Caleb came to an immediate halt, his eyes closing against that surging wave of heat in his chest.
"Caleb?" Sarah's concerned voice inquired beside him. "What's wrong?"
He released a shuddering exhale, his hands squeezing into fists at his sides. It was a familiar sensation, but now that he was so oversaturated with Power…
"Caleb."
His ears strained to hold onto the sound of her voice, and he focused on his breathing. In; out. In; out. Nice and easy, Danvers… "Someone's using," he practically rasped, taking another deep breath to calm his nerves. It was ebbing slightly, and to his relief, it hadn't been a malevolent force he'd detected. That meant one of his friends was using at this very moment, and he had a feeling he knew exactly who…
The quiet between them was broken when Sarah gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, maybe you should just walk yourself the rest of the way."
His eyes widened as his head snapped around, and she looked none too pleased. "What? Sarah, no—"
"You obviously need some time to yourself," she said, starting to break away from him, "so why don't you just—"
"Sarah," he pleaded, his arm shooting out across her shoulders to block her retreat. He heard her gasp shortly, and even he couldn't help the way his breath caught in his throat when he touched her. He didn't have to question why: it was the first real physical contact he'd had with her in weeks, and realizing this caused his heart to ache. "Please," he rasped, wishing she would at least look at him. "Don't go."
She hesitated, but then looked up at him with those clear blue eyes of hers. He could sense her inner struggle, could almost feel how much her heart wanted to stay…but he blinked when he realized he was sensing her emotions through his Power, and now that he was actually touching her…
Clenching his jaw, he pulled himself back, holding up his hands in an almost apologetic manner as he struggled for something to say.
But once her gaze hardened, he knew he wouldn't have that chance. "I mean it," she pressed, though couldn't disguise the brief waver in her voice, "just go." And with that, she brushed passed him, wrapping her arms around herself as she continued on her trek towards A-Building.
Caleb could do nothing more than watch her leave, her slender figure becoming smaller and smaller as she continued to walk away. He'd hoped that escorting her back to her dorm might be a way for them to start reconnecting again, but once again, he'd been thwarted by the overwhelming reminder that the Power was an ever-present part of his soul.
And there was no way to guarantee that he could ultimately protect her from his inability to control it.
Damn it! He cursed to himself, feeling his heart tighten painfully.
Lily couldn't believe her eyes. One moment, he'd been standing there on the railing, and the next thing she knew…
"Surprise, beautiful," Tyler said gently.
The carnation fell from her fingers. Oh…my God. He should have fallen, but Tyler was…was floating in mid-air! Simply hovering beyond the boundaries of the belfry as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Gasping softly, she brought a hand to her lips.
"It's okay," he soothed, "don't be scared. I know this is an abrupt way of doing this, but…"
Scared? No, she thought. The only thing she'd been scared of was the prospect of him plummeting ten stories to his imminent death. But seeing him like this—his floating form set against the backdrop of the darkening twilight sky—she was absolutely entranced. Tyler Simms was flying right in front of her, and suddenly the details of Sarah's account were starting to fall into place: the legends about the town; the stories about their families; the rumors about the origins of witchcraft...She slowly lowered her hand from her face. "Your eyes," she breathed.
"It's what happens when we use Power."
Power. She remembered Sarah's emphasis on that particular word, and marveled at the evidence before her. The encompassing blackness of his eyes gave his appearance an almost sinister edge, and as much as Lily adored their natural sapphire color…seeing the way they shone now from the faintest touches of light was nothing short of breathtaking. "How…" Curious now, she stepped up to the railing and placed her palms upon it, her eyes scanning the air around him. No evidence of suspension wires; no one on in sight to assist him; nothing to show that this was an elaborate hoax. "How are you even doing that?"
"It's not so much that I have to do anything, actually," he drifted over to the right, his eyes never leaving hers. "It's all a matter of will: if I can picture it in my mind, then I can will it to happen. Levitation is one of the things that takes a couple years to master, but the experience is something you'll never forget."
Although she couldn't quite understand what he was trying to convey, the confidence and certainty in his voice had her smiling inwardly. "That happens every time, then? With your eyes?"
"Depends on how Power's being used. Something like levitation requires a lot more concentration, hence the visible eye transformation. Something a little less extreme, however…" Angling his head, there was the briefest flicker of flame-colored light spreading from where his pupils normally were, causing her to blink. "…usually just appears as a trick of the light." Then something appeared out of the corner of her eye, and she saw the pink carnation she'd dropped floating gracefully to his outstretched hand. "Something that most people tend to dismiss without a second thought."
Telekinesis, Lily thought, smiling softly at his demonstration. "That's…incredible."
"I'm sorry I wasn't out in front with you about this from the start," he said, "but it's not a secret I can share with just anyone. The guys and I have a—"
"Code of silence," she finished for him. "I know, and I can understand why it would be hard for you to trust people."
He gave a small smile of gratitude. "Yeah, well…I could hardly give two shits about a code if it means hurting you in the process. I care about you too much for that. This is who I am, Lily, and it's something I've wanted to tell you for a very long time."
Hearing him say this caused her heart to swell beneath her chest.
Then he was floating over the railing, coming to a gradual descent before her. Once his feet had touched the stone floor, the blackness faded from his eyes, revealing their natural blue once more. "Now you're seeing me," he said, "all of me."
For a long moment, her eyes searched his, and in them, she detected nothing but sincerity; warmth. Respect. To her, it made him appear more handsome than ever, and she felt herself smile calmly. "So this is what a warlock looks like."
His eyebrows went up, a smile of his own crossing his lips. "You're not afraid."
"No," she answered truthfully. "Not afraid of you, Tyler. I…do have a lot more questions for you, but..."
He chuckled softly, a sound that had her biting down gently on her lip. "I'm not surprised that you do. But whatever you want to know, I'm more than willing to answer. And if you would do me the honor of going to dinner with me tonight," he presented the carnation to her once more, "I'd be happy to start having that conversation with you, Lily. So what do you say: will you give me a second chance at our first date?"
She could feel her cheeks flush slightly, and as she reached out to accept the flower from him, she couldn't suppress her catch of breath when her skin touched his. He must have sensed it, too, for his hand gently surrounded hers, letting the contact linger between them a moment longer. That familiar warmth was coursing through her veins yet again, much like when he'd first taken her hand. A contented sigh passed her lips as she lifted her eyes to his, the beauty of his gaze only heightened by the gentle smile marking his features.
"Absolutely," she smiled, and then he was stepping forward to wrap his arms around her the sweetest of hugs. Lily discreetly pulled in a deep breath, that warmth suddenly intensifying in his embrace. It was as though this simple act was giving her strength, and she clung to him in return, reveling in the euphoric sensation that seemed to be racing to every inch of her body.
Tyler, her mind whispered, pressing her cheek against his shoulder.
She heard him sigh. "I've missed you."
I've missed you, too, she thought. "Don't ever do that to me again."
"You have my word."
She had to smile. "Your word as a warlock?"
He pulled back to look her right in the eye. "As the man you make me want to be," he corrected.
His proclamation had her lips parting on an intake of breath, his words only amplifying the warmth she felt beneath her chest. Such a beautiful, beautiful thing to say...
"We should get going," he said, taking her hand in his. "I've got reservations for us at Sorellina at six-thirty."
At that, her eyes widened, immediately recognizing the name of that restaurant. One that she knew catered to a very specific, high-end clientele…"That place out in Boston?"
"Yeah," he grinned, leading her back to the belfry stairs, "it's only about a half hour from here, and they'll be waiting for us."
"Am I dressed right for it?"
"You're perfect," he proclaimed, arching a brow at her. "What do you say? You up for a little adventure?"
Hearing this, her hesitation all but disappeared, and she gave him a knowing smile. "This mean we get to take Beauty for a spin?" Beauty. His prized black Hummer, and an absolute beast of a vehicle. It was something she knew he referred to as one of the greatest loves of his life, and in truth, she loved going for rides in that big, dark behemoth of his.
His grin already gave her his answer. "You better believe it."
She gave a soft laugh, indicating the stairs with a gesture of her flower. "Lead the way, then, Tyler."