"Touched by a god?" she asked, confused and needing more explanation. Kayla had been touched by Nick. Was she in danger?
"I meant sexually. I hate to ask you this question, but have you . . . lately?"
"What? No." Skylar was appalled. What kind of girl did he think she was? She had almost done it with her ex-boyfriend-thank God she hadn't. But from the way he was so casual about it, and by using the word "lately," she assumed he thought she had.
"Good. I mean, you can do whatever you want. I'm just asking. You know, just ruling things out, making sure you're not pregnant."
"Why does that matter?"
"Reproduction. Supposedly, when pregnant or having given birth before, the mortal being produces a special scent only Hades's creatures can smell. I don't know too much about this. I've only been told. That is how our mothers were found."
"But they didn't go after my mom. I mean, if what you say is true, and my dad is-or was-a descendant of a god, she would have been attacked by them a long time ago. Unless they couldn't find her . . . or maybe she is one of the descendants." Skylar became worried for her mom's safety, but she was mostly baffled as to which parent was one of them.
"I don't know. I don't have all the answers. But I'm almost positive she is fine. Like I said, your situation is complicated. All I know is the fact that they trashed your room and barely touched your cousin's. It means you have something they want or need."
"I promise I don't have anything of value or god-like." Having powers would've been great, only then it would have meant she was definitely one of them, and she didn't know if that was a good thing-most likely not. "So then, let's say I'm one of you guys. Will I have special powers like you?"
"Most half bloods have some type of supernatural abilities. For example, we are faster and stronger than an average human being, but only to a certain degree. Depending on our DNA structure, some of us have other abilities. Nick and I are similar. We can create heat and produce an electricity-like current at will by the simple touch of our hands. Unfortunately, Everett and Remus are normal, at least by godly standards. However, Remus can heal faster than any of us, and they both are incredibly strong."
"Create heat? Electricity? Really?" Skylar's eyes grew wide, wanting to see what that would be like, but she didn't ask. The word electricity made her reflect back to the times she'd been shocked by him. Electricity equaled static, which would create a shock. Now she understood. She had been shocked by him several times. "That was you. It was from you. I got shocked from your energy, or whatever you call it."
Mason raked his hair back, looking apologetic. "Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to. I think I got a little . . . I don't know why that happened."
"Oh." That was all Skylar could mutter. Got a little what? Excited by her presence she hoped.
He gazed down, apparently deep in thought. "Wait a minute-" He looked at her. "You made me do it. It never happened before, until I touched you."
"So now the shock is my fault? You shocked me, I didn't shock you," she retorted. Since he didn't respond, she changed the subject, "If I'm supposedly one of you, and I have a supernatural ability, how will I know?"
"The night my mom died, Nick's mom was there. She explained everything, but I didn't want any part of it. I didn't trust her. Who would believe a crazy story like that, right? One night they came after me. Since I had been to Nick's house several times with my mom, I ran to his place. That's when I discovered I could run faster than I had ever imagined. And when Nick's mom was attacked by them, Nick and I did our best. We discovered something else we could do, but it was a little too late. What I'm trying to tell you is that I don't know. It could just happen, but I really think your situation is unique."
Skylar's eyes glowed with a sudden revelation. Perhaps the light she had thought she saw at the beach wasn't an angel's light, but instead was from Mason's heat. He had been the light, but was that even possible? He'd said he created heat, not light. What did that mean?
She didn't know whether to be grateful that he had saved her at the beach, or be angry that he had lied to her, making her think she was going out of her mind. "You were at the beach. You saved me. I wasn't hallucinating."
Mason shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Sorry, but I didn't know if I could trust you at that time."
"Trust me?" Anger boiled inside her. Of all the nerve. He had the audacity to say those words? She dismissed it when she thought about the reasons why the monsters would be after her. "I don't have anything they would want. I don't understand."
"I don't either, but I need to find out why this is happening to you. I'm not sure who to trust, so it may take a while to get our questions answered. Until then, I need to look after you. I guess I'm stuck with you."
Was that such a bad thing? He didn't have to make it sound like she was a nuisance. "Oh."
"But right now, I need to take care of an emergency at work. The phone call earlier was from one of the employees. Stay here. Change and relax. I'll be back within an hour or so. Do you think you can do that?"
"I don't know. Maybe I should go home."
Mason lifted Skylar's chin with his fingertip, forcing her to look into his eyes. They were infused with longing.
"Ouch." Skylar jolted from the shock. Though it wasn't as strong as the last few times, she was quite surprised that it had happened again.
"Sorry. I don't know why that happens only with you." His eyes moved to his fingers. "Anyway, you can trust me."
"Okay," Skylar said reluctantly, nodding her head. She wanted to trust him. He hadn't given her any indication that he was a threat to her. After all, he was the one that had saved her from almost drowning, not once but twice.
Before he could take a step toward the door, Skylar gripped his wrist. The moment her hand touched his skin, she felt a kind of pleasant energy, but not a shock thankfully. Their eyes met. Swallowed up by him, she forgot why she had stopped him in the first place.
The way Mason held her eyes with such care made her weak and as though she was about to crumble. If only she could break through. She knew there was a kinder side to his arrogant, rude personality, and he definitely had shown it tonight.
"You'll be fine," Mason finally said.
Skylar nodded to agree and then asked a question, "My cousin, Kayla, is she-?"
As if Mason knew what she was going to ask before she could finish, he answered her, "No. I'm almost positive that she's not."
"Does Nick care for her in a special way?" Skylar wasn't sure about asking this personal question about his half brother.
"I don't know. I don't get into his personal business. Let's just say he likes to play around, and he's never been serious with any girl in his life. I'm quite surprised Kayla is still around. In fact, we don't take any relationship seriously. So if you're wondering about Kayla's heart, it will likely be broken sooner rather than later."
Skylar's heart sank in her chest. Though she had hoped that Mason might take interest in her as more than a friend, hearing his sharp, cold words felt like a stab to her heart. What was even worse, he'd admitted Nick would end up hurting Kayla.
She had known these boys were up to no good the moment she met them, so why did she even bother to give them her time? Besides the obvious, of course, like Mason saving her from death a couple of times, she knew the answer. Kayla had been head over heels in love with Nick ever since she'd first laid eyes on him. As for Skylar, she was drawn to Mason in ways she couldn't explain.
Mason placed his hand on the doorknob, twisting it while keeping his eyes on Skylar. "I'll be back in an hour. Stay here." He closed the door behind him.
Knowing she was alone in the giant empty house at night gave her goose bumps all over. Feeling a cool draft, she grabbed the extra clothes and changed. The sweats were too long and too big in the waist and the long T-shirt could almost be a dress on her. For the pants, she found it helped a bit to fold the waistband down and roll the bottoms of the legs up a couple of times. Though the flip-flops were big, she'd rather slip on what felt like a pair of big slippers than endure the wetness of her soggy tennis shoes.
After a while, Skylar got bored. One hour wasn't that long, but with nothing to do, it seemed like an eternity, especially when she was alone. After debating whether to leave the room, even though she had been instructed to stay, Skylar decided that maybe he meant to stay in the house. Curiosity got the best of her and she turned the knob.
It was deadly silent in the house. The only sound she heard was her own steps sinking into the plush, thick carpet. Carefully and slowly she moved, step by step. Though it was dark in the hallway, the light from downstairs was enough to light her way. She thought about opening the other doors, wondering which rooms belonged to Nick and his half brothers. As she was about to open one, she stopped, thinking she heard the front door open.