He smiled and leaned close to whisper to me, “There will be plenty of time for that.” I gasped and blushed furiously as I realized he’d heard my thoughts. “It’s ok. Don’t worry.” His warm hands closed over my shoulders and his fingers brushed my neck sending another sense of warm calm through me, which I’d started to think wasn’t a coincidence. “It won’t always be like this. You’ll learn to control it, where I’ll only hear the thoughts you want me to hear. But for now, go ahead and go with Kyle. He’s right. You need to clear your head and I have to talk to my father and the family anyway, and it’d probably be better for you if you weren’t there the first time. They’re a little zealous.” He bent to look closely into my eyes. “Don’t be scared. You feel that I’d never hurt you, don’t you?”I did, loud and clear. I nodded and said, “Why? Why do I feel that?”
“Because you are my significant, my soul mate, and I’m yours. We imprinted with each other. I guess because you saved me...I’m not sure. It usually doesn’t happen when we’re this young. And it hasn’t been happening at all with the families.”
“Imprinted?” I replied breathlessly.
“Imprinting is when we sort of…stamp a seal on each other. You’re imbedded in me and I in you. And it’s very rare to imprint with a human.”
I gasped again and he smiled sadly. “Human? If I’m human, what are you?”
“I’m human just not completely. We’re Virtuoso, or Charmed. We call ourselves Aces. We have abilities once we reach a certain age after we imprint.”
“What kind of abilities?” I asked dazedly.
“Lots. Look, Maggie, I’m going to tell you everything, I promise. But first, I have to inform my father. He’s the champion of our clan, the leader. He has to know what happened and then we’ll talk, ok?”
“So, we imprinted,” I mused and thought about what that could mean. “Like werewolves or a vampire novel or something?” I asked and they both chuckled.
“Kind of. You read vampire novels?”
“Sometimes.”
“Me, too.” He smiled and then sighed. “Ok, Kyle, you know you have to be careful with her.” He looked at his cousin sternly. “Don’t bombard her with information, just wait, she’s very fragile. And don’t start your crap. It’s harder on humans-”
“I know all this. I grew up a Jacobson, too, you know.”
“Yes, I know. Sorry.”
“Whatever. Come on, Mags.”
I tried, but my legs wouldn’t go. “I can’t. I mean, I don’t want to,” I realized.
“That’s just the mojo working. Fight it, Maggie.”
“Hey,” Caleb said harshly. “That’s what I’m talking about, right there. If you’re going to take it out on her the whole time because you’re angry about this, then I won’t let you take her.”
Kyle nodded and sighed. “Ok. You’re right, I’m sorry. Help her so we can go.”
“Help me? What does that mean?” I asked.
“It’s so new,” Caleb explained. “It’s hard on us. Our imprints don’t want to be apart, but I can help you by telling you that I want you to go. Our bodies are in tune with each other. I have to take care of some things here so I want you to go with Kyle and know you’re safe, ok? I can feel you,” he palmed his chest, “in here, if you need me. You don’t have to worry about anything.” I needed him to touch me. It was like my veins were screaming for it. And he did. He cupped my face with his big tan hands and we both sighed at the contact. I heard Kyle muttering behind me, but couldn’t think to care right then. “I’ll come to you tomorrow. Ok? Everything will be fine and I’ll explain it all to you. Are you going to be all right?”
“Yes,” I said and I felt it. Whatever he was telling me, it was like it went straight to my brain, bypassing everything else. He said it was fine, so it was. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m not sure why I’m fine, but I am.”
He smiled beautifully. “Good girl.” He glanced over my shoulder. “I told you she’d be all right with this. You shouldn’t underestimate her.”
“Ok. Ready?” Kyle asked, still clearly exasperated, but willing to cooperate.
“You’ll come tomorrow?” I grabbed Caleb’s shirt front and felt strange for doing so, but I had to. “To see me?”
His thumbs caressed my cheeks, sending embarrassing shivers down my arms. “I’ll come get you tomorrow,” he corrected. “You are very special, Maggie. My family will be anxious to meet you.”
I nodded. “Ok.”
“Just remember, there is nothing to worry about.”
“Ok.”
He kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes at the pleasurable burn, feeling him. Letting his pride at how well I was taking everything wash over me in waves of warmth. “I’ll see you soon, Maggie.”
I nodded and bit my lip as Kyle grabbed my hand and towed me to his dad’s silver Audi. My body felt like it was being split. I didn’t want to go. I so didn’t want to go. But Caleb said I would be fine.
Kyle buckled me in and we started to back up down the driveway. The whole time, my significant’s eyes were locked on mine.
Chapter Three
“Significant? What does that even mean?” I asked Kyle after about five minutes of silence. He’d been driving around not really going anywhere since we left his house, his thumb beating an angry rhythm on the steering wheel. “And why am I ok with all this? I mean, you just told me you’re not human? I think I would normally freak out about that.”
“You’re one of us now,” he said quietly.
“What? You mean I’m an Ace or whatever?”
“Yes. Look.” He looked at me quickly. “I’d explain it all to you, but Caleb was right. You can’t handle it right now. Your body is going through enough just being away from him.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You’re his mate, his one, his partner, his companion, his soul mate, the person he’ll be with forever. Take your pick.” He waved his hand in the air.
“But I just met Caleb. I don’t even-”
I was about to say I didn’t even feel anything for him, but that was a lie. In fact, just saying his name was bringing on a little round of hysteria all on its own. My heart clenched, my palms were sweaty and tingly. I had the strange need to grab the door handle and make a break for it.
And I knew that was crazy, but I couldn’t stop thinking it.
“Why do I feel like this? Why do I-” I stopped and tried to breathe through it.
Caleb told me everything would be ok. I knew it would, but I had no idea how or why.
Kyle grabbed my hand.
“Why do you want him? That’s what you were going to say? It’s because you’re meant for each other. It’s like...both your souls saw each other and decided they wanted the other. It’s something that’s always happened in the clans. We’ve always imprinted to find a wife or husband. Usually it happens when you’re older, like about twenty two or three. I’ve never heard of it occurring this young, and it rarely happens with a human, but sometimes it does.”“So what does that mean? I have to marry him now?”
I thought about getting married at seventeen and what everyone would think of me, that I was loony or worse - pregnant.
“No, silly.” He laughed. “You just...belong to each other, now.” He chuckled again sadly and squeezed my hand. “Just when I finally got you to go out with me, too.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. You can’t control it.” He let loose a growl of a noise. “Ok, let’s stop talking about this. You don’t need the stress and it’s sure depressing me. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m pretty hungry.”
“Ok. Pablo’s it is.”
We pulled into the restaurant parking lot and he got out, running to my side to open my door for me. He grabbed my elbow to help me and I thought, he’s sweet but going overboard, but then I started to wobble. I felt lightheaded and he grabbed my other arm to steady me.
“What’s wrong with me?” I croaked.
“It’s like withdrawals. You just have to bear through them. They’ll get better.”
“Withdrawals from what?”
“Caleb,” he said and curled his lip like it was disgusting. “Come on. You’re with me, you’re fine. We’re gonna have fun but we gotta stop talking about him, all right?”
“All right.”
His hand slid down, his fingers locked on mine and I had a strange sense that I was doing something wrong.
“Stay close, ok?” He opened the door to the restaurant and we went in, wafted by a strong sent of delicious pasta and garlic.
Pablo’s was the best half Italian half Mexican place in town.
“Hey, look, there’s Rebecca and the guys.”
I pulled him to a stop.
“Please no. I don’t want to see anyone tonight,” I begged.
“Because of what happened? You’ll be-”
“No, not because of what happened. I had a fight with my dad and I don’t feel like being in a crowd, ok? Please?”