Chapter 17
There was something about Harper that seemed to draw me in, and I wasn”t impressed. I didn”t need a distraction, especially not now. But as she sat there chatting with Melody, her laughter and bright green eyes stirred up an unexpected curiosity inside of me.
Stop staring, Griffin, I told myself, trying to shake off the inexplicable pull towards her. I poked at my lunch, attempting to regain focus on the meal in front of me, but my senses were filled with her presence.
As I sat there, I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness wafting from Harper. It was like a heavy fog creeping over the room, filling every corner and weighing down on me. She pretended to smile at Melody, but it was clear that her mind was elsewhere. My heart ached for her, even though I didn”t know her story.
I felt my body lean over to touch her hand before I could stop myself. The moment our skin made contact, electricity crackled between us, sending shivers down my spine. I quickly pulled back, cursing my impulsive action.
”What the fuck?” Harper looked at me, confusion etched across her face.
”Stay the fuck away from me,” I replied, annoyed at my own inability to maintain control.
The fire coursing through my veins was unlike anything I”d ever experienced before. It started in my arm, where I had touched Harper”s hand, and it was spreading with a ferocity that both terrified and exhilarated me.
”Jesus Christ,” I muttered under my breath, trying to maintain some semblance of composure. I had known she was powerful, but this? This was on another level entirely.
I couldn”t shake the feeling that Harper was more than we bargained for. She wasn”t the one we were looking for – she couldn”t be. Her powers were too strong, too potent. If she were to become a central figure in our group, I doubted any of us would make it out unscathed.
”Shit,” I muttered under my breath, trying to focus on anything other than the burning sensation still coursing through my veins like liquid fire. The way her touch had ignited something in me... It wasn”t natural. But as much as I tried to deny it, there was no escaping the truth: my body was betraying me.
”Griffin, what the fuck was that?” Dante”s voice called out, cutting through the air like a whip. I could hear his footsteps approaching, rapid and insistent, as Orlando followed close behind. I sighed, knowing there was no escaping this conversation.
”Jesus, man, give me a second to breathe,” I muttered, running my hand through my hair in frustration. Still, I couldn”t help but feel a flicker of gratitude for their concern.
”Alright, you”ve got your damn sec,” Dante retorted, his brown eyes flashing with impatience. ”Now explain. Why did you touch her? And why”d you bolt like that?”
”Look, it”s... complicated.” I hesitated, unsure of how to put my jumbled thoughts into words. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing the confusion that swirled within me.
”Complicated my ass,” Dante scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. ”Spill it.”
Orlando remained silent beside me, his green eyes studying me intently. He was always the observer, patient and calculating. I knew he wouldn”t push for answers but would wait for me to open up on my own terms.
”Fine,” I relented, exhaling slowly. ”I think Harper might be my mate.”
Dante”s mouth dropped open, shock colouring his features. ”You”re shitting me, right?”
”Does it look like I”m joking?” I snapped, my temper flaring. ”But she”s... different. Stronger than any of us. When I touched her, it felt like my skin was on fire. She”s got four powers, Dante – fire, healing, feelings, and transporting. And they”re not just strong; they”re fucking terrifying.”
”Shit,” Dante whispered, running a hand through his brown hair. ”That”s... intense.”
”Intense doesn”t even begin to cover it,” I muttered, my mind racing with the implications of what I”d just revealed.
Dante”s eyes widened, his charismatic grin replaced by a look of concern. ”We can”t just leave it like this, Griffin,” he said firmly. ”We need to go back and talk to her. We can”t let her think that you don”t want to be her friend if she is your mate. We”re a package deal, remember? Where you go, we go.”
”Let”s just give it some time, let things cool down a bit,” Orlando interjected, his green eyes flicking between me and Dante. He was the voice of reason, the one who kept us from acting on impulse.
”Easy for you to say,” Dante shot back, crossing his arms. ”Just because you don”t trust her doesn”t mean that I don”t. It”s not fair to put me in that position.”
”Hey,” Orlando raised his hands defensively, ”I never said I didn”t trust her. But we”re a package deal, remember? And right now, Griffin and I need some time. We need to know more about her.”
”Fine,” Dante huffed, his brown eyes boring into mine. ”But promise me one thing, Griffin – when you do talk to her, don”t treat her like a threat. Treat her like a person.”
I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to argue. My heart pounded against my ribs, the memory of Harper”s touch igniting a fire within me that couldn”t be extinguished. The thought of getting closer to her both terrified and exhilarated me, but what choice did I have?
”Alright,” I agreed, nodding slowly. ”I”ll try.”