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He slid in and pulled his belt around himself, then smiled at me as he pressed the button to open the garage door.

“
I really did feel like I was holding you back in there,” I said, glancing to my side at him.

“
Did Aden say something to you while I was talking to Austin? Are you OK? Did Austin scare you when he was talking about his home?”

I didn’t even want to try and understand where Austin was from – what place would be that peaceful at this point in history…or even that passage I remembered – the string. It all seemed superficial compared to the other memories I’d lost…the ones that I hoped had Draven in them.

I hesitated before I answered. “Aden was telling me to listen to my soul – to let my emotions unlock what I’ve managed to forget.”

He reached for my hand and carefully laced his fingers through mine. “What emotions do you have right now?” he asked as ours eyes met.

“
They’re out of control,” I whispered.

“
Mine, too,” he said as he tried to smile.

“
Would you tell me if I knew you before?”

“
I’ve already told you that I did.”

“
That’s not what I mean – what are you patiently waiting for me to remember?”

“
Just…how strong you are,” he answered as he let his eyes fall from mine. He let my hand go and put the Hummer in drive. I looked forward into the darkness at the wind and rain thrashing in every direction. I reached for the radio just as he did, then he smiled slightly as he turned it up, reaching for my hand again as he drove to the edge of his driveway.

An overwhelming fear came over me; I felt like I was leading him into some kind of pending doom – I had no doubt that this evil I was fighting would take anything I cared about away from me – I didn’t want them to see us together.

“
Maybe I should just stay here until the storm passes – then I can drive myself.”

He let out a quiet breath and reached for a switch on his dash; at that moment, lights beamed from the Hummer so bright, it was hard to see the night. He then turned the radio up just a little bit more. “Please, just let me make sure you get home safe,” he said, glancing at me.

As I nodded and focused on the music that was playing, he reached for my hand as he pulled forward. I swear, I could see shadowed figures dodge out of the light that the Hummer was projecting. As we got closer to my house, I started to fear his drive home – convinced that they’d attack him. I let go of Draven’s hand and reached for the radio to turn it down. I closed my eyes and focused on every sound I could hear. The whispers were faint, but I could make out words. I could swear I heard, “Draven, Charlie” and the word “Come” overlapping with one another. I was terrified for the both of us.

All at once, they stopped, and I opened my eyes to see us pulling into my garage.

“
Safe,” Draven said under his breath as he looked at me.

Lightning illuminated behind the garage as thunder crashed above us.

“
The problem we have now is that I have no way of making sure you are…” I said, looking behind myself to watch the wind punishing the trees with a raging force. “I think you should stay here until this blows over.”

His eyes softened as he put the Hummer in park. “You really want me to stay with you?”

My heart started to pound in my chest, and my ears burned as I realized how bold that request was. “I – I just don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

The corners of his perfect lips turned into a slight smile. “You’re worth the pain – trust me,” he said. As he reached for my hand and laced his fingers through mine, his thumb started to trace small circles on my skin.

“
When you do that, I feel your skin hum…I don’t understand it; I wonder if it’s the music,” I said quietly, watching his thumb move and remembering how magically his hands seemed when he played.

He leaned closer to me, and his hypnotizing green eyes were just inches away. “Your skin hums, too.”

I smiled vaguely, not knowing what else to do. He didn’t smile back; he just held my gaze and leaned closer to me. I held my breath, and every part of me tensed. He titled his head tenderly and whispered, “Breathe.”

I let a quiet breath out; I was so tense, I couldn’t move. He reached his hand to cradle my face, then pulled my lips to his. As I felt his tender, warm lips on mine, my entire body relaxed. I felt so light, I thought it was quite possible that I’d float away. I smiled through his kiss, feeling more alive right now than I ever had.

He slowly pulled away, and a blushing smile spread across his face. “Now everything is humming,” he whispered.

I blushed and smiled as if to agree.

Chapter 10

I felt my phone vibrate in my bag, and I cringed. Draven leaned slightly back. “Someone’s looking for you.”

The numbing feeling his kiss had given me faded, and the fear that I’d lose him before I really knew him again came over me. I reached in my bag and pulled out my phone, hoping that was the one that was vibrating – a relieved smile came across my face as I saw Kara’s name on the Caller ID. I slid the bar.

“
I’m in the garage,” I said as looked into Draven’s eyes.

At that moment, the back door opened and Kara waved us in. I slid my phone in my bag and reached for the door.

“
You’re coming in, right?”

His smile grew as he nodded.

Kara stepped into the garage as we walked toward her. “I was calling to tell you to stay there – we’re under a severe storm warning.”

“
Yeah, it’s pretty bad out there,” I said, looking back at Draven.

“
I don’t think you should drive back until it passes, Draven,” Kara said. “Why don’t you guys go play music or something?”

“
Sounds perfect,” Draven said, blushing as he looked at me.

“
How was dinner?” Kara asked me as she pushed the door open for us to come in.

“
Interesting,” I said, mocking the word she always seemed to use.

As she looked up at Draven, he shook his head no once and the hopeful expression Kara had fell.

“
Alright – interesting is good. I’m done for the night. If this gets worse, wake me up so we can go down to the basement.”

“
If we play, is it gonna keep you up?” I asked.

Thunder crashed above the house as I said the words.

Kara raised her eyebrows. “If anything, it’ll help me sleep – I hate storms.”

“
Then we’ll play really loud,” Draven said charismatically as he reached for my hand and looped his fingers through mine.

Kara smiled, then turned to leave the room. I started to pull Draven toward the living room. With each step we took, the louder the guitar sound became; by the time we reached the stairs, it sounded like we were standing in the center of a concert.

“
If she could hear this – we wouldn’t need to play for her,” I said, looking back at him as I climbed the stairs.

“
It’s not hers to hear.”

When we reached my room, I let my bag fall by the short wall, then followed him up the stairs that led to the studio. He walked to the window and looked toward his house, then pulled out his phone. I cautiously walked up behind him. I could see almost everything in his studio from here. Aden was sitting on the couch with a guitar across himself - he reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“
Hey,” Draven said as he answered. “I’m gonna stay over here for a while – if it dies down before you pass out, will you just bring her car over? We can ride back together.”

Draven listened as Aden spoke, then responded, “I’ve seen worse – but yeah, it’s pretty vicious out there.”

Aden waved at me through the window; I smiled slightly and waved back. Draven slid his phone back in his pocket. “He said to tell you ‘sweet dreams’.”

“
You guys are really fond of dreaming, aren’t you?” I said as I turned to get my guitar – I wanted to play the gray electric one again.

Draven laid the case that was on the couch on the floor, then sat down and watched me walk to him. “Dreams are the mind’s- eye,” he said as I pulled the strap of the guitar across myself and sat down next to him.

“
I can’t remember the last time I dreamed,” I said quietly.

Draven relaxed into the couch as he let his arm stretch out behind me. “What do you think about as you drift to sleep?” he asked.

I gripped the neck on the guitar and played through a few chords flawlessly before I answered him. “I…I think about silence.”

“
Maybe tonight you should listen to it, instead of thinking about it,” he said, nodding his head for me to play some more.

I let my finger dance across the strings, not really attempting to make solid sound. I was starting to mock the sound all around us, and I had no idea how I was doing it. “It’s hard to listen to something you never hear.”

Draven started to lace his fingers through the long tips of my dark hair. My heart was racing, but I was enjoying every second of it.

“
Silence can be heard at every moment …you need to see your senses as something you can control….you’re not at the mercy of them…they’re at the mercy of you.”

I played a few more chords, trying to stay in rhythm with the guitar sound all around us. When my fingers started to ache, I let go. I didn’t want to play anymore – I wanted to figure him out. I stood and safely placed my father’s guitar in the stand. Draven held my stare as I slowly walked back to his side.

“
Is it the same with seeing? Do you see what you want? Do you see what that Landen guy can – I mean, does your birthday state that, too?” I asked, looking into his perfect emerald green eyes.

The corners of his tender lips turned into a slight smile as his eyes danced over my face. “I’d rather see what Austin says that Landen can see…it would make a lot of things easier…”

I could see anger cloud his eyes, and for the first time I saw fear and betrayal behind them. I couldn’t help but think that it was my fault…I hurt him. My breath became shallow, and I struggled to hold his stare as I spoke. “I’m sor---“ he pulled me closer as he slowly shook his head, stopping me from apologizing. I let my eyes fall between us. Every part of me wanted to close that gap – to embrace him and feel the energy from his skin, the strength of his arms around me…his kiss. I closed my eyes as memories of moments filled with passion flooded my mind. My skin blushed and my heart pounded as I struggled to understand if they were real. I leaned further away and looked down and tried to think of something beyond the emotions that were screaming at me.

“
Does that make any sense, though?” I finally said. “That Landen’s birthday gave him special traits?” I shook my head. “Seems absurd to me.”

He laughed quietly under his breath and reached for my hand. “That’s a debate you’ll have to have with Madison – she seems to understand that science.”

“
So you don’t think your birthday gave you anything special? You agree with me?” I asked, daring to look into his eyes again.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m a Taurus…we’re known for our temper…and I have that.”

My eyes fell from his. I had seen anger in eyes more than I cared for, but I knew it wasn’t a violent anger…it was one with pain, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to bring up why that emotion was there.

“
There has to be a good side to that sign,” I mumbled as I tried to change the subject.

“
Well…Madison says it’s one of the reasons I have a strong voice….but that’s debatable.”

My eyes quickly rose to his. “Are you kidding – debatable? That is not debatable….I love…,” I hesitated as flashes of him came to me…I could remember how the sound of his voice would take every fear away. “I love your voice,” I whispered. An ache tore through the center of my soul, and I couldn’t understand how one word – love – could spark a pain that deep in me. My eyes fell, and my breathing became shallow once again. Draven leaned forward as concern filled his face.

I shook my head as I stared at him. “I don’t understand what’s wrong with me,” I mumbled as my eyes moved across his flawless features.

“
Nothing is wrong with you,” he said, furrowing his eyebrows.

“
Something is…I think...I think I’ve forgotten something…something that didn’t deserve to be forgotten.”

He let his arm fall from behind the couch around me, then pulled me closer to him.“Everyone is telling me that I should tell you what you’ve forgotten – that I should carry you away to some distant place, but they don’t know you like I do.”

I looked up at him, and he leaned down and let his lips gently touch mine. As I slowly moved my lips against his, I felt his energy flow into me. I told myself to breathe…to just breathe. As he pulled away, his eyes looked deep into mine. “My Charlie…the Charlie I know…she’s not scared or lost…she knew exactly who she was and what she wanted – I know if you’ve forgotten something that you had your reasons…and right now, I feel guilty…I feel like I’m holding you back.”

“
From what?” I asked as I furrowed my eyebrows.

“
I don’t know – I just know a few days ago, I lost you…part of me is saying to let your memory stay lost – that it’s safer that way.” His eyes looked down. “And the other part of me - along with everyone else - is telling me that you’re in danger.”