Silver Mortal (The Gracen Chronicles) (12 page)

I contemplate a moment. “Yeah, I suppose. Have you or Jude found out if there's ever been a Night Viper that wanted to leave the Viper clan behind?”

The smile vanishes on her face. “No, we haven't. Phoenix and his little group may be the first Vipers in history to break away, and you know what that means.”

I shake my head. “No. What does that mean?”

“That we must watch each others backs.” Her expression turns grave. “Because if the Viper clan catches word that we're involved with rebel Vipers, not only will they torture and kill the rebels...”

“We'll be put in the same pot,” I finish for her, and she nods in agreement.

Well, so much for living a semi-
non
-normal life.

***

Sunlight is shining directly in my eyes when I wake the next day. Peeling my crusted-over lids open I glance over at my window. Someone has pulled up my blinds so the blazing sun can drift into my room. I start to get out of bed to let the blinds back down, when I see something move out of the corner of my eye. I almost wet my pants when I see Phoenix. He's sitting in my desk chair, leaning his elbows on his thighs with a huge smile plastered on his face. His dark hair is straight, hanging just above his shoulders. I almost smile back, but then remember that I'm only wearing panties and a thin camisole.

“Phoenix!” I say in a harsh whisper, pulling my blanket up to my chin. “What are you doing here?”

He smirks. “And a good morning to you, too, or...” He glances at his watch, narrowing his eyes, “should I be saying good afternoon?”

A blush paints my cheeks. “I'm wore out. Last night was
really
...was...”

“Totally awesome!” he expresses, careful to keep his voice low. “Are you ready to do it all over a—”

“You left me hanging again.” My abrasive interjection puzzles him, and for a moment silence fills the empty air.

His smile slowly fades. “How did I—”

“When you teleported me home,” I quickly add. “You brought me here, and then you left. Without a goodbye.” I cross my arms at my chest and glower at him.

“Gracen, I—” he hesitates, seemingly grasping for the appropriate words. “You seemed so...I thought I was doing you a favor by bringing you home and taking care of that woman by myself. And besides, we—”

“Maybe I like you, Phoenix!” I exclaim, then press my hand to my mouth, stunned and angry at myself for blurting my true feelings—feelings I shouldn't have for only knowing a person for less than a week, not to mention the fact that he's a freaking Night Viper!

He studies me with his eyes, then abruptly stands and walks over to my bed, perching himself next to me. If he's surprised by my explosive declaration, he's not showing it. Reaching for my hand he takes it from my mouth and gives my palm a gentle kiss. A rush of heat floods my belly, causing my heart to do handsprings in my chest. I'm taken back by his gentle gesture, at a total loss for words. And then the biggest shock of it all—he leans over and kisses my forehead with his soft warm lips.

“I like you too,” he confesses softly, placing a wild blond hair behind my ear. “But you've got to understand...I've never been close to anyone. In my world it's hard to trust your heart with others. Though since meeting you, I know I need to work on it. Gracen, I'm sorry I left you hanging.
Again
.”

I stare at him, believing every word he just spoke. I want to tell him it's okay, that I'm not mad, but the kisses on my palm and forehead has me a tad flustered.

“Do you forgive me?” he inquires with a pleading gleam in his dark eyes.

Opening my mouth to speak I learn that my tongue no longer wants to work, so I nod a yes. His face lights up with a grin.

“Great!” He jumps off the bed, breaking our gazes and walking a few steps away. “Also, to make it up to you, I'm taking you out to breakfast, er, lunch...brunch. I'm taking you out for
food
.”

“Oh-kay,” I force out, along with a giggle.

“I'll meet you outside,” he says, then asking, “Is that okay with you?”

Smiling wide-eyed at him I respond with, “Uh-huh.”

“See you when you're ready,” he grins, then disappears in a black mist.

Shaking the cobwebs from my brain I try to compile the conversation Phoenix and I just shared. Let's see, I woke up to him sitting in my room. I was angry at first, but all that changed when he apologized and kissed my palm
and
my forehead. Of course that had been after I'd screamed that I liked him. And then that made him come clean about him liking me and...

OMG.

Now that the truth is out between us, what will happen? True, we've only known each other six days, but somehow I feel like I've known him my whole life. Did soul mates truly exist? Is love for real?

I'm about to crawl out of bed and head to the shower when he appears by my door.

“Oh, I almost forgot—”

“Phoenix!” I cry out, wrapping my blanket around my barely dressed body.

He laughs, turning around. “Oh, sorry about that. Hey, are you naked under that blanket?”

I walk up behind him and smack him on the back of his head. He yelps loudly and turns around, rubbing his head.

“To answer your question, no, I'm not naked.” I smile sweetly at him.

He raises an eyebrow. “Well, next time all you have to do is answer me. I can do without a headache.”

“Well,” I grin, placing a hand on my hip, “next time all you have to do is announce you're about to appear, so you don't see something naughty.”

He lifts his chin, then sighs. “Your right. I'm sorry. The only reason I came back was to tell you something important.”

“Oh,” I react with interest. “Well, in that case, what is it?”

“Not only am I taking you out for a bite to eat, but I'm also...” he pauses, grinning slyly, “going to introduce you to the others.”

Shocked, I stare at him in wonder, his words giving the term
a feather could knock me over
a whole new meaning. He grins, his eyes twinkling, and before I can give a retort, he vanishes.

Chapter 12

Taking a quick shower, throwing some clothes and shoes on, and pulling my damp hair back in a loose ponytail, I dash out of my room. Before I'm able to leave the apartment I startle mom and Jude, who are both sitting on the couch watching television.

“Where are you going?” I hear Mom call out behind me, but I'm already out the door.

“Out!” I shout back, slamming the door shut and practically flying down the apartment steps. The whole way down I think of what I'm going to say. In a way I'm excited to meet these Vipers, but in an entirely different way I want to punch Phoenix in the nose for dropping this really heavy bomb on me.

Crashing out the double doors of the building, I run straight into Phoenix. This time after ramming into him I don't bounce off his body; This time his arms wrap around my waist, keeping me from falling on my rump.

“Wow,” he murmurs, smiling. “I didn't know you'd be this excited to meet everyone.”

“I'm not,” I hiss, pushing off of him, “and frankly I'm not happy with the way you just threw meeting them in my face.”

His eyes widened. “Threw what in your face? You mean others like
me
?” He smoothly takes his cell phone from his pocket. “Well, I'll just call them up and cancel the plans. No problem.”

“No!” I shriek, smacking his arm. He gives me a curious look as he places the phone back in his pocket.

“No,” I say more calmly. “I want to meet them. It's just I woke up to you in my room this morning, we admitted that we like each other, and I was only wearing panties and a thin shirt with
no
bra, and—”

Suddenly he grabs my head and pulls me closer, shocking me with a kiss. My words, my anxiety over meeting the others, dissolves as I get lost in the most tender kiss I've ever experienced. Tension flows out of my body as his full lips move against mine, and I close my eyes so I can fully enjoy the closeness of our bodies. This is the closest I've ever been to anybody. Ten seconds later, maybe more, he breaks the kiss. I smile, exhilaration sweeping throughout my body, and I almost forget that we're standing in the middle of the sidewalk with people and cars traveling by. When a car horn blares loudly, I pop open my eyes. Phoenix is gazing down at me, giving me an easy and relaxed grin.

“I wanted to do that the first day I met you.” When I don't respond he questions, “You're not going to punch me for doing that, are you?”

Breathlessly I reply, “Quite possibly.” He laughs.

“Well, if you did, it would still be worth it.”

I blush, not knowing what to say to that.

“Ready?” he asks.

Still a little baffled and dazed by the kiss I reply, “Uh-huh.” I'm still blushing, and I realize I must sound like a complete moron.

“Then let's go,” he says, walking a couple of steps backward, biting his bottom lip while his dark eyes gaze at me. I stalk after him.

“Where are we going?” I question, catching up to him.

He turns forward, nudging my shoulder playfully. “To Tony's, of course!”

***

Twice in one week I find myself going through the doors of Tony's Breakfast Bar, only this time Phoenix is by my side instead of waiting for me to show. It's not as crowded as last time. I guess most New Yorkers don't want to eat at a greasy breakfast bar at four in the afternoon. And, just like before, we head to the farthest booth in the back, my mind spinning.

In one week I'd met a fallen angel, went on my first date (which had bombed), found out that Night Vipers do have a choice to be good or bad, dusted a few Trolls alongside Phoenix, been teleported for the very first time, and then passionately kissed in front of my apartment building.

Yes, a tiring yet exciting week for me! And the fun would keep coming, since I was about to meet the other rebel Vipers in town.

The booth in the very back comes into view, holding three people, and my heart wedges in my throat, beating triple time. With my nerves getting the best of me, I grab hold of Phoenix's arm, halting his steps. He peers down at me, perplexed.

“What's wrong?” he queries with an eyebrow raised.

I gulp anxiously as I look up at him. I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my life! What's wrong with me? The word
coward
has never been part of my vocabulary, so why am I acting the part of one now?

“What if they don't like me?” There, my true fears are out. I shouldn't care if they like me or not, but the truth is I
do
care.

He shows off a sideways grin.

“You have nothing to worry about, and besides...” He leans over and whispers in my ear. “I like you.” He winks and my face flushes for the umpteenth time since I've met him.

We start moving again, making our way to the others, giving me a good look at them. The guy grabs my attention first. His skin is tanned, just like Phoenix, but his head is shaved slick, the restaurant lights reflecting off its brilliant shine. He looks up at us as we approach, and I see that his eyes are dark green, and even though he's sitting down I can tell he's a big guy. Not fat, but tall with insanely huge muscles.

The girl sitting adjacent to baldy catches my attention next. She looks to be around my age, maybe older, with long purple hair and black-stained lips. Her bright blue eyes are observing me closely, piecing straight through me. And the girl sitting across the table from the other two looks a little younger, and she's...

Sliding out of the booth with a gigantic smile on her face.

“Hey Gracen, it's nice to finally meet you!” She extends a tiny hand forward. “I'm Tina, but please call me Tink.”

I take Tink's hand and give it a shake, discreetly looking over her appearance. She's definitely the youngest in the group, maybe thirteen. She's short and slender, with dark eyes, dark skin, and black curly hair. Her sweet smile makes her look so innocent, so pure, even with the black viper peeking out just below her skin.

“It's nice to meet you, too, but,” I regard her with interest, “why do they call you Tink?”

Dropping my hand she points at the Tinker Bell image on her t-shirt. “I'm a mega-huge Tinker Bell fan—always have been. And the name
Tina
brings back way too many memories of my past, so...” She lets her words trail off, her gaze shifting to her feet.

“Oh,” I murmur, nodding my head as comprehension floods my thinker. “Well, Tink is a pretty cool name, if you ask me.” She lifts her eyes from the floor, apparently pleased by my compliment.

“Really?” she says, grinning. “Thank you so much!”

Someone at the table clears their throat, drawing our attentions.

“Aren't you going to introduce us, Phoenix?” the girl with purple hair remarks, shooting him a pointed look.