The Banshee and the Linebacker (A Paranormal Romance) (7 page)

"Okay, but let's take it slow." Keagan reached for our fallen blanket/shawl. "Let's just lie here a while and talk."

As he wrapped us in the blanket, his arm went around my shoulder. A little scooching and we were prone, me with my cheek against his chest and the sound of his heart in my ear. He began rambling on about his new science teacher and how his idea of teaching was a surprise pop quiz every day.

"Not quite a surprise," Keagan joked and the rumble of his laugh vibrated against my face, making me want to kiss his chest. I restrained myself. "My math teacher is even more lame," he said. "He has to make everything into a story problem. Sometimes I'd like x just to be an x without representing the quantity of farm animals or tinker toys. What the hell is a tinker toy anyway? Couldn't he at least choose something cool like iPads or cars?"

The next thing I knew, my eyes were fluttering open. I had only a second to realize I'd just woken from sleep, when a vision hit me with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. An old man, gray and wrinkled but with a full head of hair, was walking next to an old woman in a park under bright sunshine. He smiled down at his companion, but then his smile turned to a grimace and he reached up a hand to his chest. He was having a heart attack. The woman cried out when he fell to one knee. As he clutched at the fabric of his shirt, I saw the tattoo around his wrist.

Keagan. I was seeing a new death for Keagan.

I came to myself still lying against his chest, with one hand to my head.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Removing my hand, I glanced up and saw him staring down at me with worried eyes. "Yes. It's just a headache," I answered.

As the pain in my head quickly subsided, I realized something that made a grin almost break my lips with its width.

"What?" Keagan said, giving me a little shake. "Why are you smiling like that?"

How could I tell him that I'd somehow changed his fated death? Or if not me, something we'd done had made the change, setting him on a new path. He'd live a full life and die an old man. That meant Liam's fated death could have changed too. But had it?

Overhead, the moon had shifted so far in the sky it must be at least two a.m.

"Omigod," I said, jerking to a sitting position. "Gran will be frantic."

Keagan sat up too and then jumped to his feet. "Let's get you home."

He rose and began to gather the blanket from beneath us, shaking out the sand. Folding our shawl blanket as he did this, I began to worry. What about our bargain? Keagan's fate had changed but I still had to keep one of them from that football stadium tomorrow, er, tonight.

"Are we still on for another date later?" I asked as he handed me my shoes.

At my question, he smiled. Pulling me to him, he gently kissed me. "Definitely."

"Instead of the game?" I had to nail this down. "Even though..."

"Even though what?" he said with lips quirking.

"You said I had to sleep with you...and we didn't...you know."

"You did sleep with me. We woke up together just a few minutes ago. Don't you remember?"

"But—"

"Shhhh." He placed a finger to my lips to stop my words. "I don't want your first time to be like that. With me forcing you into something."

"You aren't forcing me. Don't you remember what I told your parents? Should be memorable since your dad's getting a retaining wall out of it." I joked.

"I remember every word," he said in utter seriousness. "But even if it isn't force, I don't want you to be with me as some kinda deal or bargain either. Let's just take it slow. Although it might kill me, I want to wait. I've waited a long time for you to be with me. I can wait until you're ready to go further. Now that I know we have a future, I can do anything."

Oh Lord. I'd let him think we were a couple.

Strange, but the idea of the two of us didn't freak me out. In fact, happiness blossomed inside me like a flower unfolding. Was I in love with Keagan and not Liam? Yes, I admitted to myself. How horrible was that? Was I an evil person for switching so quickly from one brother to the other? Then I acknowledged it hadn't been quick. I'd always been fighting an attraction to Keagan, but I'd been afraid. There had been safety with Liam where not a bit existed in Keagan. My heart, soul and entire being lay in jeopardy with him.

"But you're my girl now, right?" he asked.

"Are you sure that's what you want? All those other girls—"

"Those other girls...none of them were you. I tried to make them sub for you but they couldn't."

"Then this isn't just because you want to stick it to Liam?" I asked, happy but continuing my wander into uncharted, scary territory.

"No. I want to stick it to you, not my brother." He laughed. "I don't hate my brother. Liam isn't the problem. It was just that he had everything I wanted. I'd almost gotten used to the difference between how my parents treated me and how they treated Liam. I coulda lived with it, but then you came along. You were a little girl of ten with hair the color of wheat and the most amazing hazel eyes. And you went straight for Liam. You barely had anything to do with me."

"I'm sorry. I'd just lost my parents and went to live with Gran. I blamed myself for my parents' death. I couldn't cope with anything frightening. I wanted a restful place to heal."

"And Liam is 'restful'?"

"Well, you have to admit you aren't restful, peaceful, or safe. Whatever synonym you want. You aren't any of those things. You are dangerous and exciting. Not what a frightened ten year old could cope with."

"Sexy?"

"Yeah, that too."

That statement earned me another kiss. Then another and another after that.

Away from the coast, a fog enveloped the car as Keagan drove us back into town. But the white wisps seemed like a haze of happiness to me. We held hands over the parking brake and couldn't stop smiling at each other. No realities were permitted to get through the haze and reach me until we entered downtown. Then all of the problems I'd been trying to ignore drifted back into my thoughts one by one.

Gran would be worried and angry—if she hadn't fallen asleep. On the off chance she had, I didn't try her on my cell phone. Slipping in without her ever knowing how late I'd been out was still a possibility. I didn't even remember I'd turned my phone off until we pulled up in front of my house.

"How are you getting home?" I said as he parked. "We should have stopped at your house first."

"No." He shook his head and squeezed my hand. "I didn't want you driving alone in this fog. I'll walk home."

"That's crazy," I said. "Take my car. You can pick me up in the morning."

He grinned, before pressing a soft kiss on my lips. "Perfect."

After I reluctantly withdrew my hand from his, I opened the door but hesitated about getting out.

"What is it?"

I'd spotted a light inside the house. "Gran's up. She's gonna be pissed after she gets over being scared. And that will be about two seconds after I walk through the door."

"Do you want me to come in and explain?"

"No," I answered. "I can handle it."

After jumping out, I pushed the car door closed behind me and then ran up the walk and onto the front porch. With a little wave to Keagan, who was still watching me from the car, I opened the front door and walked in.

Harry trotted up to me with his tail wagging.

"Where have you been?" Gran shouted.

Harry cringed as if whipped and scuttled away, back in the direction of the living room. If only I could get away so easily.

"You're still alive at least." Gran stood, hands-on-hips, just inside. "My only comfort was that I'd seen your fate was an old age death. Even so, I was scared spitless. An old lady could have an attack, you know."

Not even thinking about closing the door behind me, I rushed to her and gave her a quick hug. "I'm so sorry, Gran. I didn't mean to be out so late. We just..." I couldn't think of a way to finish that. Talking about falling asleep with Keagan might not be the best thing to calm her down. "But I think I did it, Gran. I think I changed their death fates. Keagan and Liam. Well, I'm sure about Keagan and the next time I can touch Liam, I'll know about him for sure."

"You were out with Keagan and not Liam?" she asked.

"Yes, of course." I shrugged. "I told you I was going to do anything I could to stop them from playing that football game together. It was the only way to get Keagan to agree not to play."

"I know it seemed like the right thing to do, Tara. But you're playing with people's feelings here."

I shook my head, trying to deny her words even though I knew she was right. But no matter how much I wanted her to stop, Gran kept talking.

"How is Liam going to feel with you going out, and staying out so late, with his brother? And how is Keagan going to feel when he finds out you've just been manipulating him for Liam's benefit? That you've been using his feelings for you."

"Yeah." Keagan's voice came from the porch through the still-open front door "How am I gonna feel about being manipulated and used?"

Whirling around to face him, I saw him step over the threshold.

"I might be pretty angry and disgusted," he finished, his face stricken.

"Keagan," I said, reaching out a hand to him. "It's not what you think."

He shrank away from my touch, shaking his head. "I came up here to explain to your grandmother what happened tonight, but instead I found out I was the one who didn't know what had
really
happened."

"Please, Keagan. I was trying to save Liam's life. Can't you understand?"

"I understand everything is always for Liam and not me. My parents' love, your love—" With that he threw down my car keys, turned, and barreled out.

"Omigod." I picked up the keys from the floor. "I think I can safely say everything is ruined now."
Including my heart
, I thought.
Shredded into a thousand ragged scraps like so much ground beef.

"I'm sorry, honey," Gran said. "I didn't realize he was there. But I warned you fate has a way of turning things its way."

"I don't believe that," I yelled. "I have to believe I can stop this or all the pain has been for nothing."

Starting out the door, I heard Gran shout after me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going after him," I shouted back. "I'm going after Keagan. I have to try to explain and salvage something."

"No, Tara." She stepped out onto the porch, but I had already reached the car. "Don't go."

Shaking my head, I got in and then drove off.

The fog that had been a happy cocoon earlier was now a horrible barrier as I slowly drove what I thought would be the most likely path between my house and the Ellsworths'. I tried to examine each alley and side street, all the while keeping my eyes on the road.

Spotting what looked like a figure just coming into view on the right ahead, near a bus stop, my heart lurched and I stepped on the gas. But when I got nearer, the figure turned out to be a sign with a shrub in front of it.

"Damn," I muttered.

Just then a cat darted out of the shrub and into the street. My hand jerked the wheel and I stomped on the brake.

"Damn!"

* * * * *

Damn.
My school locker must have fallen on me,
I thought.
Get this thing off my chest or I'll miss math class.
But no matter how much effort I exerted, my arms wouldn't move. I also couldn't lift my lids. They seemed glued shut.
Did I leave glue uncapped in the locker? Math class was definitely out.

I heard a groan that seemed far away until I realized it was me.

"Open your eyes, Tara. You can do it," Gran's voice urged me.

The accompanying pat on my hand somehow gave me the strength to pry open my lids to see her beloved face over me.