Page 9

“Could it be that you were too far apart… physically?” Tanner says, picking an apple from the fruit bowl on the coffee table and tossing it from one hand to the other.

I shake my head, trying not to focus on the way Tanner’s forearms ripple as he toys with the apple. “You’ve been further apart than that since your split happened. Haven’t you?” I slip my hand into Mack’s and he pulls me onto his lap, looping his arms around my waist.

“We have but I think Tanner’s right.” Mack’s breath is warm on my neck, and I’m fighting the urge to spin around and kiss him because every time I come close to thinking about losing one of them it makes me want to cover myself in their kisses and love and desire until the fear goes away again.

Sam taps his chin thoughtfully. “Magnets,” he mutters. “Maybe it’s like magnets… like two magnets that are meant to be together. The further apart they are, the weaker they become. But once they are in close proximity, they regain their strength.”

“So, you just need to stay super close to Snow and you’ll be okay?” I smile and nod at Mack, even though I can hear the naivety in my voice.

It will not be that simple.

It’s never that simple.

“Let’s hope so, Little Star.” Mack kisses my forehead but before he can press his lips to mine, a yawn stretches his lips. He sweeps his fingers through his hair and apologizes.

“Don’t say sorry.” I stand up, grab a blanket from the back of the couch, and hand it to him. “Get some rest. Both of you.”

Meeting my eyes, Snow blinks drowsily. He’s as exhausted as I am. And he doesn’t want me to leave.

“All right.” I chuckle, sitting back down and leaning into Snow’s side while Mack does the same, curling the blanket around us both. “I’ll rest if you’ll rest.”

Quietly, the others retreat upstairs, leaving Mack, Snow, and I to fall asleep.

Except I don’t sleep.

When Mack’s breathing has slowed and Snow is snoring loudly, I untangle myself from them and grab my jacket from the hook by the door. I’m outside, descending the steps, when Tanner’s voice finds me. “Rev?” he asks, not needing to finish his sentence.

“She should know what happened.”

He nods, darts back inside, and returns with the keys to the truck.

I was going to run to Rev’s, but being alone with Tanner in the truck still gives me a thrill. Even now. So, I take his hand and follow him through the trees.

“It’s bad isn’t it?” I ask quietly when the doors are closed. For a moment, I stare into my lap but then I turn and meet Tanner’s gaze. “Be honest.”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Tanner reaches for me and trails his fingers up my arm until they come to rest on my elbow. “And that’s what worries me.” He bites his lower lip. “Like Kole said, we’re in un-chartered territory. Which in itself is not a good sign.” He tries to smile, but it dissolves almost instantly and he braces his hands on the steering wheel instead of me. Drumming his fingers, he inhales deeply.

“Rev might be able to help. She knows stuff.” I laugh a little. “She knows all the stuff.”

6

TANNER

Nova is scared. She’s doing a good job at pretending not to be, but inside she’s a swirling tornado of emotions. Pretty much all of them related to fear.

Mack is scared too. Even if I wasn’t an empath, I’d have read it on his face in the hospital when I relayed Nova’s message about Snow being sick too. It was like he was physically crumbling in front of me. His features stiffened then collapsed as a wave of despair washed over him, and out from him, and into me.

Since becoming super-charged by Nova’s powers, I’ve been better able to control the gates that let in other peoples’ feelings. But when I do let them in, they’re stronger than ever. And sometimes, when my own emotions are heightened, I forget to keep the gates closed.

“I think they’re going to fire me soon,” I mutter, trying to distract both Nova and myself from thinking about Mack as we make the drive from the woods to Rev’s place.

“Fire you?” Nova spins in her seat, hands laced together in her lap.

“I’ve been pretty unreliable the past few months. They’ve been understanding, but…” I trail off, wondering why I don’t care as much as I thought I would that I might be on the verge of losing my job as a nurse.

“I’m not sure I’d mind that,” Nova says, a smile playing on her pillowy lips. “If it meant I got to see more of you.”

Grinning back at her, because I can’t fucking resist when she looks at me like that, I raise my eyebrows. “You can see as much of me as you like any time you like, Little Star.”