Amethyst Tears (YA Paranormal Romance) (Luminescence Trilogy) (14 page)

I threw on a pair of jeans and a glitzy black sweater.
Only applying a light coat of make-up, I wasn’t really feeling the holiday spirit. My phone buzzed on the vanity as I finished my mascara. Unlocking the screen, it was a text from Sophie wishing me a Happy Thanksgiving.

I don’t know why but it made me
sad, but I guess thoughts of Gavin were never far from my mind. Sending her a quick text back wishing her the same, I shook the depressing thoughts from my head. This wasn’t the time to be ungrateful.

Heading down the stairs, I heard my aunt whistle cheerfully in the kitchen. The holidays were one of the few days that we were both at home, no duties to the shop. I treasured the holidays, even if this one felt a little funky.

She was at the sink, her caramel hair in a messy bun with a stylish apron tied at her waist. Well as hip as an apron could be. She had the silly, spacey look of someone on the brink of love. I had that same look not too long ago. Watching her season the turkey, unnoticed my heart warmed inside seeing that lovely glow of happiness shine on her beautiful youthful face. Aunt Clara looked freaking good for her age.

Hopefully I will be so lucky. It was all in the genes, right?

Quietly I stepped beside her and hopped up on the counter. “Hey. You need any help?”

Grinning
at me, she came down from cloud nine. “Sure I would love some help. Think you can handle the table?”

Thousands of memories bombarded me.
I rolled my eyes. “Please. It’s only been my job since I was five.” I jumped to the floor.

“Brianna?” she called my name before I stepped out of the room.

I spun around. “Yesss?” I drawled out.

“I know you said that you were okay with
having Chad over for dinner, but are you really…okay with it? This is your home too, and I don’t want you to ever feel uncomfortable or put out.”

I gave the biggest, best
, reassuring smile I could. Whether she would say it or not, I knew this evening was important to her – a monstrous step. I even believed that the invitation to Lukas had been her small way of trying to make me more comfortable, so to speak. Even though she hit way off mark, it wasn’t her fault I’d screwed things up so badly. “Of course it is. This is going to be the best Thanksgiving. Just wait and see.”

She beamed at me,
satisfied that I was truly cool with it. Something told me that this would no doubt be a memorable holiday.

My aunt was all about visual appea
l. It was just as important the table be decorated as beautifully as it was for the food to be scrumptious. Spreading a glittery gold tablecloth on our dining room table, I put my mind to setting the places. Each seating had a deep cherry placemat with cream colored china and a gold glass goblet. I still wasn’t sure why we needed so many forks, spoons and knives. Why couldn’t I use the same fork for my salad and dinner? I wasn’t much for fancy, but it appeased my aunt. I should be thankful she didn’t insist I wear a dress. That would have been a battle.

Of course the centerpiece was straight from
Mystic Floral
. Setting the table was a mindless chore. Just the kind I needed.

A tiny meow at my feet caught my attention. Some sneaky little kitt
en had escaped like Houdini from my room. He was forever doing that. If I didn’t know better, I swear Gavin gave me a charmed kitty, if there was such a thing.

I scooped up
the neglected feeling Lunar in my arms just as the doorbell rang. Nuzzling his cozy warm fur, I walked to the door. “Here goes nothing. Let the fun and games begin,” I mumbled sarcastically to Lunar. Then I hollered through the house, “I got it.” My aunt was still sweating it out in the kitchen.

Turning the knob on the door, my heart raced a little. Then it dropped to my socks as I saw the
new
guy with his saggy brown hair.

He had a name
I reminded myself, Chad something or other.

Stuffed with an armful of
orange mums, yellow sunflowers, and deep red carnations, Chad peeked over the bouquet. How original. Flowers for a florist. Couldn’t he have been a little creative? This was my aunt after all, and she was pretty darn awesome. She deserved some awe-inspiring awesomeness.

“Wow these are lovely. I am sure Aunt Clara will love them,” I said smiling and lying through my teeth.

“I really hope so. You don’t think it’s too cheesy?” Chad asked, looking ready to abandon ship.

God I hoped I’d gotten better at lying. “No. Definitely not,” I assured brightening my
already fake smile. I’ll give him credit for trying at least.

“Thank goodness.” There were little beads of sweat at his brow. He was really nervous, and I couldn’t help feeling sympathy for the guy.

I closed the door behind him.

“This must be Lunar,” he said scratching the kitten’s black furring head. Lunar
, loving any and all attention purred a mile a minute. He noticed my surprise. “Your aunt has told me a lot about you.”

“And you still came to dinner?” I teased.

“I don’t scare off that easily,” he assured lightheartedly. He had a nice smile, I’ll give him that.

How about a witch
, I silently thought. Tonight he was getting two from the price of one. Oh goody.

Lukas a
rrived right behind the semi-dorky Chad. Lunar took one beady glance at him and made a mad dash upstairs. I rolled my eyes and ushered Lukas inside. Before we got to the kitchen, I cornered him in the hallway. “No funny business tonight,” I warned in hushed whisper, poking him in the chest. For some reason I felt the need to lay down the ground rules.

He held up both hands claiming innocent
and grinned devilishly. “I’ll keep my hands to myself. Both of them, I promise,” he added when I didn’t look immediately swayed.

Somehow that smile didn’t look reassuring.
I probably should have added that he keep his lips to himself also. Technicalities.

Dinner was surprisingly normal considering. The conversation was light, funny
, and entertaining. Lukas just had a way about him. Charismatic. Likable. Electrifying. I couldn’t help think he used some kind of spell that people just couldn’t help but fall in love with him. One flaw with that assumption, it didn’t work on me.

I must be immune.

“Who wants dessert?” my aunt asked, standing up to go into the kitchen.

I slumped in my seat feeling like a beached whale.
Overstuffing myself on turkey, mashed potatoes, and broccoli cheese casserole, I’d left very little room for dessert, which really was my favorite part of the meal. Somehow I was going to have to make room.

I knew I should
have probably gotten up and helped my aunt bring out dessert, but I just couldn’t move. Lukas sat across from me smirking and chuckling at me. I was this close to kicking him under the table or unsnapping the top button on my jeans. I couldn’t decide. “Stop laughing at me,” I grumbled, trying to keep a straight face.

He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “
You make it so easy.”

I gave him a snarky glare.

Leave it to dessert to spice things up. With a bite of pumpkin pie toppled with cool whip halfway to mouth, I was interrupted by a startling sound. It was like being woken from a dead sleep. One of the windows blew open at crashing speeds, the shutters smacking the edge of the house. Everyone at the table nearly jumped out of their skin, it gave us such a fright. The wind outside howled painfully and the curtains flew around the room in crazy disarray of silk.

Meeting Lukas’s quizzical gaze across the table, he arched a brow in my direction. I shook my head. Storms and I sort of go hand-in-hand lately so I could see why he would think it was me. I’d gotten pretty good the last few weeks at feeling my energy rise. This was most definitely not m
y doing and if it wasn’t Lukas…

Swiftly getting to my feet, I power walked to the window, slamming it shut. The
re was an eerie ambiance in the room. I shivered.

“
Well that was weird,” Aunt Clara commented folding her hands in her lap. “The weather has really been on the fritz lately.”

Chad
grumbled some response, but I had checked out of the conversation. My entire body knew that it hadn’t been accident. It had been magic. I could feel the source pulsing through the air near the window.

I took my seat again and gulped.
If anyone noticed my lack of participation, it wasn’t brought to light.

Designing swirls wit
h my uneaten pumpkin pie, it no longer sat well with the large lump in my stomach. I twirled the mushy goo around on my plate trying to figure out some answers. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were no longer alone.

Of course it didn’t end with the who
le window antic. No. I couldn’t be that lucky. Stuff like this wasn’t just coincidence, and it was past time I started accepting the cold truth.

Things were never going to be
normal
in my life again.

My aunt gasped beside me, and I turned to see what had her attention.
Coughing, I choked on my water. What the hell. The flowers sitting at the center of the table, Chad’s contribution, were now shriveled, dried, and black as spades.

Dead.

No longer were the colors vibrant, their petals sheen, or sweetening the air with their aroma. Even the water had turned a nasty shade of darkness, like poison.

“Wow what as in that vase?” my aunt asked
to no one in particular. I was grateful that she had deduced some kind of explanation, because the one I had was nowhere near as believable.

This time I gave into my earlier urge and kicked Lukas under the table.
He narrowed his eyes at me. Nodding in the direction of the sad flower display I seared him with daggers.

He shrugged his shoulders, gone was the lightheartedness from his bold green eyes. Apparently he was just as innocent as I was in this fiscal.

The very second the dishes were cleared I grabbed Lukas by the arm and dragged him into the hallway. I could hear the banter between my aunt and Chad in the kitchen. He had volunteered for kitchen duty, totally fine and dandy by me. I had more pressing problems.

“What the hell was all that?” I asked when I was sure the coast was clear. Even as the accusations left my lips, I knew that Lukas was
n’t responsible.

Lukas wasn’t listening. And damn if that didn’t boil my blood. His attention was scooping out the room.

“Lukas!” I yelled much too loud.

“Hmm,” he responded mindlessly
.

I huffed. Then of course I didn’t the most mature thing I could think of. I pinched him.

“Ouch,” he cried. “What was that for?”

“It was
n’t that hard you baby. Focus.”

“What do you think I have been doing? There is someone else here,” he stated.

I rolled my eyes. Well duh. “I kind of figured that out already Watson.” Admitting it out loud still didn’t stop the spine chilling tingle from coursing through me. “Who is it?”

His emerald eyes begin
to shine. “I’m not sure it’s a who. Maybe more like a viable source.”

I blinked. “English.”

He grinned and leaned his back against the wall, folding his arms. “I think you have a spirit.”

I wiped my sweating palms on the legs of my jeans. “You mean a ghost?” This was worse. Way worse. It was a stupid question, but I couldn’t fathom the idea of being haunted in my own hou
se for God’s sake. And it screwed up Thanksgiving dinner nonetheless.

I could only hope that my aunt wasn’t suspicious. The last thing I needed was her calling the Ghost Busters.

Joke was on me. Lukas and I never got any more solid information or answers that night. It remained another mystery.

Chapter 16

THE DAY AFTER THE STRANGEST
Thanksgiving ever, I got a text from Sophie inviting me to hang out. Of course my first thought was it would be a great way to possibly run into Gavin. He had kept his promise and returned to school on Monday, but it was hardly like it used to be. In fact, I think he still went to great pains to avoid me. Sure chem wasn’t so easy, but all the other classes and in the passing periods – zlitch.

So I jumped all over the chance to see him.

Standing on the porch of the Mason’s house, I shifted on my feet. There was a gazillion emotions plummeting through me. Excitement. Fear. Hope. Nervousness. A roar of crashing waves could be heard over my bubbling feelings. It was a heartening sound.

The door opened
, and my heart pitter pattered right into overdrive. I didn’t have to look up to know who had answered the door. Every bone. Every muscle. Every fiber in my being knew it was Gavin.

My chest jumped for joy. Fireflies like the beacon of the night zoomed in my belly.
I missed those pesky fireflies. When I raised my head, I was slammed into a pair of sapphire eyes, the same eyes that burned my steamy dreams night after countless night. I couldn’t stop staring at him. My tongue was stuck. My legs started to shake. My world hadn’t felt complete without him.

A tendril of something inside me reached out to him, willing itself to attach to this one guy for al
l of eternity. The intensity startled me. I knew I loved him, but forever…