Forbidden Law (An Alien Love #1)

Chapter Nine

I woke up with a start when I felt someone's presence in my room. I slurped up an embarrassing string of drool and sat up quickly. It was night now, so I strained my eyes through the dark shadows.

"It is just me, Skyler." Jace stepped closer and smiled. I sighed with relief.

"Goodness, I thought you were Chucky come to kill me. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged with a question mark on his face without asking about the Chucky remark. "What happened this morning? What did you do with the cheerleader? And why were you not there for classes?" I felt a pang of guilt. I should have called him or gone to tell him what happened when I'd left.

"Did you run home or something? You're soaked." I turned on my lamp and noticed that his clothes were dripping and that his pitch black hair was flat on his gorgeous face. His eyes glowed brightly and watched me with a keen intensity.

"Yes, I did run. The water does not bother me." He shook his head dismissively. "Will you answer my questions?"

I sighed again and plopped back on the bed. "Yes. I just taught her what she wanted to learn the hard way." I smirked. He didn't need to know much other than that. "And I got in trouble with the principal because they all think I handled it badly." I shrug. "I'm really sorry I didn't call you or pick you up. I fell asleep, as you can see."

He nodded and instantly accepted what I had just told him. "Your parents said that dinner is almost ready." Wow, they knowingly let a boy up to my room alone? Not surprising somehow.

To prompt his words, I heard my stomach growl loudly and we laughed. "Come. Your mother prepared lasagna." He helped me off of the bed with a strong hand, making my heart speed up with a skittery jump. I pushed that out of my mind as we went downstairs.

Jace's POV

All so strange.

I had a warm sensation in my abdominal region. What was it? Was I possibly ill? I looked at Skyler's glowing, smiling face and the feeling spread, growing more intense like a lit ember that was being blown on. What was wrong with me? Should I ask her about it?

"Hey Jace, could you hand me the garlic bread?" A hand was stretched out towards me and I looked up. It was Riley, Skyler's brother. He was smiling, friendlier tonight than the last time I'd seen him. I obeyed, grabbing the bowl of bread and handing it to him. I felt my face smile in return.

Skyler's elbow brushed against mine, soft like a petal. A rush of fire traveled up the length of my arm. It frightened me. What was going on with my insides? They were strangely...hot. As if boiling water were just below my skin. She smiled at me yet again and I could not help grinning back at those crinkled hazel eyes. I shook my head. Now I seemed to have lost control of my actions. The possibility of it being a product of this body crossed my mind.

"May I be excused?" I asked politely. Skyler had taught me to be polite when in the company of others, no matter where. Her mother nodded and murmured 'of course.' I stood up and pushed my chair in.

The hallway washed over me in refreshing cool air, allowing me a stretching deep breath. I walked to the restroom and splashed my face with water, then looked into the ornate mirror that hung over the sink. My expression reminded me of the females at school; drooping eyes that looked from under lashes that were too dark to be natural. Pink cheeks and a hint of confusion in the eyes. Perhaps I was turning more human than I thought.

It seemed to me that my hair was everywhere at once. How could Skyler say that this haircut was stylish? It stuck up in soft, lazy spikes; messy. I winced. On my planet, my people had favored long hair, taking pride in how well groomed it was. The colors ranged, as they did here, but in more...vibrant shades. As far as I could tell, only females tended to think about their locks here. Even adding strange streaks and glitter objects. But having a shorter cut made it noticeably easier to maneuver.