Fearless (Bird of Stone #2) by Tracey Ward

Author:Tracey Ward [Ward, Tracey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-09-22T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Nick

I’m worried I’ll puke in her mouth.

I lean over to heave on the sidewalk just as my lunch leaves me, and I’m so grateful I got away from her before it happened. There’s no apologizing for that. Retching in someone’s mouth is something that stays with you forever. Incurable. Unforgiveable. Like herpes or Del Taco.

“Boom!” Alex shouts triumphantly. “Welcome to Puerto Rico, baby! Who’s afraid to use their ability now?!”

I stand up slowly, looking around in dumbfounded amazement.

We’re standing on an old, brick-paved street, narrow and brightly colored on either side. The buildings are all stucco, with graceful arched doorways and gleaming glass windows from nearly floor to ceiling. I can hear music somewhere a couple streets over. It’s casual but festive—light and pleasant, with a Hispanic flare. All of it comes together to prove two major points: One, we actually made it to Puerto Rico and two, we’re deep in tourist country.

ATM country.

“Wow,” I murmur, shocked. “You did it. You nailed it.”

“Yeah, I did!”

“How did you do it? How did you get so accurate?”

She hesitates before answering me, her balloon deflating a little. “Okay, in fairness, we did it.”

“We did it?” I repeat.

“Kinda, yeah. I used you. Like licking a battery.”

“I don’t know that term. Is that slang for a sex act?”

“No! What are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying I didn’t do it entirely on my own,” she admits grudgingly. “I used you to get a boost, same way I did in Japan.”

I shift my eyes over the buildings around us, the ocean roaring in the distance. I just can’t get over it. She’s dead-on. “You were way more accurate this time.”

“I had way more boost this time.”

“The kiss?”

“The kiss, the skin… the groan.”

My eyes find hers, a knowing smile on my face. “Really?”

She puts her hand up in warning. “Pump the brakes, Casanova.”

“What? I’m only thinking of how much more accurate you could be.”

“Nope.”

“Okay, all right. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“Can’t I?” she asks, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Why’d you jump the gun?”

“What do you mean?”

“We weren’t supposed to Slip here until we bought phones. What made you decide to do it?’

“Because you pissed me off,” she answers bluntly. “You called me out, made me feel small and powerless, and I wanted to prove you wrong. I think… I think I wanted to prove me wrong too.”

She looks away briefly. Her eyes are instantly back on mine, but the flutter, the flinch, is something I recognize. She’s disappointed in herself. She’s still afraid.

“You were terrified to do it again,” I say gently.

She nods her head, pinching her lips together in a thin line. “I wanted to—or at least I thought I wanted to. But then you told me to go ahead and do it and it got so real and I got so freaking scared. I knew I couldn’t do it alone. It made me really angry so I kind of attacked you. Sorry.”

I step forward, pressing my lips briefly to her forehead. “What you did back there is not something you ever need to be sorry for.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.