"Hey," he said, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked his way and smiled as he munched on a bag of Doritos. "You ok? The train's jostling isn't too much, is it?"
I shook my head. "I'm good," I told him and leaned my head on his shoulder and wrapped my arm around his. "Just thinking."
"Mrs. Ruth and the Pastor will be waiting for you at the station," he said carefully.
"Waiting for us," I corrected. "I may be grounded for the rest of my life, but they are going to just have to accept you. You're mine now, Mr. Thames."
He grinned and leaned his head to mine. "I sure am. And you're mine, Mrs…" He opened his eyes and sat up. His face took on a brightness that could only be described as joy. He slid down to his knees on the floor before me. My smiled slipped. What was he doing? He pushed my knees apart to kneel between them and took my face in his hands. "CB. It's crazy. It's stupid. The Pastor will probably never allow it. You're too young and I'm too old. It's…" He chuckled, his happy breath on my face. "It's everything that I want and everything I don't deserve." I waited, my lips parted. My eyes flicked to the others near us on the train and saw they were watching us. We all waited for Eli to finish, to say that one thing. "Clara, will you be my Mrs. Thames?"
Wow. He was right. It was stupid. It was crazy. We hadn't even graduated yet. And the Pastor was going to murder him for sure... I couldn't stop my grin as I nodded. My tongue refused to say the words, but he seemed satisfied with my answer. He pulled me to him and kissed me gently.
The claps resounded around us and I felt my blush under his hands, but I still found myself pulling his shirt front in my fingers and dragging him to me. Then I winced at my stupidity as the stitches in my chest pulled. I laughed as he fussed over me and I kissed him again. He tucked me into his body and I fit perfectly there.
We fit together perfectly.
~ ~ ~
"Here we go," Eli said in my ear and let me loose from his arm so Mrs. Ruth could hug me.
I warded her off with my hands in an effort to slow her advance. She gripped my arms first and slowly brought me in for a hug. Pastor stared at Eli with barely contained anger. Eli offered his hand to him, and a sincere apology with a promise to explain everything later. Well, not everything.
Pastor sighed and shook his hand. Mrs. Ruth hadn't released me yet and I patted her back to get her to. She leaned back. "Are you ok?"
I nodded. "I am. I know you're mad-"
"Mad?" She shook her head. "Clara…you're practically a woman. You're graduating, you've made your choices for your future and there's nothing we can do to stop that. We just want you to know that we're here for you. I don't know what you have planned, but we have no intentions of tossing you to the world as soon as you graduate. You're always welcome with us…and we love you, honey."
Well didn’t that just make the guilt taste sweeter. "I know you don't understand." I bit my lip. "But I…" I looked at Eli. "Eli's… We had a few things we needed to do. Important things that changed everything for me. Eli saved my life."
"What?" Pastor barked and came to stand in front of us. "What did you say?"
"Eli saved me in Arequipa. More than once."
"But the news said you were mugged and taken to the hospital."
"They didn't have all of the facts. Eli carried me- carried me in his arms all the way to the hospital and never left my side for a second."
I looked back at Eli and almost laughed at how human he looked. He was blushing and it made him so irresistibly cute. He looked around uncomfortably and when Mrs. Ruth launched herself at him, I thought he'd bolt. But he hugged her back and let her faun on him with her 'Oh, thank you's. But then she leaned back and said sternly, "However, you're not off the hook for taking her there in the first place."
He nodded. "Yes ma'am."
Pastor wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed my forehead. "So this is what I have to look forward to when all my other kids are teenagers?" he joked.
My other kids…he called me his kid.
I hugged him hard, taking him by surprise. He seemed to understand it was what I needed. He hugged and rocked me gently, letting me bask in the first moment of calm in a long while.
~ ~ ~
"Oh. My. Gosh!" Ariel cried when I called. "I can't believe that! Did they find the guy who did it? Were you really hurt? Where was Eli? How did I not see this on the news!"
I told her what I could and lied about the rest. She told me about her and Patrick. They were a thing now and she was as giddy as I'd ever heard her. I couldn’t wait to get back to school - and it sickened me to say that - but it was true. Mrs. Ruth said I could go back at the end of the week.
And Eli.
Well, Eli was allowed at the house on weeknights like a normal boyfriend. And at night when I closed my eyes, I was all by myself in my dreams. He was a normal, human guy. He still lived at his house, but intended to sell it once we graduated and decided what we wanted to do.
We hadn't told anyone about Eli asking me to marry him. Everyone would just throw a fit because there was no way they could understand. We were far from a normal couple, and we intended to wait a while. Mrs. Ruth would love to plan a wedding, I was sure, and I intended to give her the opportunity. But I didn't want to wait too long…
~ ~ ~
Eli came to walk me to school that Friday, my first day back in almost two weeks. I had a lot of catching up to do. He waited outside for me and smiled that smile when he saw me. He kissed my forehead and took my hand.
That was it and that was what had been happening all week. He was ever so gentle and careful of me, but I was ready to start being normal again. I felt pretty good. And I was having some serious Eli lip withdrawals.
Ariel and Patrick met us in the school quad. Patrick was not shy about letting it be known to everyone that they were together. I smiled at Ariel and shook my head. All that worry for nothing.
Everyone wanted to know where Eli and I had been. The rumor that won out among most students was that I had gotten pregnant and we'd run away to get married. I rolled my eyes at their lame gossip.
Prom was coming up and graduation. Only a couple more weeks and we'd be free. I wasn't worried about life after high school. I was looking forward to it. Eli was adapting to being human quite well. He had been mostly human before anyway. He said the hardest adjustment was sleeping. He felt cheated out of hours of the day. Welcome to my world, I told him.
While we were making our way to lunch, Eli held the door open for me, but something in the corner caught my eye. I looked under Eli's arm to see Tate and some girl in the corner. They were making out unabashedly and I felt sorry for him. He apparently was hell bent on drowning his sorrows by using any girl who came his way. You just couldn’t help people who didn't want it.
In the cafeteria, Dee searched frantically for someone, and I could guess who. We moseyed into the lunch line when I saw her beeline for the hall. Then her shriek of anger carried to us. It may have been wrong, but there was only one word I could think of for someone like her, who used people and took what she wanted only to find herself on the opposite side.
Karma.
Epilogue
"Clara Hopkins," the announcer called and I made my way across the stage. I smiled at Mrs. Ruth and Pastor as they snapped photos and I held my diploma up.
I did it.
I made my way back down and waited. The Ts would be a while still.
So I thought about where I was going the next day. Eli was taking me somewhere as a surprise, somewhere that required packed bags and a talk with Pastor and Mrs. Ruth about me being gone for a while. They seemed reserved, but understood that this was just the way things were. I was about to be eighteen in a few days and with prom and graduation behind us, we were empty pages waiting to be filled.
"Elijah Thames," the announcer called and I jerked up to watch him. As he came across I knew what this meant to him. He'd never graduated from any school he'd ever been to. He was human now and this diploma meant some
thing.
When all of our friends, Mrs. Ruth and Pastor started to cheer, he jolted in surprise as if he hadn't expected anyone to. I held my diploma under my arm, cupped my mouth and yelled loudly for him. He grinned as he came off stage and pulled me to him. He swung me around gently before putting my feet on the floor again. "Well?" I asked. "How does it feel?"
"It feels like I thought it would." He pressed his lips to my ear. "Like I'm glad that you're finally graduated so I can get you out of this town."
I giggled. Me, too.
"Will you go out with me tonight, love?" he asked as seriousness took over. "I know it's your last night here, and I won't keep you long, but I really wanted to talk to you about something before we left town."
"Yeah, sure."
"Good." He pressed his forehead to mine. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
He nodded behind me. "Pastor."
They hugged me, too, and I told them I was going with Eli for a bit, but would definitely be home soon for some 'family' time before I left.
Family time…
~ ~ ~
Eli and I drove his car down to the quarry. He seemed happy and a little smile sat on his lips the whole drive. When we got out, he grabbed a blanket from the back seat and took me to the dock. After spreading it out, we leaned back on it, but he sat back up and reached into his bag. He tossed me a green apple and bit into his.
"So…" I started and twiddled the apple in my fingers. "Apparently someone made a rather large anonymous donation to the bank to cover the church and the parish's mortgages. Mrs. Ruth was all crying and hallelujahing about it last night. Isn't that the strangest thing?"
"Weird," he muttered and bit into his apple. He grinned in his peripheral as he chewed. He threw the core into the lake, wiping his hands on his jeans. "I've got something for you."
"What's that?"
"This," he whispered and pulled it from his pocket. I knew instantly it was a ring without him having to say it. "I bought it when we got back, but I thought Pastor wouldn't appreciate the gesture just yet."
I laughed breathlessly. "You're right about that."
"But now, I want you to wear it." He took my hand in his. "I want it to be known to everyone that you're mine."
I fingered the string still attached to us. "If they could see this, they'd know."
"But only you and I can see it," he said and held the ring for me to see. It was a beautiful circular setting. Not too big, but not nonexistent either. "You did say yes. May I?"
"You better," I joked and grinned in anticipation. I went to remove my mom's ring, but he stopped me.
"No, don't. Wear them both…until you don't need to keep that promise to your mom anymore."
I stilled. What other guy would ever say something like that? "Thank you," I said and swallowed the tears. "Hopefully, it'll be soon right?"
His smile was all human male and I laughed as he slid the ring on in front of my mom's promise ring and hugged me to him. "Not long. I can't wait for you to be mine in every way…" he said suggestively, but then grinned, "even on paper." I slapped his arm and laughed. "Were you thinking I was talking about another way, CB?"
I giggled. "Oh, so now I'm the perv?"
"I guess so."
We laughed and giggled as we lay on the dock. Then he rolled me under him and looked down at me. "There is something I wanted to tell you." He leaned forward, kissing my neck, and then touched his lips to my ear. "I made a little discovery that I wanted to share with you."
"Ok," I whispered cautiously, but then we were on a beach. I sat up, pushing Eli off into the sand. He laughed at my shock. "How did you-"
"It must have stuck. Maybe it was a gift for being such a willing sacrifice?" He smiled. "Who cares? We got to keep your favorite thing about me being a Devourer."
"But what about the rest? What if you can-"
He slipped his hand behind my neck and pulled me to his lips. After some convincing with those lips - and that tongue ring - he pulled back, but not far. "I tested everything. This is the only thing that remains with the bond string. I don't know why, but I don't care." He frowned. "I thought you'd be happy?"
"I am," I said breathlessly, "I'm just shocked. You've done so well at adjusting to being completely human. It just seems almost…foreign for you to have this ability still."
"There's that word again. Foreign," he said playfully with a cocked pierced brow.
I leaned forward and smoothed it with my fingers. "I'm happy." He closed his eyes. "How long have you known?"
"Since this morning. I really wanted to see you and it just sort of popped into my mind. I just came to you for a second, but it was enough." His eyes opened and he looked as if he remembered something. He pulled the collar of my shirt down. "How's this doing?"
"Almost completely gone now."
He moved over and ran his thumb over the brand on my heart. "And this?"
My breath hitched and I squeaked. "Good."
He smiled a genuine smile and cupped my face as he kissed me gently, but long and thorough.
On a beach.
In a reverie.
With my human.
~ ~ ~
We’d driven all day and night to reach this secret destination. He looked sexy and right in his car as we rode with the windows down. His hair moved with the wind and his aviators sat on his face handsomely.
He pulled into a little dirt road. It was wooded and secluded. I looked at him, wondering if he knew just how much of a non-camping girl I was. He smiled in his peripheral as if he could read my thoughts and pulled the car under some trees.
We got out and while Eli made a call, I fiddled anxiously with my beaded bracelet that sat on top of the bond on my wrist. I heard a ringtone somewhere around us and moved to Eli's side. We were in the backwoods of Mississippi for goodness sake. Then someone emerged from the brush. Franz?
"Eli. Clara, welcome."
I looked at Eli in question. He said, "They moved. The rebel camps are always on the move."
"The whole camp is here? Bridgette?" I said hopefully.
He nodded. "I thought you might want to see them again and they definitely wanted to see you. The illustrious girl who tamed a Devourer." He smiled wryly. "I think I'm just a consolation prize."
I felt myself frown. "Why do they care about me though?"
"Because we were in their shoes." He shrugged. "None of them should be friends according to our supernatural world, and they know we understand- Well…understood, I guess. It no longer applies since I'm human now."
"That's where you're wrong," Franz told him. "The new Horde has been assembled and they've already started to look for you again. They know you left Montana, but they didn't know where."
He paled and gripped my fingers tighter. "Why do they care about me now? I'm human?"
"You're the worst kind of abomination, Eli." He looked at me in apology. "You became what they use and despise."
"So we're on the run. Again," Eli said angrily.
"Join us, Eli," Franz said vehemently. "Join us! We could always use a few extra hands in the rebel cause. We'll keep you safe."
"But why would you do that? The Horde is a Devourer problem."
"Well, not only because we have Devourers in our camp, but also because we've been in your shoes. We've all been chased by someone who thought we shouldn't be who or what we are. But together, with all our mixed knowledge and powers and minds, we're stronger than them."
Eli looked at me, but I was already smiling. I nodded to him. This was what we were supposed to do; help others like us, in our situation. Fight for our right to love, live and be happy. I nodded again when he stood still.
"This is where we belong."
"The Horde won't stop," Franz told him. "You know they won't."
"I never meant to start a war with them," Eli said to me. "I just wanted you."
"And you have me." I kissed his chin. "And now we have a big family, too."
He looked
at Franz who winked at him and grinned. It was all over Eli's face that I was about to get my way. I held in my smug grin. Franz tipped his head towards the woods and we followed him silently. He took us to a camp. There were people walking around and getting plates made for dinner.
They all stopped when we came up. I felt my blush start as they stared…but then they erupted in applause and cheers. They ran to us and welcomed us. I was hugged by creatures I hadn't even see before and told how happy they were that we were there.