Soul Mates: Scent (The Soul Mates Series) (10 page)

Max!
She scolded me and I had to laugh.

I looked over my shoulder and watched a rosy blush steal up her neck to her pretty cheeks. She was breathing harder too and I wondered if she was adding her own thoughts to my little fantasy, but not sharing them. It was then that she smacked my back and told me to turn around before we got into trouble.

I would like to say that the rest of the day went on without any drama, but then that wouldn’t be the way life works. The mere fact that I was glued to the hip with Anna for the third day was enough to set tongues wagging. And then there was the incident in the parking lot with Jenny from the day before that was witnessed by more than a few people. By the time Anna and I walked into lunch everyone was in full on gossip mode. The cafeteria got strangely quiet as I picked up my tray, sloppy Joes and fries, paid for it and we sat down with Tony.

“Geez, you would think they had better things to talk about than my love life.”

Tony laughed. “You think? Dude, it’s worse than that. Someone is claiming they saw you and Anna macking on each other last night in front of your house. That you were all over her. Jenny is so pissed off she says you are making stories up about her and Steve to cover yourself.” Tony glanced up from his sandwich. “I don’t believe it by the way.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “I suppose Anna and I were sort of making out yesterday at my house.” I glanced at Anna and smiled at her. “But you know Jenny and I are over. I wouldn’t make up stories about her and Steve. I saw her with my own eyes mackin’ on Steve at Kaitlin’s house Monday night. And you saw them at Carters.”

“Dude, seriously? I thought they were just blowin’ smoke! Classic.” Tony grinned. “Well not the Jenny and Steve thing, that is totally uncool, somethin’ funny has been going on with them for a while now that I think about it. Steve is always hangin’ around her.”

“Yeah, well apparently it’s been going on a while. No biggie. I’m not sweatin’ it,” I said hoping I looked as though I meant it.

“Sure, Dude. I mean you got Anna,” Tony said with a nod at Anna. “And she’s totally hot. I’m just sayin’.”

Anna laughed. “Merci, Tony.”

I pushed my tray away untouched and grinned. “Right.”

“Dude you gonna eat your Joe?”

“Naw, you can have it.”
Doesn
’
t
look
appealing
at
all.
I
think
my
appetite
is
changing.
I glanced at Anna and she smiled.

We
’
ll
go
hunting
after
school.
I heard her voice drift into my thoughts.

“Can’t; got football practice after school. After that maybe?” I asked her.

“I forgot. After then,” Anna replied.
You
are
going
to
be
starving
by
then.
We
shall
go
hunting
in
my
woods
this
time,
and
then
you
can
see
my
house.

“Yeah your house looked cool, no onlookers to spread tales there.”

“Dude, you guys are totally freakin’ me out,” Tony said in mid bite.

I grinned. “Sorry Tones. Better that you don’t know what is going on.” I patted him on the shoulder and stood up. “We’ll catch you later at practice.”

“Sure.”

Anna took my hand, I dumped my tray and we went outside. We still had twenty minutes before we had to go back to class. We walked out to the picnic tables and I sat down, pulling Anna onto my lap. I pressed my face into her shoulder and took a deep breath. I could smell the forest in her skin, the wildness, the danger… it served to calm me more than the peaceful vibe she had been pouring over me the entire morning.

Do
not
worry
Max,
the
quick
aggression
and
anger
will
pass
soon.
You
just
have
to
learn
how
to
channel
it
in
another
direction.
It
is
something
we
all
have
to
learn.
It
took
me
a
year.
Anna stroked my face as her words soothed me.

“A year?” I looked up at her. “I don’t think I can take a year of this,” I said with a half smile.

“A year is nothing Max. However, when I spoke to mon père, he thought perhaps you would be able to overcome it much faster. This is good. If we are to beat Frederick, you must have all your abilities at the ready.”

I nodded with a frown. “Tell me about him, about the council, about your life…”

Anna laughed. “Max we do not have time for all of that right now.”

“I know. Just… okay, just tell me about him. Describe him.”

Anna sighed. “All right,” she said as she slipped off my lap and sat down next to me. “Frederick is your cousin; sort of. Selina is Frederick’s grandmother’s sister. He is older than moi, than you too. In human years he is thirty two.”

“Thirty… two,” I said sort of stunned. “But… isn’t that too old for you? I mean… why would this council of elders want you to marry someone so much older than you?”

“Max…mon coeur, he is not that much older than moi.”

“What…how old are you Anna?” I asked, feeling my heart begin to beat faster as I anticipated her answer. Mom was sixty-three and looked about twenty-five. Anna could be…

Anna giggled. “Max, you should see your face. I am twenty one, mon coeur.”

“Oh…wow. So why are you in high school?” I asked in a daze.

“Because silly, you’re in high school. How else was I to find you?” Anna said. “It has taken me years to find you, Max. I was close once in Colorado about four summers ago, but I lost you.”

“Four summers ago?” I asked thinking about it. “Hey I was there with the youth group. We were white water rafting. You mentioned Colorado last night and I wondered.”

Anna smiled. “Well that explains it. I thought I was… how you say? Losing it?”

“Man, I wish you had found me back then. But then it seems like I have known you forever.”

“Well, believe me I tried to get to you sooner. I searched all over Colorado for you. Do you know how hard it is to find your soul mate when you do not know who they are? Finally I had a dream. Diana came to me. The goddess tells me to go east. To find mon père’s painting cabin. When I reached it I felt you again.” Anna grinned at me for a moment and then her grin faded under her worry. “Now Frederick is closer to finding us. I led him all over Colorado and before I came here I went south to New Orleans, and then farther East to New York City. It will take him very little time to track me here; maybe a week at the most.”

“Do you think he will attack as soon as he finds us?”

“Non. He will study you, your habits and attack when you are most vulnerable.”

I sighed and pulled her back into my lap. “Then I can’t be vulnerable. I will learn how to channel my anger, hunt and all the other stuff I need to learn.”

Anna nodded. “I am sorry, Max.”

I kissed her forehead. “For what?”

“For bringing all of this into your life. Maybe I should just go. You would be safer. He would not be able to find you that way.”

I felt my heart constrict. “Don’t you dare go anywhere; I don’t care about all of that. All I care about is you, Anna. You are what is important. I will not let him come between us. If I have to fight him, so be it.”

Anna nodded and pushed her face into my neck. I held her close for a few minutes and then we had to get back to class. Suddenly I felt as though none of my classes mattered. I had other things more important to do than learning how to create computer programs.

Max, this is important too. Concentrate.

I looked at Anna and frowned.
Fine.
I
could
blow
off
football
…

Non! You love football and the school is counting on you to beat the Huskies, Max. No skipping football. We have plenty of time after.

I sighed as my eyes met hers across the room. I nodded and tried to concentrate on the program I was working on. It was due in a few weeks and was going to count for most of my grade. Anna was right. I needed to concentrate if I wanted to keep my honor roll status. I was going to need it to get into a good college.

I strode into the locker room and pulled off my jersey. I could still feel the adrenaline rush from practice shooting through my veins and I felt like I was about to explode. Next thing I knew my head was hitting the locker and I turned in a furious rage, fist clenched and clocked Steve right on the jaw.

“Yo! Max! Cool it!” Tony yelled as he darn near tackled me before I could go after Steve again. “What the hell is the matter with you?”

My temper was on a very short leash and I was breathing hard. “Ask him,” I growled through clenched teeth.

“What?” Steve asked rubbing his jaw. “I was just trying to get you back for all the body slams at practice, dude. What the freak is wrong with you?”

Mon
coeur,
are
you
all
right?
I
feel
…
anger
…
I heard Anna in my head and I so didn’t want her there right now. I didn’t want her to calm me down; I needed to do it myself.

I
can
handle
it
…
don
’
t
…
let
me
handle
it
…
okay?
I said, trying to control my breathing.
Just
wait
for
me
at
the
vette
…

All right, Max. I will wait. Be careful.

“You know what has me so pissed off? You… you Steve have me so pissed off I can’t see straight,” I said and punched my locker so I wouldn’t hit him again. “You were supposed to be my effing best friend.” I turned away, it made me sick to look at him, to think of all the things we had done together over the years.

“Is this about Anna Lissa? What? Did she tell you I hit on her or something?” Steve mocked me and even Tony looked at him like he was an idiot.

Tony grabbed me again before I could hit him. “Come on Max, let’s go. No use hanging around getting suspended.”

“No. I want to finish this,” I looked at Tony and he nodded. I knew he’d have my back if I needed him. “This isn’t about Anna, Steve. And it’s not even about Jenny. It’s about you screwing me over for the last time. It’s finished. We’re finished. What? You just thought I would roll over and let you shit all over me? I’m done being Mr. Nice Guy, the Golden Boy.” I watched Steve’s eyes get wider with my use of his and Jenny’s term for me. My feelings toward him, all the friendship and camaraderie, felt as if it was caked in layers and layers of ice and it was just getting thicker and thicker. “I may have to put up with you being on the team, but that doesn’t mean I have to like you anymore, or that I have to acknowledge your existence beyond that.” I threw my padding in my locker and grabbed my tee shirt. “I’m out of here. Tony, you with me?”

“I got your back dude,” Tony said as he followed me out of the room and down the hall. “Dude, that was way harsh.”

I slammed open the double doors and strode out to the parking lot. “He deserved worse.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Tony said thoughtfully. “You know the guys are going to take their cue from you. If you stop hanging with Steve, they will too. He’s gonna be totally ostracized.”

“Not my problem,” I said. I felt like I wanted to run, run fast, jaguar fast. I turned to Tony and grinned. “Tones, thanks for having my back, you’re a good guy.”

“It’s cool. I’ll catch ya later, looks like Anna Lissa’s waiting for you.” Tony nodded toward the vette.

“Yeah, we got plans.”

“Uh-huh. Plans…” Tony said with a grin. “Well don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Dude we are so far beyond what you would do, it ain’t even funny,” I said with a laugh and jogged toward Anna.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Tony laughed. “Catch ya later.”

I tossed my shirt in the trunk of the vette with my books and pulled Anna to me. She came willingly and wrapped her body around mine. I leaned in and captured her lips; my fingers curved around her backside and pulled her even closer. I heard her sigh and she parted her lips allowing me access to the silky softness within. I could have kissed her like that forever, let the world drain away; think of nothing but her softness, her calmness. But too soon she pulled away, not all the way, just enough so she could breathe.

“Hungry?” she asked.

I hadn’t thought about food since… before practice. All that adrenaline had kept me from feeling hungry but now, with Anna’s serenity surrounding me, I was starving. “Definitely. For more than food,” I said with a lascivious grin.

Anna laughed. “Come mon coeur, you have much to learn this night,” she said as she opened the door and slid into the vette.

I swung her door shut, climbed in the driver’s side and turned the engine over. I smiled as the vette hummed to life. It took minutes to reach Anna’s house and I was pulling off my cleats and slipping out of my football pants as soon as we pulled into her drive. I changed as I began to run toward the woods; Anna was close on my heels, but I out ran her, sprung up onto the closest tree branch and watched her graceful form as she leapt up to join me.