Academy Obscura: The Flame Within Page 4

  I caught Jaxon’s eye in the rearview mirror. He was studying me. Not even trying to hide it this time. I squirmed under his scrutinizing gaze, feeling naked and vulnerable. What was with his guy?

  Luckily, the ride to the river was over in just a few minutes. When we got out of the SUV, Jaxon was back to his easy-going self, which wasn’t going to fool me any longer.

  A car pulled in next to us. Two guys got out of the front seats, their attention on Jaxon.

  “Hey!” Called the one closest to us. He was tall, with an athletic build. Red hair fell into his green eyes. A light dusting of freckles covered his nose. Below that were the most kissable lips I’d ever seen.

  Jaxon hugged the attractive redhead, as another man came around the car. He was equally as hot, but in a completely different way. Short black hair, deeply tan skin, and amber eyes.

  After they exchanged a greeting, Jaxon turned to me. “Caprice, meet Liam and Angel.”

  I shook their proffered hands, trying not to drool or babble. These three could do serious damage to any woman’s sense of calm—especially when all together.

  “What are you boys up to today?” Isabella asked, hoisting the large tote onto her shoulder.

  “We’re meeting some friends up the river,” Angel said. “You all want to come along?”

  “Nah,” said Jaxon, “we’re going right down here.”

  I was mildly disappointed that we wouldn’t be going with them. Okay, maybe more than mildly.

  “See you later then.” Angel gave me a wink before turning to leave. And I thought Jaxon’s winks here good. Damn.

  Liam followed Angel toward the river. I sighed as their mouth-watering forms grew smaller in the distance.

  Jaxon chuckled beside me.

  My gaze flew to his face. He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. He caught me checking out his friends. How embarrassing.

  Jaxon turned away, taking the large tote from Isabella, and led us down to the narrow beach.

  Hordes of people floated past is inner tubes and other inflatable river-craft. Families let their children wade into the water as they picnicked on the shore. Jaxon led us a ways down river to a semi-private cove. There Isabella took the tote back, grabbed a beach towel, and situated herself in the sun with a book on her lap.

  I couldn’t tell if she was trying to leave Jaxon and me alone, or if she was just oblivious to the tension between us.

  I got a hold of the other towel, picked a spot, and lay down. Closing my eyes, I focused on the red glow behind my eyelids. A slight breeze rustled the maple leaves. People on the river called out to each other as they drifted past our spot.

  I could sense more than hear Jaxon sit down next to me.

  “You’re quiet today,” he said.

  My skin flushed and prickled. I felt his gaze, his powerful presence so close to me. I opened my eyes, shielding them with my arm.

  “Don’t you have a job?” I asked. It sounded like an accusation.

  He laughed. The deep, delicious sound sending a shiver through me. “Yes, I have a job. I’m a professor.”

  I leaned up on my elbows. Maybe that was why he felt like an authority figure. But, still… “Really? Aren’t you a bit young?”

  “Not for teaching at a two year college.” He lay on his side, so close that he could reach out and touch me. But he didn’t. “It’s more like a specialized preparatory school. I get summers off.”

  I made a face. I knew teachers got summers off. “Which school is it?”

  “Just a little academy a few miles from here. Not well known.”

  Turning onto my side, I faced him. He was avoiding my question. “What do you teach?”

  “History mostly.”

  “Mostly?”

  “Yes, mostly. You’re kind of nosy, you know that?” His eyes lit up with mirth, but I knew it was a mask. What was he really doing here next to me?

  Over his shoulder, I spotted Isabella. She seemed to be asleep in the dappled sunlight. Her book lay open on her stomach and her sunhat was over her eyes. A soft snore escaped her parted lips.

  “I’m going in the water.” I stood up, slipping out of the shorts. This time, when I glanced down at Jaxon, there was heat in his eyes. He licked his lips. Maybe he thought I was attractive after all.

  The water was cold. Like freaking freezing. I waded in up to my waist, giving my body a moment to adjust to the temperature. The water rippled toward me from the shore and I turned. Jaxon had taken off his shirt and was already up to his thighs in the river.

  Jesus Christ! A shirtless Jaxon was a sight to behold. He was all hard, bulging muscles and smooth skin. He ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair. It was like watching a model at a sexy photoshoot. How did his students focus in his classes?

  He caught me staring. The muscles in his square jaw worked and the hardness had returned to his eyes. He smirked, but it didn’t lighten his energy. Nor did it hide his true emotions.

  Then a thought clicked in my mind. He was playing at being the playboy. But it didn’t come naturally to him. Why would he do that? What game was he playing?

  He dove into the river, resurfacing as a sun-kissed god right in front of me.

  “If you go all in,” he said, “your body will adjust to the cold sooner.”

  I stared up, trying to get a read on him.

  He stepped closer, towering over me. “You’re a special girl, aren’t you?”

  My heart hammered in my chest at his closeness. “Special? Not really, no.”

  “Don’t play coy.” The back of his hand caressed my arm. “You’re safe with us—with me.” His intense gaze bored into mine. “Now tell me how you’re special.”

  I tried to step back, but he caught my arm. “I’m not. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  His questions and staring were starting to creep me out. At the same time, his touch sent heat through my body. Talk about mixed messages.

  “Stop lying.” His grip tightened. “There’s something in your past that makes you different from everyone else. You know there is. Now tell me what it is.” The playboy facade was gone. In his place stood a serious, demanding man.

  The only way he could know about the fire was if he searched through my record. Was that what he was talking about? It was the only thing in my past that set me apart from others. The only weird, horrifying occurrence from my past—and they’d blamed me. I still didn’t know why.

  A vision flashed before my eyes: Fire exploding from my mouth as I screamed.

  Impossible. I shook it off, refocusing on Jaxon.

  “There’s nothing,” I said. “I’m not—”

  “Caprice, stop lying to me.” He swooped down, picking me up. I held on to his neck even though my first instinct was to push away.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  He didn’t respond.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  Again, no response. His square jaw was firmly set.

  Jaxon strode downstream. We reached a spot where a rock cliff hung over the river. He set me on my feet, and took a step back. For a long moment, his evaluating gaze swept over my face. Thirty feet away, people floated with the current. If I screamed they’d hear me.

  “Isabella thinks a subtle approach is best,” Jaxon said. “I disagree. I need to know what you are, and how powerful you are, right now. I can make some guesses, but that’s not good enough. Now tell me.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said through clenched teeth.

  He sighed. “Fine. Let me make this easier for you. What happens when you get angry? When you lose your temper?”

  I gasped. He already knew, he just wanted to make me say it. “I don’t lose my temper!”

  He arched a brow. “Really?”

  “Really. And you have no right to question me like this.”

  “You’re wrong.” He came at me, making me back up into the cliff. His body mere inches from mine. “I have every right.”<
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  My breath grew rapid as heat flooded my face. I knew the signs. Knew that I was getting angry. I took a steadying gulp of air. This intimidating man was not going to make me lose it. I’d worked so hard, for years, to control my temper. The irony of being half-Italian was not lost on me.

  “I won’t let you make me mad. No matter what you say—”

  His mouth came down on mine. He claimed my lips with unfiltered desire. Caressing, parting them with his tongue. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me up out of the water and against his hard chest.

  Pure pleasure ripped through me. I steadied myself with my legs on either side of his hips. Two thin pieces of fabric separated our bodies. Through his swim trunks, I could feel him. Hot and hard.

  I jerked my head back, breaking the kiss. He didn’t want me. This was all an act.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, thrusting his hips suggestively against my core.

  I almost moaned. Instead, I unwrapped my legs and shoved at his chest. “Let me go. Now.”

  He released me immediately.

  I searched his face, trying to make sense of him. He stared back with those steely grey eyes. If there had ever been any lust, it had gone.

  “You kissed me to make me angry!” I was appalled. With both hands, I pushed him away. What an asshole! I waded back to the shore where Isabella snoozed, grabbed my clothes and shoes, and headed up the trail.

  5

  Caprice

  The late afternoon sun heated my bare shoulders. As soon as I got to the parking lot, I slipped into my cutoffs and flip-flops. Reality hit me like a motorboat.

  I was thousands of miles from home. Alone.

  At least I had my phone. I pulled it out to text Elena or call Antonio. But what could I tell them? Grandma and this hot guy were freaking me out by asking questions about my past? They got a hold of my file and wanted me to admit to starting that fire.

  A chill ran up my neck. It had happened when I was sixteen. One minute I was arguing with my foster father, like I’d done so many times before, and the next, the whole house was a raging inferno. No one was hurt, but the house was gone. My foster father blamed me. The investigation that followed was inconclusive. Then I was taken from there and placed with Antonio and Vanessa.

  Deep down, I felt guilty. At times I wondered if I had started that fire. Not being able to remember what had happened was bad enough. If I had started it, then that made me a psychotic freak. I didn’t want to be that.

  I stared at my phone. Maybe I was overreacting. Isabella had every right to know who I was, and all about my past. I’d want to know, if I were her. I’d want to know exactly who I was supporting and planning to leave my house to.

  The past scared me. I didn’t want to talk about it, or the implications that went with it. But for Isabella, I should suck it up and let her in. Jaxon on the other hand… I sighed. He was probably trying to protect her. Did he sense something dark in me? Something off?

  I found the SUV and leaned against it. My future happiness depended on me being courageous in the present. If I continued to hide the fire incident from Isabella, she may decide I was too suspicious and unworthy of being her heir. If I told her about it, she may decide the same thing. I’d take the gamble.

  A few minutes later, Jaxon and Isabella emerged from the trail. Her features relaxed in relief at me standing by the car. Jaxon’s face was unreadable.

  Silently, we piled in and went back to grandma’s house.

  That night, after dinner, I finally got up the nerve to speak with Isabella. We sat in the sunroom flipping through a Sorrentino family photo album. I didn’t just look like my father, I strongly resembled all the Sorrentino’s going back several generations.

  With a sigh, I closed the book. “I have something I need to tell you,” I said.

  “Is it why you left the river today?” Isabella really was perceptive.

  “Partly,” I answered.

  Her deep brown eyes focused on my face.

  “I…don’t like talking about this. But I think it’s what you and Jaxon have been asking about.” I took a deep breath. “You asked if anything strange happened to me when I was younger. Well something did.” I told her the story as I knew it, and about how I didn’t really have a clear memory of that evening.

  Once I’d finished, she asked, “Why did your foster father accuse you exactly?”

  “He kind of freaked out. He kept saying that the fire came from me. My case worker thought he was in shock from losing his house. But…”

  “Yes?”

  I shook my head. “The way he said it, and the way he looked at me, like I was some monster…it still haunts me.” I placed my shaking hands between my knees. “I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear from your new-found granddaughter. I might have some kind of delusional mental problem, but I wanted to be honest with you.”

  This whole time, I’d been trying to not feel hurt by the rejection that I knew was coming. Who could want a potentially dangerous relative? No one.

  Isabella drew out one of my hands to hold in hers. “Caprice, I don’t want you to feel bad about what happened. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She smiled at my open-mouthed stare. “Being part of this family…is different. I have a secret to tell you as well.” Her soulful eyes lit up. “I’m a witch.”

  I burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. I tell you that I might be an arsonist and you tell me you practice Wicca. I don’t see those as equally disturbing secrets.”

  She released my hand, patting it. “Not Wicca. That’s a religion. I’m a witch. Actually this whole side of your family is. Your father was one too.”

  “That’s cool. There were a few witches at my high school.”

  Isabella sighed, seeming disappointed in my reaction. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  “No really, that’s fine. I could see why you’d want to keep that a secret in a small town like this.” I felt so much better now that we were talking openly. I yawned. “Thank you for not holding my past against me.”

  “You should get some sleep, dear.” She gave me a hug, then let me go upstairs.

  * * *

  Sunday morning, Isabella had a meeting that would last most of the day. I called Antonio to tell him everything was okay. I still didn’t know how long I was staying. Then Elena and I talked for a couple of hours. Which was what I needed, because Jaxon was driving me crazy.

  “So he runs hot and cold?” Elena asked.

  “That and…this whole playboy persona one moment, then it’s like a switch, and he turns into this serious, powerful, demanding…man. I just can’t figure him out.”

  “Hmm… Maybe he likes you, but he’s trying to pretend that he doesn’t. He is a teacher, he could get into trouble.” Elena sighed. “Maybe you should give the guy a break.”

  “Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side. Not his.” I leaned into the feather pillows, still in my pajamas. “But you could be right. I’m overanalyzing.”

  “Ha! That’s not a first.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “I felt that eye roll,” Elena said.

  “Whatever. You can’t see me.”

  “No. But I know you better than you know yourself.”

  That was probably true, although I wasn’t going to admit that to her. “So…any hot guys in Florida?”

  “Hell yeah.” Elena gave a detailed description of her encounter with a nineteen-year-old from Chicago. All I could think about was that kiss with Jaxon. I’d been kissed before, but not like that. The memory made me squirm. Had he really done that to make me mad? I could be wrong about that too. Although he hadn’t denied it.

  Around noon, I got off the phone to forage for food. There was leftover casserole in the refrigerator and I helped myself. After eating, I dressed and explored the rest of the house.

  On the main floor, behind the living room, was a small library. The walls were floor to ceiling bookcases. In the middle were two lounge chairs on either side of the window se
at. The wall that connected to the living room held a fireplace.

  I browsed the book selection. Eclectic was a fitting description with titles ranging from obscure to ancient to contemporary. My second foster mother had been a librarian, so I recognized more of these books than most people would have.

  One shelf was all dictionaries. I always found the different types and editions interesting to look at. I pulled out one thick volume that had marbled paper. As I slid it from the shelf, a creaking sound made me jump.

  To my right, part of the bookcase had…opened. I replaced the dictionary, then gripped the side of the wooden case and pulled. This whole section was a hidden door. I swung it wide.

  Inside, polished stone stairs led down into blackness. My pulse rushed in my ears. This was the kind of thing you find and regret—at least in the movies. What was hidden down there? Where did it lead?

  Before I could take action on the temptation to explore, the front door slammed shut. Isabella was home.

  The bookcase smoothly closed with a slight tick as it locked.

  From the foyer, Isabella called, “Caprice? Are you up there?”

  I emerged from the library. “In here.”

  “Find anything interesting?” She studied me for a moment.

  “Lots.” My heart pounded against my ribcage. No way was I going to admit to finding a secret door in her library.

  Isabella hung up her hat and tote. “Tonight is the full moon. It’s traditional to lock all the doors and windows.” She faced me. “Will you help me secure the house?”

  “Uh…sure.” This town was wacky.

  “You can start with the library, then move clockwise from room to room. I’ll get the upstairs.”

  I turned back in to the library, making sure the one window was locked. Isabella’s seriousness about this tradition sent a shiver through me. What did she expect would try to get into the house tonight? Did it know about the secret staircase in the wall?

  * * *

  We had a delicious dinner of two savory quiches followed by mango ice cream. The entire time, Isabella seemed distracted. She kept glancing out the kitchen windows. Once the full moon rose over the ridge, her brow furrowed and stayed that way.