Catch Me When I Fall (24 page)

Wow
. Where that boldness came from, I didn’t know, but holy shit, it was hot. I leaned closer to her and brought my lips to her ear. “Only if you wear this outfit again.”

“Well, I suppose I have to wear something.” She smirked.

The mental picture of her wrestling in the nude made my breath quicken. Pinning her against the door, I kissed her hard and fumbled with the doorknob. I needed to get her inside the room now or clothes were going to start coming off in the hallway. But before I could turn the doorknob, Seth appeared.

“Whoa, man! Sorry!” Seth covered his eyes and pretended to run into a wall.

I jumped off Kayla like a scared cat and kept my back to Seth until I could compose myself.

“What is it?” I asked, my voice gruff. How many times could we be interrupted in one day?

“Um, just wondering if we were going to train again today. You had us all come back at two…”

Damn, how could I forget?
Well, I knew how. But that was beside the point. “Yeah. I’ll be right there.”

“Okay,” Seth replied. “Uh, sorry, Kayla… about this.”

Kayla covered her mouth as a smile burst free. Her cheeks were so red they were purple, but she giggled.

“Is he gone?” I asked.

She nodded and finally laughed.

“That was not funny,” I said and grinned. Seeing her laugh made me want to kiss her all over again. She was so beautiful when she smiled.

“Oh, yes it was. You are blushing so bad.”

“Yeah, well, enjoy it while you can.”

She wrapped her arms around my neck. “Oh, I am.”

I tickled her before playfully shoving her aside. Then I grabbed her hand and evaporated us to the gym.

ayla, Samantha and Seth stayed to help me clean up after I’d dismissed my team, then the four of us walked to the cafeteria to grab what was left of the supper we’d missed, thanks to Alex delaying me. And maybe Kayla.

Tabbi waited at one of the tables when we entered the room. “Jeez, you guys took forever. You do realize you’ve missed supper.”

“We’re aware,” I replied. “Is there nothing left?”

Tabbi shook her head. “I tried to save you some, but Thing One and Thing Two over there,” she pointed to two of the humans in charge of prepping the food, “wouldn’t let me.”

“That’s stupid. Don’t they know they work for us?” Samantha asked.

“It’s fine, Sam,” I said. “We’ll just—”

Seth interrupted me. “Have to go out! What about
L’alce
? They have bar food. We haven’t been there for a while.”

The last time we were there was the night Seth decided to pop in on the Pope. We all had had way too much to drink and stumbled back into the mansion, annoying everyone within earshot of the staircase.

“What about somewhere else that isn’t quite so… insane?” I asked.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a prude,” Samantha said, crossing her toned arms over her large chest.

“I’m not being—”

“What’s
L’alce
?” Kayla asked.

“A
dance club
. Which Daniel apparently thinks is too
crazy
for him,” Samantha replied, rolling her brown eyes.

“No, I just don’t think right now’s the best time to—”

“I’d kind of like to go,” Kayla interrupted. “I’ve never been to a club.”

“Please, Daniel. I want to go, too!” Tabbi bounced in her chair.

“All right, fine. But don’t forget we have to wake up early tomorrow.” I pointed my finger at Seth, the person I knew would be responsible for encouraging drunkenness all night.

“Okay, Dad.” Seth laughed, and I smacked him round the head as we exited the room.

At nine o’clock, Seth and I waited in the foyer. We’d all decided to take showers—and the girls wanted to dress up—so, we’d separated after we left the cafeteria. I hadn’t seen Kayla until now.

And,
my god
.

Kayla descended the stairs in a silver, strapless gown that stopped mid-thigh and hugged every curve. Her dark hair had been tied in a loose bun, though a few strands hung into her face. On her feet were blood-red heels, and the only jewelry she wore was the necklace I’d bought her in the piazza. Lightheadedness hit me, and I had to take a deep breath to keep from falling backward.

“Wearing that dress is cruel,” I whispered in her ear when she took my arm.

Her cheeks blushed as she smirked, and we followed the other three out into the night.

The club, a two-story building in downtown Rome, wasn’t far from the mansion. The first floor was a bar and restaurant, with the club above. Tabbi shared a story with Kayla about the time she’d landed in
L’alce
’s toilet as they evaporated into the building, her Irish accent fading into the background as they disappeared. After flashing the fake I.D.s that made the rest of us eighteen, we met them in the restaurant.

We ate fast then jogged up the stairs to the club. The bass pounded in my chest before we even entered the dim room. The only lights were the ones at the bar and the strobe light over the dance floor. Seth immediately bought us a round of shots, and I held Kayla’s in my hand.

“You don’t have to drink. I’m sure Seth wouldn’t mind putting this down,” I said.

Kayla held out her hand. “I said I hadn’t been to a club. I never said I hadn’t drunk alcohol before.”

With a raised eyebrow, I smiled and handed her the shot glass. She downed the whiskey like a pro. Seth cheered as I followed suit.

“Well, come on, you two! Let’s get this party started!” Tabbi yelled and dragged both of us onto the dance floor.

Seth and Samantha wasted no time grinding against each other, both of them with drink in hand. Kayla closed her eyes and raised her arms above her head. The reds, blues and greens of the strobe light bounced off her dress as her hips moved from side to side with the music. My body warmed at the sight of her in that dress, and the way she moved…

I jumped when someone tapped my arm.

“You don’t have to dance by yourself for my sake,” Tabbi said. “I can take care of myself if some jerk tries to pinch my butt again.”

I laughed, remembering how Tabbi had kneed the last guy in the crotch so hard he’d had to call an ambulance. “I bet it took a surgeon to get that bloke’s goolies back into place.”

She smiled. I tousled her hair, which made her swear at me, then I stepped toward Kayla. Sliding my hands around her waist from behind, I pulled her against me. Together, we danced to the beat, our hips moving in sync, and my hands wandered her body. I’d forgotten how arousing dancing could be.

When Kayla turned to face me, I pictured my hands unzipping her dress, the fabric falling from her body, her in nothing but lingerie and heels. I glided my hand down her back to rest on her bum and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Kayla leaned into me and lifted her lips to speak into my ear. “We can sneak off to the bathroom, if you want.”

The air caught in my throat, and I coughed. Again, her boldness shocked me, but definitely not in a bad way. It
would
be easy to simply lift the dress, and that was something I’d never tried before. I was about to grab her hand and lead her to the bathroom when a loud scream from behind me shook me out of my daydream.

My hands dropped from Kayla’s body, and I turned to see what had happened. The scream had come from Samantha—and Seth was lying on the ground.

I moved Samantha out of the way and dropped next to Seth. My fingertips pressed the side of his neck for a pulse. His heart beat slowly. People surrounded us, staring and whispering.

“He’s alive,” I said to Samantha. “Get Kayla back to the mansion. I’ll take him to Bartholomew.”

Samantha nodded then grabbed Kayla’s hand. Tabbi followed them to a place where they could evaporate unseen. I held up Seth’s head, ready to disappear right there, when his eyes opened—black, and shiny like marbles. Sweat formed on his brow, and he gripped my forearm. “Daniel, I can’t hold him. He wants—” Seth shook, closed his eyes and cried out in pain.

“Hey! Who’s ‘he?’ Who can’t you hold?”

Seth’s eyes reopened and stared at me. No, more like
into
me. As if he could read my soul. “Bring me the girl. Tomorrow. Midnight. The rooftop in Paris. Fail me, and all you know will suffer.”

Seth’s eyes closed, and I evaporated us to one of Bartholomew’s hospital rooms as ice ran down my spine.

I slouched in one of the chairs next to Seth’s bed. Bartholomew had calmed his fever, but Seth had yet to wake. After telling him what happened, Bartholomew had only been able to come to one conclusion—the warlock was getting creative. And he knew where Kayla was. Would he come for her when I didn’t deliver her to him? Leaning forward, my elbows on my knees, I dropped my forehead into my hands.

“How is he?” Kayla asked from behind me.

I raised my head. She still wore her silver dress. “Alive. We won’t know any more until he wakes.”

“What happened?”

I turned away so she couldn’t see the truth in my eyes. She
could not
know what the warlock really said. “We think the warlock attacked Seth to get to us.”

The room was silent for at least a minute. Then finally, Kayla spoke. “I’m sorry, Daniel.”

“Don’t be.”

“But the warlock is after me, and you guys are protecting me.”