Seventh Mark (Part 1 +2) (5 page)

Grace and I
made our way at a much slower pace into the house and up the
stairs. I struggled into a pair of jogging pants and a tank top, my
body too numb to function properly. Dropping onto the bed, I lay on
my back, dazed.

“I’ll grab you
something to drink.” She slipped out the door.

I thought about
the creature and curled up on my side, hugging my knees. My heart
thumped hard and fast again my chest. “What kinda creature were
you?” I mumbled to myself. Something escaped from the zoo? A wild
animal from the mountains? I kept seeing the weird, amber-yellow
eyes flash against the white walls. They continued to stay there,
except set against blackness.

Popping my eyes
open, I forced them to blink and focus. I’d fallen asleep. The
lights were still on in the room, but the house was quiet. Glancing
at my watch, it was after two. I crawled out of bed to find
Grace.

As I walked out
of the room, Michael came up the stairs.

“You should get
some more sleep.” The concern on his face made me melt a tiny
bit.

“Is everything
okay?” I was paranoid I might wake someone. “I hope I didn’t cause
any problems?”

He smiled and
turned me gently back towards the bedroom. Dazed, I crawled back
into bed and watched him sit down on the edge. My gaze followed the
outline of his body. I didn’t realize he’d spoken. “I’m sorry. Can
you repeat that one more time?” I whispered.

“Everything’s
fine. We’ve been downstairs in Caleb’s office. You didn’t cause any
problems. That’s silly thinking. You don’t need to worry
anymore.”

“Do you know
what that
thing
was?”

He sighed then
finally nodded. “I’ve a pretty good idea.”

“Would you care
to enlighten me?” I tried to read his face but, apart from a tiny
frown, it remained expressionless.

“Not at the
moment, but I’ll explain it when I can.” His answer was loaded with
implications which only created more questions.

“Would it have
killed me?” My voice was calmer than my insides.

He sat silent
for a moment, his knuckles cracking as he squeezed them. “Yes.”

“And you tell
me not to worry?” I straightened, tucking my legs under me.

Forced air
pushed through his nose. “It was hunting, and you were in its path.
It’ll not happen again. I promise you.”

The
determination in his voice made me stare at him. His head bent
slightly forward, his eyes intently watching his fingers pick at
his clean nails. “I don’t know why it went for you. I think you
just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.” His
words came out slow and punctuated, like he’d been rehearsing them.
“You need to rest.” He gently helped me lie back down.

As I drifted
off to sleep, I hoped so hard he was right, even though I didn’t
believe him.

Something
warmed one side of my face. My head instinctly moved towards it and
the other side of my face cooled against the pillow. Fluttering my
lids, the sun shined through the window, creating the heat.
Burrowing deeper into the heavy duvet, I drifted, not asleep, but
enjoying that wonderful half-awake feeling when you know you don’t
have to get up and rush off to school. The scent of delicious male
cologne filled my nostrils. I moved closer to the smell.

“You know,
you’re very cute when you sleep.”

My eyes popped
open. Michael lay on the bed, his head leaning against the
headboard of Grace’s bed, arms crossed, hair perfect and an
unbelievably sexy grin on his face. Last night’s memories came
crashing through my mind.

I sat up, very
conscious of my heavy, tired eyes and morning breath, positive the
back of my head had a rat’s nest tangled in it.
Why do guys
always have to look so perfect?

His face lost
its humor. “Are you okay?”

“I’m, uh,
fine.” Just in dire need of a brush and a bottle of mouthwash.
Maybe throw in some kind of manual on crazy beasts living in the
forest
.

“You feel like
getting up and going for a drive?”

With him, no
human would say no.
Except…
“I should find Grace, and see if
she’s planned anything.”

Michael let out
an intoxicating laugh. “She’s fine.” He paused, staring at the
ceiling a moment. “Grace and Sarah are out running an errand. We’ve
plenty of time to go for a ride and still be home before they get
back. I promise. She’s not mad.” His hand came up in a Scout’s
honor position.

“If you’re
sure…” Guilt washed over me for preferring to hang out with Michael
rather than Grace. However, if she’d gone out with Sarah, a short
drive wouldn’t be so bad. “Give me ten minutes.”

I waited.
Michael didn’t move. My only way off the bed would be to crawl over
the top of him. Kicking the blankets off, I shuffled to the foot of
the bed. Still unable to avoid not touching him, I edged over his
legs and let my toes reach for the floor. My hands brushed against
his shins, enjoying the hot and cold feeling his body gave off.
Once off the bed, I stood in the middle of the room not sure where
I’d left my backpack or what to do.

“I’ll meet you
downstairs.” He dropped his legs over the bed and stood, relaxed
and confident. He walked by me, his arm brushing against mine. When
he opened the door, he turned. “I’ll make some breakfast while you
get ready.” He pointed at the ground beside Grace’s closet and
disappeared down the hall.

I looked down
where he’d pointed. My bag. The door behind it led to a bathroom.
Alone, I grabbed my backpack and dumped it on the bed, hoping I’d
packed something decent to wear today. The leather book from the
bookstore slid to the floor. I leaned over and grabbed it then
tossed it on the bed, more concerned about dashing to the bathroom,
showering and getting dressed in record time.

I did manage to
get ready in a decent amount of time. Unfortunately, my sneakers
decided to play hide and seek. Michael knocked on the door just as
I was crawling around on the floor looking for my right shoe.

“Do you
remember where I tossed my shoes last night when we got back?” Near
the corner of the bed, a sparkle caught my eye. “Forget it. Found
you.” I grabbed it and held it up triumphantly to Michael. He wore
a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt. Incredibly hot
without even trying to be.
Okay. Enough with the oozing over the
guy
. I was starting to annoy myself with my inability to let it
go.

“I made coffee
and Sarah bought muffins. She bought like ten different kinds. Are
you almost ready to–” He stopped mid-sentence, dropping the travel
mug on the nightstand, and muffin bag on the floor. He swiped
something off the bed.

I reached out
to stop the wobbling mug.

“Is this
yours
?” He held the book at arm’s length, by the corner.

I nodded.

He snorted.

In disgust? “I
got it from The Eclectic Bookshop yesterday.” Pulling my shoe on, I
peered at the cover.
Why’s he acting so weird?
“I haven’t
had a chance to look at it. It looks really old.”

“Yesterday?” He
glared at the book and mumbled something.

All I caught
was “…makes sense now.” I had no idea what he meant.

“We need to get
this out of the house before Caleb gets home. He’ll freak if he
sees it.”

“Why? It’s just
an old folklore book.”

“Let’s go.” He
reached for my elbow and steered me toward the hall. “You can drink
your coffee in the car.”

Gravel sprayed
as we spun out of the driveway. Michael finally slowed the car when
he turned onto a scenic route to the mountains. He sat rigid and
quiet, so I sipped at my coffee and ate my muffin. I picked up the
book and flipped it open to the middle. “Holy friggin’ smokes!” The
hand drawn picture was of the ugliest, crudest looking thing I’d
ever seen—some kind of ancient scary mythical creature. I traced a
finger along the charcoal ridges. Some kind of fountain pen ink had
been used in tracing it.

I turned to the
first page and read the single sentence on it. “Grollic Monstrum.
A
n aberrant occurrence that has the
ability to produce fear or cause physical harm. Can the beast be
tamed? Or controlled?”

I flicked
through some of the drawings scattered throughout the book. Large,
dark, omniscient animals had eyes that stared directly at you from
the paper. A page on the left showed a drawn photo which had been
painted in. Amber yellow eyes.

I gasped and
then tried to catch my lost breath. What knocked the wind out of me
was cold, hard realization.

“That animal
last night, it…” I couldn’t finish the sentence. It couldn’t be.
This kind of stuff was all myths and legends, folklores.

Michael
continued to stare at the road, his knuckles white against the
wheel he gripped. His posture confirmed what I didn’t want to
believe.

“It can’t be.
It doesn’t exist.”

The silence
drove me crazy.”

“It isn’t
real.”

“They are.”

What
?
Wait a sec. “Not just one, there are more? H-How do you know?”

“I just do. The
grollic’s smell was all over the forest.”

Turning to face
him, I studied his tense profile. “You could smell it? I didn’t
even hear that thing until it was three feet in front of me. A
grollic?” The word was foreign to my tongue. I needed to
concentrate but it all seemed ridiculous. What normal human could
hold a conversation on real-live monsters seriously? “You’re not
one, are you?” I giggled. He did seem to have some peculiar habits,
obviously not spooky, but, in my anxiousness, I couldn’t resist
teasing.

“Never!” He
snapped like I’d whipped him.

I exhaled,
letting my head fall against the back of the seat. “Sorry. I’m only
kidding.” Michael obviously wasn’t. I’d hit a nerve with my crappy
humor. A reminder of why I should never use it.

He pulled over
on the side of the road at a lookout point. Something about the
intensity in his blue eyes captivated me. I didn’t bother glancing
out the windows at the scenery. I had all I needed in the car.

Michael shoved
the car in park and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel.
“This is real. There are things I’m not allowed to say,” he
scoffed, “and other stuff you wouldn’t understand.”

Crazy alert.
Get out of the car and walk away
.
My brain seemed to think
it knew better than my body. I sat silent, unsure what to do.

He stomped a
foot against the car floor. “I’m not sure what to tell you.”

“The truth.” I
barely knew the guy and here I sat, in his car, demanding he spill
his guts. I crossed my arms, ticked at my inability to keep my
mouth shut.

His eyes ran up
and down me, obviously misreading my body language. “I tell you a
hideous creature went after you, and you barely bat an eye. You
just turn and ask if I’m one.”

“I was
joking.”

“Yeah, you said
that.” He shifted, turning back to the wheel and staring straight
ahead.

My right thumb
traced the pad of my left hand. If I told him my feelings, I’d step
over a line I’d never crossed before.
Totally risky, but is it
as dangerous as the animal in the forest last night?
Swallowing
hard, I hesitantly laid my fingers on his wrist. When he looked at
me, I stared back into his ocean blue eyes. “I…We haven’t known
each other very long, but there’s something...I li-like you.” I
wanted to add it was different, not like anything I’d ever felt
before. Instead, I babbled. “This may sound weird, but I can’t get
you out of my head. I hardly know you, but I trust you with my
life.” Horrified at what I’d admitted, I pressed my lips closed
tight. When Michael didn’t say anything, I sat back against my
seat. Crap! I’ve just screwed up royally. I dropped my face in my
hands.

“
Trust
me when I say I’m not right for you.” Michael’s voice took on that
husky rasp which made my breath catch. “I’m no good for you.”

My heart sunk.
Grace had been wrong last night when she said Michael liked me. My
brain kept sending my heart mixed signals. I responded the way I
always did. I got defensive. “Isn’t it up to me to decide what’s
good or bad for me?”

“I was afraid
you’d say something like that.” Without another word, his hands
pulled at my wrists, forcing me to look at him. The anger in his
face softened as his eyes danced back and forth. His face close, he
leaned forward and as he opened his mouth to speak, he brushed his
lips lightly against mine. Fire and ice. Like dynamite exploding
inside my head.

Without
thinking, one of my hands touched his face and the other went
behind his head, its fingers curling in his soft hair. Then he
kissed me, this time with intention. It was intoxicating, left me
completely breathless.

As quickly as
he’d begun, he pulled away, heaving. “Sorry. That wasn’t supposed
to happen.” His eyes were shut tight.

“I didn’t mind
at all.” Could my mouth, for once, keep up with my brain and shut
up?

“Rouge,” he
whispered. I loved the way my name rolled off his tongue. “This can
only end badly.”

“How do you
know? We’ve barely started. Why not give this a chance and see what
happens?” Terrified he’d push away; I reached out and grabbed his
wrist. I’d never wanted someone like this. I’d been content to live
my life on my own and suddenly it seemed the loneliest option in
the world.

Michael rubbed
the light stubble on his jaw. He appeared torn, trying to wrestle
his version of good versus evil. He sat perfectly still for a few
minutes and finally turned, his blue eyes boring into mine. “Screw
it. I can’t fight this. Just promise you won’t hate me in the
end?”

“As long as we
don’t burn in hell, we’re good to go,” I joked.