Pure Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy, #3) (16 page)

Gemma’s lips rose, but dropped again as she
began to pace the room. “I need to get to know Simeon better. I
need to find out why he’s really here and if I’m going to do that,
I need to know you trust me.”

“Of course I do.”

“Really? So that’s why you punched him today,
because you trust me?”

“Gem…”

“No, listen. This is the last time I’m saying
this. It’s you. Only you. No one could ever take your place. So you
need to…” taking a quick breath, she steeled herself and took the
plunge, “stop being a dork and starting acting like nothing can
break us, because nothing can unless we let it. Get over yourself,
Harrison. This jealousy thing doesn’t suit you. I want my boyfriend
back! Are we clear?”

The line remained silent.

“Hello?”

“Gemma,” Harrison’s voice was like melted
chocolate. “Ti amo.”

She felt her cheeks burn as she nibbled her
cheek.

“I love you too. See you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there.”

Chapter
Twenty-One

St Augustine, Florida – 2011AD

Harrison met Gemma with a kiss the next
morning and was on his best behavior for the rest of the day. He
was determined to prove that nothing would break them and so he
stopped reacting to Simeon’s subtle plays for Gemma’s attention and
found them diminishing. Things were getting easier, he supposed.
Simeon had his moments of likeability, but they didn’t squash his
wariness. Something about Simeon ate at him and he could sense
Gemma’s mirrored feelings.

It had been just over a week since he’d
smacked the guy. Simeon still shot him baleful looks at any
opportunity, but he had backed off. He no longer spent his lunch
times hovering around Gemma and touching her at any opportunity,
which suited everyone. It’s not like he was in short supply of
female affection.

Harrison glanced over Gemma’s head and
spotted the olive skinned movie star at the other end of the table.
His usual posse of girls surrounded him, Rosie included. The big
brother instinct had been kicking in frequently as he watched his
impressionable sister swoon over Simeon. Gemma had brushed off his
concerns, sure nothing would ever come from it, but that wouldn’t
stop Rosie getting hurt. He’d tried to mention that Simeon was not
really a great match for her, but Rosie had shot him down with a
sharp-tongued rebuff. After tasting her venom, he’d decided to
remain a quiet observer unless things got too serious. Under no
circumstances was Simeon going to mess with his family.

Rosie’s head tipped to the side and her
cheeks bloomed with color as she giggled. His stomach curled, but
he held his eye roll in check. Gemma nudged his shoulder and
smiled.

“Go on, roll them, you know want to.”

Happily distracted from his dark meanderings,
Harrison ran his hand down his girlfriend’s sleek hair and nuzzled
her neck. He was going to miss her over Thanksgiving. Why, oh why,
did Bryan's family insist on meeting so far away? He had nearly
refused to go on the grounds that he couldn’t leave Gemma, but he
knew that wouldn’t hold. There was no way she would ever be allowed
to go with them and so he just had to leave her… with Simeon.

“That tickles.”

He nipped her skin and felt the gold chain
resting beneath her clothing, pleased that she was wearing his
birthday present.

Of course she’s wearing it, you dork!

The bell trilled, cutting his silent diatribe
short. It still annoyed him that he fought with doubts over what
went on when Gemma was alone with Simeon. He believed one hundred
percent that Gemma would never betray him, but he didn’t trust
Simeon. As his holiday departure grew closer his torturous mind
grew more unsettled. Dreams of the guy sneaking into Gemma’s room
at night or “accidentally” walking in on her in the shower taunted
him. And the very idea that he would see her naked when they
traveled made him want to impale something.

Thankfully Gemma had stayed put over the last
month. He wasn’t sure why her parents had suddenly stopped going
back to help people, it made him wonder if all those trips she had
been on when they first met were just a farce. They never stayed
together as a group, who knows what her parents were up to while
she was off fulfilling the other part of the mission. If they had
been traveling for themselves then whose to say they weren’t
accumulating things for their own gain along the way.

Maybe that’s why they’re so loaded.

Harrison kept the thought to himself and
shone Gemma an innocent smile before kissing her goodbye.

“See you in History.”

She gave him a wave and left. Harrison headed
his own direction, still lost in a jumble of theories.

Maybe every trip has really been about
finding those pieces? It would take years of hunting to find all
those hiding places. Maybe all those trips were actually just test
runs?

As he worried his way through thousands of
questions, he continued to come back to the same thought.

If her parents had spent this many years
trying to open that box, they weren’t going to give up now. Simeon
was part of this. He had to be.

Gemma had been trying to glean information
from her exchange student as subtly as possible, but he was a
clever craftsman and seemed to be able to weave his way through any
story giving you the impression he had answered your question. It
wasn’t until hours later when you were replaying it that you
realized you in fact had nothing.

She did have the basic facts of his history.
He was born and raised in Santa Barbara. His mother traveled and
taught him the skill. His trips had been pretty basic and self
centered… going back a few hours to remember where he’d left
something or tripping back a couple of days to make sure he didn’t
miss the opportunity to ask some girl on a date.

Apparently his mother had sought out the Hart
family hoping they might be able to teach him to travel further and
inspire him with some of their trips. Gemma was not sold on the
story, but Simeon did make it sound plausible. Gemma had very
boldly raised the point in front of her parents that she didn’t
understand how Simeon could travel alone as didn’t everyone need to
be bonded to a leader? She’d watched her parents hide their squirms
and suggest that that is why Simeon had only ever been able to
travel such short distances.

“They are such liars!” she had complained the
next day. “But what’s worse is that they’ve turned me into one as
well.”

“You do it for your own survival, babe, and
it won’t be forever.” He comforted her with a hug.

Harrison stepped into History, savoring the
opportunity to lose himself in his favorite subject. White
lightening cracked through his pleasure as he entered the room and
watched Simeon whisper something into Gemma’s ear. She laughed and
pushed him away with a shake of her head, rolling her eyes with a
smile.

Harrison tried to look unfazed by it all as
he took his seat between them.

“Hey Harry. How’s it?”

“Good thanks, Sim.”

The scathing tone licking the tip of his
tongue tasted sweet, but he bit it back. He didn’t want Gemma
thinking he didn’t trust her.

“So.” Simeon stretched and rested his hands
behind his head. “Gem tells me you’re heading to Memphis for
Thanksgiving.”

“Yep.” Harrison tapped his pen on the
desk.

“Kind of a long ways to go.”

“My stepdad’s family are all converging. It’s
kind of a middle ground for everyone to meet.”

“Yeah, well, say hi to Elvis for me.”

“Will do.” Harrison punched out a laugh.

“And don’t worry about your girl.” Simeon
leaned over, his voice a whisper. “I’ll look after her for ya.”

Harrison flicked his eyes towards him and
caught the ebony gleam.

“If you…”

His threat was cut short by the teacher’s
vivacious entrance. Instead he gave a silent warning that was met
with a mischievous chuckle. He felt his fist tighten beneath his
desk as the fury worked through his system. A soft tap on his ankle
from Gemma had him glancing over.

She mouthed, “Are you okay?”

He forced a grin and nodded.

Her eyes softened to that liquid jade he
loved and all he could hear was her voice on the phone.
Nothing
can break us unless we let it.

Pulling in a calming breath, he turned back
to Simeon.

“Thanks, man. I really appreciate you taking
care of her for me.” He slapped his shoulder and focused on the
lesson, but not before the triumph of watching Simeon’s face
smolder.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

St Augustine, Florida – 2011AD

Gemma dragged her feet towards the exit. She
didn’t care that she was free from school for a whole five days and
she didn’t care that Dom and Ruby were arriving in less than an
hour. All she could think about was the fact that in five minutes
Harrison would be getting in a car with the rest of his family,
driving to Jacksonville then boarding a plane to Memphis.

“I’ll be back on Sunday night,” he reminded
her with a smile, but she didn’t buy it. She could tell he was just
as disappointed as she was.

Simeon wasn’t helping as he strolled beside
them, his arm casually swung across Rosie’s shoulders. His gesture
was one of friendship only, but Rosie was beaming so brightly she
could have been mistaken for the sun.

“Would you guys get over yourselves. You
probably wouldn’t have been able to see each other anyway.” He
rolled his eyes and shot Rosie a dry look, making her giggle.

Gemma found the sound annoying. They had no
idea what it was like to be in love. The sheer idea of Harrison
being unreachable made her feel limbless.

They slowed to a halt at the base of the
stairs. Gemma gave Helen and Bryan a half-hearted wave. They
laughed at her expression before noticing Rosie’s elongated
embrace. Both their faces puckered with concern, but eased a little
as they watched Simeon detangle himself.

“Have fun, kid.” He ruffled her hair and
shone the parents a winning smile. They reciprocated with polite
reserve. Rosie let out a disgruntled snort and huffed into the van.
Gemma shook her head with a grin at Rosie’s quick emotional switch
up as her face melted with a mushy smile at Simeon’s wink.

Harrison’s gentle hand on her cheek stole her
attention and she happily sank into it.

“Take care of yourself.” His whispered words
conveyed more than he could say. Gemma nodded, locking her eyes on
his, promising all she could without saying a word.

“I’ll miss you.”

“It’s only four nights. I’ll be back before
you know it.”

She shone him a smile and kissed him goodbye.
Relishing the fire, she clung to the flames and stored them away in
her memory bank.

The car horn started honking.

“Okay!” Harrison shot Bryan a black look, not
taking his hands from Gemma’s face.

“I love you,” he mouthed before gifting her
one more kiss and walking away.

She watched the van until it was out of
sight, trying not to cry.

Don’t be so pathetic!
If you even
think about crying in front of Simeon I’m going to bust your butt!
It’s five days, you moron!

Simeon’s arm snaked around her shoulders. Her
body stiffened in response, but she forced herself to remain
beneath his weight. She’d rather have his arm there than
elsewhere.

She glanced up at his mirthful mouth.

“Shut up.”

His smile grew with his laughter.

“You’re like a love sick puppy, Hart. If only
you’d look at
me
that way.”

“Keep dreaming.” She flicked his arm off and
headed for the bike.

He lopped behind her, his long strides
looking relaxed.

“I know, I know. I just hope I can find a
girl that will make me feel the way you two do.”

Gemma’s irritation eased at the comment. Her
hope that he would help resist her parents’ plans fluttered.

“Rosie seems sweet.”

Gemma slowly spun on her heel. “Stay away
from her, Simeon.” She pointed a warning finger at him. “You can
have any girl you want and she’s too young. Just, leave her
alone.”

“What is
your
problem?” His arms
spread wide in defense.

“I know your kind, Simeon. She’ll fall head
over heels in love when all you’re looking for is a few dates.
Before you know it, bam! She’s heart broken.”

“What’s wrong with having a little fun?” He
approached her with a lop-sided grin. “If I can’t have the girl I
want, I should at least be allowed to play with someone else while
I’m waiting.”

Two things pierced the bird of hope
flittering in her rib cage. One was the way his eyes gleamed with
anticipation as he said the dreaded words and two was the way his
body sidled up against hers as he wrapped his arm around her
waist.

She placed her hand firmly on his chest,
trying to resuscitate the bird.

“Simeon, you can have fun with any other
girls in the school, but keep your hands and mind off Rosie
Chatsworth… and me, for that matter.” She pushed him away and
turned to grab her helmet. “There’s nothing to wait for,” she spoke
firmly while fiddling with the straps, “I know what my parents want
and they’re not going to get it.”

“Hm,” Simeon’s eyes sparkled. “I like your
spirit, Gem. I hope you get everything you want.” Taking the helmet
from her hands, he leaned forward and kissed her on the
forehead.

Gemma blinked twice then swallowed, her lips
quivering with a smile. His eyes were friendly, his look innocent
enough. As she mounted her bike, her mind began a swift battle of
whether or not to believe him. Simeon’s body slid in behind her and
she started the engine. His arms wrapped around her waist and Gemma
could feel his claim on her. Just what her parents wanted. The bird
in her chest gave one final, gasping breath then went still.