thought she was also having an affair with the
Colonel.”

I smirk. “You think he committed suicide
because she was cheating on him?”

“
Nope,” he says and folds
his hands. “Mrs. Peacock was the Colonel’s ex and was unhappy that
he had moved on with that hussy Scarlet.”

“
So Mrs. Peacock did it to
frame Mustard?”

“
She wanted to, but she
didn’t have it in her. She contracted Mr. Green, who used to be
Boddy’s business partner, but was recently let go under suspicious
circumstances. She hired him to do it.”

I pretend to be shocked and bring my hand to
my chest. “Mr. Green killed Mr. Boddy to frame Mustard and avenge
Peacock, just because she was upset with the Colonel for banging
Scarlet?”

He smiles. “Yes. But unfortunately, neither
Peacock or Green nor Boddy knew that, in reality, Mustard and
Scarlet hadn’t done anything. They were just friends.”

I pretend to pout. “Poor Mr. Boddy.”

“
Yeah,” Dane fakes
sympathy. “The least Scarlet and Mustard could have done was
actually sleep together. Then Boddy’s death wouldn’t have been in
vain.”

I see the parallels he’s drawing here. I
roll my eyes and hold out my hand. “You have a very active
imagination. Give me the dice.”

He grins.

After a few turns, I’ve narrowed the weapons
down to the poison. I’m still stuck with two suspects though, the
Colonel and Mr. Green, and four rooms. I’m feeling really
competitive; maybe it’s the sound of the raging storm outside that
fuels my desire to win. Or maybe it’s Dane. Every time I compete
against him – mini golf, Go Karts – I can’t bear the thought of
losing.

Suddenly, a brilliant flash of lightning
illuminates the patio and thunder rips through the sky. It sounds
like it’s directly over the house, and I jump. The lights flicker,
and we lose power. I stare across the table at Dane in the dark.
“Crap.”

He laughs. “I think there’s a flashlight
under the sink.”

We both get up and head toward the kitchen,
using the sporadic flashes of light to guide the way. I make it
around the dining table and to the counter. “We’re going to need
more than a flashlight,” I say. “We can use those candles from
around the bathtub.”

“
Got it,” he says and heads
off toward the bedroom.

I get to the sink and open the cupboard, but
I can’t see a damn thing. I reach around blindly, knocking over the
paper towel and, I think, a bottle of soap. I feel something
cylindrical and grab it. When I pull it close to my eyes, I find
that it’s a small fire extinguisher. I put it back and feel around
some more. Ah ha! Bingo. Flashlight.

I turn it on and the beam is dim, but it
works. I start opening drawers to find matches or a lighter.
There’s a grill on the patio, surely there’s a lighter here
somewhere.

With no luck in the drawers, I turn to the
cupboards. Way back in the corner of one, I think I see what might
be a box of matches. I set the flashlight down and heave myself on
to the counter, kneeling, to reach it.

I feel hands around my waist.

“
AH!” I fall to the side on
my hip and whip around. “Don’t sneak up on me!”

Dane laughs. “I don’t want you to fall.”

“
I won’t fall!”

He leaves his hands around my waist. “Why
are you up there?”

“
I’m looking for matches to
light the candles. It’s going to be hard to play Clue in the
dark.”

“
I know something else we
can play in the dark.”

What?

He turns me by my waist and pulls me
forward, causing my legs to fall off the counter and land on either
side of him. It feels like he might pick me up, so I brace myself
against his shoulders. He doesn’t lift me though; he just pulls me
as close to him as possible. As I sit on the counter facing him, he
closes the short distance between us in seconds, finding my mouth.
This isn’t like the kiss we shared the first morning we were here;
this kiss is reminiscent of last summer when things got out of
hand. Instinctively I lean back, but he follows me and there’s
really nowhere to go. His hands leave my waist, traveling over my
hips and down my thighs to rest on my knees. He pulls them both to
his body and holds them there, pinning himself between my legs. My
heart races and my insides start to knot.

His mouth leaves mine, tracing a hot trail
along my jaw. My mind flashes to his earlier scenario. “I’m not
Scarlet,” I protest.

His lips leave my skin. “And I’m not a
Colonel.” His mouth finds mine again and as I kiss him back, I’m
one person divided: half of me shouts, “This is wrong!” while the
other half screams, “This is so right!”

His hands leave my knees and move up to my
hips again. He grasps them as he pulls his mouth away for a moment
and rests his forehead against mine.

“
Then what game is this?” I
whisper.

His lips move back to my neck. “Naked
Twister.”

“
Wow!” I lean to the side.
“Just come out and say it, why don’t you?”

He moves his face in front of mine.
“Subtlety wasn’t working.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “You’ve been subtle? I
got every message you’ve sent.”

I can see him frown in the darkness. “Then
what’s taking us so long?”

“
So long? We’ve been here
two weeks!”

He takes a step back from me. “Are you
serious? We’ve known each other for months.”

“
Yes, but…”

“
But what?”

I hesitate. How do I explain feelings that I
don’t understand?

“
Emma,” he says. “What’s
holding you back? You have to talk to me.”

A low rumble of thunder passes overhead, and
I wrap my arms around my waist. “I don’t know where to start.”

He steps forward and sets his hands on
either side of me, against the countertop. He leans close and looks
directly into my eyes. “Now is the time to be honest. Can you do
that?”

He knows everything now; I would never lie
to him. “Of course.”

“
Do you have feelings for
me?”

I can’t deny that I do. I have since last
summer. I hold his gaze and nod.

“
And what do you think will
happen if you give in to those feelings?”

I lower my eyes. “A lot.”

“
Name one
thing.”

I give him a defeated look. If he can see it
in the darkness, I can’t tell. “I’ve only ever been with James…this
is really new for me.”

“
So you’re nervous?” he
guesses.

I shrug.

He gives me a crooked smile. “Well, you’re
not alone. I’ve been with Teagan since I was sixteen; I think this
is something we can work on together.”

I roll my eyes. “That makes it worse.”

“
Why?”

“
Have you seen her?” I ask
incredulously. “She’s gorgeous. Like straight out of a magazine
super model material.” I unfold my arms just as lightning lights up
the sky and look down at myself. “This is not that.”

He stands up straight and takes my wrists in
his hands. “There’s no comparison.”

My heart flips when he says this, but I
still give him a dry look. “Come on.”

“
You think you’re worried
about competing with Teags?” he says and lets me go. “I have James
to live up to. You’ve put him on a pedestal, and he’s tied to you
for life. Competing with a Guardian isn’t easy.”

My expression twists. Dane has never come
across as anything but confident; I took it for granted that he
truly was. “I’ve never compared the two of you, I swear. You’re
different people.”

He places his hands on my knees. “Then you
see my point.”

I stare at him, mute, accepting his logic.
The only sound is the rain that continues to pound against the
house.

“
It appears we stand on
even ground when it comes to the exes,” he says. “What else are you
worried about?”

“
James isn’t an ex,” I say
automatically.

He gives me a confused look. “But you can’t
be together. Or did I misunderstand something about the whole
assignment thing?”

“
No; you’re right.” I shake
my head. “It’s just that we’ll never be apart. He’ll know you and I
are together; I’ll feel like I’m cheating on him.”

He frowns. “And he’s not cheating on you
with this Meg? Or how about that other girl, the one from the
bonfire? What was that?”

I stare at him speechless. I can’t believe
he brought that up.

He sighs. “I’m not trying to make you feel
bad. It’s just…from the outside, it appears someone has a wandering
eye.”

Stubbornly, I cross my arms. “I trust James.
He said nothing was going on with Meg.”

“
But, you’re still
suspicious. Yes?”

I give him an exasperated look, and he leans
in close. “In my experience, where there’s smoke there’s fire.
That’s all I’m saying.”

I scowl. “It sounds like you’re trying to
make him look bad for your own benefit.”

He pauses, shaking his head. “Believe that
if you want. What I’m trying to do is ease your conscience.”

Memories flood my mind. I think about what
happened with Rebecca, James’ consolation of her, and their kiss. I
think about how much their interaction meant to her. I recall his
defense of Meg, when he didn’t deny she might have feelings for
him. I remember the way he looked when he found out she could still
become human, and again, when he learned she’d been Touched. My
shoulders sag. “You might be right,” I concede quietly.

Dane reaches for my hands, and I unfold my
arms. Our silence allows me to listen to the wind; it’s let up and
the rain doesn’t fall as hard against the house. He squeezes my
fingers. “I never want you to feel guilty about us. Everything that
has happened, and anything else that does, will never be
meaningless.”

“
I would never think it
was.” My heart knows that what happens between us will only make us
stronger, and that’s a little scary. Am I ready to take that
step?

He leans forward and places a gentle kiss on
my lips, then pulls on my hands. “I don’t think the power will be
on any time soon. Let’s finish this conversation in a more
comfortable place.”

I ease myself off the counter and set my
feet on the floor. He releases one of my hands and leads me to the
bedroom where he lets go and moves around his side of the bed to
change. I do the same. It takes me a minute to find my pajamas in
the dark, but once I do, I feel my way to the bathroom to put them
on and brush my teeth. When I’m finished, Dane trades places with
me.

I crawl onto my side of the bed and try to
get comfortable, hugging a pillow to my chest. I think about what
we’ve discussed and feel some weight lifted from my shoulders. It’s
comforting to know he’s not as confident as I assumed; this is all
new for him, too. He knows about my guilt surrounding James, and I
don’t have to make up excuses as to why I feel conflicted. As for
the idea of James cheating on me, well, that’s going to take a
minute to process. But, what Dane says is true. As much as it
hurts, James and I can’t be together, and he’s going to move on.
His duty leaves him no choice. Would it be so horrible if I did the
same?

The bed moves when Dane gets under the
covers, and, a moment later, I feel him directly behind me. He
speaks over my shoulder. “I’d prefer if you’d hug me instead of the
pillow.”

Honestly, I’d prefer that too. I glance
behind me as he slides his arms around my waist, pulls me back
against his chest, and moves us both to the center of the bed. I
reach up and arrange the pillow under my head, as he gets settled,
then tuck myself into him as closely as possible.

“
I take it this is okay?”
he asks.

I nod against him and weave my fingers
through his.

He rests his chin in the crook of my neck.
“Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

“
I don’t think so. I feel
better.”

“
I’m glad. I’m sorry I
brought up the cheating thing.”