Painfully Ordinary Special Edition (6 page)

I simply couldn’t get close enough to him. Hearing his
sharp intake of breath, I just couldn’t believe I had this kind of effect on a
guy like him. The knowledge made me brave as I pressed my body against his. He
wrapped his arm around my lower back, anchoring me to him. His lips trailed
across my jaw and then down my neck.

“Ahem.”

My eyes were glazed over, completely dazed, as if coming
out of a dream. Talon shot Jace a murderous look and growled deep in his
throat.

Jace’s eyebrows raised in what appeared to be disbelief.
“What’s that all about? You are always strictly
business
.
You are the one always talking about duty and reminding me of the seriousness
of the task.”

What task
was he talking
about
? He was making me sound like a
job.

Talon
shrugged and took a step back like a chastised child.

Jace chuckled hollowly trying to lighten the mood. “Are we
going to this party, or did we bring these things for nothing?”

Leah honked the horn of Jace’s 4-wheeler. “Come on
Cay-bear. Let’s see what these beasts can do.”

I took a deep steadying breath and briefly wondered if she
was talking about the bikes or Talon and Jace. Either way, it could be trouble.
I watched Talon roll the heavy machinery back to where I was standing, his
muscles rippling under his shirt.

Hel-lo.

I could sit and watch him all day.

He glanced back at me.

Oh
dear God.
Did I say that aloud?

He had his back to me, but his shoulders were shaking with laughter.

Oh, crap. Could he
hear what I was thinking?

If so, I was going to have to start being a
whole
lot more careful, because my
thoughts were positively decadent these days. I ambled over and climbed up
behind him. Leah had her arms wrapped around Jace and was grinning like an
idiot. Few things ever seemed
to truly bother
her.

Talon reached back and patted me on the leg. “Are you
ready?”

Goosebumps spread across my leg. Man, was that a loaded
question or what? I had a million different answers to give him. I wrapped my
arms around him and knew his heart raced. Resting my head against his back, I
patted him on the chest, letting him know I was ready to go.

The ride to the party was an adventure in itself. I had
never been off-roading before, and was more than a little apprehensive. Leah,
on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. She squealed as
Jace raced through the brush and jumped the four-wheeler over small hills.

Finally, the ride was over.

“Why are we stopping so far from the party?” I asked.

Jace winked. “We don’t want anyone messing with our stuff. It
also makes it easier for us to slip in and out without making a big scene.”

I pushed him playfully. “Well, you do think of everything,
don’t you?”

He turned around, pulled Leah off the bike, and swung her
around in a circle.

Talon slid off the four-wheeler and I moved to follow him,
but he swept me up into his arms and kissed me gently.

As I responded to him, he stopped me with a wistful expression.
“They are expecting us.”

I gazed into his eyes. “Let them wait.”

Finally, he bent down, whispering in my ear. “Later, we
will find someplace away from that mischievous pup, and you can have my
undivided attention.”

I took a deep breath, rose up on my tiptoes and murmured,
“I will hold you to that,” nipping the skin under his ear as he had done to me.

His reaction caught me completely off guard. He grabbed me
roughly to him and kissed me deeply.

“I hope this is a short party,” Talon muttered and lowered
me to my feet as his breathing reverted back to normal. He strolled over to
park the four-wheeler next to Jace.

Leah bounced over to me. “Wow! That was quite a display. Was
it anywhere as good as it looked?”

I smacked her arm. “Stop teasing me. I honestly couldn’t
help myself. And it was a thousand times better than it probably looked. I
can’t wait for this party to be over so I can see if it’s as good the second
time around.”

The throbbing baseline of the music floated through the woods
and smoke from the bonfire billowed high above the tree line. I could smell the
scent of burning twigs and brush drifting toward us. It wasn’t an unpleasant
smell, just earthy.

Jace and Leah strode toward the fire, hand-in-hand. I gazed
up at Talon through my lowered eyelashes and took a step closer to him. His
breathing became uneven again when I stood up on tiptoe, wrapping my arms
around his broad shoulders and burying my face in his neck. He smelled amazing.
A clean scent, but extremely masculine.
He wound his
arms around my back and molded me to his length, while I lifted my head to him,
lips parted for his kiss.

I did not expect what I saw.

His electric blue eyes were blazing and held me with a piercing
gaze. He had the look of a predator. Grabbing me by the back of the head, he
crushed my lips against his. My body exploded into flames as I drowned in his
kiss. It was unlike anything I had ever known before, and if his actions were
any indication – he felt the same way.

“
Hey,
are you two
coming or what?” shouted Jace.

Leah cupped her hands around her mouth. “Caiiiiitttiiiii,
come on, let’s go! Girl, I can see how red your face is from here, so you two
knock it off and come
on
!” Talon and
I assessed each other, and I watched in amazement as his eyes slowly changed
back to soft brown.

I placed my hand in the center of his chest. “We better go
join them before Leah has some sort of episode.” I was enjoying my newfound
power.

Talon appeared shaken, but he quickly pulled himself
together. “I am yours to command, Princess.”

I was floating on air as he took my hand in his and we strolled
toward the others. The closer we got to the clearing, the louder the music seemed.
The entire area surrounding the bonfire
was wooded
and
the circular fire ring, with its stone edging, had been there as long as I
could remember. The bonfire was just to the right of the bridge, in a small
clearing bordering the creek.

“So what should we expect?” Jace asked.

“Well from what I’ve heard people usually gather up dead
branches and twigs to use for the fire.” Leah gestured toward the bridge. “There
are tons of stories and legends surrounding the bridge itself. Most of them
involve the “Goat Man”, which is why most people refer to Old Alton Bridge as
“Goat Man Bridge” Leah continued.

“The span itself is some old red truss bridge from the late
1800s spanning Hickory Creek. Legend says this area had been a favorite spot
for Devil worshipers and
that
they conjured a creature
from the bowels of the fire itself—a creature that was half man, half goat. Most
people who have visited this area have stories of weird things that happened to
them while they were here.” Her voice dropped dramatically

“Cool!” Jace exclaimed.

I’m glad he thought it was cool, because it was stories
like that which had kept me from visiting the bridge before now.

Even though the bridge made me nervous, I made myself be content
to spend time with Talon.

Well, at least I
was, until we got
completely into the clearing and I spotted Tami and Ryan sitting near the fire,
drinking
a couple of beers. I immediately stiffened, and Talon wrapped his
arms around me protectively from behind. Jace pushed Leah behind him, and for
once, she didn’t argue. Something in his stance must have made her realize it
wasn’t the time for jokes. At that moment, Ryan looked up, caught my
gaze
and smiled. He was the only person I knew who could
make it look menacing. He gestured back at Tami, and I shuddered.

Talon gathered me close to his broad chest and whispered,
“I told you. You are mine to protect. I will not allow anyone or anything to
harm you.”

I rested my head on his chest. “I know. I trust you
completely.”

Leah reached over, taking my hand with trembling fingers. “Come
on Cay-bear. I think we need a drink.”

My eyes widened at her reaction. She
must
have been more shaken
by Jace’s reaction than I had previously thought. She
led me around the far side of the bonfire where they stored the coolers.

She grabbed a couple bottles of water and handed one to me.
I fidgeted with the label and scanned the crowd until I found Jace and Talon,
who were conversing with their heads together, surveying the circle. They were
obviously assessing anything and everyone. I glanced over and realized Tami was
staring at me with an ominous expression. She spoke to a small, thin man with
shaggy, blonde hair and handed him a small package.

There was something wrong with him; his features were
almost inhuman. He murmured something over the package and tossed it into the
bonfire. The flame burned a bright blue as the smoke thickened and poured over
the crowd. Suddenly, the strange little man was nowhere to
be
seen
and startled applause broke out from the rest of the partiers.

The sulphur smell coming from the smoke was awful, though,
and choked us. Leah and I coughed and waved our hands in front of our faces,
trying to clear the air. Talon’s head snapped up and his eyes detonated into a shocking
blue. He sprinted in our direction. The hair on the back of my neck was
standing on end and nausea washed over me. Leah’s eyes watered and she had a
look of sheer terror, although it didn’t seem to be affecting anyone else as severely.

“Let’s go back to Jace and Talon. We must be standing
downwind or something,” Leah said, her voice tight and shaky.

I nodded. “I’m right behind you.”

We wound our way back through the increasing smoke around
the circle, pushing our way through the people who had begun dancing. Suddenly
a pair of rough hands grabbed me on either side of my waist and yanked me back
away from the fire dragging me toward the tree line.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Talon had found me. I turned
around feeling very grateful, but found myself face-to-face with Ryan instead. My
face fell in fear.

“Hi Caiti, where are your new buddies? I thought they kept
you on a
pretty short
leash. They haven’t left you
alone since transferring here.”

I started to back away in panic, but he seized my wrist in
an iron grip.

“Didn’t you tell him about
us
? It would really be a shame if something happened to him,
wouldn’t it?”

“There
is
no us!” I snapped.

I shook violently in his grasp. This was exactly the reason
we had always avoided these parties. It was my worst nightmare come true—trapped
alone with Ryan, in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t see Leah,
Talon
or Jace anywhere, and Talon should have made it to me by
now. My head throbbed. Was it the smoke or something else?

Ryan tilted his face to the side. “Wait around for a while,
Caitlin. I have some new friends as well, and they are
dying
to meet you. Egan should be here in just a few minutes.”

Wrapping his arm around my waist, he held me tightly. He moved
me closer to the bonfire on the side nearest the creek and nuzzled my neck.

The bile rose dangerously in my throat. I searched for a
way out.

Great, my choices of escape were water or the damn fire.

I struggled, but his grip was merciless. The music silenced
for a moment and everyone began counting down to midnight - when the Goat Man
was rumored
to appear.

Could it really be that late? How long had I been here with
Ryan? Surely, Talon didn’t think this was where I wanted to
be?

I reached up to rub my necklace and it grew warm in my hand.
I immediately dropped it, letting it fall back into place around my neck
.
 
What was causing
that? Were we were standing that close to the fire?

The countdown continued: “Six, five, four, three, two,
one
.”

I could hear cheers coming from all sides.

“All right!”

“Let’s party!”

“Bring it on, Goat Man!”

The next sound I heard was unidentifiable. There were deep
growls and a high-pitched wailing which made my ears ring. In the bonfire smoke,
I saw the face of what appeared to be a man, but something was seriously off.

Ryan hauled me closer to the fire.

“He’s right on
time
. Now you will
get to meet my new friend.”

I glared at him through my tears. “Ryan, what have you
done
?”

He frowned. “Only what you have forced me to do. If you had
obeyed me, this wouldn’t have been necessary.”