Light in the Storm

We rode in the car with silence around, Nick’s hands tight around the steering wheel, his knuckles white. He could sense that something was bothering me, but I tried to push the feeling away. I didn’t want him to have to feel the same way. I glanced over at him, his eyes locking mine for a moment, and it was hard not to want to smile at him.

He quickly looked back to the road and turned the corner, the road disappearing through a thicket of trees. He turned the car around and parked on the side area, cutting the ignition. I sat there for a moment, staring out the window and into the darkening sky. The clouds were forming in clusters, the cool air sliding into the car through the window that was cracked. We were close to the council’s building. I needed to focus.

Taking a deep breath, I disturbed the silence by opening the door, ready to step out into the cool air, but Nick’s warm hand caught my wrist. My glow sparked and I turned to face him, my hair whipping my face. His eyes were intense as they burned into mine, dancing around my face. I could tell he wanted to ask what was wrong, what had happened that made me so upset, but he stayed silent. His fingers burned into my skin as he tightened his hold on me, pulling me closer with a small jerk. I let out a shaky breath, his face inches from mine, and his other hand slowly lifted. He trailed his fingers over my forehead, pushing away my bangs gently. His fingertips traced down the side of my face slowly, shooting tingles throughout me, and then continued down my cheek.

His fingers ran down my jaw line, making me hold my breath, and then he tilted my chin up. Our lips were inches away, his hot breath massaging my skin. His nose grazed mine, his hand sliding down my wrist to grip my hand. I felt my breath start to quicken, the way he was acting towards me now… I wasn’t really used to it.

“Lonnie…” he whispered lowly, his lips parting as he stayed close, not moving an inch. I swallowed the lump in my throat and leaned into his touch as his hand ran back up my face, his thumb gently grazing my lips. Why was he doing this to me?

I leaned forward in that instant, dying to press my lips to his, to kiss him, but he pulled back immediately. I stared at him in confusion, his calm face eating at me. His other hand pulled away from mine and he settled it on my waist, slowly dragging it towards my back; I shivered. I could feel his warmth burning through my thin shirt as his hand slid underneath my jacket. I sucked in a breath, letting it out through my nose quickly.

“Lonnie, tell me why you’re upset,” he practically pleaded, tilting his head. His face was close again, teasing. I reached my hand up shakily to grasp his soft curls, but his hand slid off my face and gripped my wrist instead, pinning it to the side opposite of where his hand was resting. I didn’t want to tell him.

“L-lets just go in-” I started, trying to pull away, but he was too quick. His arms slid around my waist, one of them stretching out to slam the door back shut. I jerked a little, his eyes more intense. There were so many things to him…

His hands slid down my slightly bruised sides, tickling me more than hurting me, and he tightened his jaw. I let my lips part, my eyes dancing around his smooth features in the silence. He let out a breath and shook his head some, sliding his hands to my wrists tightly.

“I’m not asking anymore. You need to tell me.”

“Are you demanding me or something?” I asked in disbelief, not sure if I should be angry or not.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I’m demanding that you tell me right now.”

I was the one who was able to manipulate… why was he the one having this affect on me. I shut my mouth tight, raising my head up a little, trying to tell myself that I was the bigger person. What a lie that was. I shut my eyes tight and inhaled deeply, his scent overpowering me. His hand gripped my chin again, a little more roughly, and he spoke in a low, gruff voice.

“Open your eyes, look at me,” he ordered. I couldn’t help but do it. My eyes fluttered open, meeting is chocolate ones, and I let out a shaky breath. He was so close… I shouldn’t have been thinking about what I was. “Tell me.”

“School,” I started, bouncing my leg a little. He slid his hand down to my arm, gripping me close. “Mr. Cornell has us write in a notebook… what we’re thinking. He doesn’t read them; they’re private. I-I wrote down what I was thinking about and I knocked my notebook over, so Josh picked it up…” I trailed off nervously, glancing down to my lap. He waited, not exactly sure what the bad part was.

“And…?” he prompted, his voice softer.

“Nick, he told the whole class I had sex with you.”

I didn’t want to blurt it out like I did. I took a quick breath as soon as the words left my lips, my eyes burning into Nick nervously. His face was blank, like he hadn’t just heard what I said, and he sat still… just like a statue.

“Nick?” I breathed out shakily, barely noticing my own voice. His grip tightened on me for an instant before he shifted in his seat, turning the key angrily until the car roared to life. I jumped, my eyes widening as he began to push on the peddle, pushing us forward. I grabbed the keys quickly, cutting the ignition, bringing us to a jerky stop. He stared out on the road, his hands still clasping to the steering wheel, and I noticed his cheeks were burning. His chest was heaving as he spoke in a low whisper.

“Give me the keys now,” he demanded, clenching his jaw shut. I blinked in surprise, licking my lips as he slowly turned his head to look at me, his eyes intense with fury.

“No,” I blurted strongly, clasping my fingers around the keys. “Not until you tell me what you’re doing.”

“Now Lonnie. I’m not playing any games. Give me the keys,” he said a little louder, reaching for them when I didn’t budge. I knew it was childish, but I did the first thing that came to mind… I shoved them down my shirt. He retracted his hand quickly, his eyes widening a little as he stared at me. I stared right back, the silence hard.

“Now tell me what you plan on doing,” I ordered, but my voice was no where near strong.

“We had sex Lonnie. I’ve seen you naked. I’m not afraid to reach my hand down your shirt to get the damn keys, now give them over,” he growled, his eyes locking on my face. I tried to speak but I had to admit that I was a little flustered; I tried not to blush, my bright glow was a definite give away.

“N-no. I know you wouldn’t even think about getting these keys, so just tell me and I’ll give them to you.” I could feel the cold metal sitting against my chest and I bit my lip, my eyes taking in the way he was staring at me. His eyes trailed downward for a moment before locking on my face again.

It was once again silent. I tried to calm my breaths but that wasn’t exactly helping. He sighed heavily suddenly, his face stern, and he did what I thought he wouldn’t do. He grabbed my arms with one hand and yanked me closer, shoving his hand down my shirt. I yelped with surprise, my heart thudding against my ribcage. My eyes were wide as I felt his fingers dance across my skin hotly, lingering for a moment before they tightened around the metal object and pulled out. There was no doubt about how much I was blushing right now, and even Nick’s cheeks were flushed, but he stayed blank.

“I told you,” he stated, ready to shove the keys back into the ignition. I reached for them, but he immediately pulled back, his back hitting the door.

“I didn’t think you actually would,” I breathed shakily, leaning on him. He hid his hand behind his back and tried to push me away, but I clung onto the steering wheel. “Just tell me what you’re doing. I’ll sit on you.”

“You’re already sitting on me,” he grunted, his eyes trailing down to my position--I was straddling his waist. I sucked in a breath and tried for the keys again, but he twisted in the seat, almost knocking me off him.

“Nick!” I hissed, pushing his back into the seat. I bent my head down and bit on his neck softly, close to the fading mark that was already there. I heard him gasp gruffly, his hand immediately grasping my waist. I shot my hand out and grabbed the one that was still at his side, yanking the keys away from him.

I tried to make it to the door but his arm snaked around me, yanking me back roughly. “That’s not fair and you know it,” he hissed in my ear, forcefully shoving me into the seat. I grunted, my eyes widening a little. He was almost flush against me, his hot breath massaging my face in quick gushes.

His eyes were narrow and dark, his curls disheveled. Everything fell silent again, our quick breaths attaching me to him. “No one should know about that, he shouldn’t get to know about that,” he whispered suddenly, exhaling deeply. He pushed his forehead against mine, trailing his eyes down until they closed.

“I guess I shouldn’t have written it down…” I muttered apologetically, closing my eyes. He shifted, still hovering.

“No, this isn’t your fault. This is his fault for not minding his own business. That was something that was supposed to stay between us. It was… special,” he breathed, getting me to open my eyes again. I bit my lip and focused on his face, staring at him a little longer than I really needed to, but I didn’t care. “I just want to talk to him,” he mumbled, pulling back some.

“You’re stronger than Josh, Nick. You’d hurt him-”

“I’m not going to attack him. Do you think I’m some kind of monster?” he growled, rubbing his hand over his face. I gulped, shaking my head.

“I’m just… looking out for you,” I murmured carefully, turning my head to face him. He stared at me for a moment, his eyes softer.

“Thank you,” he whispered surprisingly. “I don’t think anyone ever really has.”

I smiled in response and reached forward, grabbing his hand slowly. I gave it a soft squeeze, his full lips twitching into a smile at my actions. It made my heart flutter. Glancing back down, I stared at the time on his watch.

“Don’t you think we should get going if we wanna’ find anything out before the council gets there?” I asked quickly, reaching for the door that he had slammed shut earlier. He nodded quickly and we both stepped out into the cool air. I didn’t expect him to let the whole Josh thing go… but he would for now. We had more important things to do.

I rushed over to him, bumping my shoulder into his with a giggle, and jiggled the keys out to him. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the keys, nudging my ankle with his foot. I grinned, lacing my fingers with his. It was amazing at how fast our moods could change when we were together. No matter what we were: angry, upset, disappointed, sad, annoyed… we’d always end up happy. I was happier because of him. My glow sparked when he leaned towards me, his curls tickling my temple as he kissed my cheek. I giggled some and rushed onto the path, dragging him with me.

“Why are you so eager to spy on the council anyway?” he said in a hushed voice as we entered the trees, not sure if anyone was lurking around. It didn’t scare me because I knew Nick would protect me.

“Don’t you want to know more about this black storm? Everyone’s keeping us in the dark when we’re the ones risking our lives for it…” I mumbled back, pulling myself closer to him as we walked up the path, the dark mountains not too far away. Nick wrapped his arm snuggly around me, my head resting against his chest. I loved the sound of his strong heart.

“The council doesn't go on about things they don’t know. This black storm is new to them, to us. If it’s as strong as they think it is… we’re in some trouble.”

I bit my lip and tried not to trip as we got through the thicker roots, meeting the mountain edges. No sunlight peeked through the thick clouds, only a dull fog. And it was cold now. I shivered, trying not to fall as Nick pulled me in front of him, wrapping his arms around me. We walked together at a slow pace, my eyes scanning everything in sight. Something quick caught my eye and I had to blink, wondering if it was just my imagination.

“Did you see that?” I whispered, stopping. Nick bumped into me, his body tightly pressed against mine. I gulped, swearing I heard him groan breathily. I stayed silent.

“What?” he asked cautiously, turning his head to see anything. It was silent, the rustling branches echoing.

“Maybe… maybe I’m just paranoid,” I tried to reason. He shook his head.

“No. I know you saw something.” That was a soul mate thing, we believed each other. We trusted each other. I sighed heavily and began to walk again, more warily this time.

We continued to walk up the steep path, careful not to make too much noise. We didn’t know where the council went at this time, we just knew we had to get in silently. The building came into view suddenly and I cleared my throat, my eyes settling on the carved up door. The bottom of my pant was stuck to the top of my shoe and the grass tickled my skin as it flowed in the breeze. Nick licked his dry lips and I continued towards the door, only to have him tug me back.

“What’re you doing?” he whispered, his face showing he was somewhat amused. I furrowed my eyebrows.

“Going in.”

“You can't just walk in the front door!” he chuckled, his laugh like music to me. I sighed, crossing my arms. “All of the council doesn't go out at lunch. There are guards to keep people like us from barging in.”

“We aren’t barging, we’re sneaking,” I grinned, pushing my hair back. He smirked lightly, nodding towards the side of the large building.

“Exactly, so lets go this way.”

I didn’t question him, Nick was always right. Following close behind him, we were careful to stay silent. I crunched a few branches while he stayed graceful--so what? We got closer to the building, thankful that there were no windows, and stayed in the shadows in case someone was outside. I felt like such a rebel, I wanted to laugh.

Nick stopped and slid around the corner, pulling me with him easily. I glanced around the dark back area, the emptiness somewhat creepy. He pointed to a rusty door. Neither of us spoke as we turned towards it, the wind around making the old metal door squeak as it shook in it’s position. Was it locked? Nick seemed to read my mind and he tried the handle carefully, biting his lip.

“Now what?” I hissed, glancing around nervously. He glanced over his shoulder, his eye meeting mine.

“Don’t underestimate me,” he smirked, stepping back some.

“I never do,” I scoffed, watching him in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“If this fails, you can always use your magic,” he pointed out, turning back around before I could repeat my question. I watched him kick his leg up with force, the metal crashing with a bang suddenly. I winced at the noise. Nick turned back around with a shrug of his shoulder, his smile never fading. “I guess it really does work.”

“You are such a dork,” I rolled my eyes, stepping forward cautiously. His hand slipped into mine as he pulled us forward, ignoring my comment. “What if they heard that Nick?”

“Then we’ll hide,” he shrugged simply, carefully walking over the large piece of metal. The cool air drifted into the dark room, rustling a few papers. I couldn’t barely see the size of the room with just my glow. “Come on,” he breathed, his lips close to my ear.

We shuffled inside quickly, Nick’s hand letting go of mine as he turned around. I stepped a little closer, my glow lighting his actions. He lifted the metal door with a grunt, quickly shoving it back against the opening, only a small cling sounding. I bit my lip. He wiped his hands on his pants and turned around, relying on me to see in the room.

“What room do you think this is?” I asked in awe, glancing around at the visible shelves and tables. There were boxes scattered around, different items sticking out.

“It’s not important. We need to get to the main room,” he informed me, stepping over a few things. I followed quickly, lingering in the doorway as he peered around the corner. Everything was silent. “Come on.”

He held out his hand and I took it graciously, trying to keep up as he tugged me along swiftly. We practically raced down the dark hall, staying close to the cluttered walls. He made a sharp turn and pushed through a large curtain, holding it open so it didn’t hit me in the face. We were in another hallway, a smaller hall, and I could hear two voices mumbling casually. My heart picked up, but Nick seemed unfazed.

He shot across, pushing open a door stealthy, a small light flooding into the hallway. He motioned me forward, shutting the door as soon as I entered. My eyes immediately scanned the large room, my footsteps echoing as I moved forward. There were pictures, books, papers, chairs and tables… everything. It looked cleaner than the rest of the place too; it held Eve’s scent. I missed her.

Sighing heavily, I quickly glanced around, noticing that Nick had already gotten started on snooping the shelves. I trudged forward, watching as he quickly moved.

“Look for any marked books, anything with a lesser amount of dust,” he murmured, his eyebrows knitted together as he concentrated. I followed his instructions and began scanning the lower shelves, my shoulder brushing his leg, but he didn’t flinch. Tracing my fingertips over the spine of the books, I left a small line in the dust. “Hey,” Nick said lightly suddenly, pulling a book off the shelf. I glanced up at him through my bangs, my lips parted. I stood up slowly, my eyes focusing on the unknown book. There was a marked page, just like Nick had said.

“What is it?” I asked carefully, running my fingers over the slightly dusted cover. He licked his lips and shrugged, eying it intently.

“Lets find out, I guess.”

He opened the book and skimmed through the roughed up pages, stopping at the marked page. His eyes quickly scanned it, his face twisted with concentration. He didn’t ask if I wanted to read it, he knew I wouldn’t understand. I waited patiently, my heart beating sluggishly with nerves, and shifted my weight as he quickly flipped the page.

“So?” I urged, biting my lip, bouncing my leg up and down. He stayed silent for a moment, his eyes still scanning the pages.

“It’s useless,” he breathed, shaking his head. He shut the book and slammed it back on the shelf, quickly searching for another one.

“What? What did it say?”

“It was some stupid romance novel,” he snorted, scanning for another book. I let out a giggle, rolling my eyes--of course Eve would love romance novels.

Nick paused suddenly, slipping his hand over my mouth. I froze, my heart beating quickly. He stayed silent, footsteps suddenly coming from the outside. Before I could make a noise Nick wrapped his arm around my waist and lifted me up, staggering back into the shadows, hiding us behind a bookshelf. He kneeled down, allowing me to slide in between his legs. I breathed slowly, probably tickling his skin, but he didn’t retract his hand yet. I guess he didn’t trust me to be quiet--I didn’t trust myself either.

Voices suddenly sounded and the door creaked open, two laughs echoing through the room. I heard the door clicked closed and twisted slowly, leaning up to whisper in Nick’s ear.

“Who-”

“Guards,” he breathed, almost inaudible. I nodded and stayed on my knees, afraid to move. Nick’s eyes locked mine and we sat there, staring at each other--his gaze was intense, like it always was.

I tried to listen to their conversation, but it was harmless. They were just doing their job… no suspicions. I almost sighed with relief. Nick turned a little, trying to stretch out his leg, but of course I had to be a klutz and fall onto him, his back hitting the wall as my body hit his. A small thud came and my breath caught, pausing while his lips hovered above mine. The talking ceased in a second and my heart began to pound harder. I held my breath, my wide eyes meeting Nick’s.

Feet slowly came closer, the shadow of a body getting larger. I shut my eyes tight and thought as hard as I could, telling myself that I wanted them to go away. It only took a second for the feet to stop before the man muttered something and the two quickly exited. Oh god.

I let my heavy breath out and dropped my forehead to Nick’s shoulder, glancing up at him nervously. He looked… impressed.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, smiling slightly when he rolled his eyes and leaned forward.

“It’s not your fault you’re a klutz,” he chuckled, running his fingers through his curls. I stood shakily and leaned back against the smaller bookshelf, propping my elbows up.

“You’re just jealous.”

“Jealous of what exactly?” he chuckled, quirking his eyebrow.

“I dunno,” I shrugged, “Just… jealous overall.”

“Uh-huh,” he nodded, rolling up his sleeves.

“Maybe that’s why you looked like you wanted to kill Josh earlier…” I noticed him tense up a bit as he narrowed his eyes, rubbing his neck.

“I was not jealous.”

“You get all tense every time I mention another guy,” I giggled.

“We came here to look for clues-”

“Now you’re changing the subject, Mr. Jealous-face,” I grinned, nudging his leg with my foot.

“Why should I be jealous of anyone? I’m the one that got you screaming my name,” he said lowly, crossing his strong arms over his muscled chest. I bit my lip, my cheeks flooding with heat. My glow sparked brightly without my control and a rare toothy grin spread across his lips. He leaned forward, tilting my chin up with his fingers. His chocolate eyes danced with amusement as his lips hovered above mine. “You can’t win with me, babe.”

I couldn’t help the shiver that ran through me. “I always win,” I said meekly. He raised his eyebrow.

“How so?”

I pressed my lips to his, my arms immediately snaking around his neck at the sudden feeling that coursed through me. He hesitated for a moment before his hands came in contact with my hips, lifting me up with ease to set me on the bookcase. My legs dangled off the edge and he stepped between them, allowing me to wrap them around his waist. His lips were so soft, so gentle. I could feel my smile coming, my fingers tangling in his thick curls. His hand rested on the small of my back, his other holding himself against the shelf.

He pulled back a little, his eyes opening to find me staring right back at him. He blushed this time, pressing his lips to mine again. There was something about the emotion in his eye that always caught me off guard. He could be so emotionless sometimes, so rough, so grouchy, but then he could be so sweet, so soft, so gentle, so loveable. He wasn’t an open book, he was a locked diary, and I was the only one who had the key.

“Ahem,” a voice sounded, and Nick quickly pulled away. I felt like my heart froze, my breath hitching again. Nick looked up from a fallen curl, his face blank, and I knew I had to turn around. We were caught; I was about to panic.

Slowly turning, my eyes widened as they settled on the person in the doorway, my hand gripping Nick’s shirt tighter.