Spearwood Academy Volume Five (5 page)

A
finger runs down the bridge of my nose, petting me out a nice dream. “Rosenip, wake up. It’s time to go to dinner.” My eyes open in a flash. Dante lies on his side, facing me. I nearly fall off my bed as I scoot away from him.

“Dante, how are you in my room? Why isn’t the alarm going off?”

He laughs. “We learned how to get past that months ago with the help of Minos.”

I frown. “Minos?”

“My P.A.? He hacks the system all the time. You know that.”

Minos must be the little boy who looks like a younger version of him. I’ve only seen him a few times.

“Of course. Sorry. I’m still foggy with sleep.”

“I would’ve let you sleep all night. Probably would’ve laid with you and woke you up later for a quickie. We haven’t been able to do anything since that bastard was assigned to you. Now that he’s gone, we can see each other again. I made sure to give him a visit in the dungeons. He won’t be hurting another woman for the rest of his life. Trust me.”

My eyes widen. “What did you do to him?”

He smiles with a darkness I’ve never seen on his face. “You don’t need to worry about that. Just know he was taken care of.” He gives me a quick peck on the lips. “But dinner calls, and we have no choice in the matter of attendance.”

“I’m under house arrest, remember? I can only leave this place for class.”

He smiles and shakes his head. “Not anymore. Perlow wanted me to tell you he lifted your ban on meals. He figures you’ve proved yourself trustworthy. You still can’t go out on the grounds or have those cuffs removed though. Too bad, you were getting really good at that sex magic trick.”

My cheeks flare up. I must be as red as a cherry. I can’t believe the memories they’ve put in this boy’s head. I’m only fifteen, not some experienced woman. “Dante, how would you feel about slowing things down?”

“Slowing what down?”

“Us having sex. Maverick just died, and I don’t—”

“I understand. You don’t have to say it.” He presses his lips together. I can’t read his expression, but his amber eyes speak of sadness.

“You aren’t mad?” I whisper.

He pushes a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “No. I just wish you loved me as much as you do him. I saw the challenge.”

Tears fall again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you guys could see the memories.” At least that’s what Bullock said.

He kisses my forehead. “Don’t be. Most people weren’t able to see them. I’m a special case. Now, let’s go to dinner. Maybe I can talk the guys into cookies and movie afterwards. We haven’t done that in a while, and I think you need it.”

He pulls me to him and rolls both of us off the bed. I let out a squeal before we land on a warm cloud of air. Did he do that?

D
inner went by in a blur of small talk and me hardly touching my food. Now we’re walking back to my dorm for cookies and a movie.

I can’t help but glance over my shoulder at Amr and Horace as we walk back to my dorm. They aren’t touching, or even talking, but I can tell something has happened between them, something that signifies they’re more than friends. Amr no longer has that look of wanting I caught in his eye back at the Orchard, but he does have a happiness dancing in them. I wonder if they’re a couple now in their memories, or if Amr has finally confessed his feelings for him. I never had a chance to talk to him about what I noticed.

I hope Amr has started to remember his real memories. That’s the only thing that could explain his confusion. If these damn cuffs weren’t on me, I could see if my Angel powers could fix him. I wish I could’ve tried them on one of the guys before all of this started, but I’m at a moot point now. I have to trust in Bullock, that he’ll figure out how to deactivate the magic, so I can have all my powers back. I can’t stand this for much longer.

At least Perlow was able to get Enid back for me. Why couldn’t they use her from the beginning? What did Roseman want with Jericho following me around all day? Aren’t the Watchers and a P.A. enough? Maybe he wanted someone close, to see if I was truly brainwashed. I doubt the Watchers could pass along that kind of information.

Sometime during dinner, a new door got put up. The classic
beep
sounds as I touch the handle.
At least I know I’m safe with my security system, well, safe from anyone who isn’t as conniving as Dante; I’m safe around him. He proved that today.

“Cookies, cookies,” Dante mutters under his breath as he moves past me and into the kitchen. He wastes no time getting out the bowls and ingredients needed for cookies. I lift an eyebrow, a tad surprised at all the things already stocked. I’m not shocked at all by how quickly he makes himself at home.

Horace starts a movie with his P.A., and Amr takes a seat on one end of the couch. “What should we watch?” he asks.

““I wouldn’t mind a classic like a
Back to the Future
.”“ I swallow hard. That was Maverick’s favorite. He loved Michael J. Fox. We’’d watch the BTTF trilogy a few times a year. Only thing we watched more was anime and dramas. Of course, Dante would be the one to suggest it.

““Why are you crying, Avvi?”“ Amr asks.

I touch my cheek only to find warm tears. “I’m fine. That movie sounds good.” I wipe away the rest of my tears. I have to stop doing this to myself. I need to save my tears for my pillow. I don’t want the guys thinking they need to tip toe around me.

I go to the kitchen. Dante seems to know what he’s doing, but I don’t want to risk the cookies tasting bitter because he used too much baking powder. I cross in front of him to prepare the dry ingredients. He gives me a light pat on the butt as he takes a whisk from the tool crock. I give him a half-hearted glare. He winks at me in return before whisking the wet ingredients together with the finesse of a master baker. I sometimes wonder what planet he fell from. I’ve never met someone as skilled as Maverick and Paden at a young age, even the other guys aren’t as skilled. Was he like a backup for if Maverick and Paden weren’t available? He already knows how to do a full shift and use the Voice.

I add in the chocolate chips as he pours the wet batter in my bowl. I stir it together with my spatula. I’ve never been one for mixers; they take the fun out of baking. Soon, the cookie dough forms. Now, we just need to make the dough balls and stick them in the oven.

The child side of me still gets pleasure from forming the balls with my hands instead of using a spoon. A small smile pulls at the corner of my lips before his arms go around my waist and he leans over my shoulder. He makes me feel so small. I close my eyes. If I try hard enough I can pretend he’s Maverick.

I clear my throat when the though edges its way into my mind. I pull away from Dante. It’s wrong of me to use him like that. It’s not fair to him at all, and, in the end, it just hurts me more.

“I’m sorry, Rosenip. I’m just so used to doing this with you. I wasn’t even thinking. I know you’re going through something right now, which I don’t really understand. I didn’t even have a clue you were seeing the Pricks’ brother until that day, let alone that you were in love with him.” He whispers in my ear before placing a kiss at the back of my head.

My heart drops a bit into my stomach. Guilt runs through me like a mob of wild horses. I wipe off my fingers and face him, leaning my back against the counter.

I shake my head. “I’m sorry too. I know none of this is fair to you. I don’t know if it will ever be again, but I hope that soon you will understand why I’m like this. Hopefully, you won’t be this hurt and confused for much longer.”

“As long as I can stand by your side, as your guard, I can wait for however long it takes.

Horace and Amr push the couches together, so they both face the biggest wall in the room. The classic clocks’ ticking sounds at the beginning of the movie, just as the cookies finish cooling. My hearts hurts at the nostalgic
ticks
of the clocks. Please, let me get through this without losing my grip on myself again.

A
click
awakens my brain, as a burst of cold air wafts over me. Where am I? Darkness prevails over the room, and I can tell I’m not in my bed. A couch? A hard body rests bedside me, a hand thrown onto my lower body. Could I be in the Cabin again? Was everything: Maverick dying, the survival challenge, and Jericho just some horrible, messed up dream?

I can’t believe it. That dream felt so real and long. Butto know it was just a nightmare lifts so much weight off my heart. I can breathe again
.

I snuggle deeper into his chest. The hand on my hip tightens its hold, pulling me closer to his body and further away from the edge of the cushions. I reach out and grip his shirt; warm tears have stained it a little bit.

He’ll probably think I’m just being an over dramatic girl . . . freaking out over a dream so much. I’ll never be able to describe to him how real it felt. I swear his body convulsed in my arms as he took his last breath. Nothing in a dream has ever brought me more pain than in that moment.

The darkened curtains have stopped the morning sun from invading the Cabin. I scoot my body further up the couch, so I can kiss him on the neck. I’ve always wanted to wake him up like this. We don’t need to be back at Spearwood just yet.

“Mav, I had such a bad nightmare. I’m so glad it wasn’t real,” I mumble into his neck.
I place feather light kisses on the lower side of his neck, marking a trail up to his warm and welcoming lips. He kisses me with no hesitation. His hand travels underneath my shirt in no time. Someone seems impatient. I smile into the kiss, but something about it just isn’t right. His kissing technique has changed, more relaxed than last night. It still feels good to kiss him though.

His wandering hand moves out from underneath my shirt to cup my cheek. His thumb runs through a stray tear, and he breaks the kiss.

“Why are you crying, Rosenip?”

My eyes shoot open, and I move away from him, falling off the couch and onto the hard floor. I wince. That’s not Maverick.

Fingers snap, and the lights in the room flare to life. Dante sits up. “Are you okay, Avvi? What’s wrong?”

I pull my knees up and hide my face against them. If I don’t see it, then it means it’s not real and I’m just still having an incredibly long dream. Nevertheless, reality tries to regain her grip on me. No, this can’t be happening. It was supposed to all be a nightmare. Maverick was the one I just kissed with all of my soul, not Dante.

“What the fuck? No, this isn’t real,” Dante stammers.

What? He feels the same way? I lift my head up only to find someone standing at the end of the couch closest to Dante. I have to blink twice. I’m not entirely sure who, or what I’m seeing.

“Hello, brother. It’s been a while.”

“Minos.”

To be continued
 . . .