Changed (Marked Duology Book 2) Read online

  His words shocked me. Throughout all of this, that thought—me hating him—had never crossed my mind. “I could never hate you,” I said, reaching out for his hand.

  “How the hell did I get so lucky?” he asked with a smirk, raising his eyes to mine.

  I wanted to say something witty, something smart… but nothing came. The only thing I could think of was the burning need I felt to press my lips against his.

  Which was what I did.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The next morning when I woke I felt like there was an invisible hourglass attached to the top of my head that only I could see, which counted down the hours until the full moon.

  I desperately wanted to stay home from school, but a skeptical gleam in my mother’s eyes forced me to act normal. That meant going to school with skin that felt like I had a million tiny spiders crawling all over it and rippling muscle spasms that occurred sporadically throughout my body.

  The parking lot was nearly empty when I pulled in. I didn’t think I’d ever been to school this early before on my own accord, but I couldn’t stand being in the same house with my mom anymore.

  I walked straight to the picnic tables outside the cafeteria and sat. This wasn’t my normal hangout spot, but nothing about me felt normal today. Slowly I watched the school come to life as more of my peers arrived, crowding the area around me. Everyone seemed so happy, so carefree, so utterly oblivious to the world I’d entered.

  I spotted Sam and Darcy laughing while walking hand in hand down a covered walkway that stretched horizontally in front of where I sat. Dislike might burn beneath my skin for both of them, but now so did envy. Neither one of them would ever have to go through what I would be going through tonight. I glanced around, thinking the same about every person that came into my line of vision.

  When the first bell rang I started to saunter to class, but then changed my mind and headed back toward the parking lot. I couldn’t be here pretending to be normal when I felt anything but instead, at 8:05 a.m., I drove to the only place I wanted to be—Jace’s house.

  * * *

  A sense of nervousness spread through me while I stood at Jace’s front door, waiting for him to answer. When I’d pulled up in front of his house I noticed his motorcycle and I’d been ecstatic that he was home. But now that I stood on his porch, I suddenly remembered he had no idea that I would be stopping by.

  I knocked a second time and began wringing my hands at my sides while chewing my bottom lip, wondering if he was even awake yet.

  “Coming,” I heard his voice call through the door.

  I let out the breath I’d been holding as I listened to his feet pad across the hardwood floor toward me. The door in front of me opened slowly and revealed Jace standing shirtless in a pair of plaid flannel pajama bottoms. He held a faded blue T-shirt in his hand and stared at me with a crooked grin.

  “Hey,” I whispered awkwardly, realizing I’d just woke him up.

  “Hello, skipping school today?” he asked, leaning against the door frame and folding his arms across his bare chest.

  It wasn’t his words or his condescending tone that made my face flush; it was how incredibly good looking Jace looked first thing in the morning. His golden hair was tussled from sleep and pillow creases marked one side of his face.

  “Yes, I am,” I answered stiffly.

  His grin grew. “Well, come on in then. Are you hungry?”

  “Starved,” I said, following closely behind him to the kitchen.

  I sat down on a barstool and watched him slip into his faded blue T-shirt with frustration. It had been the second time I’d seen him shirtless. The first time I’d gawked, but this time I’d struggled to keep my composure in hopes that he wouldn’t cover up. Guess I couldn’t be so lucky.

  “How does a ham and cheese omelet sound?” Jace asked, while bending over and rummaging through the fridge. I had to admit, I enjoyed this sight as well, though.

  “Sounds good,” I muttered, propping my head up with my hand. “But you know, one day you’re going to have to teach me how to cook.”

  Jace glanced over his shoulder at me with a mischievous smile. “Okay, no better time than now.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach. “You’re serious?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” He nodded his head.

  “Now… as in right now?” I fidgeted in my seat, which made his smile only grow more.

  “Oh, come on. Omelets are easy,” he insisted. “Let me get you a bowl. All you need to do is crack the eggs into it, pour in a little milk, and stir. I’ll cut everything up and get a pan ready for you.”

  I swallowed hard and moved to stand beside him while pulling my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. Taking an egg in my hand, I gently tapped it against the edge of the counter. Nothing happened.

  “You’ve gotta do it a little harder than that.” Jace chuckled. “Haven’t you ever cracked an egg before?”

  “Of course I have.” When I was like five, helping my mom bake. It didn’t go so well.

  I straighten my back and banged the egg against the counter for a second time, this time harder than the first. It cracked completely open and splattered onto the floor. I froze, still holding the shells in my hand. “Shit.”

  “Oh, wow, I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me, don’t I?” Jace laughed. It was a deep, warm laugh, one that made me crack a smile and chuckle a little, too.

  “Yeah, I’d say you do. There is a reason why I serve the food instead of make it.” I grinned.

  “I can see that.”

  I smacked him playfully on the shoulder and tossed the egg shells into a nearby trashcan, before reaching for a wad of paper towels.

  “Don’t worry about that right now; we’ll get to it later. Grab another egg,” he instructed, stepping behind me. The close proximity between his body and mine became the only thing I could think of as I felt his hot breath across the nape of my neck. “Now you take it and gently, but not too gently, hit the center of it against the counter. Like this.” Jace placed his hand on top of mine and guided me.

  The egg cracked evenly in my hand.

  “And there you have it, a perfectly cracked egg,” he whispered against my ear, while reaching around me and using his other hand to drop the egg into the bowl.

  His body pressed against mine, and I cocked my head to the side, giving him full access to the sensitive area where my neck met my shoulder. I closed my eyes the moment his lips touched my skin, enjoying the warmth it ignited inside of me. I withered against him, surprised by how quickly I’d been consumed by desire.

  “Now add a little milk… and stir,” Jace said, pulling away.

  I bit my bottom lip and took in a deep breath, gathering myself, while doing as he’d instructed. Following Jace’s step-by-step instructions, I made two slightly imperfect omelets.

  * * *

  “So, does it hurt?” I asked after we’d finish eating our omelets and had moved to sit in Jace’s living room.

  “It can, but if you know what to expect and try your best to relax, it shouldn’t.”

  I twisted my legs to sit Indian style and faced Jace directly. “So tell me what to expect.”

  “Tell you what to expect…” he trailed off, his lips twisting into a tiny grin.

  “What’s the very first thing you feel?” I asked, sounding more nervous than I’d intended.

  “Warmth,” he answered firmly.

  I chuckled. “Warmth? You’re so flipping vague sometimes, I swear.”

  “What? You asked and I answered.”

  “I know, but you could have elaborated a little. I mean, just saying warmth… that makes me think it feels like I’ve peed on myself or something.” I scrunched up my nose.

  Jace laughed that low and rich laugh of his again, the one that was always so contagious. “Okay, how about this? A building warmth like glowing sun drops consumes you before turning into a burning sensation. An intense pressure blasts through your entire body next as you begin t
o change, then disappears once you’re finished. Better? Because that’s pretty much the best I can do.”

  “Y-yeah,” I stuttered, unblinking. He’d said that it wouldn’t hurt… not if I relaxed, but what he’d just explained sounded an awful lot like hurt to me.

  “Relax, you’ll be fine. I’ll be there with you the entire time,” Jace said, his hand moving to cup my chin.

  I relaxed against his touch. He’d suddenly become my anchor in all of this craziness and I was so glad to have him.

  * * *

  I spent the rest of my day at Jace’s house watching TV and eating, glad I’d decided to skip school. By the time 5:30 rolled around, I couldn’t put off going home any longer; it was time I put on the best performance of my life and all for my parents. The anxiety from what was about to happen to me the moment the moon rose was enough to bring upon a full-fledged panic attack if I wasn’t careful. My chest had tightened, making it harder for me to breathe and my vision had become slightly blurred.

  “Calm down; you’ll be fine. I promise you,” Jace said, resting his forehead against mine while we stood at his front door, saying goodbye.

  “I’m trying… I’m just a little freaked out,” I admitted between deep breaths.

  “I know. I can hear your heart beating a mile a minute.” He smirked. “I’ll be outside your window when darkness falls, okay?”

  “All right.” I nodded.

  Cupping my head with both of his hands, Jace bent down and kissed me deeply. Flickers of warmth sparked to life and danced from my lips all the way to my toes. When he pulled back I sighed and licked my lips, tasting every last remnant of him before starting toward my car.

  On the drive home my mind replayed everything Jace had said about what changing felt like, even though I tried to avoid it. I didn’t think I’d ever been more scared of anything in my entire life. How was I going to survive the night?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Mom was standing in the hallway when I opened the front door and stepped inside. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she had that you’re-in-so-much-trouble look burning through her eyes. As if my heart weren’t pounding fast enough already, seeing her this way made it slam in my chest even harder.

  Either she’d somehow found out I’d skipped school today or I’d done something else and didn’t remember. I rummaged through my brain, trying to think of anything I could have done in the last few days that would make her angry with me while continuing to meet her gaze… because the second I dropped my eyes, she’d start yelling.

  “Where have you been?” she asked, her voice sounding so cold and firm my heart nearly skipped a beat.

  “I was hanging out with Rachel after school. Sorry, guess I forgot to call and let you and dad know what I was doing.” The lie just rolled off my tongue before I had time to really think about it.

  “Rachel, huh? You sure about that?” She cocked her head to the side and continued to paralyze me with her stare.

  “Yeah, why?” I asked, my hands growing slick with sweat.

  “Well, because Rachel called here looking for you this afternoon. Apparently she saw you leaving school first thing this morning in a rush and thought something might be wrong, but every time she tried your cell it went straight to voicemail,” mom said, placing her hands on her hips. “So, tell me, how could you have been hanging out with her all afternoon when she didn’t even know where you were?”

  My heart dropped to my stomach, and I had no idea what to say to that, so I stared at her blankly, wondering if this was one of those times where I shouldn’t say anything at all because no matter what I said it would only make things worse. All I could do was stand there and wish my cell phone battery wasn’t such a piece of crap lately.

  “Never mind, you don’t have to say a word… I think I already know where you were anyway. You were at Jace’s house, weren’t you?”

  If my mom could shoot daggers at me with her eyes, I’d be dead right now.

  The door opened behind me as dad walked in, just getting off work. “What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked, concern creasing his brow as he took in the scene playing out in the hallway.

  “Tessa skipped school today and work to hang out with Jace! Honestly, Bill, I don’t know what more to say to her right now. I’m about to lose it. I knew that boy was going to be a bad influence on her the moment I laid eyes on him.”

  And work, crap, I’d completely forgot I was supposed to work tonight!

  “Why didn’t you go to school today, or work for that matter?” dad asked.

  My eyes shifted from mom’s angry face to my dad’s. How do I answer that question? I wouldn’t even know where to begin. So, I just remained standing there looking like a deer caught in headlights.

  “Something’s been off with you lately. What the hell has gotten into you? Talk to us, say something!” dad yelled. His vein in his neck throbbed as my silent treatment slowly got to him.

  My eyes shifted back toward my mom and the instant our gazes meet I noticed her face change. All signs of her anger melted away, and it was like she’d suddenly realized what had been going on. A look of terror filled her eyes, almost like she was afraid of what I might say.

  My eyes flickered to my dad; he was clueless. Either my mom never told him what my father was, and what I could potentially become, too, or he’d long ago forgotten.

  “I can’t; I can’t talk to you about anything!” I shouted.

  Anger toward my mother swept through me, making my arms and hands begin to tingle. I felt like she was just waiting for me to say something first, like it was my secret and mine alone. Something she had no part in.

  “What do you mean you can’t tell us?” dad shouted back at me.

  “I mean exactly what I just said—I can’t tell you!” I snapped and then stalked past both of them toward my room.

  Mom caught my wrist, and I froze at the feel of her touch, realizing that it was the first time she’d touched me in weeks. I dropped my gaze to her slim fingers wrapped around my small wrist and then met her stare again, dead on.

  “What?” I asked in a smoldering tone.

  “Tessa…” Her voice fell flat and trailed off.

  Tears swell in her eyes as she released me. Pinching the bridge of her nose between her index finger and thumb, she brushed past me toward her bedroom without another word. I’d never seen her look so hurt.

  The slam of my parents’ bedroom door jolted me back to reality. Letting out a frustrated breath, I continued toward my room and slammed my door shut twice as loud.

  “When the hell did this become the way we talk things out in this house?” I heard dad yell down the hallway, just before slamming the front door shut behind him. The sound of tires screeching was the next thing to fill my ears as he spun out of the driveway.

  Leaning against my bedroom door, tears slid down my cheeks and sobs began to squeeze themselves from my throat.

  * * *

  For the next few hours I stayed confined to my room of my own free will. If my mother wasn’t ready to talk about what she clearly knew was going on with me, then neither was I, especially not when I had more pressing issues that consumed my mind… like the growing darkness outside my bedroom window.

  An itch began to spread slowly from my bite mark and across my entire body. It never seemed to be satisfied, and I worried that if I continued to scratch it the way that I was, I might draw blood. My eyes flickered toward my bedroom window while I anxiously awaited Jace’s tapping. When was he going to be here? I didn’t want to change in my bedroom!

  And then he was there—his smiling face filled with excitement, staring at me through the glass. I pushed the window open, but didn’t smile in return.

  “Ready?” he asked, his amber eyes twinkling in my bedroom light as he removed the screen from my window.

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not feeling so well.”

  “You’ll be all right; it’ll go away shortly. Trust me, Tessa, come outside,” he whi
spered into the night, his gaze shifting toward the full moon.

  Even though my legs were trembling beneath me, I still managed to climb out my window without falling on my face thanks to Jace. The cool night air gently swept across my skin, cooling my itch upon contact. Jace took my hand in his and slowly we began walking away from my house and out into my darkened backyard.

  I took in a few deep, measured breaths while we walked and didn’t glance over my shoulder once to see if my mother was watching for me. I didn’t care if she saw me; it was the least of my problems at the moment.

  The beautiful full moon caught my attention as we neared the edge of my yard, and I stared at it, mesmerized. My pulse quickened. I could feel it pulsating in my fingertips and wondered if it was as loud to Jace’s ears as it was to mine.

  “Let’s go back a little farther tonight,” Jace insisted.

  I nodded, grateful for the first time in my life that my parents and I lived on three acres of land. Stepping over twigs and weaving through branches, we made our way farther into the wooded lot. I found it extremely easy to see where I was going. My eyesight had grown amazingly clear.

  When Jace finally came to a stop, I shifted my gaze to his face and marveled in the look of childlike excitement etched into his features. I wished I could feel even a tiny portion of that right now. Instead, all I felt was a crippling fear eating away at me.

  “You’re shaking. You okay?” Jace asked, gripping both of my clammy hands in his and looking directly in my eyes.

  A tiny hysterical giggle escaped me. “No, I’m not okay. I’m scared to death right now. I’m so freaking scared that this is going to hurt just as badly as being bitten did.”

  His face softened, his excitement washing away at my words to become replaced by an intense look of guilt. “It won’t, not if you don’t fight it. You’ll be all right. I promise. I’ll be here with you the whole time.”