Kiss

Chapter 5

I stood there, unsure how to respond or what to do. This was beyond awful. What had I been thinking? He had possessed these powers for years, while I had only had mine for two days. Of course something like this would happen. "Do you want me to get you something?"

I rolled my eyes at his question.

"No, I'd rather just stand here half-naked," I retorted sarcastically.

"I've only known you for a few hours, and you're already starting to annoy me," he replied. I opened my mouth to shout something hurtful, but what could I really say? I didn't know him that well at all. Now that I thought about it, Eli didn't seem like the social type. He spoke only when he needed to.

"Whatever," I finally settled on. He got up and walked toward his closet, not sparing me a glance. I felt a wave of gratitude that he wasn't looking at me; I was already feeling uneasy.

"Here," he tossed a black hoodie and matching sweatpants onto the bed. "I'll leave you to get dressed." With that, he exited the room without another word.

This felt familiar. I realized I had worn his clothes at the party. I begrudgingly slipped into his attire. I didn't want to wear his stuff, honestly; I preferred my own, but I had no idea where my clothes had gone. Strangely enough, I felt comfortable in his clothes—the earthy scent that clung to them made me smile. A tingling sensation returned to my lips, and I was on the verge of losing myself in that feeling.

Snap out of it, Katie; you've just met him! I face-palmed myself and left the room. Sure, he was attractive—anyone could daydream about him. That jawline, those abs, those green eyes—these were all that filled my mind. There were plenty of guys at school, but I hadn't cared enough to think about them. Now, my thoughts were consumed by him, the one with the mesmerizing green eyes. I could easily get lost in those orbs.

"So she's Katie," a blonde boy with brown eyes stated as I entered the kitchen. The house looked nothing like I remembered from that night. The living room had a flat-screen TV that hadn't been there before, along with a big white sofa decorated with colorful pillows. The kitchen next to it featured a marble island.

Eli was rummaging through the refrigerator while the new guy openly stared at me. "Chase, where's the frozen pizza?" Eli's voice was muffled, but the guy seemed to hear him just fine.

"It's at the bottom," he replied, still not taking his eyes off me. "I'm Chase."

"Katie." I paused, then pressed my lips together. "But you already know that," I added softly, but he picked up my voice.

"Yeah, Eli told me about you."

"You have super hearing because you're a werewolf... right?"

"Wolf Spirit, but you're correct," he confirmed.

I still couldn't wrap my head around why I wasn't freaking out about all this. Wolf Spirit? Wizards? This was total insanity.

At that moment, Eli emerged from the refrigerator holding a pizza box, with a small container of ice cream perched on top of it, and another identical container in his mouth. He set the items down on the island, grabbed a spoon, and began digging into one of them hungrily. I watched him for a few moments until he caught me staring.

"Are you checking me out, Katie?"

I choked on my own saliva. I had been caught red-handed and needed to think quickly. Chase was busy typing on his phone, but I was sure he'd heard Eli's comment. Eli walked toward me and pulled me closer to the island, leaving me momentarily dazed. I snapped back to reality when he handed me a spoon and pushed the sealed container of ice cream toward me.

"Thanks," I replied shyly. I almost thought he hadn't heard me, but he nodded in acknowledgment. "It's strange how your mood swings can go from 'you stole from me' to now giving me ice cream," I attempted to mimic his voice when he accused me of theft.

"I didn't sound anything like that," he argued.

"Yes, you did."

"Just shut up and eat," he said, clearly annoyed. "Did Alex get back?"

"Yes... I went upstairs to tell you, but after hearing Katie here scream about how 'big' you were," he emphasized the word 'big,' "I figured you were too preoccupied to worry about poor Alex," he finished.

I gasped at his words and turned to Eli, who had an infuriating smirk on his face. "She looks so innocent, but she can scream," he said, making me want to hit him. I restrained myself, though; I was too embarrassed. I knew nothing had happened, but my cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"I have to go; I'll see you guys at the party tonight," Chase said, getting up and leaving without even looking back. As soon as the front door shut, I stomped my foot onto Eli's toes.

"Ouch!"

"Why would you do that?!" I shouted angrily at him. I didn't want to feel this way, but I couldn't help it. "That was so embarrassing!"

"It was just a joke. Calm down," he replied with maximum indifference.

Calm down?! Could he be serious?

"A joke? Just a joke?!"

"Katie, you're taking this way too seriously."

"I've been thrown into a supernatural world where witches and werewolves exist, and you want to joke about it like it's funny! On top of that, I've been cursed with these powers and have no idea what any of it means. You might have been born into this, but I've only been aware of it for a few minutes!"

By the end of my rant, I was breathless. Did I just snap? I knew it would come eventually, but wow, that was quick. A tear rolled down my cheek, and I turned my face away from Eli.

"Are you crying?" His voice held genuine concern.

"I'm leaving," I said, trying not to cry, but my voice trembled on the verge of breaking. The harsh reality was sinking in, and it was more than I could handle.

"Let me take you home," he offered. I reluctantly accepted because I had no idea where my shoes were or how to find my way home through the walls.

"Which wall do we walk through this time?"

"Uh, um, you can only teleport when William is around."

I mouthed an "oh." In the end, I gave him my address, and we drove in silence. Eli must have noticed I didn't want to talk; I was thankful he didn't try to start a conversation on the way. Once we arrived at my house, he pressed the lock button on his side of the car, preventing me from getting out.

"Please don't tell me you're okay... I know you aren't," he stopped and sighed. "It was foolish of me to think you could handle all of this. I admit that I've been a bit insensitive toward you. I know we just met, but if you want to talk—"

I cut him off before he could finish. "You caused this. If you hadn't kissed me, I would be fine and happy, blissfully unaware of a world filled with monsters... Now I'm a monster."

I knew I might have hurt him with those words, basically calling him a monster, but what else could I say? He opened the door, and I dragged myself to the front door, refusing to look at him.