Bonded (The Raegan Mason Trilogy) (19 page)

“Guess you either snuck out the window, closed it and replaced the screen, or you walked out the front door after you locked it.  All while staying asleep.”  Kyler snickered. 

“I don’t know how this happened.  My dresser is blocking the window, so I would have had to crawl over it too.  This is too weird.  Plus, how did I get across the island to your house, into your room when I’ve never even seen your house?”  I just shook my head while Kyler opened the window and pushed the curtains aside.

“I’m not sure.  Maybe Julie mentioned it before and you just don’t remember.”  He stepped closer to me and lifted me off the ground cradling me like a baby and lifted me into the window.  “In you go.”  He lifted me as if I didn’t weigh anything and angled my body through the window.  My bottom glided across the top of the dresser and I sat up as my head cleared the window.  I turned around to see Kyler’s face inches from mine.  “However it happened, I’m glad we had tonight.”  He leaned in for one last kiss before saying good night.  He quietly replaced the screen, turned, and jogged across the street to his mom’s car.  I sighed loudly, closed the window and climbed back into bed easily falling asleep.

I woke up startled by thoughts.  They were not my own thoughts.  I could hear Kyler’s thoughts.  He was stressed and his thoughts jumped from the water to a boat to me and a strange rock structure that resembled the Mayan ruins.  At first I thought I was dreaming again, but after waking up and sitting up on my bed, the thoughts were still there.  It was almost as if I was eavesdropping on a conversation, but this was a one-way conversation.

I could see images that were not familiar to me other than my own image.  He was walking on the beach and throwing shells into the crashing waves.  He was near the Rock, my Rock.  I jumped up and put on some shorts and my shoes.  I tip toed quietly out of the house as I had done so many times before.  I crossed the street and headed between the condominiums that littered the shore.

Once I reached the beach, I started toward the Rock.  I searched with my own eyes to find Kyler.  I could still hear and see his thoughts.  He had stopped near the Rock and stared at the water.  Another image flashed through his thought.  A woman, it must have been his mother.  She had the same bright blue eyes and sandy blonde hair.  Her face was concerned. 

We can’t stay
. Her voice rang in my ears as if she spoke them to me.  Kyler’s thoughts turned angry.  He was thinking of leaving his mother and hiding from her.  My face flashed in his thoughts and a strange sound vibrated in my ears.  If I could put a sound to the way the electrical shocks ran through my body when he touched me that would be it.  I took off running in his direction.

As I approached, he turned toward the sound of me running in the sand.  I could see myself in his thoughts.  Confusion wrapped his thoughts.  Music?  He was hearing music, my music.  I slowed down to catch my breath but continued to walk quickly toward him.  When I was within a few feet of him, I stopped.  I could hear his heart beating.  It was pounding as hard as mine from the run.  His thoughts were stunned.  His eyes were locked on mine in the moonlight.  He had stopped breathing.

“Breathe.” I spoke.  He gasped and his eyes refocused on me.  His heart was still pounding.  I was seeing myself in his thoughts.  His eyes roamed over my body and the thoughts that followed made the heat return to my body.  He was bewildered.  I didn’t feel his emotions like I did at the lighthouse; I knew them as my own thoughts.  I knew what he was thinking.  He had never heard my music as I had heard his.  I could hear his music again, but this was so much more intimate.  I didn’t have any doubts about what he felt.  He couldn’t believe I was standing here.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, still staring at me. His voice was constricted as if he wanted to cry.  He wanted to reach out to me but the thought of the woman flashed in his thoughts again.

I closed the gap between us and his heart rate increased tempo.  A frown creased his brow and he looked down at my hands as I reached for his.  He inhaled sharply and I heard his thoughts of pleasure.  For me it wasn’t the same electrical shocks as earlier.  It was warmth as if I melted into him.  For him, he was experiencing the shocks.  His body was heating up under my touch and his self control was fading.

“I saw you…” I struggled to explain.  As I spoke, his body trembled.  He closed his eyes as I did when he talked.  I needed to feel his arms around me.  I placed my hand on his pounding heart and he couldn’t resist my touch any longer.  He grasped me around my waist and pulled me into him.  He bent down and kissed me feverishly.  His thoughts no longer rang in my head, but melted into my own thoughts.  Our thoughts mingled together and I felt his desire to be with me in every sense of the word.  He lowered me to the sand; his hand firmly holding my weight as we melted into another passionate kiss.  His mouth kissed my neck and set my body into shivers.  I giggled and made him look at me.  His body was trembling with my laughter.

“Did we switch bodies?” I asked him teasingly.

“What do you mean?” He whispered and started kissing me again.  His thoughts were only of kissing me and making me want him more.

“I was the one without self control earlier and could feel your touch zap through my body like electricity.  I could ‘hear’ your emotions like music. Now you’re feeling it.”  He pushed slightly away when I said those words.

“How do you know what I’m feeling?” He stared at me amazed.  His body tensed slightly under my touch.  His thoughts suddenly closed to me like a door shutting.

I frowned at him.  “What did you just do?  I can’t hear your thoughts anymore.”

He released me from his embrace and sat up.  He stared at me baffled.  His blue eyes seemed to sparkle even in the moonlight. 

“What is it?” I asked and moved closer to him.  I could still hear his heart beating rapidly.  His eyes darted over my neck, my head, down to my feet and back to my eyes.  I reached out to his hand and his eyes caught on my mother’s bracelet.  His eyes widened with something resembling horror.

“Where’d you get that?” He grasped my wrist and turned the bracelet so the stone was facing us.  When he touched the bracelet, it began to glow slightly.  At first I thought it was reflecting some moonlight, but realized it was actually glowing and warming my wrist beneath. 

“I, uh, it was my mother’s and my Aunt Sarah gave it to me tonight after we got back from the hospital.” My eyes were glued to the glowing stone.  Kyler still gripped my wrist and bracelet.  His heart was beating so hard, I didn’t need the extra sense to hear it.  “What is going on?” I asked him and stared into his glowing blue eyes.  Now my heart was pounding.  His eyes were glowing neon blue.  The wall that he’d put up on his thoughts crumbled and I saw my own face in his thoughts.  My green eyes were glowing like emeralds.  I gasped and pulled my wrist from his hand and backed away.  His blazing eyes faded back to the electric blue.  His thoughts revealed that mine had too.

“Raegan, please don’t be afraid.  This is a good thing.  I promise.”  He inched closer to me and I stood up and stepped back.

“What just happened?  Why were your eyes glowing?  Why were MINE?” I didn’t actually feel afraid, but something close to fear was coursing through my blood.  I was freaking out.  I knew there was something different about him, but I didn’t think it was contagious.

His thoughts returned to the woman but the anger was gone.  He was almost jubilant thinking about talking to her again.  He replayed the glowing eyes scene we just shared.  He focused on the bracelet.  I looked down at my bracelet and back at him.  “What does my bracelet have to do with this?” I asked him point blankly.

He stood up and stepped toward me and looked into my eyes.  “Raegan, that bracelet means quite a bit.  There’s a lot to explain but right now, I think we should go back to my house and let my mother explain.” Her face flashed again in my thoughts.  It almost seemed like he let me see some thoughts and held back others.  An image of him holding my other hand walking toward the light house flashed across my thoughts.  An emotion of love washed over my body, it was his desire for me.  He smiled slightly and reached out his hand.  “I promise it isn’t anything contagious.” He winked and smiled his crooked smile at me.  Whatever was happening, it was happening to both of us and I couldn’t bear not to know more.  I took a deep breath and reached for his hand.  His warmth rushed through my body.  He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly then smiled.  “Everything is going to be fine now.” He whispered as he pulled me toward the light house. 

CHAPTER 16 - MARINA

We reached the lighthouse and he pulled me toward his motorcycle again.  The black metal reflected the moonlight and I caught a thought from Kyler.  He was thinking of me with my arms around him on the back of his motorcycle.  His desire reflected my own.  I couldn’t wait to wrap my arms around him again.  He started the engine and I climbed on back.  I purposely delayed wrapping my arms around him to see how much control I had.  I searched his thoughts.  He was wondering what was taking so long.  He turned slightly and asked, “Are you ready?”  I asked him, “Are you?” I giggled and I placed my arms around him knowing as soon as I touched him the electricity would flow from me through him as it did last night in reciprocation.  He shuddered under my touch and images flashed through his thoughts of us in very intimate embraces.  Images that I entertained last night as he touched me and his energy flowed through me.  He released the throttle and the engine died.  I loosened my hold on him knowing he wasn’t in control. 

“Isn’t easy to control? Is it?” I teased him.

“It’s overpowering!  How did you bear this last night?” He was breathing hard and trying to focus.

“It wasn’t unpleasant by any means!  I’m guessing you were the one in control and kept your desires in check.”  I smiled at him and kissed him gently on the shoulder.  He stood up from the seat and made me release him from my loose hug.  He was tense and uncomfortable.  His thoughts focused on my bracelet.

“Can you take the bracelet off for now and put it in the saddle bag?  It will help me focus on the driving so I don’t wrap us around a telephone pole.”

“Is that why?” I started putting two and two together.  “Is that why you took yours off?”  I remembered he wasn’t wearing his after our night in the lighthouse.  “Is it some kind of aphrodisiac?”

“Yes and absolutely not.  I was told it might help.” He was trying not to think of last night.  I could feel his desire building again.  “Rae, please.”  He begged without looking at me.

“Okay, okay, I’m taking it off.”  I said as I removed the cuff from my wrist and placed it in the leather bag beside me.  As soon as I placed it in the bag and closed the flap, his thoughts were gone from my mind.  He inhaled deeply and sat back down.  “Thanks.” He said as he started the motorcycle up again.  The engine roared and I wrapped my arms around him again and laid my head against his back. 

He was still warm, but the warmth that melted into me was only a memory at this point.  He drove down the gravel path toward the highway.  He headed through the University streets toward the bay side of the island.  Some of the older homes were established out there.  Many had private docks for their boats and yachts.  Kyler pulled into the driveway we had just left a couple of hours before.  He parked his motorcycle and we climbed off.  He reached for my hand instinctively now and I welcomed the slight buzz of electricity streaming through us.  He lifted the flap of the saddle bag and grabbed my bracelet by the silver cuff careful not to touch the stone.  He handed it to me and suggested I hold it and not wear it yet.  We walked to the front door and went in.

The entry way was dark and narrow as he led me through the hall to the living room.  The walls were a neutral color.  The center of the room held a black leather sofa and arm chair.  The walls had paintings of old ships displayed.  The stone fireplace was empty in the summer weather but decorated with replica lighthouses.  The room did not feel comfortable.  It felt like a showcase room rather than a living room.  Kyler left me there to find his mother.  I walked from picture to picture admiring the art.  The French doors at the end of the room revealed a patio area overlooking the bay.  I looked out the windows to see a private dock with a large yacht parked.  There was some movement on the pier.  People were unloading equipment from the vessel.  I held my bracelet near my body as I crossed my arms and watched.  I didn’t know if Kyler went outside to find his mother amongst the workers or if they were still in the house. 

I rubbed the stone with my thumb and caught a flash of his mother at the docks in his thoughts.  She was looking at a laptop.  I kept rubbing my thumb over the stone as he approached his mother.  He was telling her that he had some news and that she would need to come to the house.  Her icy blue eyes measured him before she spoke. 

“You brought her here?” She asked him. 

“Yes, Mother.  Something has changed and we need answers.”

“We?” Her eyes widened and she paused and stared into Kyler’s eyes.  “Did you unite with her?” Disapproval filled her words.

“No, Mother, but we have bonded and ignited.” A flash of my eyes glowing at his touch and a flush of desire flooded my thoughts.  “She also has something that you will be interested in seeing.”  My bracelet flashed through his thoughts.

“I see.” His mother glanced up to the doors where I was looking toward them.  “Does she know how to use it?”

My heart pounded.  She seemed to know exactly where I was.  I backed away from the door fearing that she knew I was eavesdropping on their conversation.  I kept my thumb on the stone and sat down on the leather couch to continue listening in on their conversation.

“I don’t believe so.  She does have many questions about our bonding.  I felt it would be best coming from you since her mother is not here to explain.”  A replay of our accident on the bridge rolled through his thoughts as if he witnessed the whole thing!

I gasped and quickly took my thumb off of the stone.  I couldn’t bear to see those images.  How did he know so much?  Was he there?  My heart was pounding faster and my fear was building.  I thought about leaving.  Unions? Igniting? Bonding?  Nate had said something about bonding that night.  I didn’t know what I was getting into.  Who were these people?  I stood up and started heading for the door.  I grabbed the door knob as Kyler ran down the hall and stopped inches from me.