Enlightenment (Children of Ankh series Book 2) Read online

  Zach chuckled, “You’re having rather graphic dreams again Brighton.”

  What time is it? How long had she been asleep? Why had they stopped moving? She smacked Zach in the face with her pillow.

  He climbed up on her bunk next to her and said, “Don’t kill the messenger. I’m just trying to be a friend.”

  Kayn decided to confide in Zach, “They’re my sister’s memories. They are actual memories. They aren’t just dreams. I feel like I’ve lived everything I’m dreaming about. These dreams come with Chloe’s feelings. It started that night back at the hotel and it hasn’t stopped. I’m not sure if this is what I want or if it’s what she wants. I’m afraid if I give in to what she wants, she’ll take over. I’m afraid I won’t be me anymore. Kayn loves Kevin. Chloe loves Frost but truthfully, I don’t have any idea what I want. In a perfect world, I would be with Kevin but that’s not possible now.”

  Zach gave her arm a squeeze as he whispered, “You’re making things way too complicated. You’re trying to hold onto the person that you were before you became Ankh. That girl’s gone. Kevin’s gone too Kayn. I was Triad. I’ve seen people have their memories erased. I would never want to hurt you but I promise you, the guy that you loved, he’s long gone.”

  She knew Zach was only trying to make her understand that waiting for Kevin was pointless. She winked at him and teased, “Our platonic love can last forever.”

  Zach grinned and said, “Always.” He gave her another giant bear hug and sighed, “I’d never want to lose you or Melody. I know you ladies find me difficult to resist but you’re going to have to find a way to control yourselves.”

  Grey leapt on top of them. He hugged them both, squishing them flat, he chuckled, “I love you too man, isn’t this beautiful. All of this platonic love.”

  “Grey, I can’t breathe, you’re squishing me.” Kayn blurted in the midst of laughter.

  Zach choked out, “Grey that’s my ass you’re pinching.”

  “It’s not my fault. You have a lady butt,” Grey chuckled.

  Zach socked Grey in the stomach and began wrestling with him trying to defend his manhood, furious over the carefree immortals, lady butt comment.

  Kayn was giggling from under a pile of guys when Melody wandered around the corner and piped in, “Trying something new?”

  Grey grabbed her and yanked her onto the bunk with them. “Smart asses get platonically loved around here.” He started giving her a birdie. In about five seconds, it looked like she’d taken a brush and back combed her hair. The girls were both laughing, trying to squirm away.

  As Lexy strolled down the hall towards the bathroom, she sighed, “It’s way too early in the morning for this crap.” She slammed the bathroom door dramatically behind her.

  Frost paused in front of the group wrestling on the bed for a second, shook his head and then continued to the bathroom where he yanked on the door.

  Lexy’s voice called out, “I’m in here!”

  Frost complained, “I really have to go Lex.”

  An annoyed Lexy replied, “Go outside, we’re camping. You’re a guy; you can pee on a damn tree.”

  Frost paused in front of the group again and said, “Should I even ask?”

  Grey replied from on top of the dog pile, “It’s a platonic love fest.”

  “Good idea, the whole keeping it platonic thing,” Frost teased and then added, “Does anyone else need to use the bathroom. I have to go look for another one.”

  Kayn piped in, “I need to go.” The others rolled off of her and she hopped out of bed, still in her shorts and tank top from the day before with her unkempt hair a rather hilarious wild lion’s mane. She slipped on her shoes and followed him outside.

  Lily was setting up the tarp over the picnic table. She casually stated, “That’s a good look for you hun.”

  Kayn clicked in and tried to pat down her hair.

  Frost grinned and sighed, “Hold still for a second.” He ran his fingers through it and added, “You’re going to need to wet your hair down. Let’s go find the bathroom Froggy. You’ll scare the other campers wandering around like that.”

  His little nickname was never funny but at this moment she felt like a frog. She looked at him and sarcastically said, “Ribbit.”

  He cracked a giant grin, then stopped and asserted, “Give me your hand.” He slipped the elastic band off of her wrist and put her hair back in a messy ponytail. He took one loose tendril out on the side of her face and said, “I always thought Grey had a wacked out sense of humor but you’ve officially won…Ribbit?” He shook his head at her and kept walking.

  The morning’s welcoming rays shone through the branches, creating magical streams of sunlight. The birds sang their chorus in the sky and the slow rhythmic chirp of crickets almost fell in perfect time to every third step of their feet. Just another one of those odd things you notice when you have heightened senses. His butt looked amazing in those jeans. Her attraction to him annoyed her almost as much as that condescending nickname. She wanted to smack him with one of the sticks from the ground. Kayn decided that now was as good a time as any. She bent down, picked up a stick from the trail and poked sexy Frost in the butt.

  He turned around, gave her a funny look and complained, “What in the hell Brighton?”

  She stated, “So, is that how you see me? Chloe was the princess and I’m the frog.”

  Frost stopped walking and stated, “That’s absolutely ridiculous. I shortened it. There was a sticker on your face when we met. It wasn’t Chloe I rooted for on the night of your Correction. It was you. When it was time for the clan to claim you, I didn’t have a chance. You were already in love with somebody else. Do yourself a big favor, stop selling yourself short. You’re amazing; you always have been, just as you are.”

  That was the most incredible thing anyone had ever said to her and it had come from Frost.

  “The bathroom’s over there,” he pointed out as he shook his head and walked away from her, disappearing into the public bathroom without looking back.

  She could tell he was offended by her assumption that his nickname was anything less than endearing. She wandered towards the bathroom and had to shove the door open. It was wheel chair accessible and weighted so it would close on its own, which of course would make it more difficult to open for someone who was actually in a wheelchair. That always irritated her. It was one of her pet peeves. She walked inside and looked into the mirror at her refection. It was worse than she thought, even after being fixed by Frost. She smiled. He’d been rooting for her on the night of her Correction. She quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face and dampened her curls. She put on a little bit of makeup and decided she had better get out there before he left without her. She shoved the door open again and he wasn’t outside. Maybe he’d already left and started to walk back to the campsite? She placed her ear up against the door to the men’s room. She couldn’t hear anyone in there. She should make sure before just walking away. As Kayn pushed the door, Frost hollered, “You’re about to get an eye full Brighton.”

  She let the door close, then cracked it open a bit while apologizing, “Sorry, I wasn’t sure if you left to walk back without me.” She leaned up against it. Just one cool moment, is that really so much to ask for? She stepped away from the door.

  He stuck his head out and teased, “Quit apologizing Brighton. So, you wanted to see me naked, everybody does.” He closed the door.

  Kayn cracked a smile and then started to laugh. Just when she’d dared to think maybe he was more than the pompous ass she’d always seen him as. He’d clarified the situation. She started the trek back to the campsite without him. She’d only been walking for a few minutes when he caught up to her. She could hear his footsteps but she didn’t turn around.

  Frost’s voice dramatically sighed, “What did I do now?”

  She kept walking ahead of him. It was her turn to not bother looking back. What an ass. This was funny as hell for him.

  Fros
t started to laugh, “I was kidding. It was a joke.”

  She continued ignoring the insufferable ass.

  His voice teased, “Is it difficult to walk that fast with that stick up your ass?”

  Kayn stopped walking, swung around to face him and hissed, “I don’t know. Do people chase you around with wads of toilet paper because you’re a piece of shit?”

  Frost cracked a grin and held his hands up in front of him to show her that he had surrendered. “Good one Brighton. You win… Truce?” He said as he took advantage of the fact that she’d stopped and grabbed for her wrist.

  She scolded, “Let me go Frost. I’m not in the mood for your games.”

  He rubbed his thumb in a gentle circular motion on her wrist and seductively whispered, “You’re tying yourself up in knots for no reason. You’re always trying to pick a fight with me, it’s exhausting.” He yanked her towards him and forcibly held her against him as he whispered in her ear, “Lighten up. Have some fun today. I dare you.” He released her from his arms as soon as she stopped struggling against his embrace.

  He was right. She got bent out of shape every time he opened his mouth. This was confusing as hell for her. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to kiss Frost or smack him over the side of the head with a shovel. Both options felt equally appealing. Kayn sucked in her confusing urges and responded, “You’re right, I haven’t been fair to you. You haven’t been fair to me either. You’ve barely spoken to me for a whole damn year. Do you have any idea what it felt like to go for a run, have you follow me and never say a damn word? You stalked me for an entire year. You were there, everywhere I went.”

  Frost cautiously replied, “I had to keep you safe. You needed time to attach to Zach and Melody. I was warned that you could become too dependent on me. It’s a complicated situation.”

  He was right. Frost had barely spoken to her and she had used the mere sight of him as a security blanket. She had always needed to know that he was close by. He both drove her insane and calmed her down.

  He held out his hand towards her and promised, “I won’t ignore you again.”

  If this was Grey or Zach, she wouldn’t have hesitated before grabbing their hand but she still wanted to punch pretty boy Frost in the head. They were playing a game of chess and it was her move. She wasn’t certain it was the right one but he was her clan and she was supposed to show him that she trusted him. She allowed him to lace his fingers with hers. It didn’t kill her. His touch had quite the opposite effect. The birds were chirping and the branches of the trees were moving a slow waltz in the morning breeze. She became really quiet as they strolled back together. A part of her kept whispering Kevin’s name until she let go of Frost’s hand. She felt guilty for holding it.

  “I’ve seen you hold Grey’s hand fifty times,” Frost teased. “I guarantee you Kevin has done a lot more than hold someone’s hand. You know that right?”

  Kayn responded, “I know that.”

  Frost stated, “Fair enough, I’ll try not to be offended and just assume that you’re a little bit flighty.” He started to laugh as he teased, “See…That was a joke. Lighten up Brighton. Sometimes you just like people with no rational explanation. Stop trying to plan and figure out every moment. Just do me a favor, for one day, try to have fun. Just have a good time without worrying about the consequences of every action. Nobody is going to let you do anything you’ll regret.” He held his hand out again, his eyes beckoning her to take it.

  She took it, knowing she was playing with fire, being with him felt exciting and more than a little bit dangerous.

  He stopped walking, lifted their interlaced fingers to his lips, kissing the back of her hand as he assured, “Nobody is going to let me do anything you’ll regret either.” Frost let go of her hand just before they arrived.

  Grey attempted to pass Frost a beer and Kayn snagged it out of his hand. She looked at the group and said, “Morning Grey.” She downed the entire beer.

  Grey grinned at her and taunted, “Should I just start holding your hair right now?”

  Melody stepped out of the motorhome and sighed, “Are we already drinking beer at eight am …Seriously?”

  Grey took a swig of his beer and declared, “Kayn started it.”

  Melody gave her a funny look as she said, “If you start drinking at eight in the morning, you won’t make it past noon.”

  Kayn smiled and countered, “I’m just having one right now. Then I’m going swimming.”

  Zach whipped his shirt off while agreeing with her plans, “That’s a brilliant idea. I’ll race you to the water.”

  Grey also stripped his shirt off. Kayn hadn’t even put on a bathing suit but Frost had dared her to cut loose. Fine, you think I need to cut loose, watch and learn. She tugged her tank top off and tossed it aside, leaving only her sports bra and shorts on as she raced the boys to the water. They saw the dock in the distance and sprinted for it. She raced down the center and leapt off the end into the water. She came to the surface. Crap! It was cold! The rest of them came strolling down the length of the dock with the cooler full of beer and Grey lured them towards the hot tub and the pool. It wasn’t a very nice lake to swim in; it was all slimy and sludgy on the bottom. They moved their gathering to the heated pool and hot tub. Kayn dove into the pool and swam the length of it under water. She came up on the other side almost in Frost’s lap.

  Frost was sitting on the edge of the pool. He chuckled, “I swear I didn’t plan that.”

  She pivoted around and started swimming back to the other end. She heard the splash of him jumping in but didn’t look back. When she reached the other end of the pool, she held onto it.

  He appeared beside her and exclaimed, “It feels good to step out of your box, doesn’t it?”

  Kayn smiled at Frost as she admitted, “You’re right, I’m over thinking everything. Maybe it’s time I had some fun.”

  Taking full advantage of her declaration Frost announced, “If I beat you to the other side, you have to rub my feet.” He took off without giving her a chance to answer.

  She beamed as she hollered, “That’s cheating!” Even though she had no hope of winning the bet she still raced him to the other side. He beat her there and she knew she’d have to pay up. They all sat in the hot tub as Kayn rubbed Frost’s feet. She looked into the immortal’s eyes as she teased, “I thought your feet would be hotter.”

  Frost splashed her from the other side of the hot tub and laughed, “What’s wrong with my feet?”

  “Nothing, but have you ever seen Shallow Hal? A girl gets dumped for having a longer toe like yours.”

  He grabbed her feet underwater, tugged her towards him and held her foot up while flirtatiously sparring, “You have the same toes!”

  Kayn smiled widely as she countered, “Hey, I never claimed to be the perfect specimen of manhood.”

  “I’m sure you meant womanhood,” he baited. Instead of letting go of her foot, he started to massage it. She began to giggle and squirm. Frost teased, “Relax… Close your eyes, you’re getting your feet rubbed by a perfect specimen of manhood with messed-up toes.”

  It felt good. She closed her eyes, attempting to relax. Frost was touching her. They were having a good time together. This was weird. She opened her eyes to Melody and Zach’s confused stares. Melody obviously thought Frost was a great idea. Zach on the other hand looked worried. It was more that he looked like he wanted to punch Frost in the face for touching her feet. He was taking his brotherly role too far. Kayn winked at him, letting him know that everything was okay. It was more than okay. She was stepping outside of her box and having a good time. They spent the entire day in the pool and the hot tub. Frost had spent the whole day finding new and increasingly creative excuses to touch her. He rubbed her feet. He accidentally bumped into her on various occasions. Other people got into the hot tub and he moved so close to her that he’d accidentally graze her thigh with his. She pretended it wasn’t on purpose. She didn’t care if he was a stupi
d idea. He was making her feel alive again.

  Just a Song

  You take a moment of happiness in whichever way it presents itself to you. A beautiful moment can come in many forms. Sometimes beautiful moments are not found in obvious places.

  There was nothing striking about this dive of a small town pub. It was always something random that changed the average experience to the memorable. She could tell this was going to be one of those nights. One of those places to remember. A gold star on her always expanding list of wild whacked out memories. Memories that laid dormant in her mind waiting to be remised upon during the tediously long hours of travel that always seemed to lie ahead of her. The smoke machine in the corner added something extra seedy to the ambiance of the pub. Kayn lifted her hand from its place on the bar’s counter and it was actually covered in dust. She wiped it on her jeans. Kayn had been watching the dust as it drifted in through the large double swinging doors each time someone entered.

  The guys were sitting at a table a few feet away from her. They were probably talking about the bar’s female patrons. It was usually what they were talking about on any given occasion. They were watching the locals sing karaoke badly. This was the best kind of karaoke. The kind where everyone in the entire establishment was clearly tone deaf and possibly crazy but they were all having the time of their lives. Tonight was about embracing the simple things in life such as stopping at a random pub and allowing the crazy boys of Ankh to school the locals. She would have liked to use the ‘you’re only young once’ phrase but she could now be whatever age she chose to stay at. That particular phrase had lost its ability to hit home. Kayn was doing shots as they appeared before her. They were being sent from a table of attractive cowboys. The ladies of Ankh raised their tiny glasses in salute as a thank you. She found her gaze traveling as always in search of Frost. He was grinning at her, looking more than a little intrigued by the fact that she was still drinking. She had made a few alcohol induced decisions in the last five or ten minutes. She had decided that she was jealous of the flock of scantily clad girls that surrounded Frost and hung on his every word. She wanted to walk over, sit on Frost’s lap and stake her claim. Each time she peeked in his direction she caught him watching her. She glanced away, afraid he’d be able to read her mind if their gaze held for longer than a second. She was all but a few stolen glances and innocent brushes against him from ignoring her earlier plans to make good choices. He was thoroughly aware of this little tidbit of information. Kayn could hear the whole conversation at his table. She could hear it quite clearly from where she was sitting at the bar. It was becoming difficult to stifle her laughter.