Chapter 29

The cacophony of conversation died down into a whispery silence. Each and every person turned to face the back left corner as if an announcer had called them, but no one was there. No sound had come. Still, they looked expectant, attentions all set on the empty table and chairs.

Brady relaxed beside me but kept his arm locked in place, pinning me to his side. He waved a hand towards Jaden Andrews. "Let's see what makes this guy so awesome."

Jaden stood, and like a puppet on a string, he began walking towards the table everyone was fixated on. I watched, breath held, as he climbed on top of its surface and faced the crowd. He didn't seem to wonder why he was doing it, and neither did anyone else inside the room. They all looked like they'd expected it, like this was why they'd all come.

"My name is Jaden," the boy started, so confident, so cocky, just like I remembered him. "And my mama wiped my ass for me until I was fifteen." His eyes widened with horror as he realized what he'd said, and a chorus of murmurs took over the room.

Brady snorted a laugh. "I didn't expect it to be that good."

"What did you do?" I wasn't laughing. I should have been laughing, but instead, despite everything, I felt bad.

"I made him tell his most embarrassing secret." Brady waved a hand, and Jaden left the stage, head hung low as laughter filtered through the air around him.

"Which one next?" He looked around the crowd. "That girl looks like she's done some shit."

I wasn't paying attention. My eyes were still fixed on Jaden. A heaviness hit my chest, and instead of feeling joy at his pain, I found myself revisiting my own. I knew that feeling like the back of my hand. The fiery heat behind your ears. The way it travelled to your neck, then your face. The sickness inside your chest. The replay in your mind, over and over, as if you're own brain is trying to torture you with the event. "I don't like this, Brady."

I felt the moment he looked at me. "You didn't think that was funny?" It was a genuine question, and I could hear the underlying confusion in his voice.

I shook my head and met his gaze. "It doesn't matter what they did to me, Brady. I don't want to hurt people."

"We aren't hurting them." Brady scratched his chin as his eyes ran over the people below. He seemed to drift away in thought, and his expression morphed into something I'd never seen from him before.

He looked confused. "Alright," he started as he turned back to me. He was quiet for a long moment, and I suddenly felt like a five thousand piece puzzle he was trying to put together. "What would you like to do, Sweetheart?"

I looked down at the swarm of faces. "Make them forget. I want them to forget they were here, what Jaden said." I took a breath. "And I want them to forget me and all my secrets."

I chanced a glance in his direction, and Brady met my gaze levelly. "Of course, Sweetheart." Within a minute, the room began to clear. One right after the other, each person disappeared, back to wherever it was he'd stolen them from.

When the last person vanished, Brady gathered me into his arms, and his hold was gentler than usual. Without a word, blue light surrounded us.

I closed my eyes and relaxed against him. Before I knew it, Brady was gently placing me down onto what felt like a bench. His hands remained glued to my waist as I felt him lower himself down in the same way in front of me. The sounds of water burbling up on either side of us, combined with the slight sway of my body, let me know we were on a boat.

I opened my eyes, but the blue light hadn't disappeared this time. It had scattered upwards, lingering above our heads. Darkness filled the space below until all I could make out of the man in front of me was a faint outline.

Brady's hands left my waist, and a tension filled the space between us. "You're so beautiful," he finally said, filling the void.

My heart stuttered at the words, and a familiar warmth filled my chest. "You can't even see me right now."

"No, Sweetheart. I couldn't see you before."

I didn't understand what he meant. My eyes darted up to the still lingering blue light. It looked like stars, only much more vivid. The glow reflected down into the water, and the combination was awe inspiring. "Where are we?"

"We're in a cave in New Zealand," Brady answered. "It seemed fitting. Those lights up there? They're glow worms. People travel from all over the world to see them."

My eyes darted up again at his explanation. "I thought it was your light," I said, keeping my voice barely more than a whisper. The atmosphere felt too peaceful to pollute. "Those are worms?"

Brady was quiet a long moment. "Yes." He took my hand, his thumb running along the back of it. "I wanted to take you somewhere beautiful, because I realized something."

I waited patiently, unable to speak past the feelings his touch initiated. Light tingles ran up my arm, then filtered out until they consumed me. I lost myself in the sensation, listening to him speak. Each word resonated with the deepest part of my mind, clearer than any other sound, as if catered specifically for my ears.

"I realize now why a human was given to me." He moved closer, leaning forward until I could feel his body heat, each one of his breaths against my lips. The familiar electricity rose up between us, fizzling and cracking with energy. "Your soul is so pure, so unbelievably beautiful, it can take a worm like me and make him glow."

"Brady." It was a breath, barely spoken past emotions that clogged my throat. It was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to me, and combined with our surroundings, I couldn't help myself.

In that moment, with my past gone from the minds of everyone who'd known it, I just wanted to be, to do, without worrying about how others would view it, about consequences and what ifs.

I touched his face, then lifted my other hand to do the same. Brady's eyes lit up, glowing like the creatures above us, helping to light his face and give me a clear view of his mouth. There was no hesitation this time as I pressed my lips to his. I didn't stop to think. Brady wasn't something to caution. He was just a man. An inhumanly beautiful man saying all the right things. And I was a young girl, doing what a million other young girls would do in the same situation.

I kissed him, and Brady returned it. Slowly, sweetly, perfect, and the world drifted away at the absolute rightness in it. The energy surrounded us in warmth, almost feeling pleased as it cocooned our bodies in a blanket of acceptance.

Brady made no moves to escalate our contact. He didn't change the pace. He held me, fingers slowly running up my back, then down again, a soothing path back and forth along my spine as his mouth slowly moved in sync with mine. The beauty in his handling, in the moment, exceeded the natural wonder of the cave itself. I felt treasured, protected. No fear, no doubt, no anger. Only warmth, and peace, and... love.

Then he broke away, and the action left me empty.

Brady rested his forehead against mine and took a deep breath. "You make it really hard to take you back," he said, voice strained. He pulled me into him, holding me tight and burying his face into my hair.

"You still have to," I pointed out, despite the fact that the thought of leaving sounded like torture. It was all the more reason to say it, because if he'd fought with me in that moment about never going back, I'd have lost.

I felt his head move against me as he nodded. "I know, and I will," he paused, "for you." He leaned back. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Sweetheart. You have me completely at your disposal. Trust me." He gripped my hand in his. "I've tried to be selfish. I really have. I just can't." He kissed me one last time, deeper than the others, and a thousands watts of that electric current cycled through my system.

A satisfied sound left my chest, and Brady pulled away. "That's why I'm taking you back now."

"What?" I couldn't hide my disappointment. I should have been happy. I should have been relieved, but I didn't want to go, not yet anyway.

"If I don't take you back now," he started, those glowing blue orbs fixed with mine. "I can't promise we won't be bonded by morning, and as much as I want that, crave it, I'll wait." His hand lifted, caressing my cheek in a touch so soft, my heart lurched. "It's the only thing I can think to do that would make me even slightly deserve you."

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