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  “I can help the person on the wheel if that’s okay with you, Jonah. Unless you need me,” Ella said before continuing to think, Just stay calm. I have a feeling we need to be her friends, not her enemies. She has a personal investment in this mission—I can feel it. She’s likely to talk more one-on-one with you rather than us ganging up on her.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. Jay, can you introduce Ella as one of the new instructors? She’ll be able to handle it from there,” I responded and added, I got this handled and I think you’re right. Just project if you need any help with the chick—as Jay so eloquently referred to her.

  Same to you, Ella thought with a squeeze of my hand.

  “Sure thing,” Jay said before holding the door open for Ella.

  Damn, she has one fine ass, Jay thought as he watched Ella walk down the hall. I couldn’t help but get irritated with his comment.

  “He likes her, huh?” Jesse said, effectively interrupting my eavesdropping on his thoughts.

  “Just a little too much,” I responded honestly.

  “And you love her,” Jesse stated. It wasn’t a question, but I still felt the need to respond.

  “I love her,” I said matter-of-factly, while nodding my head in agreement.

  “Aren’t you worried it’s just the blood causing those feelings?”

  “We’ve both had those doubts, but honestly, we don’t care. Blood or not, we’re meant to be together. No old man clan is going to change that fact,” I said as I turned my attention back to Jesse and motioned for her to have a seat on one of the stools.

  “Was it worth it?” she asked in a small voice.

  “What? Was what worth it?”

  “Donating blood. Was it worth all this trouble?” she asked, gesturing with a wave of her hand toward the door Ella just walked through.

  Pulling another stool closer, I sat in front of her and thought of the question she was asking me. She was asking if I regretted saving Ella’s life? Regardless of whether I knew the reason my father needed my blood, never in a million years would I change the past.

  “She’s worth it, and more. I wouldn’t change a single thing,” I said honestly, pausing for just a moment. “Why would you think I have regrets?”

  Jesse shrugged, not looking my way as she sat with no verbal response.

  I stared at her, examining her, and waited for her to say something. The room was bright with florescent lights, yet a haze of darkness surrounded her. It didn’t seem like the gloom of evil. Instead, it seemed like she was surrounded with the fog of sadness. She was hurting and that pain wasn’t evident to me until then.

  Studying her face, I noticed her thick, black eyeliner acted like a mask—something to cover her anguish and fear. Not fear for herself, but fear for others.

  Now, reading auras wasn’t exactly my thing, but I was picking up on these emotions like it was second nature for me. This dark haze seemed to be weighing heavily on her natural magenta color, causing her levels to fluctuate with every passing moment.

  “They’re not the reason I’m here,” Jesse finally whispered after several minutes of silence. Before I could ask what she meant by that, the door burst open again and students started filing in.

  Taking advantage of the interruption, Jesse stood, looked at me for a brief moment, and began walking out the door.

  “Jesse, don’t—”

  “Oh, Jonah. Did we interrupt?” the still-life painting teacher asked while shuffling in with her large portfolio over her shoulder and her supplies in a wheeled cart.

  “No, Morgan. It’s fine. We were just finishing up,” I responded with a smile. By the time I looked back toward the door, Jesse was gone. “Enjoy your class,” I added just before shutting the door behind me.

  Looking around the main room of the studio, I didn’t see her anywhere.

  “Eve just left. She looked kinda pissed. What just happened?” Jay asked. “Did she want to jump your bones and Ella told her to step off? Cause I could totally see that happening…”

  “Jay,” I barked, cutting him off before he could say another word to annoy me. “How is Ella doing with that student?”

  “Oh, she’s kickass, man. She totally took over like a pro. You should seriously hire her. She’s probably better than your sorry ass,” Jay said with a chuckle.

  “I wouldn’t doubt that for one moment,” I said softly. “You have everything else handled around here?”

  “Yeah, as long as you’re gonna be here to take over at two.”

  “Of course,” I said as I clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m going to check on Ella now and make sure that is going well. She may have to take over now that Eve is gone.”

  “What? You fired her?” Jay exclaimed a little too loudly.

  “No, I didn’t. It’s a mutual agreement which has nothing to do with anyone wanting to jump my bones,” I said with air quotes as I began to walk away. Turning around, I added, “I’ll let you know if schedules change at all, but I’m pretty sure Ella is flexible.”

  Yeah, I’m sure she is, Jay thought as he chuckled out loud.

  Peeking into the pottery room from the hallway, I could barely see the back of the new student’s head. As if she heard my request, the student moved her head long enough for me to get a glimpse of Ella’s laughing face.

  Her irises were aglow with laughter and delight. Closing those beautiful eyes, Ella threw her head back in a joyous chuckle. Her mind was full of nothing but a fit of internal giggles as she repeatedly thought how much her sides were hurting because of the constant laughter.

  I couldn’t help but think of how beautiful she looked—so carefree and happy. As soon as the thoughts hit my mind, Ella looked in my direction and smiled bigger than before, making her dimple even more obvious.

  With her hands covered in clay, she motioned for me to come in. Once she did, the student also looked my way with a sudden look of astonishment. As soon as her thoughts kicked in, I knew why she had that familiar, deer-in-the-headlights look.

  Oh. My. Word. He is hot!

  Yeah, he is, Ella responded with a smile.

  “Well, hello ladies. What seems to be so funny over here?” I asked in an attempt to get the attention away from myself and back to them.

  “Um…” the student stuttered.

  “I was attempting to help Tara with her mug and made a rather goofy mistake,” Ella responded. “Tara, meet the wheel-thrower extraordinaire and the owner of Lavendine, Jonah Chantrey. Jonah, this is one of your new members, Tara.”

  “One of our new members. Welcome, Tara. So nice to meet you,” I said as I stuck out my hand and gave a quick wink. This girl was going plum crazy over me being near and I just couldn’t help myself. Ella stifled a giggle.

  “Thank you, Mr. Chantrey,” Tara said as she stuck out a muddy hand and then retracted it immediately. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m a mess.”

  “The name is Jonah and no worries. I’m about to get messy too,” I said as I clasped onto her hand and let it mush into mine. Turning around, I went back to the cabinet to get a towel and some clay.

  Ignoring Tara’s thoughts about my ass, I projected to Ella. Usually when I teach a student, I throw on my own wheel in order to keep a distance.

  You didn’t do that with me, she thought perceptively.

  You were a very obvious exception.

  Tara watched as I sat down next to her. Ella continued to sit on the other side of the student while I began my demonstration.

  I walked Tara through how to slap and center her clay. As I was centering, I asked, “Did you sign up for any of the pottery classes?”

  “Ah, yes. I believe my teacher’s name is Eve. They start tonight, but I didn’t want to be a complete newbie at the wheel and thought I would play around a bit beforehand.”

  “Actually, we’ve had to change up instructors a bit and Ella is now taking over that class. I will also be there tonight because of the change to make sure everyone is okay with it,” I said just as I finished centerin
g. I continued with my demo, while Ella kept gawking at me in her mind.

  There is no way I can teach, Jonah!

  After the demo was over and I left Tara to splash around on her own wheel, Ella asked if we could be excused.

  Jonah… she thought as I purposefully put my things away as slow as possible. I chuckled at her impatience because she could seriously just keep yelling at me with her thoughts.

  As soon as we entered the hall and the coast was clear, I got a pesky little punch in the bicep.

  “Ow!” I feigned and rubbed my shoulder while letting out a light chuckle. “What was that for?”

  “No laughing, Jonah. I can’t teach a class! I’ve only had my hands touch clay a few times!” she screeched.

  “You’re a natural, Ella. Plus, I’ll be there for the first couple of classes. It’s really relaxed and easygoing. You’ll do just fine,” I soothed as I rubbed my clay-filled hands up and down her arms, pulling her closer to me in the process.

  “You’re getting me dirty,” she nearly whispered.

  “Maybe I like you dirty,” I responded, knowing how corny of a response it was and loving the reaction I got. Within seconds, Ella rose onto her tippy toes and rewarded me with a soft peck on the lips.

  A huge smile spread across her face as she placed both her muddy hands firmly on my ass.

  “Oh Christ, Ella! Now I’m going to have handprints on my jeans!”

  Knowing I was about to come after her, she backed away and snuck into the room where the new student was still practicing.

  That’s what you get, Mr. Chantrey, she thought from the other side of the door. Leaning my head back on the cold wall, I couldn’t help but smile at her playfulness—especially considering how tense things were just a few minutes before.

  You’ll have to tell me how things went with Jesse.

  Yeah, I know, I projected back as I made my way over to one of the sinks to wash up.

  Right now, I want to clear my head, Ella thought. I’m just going to stay in here and throw for a while if that’s okay.

  No problem. I have to relieve Jay and load a kiln. Before I got too involved, I added, Oh, porcelain is in my private cabinet on the far right. Combo is 35-5-2.

  Thanks, love.

  The rest of the afternoon was spent apart, even though we kept each other entertained with our thoughts.

  Chapter Three

  The pottery class went well that night. As much as I was skeptical about teaching, interacting with the students my age came natural to me. Instead of taking the lead, Jonah sat in on the class as if he were a student. Most of the other students didn’t even realize who he was until about halfway through when he was showing everyone up.

  During the ride home, Jonah and I were finally able to talk about Jesse.

  “I could tell she was upset about something. Like you said, this is more than just a job to her. She’s keeping tabs on us for a personal reason,” Jonah said, confirming what I suspected.

  “Did she tell you what she’s upset about?”

  Shaking his head while keeping his eyes on the road, Jonah replied, “No, I could just see the sadness surrounding her.”

  Huh?

  “I’m not able to read auras, so this was a bit foreign to me, but she had a dark haze masking her normal colors—the look of sadness and defeat,” Jonah explained. “She wouldn’t explain to me what was wrong. Just before we were interrupted, she mentioned something to the effect of the Sideri isn’t the only reason she’s tracking us. I wanted to know more, but the painting class started congregating and before I knew it, she took off.”

  “Damn,” I whispered. “Well, maybe I can talk to her and see what her motives are. If the Sideri isn’t what’s fueling this, then maybe we have nothing to worry about?”

  “I wouldn’t be quite so optimistic just yet. Even if the Sideri isn’t her sole reason, they’re still behind this in some fashion. We need to stay smart and alert,” Jonah added.

  Looking at the time on the dash and noticing it was nearing eight in the evening, I said, “I think it’ll be a good idea for me to talk to my mom as well. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her alone since this all blew up. Everything is happening so fast and…”

  Jonah’s hand on mine interrupted me. “Ella, it’s all right. We’re almost to your house and I’ll just drop you off. Okay?”

  Thanks, I projected with a smile.

  While pulling up to my house mere minutes later, I unbuckled my seatbelt with the intention of smothering his face as soon as he put the car in park. With a grace that even surprised myself, I hiked my legs up over the center console and straddled Jonah’s lap.

  The streetlamp at the end of the block barely reflected in his eyes, producing a dull glint of light. The dash illuminations coated the entire front seat with a dim, green hue, giving me just enough glow to see his smile in the otherwise dark car.

  Grasping his face with both of my hands, I leaned into him and placed my forehead on his.

  “Kiss me… now,” he growled.

  With no hesitation, I did as he demanded and pressed our lips together passionately. His strong fingers dug into the skin along my back beneath my shirt, causing me to press my body deeper into him. I was addicted to his taste, his warm tongue against mine, and the way he moaned every so often, telling me just how much he was enjoying our fun.

  “If I don’t go inside now, it’ll be difficult to leave you at all,” I gasped breathlessly between kisses. God, he was so addicting. Kissing Jonah felt so natural, yet still made my stomach leap with newfound excitement.

  “It’s already going to be difficult, Ell—”

  Another lunge from me cut him off before he could finish.

  You’re making me lose all train of thought, Orella.

  I love the fact that I drive you wild, I projected, while still devouring his mouth and thrusting my body against his.

  That’s an understatement.

  His admission made me smile against his lips just before pulling away.

  “Okay,” I sighed as I propped my hands on his chest. “I better go.”

  Jonah just nodded, obviously still trying to catch his breath.

  “Want to come inside for a moment? I’m sure my mom won’t mind,” I said in an attempt to keep him for the longest time I possibly could.

  “I don’t think I can walk anywhere at the moment. You’ve made sure of that,” he said with a playful tug on my ponytail.

  “Oh, sorry.” I wasn’t really sorry and he knew it.

  Opening the driver’s side door for me, Jonah said, “Get inside, tease.”

  A slight chuckle left my throat as I began to climb out of the car. Jonah held my hand to help me out but decided not to let go. Jerking at my arm, he forced me to bend over so I was almost face to face with him once more.

  Touching my cheek, Jonah whispered, “I love you.”

  I don’t think my smile could have stretched any wider without the possibility of breaking my face. After placing a soft, loving kiss on his lips, I said, “And I love you.”

  Walking through the door, I noticed my mom sitting in the living room as if she were waiting for me. Without saying a word, I dropped my purse on the floor and walked over to the couch where she sat. Climbing up next to her, I placed my arms around her neck and laid my head on her shoulder. She didn’t hesitate to reciprocate, placing her hand on my arm in response.

  I love him, Mom.

  Patting my hand, she replied in thought, I know you do and I’m very happy for you.

  Kissing her on the cheek, I decided to speak out loud. “I’m gonna grab a quick bite to eat before I go take a shower.”

  Just as I was about to disappear into the kitchen, my mom called out, “Ella?”

  Her voice saying my name made my stomach jump for some reason. Turning my head, I let out a soft acknowledgement. “Hmm?”

  “You look different,” she said as she cocked her head to the side and looked me up and down. “Stronger… more s
ure of yourself.”

  And there it was—the reason my stomach leapt. She could tell.

  Honestly, I thought I would be more embarrassed when this time came. But, I put my big girl britches on one leg at a time just like everyone else does. As an adult, I was confident I could handle this.

  Walking back over to the couch, I wanted to tell her out loud, but the words wouldn’t form on my lips, which seemed to suddenly be made of cotton.

  Standing up, my mom gasped and covered her mouth with her hands in surprise. You slept with him?

  I smiled and nodded, wringing my hands together in a nervous but excited fashion. I mean, who couldn’t help but smile at the thought of making love with their soul mate?

  “Oh, Ella!” she exclaimed as she lunged toward me and pinned me to her chest with her arms.

  “You’re not mad at me, are you?” I asked with my voice muffled against her shoulder. Even though I was an adult, my mom had been by my side through this whole ordeal. She chose me over her own happiness when times got tough. I wasn’t about to forget how much she sacrificed by disrespecting her.

  My mom pulled me away, but held onto my arms as she looked into my eyes. “Mad?” she questioned as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  Oh, no. She’s upset with me. I never wanted to hurt her.

  “No, darling. I’m not mad—quite the opposite actually. I’m so happy for you. You and Jonah are the true definition of soul mates and…” She paused as she wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. “You look so strong.”

  “I am strong. I feel like this energy is pulsing through me. I haven’t felt this strong since… well… ever,” I explained, grabbing her hands and lightly shaking them back and forth. “My abilities are stronger as well. It’s as if a switch was flipped and everything has been turned up to full power.”

  “Really? When did you start feeling this way?” she asked.

  I just looked at her as if the word DUH was tattooed on my forehead.

  “Oh,” she chimed in a quiet voice. “Oh, wow.” More silence. “Really?”

  Nodding, I asked, “Is this normal?”