Phoenix: The Rising (12 page)

Saturday evening, Julie pulled on the white satin strapless dress she had found on sale. A diamond-shaped cluster of rhinestones sat on the apex of the sweetheart bodice. Her only jewelry would be the diamond stud earrings her dad had bought her for her sixteenth birthday.  She slipped on a pair of silver heels and stepped in front of the mirror ... and her eyes went straight to the faint pink line running parallel with her collarbone. She grabbed a compact and dabbed on some concealer, smoothing out the edges to blend in with her skin. Just as she finished, the doorbell rang.

Julie stood at the top of the stairs clutching the railing, white crescents stretching the skin tight over her knuckles. How was she going to get through this? Touching. Dancing. Feeling his heart next to hers. His lips. His breath. His eyes. Oh, his eyes! How could she look into those sapphire depths without losing it? Julie slunk to the floor and sat on the top step. She just wouldn’t go. She’d pretend she was sick; after all, her stomach had been bothering her lately....

“Julie.”

Eli suddenly appeared in front of her, and Julie’s heart flipped. She didn’t think it was possible for him to be any more handsome than he was in jeans and a tee, but the black suit, shirt, and tie made him look beyond human—-every bit the immortal he was. Eli held out his hand, and she placed hers in it without thinking. The electric shock immediately ran up her arm, and her breath hitched in her throat. She couldn’t do this. Julie tried to tug her hand out of his.

“Don’t let go, Julie. Just breathe and give it time. You’ll get used to it.” Eli pulled her to her feet.

The problem was, she loved the feeling. She craved it. It made her feel more alive than anything had in her whole life. And it felt RIGHT ... like it was supposed to be. But she couldn’t let it happen. It would end badly. Hearts would be broken. Hers, most certainly by his rebirth as a child, or his by her inevitable, mortal death. She couldn’t chance that.

She pulled her hand out of his. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Eli pushed his hair back and smiled. “Please, Julie. It’s just one night.” Julie’s heart began to thrum. She could feel her resolve begin to crumble. It
was
just one night ... not a lifetime.

She cleared her throat. “Okay. But for now, no touching. We touch only when we have to.”

Eli smiled and swept his hand down the steps. “Anything you say, milady!”

****

Charsey and Kas were slow dancing in the middle of the crowd when Julie and Eli walked through the doors of the gymnasium. It was impossible not to notice them. Kas towered over the rest of the crowd, and Charsey’s royal-blue frocked body was plastered against his, her arms wrapped around his neck. Kas turned, looked directly at Julie, and smiled. Julie felt a chill run down her back as Kas whispered something to Charsey. He still gave her the creeps. Charsey looked in Julie’s direction, grabbed Kas by the hand, and pulled him through the crowd, brushing couples out of her way.

“You’re finally here!” Charsey squealed breathlessly. She gave Julie a quick kiss on the cheek, then looked her up and down. Her gazed seemed to hesitate on Julie’s shoulder for just a moment. The smile left her face.
Did she see the scar?

“You look ... great!” Somehow Charsey’s words didn’t match the look on her face.

Julie reached up and adjusted a lock of hair, pulling it forward so the curls would hide any evidence of the scar she hadn’t covered with makeup.

“Frickin’ hot is more like it,” Kas mumbled. Charsey bit her lip and elbowed him. He rubbed his side. “You look hot, too, Charse.” He moved his lips to Charsey’s ear and whispered, “Good enough to eat.” His eyes, however, hadn’t left Julie’s.

Julie’s face flamed in embarrassment. She hadn’t noticed what she looked like in the dress when she looked in the mirror at home. All she cared about was that damned scar. Did Charsey notice it, or was she just upset about how Julie looked in her dress? Maybe her idea of going with white backfired. She was hoping that was it. Stroking Charsey’s ego was something she could accomplish without a problem.

“I took your advice and went with white. But your blue dress is fantastic. You look perfect.”

Charsey raised her chin. A smug grin etched her lips. Julie’s words of praise had the desired effect.

“Thanks. I should. It cost enough.”

Julie glanced at Eli. He was staring at Kas, his eyes dark with anger. Julie could see the muscle flex in Eli’s jaw. She was afraid he was going to blow. Hoping to diffuse the situation, she grabbed his elbow, catching both sleeve and arm, and held on as the colors began to fly.

“Eli, why don’t we dance?”

Eli turned his attention to Julie, and did a double take at the presence of her hand on his arm. Julie wobbled slightly as her knees turned gooey. She hoped Eli recognized the predicament she’d put herself in. With her knees now totally useless and in danger of collapsing, Julie leaned her full weight onto Eli. He grabbed her around the waist in an attempt to hold her upright.

“Sure.” He smiled slightly as he glanced up at the scowl Kas now had on his face. “I’d love to.”

The floor seemed to slide under Julie’s feet as Eli walked her to the middle of the dance floor. Julie willed her feet to move in some semblance of a normal gait, but they refused to cooperate. Eli stopped and laced her arms up around his neck.

“Hold on, Jules. And breathe. Deeply and slowly.” Julie looked into Eli’s eyes and lost herself in the colors flashing in them, but she did as he said. She breathed ... slowly ... and deeply, taking in his scent. The euphoria she felt the night he kissed her returned, but this time it eased the exquisite shock of the electricity that ran through her body, reducing it to a manageable, sublime tingle. Instead of leaving her in a semi-comatose state as it had done earlier, it seemed to heighten her senses. Voices of those nearby became clearer. Lights twinkling on the ceiling rafters came into pristine, sharpened focus. The beat of the music in the background pulsed up her legs and ran through her head. She was acutely aware of her surroundings, yet had no control over what was happening to her.

Eli seemed to sense the change and smiled. He pulled her close as they began to sway to the music. She could feel his heart as it pounded against hers, and she melted into him. It felt so right being in his arms...

“Mind if I cut in?” Julie’s eyes shot open. Remy Penemue was looming just to her right.

Eli tightened his grip on Julie’s waist. The last thing she wanted to do was dance with Kas’s twin, but she also didn’t want to make a scene. Julie reached back and squeezed Eli’s hand.

“Umm ... sure, that would be great.”

Eli took a reluctant step back as Remy took his place. His jaw twitched.

“I’ll get us something to drink.” Eli disappeared into the crowd, and Julie momentarily lost track of him. A few seconds later she saw him standing by a column, his eyes trained on her.

“I heard I almost had a date with you.”

“Wh-what?” Julie looked up at Remy. He smirked as she felt her face flush. “No ... Charsey suggested it, but I already had a date with Eli. If I hadn’t...” She couldn’t make herself say the rest. She knew it would be a lie and he’d be able to see right through it.

“Yeah. Too bad. You look pretty hot tonight. Sorta ... virginal all dressed in white.” He pulled her close. Too close. Julie shuddered. It was obvious he was liking this way too much. She decided to take a different approach.

“If you want to dance with me, Remy, then you better back off.” She pushed against his chest, and he released her, just enough that she didn’t have to endure having his body pressed up against hers.

He laughed. “Dang, girl, you really are hot, and mouthy. I like that. I can’t wait to see what you’re wearing for our little swim later.”

Crap.
Julie shook her head. “Sorry, Remy, but I only have permission to have
Eli,
Charsey and Kas over.”

“Ah, come on, Jules. One more won’t hurt.” Remy tried to pull her close again. She shoved him away.

“She said no, Penemue.” Eli wedged himself in between Julie and Remy, just inches from Remy’s face. Julie could feel the electricity pulse out of Eli’s body. Even though Remy had a couple inches and over fifty pounds on him, he appeared to shrink in front of Eli. Remy stared into Eli’s eyes for just a moment, but a moment was apparently enough. He retreated and headed straight over to Kas and Charsey, who were in the middle of a major lip-lock on the dance floor. Remy grabbed Kas by the arm and dragged him off the floor.

“God, Eli,” Julie whispered as she tugged the elbow of his jacket, avoiding contact with his skin, “I hope you didn’t just give yourself away!”

Eli’s eyes had turned the darkest of sapphire—almost black—and that telltale twitch of anger in his jaw was still going strong. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly as he opened them. They were back to their normal, brilliant sapphire. He smiled sheepishly.

“Believe it or not, sometimes I can be pretty intimidating when I’m angry. And no, I don’t think I gave myself away. I don’t fit the M.O. for the Fire-Child. Besides, Remy’s just a blow-hard. He’s walked in the shadow of his brother for too long.” Eli motioned over to Remy and Kas, “Look. He’s tattling to big brother about me right now.”

Julie glanced to the other side of the gym, just in time to see Remy point a finger at Kas and stomp off. Kas grabbed Charsey’s hand and headed in their direction.

“Great. Here he comes now.” Julie stood beside Eli, ready to take on whatever Kas was going to dish out. Kas stopped in front of them.

“Sorry about that. You don’t have to worry about Remy making an appearance. I told him your place was off limits.” Julie crinkled her brow. This new behavior, new attitude Kas was displaying was so unlike anything she had experienced before with him. She glanced up at Eli. Every few seconds, the muscle in his jaw twitched slightly. He obviously had his own reservations about Kas’s sincerity. Either that, or he was still mad about Kas’s earlier comment.

“Umm ... thanks. It’s just that my stepmother was pretty adamant about it just being us. Nothing personal, you know.”

A smile flashed on Kas’s face. “Of course. I’ll make sure Remy knows. That it was nothing personal, I mean.”

****

Julie studied Eli’s profile as he drove to her house. It was perfect. Flawless. She wanted to reach out and trace it with her finger ... but she knew that couldn’t happen. She clasped her hands together. She’d almost given in to her feelings earlier that evening when they were dancing, but then Remy showed up. Sure, she was disgusted with how he came on to her, but the interruption had pulled her out of a situation with Eli that she shouldn’t have let herself get into. She was falling for him. Hard. So, in a way, Remy saved the day....

“Remy!” Julie sat straight up in her seat. “Remy can swim. He wouldn’t have invited himself over if he couldn’t. There’s no way Remy and Kas could be the Nephilim!”

Eli glanced over to Julie as he pulled up in front of her house. “You’re probably right...”

A tap at the window interrupted their conversation. Charsey whipped open Julie’s door. “Come on, Jules.” She grabbed Julie by the hand and hauled her out of the car. “Last one in’s a rotten egg!”

****

The guys were already waiting in the pool by the time Julie and Charsey emerged from the pool house. Each had claimed one side of the pool as their own, leaning up against the side with their arms draped over the edge. Charsey giggled and struck a pose by the side of pool near Kas. Her hot pink, strapless, string-bikini didn’t leave much to the imagination. It would probably leave even less the moment it got wet.

“See anything you like, Kas?”

Kas leered at Charsey, then grunted in approval.

She may have been speaking to Kas, but Julie noticed that Charsey’s eyes were on Eli, like she was waiting for some reaction from him. Eli, instead, had his eyes focused on Julie. Compared to Charsey’s suit, Julie’s crimson halter-top bikini was much more conservative. Julie knew the halter would hide her scar and that was exactly why she bought it.

Her face flushed as she saw a smile tip the corners of Eli’s lips. Was he comparing them? Of course he was. How couldn’t he? Charsey was gorgeous, sexy, and built like a Barbie doll. Years of cheerleading had hardened her body into a perfect ten, and her year-round trips to the tanning salon left her a perfect shade of sun-kissed bronze. Julie’s frame, on the other hand, was soft and pale, her skin taking on an unearthly glow from the moonlight. She felt more like the walking dead standing next to Charsey.

Yes, she was sure Eli was comparing the two of them. She could feel the tears welling up at the thought of it. Why was this upsetting her so? She had no intention of having a romantic relationship with Eli, or anyone else, for that matter. She took a deep breath, plastered a smile on her face, and ran. As she jumped in the air, she folded her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

“Cannonball!”

Water enveloped her body as she dropped straight to the bottom of the deep end. She quickly kicked out, pushed off the bottom of the pool and broke the surface. Charsey was standing by the edge of the pool, her arms extended outward with water dripping off her face. Julie had made a direct hit. Kas and Eli bellowed with laughter.