Supernova (27 page)

Kerrigan narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. She was almost sure she could see a hint of something familiar. There was a shimmer of movement, like looking through an old wavy glass window. She blinked her eyes and looked again. When the deformity of the air was gone, she exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. That familiar puff of white air appeared with her breath and then dissipated as if it hadn’t formed at all.

“What’s wrong, Kerrigan?” Sydney asked.

“I thought I saw something,” she answered in an unsure voice. “Green eyes…”

“I knew this shit wouldn’t work.” Gabe blew his candle out and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. “Where’s the boogey man, Livi?”

“Well, it doesn’t always work. I thought for sure with Kerrigan here…” she trailed off and then her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, did you guys see her eyes?”

“No,
you
said we were supposed to keep our eyes closed and concentrate, skank,” Gabe said with a roll of his head.

“Oh, like you were really concentrating,” she scoffed, trying to shift the attention from herself. “I bet you were thinking about boinking Dominic, weren’t you?”

“Honey, ain’t I always?” He giggled and stood from the table with a stretch. “I think I could use a Bubbletini.”

“That sounds yummy,” Sydney said. “I think I’ll join you.”

The girls blew out the rest of the candles, and Dominic used the distraction to make a fast break for his room. A slight breeze blew Kerrigan’s hair as he went by, and she felt shivers run down her back. She turned to look in the direction that it seemed to be traveling, only seeing that distorted air again before it disappeared from sight.

Dominic retreated to his room and stepped out onto his balcony, needing some space. He was sure that Kerrigan would come to his room again, but he still didn’t feel like he was out of the woods where she was concerned. He was relieved his secret had not been revealed, but it was only a matter of time before he wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore, especially now that her power had become so much stronger.

Their relationship was progressing much quicker than he realized or even intended. They had become very good friends, yet they were so much more than that. There was no need to put a label on it, because no generalized label could ever adequately describe what they shared. She had become one of his base needs, and he needed her more than water or even the air he breathed.

He had no right to be upset with Kerrigan for nearly causing something to happen that she had no idea about. His curse was not hers. He had to make things right with her and let her know that they were still okay, that she still meant everything to him.

The next afternoon, Kerrigan was dusting the mantle in the front sitting room when a pair of warm arms snaked around her waist from behind and pulled her until her back rested against a wall of unyielding flesh. She squeaked in surprise and dropped the duster before the familiar scent of cigarette smoke, Abercrombie cologne, and man caressed her senses, making her knees go weak.

“Tell me, Querida…How is it that you can take a normal, everyday task like dusting and make it look so incredibly sexy?” Dominic’s cold breath spilled over the nape of her neck. She shivered in his sinewy arms as her head fell back onto his shoulder.

Kerrigan sighed. “Funny…I wonder the same thing every time I watch you take a breath.”

“You make me
want
to breathe.” His gritty voice was almost a whisper. Warm lips ghosted across the sensitive spot below her ear, and the soft stubble of his beard tickled her jaw line. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to remember to do that when I’m this close to you?”

His hands dipped beneath the hem of her shirt, coming into contact with her warm flesh as they ran along her stomach and up to her ribs, stopping and going no further.

She gripped his forearms and felt his muscles flex beneath her fingertips. “Oh I think I have an idea. Your teasing really isn’t helping matters at all.”

He chuckled and kissed her temple before pulling away.

“So, I was thinking we should get out of the house tonight. Tyson and Talon are having a bonfire, and they’d like us to be there. What do you think?” he asked, casually leaning against the armrest of her grandfather’s favorite recliner.

Kerrigan cocked her head to the side as if she was considering the idea. “I think I’d like that actually. But to be fair, I wouldn’t care if I spent the evening counting the grains of sand on the beach, as long as you were there with me.”

“Oh yeah?” Dominic asked. He stepped toward her with a devilish grin on his face. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her to him, his head dipping to steal a kiss.

The telephone on the end table rang before their lips could make contact. Dominic growled in frustration. Kerrigan smirked at him and pulled away to answer the call.

“Hello?” she answered.

“I missed the sound of your voice, Kerri.” Kerrigan’s mood shifted as a wave of disgust washed over her.

“You’ve got some nerve calling here,
Jackson
,” she seethed, slurring his name. “What do you want?”

Dominic’s demeanor changed at the mention of his name, his body becoming rigid and anger evident in his eyes.

“Is that any way to greet your fiancé, Kerri?” She would have sworn she could smell his putrid breath through the phone.

“I am
not
your fiancée. Are you seriously that clueless?”

“Give me the phone,” Dominic ordered, taking it out of her hands. “Dude, you must have a serious death wish.”

“What’s up…Domingo, right?” Jackson’s tone was sarcastic at best.

“It’s
Dominic
, asshole. What do you want?”

“Right, right, Dominic. You’re still around, huh?”

“Yep. And I don’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.”

“You do realize that you’ve broken up a happy home, right? She would be with me right now if you weren’t in the picture.”

“Nevertheless, I
am
in the picture, and you’re delusional if you think I’m going to let you get anywhere near her.”

“We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we? You can’t be with her all the time.”

Actually, he could, but saying it out loud wasn’t an option.

“Listen, you little prick. If you come anywhere near her, I will rip your heart out and feed it to you. Do you understand me?” Dominic’s voice was fierce and strong. There was no doubt that he meant every word of it.

The only response he got in turn was a humorless laugh and then the sound of a dial tone as Jackson hung up on him.

“What did he say?” Kerrigan asked when Dominic replaced the receiver.

“Apparently, I’m a home wrecker.” He shrugged.

“If he only knew that you’re really just a big ol’ tease,” she giggled. “And on that note, I’m going to go get a cold shower. Care to join me?”

Dominic growled and lurched forward, eliciting a squeal from Kerrigan and sending her running up the stairs. He didn’t follow her because he knew it wouldn’t be right, but things were really starting to heat up between the two of them. It was mostly his fault, because he was usually the one to instigate the intimacy between them. Kerrigan had been more than receptive to his advances, which was testing his restraints. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out, but he was going to do his best to make sure he didn’t cross that line. Because it just wouldn’t be fair. She didn’t know about the monster he truly was.

That evening, Dominic wondered through the house in search of Kerrigan to see if she was ready to leave. Gabe had decided to catch a ride with Sydney and took Millie with him, so that left Dominic and Kerrigan alone. He found her in the garden out back, wondering around, admiring all the plants.

“You okay?” Dominic asked, descending the stairs.

“It’s so beautiful out here. It was always Grammy’s favorite place to be.” Kerrigan ran her fingertips along the Passion Flower buds. The way she looked around her wistfully as if she were seeing it for the first time, never ceased to amaze him. In that moment, the sun setting behind her, he saw two people; the little girl Availia adored and the beautiful woman she had become.

“There’s only one thing missing,” she said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He kept his distance and watched her from afar, as if approaching her would disturb the tranquility of the scene. “What’s that?”

Kerrigan turned to face him, and her eyes lit up even brighter than they normally were. “Fireflies,” she said with an air of excitement.

Dominic chuckled at her in response. “It’s very rare to see a firefly here in Florida, Querida.” He tilted his head to the side, a rather ingenious idea hitting him. “How badly would you like to see them?”

She looked at him in confusion, but the glint in his eye told her what he was suggesting. She bit her bottom lip and looked at him with so much hope, but Dominic knew she could do it if she put her mind to it. And her gift. He nodded to her with encouragement.

Kerrigan walked to the center of the yard and closed her eyes. She tilted her head and lifted her face toward the sky. She stood there for a moment in concentration, her brow furrowing and then relaxing. He watched her lift arms out to her side and slowly brought her head forward again. When she opened them, they were glowing with the Light that was surging through her.

She was stronger. All the moments they had spent exercising her power was building her strength. This was nothing for her to do. He was sure of it.

After a moment, the luminosity of her eyes dimmed, and her lashes fluttered against the creamy skin just below them. Coming out of her trance, she looked to Dominic and they both looked around the garden. Nothing.

“Give it a moment,” he said when he saw the look of disappointment on her face.

Seconds passed into minutes. The suspense that hung in the air was almost palpable. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Dominic saw the first spark of neon green. His head whipped in that direction and he waited for confirmation. Sure enough, it was a firefly.

“There!” he called to Kerrigan, pointing in the direction he was looking.

Again, the light blinked, and another beside it and another. They were appearing from out of nowhere, surrounding them as they watched in awe.

“I did it!” Kerrigan’s excited voice broke their silence. “We need cups. I want to catch them.”

What she really wanted to capture was that moment. That magical moment that she shared with her mentor, her friend.

Dominic couldn’t help but smile at her giddiness. It was infectious, and he was feeling rather like a child himself. He ran into the house and retrieved two Solo cups before hurrying back out to her. When he stepped onto the porch, he stopped to watch the scene before him. Darkness had taken over the setting sun, the moonlight illuminating Kerrigan. She twirled around in a circle with her arms held out to her side and her head thrown back, the most astounding smile on her face. She was happy. Truly happy.

“Hey! Come on, come on!” she called to him when she spotted him standing there. “They’re all going to fly away.”

He smiled, showing all his pearly whites, and ran out to give her one of the cups. They went to work chasing down the slow moving lightning bugs and depositing them into their cups. They had to keep one of their hands planted over the top so the captured ones couldn’t escape, but they managed.