Forbidden (28 page)

“That’s a power?”

“It can be. In its most potent form, it’s called mind control. So I followed the four of you to Twin Palms, waiting for a hint of Neil’s aura or to see if he’d be approached by the Fallen.”

Claire shifted so she could face him. “And here I thought you followed me because you were jealous.” As soon as the words left her mouth, hot blood rushed to her face. Did she really just admit that? Really?

Alec’s eyes met hers. “Do you want me to be jealous?” he asked quietly.

Claire felt as if her tongue was lashed to the roof of her mouth. “I…”

Alec leaned in closer. “Well?”

Claire’s heart skipped a beat. A shiver ran through her limbs, even though she was warm. His lips were so tantalizingly close. Her heart thundered in her chest. She wanted him to kiss her, wanted it more than anything.

At that moment, the Ferris wheel started up again with a jolt that broke the spell. Hot disappointment washed through her. Alec leaned back, a look of sudden awareness and regret on his face. “Maybe we shouldn’t…,” he began. “I mean, until you learn to control your gift better. I wouldn’t want you to…”

“You’re right,” she agreed reluctantly, her cheeks burning. “We probably shouldn’t…”

They fell silent. The Ferris wheel whirred around in a smooth and faster cycle. The wind was in her face again, and Claire was grateful for the breezy distraction as she willed her body to cool down and her heart to resume its natural cadence.

Alec studied her with a slow grin. “I feel like I’m under strict Grigori law again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Physical contact is frowned upon in my culture.”

“Are you saying … you aren’t allowed to touch each other? Or anyone? Ever?”

Alec nodded.

“Why? That’s awful!”

He pursed his lips, thinking. “How can I help you understand this? Even though we live on Earth, our culture is very removed and isolated, and more … well,
Vulcan
, than anything. We follow ancient laws and traditionally, we don’t have families. Mating is allowed only once every five decades, at an appointed day and time scheduled by the Elders.”

Claire stared at him. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I were. The Elders choose the partners who are to engage in each one-time coupling. Sex isn’t for pleasure, only reproduction.”

“Oh. So, have you”—Claire blushed again, the heat traveling up to the roots of her hair—“ever engaged in a … coupling?”

“No. I’m not old enough. You have to be at least two hundred and fifty.”

Claire was surprised by how ridiculously pleased she was to hear that. “So I guess with so few of those going on, there aren’t many children.”

“No.”

“What happens to the kids?”

“Children are raised by a tutor or godparent—a Grigori who generally has no offspring of their own.”

“In your case, Vincent.”

He nodded. “However, my parents got tired of the rules. They secretly formed an alliance similar, in many ways, to a human marriage. Although as a young child I spent half my time with Vincent to keep up appearances, the rest of the time I lived with my mother and father covertly, in a remote corner of Scotland.”

Claire felt a rush of empathy for him. “That must have been hard. From the time you were born, you’ve always been hiding something.”

“Aye.” He sighed, then added, “But then again, I
did
get to spend the first ten years of my life with parents who loved each other—and me—and who ignored the restrictions on physical contact. Although my mother did have to be careful not to crush my father and me to death when she hugged us.”

“That’s right! Your mother had superstrength!” Claire couldn’t help but laugh.

“Funny, isn’t it?” he agreed. “But I can relate to the problem. I’ve been afraid to hurt you in the same way.”

Claire’s blush deepened, and she wasn’t sure what to say.

Alec’s eyes found hers again. “That desire to show affection through touch—I’ve never forgotten it. It’s something Grigori don’t usually experience, as far as I know.”

“I guess that explains why you, of all people—I mean Grigori—went AWOL.”

He nodded pensively as the wheel slowed to a halt again. “I guess it does.”

They had stopped at the very top of the Ferris wheel. The view was breathtaking, but Claire gave it only a cursory glance. Her attention was fixed on Alec. Beneath his show of quiet strength, she sensed his deep vulnerability. The thought of all he’d been through—and all the loneliness he’d endured for more years than she’d been alive—wrenched at her heart.

Her entire body trembled with the desperate need to touch him, to offer him some comfort. She yearned to hug him, to feel his hands on her body, to feel his lips on hers.

“I want…,” she began.

“I know. So do I.” His eyes and voice were filled with longing, but also concern. He waited, allowing her to make the choice.

Claire held her breath. His hand was resting in his lap. She reached out until her own hand hovered just an inch above his. Alec had said she could learn to control her powers. Could she do it? Did she dare?

“It’s all right,” he encouraged softly. “Just focus, Claire. Command your mind to stay in the moment, and not to travel.”

She nodded, steeling herself. Their gazes locked. Her stomach tensed.
Focus
.
Focus
. Her entire body felt like a taut wire.
I am Claire
, she insisted silently.
I will stay Claire, and I will remain here beside Alec
. Slowly, gingerly, she lowered her hand until it closed over his. At first, as the gentle warmth from his skin radiated into her palm, she remained completely still, afraid to move or breathe, mentally repeating the words over and over like a mantra.
Let my mind remain here. Let my mind remain here
. To her relief, there was no dreaded, burning heat, no warning flush of a vision.

It worked
, she rejoiced inwardly.
It worked!

Alec smiled into her eyes. It felt so wonderful to touch him. Silently repeating the mantra, Claire slid her fingers around his to cup his hand, then squeezed it. Alec squeezed her hand back, his gaze never leaving hers—a wordless communion that sent a thrilling tingle up her arm and, with the speed of an arrow, straight into her heart.

Without further reflection, Claire dove across the space between them, wrapped her arms around Alec, and brought her lips to his. She sensed his initial surprise, but then he wound his arms around her, drawing her close as he kissed her back.

The kiss started slowly, a sweet, tentative searching. Alec’s lips and tongue felt warm against hers, mesmerizing her. As their mouths melded with growing fervor, a sudden image infiltrated Claire’s brain. She recognized it as what Alec must have experienced while gazing at her that afternoon in the stairwell when they first sang together.
No! Stay!
Claire ordered her mind, rejecting the lovely vision of how Alec saw her then, concentrating with every molecule of her being on the here and now and her own body.
Stay in the present. Be in this moment
.

The invading image fled. To Claire’s relief, she was herself once more. Alec drew back slightly, his eyes searching hers, and she could hear and feel his breath coming in unsteady gasps that echoed her own.

“Are you okay?”

Claire smiled. “I’m fine. More than fine.”

“Well thank goodness for that.” He brought his mouth back to hers.

His kiss grew bolder and more passionate, awakening new sensations deep within her. She melted into his embrace, kissing him hungrily, parting her lips and letting desire draw her down. She smoothed her hands over the sinewy muscles of his upper arms, then reveled in the feel of his lean, hard back beneath his T-shirt. As she pressed herself against him, straining to get closer, his hands moved restlessly up and down her back, then rose up to tangle in her hair. All the while, she repeated the mantra to herself:
Stay in the present. Be in this moment
.

She loved the way they fit together, loved the way he tasted and felt. It was as if they were two halves of a circuit suddenly connected and made whole, allowing a current of electricity to spark between them. She never wanted the kiss to end.

The wheel began to spin forward again and they broke apart, both breathing hard. Claire was stunned. The look on Alec’s face told her he felt the same way. With a deep, happy sigh, she leaned her head on Alec’s shoulder. His arm slid around her. They remained in that position, silently staring out at the ocean during the final revolution of the ride. It took every minute of that time for Claire’s breathing and heart rate to return to something approaching normal.

When the wheel carried them down to the bottom and they had disembarked, Alec reached for her hand with a smile. “I’ve decided,” he said as they headed back down the pier, “that I like Ferris wheels.”

twenty-three

T
he first person Claire saw when her mom dropped her off at school the next morning was Neil.

He was sitting on the low wall in front of the gym, reading a book—but when he saw her, he stood up immediately and started in her direction. “Hey, Claire.”

His smile was so winning that she couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey, Neil. You guys are reading
The Great Gatsby
now?”

Neil glanced down at the book as if he’d forgotten what it was. He let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Actually, I finished it a week ago. I just didn’t want to make it obvious that I was waiting for you.” He darted her a look. It reminded her of the way Alec had looked at her all day yesterday—the kind of look she used to long for from Neil. Claire was flattered, but nothing more—which was a little surprising. If this had happened two weeks ago, she would have been over the moon.

“So,” Neil said as they climbed the stairs toward the Upper School, “have you cast your primary vote for Homecoming Court yet?”

“No. Why? When’s that due?”

“It has to be turned in by the end of the day.”

“Good to know. But to be honest, I’ve never paid much attention to the whole Homecoming Court thing.”

“Why not?”

“I guess because I was never eligible before.” Nominations for king and queen were restricted to seniors, and prince and princess were chosen from the junior class. “What’s the point of having a king or queen, anyway, when they don’t actually do anything?”

Neil shrugged as they passed the stream of students jogging back downhill from their lockers. “I think it’s like all kings and queens today. They’re figureheads, a proud tradition to rally the citizenry.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “Is that a quote from last year’s history textbook?”

“
Busted
,” he admitted with a grin. “But it sounded convincing, right?”

“Like Churchill himself,” Claire stated with mock reverence.

“What I was getting at,” Neil went on, “is that high schools need figureheads, too. Which is why I nominated you for Homecoming Princess.”

“You
what
?” Claire gasped, astonished.

“And I told all my friends to do the same.”

“You have got to be kidding me! Neil, what were you thinking? No one in this school knows I’m alive.”

“Where have you been, Claire? After that scaffolding accident,
everybody
knows who you are.”