INeverSawAnotherButterfly – Aww thanks (: You don't know how happy that review made me! And yes, Paul is totally a jerk. Haha (:

booklover9940 – Haha (: Sorry for the cliffy, but they're so much fun!

I just read the second chapter of Defiance on Mrs. Crane's blog. It turns out that Rodney lives on a ranch, so… SURPRISE! (: Nick lives on a ranch, now. Haha (:

The Significance Series belongs to Shelly Crane.

Chapter Nine

I cursed under my breath. I couldn't believe that I'd forgotten about Royce and Nolan picking up dinner. I should've known that they would be home soon. Nick glanced at me, but he made no move to get away. Royce would see that the two of us were incredibly close, that this was more than just two friends hanging out together. And to make matters worse, he knew that this was the Nick that I refused to let him meet. And even worse, he didn't know that I'd broken up with Paul. I could tell by the look on his face that he thought I was the type of girl to go sneaking around with other guys. I think that hurt more than anything.

I pushed open my door and stepped out, hoping that Nick wouldn't follow. And I was surprised that he hadn't had to release me to let me out of the car. I closed the door behind me just as Royce came around to my side. He was fuming. I caught a glimpse of Nolan standing there by the car, holding the plastic bag of Chinese food. It would've been amusing if Royce wasn't standing over me, clearly ticked.

I was determined to stand my ground against my brother. He would never do anything to hurt me, but he certainly looked menacing. He was broad and tall and thick. He could easily beat someone up, chew them up and spit them out. Royce was the type of guy that I wouldn't want to cross. But he would never do anything to me. Nick, though, was a different story.

"Is this what you do, Elsie? You sneak around behind your boyfriend's back?" He demanded. "We raised you better than that!" I could see a vein popping out on the side of his neck. I'd never seem him so mad before, especially not at something that was completely my business. I didn't know why it mattered to him so much, anyway. But it had somehow struck a chord deep down.

I heard Nick's car door slam shut, and my heart rate shot through the roof. Royce would turn on Nick, blaming him for the fact that I was hanging around with him in the first place. Nick was already on the defensive. I could feel a steady stream of frantic thoughts coming from his mind. He didn't think Royce would purposely hurt me, but he was worried that he would hurt me accidentally. He was huge compared to me, and he was a lot stronger than I would ever be.

"You," Royce said, turning to point at Nick. "Who are you, anyway?" He demanded. He made a step forward to walk around the front of the car. Nick was starting to walk the same way.

I reached out and grabbed his arm. "Royce, stop!" I yanked on his arm as hard as I could. My brother tried to pull against me. The only thing I could think to do was drop to the ground. No matter how strong he was, dead weight would slow him down. I practically fell onto the sidewalk, dragging Royce down with me. He managed to keep his balance, though, nearly pulling me back up. "Royce!" I called again as he started to drag me on the sidewalk. He was going to tear a hole in my jeans. Or through Nick's face.

I glanced up at my significant. He had been just fine until Royce had started to pull me along. Now, he was just as mad as my older brother. He had his fist on his chest, like he was trying to grab a hold of my heart. I could feel his heart beating, too, if I focused hard enough. He was only going to protect me, and that's exactly what Royce thought he was doing.

My breath constricted in my chest. Nick paused to take a look at me, Royce drawing closer. The events of the entire day caught up with me. It had been the most emotional day of my life. Or, at least, close to it. And right there, nearly sitting on the sidewalk while being pulled by my older brother, I burst into tears.

Everyone stopped. Royce stopped trying to move, effectively dropping me on the ground. Nolan was still standing at the end of the car, Chinese food bags in hand. Nick was the only one that moved. Royce was so shocked – I never cry in public. I hadn't even cried at my parents' funeral, only at home in my bedroom – that he didn't even try to stop Nick as he moved around the front of the car and brushed right past my brother. He dropped to his knees beside me and took my face in his hands. I sniffled loudly, and I was sure that I looked awful. I sure was doing a lot of crying of late, and I wasn't sure that I really liked it. Nick smoothed his thumbs over my cheeks, wiping away my tears.

Royce was suddenly in motion, grabbing the collar of Nick's shirt. I immediately wrapped my arms around Nick's neck, being pulled up along with him. I doubted he liked being thrown around like he was. "Royce!" I screamed at my brother as he pulled Nick and me up. "God, stop it!" I managed to get my feet underneath me before launching in between Nick and Royce. My breath was heaving, Nick's hand splayed on my lower back, where my t-shirt had ridden up a little bit to show bare skin.

"Elsie," Royce huffed. "What do you think you're doing? You're going to regret messing around with this idiot." Nick's fingers dug into my back a little bit.

"I'm not going to regret it! Jesus, Royce. Paul and I aren't together anymore! We broke up!"

Royce stopped. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then said, "When did this happen?"

"Does it even matter?" I demanded, crossing my arms in front of my chest. I could've sworn that I heard Nick's thoughts brushing up against my mind. He was pleased that I was standing up to my brother to protect him, but he was also worried that I was just going to alienate myself from my family. "The point is that you just assaulted my boyfriend!" There was another warm flush that came from Nick. He liked being called my boyfriend. And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't like it, too.

"Your boyfriend? When did that happen?" Royce demanded.

"It's recent. Sorry you didn't get the memo yet." I shot sarcastically. "Apologize."

"Elsie, I'm sorry." Royce sounded honest and truly sincere. "I didn't know that you and Paul broke up, and you know I don't like you hanging around with guys I haven't met. What did you expect from me when we pulled up and you're fogging up the windows with some guy?"

"I meant to Nick," I said, keeping my face a solid mask.

Before Royce could even answer, Nick said, "It's cool, man. Honest mistake," he said it offhandedly, like he hadn't just been wrenched to his feet by the back of his shirt. Royce nodded. I opened my mouth to say that the little exchange between the two of them didn't count as an apology when I heard it. Just drop it, Elsie. It was Nick's voice, ringing clearly in my head. I took a deep breath and glanced over my shoulder at him. A tiny smile quirked at the edges of his lips.

All of us stood there in awkward silence for a moment before Nolan called out. "Chinese is going inside!" He headed up the steps and opened up the door, leaving it ajar. I could hear him as he set down the plastic bag in the kitchen. Royce ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I really am sorry." He said quietly. I was just about to say something to him when Nolan leaned out of the open doorway. He was trying really hard to calm things down in his own way "Yo! You want a fortune cookie, Elsie?"

I rolled my eyes and took Nick's hand. I pulled him down the sidewalk, pausing to put a hand on Royce's arm. It was as much as an acceptance as his apology had been an apology. He nodded and ran up the steps. "I guess not! More for me!" Nolan yelled out, his voice echoing in the neighborhood. I rolled my eyes and dragged Nick down to the stop sign.

"Where to?" I asked

Nick glanced over at me, a smile lighting up his entire face. "I've got a place that I want to show you."

# # #

Nick had led me to a garden. I didn't know if he did it on purpose or not, but I absolutely love flowers. It's something that I picked up from my mom, even if she hadn't been my biological mother. I took a deep breath, taking in the scent of summer flowers. "It's beautiful." I said, opening my eyes. The moon was high in the sky, lighting up the garden.

Nick's hand had remained in mine the entire way here. Before, he was guiding the way, the two of us sneaking down the sidewalks in the late evening. Now, I was pulling him behind me, exploring the garden. I used to want to start a huge garden in the backyard, but that was before my parents died. If I couldn't make it in songwriting, I'd wanted to be a horticulturist, and I'd even taken classes at the high school. But college wasn't an option for me because there was no way that we could afford it, even with student loans. By time I'd graduated, though, my dreams of raising plants had crashed into the ground and burned to ashes. But that didn't mean I didn't enjoy what was already there.

I found a bench in the midst of all the flowers. I sat down and pulled him onto the bench next to me. I pulled my knees up to my chest and leaned against him, our fingers woven together waffle-style. I raised my gaze to the moon. Nick leaned forward and kissed my cheek, his breath warm and making my hair tickle my cheek and the back of my neck. I smiled and leaned into him. I never would've thought that I would break up with Paul for someone else. I never would've thought that I would let myself be this… reckless.

"I knew you would like them." Nick whispered to me. "You just seem like a flower sort of girl." I laughed, a giggle that sounded sort of out of place, but it also seemed to fit right in. I took a deep breath.

"Well, you were right." I said, raising our intertwined hands. Nick looked at them too. I liked the feeling of his palm pressed against mine. Our hands seemed to fit together perfectly, like they were molded to fit. Nick leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine. If I focused hard enough, I could get flashes of what he was thinking. It seemed like he was always thinking about me, the way I was always thinking about him. And more often than not, he was thinking about kissing me.

I smiled to myself, not sure if he could see me in the dark. I slowly pulled my hand away from his and touched the side of his neck. His breath caught, and I found myself smiling even more. I closed my eyes and moved in first, but Nick didn't let me hang for too long. His lips found mine.

I've had kisses in my past, but none of them compared to this. The entire world seemed to fall into shadow until it was just me and Nick. It was like an imprint, a cooling burn that stretched over my skin. My whole body tingled, like all of my limbs had fallen asleep, and now they were shaking with the rush of blood returning. And for the first time, it was like I could see into the crevices of Nick's mind. They were just flashes, pictures and snippets of sentences, but they were there.

My arms slid around his neck, tightening to pull him into me. One of his hands rested on my waist. He pressed me into the arm of the bench, the metal designs indenting themselves onto my back. My head was spinning. Nick had told me about this a little bit, that we would feel completely tied to one another. But Maggie had been the one that told me that I found feel such an intense love so quickly. And she'd told me that Nick would reciprocate it, times two.

I could feel our emotions wanting to control us. But I had never liked to be under control. It was my decisions. I pulled back from Nick, and he let out a shaky breath. Our foreheads rested together, our breath mingling. I could smell the flowers, but overlaying that was the smell of him. There weren't really words to describe it. All I knew was that it was perfect, that I loved it, that it signified, in some weird way, home.

"I can't believe I didn't kiss you the moment we imprinted." Nick managed to say.

I laughed as he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers trailed down my cheek. I could live off his touch alone and be happy for the rest of my life. "You were being a gentleman." I said jokingly.

Nick leaned back a little bit, his turquoise eyes focused wholeheartedly on mine. He seemed to be searching my face for something. You're perfect, you know. I heard his voice loud and clear in my head.

I decided to try and answer him back in the same fashion. I have my flaws.

But they're perfect. He said back. I smiled and he leaned in for another kiss.

# # #

Nick and I walked back to my house, hand-in-hand, on the sidewalk. I loved to be able to just hang out with him. I'd never been able to just sit with Paul. We always had to be doing something or saying something. Nick and I were silent as we moved through the neighborhood. It was dark now, and I could tell that he didn't like us being out this late. Or more like it, he didn't like me being out this late, but he figured he could take care of me for now.

We had just turned the corner on the sidewalk when bright lights turned on. It was a car that was parked at the curb. I'd thought that it was an empty car, but apparently someone had been sitting there, lying in wait. I was still halfway around the corner. Nick wrenched his hand from mine. I felt instant rejection, cold air filling in that warm place that he'd created.

The car door opened, and a few people climbed out of the car. I could see with the help of the streetlights and the car's headlights that they were all fairly tall, and all of them were dark-haired. There's something wrong, Elsie. Pretend that we're just friends. And act confused if they say anything about Aces.

What's this all about? I asked in my mind. It was weird to be able to talk to someone with my head, but it was a different level of intimacy. I never would've imagined that I could be in my boyfriend's head, but here I was, reading his thoughts and sending him my own. Nick didn't answer me, and I glanced over at him before turning back to squint into the headlights aimed at us.

"Another Jacobson," the voice was drawled out, like he was trying to be funny. "It looks like we just keep running into you guys." Whoever was with him laughed loudly. I bit down on my lip. I didn't like this, either. But Nick hadn't said anything more to me. My heart was pounding in my chest as the figures drew closer. I wanted to reach out to him, but Nick had warned me to pretend like I didn't know anything about the Aces. I assumed that was supposed to mean that I didn't know about the imprints, which meant that I wasn't imprinted with him. I had been fighting the notion for over a week, but now it hurt to pretend like Nick and I weren't connected.

"Marcus," Nick replied, his voice level. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh, we were just riding around. And then we saw you walking from the park with this girl." He wiggled his eyebrows at the two of us, and I tried not to react to him. "So, is she your significant? Did you imprint, too?" The words themselves were just questioning, but the tone he used said so much more. He practically spat the words. It was like he wanted to leap across the space that was between our two groups, wielding weapons to cut our throats.

I glanced at Nick, eyebrows furrowed together. "What is he talking about?" I whispered loudly. It was a stage whisper, and I really did my best to pretend that I'd accidentally just said it too loudly. I could feel Nick brush across my mind. He was so incredibly proud of me for taking the reins on this, for pretending that I was completely clueless.

Marcus laughed. "Are you meaning to tell me that you don't know?" He asked me.

"I'm sorry," I said, putting a hand on my hip. I was going to let my sarcastic side come out. In the past, it has gotten people riled up, but it's my best defense. Nick knew both factors, but he didn't say anything to me as I continued. "Though I think it's a good thing I don't know what you're talking about. That would be one step closer to the loony bin."

Marcus burst out laughing. "She's a spitfire, isn't she?" He said to no one in particular. He turned to look at Nick and said, "Much more interesting than Maggie, huh? She was too… scared." I forced myself not to leap to Maggie's defense. She had been a close friend through all of this, and I didn't want to hear anyone say anything bad about her. Once again, I got a flood of amazement and pride from Nick. I did my best to block it out.

"She doesn't know what you're talking about, Marcus." Nick said calmly. I pretended to be even more confused. I kept my mouth shut, though. The conversation was focused on me, but now I had the feeling that it would be better if I stayed quiet.

"So she's not your significant?" Marcus questioned.

"No." My heart lurched at hearing the words.

"So you're breaking your clan's rules?" Marcus continued.

Nick snorted. "You know as well as I do that those rules are stupid." He said offhandedly. "She's just a friend, Marcus. Now let us go."

"If she's just a friend, you won't mind if I do this," Marcus said, and then he reached out to grab me. Nick tried to step in front of me, and I immediately stepped back, but Marcus grabbed a hold of my arm. I tried to pull away, but that wasn't before I felt a burning on my arm. It was like Marcus's touch lit a fire on my skin, and it wasn't the warm and fuzzy type that Nick brought me. It hurt. It was painful. It was like an electrical current, zapping across my skin.

Marcus yanked back, and then he laughed, shaking out his hand. Nick launched himself across the empty space in between us. My heart pounded wildly in my chest as Nick and Marcus rolled on the ground. The two guys with Marcus looked up at me. I glanced down the street. Royce and Nolan were just a few houses down. With them, it would even up the playing field. But I couldn't draw my brothers into a fight between Ace families.

Maggie! I called it out in my head, hoping that maybe she was open enough to hear me. It was weird to be talking to anyone that wasn't Nick, but she was the only option to us both getting out of here. Maggie, it's Elsie. There's a guy named Marcus here on my street. I sent her the address and hoped that she could get here before it got worse. Nick pounded Marcus's face with his fist, and one of the guys jumped into the fray. The last one pulled on gloves, flexing his fingers as if he was going to try and grab me. I was the type to verbally fight. When I was younger, I would've wrestled with my brothers, but that consisted of hair-pulling and name-calling. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to hold my own against a guy.

So I did the next best thing. I let out a high-pitched scream. Nick glanced up to look at me, and Marcus took the chance to land a punch to his face. I screamed again as my significant fought two other guys. The third one was still looking at me, as if he was trying to figure out the best way to attack me. My heart pounded in my chest. I felt like I was about to throw up. At least, until a car turned the corner, illuminating us with its headlights. My heart caught in my throat as the car squealed to a stop.

Caleb and Rodney climbed out. I could see Nick's father and Peter in there, too. Maggie was sitting in the back. It looked like Peter was keeping a close eye on Maggie while her significant and Rodney jumped into the fray. Rodney grabbed my arm, and I was half expecting to feel the burn that I'd felt when Marcus touched me. "Get in the car, Elsie." He said, giving me a gentle shove. I stumbled towards the car. Peter leaned out the door and grabbed my outstretched arm, pulling me into the vehicle. I closed my eyes and talked to Nick in my head, begging him to keep going, to stay safe. I didn't know if I was making it worse, but I continued anyway.

After another minute or so, the other car took off. I had my face buried in my hands, solely concentrated on talking to Nick. Maggie's hand rested on my back, but none of them spoke to me. The moment the car was gone, I stood up to move back out to the sidewalk, to Nick. Nobody stopped me as I clambered out of the seat. Rodney was facing Nick, his back to me. Caleb reached out to Maggie. I paused to watch them as Maggie's touch healed Caleb's busted lip. I swallowed nervously, wishing that I could do the same for Nick because I knew he was hurt.

I ran around Rodney. He was tall, with his cowboy hat and plaid shirt on. I nearly shoved Rodney out of the way as I reached out to grab my significant. Nick looked up. His nose had a thin line of blood that trickled down over his lip. His lip was split, and there was a cut across his cheek. His jaw was already bruised. I grabbed onto his arm. "Oh my God," I breathed. "Oh my God, Nick," I reached out to touch his uninjured cheek. He leaned into my hand, and I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his neck.

Nick held onto me tightly, his arms completely going around my waist. I liked the feel of him so close, but seeing him get in a fight scared me so much that he wasn't able to calm me down right away. It was just barely a brush of calm, not the full force that I needed or wanted. "I'm fine, Elsie." He whispered to me. "I'm fine," he let me go and stretched out my arm.

I gasped. There was a black handprint on my arm, fingers and palm defined. Nick laid his hand over the print, his fingers slightly longer. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. I smoothed a thumb over his cut cheek, and he winced. "I wish I could heal you."

"It'll be okay. For now I'll just wear my marks of shame." He said it jokingly, but I could hear the serious tones underneath. He touched my face, his hand cupping my cheek. "We need to get you to my house. Gran will be there, she can take off the offense mark." He said.

"But it's late. What about my brothers?" I asked.

Nick shook his head. "Can you say that you're spending the night with a friend?" He asked.

I sat there for a moment, and then shook my head. "If I say that I'm staying with Hanna, my brothers might check in with her phone, so I'd have to ask her to cover for me. Hanna will want to know what's going on, and I can't tell her."

"You can say that you're staying with me," Maggie offered. "Your brothers won't mind if you're spending the night with a girl, right?" She asked.

"They haven't met you," I said.

"Well, let me meet them right now. You're family, after all." Maggie said. She reached out for my hand and took me away from Nick. My heart panged in my chest as we walked down the sidewalk. Maggie handed me her jacket to hide the offense mark as we climbed the steps to my front door.

I am just on a roll with the cliffhangers. I PROMISE I will be updating in the next few days. I just can't stay away from this story. (:

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