The Lost Savior Read online

  I’m the first to arrive, and I crank the heater to the max, flopping down on the couch, exhaling heavily as I mull over the events of the last day. No matter how many times I go over it in my head, I still can’t find any logical, rational explanation for the things I’ve seen and the things I was able to do. And Jensen’s right. My injury shouldn’t have healed fully overnight without any trace.

  It’s not normal.

  Not human.

  I shudder at the thought, instantly dismissing it because that’s pure ridiculous. Whatever happened to me was something that freak did. Hopefully, the effects are only temporary and I’ll be feeling like my old self in no time.

  The barn door creaks open and shut, and I arch my head back, watching my boyfriend saunter toward me with a familiar lusty look on his face. I flop over onto my stomach, propping my head in my hands as I watch him.

  Jensen has that classic boy-next-door look about him with his brown wavy hair, clear blue-gray eyes, and the cut dimples in his cheeks. At six feet, he’s a couple inches taller than me, which is the perfect height. Although he has a lean build, he helps his dad with stuff around the farm, and he’s ripped in all the right places. Whipping his shirt and sweater off as he strolls toward me, he grins at the obvious expression on my face. Jensen’s abs and biceps are drool-worthy and I, unashamedly, ogle his delectable bod as I sit up on my knees and strip my sweater off.

  The air is still frosty in the barn, the heat from the portable radiator barely warming the cold space, but the chills snaking over my body have nothing to do with the temp and everything to do with the hot guy approaching me with eyes full of promise.

  Jensen pounces, throwing himself on top of me, and I squeal as I fall back on the couch. “Miss me, baby,” he rasps, peppering my neck with hot kisses.

  “Always,” I whisper, grabbing his ass and pulling his hips to mine. I emit a whimper of satisfaction as the evidence of his arousal digs into my stomach. His mouth collides with mine in an urgent kiss, his tongue probing the seam of my lips, seeking entry. I open for him, and our tongues clash as we devour one another in a frantic marriage of tongues and lips and feverish need. I pop the button on his jeans as he unclasps my bra.

  Once we are both naked, he wastes no time rolling on a condom and pushing inside me in one skillful thrust. I’m lost to everything but the feel and touch of him as we move against one another with the comfort of two people who have explored every inch of each other’s bodies. He roars his release as I fall over the ledge, clinging to his sweat-slicked skin as my heart recalibrates in my chest.

  After, we lie naked in each other’s arms, my head resting on his bare chest, listening to the steady thump, thump of his heart. “Every time gets better and better,” he whispers, toying with my hair. “I’ll always want you, Tori. Always.”

  I lift my head, stretching up to peck his lips. “Right back at ya, stud.”

  “You do wonders for my ego,” he murmurs, pressing a feather-soft kiss to my hair.

  “Just telling the truth.” I trace circles on his chest with the tip of my finger, and his eyes roll back in his head. My answering smile is smug. I love what my touch does to him. How much we turn each other on. It’ll never grow old. “Just think when we get to college, we can have sex ten times a day.”

  He barks out a laugh. “Don’t tempt me, babe. We still have to leave our apartment to go to class, at least once in a while,” he jokes.

  “It’s going to be awesome,” I say. “I can’t wait.” Jensen and I have been plotting our escape the last few years. I know Dad has secretly been harboring a wish that we’ll get married and stay home to run the farm together, but that’s not in the cards for either of us. Jensen’s applied for electrical engineering at UM, and I’m hoping to major in Poli Sci, and neither of us have plans to settle down here.

  I hate to disappoint either of our parents, but we’ve got our own lives to lead, and I’m determined to pave my own path in life.

  To be the orchestrator of my own destiny.

  Chapter 8

  Jensen walks me back to my house, kissing the shit out of me at the door before he reluctantly leaves. Kylie pulls up in her flashy red Honda Civic, making a disgusting hand gesture at Jensen as he walks off. He throws back his head, laughing, making an equally disgusting gesture in return. I roll my eyes, grinning as I open my friend’s door. “Don’t encourage him, please.”

  She snorts. “Don’t pretend like you don’t love it. Or him.”

  “I’d never pretend anything of the sort,” I say, looping my arm through hers, “and you know it.”

  “I know you two are revolting. Nauseatingly in love. It turns my stomach,” she quips.

  I poke my tongue out at her, and she laughs.

  We go upstairs, and I check my parents’ room to make sure they’re both out of the house before closing my bedroom door and turning to face my friend. She’s standing by my window, looking out at the acres and acres of wide-open countryside that span our farm. I walk to her side. “Any freaking out today?” I quietly ask, wondering if she’s changed her mind about me. What she witnessed last night was a lot to take in, and I’m still struggling to come to terms with it.

  “Oh, plenty of freaking out but not in relation to you.” She nudges me in the ribs, and my anxiety ebbs. Leaning her elbows on the window ledge, she looks outside as she speaks. “You can expect a visit from the cops at some stage today. What do you propose we tell them?”

  I lean sideways, resting my head on the window. “Exactly what you suggested yesterday. We were traveling home from the mall when a car drove us off the road. We hit the tree, and the car took off. We never saw the driver or had time to notice the car make or model.”

  She straightens up. “The others are going to go crazy when we tell them this. Are you up for it?”

  I nod. “Like you said, we have no choice. I hate lying to them but there is no alternative. We stick to our story, and if they insist on sticking to theirs we’ll just have to hope that we come off like the sane ones in the bunch.”

  Kenzie and Zara arrive thirty minutes later. Tension lingers in the air from the minute they step through the door. They both glare at Kylie, and if looks could kill, she’d be under ten feet of dirt right now.

  Zara purses her lips, planting her hands on her ample hips. “So, what do you have to say for yourself, Tori? Are you going to tell the truth or spew a bunch of garbage like this one?” She jabs a finger in Kylie’s direction, and I hate that this is causing a rift in our friendship. Although I’m closest to Kylie, we’ve all been friends forever.

  I level an earnest look at Kenzie and Zara. “Of course, I’m going to tell the truth.” Kenzie cocks her head, slanting a gloating look at Kylie. “That some maniac drove us off the road into that tree and then took off like the spineless coward he is.”

  “What!” Kenzie screeches as Zara’s eyes narrow suspiciously.

  “What?” I feign confusion, looking back and forth between my friends.

  “That’s the story you’re going with?” Zara asks in a low tone.

  My brows knit together on purpose. “I don’t know what you mean. That’s what happened.”

  Zara’s lips pull into a thin line. “Grab your keys, Kenzie. We’re leaving.” Kenzie yanks her keys off the kitchen table and storms outside, casting an angry look over her shoulder as she goes. Zara looks from me to Kylie and back again. “I don’t know what’s going on here, or what happened while we were unconscious yesterday, but if you think either one of us is going to let this drop, you’re sorely mistaken. I know weird shit went down, and I’m not going to forget about it.” Her features soften a little. “We’ve been friends a long time. If there’s something you need to tell us, now would be a good time.”

  I crick my neck, attempting to loosen the knots in my muscles. “I don’t know what you expect us to say. We’re telling you what happened.”

  “Maybe you both hit your heads harder than you thought,” Kylie adds, and I stif
le my grimace. That kind of comment will not help.

  Zara shakes her head. “You think you know someone until you realize you don’t know shit. I’m not buying this, and neither is Kenzie.” She turns around and walks away, stopping in the doorway. “I won’t rest until I discover the truth. You should know that.”

  We wait until we hear car doors slamming and the crunch of gravel under tires before speaking.

  “Fuck,” Kylie exclaims, slumping in her seat. “You should’ve just brainwashed them.”

  She says this like it’s commonplace. Like it isn’t freaky as fuck, an invasion of privacy, and an affront to our friendship. I sigh. It’s not as if I know how to switch it on and off, anyway. “Neither of them are stupid. This isn’t going away any time soon.”

  “What do we do?”

  “We stick to our story and pretend like nothing’s wrong.”

  And hope like hell it’s enough.

  Jensen picks me up in his truck the next morning for school, and I’m on edge the whole way there, knowing that another confrontation with my friends is most likely lying in wait. “Hey,” he says, once we’ve parked and are walking hand in hand to school, “are you okay? You hardly said two words to me in the truck.”

  I press a kiss to his cheek, hating that I’m about to lie to him too. “I’m fine. Just tired. Guess this bug took more out of me than I realized.”

  “Maybe you should’ve taken the day off.” He reaches out, taking my book bag off my shoulder. “Here, let me carry that.”

  “Nah, I’m good.” I loop my arm through his.

  “Perhaps you should tell Coach you can’t make practice today.”

  We walk up the steps together. “If I’m still tired later, I will,” I lie again.

  Kylie is waiting by my locker when we arrive. “Hey, lovebirds. How are we this fine morning?” she half-jokes.

  “Peachy.” I send her a knowing look.

  “Do you have any tampons?” she asks. “I’m out.”

  “That’s my cue to leave,” Jensen stutters. “See you later, beautiful.” He pecks my lips briefly. “Later, Kylie.”

  I laugh. Guys are so ridiculous. Just mention anything to do with periods and they run a mile. “What’s up?” I know damn well she’s not looking for tampons.

  “Something weird happened last night,” she whispers, leaning in to me.

  I level her with an incredulous look. “Weirder than all the other weird shit?” I whisper back.

  “Kenzie called and asked me to come over and watch a movie at her place last night, acting as if everything was totally fine between us.”

  “That is weird. Did she say anything when you were there?”

  “I couldn’t go. Had to visit Mom’s Aunt Gretel in the nursing home.”

  “Hey, Tori, Kylie,” Kenzie pipes up from behind, startling us both. We trade puzzled looks before turning around.

  “Hey, Kenzie.” I decide to go with the flow, greeting my friend like usual as I grab the last of my books from my locker.

  She opens her locker, flashing us a winning smile. “I’m so happy we got dresses for the dance, and I’ve decided that I’m done mooning over Jack. I’m going to ask Fletcher to go with me. Do you think he’ll say yes?”

  Weird doesn’t even come close to explaining this.

  Have I stepped into some alternate realm or something?

  “Um, I can ask Jensen to make subtle inquiries, if you like?”

  She squeezes my arm, her face glowing with excitement. “Yes, please. That way I’ll be prepared if he’s not interested.”

  “I’m highly doubtful any guy would turn you down, but I’ll ask Jensen to get the lowdown and report back.”

  She leans in for a quick hug before grabbing her book bag and closing her locker. “Gotta fly. I’ve got Mrs. Mooney first class, and you know how she is about tardiness, but I’ll catch you guys at lunch?”

  We both nod, and she races off, wiggling her fingers in the air.

  “Shit, Houston, we’ve got a problem,” I deadpan.

  “Or not.” Kylie taps her finger off her chin. “Maybe your brainwashing thingy worked after all, and it’s a delayed reaction.”

  “Hmm.” I’m quietly reflective as we walk to our first class together. “Guess we’ll know once we bump into Zara.”

  We don’t bump into Zara until the last class before lunch, and it’s already been an interesting day. The gossip mill has been going haywire this morning thanks to the arrival of four transfer students. Everyone’s going crazy over the new boys, and they’ve been the main topic of conversation all morning. I haven’t set eyes on them yet, so I don’t know if they’re deserving of all that’s being said—if they’re as hot as every girl says.

  Zara slaps her bag down on the desk in front of mine, plonking into the seat and twisting around. Kylie moves her chair around, and we both wait with bated breath.

  “Oh my God.” Zara’s practically bouncing in her seat as she props her elbows on my desk. “Have you heard the news?”

  Kylie and I look at one another, wondering what the eff is going on. “About the new guys?” I ask.

  “Yeah. I swear to God I’ve never seen so much hotness in my life! These guys are sex on a stick, like, totally mouthwatering.” She licks her lips. “I just want to eat them alive, all four of them, preferably at the same time.” She starts fanning her face. “Like, my ovaries exploded the minute they walked into class. I think every girl in the vicinity stopped breathing. Have you seen them?” We both shake our heads, fixing her with skeptical looks. “Wait. Just wait. You’ll see what I mean.”

  I’m walking with Kylie to the cafeteria when the bizarre electrical feeling takes root in my veins again. My body goes on immediate high alert, and I’m tingling all over. Panic jumps up and bites me, and my internal wiring is going crazy. My heart is skipping around my chest, and bile travels up my throat. Wiping my suddenly clammy hands down the front of my jeans, I force my anxiety aside, smiling timidly as I try to concentrate on what Kylie is saying. The jittery feeling accelerates as we open the doors to the cafeteria, and invisible strings thrust out of my body, bending and twisting in all directions.

  It sparks a memory.

  The same thing happened when I woke in the middle of the night on Saturday.

  Jensen lifts his hand, waving at me from a table in the middle of the room, and I walk toward him, sensing eyeballs glued to the back of my head with every step. He stands up and kisses me before taking my bag and placing it on the floor by his chair. I sit down beside him, keeping my eyes fixed on the table in front of me. Jensen has already bought my lunch, and I lift the spoon to my mouth taking a tentative sip of the soup. “You okay, babe?” He slings his arm around the back of my chair. “You don’t look so hot.” He places his palm to my forehead, his brow creased with concern.

  I smile sweetly at him. “Stop fussing. I’m fine.” I kiss his cheek. “And thanks for getting my lunch. You’re too good to me.”

  Across the other side of the table, Hunter makes a gagging noise at the back of his throat. “Stop it. You’re turning me off my food.” He faux grimaces, folding his arms as he slouches in his chair.

  “Someone needs a girlfriend,” I tease.

  “Someone needs a regular lay,” Jensen corrects with a smirk, succeeding in bringing the conversation to the gutter. He reaches out, shoving Hunter in the shoulder. “Bad case of blue balls, dude?”

  “I don’t need a girlfriend.” Hunter shrugs. “I have a fully functional hand, and there are plenty of girls willing to hook up when I want sex. I like being unattached.”

  “Spoken like a true man whore,” I tease, slurping on my soup.

  “I have no issue with that label.” He grins wolfishly while swiping a fry off Jensen’s plate, popping it in his mouth.

  Zara comes scurrying over, slapping her tray down with force while she leans across the table, her eyes glowing with excitement. Kylie slips into the seat beside me. “Did you see them! The new guys
? Aren’t they the hottest things to walk on two legs?”

  Hunter rolls his eyes, and Jensen snickers as Ethan appears on the other side of Zara, scowling. “Thanks, babe,” he says. “Way to boost my ego.”

  She messes up her boyfriend’s neat reddish-brown hair. “You know you’re my guy, and you’re sexy as fuck.” She kisses him quickly. “But I’ve still got eyes in my head, and if they were four hot new chicks, you’d all be drooling and tripping over yourselves.”

  “Fact,” I say.

  Zara high-fives me. “Do you think the blond looks like Justin Bieber? Only hotter, if that’s even possible.”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. I haven’t met any of them.”

  She points behind her. “Check it out, second-last table by the window. You can’t miss it. Every girl in the cafeteria is gawking at them.”

  I look over her shoulder, my gaze instantly finding them, and all the breath leaves my body in a sudden rush.

  And it isn’t because Zara’s right, although she is—these guys are seriously good-looking—but because all four of them are staring at me with undisguised interest. They don’t seem to care they’re being obvious or that everyone’s noticed either.

  I casually look over my shoulder, in case they’re looking at someone behind me, but, nope, when I turn around again, their eyes are drilling holes in my skull.

  And that’s the least of it.

  Those little invisible strings of energy emanating from my body are making a beeline for them, soaring gleefully in their direction like they’re long lost friends. Worst of all is the sense of sheer bliss I feel when my strings intermingle with theirs, curling around four different energy sources and melding together.