Pure Magic (Ballad of the Seer, Book One)

Chapter 4 - Losing Control

For almost a week after Gran left, Lily holed up in her bedroom. That strange pull seized her every time she went to town. The day after Gran left, she went to meet Dianna and Hilary at the diner.  She remembered getting out of her mother's car. Then, suddenly, she was halfway across town, standing in front of the school with no clue how she got there.

She wouldn't have left today if Dianna hadn't refused to come over again. She insisted that Lily needed to get out, before she became a shut-in.

Lily was just leaving Dianna's when she saw Jack walking into his house, across the street. He'd been so busy with football practice that she hadn't seen him since the party at Lake Cornelia. Not that she minded. She didn't know what to say. Things had changed between them since she got home from Paris. Plus, she was having feelings for a boy she had never met, who she had only seen in real life once. Although, he featured in her dreams every night. He was always running from some form of darkness. She always tried to protect him, but she never could.

After gathering her nerve, Lily abandoned her bicycle and crossed the street.

Jack opened the door with a plate in his hand. His eyes widened. His cheeks bulged with the missing chunk of his sandwich. He quickly chewed it up and swallowed. "What are you doing here?" He didn't sound upset, only curious.

Lily pointed over her shoulder. "Dianna... I was with her. Then, I saw you, so here I am." She held her arms out.

"Did you want to come in?" Jack asked.

Lily closed her eyes as a range of emotions washed over her, emanating from Jack. She felt a twinge of anger, but only for a second. Confusion warred with deep weariness and dread. So many things all at once. She couldn't get them sorted. Her head ached. She had never experienced such a conflicting configuration of feelings.

Did Jack feel this all the time? If so, she was glad that she rarely got a glimpse into his head. His mind was as stingy with his thoughts as he was with talking about them. Gran always told her that some people could create mental barriers in their minds, as a subconscious protection. It allowed Lily to see only what was on the surface of the mind—idle thoughts and short term memories—unless she dug deeper, the way she had at the lake.

Lily blinked against the pain that threatened to split apart her head. She searched for a positive emotion to latch onto. Anything that would lessen the unrelenting agony in her mind. Through all the other feelings she came upon a sudden overwhelming rush of desire. She focused on that to block out everything else.

Her eyes opened to Jack with newfound pining that she couldn't control. She grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him forward to kiss him. Something shattered on the floor, but Lily didn't care as she pushed her tongue into his mouth.

Jack pulled her inside and nudged the front door closed with his foot, never removing his lips from hers. His passion burned deep, not just in his emotions, in his kisses, as well. He picked her up and carried her across the room to the couch. His mouth trailed the line from her ear, down her neck. He pushed aside the strap of her top and kissed along her shoulder and collarbone. His hands slid under the hem of her shirt and slowly pushed it up.

Lily knew what would happen if this didn't stop soon, but she didn't care. In that moment, she wanted him so bad. His yearning for her filtered through her, turning into her own yearning for him. He wanted to touch her, to kiss her, to be with her. Because he wanted that, now so did she.

Jack broke away long enough to pull his t-shirt over his head. Her hands felt along the lines of muscle of his stomach as he resumed kissing her. He pulled her across his lap.

He unbuttoned her jeans as she pulled off her shirt. She was set to go all the way. His fingers had just found the clasp of her bra when she felt a wave of shock replace her desire. She pushed him away, strangely horrified.