Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance

Nathan had Romulus by the throat. I gasped and clapped a hand over my mouth. Romulus’ eyes were bulging out of their sockets. Wet choking sounds came out of his open mouth, his face turning shades of red and purple.

  Omigod! Nathan was going to kill him.

  “Nathan!” I screamed.

  He whipped his head around, and I winced at the murderous look on his face. He caught my reaction, blinked, and threw him over three cars. My mouth dropped at how far he flew, landing on an old pickup. He slid off, and charged at Nathan. He threw punches, but Nathan’s hands moved and blocked them with ease. I stood in awe, watching his movements blurring before my eyes. Romulus was fast too, but not nearly as fast or strong as Nathan. He threw another punch at Nathan, but Nathan ducked and did a roundhouse kick, slamming a foot into Romulus’ face, sending him sprawling backwards onto the asphalt.

  “Paige, move away from the car,” Nathan called out, snatching Romulus by the collar of his denim jacket, yanking his wrist behind his back, holding them in a vise grip.

  I did what he said, and Nathan threw him on top of the hood with a loud thud, smashing his face into it. With his other hand, Nathan gripped the back of Romulus’ neck, pinning him. He bellowed a deep, throaty laugh, his colorless eyes locking onto mine. His bloody lips turned into a sneer, and he hissed through broken teeth.

  Icy blood flooded my veins. His white eyes totally freaked me out, and I wondered how they changed like that. I took a couple cautious steps back, intimidated by the hatred I saw in them. I mean, why would he want to hurt me? I’d never done anything bad to anybody, and I always went out of my way not to offend or hurt a soul.

  Nathan applied added pressure. “You will stay away from her!” he said through clenched teeth, surprising me with how angry he sounded.

  When Romulus spoke, my stomach twisted. His deep voice lashed out with harsh words that sounded similar to the Latin I’d heard when I went to an old Catholic mass with Carrie. It also reminded me of The Exorcist when the priest spoke to the entity inside the little girl.

  Holy crap!

  Was there a demon inside this guy?

  My heart and lungs froze. I stumbled backwards into the car behind me, feeling myself fading into a gray, swirling cloud.

  “Breathe, Paige,” Nathan’s rough voice ordered. My gaze shifted to Nathan. “Breathe,” he repeated. His anxious eyes and commanding voice jolted me into opening my mouth and breathing in large quantities of air.

  Romulus said my name and spit out something in the Latin-sounding language, laughing maniacally.

  I didn’t know what he said, but Nathan seemed to understand it, and the expression on his face turned lethal. He grabbed a fistful of hair, yanked back, and bent low so his lips were next to Romulus’ ear. Nathan spoke rapidly.

  Whatever Nathan said made Romulus scream in horror. And then Nathan did something that totally flabbergasted me. He placed his palm on Romulus’ forehead, and in a strong and powerful voice, he chanted an incantation in Latin. Romulus thrashed his body about, but Nathan’s strength overwhelmed him. He wailed an agonizing screech that echoed all around us. I covered my ears. A cold gust of wind blew passed me, brushing against my cheek, lifting the hair off my shoulder. I shivered and hugged my arms tightly around myself, unable to tear my eyes away from the body that now lay limp on the hood of my car.

  Nathan looked up, still holding him down. “Are you okay?”

  I moved my lips to respond, but no words came out. I wanted to say, “Um, hel-lo. I just witnessed you casting a demon out of some dude and saw how fast and strong you are. What the hell are you?” But I didn’t.

  Nathan slung Romulus over his shoulder. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  Then he disappeared, but before I could try to rationalize the events, I was in his arms, shaking. He held me and whispered soothing words into my ear. Even though I had no idea how he could do those things or what he was, I felt warm and safe in his arms.

  “I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” he said, gazing into my face. “But we need to get out of here. Do you think you can drive home?”

  I nodded. Could I even remember how to drive? With my mind so disoriented, I wondered if I could.

  He kissed my forehead. “I’ll follow you.”

  He opened my car door, and I slid behind the wheel, allowing him to pull the seatbelt over me, snapping it into place. I took his hand. He bent down, placing his other hand on my knee.

  “What are you?” I couldn’t help it. I had to ask him.

  The corner of his mouth lifted, and he shook his head. “I’m not a monster, Paige. In fact, I’m far from it. I promise you though, I’ll answer that question later, but there are things I need to tell you first.”

  “Okay, but why didn’t my ears ring when Romulus snuck up behind me?”

  He reached up and cupped the side of my face. I leaned into his hand, loving the feel of his touch. He studied my face for a long moment, tenderly moving his thumb across my cheek, sparking those fiery feelings in me.

  “Because during our passionate moments, that ability we have becomes ineffective. It’s as if our feelings for each other disconnects that capability, making us more vulnerable to them.”

  “Your ears ring too?” I asked in astonishment, catching the “we” part.

  He nodded, and in his eyes I could see there was more he needed to tell me. I opened my mouth to ask another question, but he placed a finger over my lips.

  “Let’s talk more about this at your house. All right?”

  I nodded.

  “Wait for me before you turn on Commercial Street.”

  “I will.” I instructed myself to put the key in the ignition and to turn it.

  He gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll see you shortly,” he said, then vanished.

  “You can do this,” I whispered. “Just stay calm and pay attention.”