Unforgiven (28 page)

“Come along,” the devil said. “I kept my end of the bargain. It is time for you to keep yours.”

Twenty-Three Hours

L
ilith's headphones were blaring.

She lay on her stomach on her bedspread, scribbling lyrics in her journal for a new song called “Famous for a Broken Heart.” It was one in the morning. She was tired, but she knew she'd never sleep. She kept replaying the conversation she'd had with Cam at the café.

He'd made a bet that he could make her fall in love with him. Like she had no free will, like she was just a coin to be tossed.

Had Cam almost won that bet? She had felt something deep and strong for him. Was it love? Maybe, but she could never love a guy who treated her like a game to be won.

Suddenly, Lilith heard a sound that wasn't part of the Four Horsemen song in her headphones. It was coming from outside. Someone was knocking at her window. She turned her music off and raised the blinds.

Cam's leather jacket was zipped up, and he was wearing that knit hat she liked. Beneath its brim, his green eyes pleaded as he motioned for her to open the window.

She slid the pane up and stuck her head out. “My mom will kill you if she finds out you trampled her weeds.”

“I'll take my chances,” he said. “I've got to talk to you.”

“Otherwise you'll lose the bet, right?” she said. “Remind me how many hours I have to fall madly in love with you?”

She looked past her lawn to the street, where a vintage black Honda motorcycle was parked, two helmets dangling from its handlebars. The bike looked expensive. Lilith studied Cam, remembering him strolling among the tents on Dobbs Street. How could he afford a motorcycle? He was a walking contradiction, but Lilith wasn't going to let it drive her crazy anymore.

“It's late,” she said. “I'm tired. And you're the last person I want to see right now.”

“I know,” Cam said. “Lilith, I need you—”

“You don't need me.” She didn't like when he said things like that. If she wasn't careful, she'd believe him.

Cam glanced down at his boots and sighed. When he looked up a moment later, his green eyes had taken on an intensity that made Lilith hold her breath. “I will always need you, Lilith. For many reasons. Right now, I need you to come with me.”

“Why would I go anywhere with you?”

“So I can tell you the truth.”

She'd been tricked before. “Tell me right here,” Lilith said, standing her ground.

“So I can
show
you the truth,” Cam corrected himself. “Please,” he said softly, “give me one more chance to show you that my feelings for you are real—then, if you don't believe me, you'll never have to see me again. Fair?”

She studied his face and realized how familiar his features had become over the past two weeks. The first time she'd seen him at Rattlesnake Creek, he had been so different from anyone she'd ever met; he'd seemed more like a figment of her imagination than a real guy. But now she knew him. She knew he licked his lips when he was thinking, and the way his eyes twinkled when he was listening really closely. She knew the way his hands felt in hers and how smooth his skin was just above the collar of his T-shirt.

“One more chance,” she said.

A dark gloom hung over Rattlesnake Creek.

Lilith's heart raced as Cam guided her deep into the forest, toward her favorite spot. She'd never been here so late, and it was eerily exciting.

Branches cracked as she stepped along the familiar path and turned into the clearing where her carob tree stood. For a moment, she didn't recognize it. Her tree had been decorated with strands of soft, twinkling red and yellow lights.

Beneath it, a boy with dreadlocks was arranging a bouquet of irises on the antique desk Cam had given her. Lilith thought she recognized him.

When a thin girl with a shaved head and orange false eyelashes ran to Lilith and stuck out her hand, Lilith knew where she'd seen them both before. The café, with Cam, earlier that night.

“I'm Arriane,” the girl said. “That's Roland. Glad you could make it.”

“What's going on?” Lilith asked Cam.

“First?” Cam said. “A toast.”

Roland knelt by the bank of the creek and fished out a bottle of champagne. He reached beneath the desk and produced two champagne flutes, then opened the bottle with a pop. He filled the glasses with the fizzy liquid and handed one to Lilith.
“Salud.”

“To second chances,” Cam said, and raised his glass.

“We're on at least fifth or sixth chances by now,” Lilith said, but she clinked his glass anyway.

“Saucy!” Arriane called. “I like it.”

“I suspected when I saw Lilith that Cam had met his match,” Roland said.

Lilith chuckled. She felt oddly comfortable with these unexpected companions. They seemed more interesting than anyone she'd ever known, except maybe Cam.

“Don't mind my friends,” Cam said. “We've known each other a long time.”

“So, first is a toast,” she said to Cam, glancing around the creek. “What's second?”

“A favor,” Cam said.

“I'm not letting you back in the band yet—”

“That's not what I was going to ask,” Cam said, though the word
yet
made him smile. “The favor is this. Cast aside all that you've heard about me from others, and spend an hour with me, here under the stars. Just us. Well, and Arriane and Roland, but you know what I mean.”

“We're good at camouflage,” Arriane said.

“Okay?” Cam said.

“Okay,” Lilith replied, letting him take her hand and lead her toward the desk, which was set with crystal glasses, mismatched golden cutlery, white napkins folded in the shape of swans, and two gleaming Russian samovars.

Behind them, Roland began strumming a 1930s Martin guitar in a soft, syncopated blues rhythm. It was a very cool-looking instrument, different from any guitar Lilith had ever seen, and she wondered where it had come from. Arriane whipped the napkins off the desk and unfurled them onto Cam and Lilith's laps.

“Please allow me,” she said when Lilith moved to lift the silver lid. Inside, a steaming cast-iron skillet was filled to the brim with a fragrant red casserole, on top of which swam two over-easy eggs garnished with lush green sprigs of parsley.

“Shakshuka,” Lilith said, inhaling deeply.

“Don't let her fool you,” Cam said. “Shakshuka is the only dish Arriane knows how to make.”

Lilith frowned at her plate. “I've never even heard of it. The word just rose up in me.”

“It's an old Israeli dish,” Cam said. “Very light.”

“I'm starving,” Lilith said, and raised her fork. “How do you guys know each other?”

“It's a long story,” Cam said. “Oh, maître d', you forgot to open my samovar.”

“Open it yourself, jerko,” Arriane called from the creek bank, where she was skipping rocks and mimicking Cam.
“ ‘The only dish Arriane knows how to make.' ”

Lilith laughed, scooping up a bright orange egg yolk. She savored her first delicious bite, then washed it down with a sip of champagne. “Wow, this is good, too.”

“It should be,” Arriane called from the bank. “It's older than your grandma.”

Lilith put her fork down and turned to Roland, who was still sitting in the shadows, strumming his guitar. “Is that my song?”

He was concentrating on the neck of his guitar, playing an intricate melody.

“Roland's a fan,” Cam said.

“What's this about, Cam?” Lilith asked, glancing from Roland to Arriane to the transformed tree. No one had ever gone to so much trouble to impress her before. “It's nice and all, but—”

“But it seems like an elaborate lead-up to a promposal?” he asked.

Lilith's head swiveled to gape at Cam.

“Don't worry,” he said quickly. “I'm not going to ask you to prom.”

“Good,” she said, surprised to feel a little disappointed.

He leaned in close enough to kiss her and took her hands. “You told me you didn't need a date to play your music at the battle, and I respect that. It doesn't mean I wouldn't love to go with you, to buy you a corsage and have your mom take our picture and stand in line with you for punch and donuts, all the stuff that I would never want to do if I didn't get to do it with you.” He smiled a smile that lit up his entire face. “But I can still respect your wishes. So instead, I brought the prom to you.” He glanced around the forest. “See, prom's just like this, only with a few hundred more people. And a photo booth. And balloon arches.”

“Hmm…it's not as bad as I imagined,” Lilith said playfully. “It's actually kinda nice.”

“Thank you,” Cam said. “It took a lot of not-prom-court meetings to pull it off.” He laughed, but then his face grew serious. He lowered his voice. “Whatever Chloe thinks she overheard, all Luc and I were talking about was how much I like you. He was convinced I didn't have a chance, and it brought out my competitive side. Because there's nothing I want more than to have a chance with you.”

Lilith studied Cam's full lips, and found herself leaning closer to him. Suddenly, she didn't care about any of the rumors. She wanted to kiss him, badly. That was real. Everything else could fall away. Why hadn't she seen things so clearly before?

“Care to dance?” he asked.

“I care,” Lilith said.

“I think she said yes,” Arriane whispered loudly to Roland, who celebrated with a joyful riff on his guitar.

Cam gently pulled Lilith to her feet. Their shoes sank in the mulchy leaves, and Lilith was a little dizzy from the champagne. She looked up through the carob branches, amazed by how bright the stars were over Rattlesnake Creek. In her backyard you could maybe see one star through the smoky sky, but here there must have been a trillion shining down on them.

“Beautiful,” she murmured.

Cam looked up. “Trust me, those stars have nothing on you.”