Silence Must Be Heard

3
Number Seven

We gathered together at the front cabin door along with the three other jeeps full of people that had followed us here. The air was cold and crisp; a sign that fall was coming to an end. The tall trees that surrounded the cabin were dark, thick, and ominous looking. I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my wool pea coat and burrowed my chin in my scarf. I stood in the midst of the crowd and nailed my eyes to the door impatiently waiting for it to open and I would finally see Slade’s gorgeous face. Some of the girls were giggling and I could hear the guys murmuring about how massive his cabin was. My heart was racing; I had been looking forward to this all month.
Slade had told me his parents trusted him with the place. I wasn’t surprised; he seemed much older than a high school senior. I was excited about the fact that there wouldn’t be any parents, no supervision, as was everyone else. A few of them were able to get a hold of beer and hard liquor but I wasn’t planning to get drunk beyond repair. I wanted to observe and be able to be fully conscious and aware just in case I had anymore close encounters with Slade, which I was counting on. I also didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of everyone especially with Chelsea and her cult of stuck up friends. Chelsea seemed to have an intense hatred for me, I think because she’s picked up on the little connection Slade and I have. Ever since she had become aware of this she has tried to make my high school life hell. Yes she’s annoying and immature but I did love to cast little spells in her direction. I consider those to be payback for all the times she has taken Slade away from me in mid-conversation. I had a feeling tonight would be a beautiful night to do some magic. No one not even Chelsea could keep me away from Slade tonight.
The porch light suddenly flipped on and the front door swung open. Cheers erupted from the crowd. I saw his silhouette for a brief second before the crowd engulfed him. I followed behind slowly up the porch steps with my heart racing. I could feel the heat rise on my cheeks and my palms get sweaty. I loosened my scarf and fanned myself with my coat. Suddenly large arms wrapped around me and held me tight. His cologne filled my nostrils and I was in heaven.
“Ivy! You made it! I was worried you wouldn’t come!” Slade said as he held me tight.
“Are you kidding!? I wouldn’t miss this night for anything!” I chimed.
He unlocked his arms and I could finally see his beautiful face and his light blue eyes sparkled.
“Man you smell good.” He beamed.
“Thanks… so do you!”
“Can I take your coat?” He asked.
I didn’t notice him take any other girls’ coats for them. I blushed.
“Sure… thank you.” I answered and he stepped behind me and gracefully in one swift movement slipped the coat from my arms.
I looked down the hall from the front room and saw Chelsea and couple of her friends staring me down already. I rolled my eyes. Then I noticed Slade missed the coat hanger completely and my coat fell to the floor.
“Slade? You okay?” I said smiling at his expression.
He looked like he had been stunned.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Aaa… Wow, I’m sorry. It’s just you look really great. I mean good. I… I’ve never seen you wear that before.” He answered.
I blushed and I laughed lightly in embarrassment as I picked up my coat from the floor,
“Oh…yeah. I guess I dressed up a little. I usually don’t wear this stuff to school.”
“Well you should.”
“Thank you.”
I smiled at him. He was always so nice to me.
My shirt was a tub-top, black satin, backless, and form fitting; very cute in my opinion and definitely seductive. It didn’t have lace on it like most of the other girls; it looked like they had on lingerie. Slade’s reaction was exactly what I wanted. He led me into the kitchen and I felt his hand touch my skin on the small of my back. A small shock wave of energy instantly ran from his fingers and up my spine. I suppressed a shudder. I had forgotten the feeling of his unique touch. As if I were a battery and he was my recharger. His energy was unlike anyone’s I had ever felt. I felt so much stronger when I was skin to skin with him. Just one of the many reasons I was so infatuated with him. Like a vampire thirsting for the perfect type of blood. I craved his energy all the time.
The kitchen was large with dark wood cabinets and black marble counters. The kitchen opened up with two steps leading down into the living room area. The living room had higher vaulted ceilings with windows that extended all the way up to the roof. The room was lined with black leather couches surrounding a very expensive looking rug that faced a coble stoned fire place. It wasn’t your usual fire place; it looked like it was six feet long. Above the mantel was a very large flat screen TV mounted to the wall. Someone had found the volume to the music and cranked it so the bass vibrated the walls from the built in speakers. His cabin looked like a resort you would see in a travel magazine. This was heaven in itself.
“Wow. This place is amazing!” I cheered.
Slade smiled, “Thank you!”
“Aren’t you worried about the place getting trashed after tonight?!” I asked concerned.
“No worries… I can take care of it.” He answered confidently.
I admired his confidence but I secretly wished I could clean it all myself for him. It would only take one spell and not much power. What if Slade knew what I was? Would he like me more? Or would he cast me out like everyone else? Even though everyone else didn’t know what I was, they still shunned me. I’m not that bad am I?

“SLADE! Your cabin is so cool! You have to show us around!!” Chelsea screamed as she clamped onto his arm.
Two of her friends nodded enthusiastically behind her. Slade pulled a fake smile and looked back at me hesitant, not wanting to go.
“Just real quick ladies, okay?”
“I know! I know!” Chelsea giggled as her and the girls literally dragged him away from me. Before Slade was out of reach he reached back and grabbed my arm,
“I want to talk to you later okay?” there was a burning feeling of importance coming from his eyes.
“Okay!” I was caught off guard but excited that he actually needed me. What did he need to say?
Something was definitely going to happen tonight.

I was left standing next to the kitchen island that was full of chips and dip, candy, beer, liquor, and shot glasses. I heard someone say there were jello-shots in the fridge. This party was going to get crazy very soon. I opened the fridge in search of something non-alcoholic. A nice tall Monster energy drink had my name on it. I’d rather be on a caffeine high then get completely wasted.
“Damn girl!” A familiar voice boomed behind me, “Ivy is that you? You have the sexiest back I have ever seen!”
I turned to see Bobby’s smiling face.
“Bobby!” I laughed giving him a warm hug.
Bobby was a tall California blonde with pretty blue eyes and a surfer’s tan. We had English class together and he sat with me at lunch sometimes. He was a good friend and was so fun to flirt with.
“Seriously, why haven’t you worn that shirt to school?”
“Girls aren’t allowed to wear backless tops to school.”
“God damn that school.” He muttered, “I’m having a hard time not getting aroused so I better move along before I do something crazy. I know about Slade anyway…” he erupted in laughter and walked away with a wink.
I smiled and watched him disappear into the crowd. Now what was I suppose to do? I knew quite a few people but they were all acquaintances, I didn’t have a best friend. I was utterly alone in the middle of a massive party. I felt almost stupid for dressing up so much and for what? Slade’s face popped up in my mind. Oh yeah. My world did revolve around him. There was something about him that was different. He had a different energy, different way he looked at me compared to everyone else. Eye contact with him instantly made me feel warm inside that would protect me from the coldest chill. I wasn’t going to wait anymore, I was going to find him and have this “talk”.
I grabbed a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around my shoulders. I walked up the log carved stairs all the way to the fourth floor, feeling out his energy.
Suddenly a door flew open with the sound of a toilet flushing. Chelsea walked out adjusting her tube top tripping over her platform heels. Her drunken eyes met mine,
“Oh Ivy! What are you doing up here? You’re not trying to look for Slade are you?! Ugh! Please! Like you would have any chance getting with him! A loser freak who tries to look cute is just scary! You belong outside on the front porch with the rest of the geeks who can’t get in!” She finished with an annoying giggle.
“You really are a light weight…” I mumbled.
She rammed her boney shoulder into my arm as she passed. I watched her approach the stairs.
“I would watch your step in those shoes…. Bitch.” I said curtly.
She whipped her eyes back at me,
“Excuse me… What did you just say?”
“Good luck down stairs…” I smiled and walked away.
“Whatever!” she snapped.
I could hear the clunking of her heels on the slightly uneven stairs. I whispered a little spell I thought useful at the moment,
“Xekobo, xekobo.”
(snip snip)
I knew her next step would be treacherous. I heard the clunk then a crack and Chelsea’s high pitch scream echo throughout the hall and the whole bottom floor. I could hear her tumble the rest of the way down the log stairs.
“Owe!! Oh my God!! My platforms!!! They just totally broke! I just got these!!”
“Whoa Chels, are you okay!?”
“No! I’m not okay!! Help me up!!”
I smiled and continued down the hall full of closed doors and empty rooms. Soft lamps were lit randomly throughout the floor. I reached the back room and looked out the sliding glass doors and saw a black silhouette standing on the unlit balcony against the night forest. My heart skipped a beat. There he was.
I opened the sliding door and watched him turn to me and I swear his eyes were so blue they gave off their own light. I gasped.
“Ivy?! Sorry, did I scare you?” he asked concerned. He blinked and his eyes were back to normal. My eyes had to be playing tricks on me. There was no way.
“Oh no! Your fine. What are you doing up here in the dark? You’ve got an awesome party going down stairs.”
“I know I just needed some fresh air. Well any air away from Chelsea is good.” He said.
“I agree.” I replied pleased to know he felt that way.
How could he stand this cold? He had no coat, just a thin sweater over a tee-shirt. I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders trying to keep the cold out. I could see my breath crystallize in front of me.
“Sorry, I was just about to come find you.” He said.
“That’s okay, you don’t have to apologize!” I laughed, “It’s your party, I figured I’d come to you.”
He smiled.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked as my heart rate reached mach 4.
“Um… yeah,” he took a deep breath, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while now, but every time I’ve tried something happens to separate us.”
He looked at me with a very serious expression.
“What is it?” I asked concerned.
“First I need to do this.”
He walked up to me and suddenly there was a loud rumble from his stomach. He paused and held his stomach,
“Damn it…” he muttered.
“What was that?” I laughed.
“That would be my stomach,” he chuckled, “I’ve been feeling a little weird lately. I kinda feel like I’m starving but food doesn’t seem to help.”
“That’s weird.”
“Tell me about it.”
I nervously raised my hand to his cheek; he was standing so close. I felt the warmth of his smooth skin under my fingertips.
“Hmm…” I smiled, “You don’t feel cold like a vampire, so I don’t have to worry about you thirsting for my blood right?”
What he didn’t know was that this was true in the magical world. I really did mean what I said. He smiled,
“I don’t know about that. With the way I’ve been feeling lately anything can happen.” He looked straight into my eyes and held my hand to his cheek. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face and an uncontrollable giggle erupted from my throat. I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I was definitely losing it. He turned his head and kissed my hand. I swallowed hard.
Oh Lord.
“So… so are you going to suck my blood now?” I asked trying to play along.
“Hmm, maybe I should. If you think that’ll help me feel better?” he whispered with a mischievous smile.
“Sh… Sure.” I barely spit out as I noticed he was inching closer to my face.
He placed my hand on the back of his neck and suddenly yanked me closer and his lips slammed into mine. His lips were warm, soft, and perfect. His breath was sweet. I had never felt so much passion from a kiss before in my life! I had found a new dimension, I was tumbling down a black hole, and I had reached the very top cloud of heaven. The invisible nervous, hesitant wall crumbled and I eagerly wrapped my arms around his neck and my fingers tangled through his hair. After a long and intense couple of minutes he suddenly pulled me away, gasping,
“Wow! That was long overdue!”
“Damn,” was all I could spit out.
“You are an extremely good kisser.” He said.
“Thanks…” I laughed, “So are you! Was that what you needed to do first?”
He blushed, “Yeah… God, I’ve been wanting to do that for so long.”
“Really?” I replied surprised.
“I know I hide it well.”
“Yes… yes you do.”
“I do want to talk to you though, I –”
I cut him off mid-sentence. Watching his lips move, his beautiful ice blue eyes, and the way the moonlight shined in his hair. I could not help myself. I flung my arms back around him and kissed him again. He instantly gave in and pulled me closer, holding me tight. The bass boomed through the windows from the party on the bottom floor. No one knew we were making out in the winter freeze on the top balcony. I was the luckiest girl in the world nothing could touch me now. His lips left mine and traced down my neck slowly making his way back to my lips. Slade suddenly pulled away again,
“Seriously! I do need to talk to you… I can’t if you jump me again.”
I chuckled, “Okay, but I’m going to have trouble resisting.”
His cheeks flushed and broke a smile,
“Don’t say those kinds of things. Now Miss LaBell, we have all night okay?”
Did he say all night? I had forgotten that I was staying the night. At that moment I think my heart exploded with excitement or happiness, I didn’t know which and I didn’t care. He just said we had all night. I could officially die happy now.
“Okay?”
“Yeah!”
I felt my cheeks go hot with embarrassment; I had said that with a little too much excitement. Slade reacted with a smile,
“Ready to talk?”
“Yes.” I said obediently.
“Okay… um…” he paused.
He looked deep in thought. What did he have to say?
“What is it Slade? This must be pretty serious.” I commented.
“A… yeah….” He took a deep breath.
“You can tell me anything. Just talk to me.”
“Okay…. Here it goes…..” he took another deep breath,
“Ivy… You know I’m an orphan too right?”
“Yes.”
“And I’ve never told you what orphanage I went to right?”
“Right,” I affirmed, “Which one did you go to?” I asked genuinely curious.
“Saint Caruso’s.”
“What?! Saint Caruso’s?” I paused in shock, “But I went there too?”
Slade went to the very same orphanage I did? How did I not know this? He didn’t say anything. I looked him right in his eyes,
“When were you there?” I asked in a deep serious tone.
He looked away, looking guilty about something.
“There’s no way.” I said. Slade really experienced that prison?
He looked out at the forest below,
“We didn’t have names remember? We were called by numbers….”
“Right,” I answered wanting him to get on with it.
I touched his arm and made him look at me,
“When were you there?” I asked again.
“Ivy…. I was there the same time you were. You arrived right when my time had ended. We didn’t have that much time together. You knew me as number Seven.”
I gasped, the air in my lungs disappeared. I took a few steps back. Slade’s face was so familiar to me now.
“Oh my god….” I murmured.
Flashbacks flooded my mind. I remembered when I had a magical outburst and had to cast a memory expunge charm so I wasn’t kicked out for being a freak. The charm touched everyone but this boy. After that I knew he was like me. The special boy I believed to be my guardian angel but when he disappeared so suddenly he became a myth in my mind. My parents had just been murdered and he held me when I cried and he gave me hope. But then he was taken away from me just like my parents were, like everything else had been. How have I made it this far? There he stood staring at me with those baby blues, just like the one’s my little guardian angel had. He was the very reason why I had indeed made it this far. The binding magic between us was still as strong as it was then.
“Ivy? Talk to me.” Slade said, pulling me back to reality.
His warm hand wiped away a frozen tear from my eye. I barely found my voice,
“Please… tell me more, so that I know this is real.”
He smiled warmly and answered,
“I made you make me a promise, right before I left. You promised me that you would live… live so that I may find you again.” He brushed his hand against my cheek, “Then we had our first kiss. I know we were young but it was as real then as I am standing here in front of you now. I know what had happened to your parents and I knew your pain. I felt everything you felt then because my parents had died too.”
Hot silent tears streamed from my eyes. His blue eyes were glowing brilliantly,
“I know we’ve known each other since we were sophomores and now we’re seniors. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to tell you. I knew who you were from the first moment I saw you, and believe me I’ve tried to tell you quite a few times but apparently I guess I wasn’t trying hard enough. I hope you forgive me. I also have to tell you I still don’t know what I am. I don’t have any dominant traits to determine what breed I am. I know I have to be a mixed breed but I just have no idea yet. Ivy…. Please tell me you forgive me.”
“I do forgive you.” I whispered through my tears.
I grabbed his hand and held it tight,
“Now you have to make me a promise!” I said suddenly finding my voice.
“Anything.” He answered.
“Promise me you will never leave me again! We are bound by magic even from the first sight of you at the orphanage we were bound! I can feel it! There is a reason, now I cannot live without you anymore! Please promise me to be mine that you’ll never leave me.”
His lips hit mine with urgency. His passion was consuming. I pushed him away,
“Promise me first!” I breathed.
“You are mine and I am yours. I will not leave you again.”
I smiled wiping away the wet from my cheeks and we kissed, long and hard. The passion between us rose quickly. He lifted me up wrapping my legs around him and pinned me against the corner balcony rail. His lips would leave mine briefly and trace down my neck to my collar bone then back up to my lips again. The butterflies were in full force and I thought my heart was going to explode. He was extremely good at this. I noticed he was using some self control by not going too far which I respected him for, but my thoughts were running a little beyond what you would call respectful. I was hoping his were too. It felt like my skin was on fire and so was his. I yanked the blanket off us and we both breathed easily with the sudden winter air on our skin. My self control was slowly slipping and was surprised his was not.
Suddenly I heard a loud thud and I fell to my feet,
“Damn!” Slade yelled.
Slade was suddenly against the far wall. His eyes were shut tight and his fingers gripped the wall so hard the wood splintered.
“Slade what’s wrong?” I asked breathlessly fixing my tub top.
He looked at me with intense glowing blue eyes and very red cheeks,
“God damn it. What was that? Did you do that?”
“What? What did I do?”
“Those images in my head were not mine! I mean mine were similar but nothing like that!”
I was sure my face turned a nice shade of strawberry red. I wasn’t expecting that. Did I transfer my thoughts? I had done this once before but it was in training with my parents a long time ago.
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive!” he laughed.
He pried his fingers from the wall leaving ten nice puncture wounds in the log of the cabin. He exhaled running his hand through his hair.
“You are strong…” I said.
“Uh… yeah.” He replied embarrassed, “I didn’t hurt you did I?”
“No….” I blushed, “You’re great.” I laughed.
Suddenly he was close again,
“So how did you do that?” he asked eager.
“Aa… I didn’t even know I was doing it. My parents taught me a long time ago, but I haven’t done it since. Its like a wanting spell… I know I have to be physically touching you and wanting something from you very badly in order for you to see it….” I turned away blushing, remembering the image I had let him see.
He laughed amused and leaned in barely touching my lips with his,
“How bad do you want it?” he whispered.
I gasped, “Slade!!” hitting his shoulder.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself!” He chuckled,
“But damn woman… that was hot!” He finished with a seducing smile.
But my smile disappeared when I noticed the black pupils of his eyes had changed shape from normal human round circles to catlike slits.
“Slade! Your eyes!” I said surprised.
“What?” he asked.
“Your pupils are… catlike…”I replied.
“Oh… they do that. It’s been happening for a few months now; I don’t know what it means.”
“You are a mix for sure… I’ve never seen those kinds of eyes before on a pure breed.”
“Yeah…” he said solemnly.
I looked into his magical eyes and saw the little boy I used to know, the boy I made that promise to.
“What is it?” he asked, “You look so sad.”
“The promise at the orphanage… I must live so that you may find me again…”
He smiled, “You’ve kept your promise well.”
“I have missed you Slade… Even though you’ve been right in front of me, I have really missed you.” I choked back another sting of tears.
“I’ve missed you too.” He smiled.
It was me that kissed him this time but it was a more serious kiss, not so urgent. He pulled away and smiled,
“Let’s go see how the party is doing… I don’t even know what time it is!” he laughed, “Just promise me Miss LaBell, not to let go of my hand tonight. I want people to know that you are mine.”
Fireworks erupted from my heart, “Okay!”
We started down the dark hallway but Slade stopped,
“You might want to control your eyes though.” He said.
“What? Have they been glowing?” I asked concerned. I totally thought I had control of them.
“They’ve been glowing since we first kissed out there.” He chuckled
“Ah damn it! I thought I had that covered.”
“I guess I’m too irresistible.”
“You have no idea.”
He kissed me again, the urgency back and in full force. I slammed him into the hallway wall and pushed my body against him. Then forced my lips away from his breathing hard,
“You’re so not helping!”
“Sorry… you can’t say those kinds of things, remember?”
“God… this is a lot harder then I thought.” I muttered, “Just stay still for a moment. No kissing!”
“Okay okay.” He said smiling.
I breathed in deep taking a few deep breathes centering my self. I opened my eyes again,
“All better?” I asked.
“All better.” Slade said.
He took my hand and weaved his fingers through mine and held it tight. I was officially the happiest girl on the planet.
We went down to the bottom floor where the music was still blasting. The party was definitely still going but with a little more influence from all the alcohol. The kitchen island was jammed full of beer bottles, sticky shot glasses, almost empty liquor bottles, and partially eaten jello-shots.
“Damn guys! Drink all the booze why don’t ya!” Slade yelled happily.
“Oh! Here Slade this one is still cold!!” A guy yelled handing him a beer bottle.
“Thanks man! I was just joking… I’ve had plenty tonight!”
“Oh okay man, no worries.” He slurred as he walked off.
“You’ve had plenty?” I asked.
“No… I tried to have some earlier but the beer isn’t tasting good tonight for some reason.”
“Oh.” I answered. Interesting I thought.
“What the hell is this?! Where have you been! I’ve been looking for you all night!” Chelsea suddenly shrieked.
I jumped to see Chelsea glaring right at me and also at my hand holding Slade’s. The crowd around us was suddenly jerked out of their drunken state and focused on Slade and me. Our holding hands were suddenly very hot.
“That didn’t take long…” Slade muttered.
“What THE HELL IS THIS?!” Chelsea fumed along with her little group of friends behind her.
“What does it look like bitch!?” I asked sternly. Slade whipped his head at me in shock to my sudden voice. Chelsea gasped,
“What did you say?”
Chelsea’s friends looked horrified. I could hear cheers in the back ground from people I knew,
“Oh yeah! Go Ivy!”
“Take her Ivy!”
“Go Ivy… Go Slade!”
“It’s about time Slade!”
“Shut up!” Chelsea shrieked.
I turned to Slade and whispered,
“Can I curse her now?”
He smiled slightly but his eyes shot back to Chelsea and he stepped forward quickly. I heard gasps around us and realized that Slade had caught Chelsea’s hand before it could connect to my head.
“I wouldn’t be so bold Chelsea,” Slade said in a deep serious tone, “Ivy is my girl and no one, not even you is aloud to lay a hand on her.”
I watched her eyes glaze over with fresh tears and her expression turn from shocked to betrayal. She yanked her hand back out of Slade’s grip.
“You… You led me on. I thought I was your girl?” she said as her voice broke.
“You’re mistaken Chelsea. There has only been one girl I’ve had my eye on and that’s Ivy. So now you need to leave her alone.” Slade said sternly.
“You bitch!” Chelsea shrieked.
She sucked in and launched a wad of spit right onto my face.
That set my blood to boil. She had finally pushed me too far. I let go of Slade’s hand and in one swift movement I threw a right hook straight into Chelsea’s nose. The group of girls shrieked and swarmed around her as Chelsea fell into their arms with a bleeding nose. Cheers erupted from the crowd. Slade looked to his friends and nodded conveying one of them take care of her and they instantly obeyed. I was amazed as to how loyal they were to Slade. No one knew his secret right? I shook off the anger and sighed heavily. Slade grabbed my hand again and smiled reassuringly,
“That was awesome.”
Next I knew I was getting pats on the back from friends and acquaintances congratulating me on my one punch victory. I didn’t realize how many people actually didn’t like Chelsea. This little incident would not go unheard at school. I would actually be noticed at school for once.
The music was blaring again and more drinks were passed out to now a more cheerful crowd. I was suddenly uncomfortable with all the attention. I just wanted to be with Slade and disappear with him. Slade suddenly grabbed me and tipped me back and planted a deep passionate kiss for all to see. I couldn’t stop smiling afterwards. Everyone definitely knew I was his and he was mine and I didn’t mind the public display of affection.
As the night went on I realized I had a lot to talk about with Slade. What happened to his birth parents? What else was he capable of? Did he know more about our magical world then I did? I just wanted to be alone with him.

It got to three thirty a.m. when people finally started to pass out. I helped Slade carry at least ten sleeping bags down from the upstairs. We were definitely tired but not drunk. Thank goodness. The boys wouldn’t let Chelsea drive home and had comforted her enough to calm down and slip her a sleeping pill from what Slade had told me, she was sound asleep in the other room. I could’ve cast a sleeping charm on her but I had forgotten she was even there after the public display of affection with Slade.
I sat exhausted at the kitchen bar and watched people nestle into their sleeping bags near the fire as a movie played over head. I wondered if I would have my own sleeping bag tonight or if I would share one with Slade? But I didn’t want all these people around. There were people spread out all through out the cabin and Slade made sure they were all set for the night. He was such a good host. Finally he came back down the stairs and came to me.
“You look like you’re about to fall over…” he whispered.
I smiled and nodded. Since it was so dark and everyone was basically passed out I let my green eyes give off light but not too much. Although I did it to get Slade’s attention, I didn’t want him to leave me tonight. His warm hand touched my face and his lips pressed against mine long enough to breath him in.
“Come on, I have a secret place to show you.” He said.
I couldn’t help but smile back and watch in amazement as his blue eyes began to glow too. He grabbed my hand and led the way,
“All the way to the top floor…” he said.
We walked up the four flights of stairs and through the hall quietly and past the balcony we spent so much time on earlier. Another room opened up with a vaulted ceiling and a large window that spanned most of the wall facing out to the driveway below. In the middle of the right wall was a ladder that led up to a door.
“Is that a fourth floor?” I asked.
“That would be my room.”
“Just your room?”
“Come up and see.” He motioned for me to go first.
I grabbed the ladder and climbed up to the small ledge and opened the dark oak door. Moonlight illuminated the one room from the two skylights above. In the middle of the room was a four post queen size bed covered in massive white pillows and a very thick down comforter. In the far corner was an unlit fire place and along the right wall was a small lounger chair, the other wall a chest of drawers, and another door that I assumed was a bathroom.
“Wow… this is nice.” I said with my eyes glued to the very massive bed, hoping that was where we would be sleeping or not sleeping.
“Thank you… but that’s not all.”
He walked over to the lounger chair and pushed it aside. He put his hands on the wall and pushed in firmly.
“There is one more floor.” He said.
“What? Are you kidding me?”
The wall he pushed in was actually a three foot by four foot door that slid sideways behind the actual wall revealing a small passageway.
“That is so cool. I want that in my house!”
I crawled in and stood along side him. It was pitch black except for the light of our eyes, but the nook was barely big enough to hold both of us.
“Look up.” Slade said.
I looked up to see a faint glow of moonlight coming from the opening above us. I felt the wall and found another ladder.
“Oh… this is the tower I saw from out side right?”
“Right.” He confirmed.
I climbed up to a small room that was covered in blankets and pillows of all sizes. The room wasn’t tall enough to even stand in; this would be a small child’s dream to play in. There were four major sky lights that took up most of the ceiling and all you could see were the stars and the orange waning moon. There were some cupboards that covered the back wall.
“This is freaking awesome!” I said excited.
“Check this out!” Slade cheered as he crawled across the blankets and pillows to the cupboards and opened them,
“There’s a dumb-waiter that goes down to the kitchen, a small fridge and an IPOD stereo! Plus some books.”
“Damn Slade!” I laughed, “I would’ve loved to have this when I was little!”
“It was pretty awesome.” He sighed, “I think we can sleep here tonight.”
My heart skipped a little with rejoice,
“Okay.”
But this was more then okay. I could feel the sleep deprivation weigh heavy on my eyelids. I wouldn’t let it make me miss out on what I hoped was going to happen next. I had questions but my questions would wait until tomorrow. Slade looked at me completely serious and crawled over me laying me down. He ran his fingers through my hair making chills run down my back. He was so beautiful with the stars shimmering above him and his bright blue eyes against the darkness of the night.
“Seven.” I whispered.
The energy between us had changed from intense to electric. It was like magnetism so powerful that it took me by surprise. Slade’s touch was like food that fed my magical hunger. It felt like I was keeping a damper on a volcano. I was afraid of a magical eruption. Not that kind of eruption. A magical outburst which is dangerous and I had at all costs to keep it under control. I had to keep it stored in the back of my mind holding the lid down tight. We kissed with more urgency and passion that surpassed what we felt earlier on the balcony. Slade wasn’t holding back this time which didn’t help me at all. He was mine and I wanted to make him mine. Slade paused before he took off my tub top,
“Ivy…” he said softly, “I love you.”
I touched his face searching his beautiful glowing blue eyes. He was serious and he meant it.
“I love you too Slade.” I said.
He smiled and laughed. I giggled and forcibly took off his shirt.

We passed all bases there was to pass. We both gave each other willingly and it was beautiful. I knew I loved him, deep down the feeling was there and I had been so scared to let it out… until now. I wouldn’t have given myself so willingly if I didn’t love him. I knew my life would not be so dark anymore.
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The morning sun still hid below the horizon under the night sky when Slade woke with a startle, eyes wide and sweating. He sat up clutching his throat which burned and itched with fire. Even clearing his throat felt like knives cutting through his voice box. Ivy was still sleeping peacefully beside him and he was suddenly aware of the blood that pumped so avidly through her veins. His dry mouth watered to the thought. He looked up at his reflection in the skylight window and saw his eyes were smoldering red. His breathing sped as anxiety hit him. He was changing! He had to get away from Ivy and fast!
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