My eyes widened, taking in the cheesy goodness in front of me, and my mouth watered.
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “I think I’m in love.” I paused. “With the food,” I clarified, knowing I’d pulled that line a couple of times before to mess with the guys, but this time it had just slipped out. I really did love cheese!
“Uh-huh.” Wesley grinned. “Sure.”
Crap. Maybe I did mean more than the food? He would probably know better than me, given his magical insight into my feelings… Okay, maybe I wasn’t so comfortable having him know me better than I knew myself.
“So um,” I changed the subject while stuffing cheese covered fries in my mouth, “how much time do we have left?”
Wesley checked his chunky black watch and grimaced. “Not enough.”
“Can we be naughty and stay out past curfew?” I pouted, this time giving Wes my very best puppy dog eyes in an attempt to drag him over to the dark side.
He narrowed his eyes at me while fighting back a mischievous grin. “I might have a better idea up my sleeve. Eat up, and I’ll show you.”
My eyebrows rose in surprise. Wesley... up to no good? This I had to see!
“You got it.” I grinned and happily went to town on the cheese shrine in front of me.
For the next little while, we talked and laughed as we ate, just like any normal couple would. When Wes stood to dispose of our trash, I felt a pang of sadness.
“What’s wrong?” he asked me when he came back.
“Just... thinking how shitty it is that this can’t be us all the time.” I shrugged, chewing at my lip but linking my hand into his to make our way out of the ice rink area.
“Because you’re dating my four best friends and kinda got something with Vali too?” Wesley asked, but the cheeky grin on his face told me he was teasing and not upset about our unconventional relationship.
“No... because people are trying to hunt us or kill us or experiment on us... and then there is the whole need to save the world situation.” I scowled, and he pulled me to a stop at the side of the road.
“So?” he challenged, sliding one cold hand into the hair at the base of my neck. “That just means we need to fight harder for these normal moments and make them count.” He kissed me then, and my heart melted into a puddle of goo at my feet. Fuck, for such an introverted guy, he seriously knew the right thing to say.
“Besides,” he continued when we separated, both our breathing a little escalated and our cheeks pink, “what is normal anyway, right?”
Just as I smiled at him, my lips parting to say something mushy and emotional, there was a screech of breaks and a loud thump behind me, followed by a scream.
“Shit,” Wes cursed, his eyes widening, and I spun to see.
A taxi sat in the middle of the road with its engine still running, and the driver leaped out while we watched, running to the front of his car and the person crumbled on the ground there.
Acting on instinct, I started toward them but Wes grabbed my arm in an iron grip and held me back.
“Wes, what the hell? Let me go so I can help!” I snapped at him, frowning. What the fuck is he playing at?
“Kit, stop. Look around.” He held tighter to my arm, knowing perfectly fucking well I wouldn’t use my strength against him. “Look at how many people are watching right now. If you heal her, you’re outing yourself to the entire world.”
Reluctantly, I glanced around. He was right, of course. There were already some thirty-odd spectators gathered, several with their phones out to record. Fucking vultures.
“Look at her, she’s okay,” Wesley continued, nodding to the girl on the pavement.
She wasn’t okay exactly, but she was howling in pain and clutching her knee, which meant it probably wasn’t a life threatening injury. She was one of the kids from earlier that we’d seen running around and screaming about dragons.
But knowing she didn’t need my help didn’t affect the magic in me. It wanted to heal her and didn’t understand the concept of secrecy. I’d noticed this happening back at Omega with all the “accidents” that kept happening. Each time someone was injured, it was like I acted on sheer instinct. The magic wanted to restore all supernaturals to their rightful place in the world, and it seized every opportunity it could.
“Wes,” I said from behind clenched teeth. “I can’t not heal her. You need to get me out of here.”
He didn’t need telling twice, and certainly didn’t need to question me. Instead, he adjusted his grip down to my hand, then pulled me firmly along behind him through the gathering crowds and away from the injured girl.
It wasn’t until we’d made it at least three blocks away that the compulsion to heal her faded and I could relax my shoulders once more. My fingers tightened on Wesley’s, and I tugged him to a stop.
“I’m okay now,” I assured him. “Thank you. That desire seems to be getting stronger. I don’t know how long it’ll be before I just go crazy and heal everyone regardless of whether they’re injured.” A shudder wracked through me, and Wes wrapped me in his arms.
“It’ll be okay, sweetheart. You have us, and we will protect you against anything,” he murmured, and I tucked my face into the crook of his neck, cuddling tighter.
“Even myself?” I asked in a small voice, and he chuckled.
“Yes, even yourself.”
We stayed like that for a little longer before I sighed and let him go. “I guess I ruined whatever you had planned, then?”
Wes tilted his head and smiled. “Why do you say that?”
“Uh, near magical disaster? Won’t you want to report back to River?” I frowned, knowing full well what protocol demanded in a situation like this.
“Near being the key word, sweetheart. I say it can wait... don’t you?” His cheeky smile was back, and I was brimming with curiosity.
“Breaking River’s rules? Hell yeah, count me in! Where to?” I grinned and snaked my fingers around his waist to tuck into his belt loop as we began walking again.
“Actually, not far from here,” he said, wrapping an arm over my shoulders and pulling me close. “You’ll see.”
4
The where that Wes led me to was actually the lobby of a fancy hotel. We bypassed check in and went straight to the elevators. He was still being tight-lipped and secretive, so I said nothing and followed when he stepped inside and pressed the button for the fifty-eighth floor.
We stood there in nervous anticipation while the little box carried us all the way to the top of the hotel. Okay fine, I was in nervous anticipation. Wes just looked excited... but a little nervous too, come to think of it.
Then again, that was sort of Wesley’s norm.
Our fingers linked, he guided me down the long hallway to the impressive double doors at the end where he pressed the little doorbell and waited with a small grin on his face.
For my part, I had my eyes narrowed with suspicion. But I trusted him implicitly, so it was just more curiosity than anything. Who were we here to see?
The doors flew open, and my jaw dropped in surprise and confusion.
“Caleb?” I frowned, “What...?”
“Shhh, I’m not here, you never saw me,” he smirked, tossing a magnetic hotel key to Wesley, then grabbing my face for a firm but very thorough kiss that left me a bit breathless and weak at the knees.
“You have no idea how badly I want to stay right now,” he murmured, his lips still close enough to mine that they brushed when he spoke. “But it’s the Crow’s birthday, so I’ll be nice and leave you alone. See you in the morning, Kitty Kat.”
Caleb smacked another kiss onto my lips, then clapped Wesley on the shoulder and took off down the corridor toward the elevators.
“Ahhh,” I was a little lost for words, but Wesley just smiled and tugged me inside so he could close the door.
“You rented us a hotel room?” I asked, looking around the beautiful suite, which was lit by countless flickering candles.