Under Sunless Skies (Starlight Saga Book 2) Page 15

  “Because we’ve got alien genes, devious parents, and a creeptastic government agency trying to keep us apart,” I say to lighten the dark mood.

  He softly chuckles. “Yeah, that must be why.”

  “You know, your hero complex is cute and all, but it’s starting to knock points off the perfect guy image you had going.” I pull out of his embrace. “Haven’t you realized by now that I plan on being the Final Girl, and I’m capable of looking out for myself? And your lame protection plans are an epic fail?”

  “But they give my life purpose, Peaches.” He gently tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, then he rubs his thumb slowly over my cheek. “Look, I have a lot to figure out, and I need to find a way to break it to my parents before we can safely go public, Sloane.”

  “What’re you saying?” I ask, my voice quivering. “That you want to officially get back together?”

  When our eyes meet again, his gaze blazes into mine, and I sense that familiar electric current surging between us. Hayden grips my shoulders and jerks my body closer to his, and I utter a startled breath. Without warning, Hayden cups my face and the heat from his parted lips radiates against my mouth, sending a cascade of hot blood rushing through my veins.

  Hayden lowers his head and his lips brush mine softly, tentatively, and I wrap my arms around his shoulders. Turning up the temperature several thousand notches, he deepens the kiss and I’m drowning in sensations. He crushes me against his body, then his palms slide under my shirt to caress my back. His passionate, body-melting kisses threaten to shatter my heart. I lay my hands on Hayden’s chest, the muscles flexing beneath my palms. His own hands slide downward to rest on the curves of my hips and he lifts his head. Just below my ear, Hayden’s lips press against my neck, then he softly trails feather-light kisses to my shoulder, before he reclaims my eager lips. When he finally pulls away, I’m still dizzy from the hot make-out session.

  “God, I love kissing you.” He takes my hand and threads our fingers. “And yes, I’m saying that I want to join your Marvel team-up.”

  “About time.” I scoot back. “I’m not stupid, and I fully accept there’s some serious obstacles between us, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to be with you.”

  “Please just give me some more time.”

  Exasperated with Hayden, I get to my feet. “Why does it seem like you keep making more excuses? If we’re gonna be a team, then we need a united front.”

  Hayden stands and his arms lift as if to hold me, then drop back at his sides. “I know it’s unfair of me to ask you to wait.” He sighs and rubs his temple. “But you have to realize that some Meleah extremists, a fringe group like my parents, hate race-mixing. And I don’t know what their reaction will be since you’re only a half-breed…it’s all such racist alien bullshit.”

  “Like it or not, Hayden, I’m in this now. If you want to protect me, then just tell me what we’re up against.”

  He stares at the dwindling sunlight. “I think Sector Thirteen is here for more than just a random check-in and to create a new lab on the island. They might be suspicious that a Meleah has exposed their powers to the humans.”

  “See? Was that so hard?” I ask. “Is that why Xavier is after me? Because he works for ST?”

  “I don’t think so,” he says quietly. “He must have a different agenda.”

  “I’m glad you told me and I needed to hear it. I wanted to know why you kept pushing me away, and now I do.”

  Everything in me—the need to keep my family safe, the blackmailer’s threats, and the constant fear of Xavier and the reapers—expands like a huge bubble around me. The tension is so great, I wonder when it will explode. I can’t keep swinging on the pendulum Hayden’s created and wait for him to man up. Maybe all he really wants to do is find a peaceful solution to our problems, but being secretive and guarded isn’t helping. His damn sense of honor and protectiveness just won’t let him fully commit to me. And I know it’s not fair of me to make him choose between me and his family.

  “Um, Sloane, there’s something I want to ask you…” Hayden catches me by the upper arms. His face flushes. “Will you go to the senior prom with me?”

  I gape at him. One of the blackmail threats comes to mind. My throat thickens. While going with him will make me happier than a sequel to Night of the Comet, I can’t go against The Blackmailer’s request until I know it’s safe and I’ve discovered the culprit.

  It’s my turn to protect Hayden.

  He drops his hands. “We can go as friends. I’m sorry if that sounds lame, but I really want to go with you.”

  “You seem to spend a lot of time apologizing for things you say and do.”

  “I have a lot to ask for forgiveness for…”

  “I-I can’t go with you.” I turn away from him and march toward the entrance.

  “Sloane, wait,” Hayden calls out to me.

  Trying to put some distance between us, I bump my shin against a stone angel, but don’t stop. I can find my way back without his help, and then I’ll call a cab to take me home. I stubble ahead, needing to get as far from him as humanly possible.

  “Sloane, stop! Please!”

  I rush forward, relieved to see the parking lot beyond the gate. And then blurry with tears, I sprint through the entrance and onto the pavement.

  Squinting into a sudden glare, I’m blinded by the headlights of a hearse coming straight at me.

  TWENTY

  The hearse’s tires squeal as the driver breaks and a singe of burning rubber crams the air. I squeeze my eyes shut and brace myself for the bone-shattering impact. Lifting my arms, I hold my hands out in front of me, as if they can somehow stop the speeding vehicle.

  A flash of light followed by a sonic-like blast reverberates throughout the graveyard. The explosion blows my hair upward into wild waves around my head and causes the atmosphere to vibrate. A force propels me off my feet, whisking me into the air within a blink and depositing me safely onto the sidewalk. The tires screech to a sudden halt, and I open my eyes.

  I inhale and exhale several calming breaths. After a moment, my heartbeat settles and my pulse slows to a more normal rhythm. Slowly, the strength eases back into my wobbly legs.

  The engine rumbles, although the hearse has come to a stop. The driver sits trembling behind the steering wheel, with his eyes huge and his knuckles white.

  Hayden is holding me against his body a few feet from the hearse, and he doesn’t blink or speak. I sway into him and he tucks one strong arm around my waist, anchoring me against his side. Beneath us, the ground is charred in a black circle. I lick my dry lips, unable to make my vocal cords work. Surrounding his body is a dazzling iridescent aura from the teleportation, which must be what sticks to my skin.

  The driver opens the car door and stumbles from the hearse. “Are you kids all right? I didn’t even see you!”

  “We’re good.” I recognize the funeral home director, and say, “Sorry, Mr. Perkins!”

  “Thank god, I didn’t hit you,” Mr. Perkins says in shaky voice, clutching onto the door with both hands. “You shouldn’t be here. Visiting hours are over.” He gets back into the hearse and drives away at a slower pace.

  “Holy crap,” I whisper, staring at the ground. “You saved me.”

  “I’d risk my own life for yours any day of the week, Peaches.” Hayden’s breath is warm and minty against my cheek, and his soft voice makes my stomach quiver. He puts a finger under my chin to lift my face. “Look at me. Please. Why did you take off like that? Is the thought of going to the prom with me that upsetting? I don’t understand.”

  Letting out a shuddering breath, I stumble back onto the crisp lawn and lean against a headstone near the entrance to the parking lot. “No…it’s just…” I barely croak out. “Until you get your priorities straightened out, I don’t want to go to dances with you. Got it?” I bite my lip and turn away, hoping he buys into my lie.

  “That’s all you had to say.”

  The silence
that engulfs the graveyard is tense, with only the soft buzz of fireflies to break the stillness. I take another deep and slow breath, then release it, then consider recanting everything I just said. But if I do, then the blackmailer might come through with their threats and I can’t risk having my secrets revealed. Not when I can protect Hayden and my family.

  “Now I know how lucky a squirrel feels when it dodges a car,” I say lightly, holding up my hand with my index finger and thumb two inches apart. “I came this close to being roadkill.”

  Hayden softly chuckles. “Not while I’m around.”

  “I didn’t do it on purpose, and I don’t mean to be such a burden.”

  His eyes blaze. He seizes my upper arms firmly like iron bands. I freeze at his touch, my senses running amok. “You have to be more careful,” he says, his voice sounds tormented.

  I jerk out of his grasp. “It’s not as if I’m auditioning to be a crash test dummy.”

  “Then please be more cautious.” Hayden pinches the bridge of his nose. “How the hell is the residue supposed to fade if I keep marking you?”

  A faint laugh escapes me. “Do you have to make it sound like you’re the dog and I’m the fire hydrant?”

  I put a hand on his chest and he places his over mine. His heart beats steadily beneath my palm. Firm muscles flex and his scent surrounds me.

  Hayden winks his green eye at me. “Maybe I like marking my territory.”

  My hand slips out from beneath his. “I shouldn’t have stepped in front of the car like that.”

  “Are you admitting that you were wrong? That’s a first.”

  “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t acted like a stupid five-year-old and tried to run away, then I wouldn’t have almost gotten smooshed by that hearse. And then you wouldn’t have had to safe me and get the ectoplasm all over my skin again.”

  One side of his mouth pulls up into that uneven smile I adore. “What am I going to do with you? You’re going to be the death of me.” He sniffs the air. “This is bad. I can smell the residue all over your clothes and skin much stronger now.”

  “What? Where?” I take a step back with my arms wide, staring down at myself. “I don’t see or smell anything.”

  “The residue is invisible.” Hayden’s eyes scan the graveyard. “The new layer I left on your skin can be tracked by the reapers. At least we’re safe here.”

  My breath catches. “Just what every girl wants—to be smelly.”

  “This is no joke. Sector Thirteen will use the residue to locate you. And if my parents find out I keep exposing my powers in public, they’ll use this against me.” Hayden tugs a leaf from my hair, and his hand lingers near my cheek for a second.

  “Against you how?”

  “My parents and the GB leaders want me to…do something.” His words grate through clenched teeth. “This might give them the leverage they need.”

  “Leverage for what?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” A muscle works in his jaw. “What does matter is keeping you alive and away from Sector Thirteen.”

  “Is there any way to get the ectoplasm off any faster?”

  “Not really. Each time I mark you, it will take longer to fade.” Hayden entwines our fingers and presses our palms together. “It might be a good idea to keep this to ourselves, though. I don’t want your parents getting upset with me. I’ll talk to Zach and we’ll keep an eye on your family until this new layer fades.”

  “I honestly did not think our relationship would ever become so complicated.”

  “Me, either.” He rubs his jawline. “The most important thing we need to worry about is to make sure Sector Thirteen doesn’t know. Their job is to ensure Meleah don’t reveal themselves to the public. Can you imagine what ST would do if the population knew we existed? Those evil bastards will do anything to make sure we stay hidden.” Hayden inhales and then exhales a deep breath. “We can’t let Sector Thirteen know that I saved you, because then you might disappear, too.”

  The breath seizes in my lungs. “You mean, like your sister?”

  Hayden focuses on the row of tombstones dabbled in moonlight. “You can’t begin to comprehend how hard it’s been for us. Meleah have to hide what they are all the time. There are so many crazy rules.” He shakes his head. “And most Meleah think humans are beneath them.”

  I glance at our clasped hands, and those glittery butterflies flap their wings in my belly. “If the Zetas didn’t want you around humans, then Earth was a dumb choice. And let’s not forget that they made you look human.”

  “True, but ST has their own agenda. They track us like lab rats. Anytime we apply for a job, college, a credit card, or even a driver’s license, it’s tracked by Sector Thirteen.” He glances at me, his brow furrowing. “We have very little freedoms or choices in our lives. We either obey the laws or get punished. So the longer you can avoid detection by ST, the better off you’ll be. Must be why so many Meleah go rogue, like your father did.”

  I blink. “I’m worried about David. The GB won’t turn him in, will they?”

  “He’ll be fine with them. There’s no way they’ll turn him over to Sector Thirteen.”

  “Everything about the Meleah way of life sounds regulated and monitored. Maybe I was too hard on my parents. Maybe I should cut them some slack.”

  “Now you’re starting to get it.” He laughs humorlessly again. “This is their world, and humans were here first. Their protection and safety comes before any crossbreed alien species sharing this planet. The majority of Meleah just want to live their lives in peace, but that’s never going to happen with ST in charge.” He shifts his weight, lifting his head to the sky. “Sometimes I wish the Zetas would return with a big enough spaceship to take us all off this rock…then maybe my sister would still be with us.”

  The streetlamps outlining the property blink on, shedding a pale glow on the graveyard.

  I clear my throat. “I know you don’t like talking about Delta, but what was she like?”

  Hayden shoves his hands into his pockets. “Delta was a very curious creature, always asking questions about everything. I remember when Arcane warned my mother that taking her into our home would be risky, but we all loved her from the first moment we met her, and we were devastated when Delta vanished,” he says with careful control edging his voice, as if he’s holding back a dam of emotions.

  “Why are you so sure that Delta’s dead if you’ve never seen a body?”

  “Because Sector Thirteen always makes good on their threats.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I wish there was something I could do or say to make it better.”

  Tears cloud his eyes. “I miss Delta so much, and since she wasn’t a full-blooded Meleah, it’s my fault she had residue on her skin,” he says unevenly. “Now I’m endangering your life, too. Don’t you see? I’m freaking cursed.”

  My stomach clenches. I wrap my arms around his stiff body and hug him tight. “The ectoplasm will diminish and nothing will happen.”

  “I hope so.” His voice is low, rough. “But I keep putting you in more danger. The damn guilt is killing me, so I react the only way I know how, by pushing you away. Can you forgive me?” Hayden lifts his hand and brushes the tips of his fingers over my temple and along my cheek with the softest touch.

  I lean into his side, snuggling closer. “There’s nothing you could do that would make me stay angry with you for too long.”

  “As much as I keep telling you to stay away, I keep showing up, too.” His warm hand grazes my wrist and he gently tugs me into the shadowy darkness of the cemetery away from the parking lot lampposts. “You know, I don’t have many friends. I mean, there’s only really Zach and you…and, uh...you’ve seen me at my worst, but you still haven’t run.”

  “Looks like you haven’t run from me, either.”

  He moves closer, his minty breath fanning my lips, while the blood rushes hot and heavy through my veins. Then lowering his face and gripping my waist, his mouth cover
s mine, with a hint of tongue. Heat plummets to my stomach and lower. A soft white haze forms over my brain, and I can no longer sense the ground beneath my feet. My lips tingle from his passionate kisses, and a delicious euphoria swims through my body.

  Hayden backs me up against a headstone, and lifts me to sit on the cool, smooth stone, without his lips leaving mine. My legs wrap around his waist and I slip my hands underneath his shirt, my fingertips roaming his skin. His hands slide upward to tangle in my hair and cradle my head. Being wrapped in the aura of his warmth and the enticing scent of Hayden’s skin, a flood of liquid heat, thick with desire pools low in my belly. I could’ve kissed him all night, but I break away, breathing hard. He steps back, panting with his eyes still ablaze.

  “Maybe we should press the pause button on this love scene before it becomes NC-seventeen,” I say. “This is a public place.” I scoot off the tombstone and sit on the grass, leaning against the slab.

  He drops down beside me. “You’re probably right. Things were getting a bit...”

  I turn my head. “Out of control and all X-rated steamy?”

  “Yeah.” Hayden wraps one arm around my shoulders, his body heat surrounding me like an intoxicating sensation. “Sometimes when I kiss you, it’s like everything else just dissolves,” he whispers.

  “Hmmm, I know the feeling.”

  “I was convinced it was okay to give up on us. So I decided to stop taking risks. Stick with the status quo. No more drama. You were right, my reasons are just excuses. All I’m doing is hiding from the truth, which is...everything I’m trying so damn hard to keep buried inside comes rushing to the surface whenever I’m around you.” Hayden’s voice drops to a soft murmur as if confessing a dark secret. “I’m scared, Sloane. Scared that if I let myself be happy or hope for a future with you for even one moment that...the world’s going to come crashing down around me, and I don’t know if I can survive that.”

  “I have the same fears, but you mean everything to me,” I whisper.