Seventh Mark (Part 1 +2) (7 page)

She traced her
fingers along her collar bone. “Something’s missing.” Snapping her
fingers, she disappeared out of the room.

I stared down
at my red polished toe nails and leaned against the doorframe.
Grace had found a gladiator costume on eBay in Michael’s size. The
thought of his body in a fighter’s outfit created a tingling in my
lower abdomen. I was willing to bet Spartacus had nothing on
Michael. Hopefully I didn’t embarrass myself with staring, or even
worse if I’d start salivating
.

“Wear this.”
Grace held something shiny in her hand. “It’s not a choker, but we
can link the clasp on a shorter part of the chain and make it look
like one.

The necklace,
beautiful and obviously antique, was made of sterling and shone
like Grace had just polished it. “I can’t wear that.”

“I know Roman
slaves wore copper, but this is so perfect. It’s--”

“Too
expensive.” My fingers had a will of their own and reached for the
silver. The chain was cool, but the aged Celtic pendant had a
unique feel. Heavy but…different. I couldn’t tell if it was hot or
cold. I held it up to the light. The pendant turned out to actually
be some sort of vial with a ruby inside. “Is this some kind of
family heirloom?”
I’m not wearing this -- my luck it belonged to
Caleb’s mother.

“Just try it
on.” Grace took it from my hand and clipped the chilly metal around
my neck. Against my skin, the pendant gave me goose bumps but
warmed instantly. How in the world did it do that?

“Don’t you look
adorable, little sis,” Michael said sarcastically from the hall
doorway. “Apparently your idea of tragedy is quite different than
the rest of the worlds.”

Grace’s
bouffant hairdo blocked my view of Michael’s face. A round shield
covered his body, except for his bare legs and sandaled feet.

“Hardy-har-har.” Grace faked a girly laugh. “My shopping helped you
though. You’re quite dashing.”

“Half naked in
October? Don’t you th—” He froze as I stepped beside Grace.

Grace grinned,
a wacky, I-got-you-good smile totally meant for her brother. “Come
on, don’t look so serious. It’s Halloween! Let her be your slave
for a night.”

Hot. Very
hot.
Muscles and flesh and metal everywhere. No wonder the
Romans loved their gladiators. He could have been a god. However,
the scowl on his face stopped me from sharing my thoughts.

He glanced back
and forth between the two of us. His face then broke into a
half-smile. “You do make a sexy slave.” He walked over and reached
for the necklace’s pendant. It seemed to burn with his touch. His
fingers cooled the skin against my collar and neck.

My breath
caught. “This isn’t Caleb’s, is it?”

He chuckled.
Leaning forward, he gave me a tender kiss on the forehead. “It’s
definitely not Caleb’s.” He tucked a stray curl behind my ear.

My head spun. I
wasn’t sure if it was from the moment as it seemed like something
deeper than just words were being said, or if it was Michael’s
close proximity, or the fact I’d forgotten to breathe.

Grace sighed
quietly. I guess we should get going.”

We headed down
the stairs. I stared at Michael’s almost bare back. Nice tight
muscles, smooth skin with slightly protruding boney shoulders. The
guy probably had zero body fat.

Sarah waited at
the bottom with a digital camera. She snapped a photo and looked at
the screen. “There’s a back flash from Rouge.” Sarah glanced up and
stared at my neck, her eyes grew big. “Michael, did you put the
Siorghra
on her?” She sounded…almost hopeful.

I stopped on
the second to last step.
What the heck’s going on?
These
people seemed to be leaving half their sentences inside their
heads.
What’s a Senora, or whatever they called it?
There
was obviously some hidden meaning. More strange secrets. I intended
to find out, after I knocked the necklace against the back of the
head of Grace.

“Grace put it
on.” Michael winked.

At me or Sarah?
I couldn’t tell.

“It suits the
outfit, doesn’t it?” Grace, grinning like a madman, finally spoke
up.

“It looks
gorgeous. Rouge looks gorgeous.” Sarah opened a closet door.
“Sweetie, take this scarf wrap, in case you get cold.” She held a
sapphire blue scarf out to me.

“Thanks.” I
wrapped the pretty scarf around my wrist not sure if I’d need it.
Better to have it and not need it.

We drove to the
school in Michael’s car. My gladiator would never ride in a tiny
Smartcar. The music could be heard from the parking lot. I climbed
out of the car, setting the scarf on top as I flipped the seat
forward so Grace could crawl out.

We walked
around the side of the school and found Simon leaning against the
wall outside the gymnasium, dressed as Tuxedo Ken.

He grinned when
he saw Grace. “It’s about time. I was beginning to think you were
going to stand me up! Damon said—”

“He here?”
Michael glanced around.

“Damon?”
Simon’s eyebrow’s mashed together. “No, he had some family function
or something.”

“Probably
couldn’t find a date.” Grace whispered.

We headed
inside. The gymnasium had been transformed. There were flickering
lights set against the walls to look like fireplaces, roughly hand
made tables and benches lined one side and students sat drinking,
snacking and laughing. Painted brick patterns covered the walls and
floors. A pair of thrones sat on the stage with stage. An ancient
castle made to look present day. A big cauldron filled with fruit
punch stood to the left of the stage.

“I’ll get us
some drinks.” Michael gave my hand a light squeeze before
disappearing into the crowd.

I shivered. The
janitor had probably put the fans or air-conditioning on in the
gym. Realizing I’d left the scarf on the hood of the car. I leaned
toward Grace. “I’ll be right back.”

Jogging to the
car, I hoped it hadn’t disappeared. It wasn’t on the top where I’d
left it. Bending down, I looked under the car and frowned. Not
there. I straightened and checked the top of the trunk and hood.
The wind had blown it against the wiper and luckily it had caught
on the end. I wrapped it over my shoulders.

I turned around
to head back to the gym and nearly jumped out of my skin. Damon
stood before me, his arms crossed tight over his chest.

“Sheesh. You
scared me.” I swallowed. “I didn’t hear you come up.”

“Did you come
with
her
? Simon said he was going as her flippin’—Ken.” He
spat on the ground and then leaned forward, his pitch black eyes
and hot breath smacked against my face like a slap. “I’m obviously
concerned for his safety.”

This guy’s
freaking nuts
. “I’ve no clue what you’re talking about.” Was he
drunk? As I looked into his eyes to see the tell-tale red on white,
Damon stepped back, like
I
terrified
him
.

“You are so
going to burn in hell for this one. You think you can squirm your
way into that family?”

He was
crazy
.
“You’re the stupidest person I’ve ever met, and
believe me I’ve met some real idiots.”

“Listen, bi--”
he stopped mid-sentence and reached for my neck.

Jammed between
him and the Mustang, I had nowhere to go. My hands curled into
fists and rose by my neck, trying to protect it. Was he going to
strangle me right in the school parking lot?

Instead, he
stepped back again, pulling one hand back like I’d burned him. He
swiped at my throat with the hand still in the air.

He’s trying
to grab my necklace.
I clutched the pendant, worried he’d lean
in and rip it off.

Instead, he
kept his distance, but the venom in his voice couldn’t be missed.
“So help me, Rouge. If you ever come near me again, I’ll destroy
you. I know exactly what their
kind
are. And I’m not alone.
More know. Lots more.” He snorted, pointing at me. “Yeah, you tell
your precious Michael that. Let him know we’re going to annihilate
him.” He turned and ran off into the darkness.

He’s
definitely crazy.
I couldn’t move. I’d forgotten how to
breathe. My brain told my body to walk back to the gym, to get
there as fast as I could, but I stood frozen, clasping the pendant
protectively in my hand.

“You okay?
What’s taking so long?” Michael walked around the front of the
car.

I jumped.
Dazed, I stared at him. What had Damon meant about Michael’s kind.
“I, um, left Sarah’s shawl on top of the car and came out to get
it. D-Damon stopped by…” my voice trailed off.

“What?” Michael
swung around, doing a three sixty. “Where’d he go?”

“I dunno.” I
raised my hand and twirled my fingers and then snapped. “One moment
he was here and the next, gone.” I stared into the darkness where
Damon had disappeared.

“Let’s get
outta here.” He unlocked the car doors.

I blinked,
trying to focus. “We can’t just leave Grace.” Damon could go after
her.

“I’ll let her
know.”

“No. You wait
here and I’ll ask Simon to drive Grace home.” I needed a moment to
catch my breath and my nerves.

“I can – never
mind.” He shook his head. “Go. I’ll make sure Damon’s sorry ass
isn’t poking around.”

“I’ll be right
back.” I sprinted off to the gym. My wobbly legs needed to run out
the adrenalin stuck inside them.

Grace wasn’t
hard to spot on the dance floor. She looked like she’d been
expecting me. Simon seemed to be dancing on his own.

“Do you mind
driving Grace home?” I asked him.

He replied
before Grace had a chance. “Love to! What kind of Ken would I
be?”

Grace shook her
head, looking directly at me. “What’d he want?”

Did she mean
Damon?
I hadn’t mentioned a thing.
I swallowed. Damon
had taken off in the other direction. He wouldn’t come back
tonight. “Michael and I just want to hang out.”

Simon put his
hand up for a high five, which I slapped, not understanding
why.

“You go,
girl!”

“You’re still
sleeping over, right?” Grace asked.

“Yeah, I’ll see
you back at the house.” I gave her a hug and went to meet Michael
waiting in the car.

We sat in
silence as Michael drove. Staring absently out the window, I tried
to figure out Damon’s weird behavior. Maybe he was on drugs. Maybe
he had something wrong with the processes in his brain. The lack of
cars and streetlights stopped my train of thought. A bluish hue
covered everything from the bright night sky. “Where’re we
going?”

“We have a
cabin by the lake. I figured we could hang out there for a bit.” He
let his foot off the gas. “That doesn’t sound right at all. We hit
a Tim Horton’s.”

“Should I be
scared?” I teased. “You’re taking me to a hidden cabin in the woods
and next week will I be the front headlines in all the national
papers?”

“Ha-ha.” He
laughed sarcastically. “The place is like fifteen minutes away. I
just thought it’d be easy to talk there. I go when I want some
peace and quiet.”

“Then let’s go.
We’re almost there now.” I trusted Michael and I had a few
questions myself.

He flipped the
blinker on and headed onto the exit. “It’s just a couple miles down
the road from here.”

Ten minutes
later he pulled onto a gravel lane. He drove the car easily through
the dark forest. A cabin stood in the distance with a glass lake
stretching behind it. The cabin was the kind you saw in those
country magazines. Modern, with a vintage look but absolutely
gorgeous. Michael, still in his Spartacus outfit and oblivious to
the cool air, opened the door and switched lights on as I followed
him in.

Simple shades
of beige colored the walls, mixed in with wood and brown leather
furniture. My gaze caught on the six tall windows facing the lake.
The lack of style inside the cabin disappeared by staring out those
windows.

“I’ll get a
fire going.” He opened a brass ornately decorated box and started
to toss the wood into the brick fireplace. He had the logs snapping
and flames dancing in moments.

Taking my hand,
he pulled me over to the couch.

My legs barely
touched the leather, and he leaned in to kiss me.

I returned with
frantic kisses while his hands roamed down my back, his fingers
finding their way to rest along the spaces between my ribs, his
nails scraping against my shirt. Everywhere he touched shocks of
longing started on my skin and ran through my blood to my heart. I
swear I was going to explode.

Groaning,
Michael gently, but firmly, pushed me away. I didn’t want to stop,
he tasted like I needed more of him. I leaned in to fill the space
between us. The fire’s reflection danced against his bare
shoulders.

“Rouge,” he
whispered, “we need to talk. If you keep doing this, we’re not
going to get anywhere.”

“I really don’t
have anything important to say.” If we talked, something would
change. Don’t know why I knew it, but I did. Couldn’t I just have
this moment -- for like ten minutes?

“Rouge.” The
warning tone in his voice made me straighten and watch him. He was
right. We needed to talk.

Michael stared
into the fire, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his
hands together. He sat quiet, both of us trying to catch our
breath.

Finally, he
sighed. “What did Damon want?”

I shrugged. “He
doesn’t like your family much.”

Michael sat
rigid. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

“It was stupid.
Total loser. He acted all worried about Simon. Then he looked at me
like
I
scared him.” I paused, waiting for Michael to stop
clenching and unclenching his hands. “The guy's psycho. I thought
he was going to steal the necklace.”