13 Ways to Midnight (The Midnight Saga) Read online

  She leaned toward me, and my heart crawled into my throat. I should have known better than to try to trick her. I wasn’t ready to accept that she really cast spells, but I knew that whatever she had given to me had been working. Maybe it was mind over matter, but my curiosity had gotten the better of me with Thorn. I wanted to know what he needed from her and why. The only way I could find out was to go to the source.

  Finally, after a few anxious moments, she stood up straight and turned, pulling a black box from the shelf and setting it on the counter between us. She opened it and removed a small black bag, letting it linger in her palm. She handed it to me, and I quickly shoved it in my pocket without looking at it.

  I tapped my foot on the wood floor and bit my lip. “Dating, huh?” She asked.

  I nodded to her. She spoke solemnly. “These violent delights have violent ends.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Shakespear, Romeo and Juliet.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Right.”

  She watched me as I made my way out of the store and into the hazy mist.

  I set the bag down between us, and Bri eyed it. “So this is it?” She asked with enthusiasm.

  I nodded. “Yes, God, I feel horrible,” I muttered.

  Mattie leaned forward and gingerly tugged at the black string that held it closed. Bri tapped her hand away from it, and Mattie groaned.

  “Stop,” Bri said as she opened her book of charms and scoured through the pages until she landed on whatever she was looking for.

  She reached toward it. “Wait,” I said as I touched her hand. She looked up at me. “What?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I think I should give it back.”

  “To the witch?” Bri asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you insane?” She tilted her head.

  I fidgeted with my hands. “I may be.”

  “You asked me to see what this was.” She added, trying to control her disappointment.

  I nodded, and my hair slid over my shoulder and tapped against my arm. “I know I did but I was temporarily batcrap crazy, I think.”

  She giggled. “You mean bat…” I held my hand up. “I prefer crap.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine…we’ll use crap, and yes you may have been, but it’s here now.” She gently tugged at the string and opened it. The bag moved, and she released it. All three of us leaned in. The bag jiggled on the black plate that had a white pentagram painted on it.

  The wind kicked up and sent a chill through me. Bri had insisted that we do this outside, so we had found a small clearing at the edge of the woods next to my home. I stared up as the pine whispered from the breeze.

  The bag moved again, and we all sat up straight. “Maybe we should stop,” I said, and Bri shook her head. “Are you kidding me? Don’t you want to know what’s in the bag?”

  Mattie nodded her head. “I want to know, like now.”

  I bit my lip, and she reached in, jerking on the string until it was wide open. We sat there in silence until a red centipede crawled out and hovered there like it was staring at me. Mattie screamed, and Bri backed away. I couldn’t move. I was frozen in fear.

  It slithered out and made its way toward me. The ringing started up in my ears, and I could hear Thorn whispering to me.

  “I am darkness. I am death.”

  “Ah!” Bri yelled as she slammed her book down on the creature right as it reached my foot. She lifted it and let out a yelp, tossing it aside. The book landed in the thick grass, and the spell was broken. I rushed to my feet and pressed my hand against my chest.

  “What the hell was that?” I spoke with a tremor in my voice.

  Bri laughed. “I thought you didn’t want any cursing?”

  I ignored her jab. “Shut up.”

  She cautiously approached her book and kicked it. It flipped over, and we all stared on as the insect sparked and then disintegrated into thin air.

  I pointed at it. “Explain.”

  Bri reached in and grabbed her book and shook it at her side.

  “I think we should leave.” She started to walk away, and I rushed up and blocked her path. She looked down at her feet and then over at Mattie.

  “Bri?” Mattie spoke in an inquisitive tone.

  “That was bad.”

  I shoved my hands into my pockets. “What kind of bad?”

  Bri sighed. “Bad, like really bad.”

  I lifted my hand and let it drop. “That doesn’t tell me anything. I mean, there are many levels of bad. Is it like level five or level ten bad?”

  Her eyebrow cocked. “Thirteen.”

  “Thirteen on a scale of what?” I asked.

  Bri sighed. “Of thirteen.”

  I placed my hand on my hip. “So what is it for?”

  She stared behind me. “Bri? Come on, tell me. It’s not like I’m really a true believer.”

  Her face contorted, and her attention snapped back to me. “Oh, okay.” She pushed past me, and I had to catch up. I could tell that I had offended her. “Hey.” She ignored me. “Hey.” I touched her arm, and she looked at me.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve just never considered the possibilities of any of this being real.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Well, you should, but if you don’t believe in any of this then why ask me to help you?”

  I had no real answers, so I shrugged my shoulders. She huffed. I had to stop her from walking away from me yet again. “No, listen. Okay, okay. Let’s just say, hypothetically, that I can see where this may be based on some truth.”

  She shook her book at me. “This is my faith.”

  I nodded to her. “Again, I’m sorry. I suck.”

  She concealed a grin and Mattie nudged her from the side. Finally, she spoke up. “Fine, you suck.”

  “Okay, well, could you tell me what that was?”

  She sighed and glanced over at Mattie and then back to me.

  “Bri?” She whispered. Bri looked back at me and sighed.

  “Centipedes are used to stop demons from rising. Kind of like a gate. They’re also said to help fill a void.”

  I was already upset about the demon part, but I had to ask about the void. “To fill what?”

  “To mimic a soul.”

  “A soul?” I asked, and she nodded to me.

  “Yes.”

  I laughed, and a white puff of smoke escaped my lips. I quickly frowned. “I mean, a soul is subjective.”

  She started to walk again. “Maybe to you.”

  “Okay, fine. I’ll accept that, and again, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound like a skeptic.”

  She stopped and looked me over. “You need to stop pretending like you’re different.”

  “What?” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “From your parents. You fight that so hard, but you’re the same, so stop acting like you’re the leader of some great rebellion, because you aren’t.”

  She walked away, and I was left there to think about how true that was.

  36

  My phone hummed in my pocket. I pulled it out and narrowed my eyes as I focused in on the screen.

  ‘I miss you.’ was staring up at me.

  ‘Who is this?’

  ‘Thorn, why? How many people text I miss you?’

  ‘No one.’

  ‘I find that hard to believe.’

  ‘How did you get my number?’

  ‘You sound mad.’

  I rolled my eyes. Of course, I was mad, more so at myself than at him. I had completely gone off the rails and invaded his personal space when I decided to stroll into that coffee shop and lie to Star.

  ‘I’m not mad.’

  I waited for an answer, tapping my foot on the floor and then a knock came to the door. I was
hesitant to answer it because my aunt was gone. She had returned to the hospital but promised she’d be back before too long. Too long for her meant maybe three hours, four tops. I stared back at the large screen TV and abandoned the movie I had been watching; it was about some teenage girl moving from Arizona to a dark, damp place, and of course, there was a vampire who found her irresistible.

  Every teenage girl’s dream.

  The knock came again, and I lowered my phone and placed it on the long table as I answered the door. I barely cracked it at first, and then I captured the sight of his beautiful eyes and pouty lips staring back at me.

  “Hey.” Thorn said with a slight grin.

  I wasn’t going to lie. His mood swings made me dizzy, but I had no right to judge. Not after what I had done.

  “Hey.” I looked down and crossed my feet over. I was wearing my thick fluffy socks and my black leggings. I had a black and white sweatshirt on that was just a tad bit too large for me, but I loved to snuggle in it like a warm blanket. My hair sat in two large balls on the back of my head.

  He looked me over. You’re cute in whatever you wear.”

  I laughed. “Seriously, that’s your line after storming out?”

  He licked his lip and bit into it. I watched him release it, and it glistened in the dull light. He looked behind me. “Can I come in?”

  I blinked a couple of times, trying to clear my mind of the centipede that had escaped from the bag. It made me shudder. I rubbed my arms.

  “I, sure…yeah, come on it. My aunt will be back soon.” I grinned as I said it. Of course, my only defense mechanism would be to remind him that I was alone, but wouldn’t be for long, or was I trying to remind myself?

  He stepped over the threshold very slowly and then shut the door behind him while I took a few steps back. He was wearing dark jeans, black and white chucks and a white leather jacket, zipped up and hugging his shoulders across his broad chest. His hair was disheveled, but he looked amazing regardless of where it fell. He looked down and then back up at me while I scrutinized him. His blonde hair moved allowing a piece of his bangs to obscure one eye. It didn’t help. It only made him cuter.

  “What?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “Nothing.” Of course, I wanted to confess, but I pursed my lips and held it in.

  He unzipped his jacket and took it off, revealing a long-sleeved charcoal gray button down shirt that hugged his sides and lay untucked at the bottom, teasing the top of his black belt. I cleared my throat and rubbed the side of my neck.

  “I think this is the first time you’ve used the front door.”

  His lip curled then he placed his coat on the rack. He turned, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He gave a quick shrug. “I guess so. Seemed more civilized.”

  He scanned the entryway and then gazed at the stairs. I glanced back and then decided to offer him something, anything to break the silence.

  “Do you want something to drink?”

  He stood silent. “Water, tea, coffee?” I asked, running through the inventory in my mind.

  “I’m good.” He said.

  “I was…” I turned and pointed toward the living room. “It’s a movie, about vampires.”

  “Mm, you like them now?”

  My eyebrows shot up as I wiped my hands on the sides of my leggings. “It’s just a movie.”

  “I find them overrated.” He said with a slight chuckle.

  I scratched my arm. “Well, it’s not like they’re real.”

  He shook his head. “No, of course not.”

  I sighed. “We can watch something else, or not watch anything at all. Whatever you want to do.”

  He took a step toward me. “Whatever I want, huh?”

  My temperature rose. He was flirting with me again, and my mind raced right back to his lips and how good they felt against mine. His kisses engulfed me and the thought of more, well, it made me dizzy.

  “Depends,” I said, ready to accept his flirting by countering with my own attempt. I have zero experience, so a fumble is expected.

  He looked at the stairs, and my heart jumped. “I’d kinda like to see the infamous library if you want to show me?”

  “It’s totally overrated.” I was using his words, not mine.

  He stepped toward me. “Like the vampire?”

  I nodded. “Yep, just like vampires.”

  “They aren’t real.” He kept moving forward.

  I shook my head as my eyes locked onto his lips. “Nope.”

  “So, can we go up?” He glanced upward.

  “Where?”

  He smiled. “To the library.”

  “Oh!” I swallowed hard.

  “Did I say my aunt would be back soon?”

  He bit his lip and released it. “Yes, you did.”

  I waved a hand, completely relieved that he hadn’t mentioned my room. I may have died or passed out right there, and I wasn’t ready to be that honest with him. He already knew I was about as clumsy as it gets, I guess he didn’t need to know that he could fluster me just by being near me.

  “Echo?” I blinked, nervously laughing. “Yeah, no. I mean yes. Well, actually, I’d like to show you something else.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

  I waved at him and turned to walk up the stairs; he was at my side before I could blink, sliding his hand into mine. I swallowed the nervous tension and walked up the stairs with him as cautiously as I could. We made it to the first floor and then we turned, making our way to the second, finally, we reached the third, and the silence was killing me.

  I turned and smiled up at him. “It’s down here, on the end.”

  He eyed the doors and grinned.

  “Okay then, show me.”

  We walked down the hallway and finally reached the room. I had to let go of his hand to open the doors and let them swing wide open, allowing him to get a full view.

  He stood there in awe, just as I had.

  I enjoyed the look on his face, and it excited me, almost as much as kissing him, did. He stepped in and scanned the room. His head tilted, and he looked up at the skylight then back out across the atrium, finally noticing the fountain. He reached back and took my hand.

  “This is amazing.” He whispered. His adoration for it was more than I could handle.

  Cute. Charming. Great kisser and able to show emotion? I must have died and gone to heaven.

  I tried to battle my emotions by switching gears. “I’m sure you have an incredible home.”

  He grinned. “Who are they?”

  I noticed the two swans gliding along under the fountain.

  “That’s Romeo and Juliet.”

  “Romeo and Juliet.” He said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. His deep blue eyes lifted and locked onto mine. I placed my hand on my stomach and then he spoke calmly.

  “Tragic love story.”

  “I know, that’s what makes it so incredible. The love they have for each other was doomed from the beginning; they knew this, but they did it anyway. I don’t think it gets any more romantic than that, does it?”

  “It can.” He said as he took a step toward me. My heart skipped a beat.

  “Thorn,” I said as he approached me. He reached out and touched my face, and I froze in place. He started to lower to the stone floor, taking me with him and we ended up on our knees, facing each other.

  “Echo, I think about you every moment of the day.” He whispered.

  “I’ve never.” I was trying to catch my breath. I may be a virgin, but I know what he meant. I was finding it hard to deny my feelings for wanting more with him, but I was absolutely terrified. I think anyone would be. I’m not naïve; I understand what happens because I’m curious, but I had never had the talk, other than a few words here and there warning me about hormonal changes and my nee
d to rationalize before jumping into anything.

  My parents. The scientists.

  I was shocked they managed to produce us seeing how much passion lacked in their relationship.

  I guess everyone finds their own way.

  Mine, well, it seemed to be sitting right in front of me, and if the saying…a deer in headlights had a poster child, I was it.

  He lifted my hand and held it to his mouth, flipping it over, kissing my palm with such tenderness as he closed his eyes. His lips left my skin. “Do you trust me?”

  I nodded to him, and he reached down and started to unbutton his shirt. I held my breath as he took it off and exposed his hairless chest, firm and pale. My eyes lowered to his stomach. His muscles rippled beneath the surface of his flawless skin. I reached down and grabbed at the base of my shirt, pulling it over my head and letting it drop to the floor next to me. I knelt there before him in my white tank. His eyes wandered down my body, across my shoulder and then landed back on my neck.

  “So beautiful.” He muttered to himself, absorbing all of me not only with his curious stare. Everything slowed down, including my heart. The nerves, the unbridled fear, it all disappeared as if he took it away from me and replaced it with a warm wave of submission. I didn’t feel as much in control as I did otherworldly like I was staring down on the two of us and watching things unfold.

  I could hear a dull ringing in my ears as he leaned in toward me. He placed his trembling fingers to my lips and traced them, following the outline until he completed his journey. I could feel him shaking, and yet I was still calm.

  Serene. Pure.

  All of the darkness that had resided in me was gone, filled with a light that only Midnight used to produce for me, but here he was, Thorn Vega, filling that empty void that her absence left behind. I didn’t think it would ever fade and the relief forced silent tears to stream down my face. My lip quivered as the pain rushed out of me as if he was willingly taking it and hiding it away.

  “Do you want me?” He asked, and I nodded to him.

  “Say it.” He whispered to me.

  “I want you.”

  He closed his eyes and leaned back. I crawled toward him, slipping onto his lap as slowly as I could and wrapped my arms around his neck. He hissed and kept his eyes closed. “Echo, please.”