Page 168 of Someone Like Me
I have to send him away. Now.
Tori’s upstairs. But Gem’s already barking. She’ll hear him. She’ll know.
Gemini races me to the door. Is she already calling the police? How long do we have?
I know the blood has drained from my face because Drew’s eyes widen as soon as he sees me.
“Evie.” He steps inside, grabs my arm.
“Please,” I manage in a hoarse whisper. “You can’t be here.”
His grip tightens. “Where’s your sister?” The gray of his eyes has never looked more like thunder clouds.
My heart becomes a bird in a snare, fluttering madly. Already doomed. “Drew, go now. Please,” I beg.
He moves slowly, stepping close, filling my vision. Drew dips his head, and his warm mouth seals over mine. I hear the door close behind him. Dimly, I know Tori’s heard it too. But instead of puzzling out what that means, I’m overcome with the reunion. With his heat. His scent. The way he tastes like belonging.
My arms lift and settle over his shoulders, and I press closer to him, his gravitational field calling my name.
It’s when I hear Tori’s footfalls on the stairs that alarms go off again. I jerk back, push against his chest.
“You have to leave now,” I hiss.“Now.”
But his body is solid as oak, his stubborn nature rooting him to the ground. Cursing myself, I hear Tori’s steps in the hall. I should have known he’d be like this. His loyalty, his bullheadedness leaving no room for caution. For self-preservation.
I look over my shoulder to see Tori, phone in hand, her face a mask of menacing triumph.
“Well, well, well,” she sneers, her eye teeth glistening.
Fear nearly takes me under. In mere minutes, I’ll have to watch the police take Drew away.
And for one suspended moment, the world goes still.
Like hell I will.
Power girds my core, and I turn. The room seems to rotate slowly as I face my sister, my body now a shield between her and the person I love most in the world.
I plant my feet in mountain pose, and I’ve never felt more mountainous. Energy courses up my spine like a geyser, making my every nerve tingle. My eyes lock with Tori’s, and I witness the instant she realizes I am no longer the little sister she can control.
“I won’t let you do this to him.” My voice comes out steady and cold, like iron. If she raises that phone, I will charge. Take her down. I can tell she sees I mean it.
But Drew must too because I feel his hand land on my shoulder, easing but also holding me in place.
“She can’t do anything to me, Guppy.” His voice is smooth, sure, and I wonder at its certainty when a flash of gold cuts through the air and lands at Tori’s feet.
A shocked cry tears from her throat. Then she makes a noise of frustration through her clenched teeth.
I look down and read her name in the spill of gold on the floor. I recognize the necklace instantly. Mom and Dad gave that to her for her sixteenth birthday. Just like the one I got on mine.
How could she use something so innocent, something given in love, to hurt us?
Anger pulls at me like an undertow. For a dangerous moment, I want to let it take me. To lose myself in it and barrel into her with all I have.
But I don’t want to be that person. I really don’t. So I won’t give her the key to turn me into that person. If I had the power to tackle her a moment ago, I have the power to control myself now.
I’m not so sure about Drew.
He steps out from behind me but doesn’t move closer to Tori. He doesn't have to. As soon as he moves, Tori’s eyes go wide with alarm. I give him a quick glance, and while the V between his brows may not stand forvendetta,I hope he never looks at me the way he’s looking at her.
