Six Branches Read online

  Unfortunately for me, Lucas reveals the ability to do some weird voodoo magic. One charming smile, big brown eyes, and a dash of fluttery eyelashes later, I find myself in front of my dorm building, holding a duffel bag full of essentials and shouldering a backpack with all my textbooks in it.

  I blink slowly, recalling fuzzy images of checking out for a few days. We never ran into Danika, just the super bored night desk worker who couldn’t care less, especially after Lucas made it clear I’m shacking up with my boyfriend and his twin.

  A few minutes after that, I’m still trying to figure out what kind of goblin Lucas is. Lyle takes my backpack, allowing my poor back to stretch itself out.

  “Ready?” Lucas asks as he takes the duffel.

  I nod, still not completely sure how I got here.

  Lucas grins, his eyes twinkling at my confusion. The jerk knows what he did. We walk back toward the twins’ car.

  As we travel the short distance, I breathe in the night air and enjoy the relative peace of our silent surroundings. It’s Thursday night, so most of the students are either studying or sleeping. There’s probably a party going on somewhere, but it’s not a loud one.

  I take another deep breath, savoring the scent of the nocturnal. I love the smell of night. I can’t place it, but the smell that comes when darkness descends has always had a calming effect on me. Sleeping is difficult thanks to my nightmares, so I grew into the habit of spending my nights traversing the neighborhood where Mary and I lived. I’m sure our neighbors thought I was a freak, but Mary never commented even though I’m sure she knew. She always knew.

  Lyle reaches out to take my hand, and I give him a shy smile, enjoying the rough texture of his palm in mine. His gesture reminds me of something I’ve been mulling over since Lucas revealed his Gift.

  When we get in the twins’ SUV, I lean forward from my seat in the back. “I have a question.”

  Lucas pauses, his hand in the process of turning the ignition.

  “Anything,” Lyle answers.

  Well, okay.

  “Umm…” I stall, not sure how to phrase my question without sounding accusatory. I decide to go with it. “Did Lucas use his ability to influence my emotions when we, uh, did the palm-to-palm thing?”

  I try my best to not sound confrontational, but my inquiry still sets the twins on edge. In front of me, both of their shoulders stiffen, and I have my answer. Lead pulls at the bottom of my stomach; I feel sick.

  “We kissed,” I manage to whisper.

  I let the boys arrive at their own censure. Technically, it’s Lucas who messed with my emotions. However, Lyle encouraged it by not stopping the manipulation. I vaguely remember him telling Lucas too much at some point, so he was aware of what his twin was doing.

  “I’m so sorry.” Lucas’s accent comes out almost as thick as his self-loathing.

  Lyle turns remorseful eyes to me, silently adding in his own apology.

  I nod. When I don’t vocalize any forgiveness, Lyle turns to stare out his window, and Lucas grips his car keys so hard I worry they’ll cut his hand.

  “It’s na— it’s not an excuse, but when we, um, realized who you were, we got caught up in the frenzy to pre-Bond and—” Lucas turns back to stare out the windshield, his normally playful attitude now somber.

  His eyes catch mine in the rearview mirror with a heaviness of realizing what he’s done.

  The sudden pain in my chest startles me. Depression hits as I watch those chocolate eyes dim. I press my lips together to catch the apology trying to slip out. The playful mood of earlier is gone, but the issue needed to be addressed.

  I know neither would force me to do anything I didn’t want to do. If I’m honest, I can admit I would have allowed the kiss without the manipulated emotions. When I first met Jackson, I experienced similar feelings, and he doesn’t have Lucas’s Gift. Even so, by taking away my inhibitions, they took away my choice. And that’s not okay.

  Neither twin says anything for a moment.

  I wait while they gather their thoughts.

  Finally, Lyle turns around, his face pained but his eyes steady as he holds mine. “What Lucas meant is what we did was wrong. We would never willingly hurt you, but I fear we have.”

  I nod again. I knew they didn’t mean harm. Since meeting these guys, I’ve felt safer than I have in a long, long time. Lucas faces me as well, and I’m momentarily distracted by their similarities. If their mannerisms weren’t so polar opposite, I’d have more difficulty remembering who is who.

  At the moment, they share mirror expressions of guilt, and I’m forced to remind myself Lucas is the one sitting in driver’s seat. “I promise, Sweet Pea, I will not influence your feelings again unless asked.”

  I give him a small smile. While unable to fathom a time I’d ask him to influence my feelings, I appreciate the gesture as much as I had when he made the same promise earlier this evening.

  “It’s okay. Just… don’t do it again.” While not ready to fully forgive them yet or trust them completely, I can move on.

  It must be enough because as soon as I say the words, they reward me with two identical blinding smiles.

  These guys need to model for Colgate.

  Lyle closes his down and turns back to face the front.

  Lucas’s eyes slowly regain their perpetual glint. He gives me a quick wink before turning to start the car. “Let’s get home before Jackson sics Seb on us.”

  “Is he really that scary?” I ask, remembering my earlier glimpse of Sebastian’s Alpha Male persona today at work.

  Was that really earlier this evening?

  “Yes.” Lucas gives an exaggerated shudder. “Don’t ever get on his bad side, the punk can hold a grudge. Just like his sister.” The last part comes with a cheeky glance at Lyle, whose shudder is genuine.

  “Never cross a Taylor,” Lyle advises grimly.

  Lucas grins at me through the mirror, sending another wink. Someday soon, I’m going to get the story of what the cheese nips Sarah Taylor did to poor Lyle.

  Jackson is asleep when we get back, but Sebastian is awake and apparently waiting up for us. He takes my backpack from Lyle without commenting on our late arrival. We head up the stairs, and at the second floor, I take my duffel and we say goodnight to the twins.

  Sebastian whispers that Lyle, Lucas, Jackson, and Forrest all have rooms on this floor.

  He leads me up to the third floor, where he stops in front of the first door on the left. When I spot the lock, relief washes through me, thankful for small mercies. I would never have been able to sleep without one. Inside is a spacious bedroom. A queen bed sits in the center against the far wall. To the right, Sebastian shows me the door to the bathroom. On the opposite wall, a wardrobe stands next to a smaller door that opens into a decent sized walk-in closet.

  After showing me the amenities, Sebastian whispers, “My room is down the hall, but it’s best to wake one of the others if you need something.” He adds apologetically, “I really do sleep like the dead. I have to have a special shock alarm and everything.”

  I smile at him brightly, relieved I won’t have a worried Kladí hovering over me when I wake up from one of my nightmares.

  “No problem. Goodnight, Sebastian,” I say as I show him out the door.

  As soon as it closes, the weight of the last two days hits me right between the shoulder blades. Exhaustion hits just as hard.

  Too tired to analyze anything, I slip into my favorite Alpaca-covered sleep shorts and a tank. As soon as my head hits the deliciously fluffy pillow, I black out.

  The next time I open my eyes I experience something I haven’t since I was ten-years-old: the pain of waking up to a too-bright room. I haven’t slept long enough to incur morning-induced light-blindness for so long I forgot what it felt like.

  Note: not pleasant.

  Stretching out my legs to explore the space with my eyes half-closed, I marvel at how big my twin bed seems today. Eyes opening again, I blink suspiciousl
y at the blurry wooden shape across from me. When did I buy a wardrobe?

  As my vision clears, so does my mind, I traded my twin bed for a queen last night when I agreed to stay with the guys. That thought produces another. I slept in a house with four strangers. My nose wrinkles at the barrage of implications stemming from that revelation. I push the panic to the back of my mind with the boxes of all the other things I refuse to think about.

  To distract myself, I stretch out over the bed, marveling at how luxurious it feels to be able to spread my longer-than-average legs out. Sighing, I drift for a few minutes in that sort of peace that comes in the early morning after a full night’s sleep.

  Incredulousness slices through my peace in an instant. I slept the night. As in, the whole night. Elation bubbles up. Giggling, I grab the pillow nearest to me and clutch it to my chest, pushing my face into the soft fabric to stifle my half-hysterical laughter. It takes me a good five minutes to calm myself enough for rational contemplation.

  I’m still lying in bed, staring at the wardrobe, when a rather more urgent matter hits me. What time is it? I launch myself to the side of the bed, scrambling for my cell phone. I find it on the nightstand, but the battery died out during the night. The night I slept all the way through. I shake myself out of my reverie long enough to realize there are no clocks in my room. Not one.

  “Fudge-Nuggets.” I throw off the heavy comforter I somehow managed to tangle up in during my miraculous slumber.

  The chill in the room hits, and I shiver but don’t have the luxury to retreat back into the Warm Place. Jackson’s class starts at 8 a.m., a class I currently regret taking for several reasons.

  My feet make a racket as I stumble down the two flights of stairs. Once I reach the main hall, I head toward the sound of conversation. Soft voices lead me to the kitchen, where I find Sebastian chatting with Jackson.

  They glance up and smile as I walk in.

  I smile back, my panic ebbing away. I’m not late for class if my professor is still here, right?

  “Morning,” I greet them.

  Jackson grunts in reply before going back to shoveling Lucky Charms into his mouth. Sebastian offers one of his trademark serene smiles.

  My heart flutters at the scene. I don’t know why the sight of my professor stuffing his face with rainbow marshmallows melts me like a popsicle in July, but I decide not to overthink it. Since I first met Jackson four days ago, my body has reacted strangely to a great many things.

  I grab a bowl from the stack I spy in an open cabinet and fix myself some cereal as well. It’s not until I sit down next to Jackson that I notice Sebastian stopped talking. Tearing my eyes from my breakfast, I take in his odd posture.

  He sits across from me, arms folded and shoulders relaxed. I expect his typical cool smile and soft eyes, but when I reach his face, the icy-eyed Alpha Male stares back, roving over my figure in appreciation.

  Well, he’s enjoying himself immensely.

  It takes me two seconds to remember I didn’t put on a bra in my haste to find a working timepiece, and my tank definitely puts the girls on display. Normally, I’d turn red and run away to hide forever, but my comfort level with the guys has grown exponentially since yesterday.

  “See something you like?” I ask casually.

  Sebastian’s eyes widen, and he chokes on his words, not nearly as collected as he was a few seconds ago. “Y-yep!”

  Pressing my lips into a thin line, I struggle to suppress my laughter.

  Jackson stops shoveling long enough to raise an eyebrow at Sebastian and gives me an appreciative once-over before resuming his rapid consumption of sugar and synthetic coloring.

  Sebastian gets up to put away the cereal and wash his empty bowl, shaking his head as he leaves us to eat in peace.

  Jackson pushes his chair back, rushing through the last few bites of his cereal as he stands.

  “See you soon.” He grabs the side of my head and presses a tender kiss into my hair before rushing his bowl to the sink and heading for the door.

  I remain in place, too stunned to say anything, and he vanishes before I can blink. I’m left with my breakfast, which I finish before heading up to dress for class.

  Thankfully, my favorite pair of jeans sit on top of the clothes I stuffed into the duffel Lucas coerced me into packing. I add a long-sleeved black tee and double-check to make sure I remembered a bra this time. I’m good to go. I mostly wear long-sleeved t-shirts and jeans. I don’t own a lot of clothes and like to keep it simple. Work clothes fill most of my closet anyway.

  I’ve just finished packing my backpack for the day when I hear a knock on my door.

  When I open it, I find Sebastian on the other side. Regular Sebastian with his serene smile and baby-blue eyes. “Can I come in?” When I hesitate, he adds, “It’s important, and we still have time before we need to leave for class.”

  I step back to allow him entry. He closes the door and goes to sit on my bed, gesturing for me to join him. My feet shuffle toward him, but I hesitate. The sassiness from earlier vanishes to leave me awkward and embarrassed at the private show I gave Sebastian and Jackson. I perch on the edge of my bed a good foot away from Sebastian.

  The corners of his mouth do that twitching thing, but he doesn’t comment. “Will you do me a favor?”

  “Anything.” I’m surprised by how earnestly I mean it.

  Sebastian’s smile widens, his baby-blues warming to that addictive cerulean. “Will you pre-Bond with me? Palm-to-palm?”

  He holds out his hand and gestures at mine. For a moment, I’m confused. Didn’t we hold hands last night? Thinking back, I realize he was careful to never touch my palm. My heart warms at his consideration.

  I take a breath and nod. It doesn’t make sense to hold back from pre-Bonding with Sebastian when I already did it with the other three in the house, and I appreciate the fact he asked first. I clasp his hand, careful to make sure our palms touch like with the others.

  Sebastian takes a sharp breath, and I brace myself for what comes next.

  Like before, heat and pinpricks alternate over my palm. But, now that I know what to expect, the sensation is infinitely better. Curious, I close my eyes and open up, focusing on our connected hands.

  To my delight, the discomfort from the pinpricks fades away, leaving the wavering heat of an open flame that gently licks at my skin, warning me we haven’t finished yet. When I focus more on the heat, I feel a slight pull. It grows stronger, more defined, like strings being plucked out of my wrist and tied around Sebastian’s. Almost as soon as I wrap my brain around it, the sensation disappears, along with the flame.

  I open my eyes and give Sebastian a watery smile as I detangle my sweaty hand from his. My fingers graze the smooth skin of his palm in a forlorn goodbye, the pleasure of my Kladí’s touch another thing I expected.

  This whole thing has gotten irrevocably genuine. I accepted the words the others told me as fact, relying on my own lifetime of strangeness and unexplainable power to validate their claims. Now, however, after experiencing the truth for myself, I can no longer deny the physical evidence of our connection.

  Deep down, some ancient part of me, passed down through generations, recognizes the tying of the first strands of our Bond. The knowledge sits with me like an old friend, enveloping me in the knowledge of home. I am an Agora. I rub my wrist where I still feel the fading strands of our pre-Bond, the words I want to say growing thick and heavy in my throat.

  All I manage is a strangled choke, which brings Sebastian closer. He pulls me up and wraps me in his arms. In the back of my mind, I know allowing such behavior is way out of my usual comfort zone, but thoughts elude me as I savor the warmth stemming from the arms of my Kladí.

  Too soon, he breaks away, tweaking my nose affectionately. “C’mon, we’re gonna be late.”

  After he bends to pick up my backpack, we head downstairs and nearly make it out the door before Lyle stops us.

  “Wait!” He hurries down the
stairs, then over to us. He glares at my thin top. “I knew it.”

  Completely baffled, I notice he holds out a jacket in my size, leather and so dang pretty I put it on without protest.

  “Did you eat breakfast?” He hovers, checking over my hair, even eyeing my shoes.

  “Yes, Mom,” I tease, then surprise myself for the thousandth time this morning by giving him a quick hug before I mutter, “Goodbye.”

  Maybe sleep is actually bad for me. One night and I shed my personal issues like Mary’s cat used to shed her winter fluff.

  Once outside, Sebastian leads me to the Harley. I give him a wary look when he holds out the extra helmet.

  He snickers. “Class already started. We’re marked absent if we’re late another ten minutes, and Jackson won’t offer you any favors.”

  I snatch the helmet, shoving it on before I grab my backpack and push him over to the bike. I skipped Jackson’s class on Wednesday. If I skip today, I lose a grade point on the course.

  I shout at Sebastian, “Hurry up!”

  He laughs as we speed off toward campus.

  Chapter 5

  Someone is chasing us. It’s my only thought as I hold onto Sebastian’s slender waist like it’s the last paperback at a book signing.

  A few moments ago, we were driving at a fast but careful speed, heading in the direction of the science building. I leaned back in my seat, watching the campus speed past us as Sebastian wove around students on their way to class.

  Then his back stiffened and he yelled, “Hold on!”

  As soon as my hands clasped around his middle, he took off, causing me to squeal in surprise.

  Now, Sebastian darts down dark alleyways and through campus courtyards at a breakneck speed. The rumble of bikes that had been tailing us come from behind, but I don’t dare turn in their direction for fear I’ll lose my precarious grip.