Madly (10 page)

Jackson leaned back in his chair, his eyes boring straight into mine as if he was trying to see into my soul. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but the alarm sounded just then. Before I could blink, Jackson was on his feet.

“
Ok, Princess, work your magic.”

Standing, I looked out into the room, blocking out the sound of squeals and yelps as a fine spray began to hiss from the sprinkler heads. I concentrated on the warmth of my bracelet, the smell of the water and, for better or worse, the man at my side.

I could almost feel Jackson’s piercing eyes on me, watching my face. Knowing he was so focused on me did strange things to my insides. They warmed as my bracelet warmed, hotter and hotter until I felt liquid lava rushing through my veins.

Closing my eyes, I pictured the water gushing harder and harder from the sprinkler heads, raining down in thick sheets over the entire room. When I opened my eyes, I saw my vision come to life.

The sound of water pouring from the tiny heads and splattering on every surface in the room drowned out the laugh that bubbled up in my throat. Closing my eyes, I turned my face up to the drops and let the joy of my accomplishment course through me.

And then there was an explosion, only it was contained behind the walls of my heart. Jackson’s fingers wrapped around my wrist and it was as if my body, my mind, my power were suddenly hooked up to jumper cables. A blinding light burst behind my lids, sending a shower of colorful sparks flying into the sky of my brain.

With a gasp, my eyes flew open. I turned to him and I was immediately lost to the world around us. My bones melted and swirled inside me, leaving me with nothing more than the electricity of Jackson’s touch to keep me upright. A feeling, a
want,
like nothing I’d never felt before squeezed my lungs and burned in my chest. It was primal and profound, and I knew that he felt it, too.

Jackson’s eyes were on fire. They screamed a desire that he couldn’t control. They cried a hunger that matched my own. I could see it all, everything that I felt, mirrored in the shimmering depths of the brilliant blue.

The force of gushing water began to pop the sprinkler heads off one by one, the metallic
tink, tink, tink
punctuating every heavy beat of my heart. Water flowed all around us, but Jackson and I stood beneath the bubble of my thrall—a bubble that drops could no longer penetrate, a bubble that contained only me and Jackson and the magic of
our
moment.

I don’t know how long we stood like that—Jackson’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, his eyes searing me with the intensity of his reaction, rain falling down all around us—but he was the first to move, letting go of my wrist and shaking his head as if to clear it of confusion.

I watched him, still in the throes of so much feeling, until his eyes met mine again. When they did, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. They were cool and distant, empty of all the wonder and emotion I’d just seen.

Our moment was over.

“
There’s gum on your hand,” he said blandly. “But it’ll have to wait. Everyone’s out. We’ve got to go.” With that, Jackson turned and made his way into the Records Room, leaving me to follow behind him.

Taking a deep breath, I urged my legs to move and I followed him into that room to learn of a girl, a girl who didn’t even know she was counting on us to save her life. She had no idea that a werewolf was coming for her, intent on finishing what he’d started hundreds of years before, or that we were the only ones who could stop it.

BOOK ONE, MADLY & WOLFHARDT

COMING SOON

SUMMER 2011

Other books by M. Leighton

Blood Like Poison: For the Love of a Vampire

Blood Like Poison: Destined for a Vampire

Caterpillar

The Reaping

Wiccan

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