Gavin.

He was lying stretched out beside me. Our legs touched, and he was propped above me on an elbow. Faces close, he brushed a lock of tousled hair from my cheek, his touch electric. Like everything between us, it charged through my body. My violet eyes fluttered open, wide and I stared into his luminous sapphire eyes. I wet my lips nervously, afraid to move, to shattered the spell. His eyes settled on my mouth, and I knew he was going to kiss me.

This was, after all, my dream, so why shouldn't he kiss me? It was what I wanted. Before I even thought about what I was doing, I willed him to kiss me even knowing that it might be just magic and a dream.

Memorized, I couldn't tear my eyes from his as his mouth descended to capture mine. The moment our lips touched, I knew I wasn't dreaming. No dream could be this real. This hot. This mind-blowing glorious. It was all the encouragement I needed before I threw my heart and soul into kissing him senseless. All I could think was that Gavin was kissing me.

My arms stole around his neck needing to keep him close, afraid it would end too soon. I sunk my fingers into his dark hair and with each brush of our lips I could feel our magic shimmering to the surface. Not just mine. Ours. Swirling together. His answered mine just as I mirrored his kiss. There was something happening here, something more than just a heavy make out session. And heavy it was getting.

In one fluid movement I found myself spread across him, his hands burning through the back pocket of my jeans. My surprise and pleasure was swallowed in his kiss. My jeans were so tight it felt like he was stroking my skin.

He had me spellbound.

His lips left mine and kissed both my eyelids softly. Pulling back, he stared into eyes that glowed as brightly as his. His gaze dipped and he reached out, knuckles brushing my chest. "Does it still chase away the dreams?" he murmured, holding the amethyst and moonstone necklace in his fingers.

Only when I wear it, I thought, which hadn't been as often as I should. His question brought back the dream I'd had with Morgana. How could I have forgotten?

Simple.

When Gavin was near it was impossible to think of anything else. "Actually I wanted to ask you something about dreamscaping." Again I wondered why I hadn't told Lukas. He was after all a dreamscaper, but it just didn't feel right. Telling Gavin was a no-brainer.

His brows drew together sensing my distress. At the same time a light of fury flickered into his eyes, turning them a menacing deep shade of blue. They were almost black. His lip curled into a snarl.

G.o.d how could I be so stupid. Of course he would immediately think of Lukas. The intoxicating mood we had going was slipping away. I lowered my chin, blinking. "It's not about him, it's about Morgana," I rushed before he could condemn me from his room.

That got his attention as I had hoped. I watched as some of the hard lines on his face softened. Dropping the necklace back on my neck, he moved away from me and sat up on the bed. I followed facing him. "I had another dream with her," I continued.

He exhaled roughly. "When?"

I felt the heat creep into my cheeks and shifted my gaze to my fingers nervously picking at the st.i.tching on his comforter. "The night I told you about Lukas," I replied in a barely audible whisper. I really hadn't wanted to bring up his name. I could feel the invisible force field being thrown up between us. Lukas's name brought fresh, painful memories into his dark blue eyes. Anger lurched there.

I watched as he pushed the darkness from his eyes. It was impressive. I knew that I didn't have that kind of control over my emotions. Not even close. "What happened?" he finally asked.

I shrugged. "It wasn't like the last time. She didn't threaten me or try to hurt me. Actually...she claims that she is my..." I counted in my head. "Great-great-great-great grandma."

Gavin cracked his neck. "Interesting. Is that all she said?"

I narrowed my violet eyes. "Is that all? Why are you not surprised by that?" I expected the same outrage I had felt when she told me, but I got none of that from Gavin. Why?

He twisted on the bed toward to me. "I always knew there was something... special about you."

I know that the word different had been at the tip of his tongue; he knew how much I hated that word. "So you believe her? You think she was telling the truth?"

"I think what she is claiming is a very real possibility. Something inside me agrees with what she said, but I don't trust her worth a d.a.m.n. And neither should you."

"If I am her granddaughter, what does being related to her even mean?" I asked.

His dark worried expression wasn't helping. "I am not entirely sure, but for her to seek you out, it must be important. Have you been wearing your necklace?" he asked and again reaching out, touching the cool stones at my neck.

"Yeah," I admitted sounding a little defeated. "They don't work with her. She bypa.s.ses their protection. She's just too strong."

Staring straight ahead, his jaw worked. "All the more reason to be careful. You might need to learn how to block the dreams on your own."

The mention of my dreams was like letting a giant purple elephant into the room.

"I miss you," I said, trying to break through the suddenly strenuous clogged air.

He sighed heavy, rubbing his hands over his face, a face that was etched in my thoughts. "This doesn't change things Bri. I'm still dealing with everything."

And just like that, my world tilted over the edge again. How can he keep doing this to me? "How long do you plan on ignoring me, punishing me?"

"I'm not punishing you. I just needed some s.p.a.ce. I needed to think some stuff through."

I was probably pushing my luck, but the words just tumbled out of my mouth. "Well are you about through?"

"Bri," he growled. "Let's just focus on figuring out why granny dearest is suddenly interested in you. We can deal with... other stuff later."

It was a start and far better than not seeing him at all. "Does that mean you'll be back in school on Monday?"

He laid his dark head back and stared at the ceiling. "I guess Monday is as good as any."

A sprinkle of hope and excite trickled inside me. I would be able to see him every day again. There was nothing right now I wanted more than time with him, however I got it.

He swallowed hard. "Have you seen him?"

Then my exhilaration came crashing down. I stared at my hands. "Yeah. He's been helping me hone my magic."

I knew that it was extremely difficult for him to hear. Lines of strain pulsed at the sides of his temples. "Is it working?" he asked, the words sounding forced.

I sighed. "Some. I was able to move an object from across the room." Sitting beside him, I tucked my legs up against my chest.

He ran the back of his knuckles down my check, and his eyes grew sad. I couldn't stop the shiver or the drop in my heart. "It really should be me." He pushed off the bed, and I was helpless to do anything.

And once again I watched him walk out the door.

I squeezed my eyes shut and swore.

He might be right. Maybe I was making a huge mistake with Lukas. I wasn't sure of anything anymore. Who was right? Who was wrong? Who to trust? I felt like my head was going to fall off.

So much for talking to him, I'd spent most of our short time together with my tongue down his throat. Not that I was complaining, it had been glorious. The problem was I didn't know if and when it would happen again.

And I so wanted it to happen again.

Chapter 14.

I HAD MY HEAD PROPPED on my hands daydreaming about nothing in particular when I heard the door to the shop chime. Tugging on my red turtleneck, I slapped on a smile and glanced up. A sprinkle of magic danced along my skin, announcing my guest was a witch. I was getting better at recognizing the feeling. The warm greeting I had on my lips never made it out. My smile lessened as I stared at the greenest eyes like rolling plains.

Lukas.

This was unexpected. What was he doing here, at the shop nonetheless?

I watched him saunter leisurely across the shop until he stood in front of me with a saucy grin. It wasn't nearly as lethal as Gavin's but effective even so. He was apparently really fond of college t-shirts. This one was grey and stretched across his wide chest. I would have to be dead to not appreciate his hotness.

"Hey." My voice gave away my surprise. I wasn't going to lie, I was shocked to see him, but really I had this coming. I'd been sort of avoiding him all weekend, and now looking at him I was guilt-ridden. Apparently he found another way to catch me after I dodged all his calls and texts.

Seriously, sometimes I could be such a s.h.i.tty friend and procrastination should be my middle name. It was mostly the practicing that I had been eluding, not Lukas.

Well maybe Lukas a little.

"I hadn't heard from you. I hope it is ok that I just popped in?" There was such a sincere and boyish charm to him.

I smiled. "Of course. I'm sorry I didn't return your calls. I've been super busy." I cringed inside. What a lame excuse.

His hip leaned against the counter, bringing our faces closer. "Busy with Gavin?"

Did I detect a hint of jealousy? Hmm. I wasn't entirely sure that I liked his implication. Or that he in fact was spot on. Was I really that readable?

"Maybe."

He raised one of those emerald eyes at me. G.o.d, he was like a walking lie detector, and I stunk at evasion.

I stepped back putting s.p.a.ce between us. "Fine. I had to talk to him, okay. I needed to make him understand," I defended, sounding slightly desperate.

"And how did that go?" he asked with a tint of sarcasm, as if he already knew the answer. It put me on the defense.

I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to suppress the pout I could feel coming on. "Just fine if you must know."

"Liar," he accused smirking.

Grrr. He could be so infuriating. And perceptive. This time I gave him a full out pout. "Why is my life so complicated?" I mumbled mostly to myself.

Walking around the gla.s.s counter, he closed the distance between us. He trailed a finger under my chin causing a tiny spark. "Because you skipped practice."

I rolled my eyes. Practice. Ugh.

Ignoring the fluttering in my chest, I realized I wasn't doing a very good job of making an effort. I guess it was time to change that, especially after my new heritage discovery. Plus, his close proximity was sending out the wrong signals. I just wanted to be friends, and it was past time I started lying down the ground rules. "Your right," I conceded and retreated a step.

He followed suit. "You free after work?" he asked kind of cornering me with more than just his muscular body.

I knew I had to stop avoiding this... magic. And it would give me the chance to tell him I just wanted to be friends. Nothing romantic. So I heard myself say, "Yeah why not."

He grinned like sunshine. It was startling and potent. I swallowed, trying not to get caught up in his smile. "Don't sound over enthused. You know how to make a guy feel special."

"Whatever." I playfully pushed his chest. He didn't budge. "You know what I meant. I am not exactly a pro at this magic jazz." I lowered my voice over the last bit. You could never be too careful, especially with my aunt lingering just in the back room.

And what perfect timing as my aunt strolled through the workroom area into the shop. Lukas and I both turned our heads at the squeaking hinges. We were pretty close, our bodies almost brushing, and his arm had to steady me. I practically gave myself whiplash with my aunt's sudden appearance.

There was inquisitiveness in her eyes as she a.s.sessed the situation. Oh yeah. I was going to be answering buckets of questions after he left. Running a hand through my dark hair, I cast my eyes to my feet. Lukas casually stepped aside and flashed my aunt a dimpled award winning grin.

He turned the charm on and had my aunt laughing like a school girl. I could tell that she liked him, but was still confused by what was going on between the two of us. Numerous times I caught her glancing back and forth at us as she tried to figure out our relationship. The easiness Lukas and I had together was apparent. It was obvious that we really knew each other. I guess which made sense, I never been as open with someone as I had with Lukas in my dreams.

But my aunt didn't need to know that.

He b.u.mped my hip with his, bringing me out of my own lost thoughts. "I'll see you later?" he asked.

My aunt raised a brow. Peachy. I just nodded and watched him walk out the door.

As soon as the coast was clear my aunt pounced like a cat. "I guess I'm not the only one who has been keeping secrets," she said. I had that coming, I really did. "I take it that was the other guy."

Oh man, if she only knew that half of it. I shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Smooth. Real smooth. There was no way in h.e.l.l she was going to buy a line like that. Not after the way she saw us together. It was evident that we knew each other on more than just a friendly basis. Not that I blamed her. h.e.l.l I didn't believe me.

"That..." she indicated to the door. "Was definitely a big deal. Does Gavin know about Lukas?"

The dreaded question. "Yes," I replied like it should have been obvious they knew about each other.

"And he is okay with it?" There was disbelief in her voice.

Did she have to ask all the questions I didn't want to answer? I leaned an elbow on the counter, drawing circles into the gla.s.s. "Define okay."

"Brianna," she scolded in a stern voice.

I hated that voice. It meant that I'd done something wrong. Immediately I felt like I had let her down in some way. It was a horrid feeling. She was the one person I never wanted to disappoint. I dropped my head onto my arms. "I'm so confused," I finally admitted in a small, weak voice.

I felt her run her fingers down my hair. "When did this happen?"

I sighed heavily into the cool gla.s.s, steaming it up with my breath. "Just recently. A few weeks." Well that was partly true, the whole Lukas not being real. Then suddenly boom... two guys. "I don't know what to do." At this point I wasn't above whining.

"Well, I can't tell you who to choose if that is what you are asking. That is entirely up to you."

She wasn't being much help here. Maybe it was too much to ask her to make such a decision for me, but I was really desperate to get my life back to simpler days, with simpler problems.

Her fingers continued to stroke my hair offering me comfort. "I'm not sure I am cool with you seeing a college guy. And I am for sure not cool with you dating two guys."

I groaned, lifting my head. "First, I am not seeing Lukas. At least not in the way you think. We're...friends. And second he is only a year older than me. I will be in college next year." Well I think I will. The jury was still out on my plans after high school. It all really depended on this whole witch thing. It had me all screwed up in the head, but I wasn't about to reveal that tidbit to my aunt. It would most definitely push her over the edge. "Third, technically I am not dating either of them." But a huge part of me wanted to desperately.

But which one? I was pretty sure I already knew the answer. I had known all along.

At this rate, I was going to send her to an early grave. My senior year thus far has been anything but uneventful. What other kinds of trouble could I possible get myself into?