Page 72 of Autumn Secrets
The girls led me to a table and Jasmine went to get us something to drink.
“I haven’t seen Adrian or any of the other guys yet,” Lexi said, looking for something in her bag. When Jasmine came back, Lexi stood up. “Okay, girls, time for a group photo.”
We hit the dance floor soon after, and it wasn’t until much later that I saw Adrian, Luca, Julian, and some other guys from our year walk through the door. Adrian’s eyes caught mine and he grinned with that playful smile that I’d come to love, as I watched him stride towards me. There was so much heat in his eyes that I momentarily forgot how to breathe. He stopped in front of me and without hesitation, pulled me into his arms. “You look absolutely stunning tonight,” he whispered and brushed his lips over mine.
“Thank you, you don’t look so bad yourself.” I smiled, trying to control the pleasure my body was experiencing at his closeness.
“I want to be the one who pulls that dress off you tonight, if you would let me?” he whispered seductively. “Spend the night with me, please?” he entreated and planted a soft kiss on my lips.
As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t sure my nerves could handle it. I’d never slept next to a boy in my whole life.
“I promise, I will behave,” he tempted. He let his fingers skim my bare back and I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck. His touch was electric, covering me in goose bumps. My whole body was on fire, and I was beyond curious about what would happen if we took it one step further. I’d had a good taste as to what he could make me feel, and I couldn’t deny that I was now ready to explore more with him. The decision was easy from there.
I nodded. “Okay, I’ll come home with you,” my answer barely a whisper.
The gleam in his eyes confirmed what we both already knew: I would never have said no.
The whole evening was like a perfect dream, and I was having the time of my life. After a few hours with Lexi, Mia and Jasmine on the dance floor, I excused myself to go outside and get some fresh air. I tried to look for Adrian as I made my way out of the hall, but he was nowhere to be seen. The moon caught my eye straight away when I got outside. It was low on the horizon tonight, making it look bigger with its vivid red and orange colour, perfectly in harmony with this evening.
I knew this was the harvest moon, the closest full moon to the autumn equinox, and a tingle of excitement travelled through my body. The equinox was only one week away, and then I would be bonded with the amulet for the rest of my life. There was so much responsibility that came along with my destiny, but still, I couldn’t be prouder to continue in my grandmother’s footsteps and learn more about the legacy of our family.
I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts, I hadn’t noticed that I’d gotten pretty far away from the school. I turned around to walk back, when I found my path blocked by the mysterious Evangeline, who had been standing right behind me. I yelped in surprise.
“Oh my God, you sure know how to scare a girl,” I said and crossed my arms over my chest.
Her blonde hair was softly hanging over her shoulders, and she was wearing a beautiful long white dress, similar to the one she had worn the first time we’d met. She gracefully took a few steps closer and stopped just in front of me, her blue eyes boring into mine. There was something about the way she looked at me. Her eyes were so cold and…hateful. I felt a sense of impending danger, but it was like I was paralysed. I thought of screaming, but I couldn’t open my mouth. I just stood there, frozen.
“Evangeline…” I tried, but word barely made its way out. What was wrong with me? I hadn’t been drinking, but everything was hazy.
She cocked her head to one side, watching me. “Aurora…” she replied with a soft voice. There was still something so dark simmering behind those blue eyes of hers, and I knew better than to listen to that deceptive tone of hers. I swallowed nervously. “Don’t be scared,” she whispered and raised her hand to stroke my cheek.
“What do you want?” I managed to ask, but the words were coming too slowly out of my mouth. It was like I couldn’t think or act.
“I’m here for you.”
I wanted to smack her cold hand away, but I still couldn’t move. What was she talking about? What did she mean she was here for me? Before I could try to say something, a harsh voice interrupted us.
“Evangeline, don’t! Just leave her alone.”
Luca?The last person I would have expected to find out here, or to help me in any way. Evangeline kept staring at me, and suddenly I could feel the veil of fear lifting off me, letting me come back to normal. I immediately took a step away from her.
“But—”
“Just leave, Evangeline. Go home.”
She gave me a final look and without a word or a glance at Luca, she walked past me, bumping her shoulder into mine, disappearing into the night. As soon as she was gone, my mind and body connected again, and I started to shake uncontrollably. It was like I was coming down from an adrenaline rush. She must have really freaked me out to make me feel like this. I looked up at Luca. I felt like he had saved me from something awful.
“I didn’t know you two knew each other but thank you. That was really weird.”
He smiled and stepped closer. “Don’t worry about it.”
I shook my head. “No, honestly, thank you.”
“Well, she is a jealous little thing. Keeping Adrian busy.” He laughed. “He’ll talk some sense into her later; he always does. Don’t worry about it.”
The way he said it made me feel uneasy. He made it sound like they were together, and that couldn’t be because he was with me. I had decided to trust Adrian, but Luca’s words made me doubt Adrian. I decided to play along.
“How long were they together?” I asked.