“What’s going on?” he asked when we were in the house.
“I was going to text you when I got home. But then you were here and you started kissing me, and you really know how to use your lips.” I reached out and ran my fingers over his bottom lip. “I mean, geez. How’s a girl supposed to think?” His teeth bit into his full bottom lip to hold back a grin, and my eyes stalled on the sight. “Really? Like that’s helping.”
“Sorry.” He laughed and wrapped his arms around my waist so tightly a whisper couldn’t have squeezed between us. “What’s up?”
“Jake is changing. Or maybe not. I don’t know for sure.” I put my hand on top of my head. “I just had some flashes of a vision tonight, and I think the person in them was Jake. But, then, I’m not sure.” I flung my hand from my head out to my side. “I think they could be someone else. But part of the vision was definitely about Jake. But the other part wasn’t. I think. I don’t know.” I dropped my arm and my hand slapped against my thigh.
“Milayna, slow down.” Chay cupped my face. “Start at the beginning.”
“Okay. I had a vision of a gray hand and a burgundy Abercrombie hoodie and black boots with a silver buckle. You know, like motorcycle boots? So I know someone is going to change. Jake was wearing a burgundy Abercrombie hoodie—”
He threw his hands in the air. “Damn it, Milayna!”
I put my hand on my hip. “Let me finish. But he wasn’t wearing black boots. He had white Nikes on. So I don’t know if it’s him or not. I’m not sure what the vision meant. If it was about Jake or someone else. If it was about someone turning… who is it? The person in the hoodie or the boots?” I pinched the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. “I can’t focus. There’s too much floating in and out of my brain.”
I grabbed Chay’s arm. “Oh, I almost forgot. When we got here, he asked me the oddest questions. Like if I ever thought of changing or if I would change if it meant saving my family. So I asked him if he’d changed and he said, ‘Hell no.’ When I asked why he was asking me if I would change, he said he was just ‘keeping tabs’ on everyone.” I let out a breath. It felt good to tell someone else. The weight of the visions were crushing.
Chay’s face turned hard. “I knew we couldn’t trust everyone in the group. But Jake?” Chay shook his head. “He’s one of our strongest. I just never thought he’d switch sides. You’re sure?”
“No. I mean, I’m sure that someone is switching, but I don’t know who.”
“Shit.” Chay rubbed his hand up and down the back of his head.
“Yeah. Come on. Let’s go see what the goblins want before they tear the whole yard up.” I pulled him by the arm toward the back door.
“Okay, guys,” I said when I walked into the backyard. “Let’s play.”
They hopped up and down, clapping their fat little hands together. “Yay, Milayna’s playing. Azazel will be happy.”
“No, I’m not playing with him. I’m playing with you. What’s your game?”
“He said to tell you that he hopes you had a good time tonight,” Scarface said.
My stomach sank.
Chay threaded our fingers together. “Tell him I did, thanks for asking.” I smiled at the goblin.
“And Azazel wants you to know that the two of them will be good workers.” The friendly goblin smiled at me. He squeezed his hands together so tightly that the tips of his fingers swelled and looked like little red balls.
“What two?”
“Nope, that’s no fun! You’ll have to wait and see,” the goblin sang before he popped out of sight, followed by his red, pipsqueak posse.
Two weeks, three days until my birthday.
My phone rang at eight o’clock Saturday morning. I pulled my comforter over my head. “Go away,” I mumbled into my pillowcase.
It could be Chay.
I snatched the phone off the table. “Hello?” My voice was still raspy from sleep.
“Good morning, beautiful.” His voice sounded like decadent chocolate drizzled over plump, ripe strawberries. So very sexy.
“You’re up already? You know, we actually get to sleep in on Saturday mornings.” I stretched in the warmth of my bed.
“I want to see you.”
“When?” I tried to hold back a yawn.
“Now.”
I laughed. “Now? Are you kidding?” The phone disconnected, and the doorbell rang.
Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I bounded down the stairs. I opened the door and there he stood. Tall, ripped, and every girl’s dream of handsome.
And he’s mine, mine, mine, I sang in my head.
“Chay,” I said, laughing. “What are you doing here?” I tilted my head to the side and touched my fingers to my parted lips. Oh my. He sure beat the hell out of sleeping in. There was a feeling of weightlessness in my chest, a fluttering deep in my belly, and I knew I was in so deep with him.
“I told you, I want to see you.”
“Are you in your pajamas?” My breath hitched in my throat thinking of him sleeping… in bed.