Free The Elementalist by Melissa J. Cunningham

her? Maybe she was totally into this guy. Maybe she’d had a crush on him forever, and he’d finally come around. Could I destroy that? Not that I should care about what she wanted, but I did.
    I kissed him back. I let go of all my reservations and gave to this boy what I figured Claire would give him. Unabashed affection. I let my arms tighten around his neck, and then his arms pulled me closer, the heat of our embrace building. In that moment I realized how dangerous this was, and he was not the boy I wanted to be kissing. I pulled away gently.
    He planted another feather-light kiss on my lips before dropping his hands. He looked at me with such love and hope in his eyes, and… that kiss had been amazing!
    “Is this the first time—?” I stupidly said out loud, thinking it might have been their first kiss, because he looked so nervous. He took it a different way.
    His eyes widened, grief stricken. “That I’ve kissed someone? Was it that bad?” He looked like he might shatter into a million pieces right before me.
    “No, no! It’s not that. I meant…” I sounded so stupid. Was this his first kiss? What boy wants to be asked a question like that? I had no idea what kind of past these two had together, but I could easily make it worse if I didn’t just shut up.
    “That memorable, huh?” He shook his head and walked to the window, ready to escape.
    “Wait…” I wanted to call him by name, but I couldn’t remember what it was. “I’m sorry, but… that was one of the best kisses I’ve ever had. Ever. ” I couldn’t say it was the best, because it wasn’t. Nobody kissed better than Brecken. No one. But I wanted to leave this guy happy, with hope for a future with Claire… unless I was in her body for the rest of her life. In that case, Sayonara , good-lookin’.
    His smile beamed radiantly, like sunshine. In two quick steps, he was back, his arms wrapped around me so tightly I could hardly breathe, his lips pressed to mine again, except this time, he was more eager, more demanding. My lips parted beneath his—to cry out in protest—but he took it as an invitation and deepened his kiss.
    I couldn’t do this, no matter how good it felt. I pushed him away gently… again.
    “Claire…” His eyes shined, and his chest heaved with each breath he took. Mine did the same, but it was time to put the beast back in its cage. I held this really cute guy at arm’s length, my hands pressed against his ripped and well-defined chest. Man, was I loyal.
    “You should probably go,” I said, having forgotten how powerful these kinds of feelings were in a real body. The heat, the pull, and the temptation to feel them again… it was overwhelming, but he was not the guy I loved.
    He nodded and climbed out the window with a smile, but when he left, instead of heading to the driveway to get into his car, he strutted across the street and walked straight into the house facing Claire’s.
    “Oh.”
    He lived across the street.

 
    22
    ~First Contact~
    Alisa
     
    There had to be a way to communicate with Claire since we shared a body. But if she was asleep while I was awake and vice versa, I wasn’t sure how to accomplish that. It was high time I figured it out though. One of the things Raphael had drilled into me was that I had power—immeasurable power, if I only learned how to harness it. All people had this ability, he claimed, and all we had to do was tap into that reservoir. Well, I was going to start tapping.
    Down in the basement—because I’d finally figured out it was the only quiet place in Claire’s house where I wouldn’t be disturbed—I sat on a pile of blankets with candles lit all around me. Not because I wanted a hauntingly cool ambiance, but because I wanted as much light as possible down here in this dismal room. I hated the dark. Ergo… lots of lights.
    I sat with my knees tucked beneath me, my hands clasped together. I was about to call Claire—metaphysically speaking—and all she had to