Read Phantom Online

Authors: Laura DeLuca

Tags: #Juvenile Fiction

Phantom (36 page)

BOOK: Phantom
9.05Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

 

 Rebecca giggled as she lifted the hemp chain. She wasn’t nearly as graceful as Justyn was. She almost dropped the necklace in the sand three times before she finally managed to get the clasp locked. When she finally had it secured, he placed his hand over her heart where the ammonite lay. He did the same with her hands, lifting them to his chest. His dark eyes had lost all glimmer of humor. He met her gaze with a stare filled with genuine emotion. Beneath her fingers, she could feel the gentle, steady rhythm of his heart beating in perfect tune with her own.

 

“Our love will span both space and time
In this life and the next you shall be mine.
All eternity I will be by your side.
For a love so strong cannot be denied.
Spirit and flesh merged into one.
So mote it be, for all days to come.”

 

When he was done with the recitation, he kissed her. Not just a gentle brush this time, but a deep passionate embrace that left her throat tight and her heart pounding with familiar yearning.

 

 “I’ve never heard that poem before,” she said, once she had caught her breath. “Who are you quoting?”

 

Even in the moonlight, she could see him blush. “I guess I was quoting myself. It was really more of an incantation than a poem, though. These necklaces are meant to be a symbol of our love, and it seemed a little spell work could only add to the power of the stones. There is power in words, Becca. Just like in there is power in nature.”

 

 “You mean,
you
wrote that?” 

 

He nodded, but his eyes twinkled and the playfulness was back in his voice. “Well, actually, I just made it up as I was going along.”

 

“Wow. Actor, singer, and now an improv poet slash chant writer. Is there anything you
can’t
do, Lord Justyn?”

 

He smiled, and tilted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “I can’t stop loving you.”

 

This time when they kissed, they stayed wrapped in each other’s arms. They embraced not only each other, but the silence that surrounded them. The cool ocean breeze stroked her skin in time with his hands. The moon’s silver rays were reflected on the water, and the stars glittered like diamonds above them. It was a perfect night, and Rebecca wished it would never end. Before too long, a hand thumped against the wooden bench and Tom’s cheerful face popped up from one corner.

 

“Hey, love birds. I hate to break up a tender moment, but Carmen and I really have to get going. I’m leaving for California at four a.m.”

 

Rebecca sighed, but she knew Tom was right. They all had a big day ahead of them. They needed to get some rest. Justyn jumped down from the look-out, and ever the gentlemen, offered her his hand so she wouldn’t fall on her face in the sand.  Once she was securely on the ground, Rebecca noticed that Carmen’s eyes were red-rimmed. She would never embarrass her friend by mentioning it, but seeing her that way finally broke Rebecca’s thin grasp on her emotions. She threw her arms around Carmen and burst into tears.

 

“I’m going to miss you so much.” She sobbed.

 

“You too, girl.” Carmen couldn’t hold back any longer either, and wept on her shoulder. “You better tell your parents to expect a big cell phone bill. And you two best not forget us when you’re famous on Broadway. I want free front row tickets to every single performance.”

 

Rebecca rolled her
e
yes and sniffed. “Like
that’s
ever going to happen.”

 

“With you two, it just might,” Tom agreed. Justyn reached out to shake his hand, but Tom pulled him into a hug. “I’m glad we got to know each other, vampire,” Tom teased. “You’re not nearly as wacked as I first thought you were.”

 

“You’re not so bad either,
dude
,” Justyn replied. “I might even miss having you around.”

 

“‘Til Thanksgiving?” Carmen asked.

 

“Until Thanksgiving.”  They all repeated. With one final exchange of hugs, the four high school friends parted ways to start their new adventures as college co-eds.

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children.  She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.  Visit her website at www.authorlauradeluca.blogspot.com for more information.

 

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Epilogue

BOOK: Phantom
9.05Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn
Beg Me (Power Play Series) by Elliott, Misha
Elliott Smith's XO by LeMay, Matthew
Marked by the Dragon King by Caroline Hale
The Black Seraphim by Michael Gilbert
Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell
Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde