The Second Covenant

Taylor had regained consciousness, and from high above we watched, perched on the edge of a cloud as he started the car and headed back towards town. “Stop using, I’ll hold you.” I told the others, I didn’t want them using this much. I thought they would argue with me, but they didn’t, not even Peyton. I made the cloud solid beneath the horses hooves, easier than trying to levitate four horses plus riders. Peyton looked at me like I was a different and amazing person. “Cherish, we love you. But you are freaking us out.”
My prank had gone exactly as planned, but something had changed. For the first time, I had not played down my powers, and the three men beside me saw me for what I truly was. A freak of nature. “I’m freaking me out too. Let’s go.”

Stage two of the plan was to make sure we had witnesses for when the police came asking questions. We stopped in a grove of trees and I took my other costume from my saddle bags, ducking behind a tree to change. “Need help?” Riley called and I threw my white boots at him. He almost fell off his horse. I slipped on the dress and brushed out my hair before pushing it back with a wide, red headband. The dress was a soft cotton, with little puff sleeves, the bodice was gathered under my breasts and fell in a full swish of fabric to the ground, trailing behind me a little.

I was pleased to see that my push up bra was doing an admirable job of giving me some umph and a bit of cleavage. The vest had been better, but this was more subtle and intriguing. I’d packed a little mirror and some make up, so I could tone down my eye shadow and re apply my screaming red lipstick. If you can’t tell, I really like red. I put on red ballet flats and put on the hip length cloak before stepping out from behind the tree. The guys were looking at me strangely. “Wow Cherish. You look…” Tristan faltered. “Amazing.” Riley laughed.

I preened. “Thanks, I want my horse back Tristan. Please.” He slid off and walked towards me, with a thought, I changed the saddle from a normal English to a side saddle. Tristan shook his head but griped me gently around the waist and lifted me up. “Keep it up and you’ll be an old lady by tomorrow.” I just smiled and let him tie my saddle bags behind me. “Thank you. It’s only eleven, we have to leave by one fifteen if we want to make the colony house on time. Lets get to it, shall we?” I said primly and clicked my tongue to Necromancer.

He arched his neck proudly and gave me a smooth canter. I call it the quarter lope, you know, at the grocery store when you’re a kid, you put a quarter in the mechanical horse and it just rocks forward and back? That’s what riding Necromancer feels like, smooth.

When we arrived there was a ripple of awareness from the crowd. It always happens around here. Our father’s had been called the Sons of Ipswich, we were the Heirs. I could hear the word being spread, ‘It’s the Heir’s!’ The guys and I all sat straighter in our saddles as we rode along the outer rim of the party, there was a tie rail around here somewhere. People called out greeting and I am ashamed to say my three escorts gave the parade float wave. Attention whores, that’s what they were. I rolled my eyes and caught sight of a silver gleam.

When I turned, I felt the air leave me in a rush. The sounds of the party faded away until all I could hear was the pounding in my ears. Druex was leaning against a tree, surrounded by girls of all ages, looking politely bored. I hadn’t thought he could look any hotter than I’d seen him before.
I was wrong.
His hair was half pulled back, the free ends barely brushing his shoulders, fluttering in the breeze, showing off the chiseled planes of his face.

He must have had some Norwegian or Swede in his cocktail, because he looked like a Viking God. There was a gold torque around his throat, from this far away I couldn’t tell the design, but it looked real. There were matching bands around his bare, beautiful, huge biceps, I hoped I wasn’t drooling.

My throat worked as I looked him up and down, at the black leather vest he wore, with no shirt on underneath it, displaying a perfect, yes absolutely perfect body. No normal six pack for that man, oh no. It was a straight up eight pack, the muscle looked carved into his body. His black leather pants rode low on his hips, the studded belt accentuating the fact. His thumbs were tucked into the front of the belt, his wrists covered in gold cuffs. God he was sexy, he just dripped it.

He was nodding to something one of his groupies said but was looking at me. “Cherish, you want to close your mouth? You’re ogling that guy.” Peyton asked beside me and I nodded weakly. “Am I?” I purred, loving the way his muscles bunched as he made his way over. To me. Oh shit.

Necromancer shuddered under me in a way I didn’t like and I looked down at him, laying a soothing hand on his neck. “Whoa boy, I’m still up here.” I murmured and he stilled. When I looked back up, Druex was right beside my feet, looking up at me with his fiery blue eyes. “You look beautiful.” I grinned stupidly, feeling a bubbly tingle start to work it’s way from my toes on up. “Thank you.”

He reached up and gripped my waist, lifting me down like I was a bit of fluff. I ended up with my hands on his shoulders, staring up at him. Someone coughed behind me, an angry ahem. I rolled my eyes and turned away from my visual feast.

Riley, bless him had tied up my horse and now the three of them were standing with arms crossed, like the big brother’s they were glaring at my Big Bad and Sexy Wolf. Druex slid his hand from my waist and laced his fingers with mine. I don’t know why I liked that so much, but I did. “Guys this is Druex. Druex I’d like you to meet Peyton, Tristan and Riley. We all grew up together, they’re kind of my brother’s.” They said hello and then Peyton gave me a glare. “He part of your big plan?” I shrugged. “No, not really.” The gaggle of girls that had surrounded Druex now flocked to my trio, ooing and ahing over their outfits. I gave them a wiggly finger wave and walked off with Druex towards the bonfires.

Druex looked down at me and I shivered inside my little cape. But not because it was cold. Oh no. “So, meeting me here was not in your plan for this evening? Should I be insulted?” He said and his eyes lowered to my lips. “No.” He lifted a brow and flicked at the ties on my cape. “Then why did you dress as Red Riding Hood?” My smile was sweet, wicked. “Because I hoped you’d be here.”
A girl dressed as a slutty pirate sauced by and told Druex he had a nice tail

I looked around his side at his really nice butt and sure enough, pinned to his ass was a grey tail. “She’s right.” I told him with a laugh. He grinned and tucked my hand in his elbow, like a courtly gentleman. “So where have you been all evening, I was beginning to think you wouldn’t come?”

We walked a bit and I touched the running wolves engraved on the band around his bicep. “Oh you know, just some trick-or-treating.” He laughed and drew the eyes of every girl within thirty feet. Bitches. “Were you tricking or treating?” I shrugged elegantly. “Tricking.” His lips twitched. “I thought so.” I looked at the torque around his throat and saw the two wolf heads, rubies for eyes, their jaws open with an eternal snarl. “That looks real.” I said, tracing my finger over it too. The metal was warm from the heat of his skin. Sigh. “That’s because it is.” My eyes leapt to his, there was a look of pride in his gaze. “Really? Wow, it’s beautiful.” He nodded his thanks. “It’s been handed down from eldest son to eldest son for I don’t know how many generations.”

We walked for a while, quietly. Not saying anything, or needing to fill the silence. It was wonderful. But I was curious. “While I had hoped you’d be here, why are you?” He lifted his brows at me and I felt my cheeks warm. “I mean this doesn’t exactly seem like your kind of thing.” He shrugged and pulled me in front of him, across his body and to the other side, just as a drunken couple staggered by. “It’s not. I was told anybody who’s somebody around here comes to this party.” His smile was all for me. “And I was hoping you’d be here too.”

Why did that dimple in his cheek have to be so…seductive? I wanted to plaster myself on him again and kiss his brains out. And that wasn’t me! I didn’t like guys, I was loaded down with the baggage Taylor ’s attack had left behind to ever want to let another male touch me. Yet here I was, with Druex, I’d let him kiss me, kissed him back, and was wanting to do it again. “So why does everyone call you and your trio of men the Heirs?” I tilted my head to the side, wondering. “You just moved here?” He nodded but didn’t explain.

Odd, usually people wanted to talk about themselves, especially men. But hey, what do I know? “I am descendent of one of the first five families that settled in Ipswich. The four of us are. Our dads were the Sons of Ipswich, so we are the Heirs. Very PC.” He made a face, one that said he was listening and impressed. “So I guess that makes you a big somebody around here.” I gave a sad sigh. “Yep, blue blooded snob. That’s me.”

I heard a high scream and turned to see one of the bitchy girls in my senior class pour a drink down the front of Molly Evers beautiful white toga. “Fucking A.” I muttered and let go of Druex. “You lying little slut!” I heard the other girl hiss and I saw the shame rise to Molly’s already pale cheeks, and to my undying rage, the girl slapped her hand across Molly’s face. Hard enough to send her to the sand. I picked up the skirt of my dress and ran the rest of the way, to kneel beside Molly. She flinched when I touched her arm. “Hey, you okay?” I murmured and she looked at me with wide eyes, probably expecting me to heap on the false accusations too.

She nodded warily and I took off my cloak to put around her shoulders. The wet fabric was starting to show her bra underneath. I looked at her pretty cornflower blue eyes and put all my honest truth into my own. “I believe you.” My voice was just loud enough for her to hear and a fat tear of relief fell from her left eye.

I took her hands and helped her up. And then I turned on the other girl, Tiffany something. I backhanded her hard enough to hurt my own hand. “You hit like a girl.” I told her. Tiffany was popular because her father was famous for something, I could care less. She had no right to judge or treat Molly, or any other human being like shit.

Someone behind us in the crowd yelled Cat Fight, and we became the center of attention.
Tiffany sputtered in shock, in rage with wide eyes turned on me now. Good. “How dare you! Do you know who my father is? I’ll have you arrested you fucking bitch!” I laughed at her, really laughed. “That’s the second time I’ve heard that tonight, and it just keeps getting funnier. You hit Molly, I hit you. Fair trade. Get lost Tiff, next time I won’t keep my hand open.”

Tiffany tried to launch herself at me, but Druex grabbed her around the waist, tossed her up over his shoulder and strode for the water. People started gathering to watch as he tossed her, shrieking curses, into the freezing ocean. “Cool off.” He told her and came back to me, shaking his head. But his eyes were laughing.

Molly looked at him like he was her hero. Mine first. “Lets get you out of here.” Molly nodded and let me slide my arm around her hips. She was a pretty girl, tall and slender like me, but in a softer sort of way. Her hair was a copper red color, naturally curled in spirals much tighter than mine. They were a little frizzy, but it was still beautiful, like a halo in the firelight. Peyton, Riley and Tristan materialized out of the crowd.

Peyton sighed at me wearily. “Jesus Cherish, we can’t take you anywhere without starting some kind of shit.” I stuck my nose in the air and sailed right on by. “I never start anything. But damned if I wont finish it.”
“How about that time you picked a fight with Larry Sellers?” Riley pointed out helpfully. “He called me a bitch.”
“And Joseph Krieger?” Riley was ticking off fingers on his hand, I hadn’t known how closely he kept track of my…altercations with the opposite sex. “Thought it was funny to pat me on the butt for making a corner pocket shot.”
“She poured coffee down his pants.” Riley informed Druex and he lifted his brow at me, approvingly. “Yeah, well you were to busy flirting with your next flavor of the week to do my dirty work. Girls gotta know how to take care of herself. Otherwise, when you tell someone you’re going to hand them their balls, they won’t believe you.” I winked at Molly and she gave a half a smile.