Free Evan Elemental (The Evan Elemental Series) by Crystal Groszek

He's suddenly very interested in the
rough, peeling bark of a birch tree at the side of the trail. We're at the edge
of the orchard where things turn wild and the forest eats up our path.
    " Lex , you're going to have to be a little more forthcoming
than that." I place my hand on his shoulder and gently urge him to turn
and look at me. Our eyes meet and I can see a world of pain in them. He reaches
up and brushes his fingers along the side of my neck before dipping them below
my collar. I breathe in sharply, painfully curious of what he might do. Instead
of continuing to touch me, his index finger loops around the chain of my
necklace. Gingerly, he pulls my pendant from its hiding place.
    "The
first time I saw you wearing this," he says quietly, "the day I took
you to the record store, I was shocked. I had only ever seen sketches of it.
It's supposed to be lost and we've been looking for it for a long time."
    The
warmth I always feel near him evaporates. An unnatural calm settles over me and
I take a step back. Lex lets the pendant fall against
my chest. His eyes travel up to meet mine, and the pain there breaks my heart.
Even so, I resist the urge to wrap my arms around him and, instead, wrap them
around myself. He's waiting for me to say something, but I stay silent. I don't
want to make this easy for him, because it's not easy for me. Not by a long
shot.
    "There
are so many things that I won't be able to tell you," Lex says, his voice almost pleading.
    "Then
tell me what you can," I snap, unable to tolerate any excuses from him,
from anybody, anymore. If one more person lies to me I swear I can't be held
accountable for how I react. Lex seems to understand
this and find it amusing; his lips curl into a tiny smirk. "I told you
before that I don't want to lie to you, and I won't. But, you'll have to allow
me some omissions."
    I start
to protest, but he closes the tiny distance between us in one smooth motion and
places his hands on my waist. The warmth is back and it's hotter than ever. I
give my head a slight shake to clear away the fog that his touch put there.
    He
leans down and rests his forehead against mine. "I can't tell you everything,
but I can promise that someday this will all make sense." I don't like it,
but I nod in understanding, anyway, because I believe him.
    "So,"
I begin, biting down on my bottom lip again, his grip on my waist tightening,
"what does my necklace have to do with anything? Why are you, or I should
say, why were you looking for it?"
    "Honestly,"
he replies smiling wryly, "and I am being honest, I don't know."
    I groan
in frustration. " Lex ..."
    Lex presses the tips of his fingers
against my lips, hushing me. "Let me finish. I rarely ever get so much as
an explanation for a task I'm assigned, and I never have a reason to question
anything I'm told. Until now." He pauses, letting his words sink in.
"It's kind of crazy actually. I've spent the last three years looking for
that necklace, and then you show up and there it is." His gaze drops to
the stone then lifts back to mine, a question in his eyes. I know exactly what
he's thinking.
    "Yes,"
I say answering his unspoken question. "I started to "change"
the moment I opened the box my mother left me and pulled this thing out."
    We both
drop our eyes to the necklace where it sits unassuming on top of my black Hold
Steady t-shirt. With shaking hands I reach up and unclasp the chain.
    "Here,"
I say, offering the necklace to Lex , proud that I'm
managing to keep my hands steady. He hesitates, so I press it into his hand and
step back. I feel queasy letting go of the last thing my mom gave me, but I
suddenly can't bear to look at it anymore. If it ended my involvement in
whatever was going on here, then I'm glad to be rid of it.
    Lex stares at the stone, apparently
dumbfounded.
    "Look,
if that's what you all have been searching for," I gesture to the necklace
in his hand, " then there you go. I don't want in.
Maybe things will go back to normal now