Jaded Jewels (The Coveted Saga 2)

I guzzled down half the glass in just seconds. He smiled and handed me some pills. "Here, take these and eat something. It's the only way to get rid of that headache."

"Are these a magical cure or something?" I asked, studying the pills for a moment.

"Yeah. They're called Aspirin."

I couldn't even force a smile. I felt completely miserable and sick—so, so sick. "Thanks. Sounds like you've had some experience with this."

He laughed again. "Yeah. I had a little too much experience. You're going to feel rotten for a while."

I groaned and slumped back down in the bed. "How terrible was I?"

He laughed under his breath, delighting in my misery. "You got a little wild with the dancing. I left before you hit the crazy mark, though."

A few cringe-worthy memories started off foggy, but grew clearer as I concentrated on the distorted images. Once I remembered, I wished I hadn't.

"Oh no! Tallis. Ah, crap." I slid down in the bed completely and pulled the covers over my head once more, praying to banish the mortifying night from existence.

Henry's roaring laughter wasn't sympathetic to my headache.

"Yeah. He said it was entertaining. He cleaned you up and snuck you in through your window. He didn't want everyone seeing you in your... um... condition. If you know what I mean. Then he hung out until I got back. He wanted to make sure you didn't get sick again before he left."

I kept my face covered, allowing the blanket to muffle my voice while hiding my shame. "That's just great. I forgot about heaving like a fool in front of everyone."

I felt his smile. I didn't have to see it. Jerk.

"It h

appens to the best of us, Aria. I wouldn't expect Trey to talk to you anymore, though. Tallis said he rattled his cage a bit after I left."

I scowled, even though Henry couldn't see it. "Yeah, well, that's fine by me. I would prefer it if he didn't even look at me again."

Henry patted my shoulder, and the bed shifted as he stood up. His voice easily broke through my blanket barrier one last time.

"Get some food, sleep, and drink plenty of liquids."

I pulled the covers down so I could mock a salute. "Yes, sir."

He rolled his eyes while laughing and walked out. I rolled back over and stared at the numerous sketches I had hanging—all of them were drawings of Tallis. Then I sighed and pulled the covers back over my head, ready to die or sleep. Thankfully, I drifted off quickly, making it the latter of the two options.

Chapter 7

The Gravity of Magic

Sometimes you don't find your place in life—it finds you.

School was almost over. We had three days left until summer break. I desperately needed that break. I had avoided Tallis as much as I possibly could since the party incident. Obviously I was embarrassed, but it was also just too hard to try and pretend I didn't love him.

The more I was around him, the more I found myself finding ways to touch him, and that only brought me torment. My growing addiction to him was a daily struggle, one I was losing. Distancing myself did no good, because he haunted my every thought.

It seemed as if he had been avoiding me as well, which was becoming normal. At least I had gotten closer to Amelia. She was a great distraction. She was the first girl friend I had made, besides Taryn.

Truth be told, Taryn annoyed me with her far too bubbly personality. There were never any real conversations between us. She seemed almost superficial most of the time. Amelia, however, was completely different. She had an incredibly good personality, but she could have real, intimate conversations with me.

She had listened to my struggles with Tallis—minus the supernatural part, of course. I often wished I could share everything with her. It was hard to omit certain things, but I knew it was a necessity. I also knew that she and I wouldn't be as close once I transformed. But we could be friends until then.

Maybe the rules would change by then anyway. It was nice to have normal, non-magical talks, too, though. What worried me was the fact she and Henry were still dating, and it seemed as though they were both falling harder. I needed to talk to him about it, but every time I tried, I chickened out. Was it any of my business?

Amelia and I were standing by the lockers as Henry walked up. He and Amelia started talking while I got my book for my last class, and I sighed heavily, feeling weighted with uncertainty about what to do.