Into the Spiral (The Spiral Defenders Series: Book One)

  Chapter Twenty

  Ronnie was getting ready for her date with Shawn that night when her mom called to say they were staying overnight in Chicago.

  “You can have Andi over, but no boys,” her mom reminded her. Ronnie agreed even as she rolled her eyes. Unless her parents had a nanny cam somewhere, how would they know if Shawn or even Gavin was here?

  Ronnie was ready to go a full half hour before Shawn was supposed to pick her up for the movie. She played on the computer and picked through a stack of books she still wanted to read. She was about to go crazy from boredom by the time Shawn showed up.

  “You look amazing,” he declared as he pulled her close for a kiss. Ronnie beamed. She wore a pair of light wash skinny jeans and a turquoise off-the-shoulder tunic with turquoise sequined sandals. Her hair was wavy from being in a braid all day and she let it fall down her back and around her shoulders.

  “So do you,” she agreed and kissed him again. His blond waves looked a little messy and he wore a white polo shirt and khaki shorts; preppy and definitely hot. She momentarily thought about disobeying her mom and keeping Shawn here instead of going to the movie but then decided to go to the theater anyway. It wasn’t like Shawn had to leave right away when he walked her home.

  The movie was as good as she expected and Ronnie insisted she had to buy it once it came out on DVD. They talked about their favorite parts of the movie as they drove to Romero’s Pizza Parlor, making the four blocks pass in a blink of an eye. Once they arrived at the pizza place, the hostess seated them in a cozy back corner and enjoyed an intimate meal.

  By the time they left, it was fully dark outside. Ronnie shivered despite the warmth clinging to the air, nervous as they stepped out into the night. Shawn wrapped an arm around her shoulders and noticed she looked a little worried.

  “Don’t worry, I’m here. Nothing’s going to hurt you,” Shawn promised and kissed the top of her head. Ronnie smiled as she laid her head on his shoulder while they walked down the street.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “I’m not ready to take you home yet,” he replied. Ronnie smiled, remembering their time at the park—before the wraiths attacked. Tingly anticipation spread through her as she hoped for a repeat performance.

  “I’m not ready to go home yet,” she agreed.

  They walked lazily, meandering down the streets, and even though Ronnie felt safe with Shawn, she found herself looking into the shadows and jumping at every little noise. Knowing she was a target for the wraiths made being outside at night more terrifying than ever. She thought she saw something as her phone chimed to alert her to a new text message. She dug it out her purse and couldn’t help a smile when she saw the message from Gavin. I’m here. She sighed, relieved, and snuggled back into Shawn’s embrace as she dropped her phone back into her purse.

  “Who was that?” Shawn asked.

  “Andi; she just wanted to see if I’m home yet,” Ronnie replied. “I’ll call her later.” She smiled up at Shawn. Knowing Gavin was there watching over her made her feel better about being outside.

  Eventually, they made it back to Shawn’s car and headed to Ronnie’s house. When they arrived, Ronnie let Shawn stay for an hour. By the time she pushed him out the door (and locked it behind him so she wouldn’t pull him back in), they were both breathless and Ronnie knew she looked like she had been making out for an hour. She ran her hands through her tangled hair and beamed as she made the rounds through the house to make sure everything was locked before heading to bed. As she walked up the stairs, she wished she had invited Andi to spend the night just so she wouldn’t be alone. Last night’s attack was still fresh in her mind and she feared it could happen again.

  She got to her room and found the door partly open and the lamp on her bedside table glowing. Her heart pounded as she pushed open the door, wondering what she was going to find – though she didn’t think a wraith would leave a light on for her. Gavin looked up from where he lounged on her bed as she walked into the room.

  “Send lover boy home?” he asked with a smirk. Ronnie blushed. She couldn’t help it; she knew what she looked like.

  “Yeah. I’m not really supposed to have boys here when I’m home alone,” she admitted. His dark eyes lit up.

  “And yet you don’t kick me out,” he commented. She shrugged, trying to play it cool as her heart picked up speed again. To distract herself, she turned to her dresser and opened a drawer to pull out some pajamas.

  “You’re not wholly human, you don’t really count,” she replied over her shoulder and took her pajamas to the bathroom to change.

  She changed her clothes, washed her face, brushed her hair and tried to take as much time as possible in the bathroom before returning to her room. She had Gavin waiting in her bedroom—cocky, sexy, not-quite-human Gavin. She allowed herself two minutes to freak out about it, ran a hand over her hair and left the bathroom. He looked up when she paused in the doorway and grinned as his eyes roamed her outfit: a pair of hot pink yoga pants and a matching t-shirt – nothing sexy about it.

  “Nice try,” he said as she entered the room. She smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed and noticed the comic book lying open on his lap.

  “That any good?” she asked motioning towards the book and ignoring his comment. It wasn’t like she tried to be distracting. He shrugged as he closed it and set it on her bedside table.

  “It’s okay. It passes the time,” he replied and scooted over so she could sit next to him. She stayed where she was.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Did you really think I was going to let you stay home alone all night?”

  “Yes. And how did you know I would be alone? I could have allowed Shawn to stay. Do you read minds, too?”

  “No, though you make me wish I could.”

  She squirmed self consciously and didn’t know what to say. Gavin watched her, obviously waiting for her next question, but her mind went blank the moment his eyes met hers. She couldn’t think when he looked at her that way. She jumped up and started pacing, the fact that they were alone in her bedroom made way too obvious by the quiet all around them.

  “What’s going on, Princess?” he asked, his voice more amused than concerned. Ronnie continued to pace, refusing to look at him. But she knew the moment he reached out to grab her arm to stop her. Her heart pounded in her throat as she looked down at him. Worry crossed his face and then annoyance as something beeped in his pocket. She couldn’t help thinking saved by the bell as he let her go and reached into his pocket to pull out what looked like a Blackberry. He looked at the screen, grimaced, and glanced up at her.

  “It’s my sister,” he told her. “I missed my call to her earlier.”

  “The one with wings?” she asked. He nodded. Curiosity won out over her nervousness and she sat down next to him as she told him to answer the call. She expected him to put the phone to his ear. Instead, he laid it in the palm of his hand, pointed it at the wall across from her bed and hit a button below the touch screen. Immediately, the picture of a young woman with long golden locks and beautiful blue wings appeared on the wall.

  “There you are. I was starting to think you were ignoring me,” the young woman declared as she looked at them out of the screen. Ronnie realized this was a lot like video chat, meaning his sister could see her, too. The girl’s eyes landed on her the same moment Ronnie realized this.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you were busy,” his sister said. Gavin sighed. “You don’t usually answer if you’re with a girl.”

  “Osirah, this is Veronica,” he stated. Ronnie held her breath, worried about his sister’s reaction to her. After a moment of shock, Osirah’s blue eyes widened and a huge grin split her face.

  “Mama,” she yelled turning away from the screen. Gavin leaned forward, trying to call his sister back, but it was too late. At that moment, a beautiful woman with darkly tanned skin, long black hair and Gavin’s eyes entered the picture. The wo
man smiled warmly even as her assessing gaze made Ronnie squirm, feeling like they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t. Her gaze turned to Gavin and she raised her eyebrow in a look Ronnie knew well. Ronnie bit her lower lip to keep from giggling as color crept into Gavin’s cheeks, making him look absolutely adorable.

  “Hello, Mama,” he greeted the woman. “This is Veronica.”

  “Hello, Veronica,” his mom said and Ronnie replied the same. Meeting Gavin’s mom brought back all of her nervousness from a moment ago and she felt a blush creep into her cheeks.

  “You two look like you have something to feel guilty about,” she commented and shook her head when Gavin opened his mouth to argue. “No, I don’t want to know. I gave up on most human conflicts when I came here to be with your father.” She looked at Ronnie. “It was nice to meet you, Veronica. I hope the next time will be in person.”

  “It was nice to meet you…” Ronnie replied and her voice trailed off as she wondered what she should call the woman. His mom smiled kindly, immediately understanding her dilemma.

  “You can call me Dusana,” she told Ronnie. Ronnie grinned.

  “Gavin, call back when you’re less occupied,” she added and the wall went blank. Ronnie giggled as she watched Gavin put the phone away and settled back against the pillows, making sure to keep a respectable distance between them. She giggled some more when she saw just how much his mom embarrassed him.

  “That’s not how I expected that to go,” he told her, his cheeks as red as Ronnie’s usually were.

  “Really? I thought it went rather well,” she teased still giggling. He gave her a look that quelled her giggles.

  “She thought we were being romantic,” he stated.

  “Then next time don’t answer when we’re in bed together.” The words were out before she could censor them and she immediately clapped both hands over her mouth, unable to believe she just said that. Gavin relaxed as he chuckled and draped an arm over her shoulders.

  “Glad to know you think there will be a next time,” he replied, his gaze heated as he grinned at her. Ronnie’s stomach clenched as an answering desire raced through her body. She tried to look away but couldn’t. His mouth had become the center of her world. She wanted him to kiss her. Her eyes met his and she knew he wanted to kiss her as he leaned his head toward hers. His lips were almost to hers when she realized what she was doing and jumped off the bed.

  “Shit,” they swore at the same time. Ronnie turned away and covered her face with her hands. She asked herself what she was thinking, even though it was obvious she wasn’t thinking at all. She had a boyfriend; Shawn was a wonderful guy. She didn’t need to ruin anything.

  “I’m sorry,” Gavin apologized, interrupting her silent tirade. She turned back to him. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  Ronnie shook her head as she gingerly sat on the edge of the bed and faced him, clasping her hands together to keep from grabbing him and finishing what they started. Desire still coursed through her. She couldn’t look at him.

  “It’s not just your fault,” she admitted to her hands. A heavy silence hung between them and both sighed, unsure of where to go from here.

  “Do you want me to leave?” Gavin asked quietly. She lifted her head to look at him. Their eyes met and she knew that despite what almost happened, she didn’t want to turn out the light and be alone. Gavin made her feel safe and she needed that tonight.

  “No, I want you to stay,” she whispered. He visibly relaxed. A smile tugged at his lips as she scooted onto the bed, back to his side.

  “Just don’t try anything,” she added, as much for her benefit as for his. He chuckled as he draped an arm over her shoulders and she settled against him.

  “Tell me about Kalearnia,” she requested, laying her head on his shoulder. Her eyelids grew heavy as he told her about a magical land with rolling green hills and fields spun from gold. She sighed as she drifted off to sleep, wondering what it would be like to go there someday.