Unlikely Assassin

Chapter 6

Kye wasn't there when I opened my eyes the next morning. In fact he wasn't there the whole month before school started. I was puzzled as the days zipped past and he never showed up once. He never came to visit me at work like usual, he never showed up in the middle of the night, and he sure as hell didn't show up as I kept going to our meeting spot in the meadow. The only hands that woke me up were my cranky older brother's. Something was really wrong.

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I screamed. The nightmares had been coming more and more frequently. I would emerge from one only to fall into the conniving trap of another. But this time when I screamed, I was actually awake. The warm glow of the embers dying in my fire place and the smell of cinnamon crept into my window. It was faint but I knew he was right outside my window. I laid back down and felt the sweat roll down my

back. I moaned and got up.

Walking over to my window I threw the pane up and the cold air felt like a blessing against my boiling skin. Kye was sitting on the ground below my window with a big goofy grin plastered on his face. His mile was always contagious and no matter how bad I was feeling, I smiled anyways. Being the idiot I am, I raised my hand and waved slightly. He waved back and nodded for me to come down.

"I'll make too much noise using the doors and it'll wake up my parents," I said feeling much better.

"Then jump," he crooned.

"Will you catch me," I chuckled.

Then will complete seriousness he replied, "Always."

I looked at my thin white satin nightgown and then to the freezing night outside my window. Kye set down something I couldn't see and stepped forward. Before I could chicken out I stepped on the window pane and launched myself into the night. My stomach sky-rocketed as I fell. Warm arms caught me in their strong grip and Kye planted a firm kiss on my lips before I could even register that I fell from two stories and he caught me.

Too soon the kiss ended and I was lowered onto my feet. Kye draped his jacket around me and only then did I realize I was shivering. I breathed in his deep cinnamon scent and watched as he picked something up. He turned to me and held out—he held out a velvet box and a small bag stamped with my favorite makeup artist's logo. My feet felt like jell-o and I made my gaze up to meet Kye's burning amber one.

I opened the box first a small heart shaped pendent sat inside. It had an amber stone in the center and was attached to a thick gold band. Tears blurred my vision and I looked up, he had a matching one on his right ring finger and the stone in the center was teal. The bag was filled with eye shadows and lipsticks. I smiled and shook my head. Kye walked up to me and took my right hand. He slid the ring on and kissed the stone.

"Th-thank you so much," I started in a soft whisper. "But why would you do this? My birthday has come and gone."

"I wanted to apologize for my disappearance and show my love to you. So I decided before I came back from the Fey Ordnance meeting I'd pick this up for you," he whispered and pulled me into a long embrace.

I sighed, content with my place here in his arms. I never wanted to leave. That's when my mother began to yell my name.

"Aelina Marissa Sorrett, get your ass in here!" she yelled so loud China probably heard her.

Kye winced but didn't let go. I looked up to see my mom close her eyes and walk away to her room. I looked at Kye and he just shrugged not letting me go.

"You really shouldn't have," I said continuing our conversation. "How am I ever going to out do this for your birthday in two weeks?"

"You're not supposed to," he replied and before I could make my comeback his lips met mine.

The tight grip on my waist and the hot kiss on my lips took me away from my thoughts. I laced my fingers around his neck and kissed back. Passion hummed like electricity through my whole body. Our kiss broke and his arms let go from around me. I opened my eyes to see a hand shoot out and slam Kye against the wall. A dark gloved hand was gripped around Kye's throat. A small gasp escaped my still parted lips and the cowled figure bristled.

"I told you to stay away from her, she isn't yours," a voice said from underneath the hood. It was familiar and I instantly recognized it. A few tears spilt over as I rushed to them.

 "Jase?" I asked placing a hand on his arm. I tugged his hand away and Jase looked at me. Carefully, I pushed down his hood and those deep electric blue eyes pierced through me. His salt and pepper hair in a fringe style.

I pushed his hair out of his eyes like I used to do before Kye showed up and kept pulling me away from my best friend. I had let him, and I feel ashamed for it. Raw shame and guilt that never quite healed raced through me and I hung my head. My hand was still wrapped around Jase's wrist as I did so. I didn't let go, I wouldn't let go. Never again would I let him go.

Jase tilted my head up so that our eyes locked. My heartbeat became fast and I became breathless. This was why I had loved him for so long.

"I'm surprised you remember me," Jase whispered tucking my hair behind my ear. I leaned into his touch without even thinking. My body was so used to him that I didn't have to think around him.

"Of course I would," I whispered back closing my eyes. "I missed you." Jase cupped my cheek and placed a soft kiss on my lips before Kye came and tackled him.

"KYE!" I screamed as they began to brawl on the ground. Flames engulfed my hands again and this time I knew it wasn't an illusion of the light. "JASE!"

My fire began to glow brighter as my anger grew. I sent a tendril of flame towards them, only hot enough to burn for a second. It wrapped around their hands and they yelped apart. Anger rolled off of me in waves but I shook the flames away. I walked over to them and held out a hand to each of them. Only Jase took it.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" I whispered hastily. "I'm not that important to be fighting over at one in the morning. Explain why I ain't anyone's."

Jase hung his head and Kye held his higher. He didn't feel guilty over what happened. I could feel satisfaction roll off of him just like my anger had. What the hell was wrong with him?

"I just couldn't stand and watch anymore," Jase answered. "You were mine, I was yours and we were inseparable. Then he comes into town and you want to be friends with the new kid because your heart is pure and kind. I was fine with it at first but then he kept making excuses to take you away from me. You put up fights and then just stopped. It was like he had taken your attention off of everyone else that mattered in your life.

"I loved you before he did. I still love you, that's why I came here tonight. I wanted to tell you. You aren't his Leena, we are each other's," Jase finished with tears dripping off his face.

Expectantly, I looked at Kye for his explanation, but all I got was a laugh. "You really believe him? He's in the past, he's the petty ex who just wants you back. That's his sob story, I don't need to say anything." His laugh wasn't like the one I was used to; it was a deep dark thing.

"Then you don't need to be here," I snapped. My heart felt light as if I was disposing of a heavy weight that had clouded me my entire life. "If you don't care, if you don't have an explanation for yourself then you can leave. Y-you said you loved me, and all you do is try to buy and fight my love. You never loved me, you never will." I tugged off the ring and threw it in the bag and threw the bag at him.

I saw Jase lift his head and swirl it in my direction. "What does that make us?" he whispered into the night.

"Come inside so we can talk and then I'll tell you," I extended my hand and he took it.

Together we walked inside leaving Kye in my backyard fuming.