The Brotherhood of the Snake (Return of the Ancients Book 2) (7 page)

All right, that was it. I evidently couldn't talk to him right now without putting my foot in my mouth. I wondered if it was too late to walk away.

But he surprised me.

With a smile crooking the corner of his lip, he leaned down, playfully tweaked the tip of my nose with his finger, and said, "I beg to differ, little green-eyed pixie. You are far from average and ordinary. If you saw what I see, you’d never spout such nonsense about yourself.”

Jareth had just kissed me and I’d felt nothing.

Rafael tweaks my nose and my heart leaps into my throat, instantly rendering me speechless.

He leaned closer, oozing charisma and charm. "You are astoundingly brave and honorable, Sydney. I've seen you quite often these past few years, patiently supporting your mother through her challenges, and I've felt your sorrow and heartache.” The smile on his lips faded, and he hesitated before adding in a soft murmur, “That’s something I understand better than you might know."

My brows knit, puzzled. He’d seen me often in the past few years? Understanding dawned. "You’ve been spying on me through your mirror?" I asked, feeling somewhat exposed.

He shook his head in disagreement. "Spying, no, but tracking fate lines, as is my duty."

Since I was Blue-Threaded, I supposed that I could understand that easily enough. It didn't seem worth getting all riled up at this point. After all, the lizard people were watching, too. I didn't want to think about all these aliens observing us under a microscope, so I switched the subject. "Being considered honorable is nice. Thanks."

“True, but you’re more than that, Sydney,” he said, catching my fingers in his, he drew a spiral on the top of my hand with his thumb. "You may not see yourself as beautiful and extraordinary, but there are those who do."

I stared at him, my heart beating erratically before I managed to collect my thoughts to croak, "I wasn't fishing for compliments. You don't have to say things like that. I'm not the kind of girl who enjoys flattery. It actually makes me uncomfortable."

His gray eyes twinkled at that. "I know that quite well. But I wasn't engaging in flattery. You have the most remarkable green eyes, little pixie, and your wealth of midnight hair is quite stunning."

My eyes widened and my mind went blank.

No one had ever said anything remotely like that to me before, and I didn't know what to do.

Finally, I went with honesty. Looking him straight in the eye, I forced my lips open. "You're a really nice guy, too nice. In fact, probably the nicest guy I've ever met. But you don't have to spare my feelings. I'm fine. I don't need anyone to think I'm beautiful or anything like that. I honestly don't even believe in love and all that stuff, if you want to know the truth. It doesn't last. If you've been watching my mother in your mirror, then you know what I mean."

Rafael’s eyes crinkled a little. "Your mother has yet to find love," he murmured and shifted his focus above my head.

It took me several seconds to realize he was reading my fate lines.

Then something in him saddened. "You may not believe in love, Sydney, but love has already found you. You are fated to share a love better suited for tales than reality."

I blinked. "Me?"
It was preposterous.

His steady eyes bored through mine. "You've already taken the first step on this wondrous path, Sydney. You've already met him."

"Met him?" I repeated, astounded. I knew I should be focusing on Mesmers and finding the Tulpa, but I couldn't let this pass unchallenged. "You're crazy. I think I'd know if I felt something for someone!"

He just stood there, towering over me, watching me with his eyeliner-ringed eyes, looking like a model with his chiseled abs and anime-styled blond hair.

I swallowed, hit with the sudden realization that I
was
feeling something. Something for
him
. I suppose I’d been incredibly attracted to him from the start, but I was just coming to realize it today.

But that was a crush. Wasn't it?

I didn’t know much about love. I mean, I loved my mother, though I felt more like her older sister than anything else. And I certainly loved Jerry. Thinking of his little pink nose and quivering whiskers made me feel warm and fuzzy all over.

But that was the end of my experience with love.

Or was it?

The question itself was quite shocking. I’d never asked it before.

Of late, I’d come to feel something for Al and Betty, though I wasn’t sure I’d actually call it love. I wondered if I were capable of loving more people, but then I recalled Rafael’s words in Avalon about there being many shades of love and that there really wasn’t a limit on that particular feeling.

I’d gotten so distracted that I almost missed his next words.

"You’d have strong feelings for him already,” he was advising carefully. His jaw was tight again, and he looked grim. "But such a deep attraction might masquerade as another feeling for a time. Your reaction to Jareth is quite strong."

My mouth dropped open at the suggestion.

"
Absolutely
not!" I snorted in astonishment.

But he wasn’t deterred that easily. "His fate line is intricately entwined with yours." He was calm, but it was a cold, detached calm.

"You mean his Blue Thread?" I faced him fully, recalling Jareth's insinuations in the mirror and found myself asking, "Aren't your fate lines entangled with mine, too? How do you know you're reading this right?" By the time I'd analyzed where that idea might lead him, it was too late to take the words back.

Rafael caught his breath and glanced away. "It can't be me, Sydney, if that's what you're asking. If I were to love a human, I would risk the destruction of the Tree of Life itself. That is a risk I'd never take. It appears my fate is the opposite of yours … mine is
not
to love."

I swallowed, experiencing a multitude of emotions, embarrassment and profound disappointment mostly, but I didn't want to wallow in any of it. "Well, this whole thing's a bit absurd," I said finally. "I mean, standing around discussing who I might fall in love with, especially since it hasn't happened, and I don't think it will. I don't feel that way about
anyone
!"

There was a strained silence. I searched for something to steer away from this awkward and confusing talk of love, so I seized upon what he'd just said. "Uh, what's this Tree of Life, anyway?"

His answer was short, clipped, and distracted. "It anchors the dimensions together."

We just stood there.

He held very still, looking at me through his dark, long lashes, and then I wasn't thinking about anything other than how intriguing his eyes were as he raised a finger and lightly touched my cheek.

Butterflies flittered in my stomach. I'd never felt anything like it, but then Ajax chose that moment to push himself between us and the timeless moment shattered.

I took a guilty step back.

What was I doing?

This whole thing hadn't gone nearly like I'd planned. My crush wasn't going away at all, and I certainly hadn't taken the first step on a path of love.

Undoubtedly, I'd taken the first step on the path of disaster.

I was in serious danger of falling for a guy who'd just told me up front that he wasn't the one, and if he
did
fall for me something really bad was going to happen and not just to me, but to the entire universe.

I'd apparently inherited my mother's knack for heartache.

Rafael averted his gaze and pointed to the hardware store. "My car's over there. I should probably get you home now."

“Ok,” I agreed in a small voice, feeling self-conscious. P
utting my hands in my pockets, I tried to look casual and followed him across the parking lot to the side street.

In the shadows under a tree, I saw his black Bentley surrounded by small clouds of rapidly melting mist. Beads of water rolled down its windows.

Astounded, I gasped, "Did you just shift your
car
?"

"It makes no difference how much an object weighs, but it does make it a little tricky to avoid getting caught," he explained matter-of-factly as he opened the driver's door with a flourish. "You can drive."

I eyed the expensive car and shook my head. "That's a bad idea."

Ajax twitched his ears in apparent agreement.

Rafael studied me a moment. "Things are likely to get complicated with the Mesmers returning. I'd feel better if you knew how to drive." He tossed me the keys.

I caught them instinctively and then reluctantly slid into the driver's seat.

If Ajax's tail had been longer, I'm sure he would have tucked it between his legs. As it was, he pointed his four-inch stub straight down, flattened his ears, and climbed into the back seat with as much enthusiasm as if he'd just been condemned to death row.

"I'm not
that
bad, Ajax," I muttered, adjusting the mirror as Rafael elegantly slipped into the passenger seat.

Suddenly, everything felt incredibly intimate. His presence was overpowering, and it made me nervous. Hurriedly, I started the car and
pulled away from the curb in a series of jerks.

Rafael didn't say anything but from the corner of my eye, I saw him wince.

Ajax made a sound suspiciously close to a mocking laugh.

I glared at the Doberman in the mirror and then hit the gas pedal.

The Bentley was far more responsive than Al's old truck. It lurched forward, sending loose gravel shooting out behind the wheels, as around the bend in the road, headlights of oncoming traffic suddenly appeared.

Instinctively, I slammed the brakes, nearly sending Rafael through the windshield.

He didn’t say anything as he straightened, took a deep breath, and braced his hands on the dashboard.

"I don't think this is a good idea," I mumbled, clearing my throat.

"You're doing fine," he inserted quickly, bestowing an encouraging smile my way.

He didn’t look directly into my eyes. I knew that was a sign of lying.

"You'll get used to it,” he continued, waving a hand for me to resume. “It won't take long."

Not sharing his optimism, I slowly tapped the gas and inched the car forward.

We drove in fits and starts, for the most part slower than your average turtle, but then punctuated with random bouts of speed. It seemed like the Bentley's gas pedal functioned more like an on-off switch than anything else.

By the time I turned onto our neighborhood road, we were all seasick and wanting nothing more than to get out of the car.

Finally, I pulled into our cul-de-sac and slowed down, searching the driveway and surrounding area for Al's truck.

It was nowhere to be found.

I was just about to ask Rafael if he knew where Jareth had taken Al when Ajax snarled, and I automatically slammed the brakes.

But this time Ajax didn't care. The Doberman's dark eyes had riveted on Mrs. Patton's menagerie of lawn ornaments.

"What is it?" I squeaked, grabbing Rafael's arm.

His head snapped around. "Get out of the car, Sydney." His voice was low and calm, but urgent. "Just leave it here. Run to Al's house. I'll be right behind you."

He didn't need to tell me twice.

I bolted out of the Bentley and ran.

And as he promised, he was right behind me.

We were almost on the porch when I heard the chilling, high-pitched squeal I'd heard before, followed by a crash of falling masonry as Ajax began barking wildly.

I wasn't even aware that I'd turned around to look until Rafael slipped his arm around my waist and half-carried me into the house.

Betty and Grace glanced up in surprise as we burst through the front door.

"What's up?" Grace asked, holding a half-eaten apple in one hand.

I couldn't answer. I just stood there holding tightly onto Rafael's arm. My palms were sweating and my nails bit deeply into his skin, but he pretended not to notice.

Giving my hands a gentle pat, he smiled warmly at Grace. "Sydney drove home," was all he said.

They all laughed.

I attempted a weak, fake smile, but it was hard when I wanted nothing more than to run shrieking through the house that the lizard people were here.

"Al won't be home for a bit," Betty informed us cheerfully, holding out a large bowl of popcorn. "We’re going to watch TV. Want to join us?"

"Certainly." Rafael dipped his head gracefully as he pried my fingers loose from his arm. Encompassing my cold hands in his, he squeezed them gently before turning to Betty. "Please take your seats. Sydney and I will bring drinks for everyone."

“You’re such a sweetheart.” Betty smiled broadly at him, giving his shoulder an affectionate pat as she passed by.

"I want a Coke!" Grace shouted over her shoulder as she disappeared behind Betty into the family room.

I just stood there, still caught in the clutches of terror, gripping Rafael's hands so hard that I must have cut off his circulation, but he didn't seem to mind.

As soon as we heard the TV blaring from the other room, he pulled me into the kitchen.