A Touch of Souls (Immortal Souls) (8 page)

"Oh, well maybe we'll have some classes together," I really hoped we would, maybe he could take Dimitri's seat by me. I was so tired of his hot-cold moods.
I'm so through with him!
I just could not take it anymore. Sometimes I wanted him more than anything in the world, when other times I literally just wanted to tear his damn head off.

"I'm willing to bet we will," he insinuated, before pulling out of the parking lot of The Cavern.

We drove in silence for the most part, save for the occasional compliment that Adrian had no shame in giving. I was really starting to like being around him..
He sure does know how to make a girl feel special.
I thought as he reached out to hold my hand.

"So, at the bar, do you know that guy who was watching you?" I almost choked when I remember the guy that had watched me and then followed me before Dimitri saved me. God, I did NOT want to think about him right now.

"I'm not sure who you mean," I replied, trying my best to sound nonchalant, like he didn't just bring back the worst memory of my life.

"That guy that was sitting in the corner, do you know him?" Oh, thank goodness, he was just talking about Dimitri. I really needed to calm down, and stop being so paranoid.

"Oh, yeah kinda, that's Dimitri. But I think you saw wrong, he wasn't staring at me. He practically hates me. If he was staring, it was most likely because he was wishing he could throw daggers at my back," I laughed mentally at the image of Dimitri staring at me until his stare actually hurt.

"Oh, trust me, what he was giving off was not hate, it was more like a protective jealousy. Did you two ever date?" He asked, trying to sound as though he weren't burning to know, simply making friendly conversation. I knew otherwise.

"No, actually, I just broke up with my boyfriend today," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. I really wasn't in the mood to explain he had cheated on me with the same girl Dimitri almost always had wrapped around him.

"You broke up with him for me, didn't you?" he asked with an arrogant grin. Normally, this would annoy me, but with him, I found it charming.

"Actually, no," I giggled. "I broke up with him because he cheated on me while I was in the hospital. The girl was Candy, Dimitri's girlfriend. The reason he was staring at me was probably that." I knew that probably wasn't the reason, truthfully I had no clue why he was always staring at me.

"Dimitri doesn't have a girlfriend, my sweet."

"How would you know? You just moved here, remember?"

"Oh, but I know Dimitri. He's my cousin, but I consider him a brother," he countered. Of course, the two most gorgeous guys I have ever seen had to be related! Just my luck!

"Oh, uh, really? You're being serious right now?" I hardly managed to choke out.

"Yup."

"Well, not like it makes any difference to me," I muttered once I had myself gathered back together. What's the problem with them being related? It's not like Dimitri and I have anything. Maybe I can have something with Adrian and completely forget about Dimitri. It could totally work between us two.

"Oh, good," he sighs. "I was really afraid that when I told you, you would just say no and not even give us a shot." He was actually sounding vulnerable for the first time all day.
How sweet!

"Definitely not!"
I smiled as I looked over at him and squeezed the hand that was still holding mine. Looking down at our intertwined hands was giving me a sense of strength. I just met Adrian, but already, I felt some kind of connection.
You felt a connection with Dimitri too, the night he held you in his arms while you cried,
a voice in the back of my head hissed through my peaceful thoughts of Adrian and me. I felt Adrian stiffen as though he had heard my words, but that was impossible, wasn't it? Something strange was going on with these two.

We pulled into a restaurant that appeared to be Italian, and walking inside, my guess was confirmed. The place was decorated with vines and flowers on dark mahogany walls. We were led to a table in the back where we sat just us two. There was no one around us. The table was lit by two simple candles on either side of the table. It was comforting knowing we were going to be alone.

Adrian ordered my food for me, I had insisted that I could order for myself,but he was very persistent so I relented and let him do as he pleased. Before our food arrived, I ended up needing to go the bathroom, so I asked where it was. Adrian pointed in the direction and offered to walk me. I politely declined before heading in the direction he had indicated.

Just before I walked into the bathroom, I saw a figure slip into the
mens' room. As I racked my brain to find out why the man had looked so familiar, I realized that it had been Dimitri. The man of the evening apparently.

Washing my hands and splashing water on my face, it was easy to convince myself that I had simply been imagining things, before returning to my secluded table with Adrian. Our dinner was already set on the table when I arrived. He had waited patiently before eating. As I neared, he stood and pulled out my chair for me.
Ever the gentleman
, I thought with a smile in his direction as he took his seat.  

Dinner and dessert passed
with out anything extraordinary happening, which with how my life has been lately, was a total relief! I learned that Adrian's favorite color was green, just as his eyes, he lived with Dimitri because both had lost their parents. Dimitri early on, Adrian here recently. Adrian enjoyed plying football and was thinking about trying out for the team and he was also really funny and sweet. I could totally see myself being with him!

"So, I was wondering, would you be my girlfriend....
Exclusively?" Adrian asked shyly as we finished our meal.

"Yeah, I think I would like that," I answered smiling at him. This could really be what I need to get my mind off of Dimitri and his obvious hatred for me. But should I really do this when I just dumped Hunter?

After Adrian paid for our meal and tipped our waiter, we decided to take a walk outside. As we neared the street, Adrian looked at me with a sly grin and slid his gaze over to the swing set at the park a block away. "Race ya," he said before winking and taking off.

There was no way in hell I was going to let him beat me! I took off running as fast as I could, even when it was apparent I wouldn't beat him. I ran across the street and saw only the look of horror cross Adrian's face before I saw a truck hurtling toward me. It wasn't going to be able to stop in time!

I had no time to think before I was slammed from behind and my vision was filled with a mixture of violet and black feathers. If this was how I was going to see my death, with Dimitri's wings around me, I was perfectly content.

Chapter 7

Voices overlapping.
Wings, a mixture of purple, green, and black feathers. Shouts. Two guys calling my name. Who are they? They're gorgeous. Both of them. So similar. Familiar. A pain radiates through my back and head. My world spins before it finally settles and I realize I'm on the ground.

I see Dimitri
first, he's huddled over my right side, holding my hand. His wings expand from his naked back. The wings from my dreams, but I know I'm not dreaming anymore. The pain is too real to be a dream.

Frantically looking around, I see Adrian and remember our beautiful evening. Those thoughts are cut short, however, when I see nervously twitching feathers. Green and black, just like Dimitri's, expand from his back. His shirt wasn't ripped off, though. What the hell was going on?!

"What the-"

"Oh my God!
My sweet, I'm so sorry! I should have seen that truck," Adrian's words come out in a nervous rush as he looked me up and down, ensuring that I was really okay.

"Are you alright?" Dimitri's accented words come out much more calm and confident than Adrian's.

"I-I hurt, what the hell is going on?" I demanded. I needed to know why they had wings. I wanted to know why I was dreaming them. Why do Dimitri's look like they did in my dreams. This could not be happening, there was no way this was real. All the stress had pushed me over the edge. I was crazy.

"What are you?" I ask quietly. I must have gone crazy. There is no way that Dimitri is an angel exactly how I saw him in my dreams. "Stay-
stay away from me!" I yelled when Adrian tried to step closer. "Don't come near me, you freak!"

I stood and ran as fast as I could away from the two men. But no amount of distance made me feel safe, so I kept running. I don't know how far I ran, but soon I started to recognize things.
Buildings, gas stations, and finally The Cavern where my car was. So much had gone wrong in just a matter of weeks, ever since Dimitri arrived.

Was he causing this?

As much as I wanted to blame him for every bad thing that had happened to me, I knew some where deep inside of me, that he would never intentionally hurt me. Maybe him coming to town had set things in motion, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that he had meant to ruin my life.

Getting in my car, I realized that I didn't want to go home. I wanted something normal, so I decided to go to Jayne's house. Driving the thirty minutes to Jayne's house, my anger had come and gone and right now I just felt numb. I didn't know what to do, but something inside of me knew not to tell anyone what had happened tonight, what I had seen.

It had started raining hard right after my anger had bubbled up and now it was just a constant musty drizzle that felt perfectly in tune with my mood. Pulling up to the side of her house, I used the door that led straight to Jayne's room, so as not to wake her parents.

Opening the door, I stopped in my tracks when I saw Hunter standing naked in Jayne's room with her on her knees in front of him. My jaw dropped and all I could do was
stare at the unbelievable scene in front of me.

"Oh, my God!
Gwen! I'm sorry!" Jayne jumped up and turned around to face me.

"No, don't even," I could hardly choke out the words before turning and walking out.

"Gwen, I'm your best friend! I'm so sorry you had to find out like this!" Jayne yelled running after me. I run back outside into the freezing rain pounding down. There was no way this was my life now.

"Jayne, I knew he cheated on me after my car wreck, but when I saw Candy's car at his house, I thought it was with her. I expected it from her!
But not you, never you!"

"Listen, I have liked Hunter since like middle school! Now he's interested in me and just because you and him just broke up, you're gonna be a bitch?"

"It's not even that! It's the fact that I just walked in on you giving him a blow job! You know what I have went through the past few weeks and now you go and now you go and do this to me?!" I screamed as I jerked open my car door. I so did not want to have this conversation. Slamming my door shut, I started my car and drove as fast as I could away from Jayne and Hunter.

What the hell had my life become?!

Pulling into my driveway, I immediately noticed that Dimitri's Jeep was parked in my driveway, right beside Adrian's Camaro. I just could not get away from this.

"Please, please don't freak out," Adrian said as I walked through the door. I stop in my tracks as I see Dimitri sitting at the kitchen counter and Adrian rising from one of the chairs. Adrian had wings expanding from his back, slightly smaller from the ones protruding from Dimitri's bare back.

"What do you want?" I demanded, taking a step away from the two.

"Just to talk," Adrian answered, trying to grab for my hand. I jerked my arm back as my anger peaked. The storm outside was raging on and the thunder was roaring. I was so not in the mood for this bullshit. I almost got hit by a truck, walked in on my best friend and my boyfriend, well ex, and now I have two winged freaks in my house.
Hell no.

"I am not having this. I don't know what you are. I don't give a damn! I thought we could be a normal couple!" I glared at Adrian. "I thought you could be my small piece of sanity in all this crazy! But you are the crazy!"

"Sweetheart, do you think I didn't want to tell you?" he asked, looking genuinely hurt.

"Tell me what exactly?"

"Tell you what I am," he replied trying and failing to sound calm.

"And what are you, exactly. And don't you dare lie to me. You are both standing here with fucking wings! I get that you must be angels, I mean I understand angels have wings, but why are you here? Why are intruding on my life?"

"Adrian, you need to leave. I'll handle this," Dimitri said calmly, standing up and looking at me for the first time.

"Oh hell no!"
I am not being alone with your ass! I don't know what the fuck you have to gain here except for the fact that your secret is kept safe. And there is no telling what lengths you'll go to for that achievement," I answered, staring dead into his eyes. They matched his wings perfectly. And even in all the craziness, they calmed me.

"I'm not going to hurt her, Adrian, I promise. Go," he ignored me, looking at Adrian.

I watched horrified as Adrian stood up and walked out with an apologetic look my way, leaving me alone with Dimitri in all his wing expanded, bare-chested glory. Backing away from Dimitri, I find the stairs and run as fast as I can to my room and shut and lock the door.