''You know how they came up with the word Lunatic?'' he asked.
I shook my head, feeling like I probably didn't want to know the answer. His lips pulled up on one side in a mischievous, lopsided grin.
He stepped closer. ''Because all of the worst m...
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Gray talked to me for a long time that night. I think he knew that my mind was on Ben and the Joy boys. Owein had no idea where I was- which was good- but neither did my mother.
"Lou? You zoned out again," Gray pointed out gently as if he didn't want to disturb whatever fucked up thing I was thinking about.
"Yeah sorry, I'm just thinking about my mom." I shook my head. "She's probably freaking out."
In Hal's Desert she wouldn't have freaked out but, ever since we moved to West Acres, she'd become mother-of-the-year. Something about Owein made her feel normal and made her act like the mother she never was. I didn't have too many complaints- it was almost nice to have her attention now.
"You can text her if you want? Tell her you're safe but don't tell her where you are."
So I did just that. I borrowed Gray's phone and thought for a moment before typing a message out to her.
Me: I'm safe. At a friend's house for the night. You can ground me tomorrow.
I handed Gray back his phone and hugged my arms around myself. There were tears welling in my eyes I knew wouldn't fall. So many things had gotten screwed up and now it seemed like everyone I cared about was in danger. Gray was silent, for once, not having a cheeky or sarcastic response. Instead, he moved closer to me on the couch and wrapped an arm around me.
My body fit snugly into his side. When he kissed my forehead, my stomach swooped a little and my hands got clammy. I was aware of him. His smell. His warmth.
But there was no electricity.
So when he leaned in to kiss me again, I put my hand on his chest to stop him. He blinked a little, surprised at the rejection.
"I uh I can't, Gray."
He nodded. "I get it. There's a lot going on."
"It's not just that," I explained and brushed the loose curly hair away from my face. "There's something that I don't really know how to explain but-"
"It's Tucker," he finished.
I stared at him, shocked at the interruption and the correctness of it. I hugged my knees to my chest and nodded, but barely.
"He's your tether." Gray sighed. "My mom told me."
The idea of a tether was still foreign to me, but it explained the unearthly feeling that I got when Tucker touched me. There was a tangible shift of power and strength between the two of us and it felt like static passing through my fingertips. The power and the feeling, I remembered, were addicting which made it almost impossible to pull away.
The boy next to me rubbed his neck and gave me a sheepish smile. "Hard to compete with a guy who you have a supernatural connection to."
He had surprised me into a laugh. "If things were different, I'd be willing to try with you. But-"
