Meet Bran

Heat shot through me, making me feel alert and excited. I knew the feeling and the cause. Bran. He had just brushed his psi energy against mine. I looked up and searched for him.

He stood to the far left of the school entrance, his hands in the front pockets of his pants, hooded eyes on us. Six-foot-three, hard body, bad-boy writt...en all over him, he drew attention without even trying. Today, he wore a black turtleneck sweater under a matching leather trench coat. The dark clothes and his luxurious raven hair only made his striking, angular face and unusual green eyes that much more interesting. Emerald eyes, I called them. My heart skipped a beat, then started thundering furiously.

Now I knew the reason behind Sykes’ flirting. He never missed an opportunity to try and make Bran jealous. Too bad his attempts never worked. Bran and I shared a bond that went beyond that of a normal boyfriend and girlfriend, beyond our Nephilim abilities or individual powers. Our psi energies were so perfectly matched that we communicated at a level few other Guardians enjoyed. At least none that I knew of. Being an empath, I felt people’s emotions, but could control that ability by raising and lowering my shield. It was different with Bran. I could even feel his pain.

I hurried toward him, wishing we were far away from here so I could teleport straight into his arms. Or go flying with him and forget about school. Rules sucked.

Bran extended his hand toward me, his eyes not leaving my face. Our fingers interlocked and he tugged me into his arms.

I wrapped mine around his waist. Words weren’t necessary when there were so many ways we communicated with each other. His woodsy scent enveloped me, making me excited, happy and nervous all at the same time. My reaction to him was way out there, but it was something I accepted as a fact of life.

He lifted my chin, brushed hair from my face and brushed his lips against mine. My lips tingled and butterflies danced in my stomach. He stopped kissing me before I could respond and searched my face, his emerald eyes swirling pools of concern. You okay?

I grinned. I am now. I missed you over the weekend. Where were you?

He stroked my face with the tips of his fingers and tucked another stray curly lock behind my ear, a smile I couldn’t read playing on his lips.

Taking care of something. I missed you, too. That’s why I’m here. He glanced over my shoulder, his eyes narrowing. “You can put her backpack down, Sykes.”

“What? No ‘thank you’ for my gentlemanly act?” His tone was sarcastic, making it hard to tell whether he was genuinely annoyed or faking it.