“Tomorrow, Pen. Just close your eyes. It’s been a long day. Don’t be so stubborn.”
I laugh. “Okay. Okay.” I close my eyes and take a breath. Next to me, I feel him conjuring up his magic as it flows into me. I have to exhale so I can relax into his chest. It’s only a few seconds, but I already feel calmer. His fingers lace with mine.
Carter tells me to look now. Maybe he has something important to tell me—so I open them. And when I do, I gasp and sit up in the bed. Carter rises beside me.
All across my room there are stars. They sparkle and dance on the walls, competing with the ones outside. They are so bright the room is shining, shimmering. It’s like my father used to do for me when I was a kid to make me sleep. I can’t believe he remembered. I jump off the bed and run to the wall, the same way I used to as a kid, and touch one of the stars. It’s warm in my hand, precious and small like a snowflake.
Carter stands next to me when I turn around, looking down at me, a nervous smile on his face.
“I hope this is—”
“It’s amazing,” I say.
I release the star. It moves around the room, floating and twinkling with the others. Carter shakes his head. “You are.”
“No. I was so annoying to you. I—”
He takes my chin in his hand. “You can trust me, Pen. I wouldn’t hurt you. Never again. Can we start over?”
I nod slowly and swallow down all the emotions. It’s so much—him here, the stars, today, the secrets. I think after all of it, I need to believe him. I need someone. I need him.
I step away from Carter and hold out my hand. “Gorgeous night. I’m Penelope Grey. You can call me Pen.”
He smiles. It’s as bright as the stars and my heart is dancing in my chest trying to mimic them. He takes my hand. “Lovely to meet you. I’m William Carter Prescott. You can call me Carter.”
“Prescott,” I start. “Any relation to the scary-looking man in the Triad?”
“That’s my father, but don’t worry—I’m not as scary as him.”
“I beg to differ,” I say.
Carter draws me to him. His hand brushes across my cheek and the warmth of his touch makes me shiver. He steps toward me until our bodies are pressed together. Everything inside me is frozen, afraid to move or beat or breathe. Then, his lips touch mine. It’s hesitant, innocent. His lips against mine, the heat flowing between us. This kiss is too precious, perfect for the moment. It’s gentle and soft.
“Penelope,” he says in a breath against my lips.
That’s all it takes, my name from his lips in that tone, and then our bodies crash into each other. I lean against the wall, afraid I’ll fall over without its support. My hand trails up his shirt, and his lips and mine touch again. This is passion and fire and better than I ever imagined it could be. He says my name again and I drag him closer to me. His mouth trails away from mine. He presses a kiss against my neck, my cheek, my ear, my lips again. He grabs my hand and leads me to the bed.
I laugh. “That’s a little fast, don’t you think?”
Carter shakes his head. “You need to sleep. I need to go.”
I follow him across the bed and he wraps me up under the covers. “You’re kidding. Sleep is never happening now. Not after that.”
He doesn’t look convinced so I jerk him down beside me and kiss him some more.
“You’re really leaving?” I ask.
“I should,” he says, but there’s no conviction in his voice. His lips are too close to my face, so I lean up and kiss him again.
“I knew you were trouble, Penelope Grey.”
“Stay,” I say. “Just for a while.”
Carter doesn’t answer, but kisses me again. I rest my head against his shoulder and listen to him breathe. I watch the stars dance in my room until I can’t keep my eyes open.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I can’t stop smiling. I thought for sure I was dreaming some sort of fantasy that would dissolve when I woke up, but it didn’t. It is real. The smiley-face text from Carter knows it. My heart knows it. My lips know it, too; I need some lip balm.
I run into Connie in the bathroom between our rooms.
“How was the party?” I ask. I think about the kiss with Carter. That party was the only reason any of that got to happen. Gran would’ve never let him in my room with the door closed, so all of it worked out to my advantage. Finally. I smile again just thinking about last night.
Connie raises an eyebrow. “Why are you so happy?”
“I’m always happy.” I try to wipe away the smile but fail.
“Not before coffee,” she says. Stupid addiction. She leans in closer to me and studies my face. Her eyes drift to the Chapstick in my hand. “Spill! Right now!”
I don’t tell her about our demon-tracking or about Emmaline’s journal, but I tell her about Carter. About the woods and how he saved me. About the kissing all night. She’s probably more excited than I am.
Or at least the same amount.
“Not to ruin the moment, but Ric was there last night,” she says. “He asked about you.”
Ric. The only person who should know what’s going on, and doesn’t. If he asked about me, then perhaps I can win him back. I know just the way.
I stand on Ric’s porch and ring the doorbell until he answers. He shuffles to the door in his pajamas, his blond hair pointed all over the place. He doesn’t look happy to see me. Not as happy as I am to see him.
I hold out my hands. Bagels, two lattes, some pastries, and a fresh bacon, egg, and sausage wrap from the place up the road. “I brought your favorites.”
“It’s seven in the morning,” he says, crossing his arms.
“I know. I am really impatient.” I reach closer toward him with the bag. He doesn’t bite. “I’m here on behalf of grand gestures and apologies.”
Ric leans against the doorframe, arms crossed over his T-shirt. “It’s been four days.”
“Four long days,” I say. He doesn’t move. “I’m so sorry, Ric.”
“For what?”
He’s not going to let me have this one. I sigh. “For not being honest with you. But I’m here now and I’m going to tell you everything I can.”
“Okay, so tell me.”
“You’ll want this first,” I say, nodding toward the coffee.
He takes the latte from my hands and steps aside so I can come in. When I cross the doorway, I throw my arms around his neck. He seems surprised, but in a second he’s hugging me back.
“You better have told them extra sriracha,” he says.
“I did,” I say.
“Good,” Ric responds. In our language, that means my apology is on its way to being accepted.
When I’m done, Ric stares at me as if I have three heads. I told him everything I could explain about my magic and Carter and me. He ate his breakfast while I talked and he inhaled his coffee He didn’t interrupt me while I spoke, which was pretty much a sign that he thought the whole thing was insane. It is. I stop the story with yesterday in the woods, and leave out the piece about Emmaline and her journal. Not because it’s a secret, but because I’m not ready to share her and I’m still missing something.
“I know it’s a lot to process,” I say.
Ric moves from the couch and walks to the fireplace across the living room. The whole house is silent and I have no idea what he’s going to say next. With his back to me he says, “You don’t have magic? Not in all these years?”
I shake my head, and he leans against the mantel, eyes locked on me.
“How did you lie to me about that?”
“It never came up. I didn’t have to do magic around you since we were in a different ST course, plus Connie was usually around and there’s the law and everything.”
Ric shakes his head. “You could’ve told me anyway.”