Free The Honor Trilogy: Books One, Two, and Three of the Honor Trilogy by J. P. Grider Page B

kneels down in front of me, placing his hands on my knees. “I’ll absorb someone’s hurt, you’ll absorb someone’s hurt, and then we’ll feel each other’s pain. And not just our own heartaches and illnesses – everyone else’s too.” Ethan tilts his head to the side and continues speaking softly. “It’ll be too much to bear. We could never ignore it. It’s getting hard already.” He takes a deep breath, kisses my left hand, and continues. “Our only choice would be to heal everyone…then…we’d die within five, ten years. Just like our parents did.” A guttural sound escapes his lungs. He’s crying.
    “That’s why they kill,” I whisper.
    “Yes…that’s why they kill.”
    By the weirded-out expression on Ethan’s face, he appears to have recalled something. “They were killing people. That’s what Hunter told me the day he called. I forgot about that. It wasn’t just to tell me to watch out for Storm. They’re after something.” He stands now and leans back against my bureau. “If they were with Storm…then we’re all in danger,” he realizes. “They’ll follow him out here. What if he’s part of this group? We could be in danger.”
    “You know, Eeth. The other day at the hospital, my mother told me that Hanna and Daniel had told them that if I had stayed with them, I’d be in danger.” A dire expression shadows Ethan’s face, but I ask anyway. “Could this be…related?”
    Ethan slides down to the floor and slams the back of his head against the bureau. “Oh shit. I’m so friggin’ stupid for coming here to find you. Now I’ve dragged you into something…after all your parents did to get you away from us.”
    “Ethan, stop.” I go over and sit next to him. “I’m glad you’re here.” With my hand, I turn his face to look at me. “Because I’m falling in love with you, too.” And I realize that I really am. He’s so caring and kind. How can I not fall in love with him?
    His long fingers caress my face, and then he pulls me close. With my head on his shoulder, I think to myself – how natural this feels.

Chapter Fifteen
     
    “Honor?” Ethan asks after several minutes of silence. “Would you be willing to leave New Jersey? Leave your parents? To come with me?”
    Unable to look him in the eye, I keep my head on his shoulder. “Oh, Ethan. My mother just came home from the hospital.” I feel Ethan glide his hand down the length of my hair, and it feels so good. “How could I leave her? She’d be…devastated.”
    We sit in gloomy silence for several more minutes before Ethan gives a hopeless shrug and stands up, lending his hand to aid me up.
    “We’ll deal with it, Ethan.” I tell him at last. “And I’ll watch out for Storm.” Then I had a thought. “Hey, can you teach me how to ignore someone else’s…feelings? Like Storm’s?”
    Ethan touches his lips to my forehead. “There’s not much to teach, babe. You just…force yourself to shut everyone out. That’s why I prefer living where no one else is. Most empaths prefer to be alone. But I don’t want to talk about that right now.”
    I step back. “Why?”
    “Because. I wanna talk about something else.”
    “Like what?”
    “Like…I want you to be my girlfriend.” His smile spreads across his face as he says this.
    “Oh, Ethan. Yes. I’d love to be your girlfriend.”
    He cups the back of my neck with his hand and brushes my lips with his, sending those little electric fuzzies throughout my entire body. I melt in his embrace.
    Ethan’s tongue is now in my mouth, and all of a sudden I am too aware that we are in my bedroom…late at night. Reminding myself that this is much too tempting, I force myself out of his arms.
    “What’s wrong,” he asks, clearly surprised that I’ve pulled back.
    “I’m sorry.” I look down at my fuzzy-socked feet. “I’m…not…I don’t think this is a good idea…to be in my room, I mean.”
    Ethan chuckles and kisses me on the  nose.