No Peace for the Damned

stroked my temple with his thumb. His eyelids dropped a little. My breath turnedto a pant, and my hands slid along the firmness of his chest. I grasped his shoulders. My legs moved on their own, lifting me, one leg swinging over his lap. The movement brought my opened jeans even farther down, forcing the palm of his hand around to my lower back.
    His fingers on my face trailed lightly down my cheek, brushing along my jawline. My lips parted and I pressed into his chest. His other hand curled beneath the waist of my jeans. Still not close enough. Our faces moved together. Our noses brushed and my vision blurred. Finally, our lips met.
    His mouth was soft, a contrast to the steel muscles coiled under the rest of his skin. He was controlled, unhurried, gently opening my mouth to brush his tongue against mine. I’d never felt anything like it. His fingers were suddenly up, tracing every line, every curve of my face. Reassuring me as his tongue continued to taste my mouth in a rhythm that even someone as inexperienced as I was could recognize. My eyes slid shut.
    He adjusted beneath me, just enough to make all the difference. He slid down on the couch, one hand twisted in my hair, the other firm on my hip. Gently he moved me against him. The bulge in his pants rubbed perfectly against my core. In a gasp, my shirt was gone. Panic lit up inside me, but his soft eyes kept me in the moment. No judgment, no anger. He clutched me tighter against him. His hands kneaded at my back. His warm breath was ragged as his lips moved from my mouth to my chin then down my neck.
    A new heat stirred low in my body. An exciting pressure, simmering. Fear of what was happening struggled against the desire to never stop. Theo guided our rhythm, fueled the heat inside me until I was on the brink of boiling over.
Oh God, what was happening?
    And then suddenly…everything changed.
    The room glowed. Our skin shone with a golden light. My breath pulled out of me as if on a string. I exhaled without end until there was no more breath to release. When I breathed in, it wasn’t air I drew into my lungs, but gold. I watched it trail into my mouth in a gentle and vital inhale.
    This golden bond solidified between us.
    All barriers, all reservations, disappeared. His heart beat in time with mine. I could feel my touch on his skin, feathers of electricity brushing along his shoulders. The softness of my hair against his palm. The sensations as real and solid as his firm weight beneath me. My mental walls evaporated. His thoughts came flooding in.
    Perfect. More. Oh, God what is she doing? What is happening to me? So beautiful, so broken. No. No. No! Don’t be a dumb-ass! Stop yourself!! So much power. Too much power. She’s the one that’s a supernatural, not me. I have to stop. Stop before it’s too late! Oh, she feels so good, so perfect
. We
are perfect! God I have to stop this. She’s a fucking
Kelch,
for chrissake!
    My heart stopped as the gold faded and air whooshed back into my lungs.

Air expanded in my chest. Theo gasped. He shivered from the sudden absence of power between us. Eyes wide, he studied my face. And just as I’d expected, he paled in fear.
    “No,” he breathed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
    The walls in my mind slammed shut. I didn’t want to hear any more. My eyes closed too, but the tears came anyway. His sorrow and guilt and fear left him speechless. I turned away.
    I was a Kelch. That’s all that mattered. Our closeness hurt now.
    The front door flew open. We both jumped.
    I’d been so wrapped up in Theo that I hadn’t even heard the beeps of the alarms.
Damn it!
Jon, Shane, and Chang sprinted into the house. Before I could think, Theo grabbed a throw blanket from the arm of the couch and threw it over my shoulders. He wasn’t quick enough.
    My bare back, my jean shorts lowered as I straddled Theo’s lap—Chang fell like a board, face-first, slamming onto the great room floor.
    “Oh, great,” I mumbled.
Could this moment get any more humiliating?
    Jon gaped—shock plain on his face. Shane’s expression was hard. Was he
still
pissed off?
    Then it hit me. Of course he was still pissed. I was a Kelch. God, it was so obvious now. The sidelong glances, the constant edginess, the subtle shifts away from wherever I happened to be—it may not have been forefront in their thoughts but it was perfectly clear now. I would never truly be accepted by these people. Somewhere in the backs of their minds, I would