My stomach fluttered as he climbed into my bed and peeled off his shirt. I had changed into some cute silky pajamas - kind of a simple sexy. Thank goodness for Ash and Aster.
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead, making me feel warm and safe. His lips were even softer than I had imagined. It made me want him even more.
I looked up and he was staring out the window. I laid my head on his chest and was asleep within seconds.
The next morning I woke up to see the sun shining brightly through the window. My alarm was buzzing in the usual annoying fashion. I looked around as I slapped it very hard, praying the vexing box would just break. Tallis was nowhere to be found.
I jumped up and ran downstairs. He wasn't there either. I walked back up the steps very disappointed and got ready for school. I grabbed my bag and headed toward the door. When I got outside, Tallis was waiting on me, propped up against his car.
&n
bsp; His tone was as seductively tempting as it could possibly be. "Good morning, Aria." I smiled sheepishly as his smug grin sent chills up and down my spine.
"Good morning." The top was down on his car. He reached in and grabbed a tray of coffee.
"I wasn't sure how you liked it, so I got you some selections. I thought you might need it."
His voice was gentle. He didn't sound tired at all. I, on the other hand, was exhausted. I reached out and grabbed the one that was plain coffee with cream only.
"Simple girl, nice." He walked me around to the other side of the car and opened the door for me. I couldn't stop smiling. I sat down, sipping my coffee and buckled my seatbelt. He reached over me, picking the tray of coffee back up.
"I'm going to take this in there for everyone else so that it doesn't go to waste." He was in and out before I could even look at myself in the mirror.
I noticed my family crest imprinted into the upholstery on his leather seats and his dashboard. He saw me staring at it.
"Better protection for you," he explained. "If you're going to be with me, you're going to be safe. My crest works best on our blood, which I don't need it, but Mom and Dad do. I know your crest works better for your blood. I figured it was better safe than sorry, you know?"
I could feel myself falling more for him with each passing second. "Thanks."
He glanced at himself in the rearview mirror as he sat down. I looked at him, admiring how much better he looked than yesterday.
"Thank you for the coffee. I did need it. Four hours of sleep isn't so refreshing, so caffeine was a must. You keep saving me."
He put the car in first gear, smiling cockily. "That's what I do."
Chapter 9
Changers
It's amazing at how much better you can see when you open your eyes.
School finally ended, and Tallis was waiting on me when I walked to my locker. McKee and Taryn walked up.
"Hey, Aria, we were just going to tell you that we we're going to follow you home today. I didn't see your car outside though." McKee paused. He was talking to me but he was staring at Tallis. "I thought maybe you might want to catch a ride with us."
I looked at Tallis, hopeful he was going to join in and object to that for me. He didn't let me down.
"I'll take her home. I put her crest in my car. so you don't have to follow her. Everett said earlier that he would walk us out to the car, so we should be good." Tallis put his arm around my waist possessively.
I smiled, but then McKee made that smile vanish very abruptly. "I was talking to Aria. I don't remember saying your name."
He was angry, or jealous, or maybe he was both.
"I couldn't tell, since you were staring right at me." Tallis's comeback was quick and spoken with layers of threatening tones.
"I don't take my eyes off of a Craymon when they're around. It's bad enough that our coven let you sleep at their house, but now they're letting you touch her?"
I could see the glowing red anger racing violently through McKee's brow. He wanted a reason to fight with Tallis.