The Evanescence (Fallen Soul Series) - By Jessica Sorensen Page 0,29

or not, I still feel guilty and I need to make it right. Somehow.

The four of us walk outside and into the street, away from the house. Alex holds my hand, guiding me across the dark yard towards the curb. I can barely make out the Crystal Ball in Evan’s hand, but when the glow of the full moon hits the glass, it shimmers like fireflies.

As Evan prepares to foresee us away—even though I could without a Crystal—I glance over my shoulder at the house. It’s dark and the street is silent, but, on the inside, I feel a storm stirring and I have a feeling that more and more bad things lie ahead of us.

Chapter 11

Alex

We arrive back to the outskirts of the castle in the blink of an eye, but, to me, it seems like forever. Gemma’s still holding onto my hand and I have to wonder if deep down she wishes she was holding someone else’s hand. I don’t want to be jealous, I just can’t help it. The way she ran to him and hugged him for a way longer time than what seemed necessary is driving me crazy and eating away at my insides.

At first everything had been great; she’d hugged me and then agreed when I said I wanted to take her back to the castle; pretty much so I can kiss her and touch her all over. She’d never been so forward before and it threw me off a little, but I want it—her. So freaking bad. Then came Laylen and our perfect reunion turned into a disaster.

The four of us hike up the hill towards the castle, my mind drifting as I stare at the outlines of the tree beside us. What if she loves Laylen like she says she loves me? What if this whole time she’s loved both of us? Can I live with that?

Suddenly, she jerks on my arm as she slows to a stop.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, turning to her, but she silences me by crushing her lips to mine.

She’s never kissed me like this before—made the first move—and an intense hunger consumes me. I wind my arm around her waist and press her body against mine, kind of roughly. I explore her mouth with my tongue, tasting her, pretty much devouring her as my hands travel down her backside and I scoop her up.

Her breath falters as she fastens her legs around my waist while she continues to kiss me, making little moans that drive my body crazy.

“Gemma…” I say between breaths. “Is everything… okay…”

She answers me with her tongue, tangling it with mine and pushing her body closer. I decide to stop talking and knot my fingers through her hair, pulling gently at the roots so I can tip her head back and delve my tongue into her mouth deeper. I start to walk blindly forward, into the dark, towards a tree near the lake and, when I reach it, I press her up against it.

She moans as our bodies weld together so tightly that we pretty much become one person. The longer we kiss, the more desperate our movements become. Her legs are secured around my waist and my fingers are digging into her hips, feeling the sliver of skin below the bottom of her shirt, feeling her warmth. We’ve never gotten this heavy and all I want to do is hold onto her and never let her go.

Eventually, she breaks the kiss, breathing ravenously. “I really needed that,” she gasps between breaths.

I give her a soft kiss on the lips and bring my hand out from underneath her shirt, my fingers grazing her stomach and she shivers. “I needed it, too.”

It’s dark, but I can see the outline of a smile on her face. “You want to take me into the castle now?”

I study her, wishing I could see her in the light so I could tell what she’s thinking. “Are you sure you want to?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shrug and let out a breath. “It means are you sure you want to be with me and not Laylen,” I bluntly throw it out into the air because that’s what I do.

She pinches my chest, surprising me, and I wince. “Yes, I’m sure. I love you.”

It’s a simple answer, but she sounds genuine, and I really want it to be genuine. “I love you, too.” I’m the one to kiss her this time, backing her into a tree as I thrust my tongue