The Link Pt. 02: The Hunted

"I've forgotten what it's like," I told Grace. "They are both filled with dreams, and we shouldn't be crushing them with our sense of reality."

"It's scary," Grace said as I slid the sugar toward her. She opened the glass container and dipped in a spoon. "I wish I could live it all for them. Skip over the inevitable mistakes and make it all perfect."

"We'd probably end up making worse mistakes," I said with a smile. Grace chuckled as she stirred the sugar into her tea. Teagan joined us a few moments later, having accepted my apology and delivering one of her own. The link had its benefits. Disagreements could be ended quickly.

Chapter 21 - Teegan

I escaped both Caleb's and my mother before anger got the best of me. They were stuck in the dark ages when the family planned a child's life. It wasn't that their thoughts were wrong. They just weren't mine. The fact that they weren't even considering my words is what frustrated me the most. I tried to cool myself down, shutting off mom, then remembering it was a childish way to punish. Turning the link back on, I would realize I couldn't think alone; then I shut it back off. When I turned it back on, Mom flooded me with love. It was a pain in the ass to have such good anger eaten away. How was I supposed to think when everyone else was countering my emotions. I could almost feel Dad's humor at my dilemma.

I used the time to check on Caleb. With everyone downstairs, I could sneak into my room and think quietly with him. He was peacefully asleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, close to his head, I smoothed his hair back. I smiled at the mop, remembering his last words to me. There is so much music in him, so much power he can harness in his violin. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew what Caleb wanted. I wanted what he wanted. I wanted to see him on stage again. Greedily, I wanted him next to me as other women stared and wondered how I got so lucky. I wanted to feel his love again.

My hand moved down his arm, to the swollen knuckles of his right hand. I lifted it to my lips and lightly kissed each knuckle. The skin was warm, but the bones didn't seem broken as I had first thought. Three of the joints were bruising darkly. He saved me with that hand and with his love. I never want to feel that love replaced with hatred ever again. The anger had been so powerful and unforgiving, almost as if it were swallowing up everything that was him. It had swamped his music.

The way he felt about me was undeniable. The link had shown me that. I could no longer ignore my feelings. It didn't matter how smart he was or where his future was headed. Unless something changed, I meant to be part of it or make him part of mine. For good or ill, the bond had cemented us. I just hoped it was for real.

I went back down to talk with Caleb's mother and mine. Their arguments would have to be categorized as suggestions. Convincing them that music was best for Caleb was useless. I'll just nod my head and pretend that their words are sinking in. Whatever becomes of Caleb and me, we couldn't disown our families.

Strangely, the topic had changed once I returned. Some unspoken agreement was reached to let the contentious subject drop, and we returned to the nature of the bond. Grace had more questions, and I answered them as best I could. She seemed particularly interested in how it had affected Caleb. I sensed she thought it had something to do with how much he liked me. Well, so did I.

Dad and Jack were snoring on the couch when night finally gave way to dawn. Grace was waiting patiently for Caleb to wake, Mom and I keeping her company. We were on our fifth or sixth cup of tea when I felt it.

In the middle of a yawn, warmth poured into my mind. At first, I thought it was Dad, then a love mixed with all its newness chased away the rest of my surface thoughts. I quickly excused myself to use the bathroom, hardly able to control my growing smile. I wasn't sure how much Caleb understood, but the strength of his sendings couldn't be ignored, and were so very pleasing.

I found Caleb sitting up in bed with a confident grin on his face. He knew exactly what he was doing, and I was uncontrollably responding in kind. My whole body was tingling with the shared emotions. I raised my finger to my smiling lips, quieting the words I knew he wished to shout.

"Your parents are downstairs," I whispered as I sat on the edge of the bed. Caleb ignored my words and kept sending wave after wave of his love as if the bond was some new toy that demanded play. I couldn't help but rebound my own back. His music was so pure, so honest, and more fun than I could ever have imagined. I tried to speak again, but he interrupted. He leaned forward, his hand softly cradling the side of my neck, and joined his lips to mine with a confidence I hadn't expected. The link had removed any hesitancy. His lips were amazingly soft and strong at the same time. They caressed mine with a purpose that made me surrender to them with passion.

"I didn't think you could be more beautiful," Caleb whispered when air became a necessity. With his words came a burst of emotion so powerful, it threatened to overshadow all other thought. I attacked his lips, pushing him back to the pillow. I loved how his arms circled me, pulling me closer as our passion inundated the link. The rest of the world faded, and we became one. We fit together as if by design, the comfort increasing the closer we became.

"Why do I know you love me?" Caleb asked. His smile was genuine and his eyes excited. The reason was secondary, only the love mattered. "I feel my music in you."

"It's my music," I said, chuckling. I liked stalling, knowing, if only for a moment, more than Caleb. He pulled me close again, his lips a hair's breath from my ear.

"Our music," Caleb whispered. A shiver, started by his tickling breath, ran through my body. I felt his smile grow against my cheek. If I could, I would have laid there with him till time ended. His arms were warm and non-judgemental. I was safe from the world. It took all my strength to sit up.

"Come," I said, offering my hand, "your mother needs to see you, and I have a lot of explaining to do." He sighed wishing, like me, to remain in each other's arms. I smiled and leaned back to pull him into a sitting position. He used the momentum to steal another kiss. I cradled his face in my hands and made sure it was a kiss worth stealing. His kisses were so different from any I had experienced before. They invaded my whole body, sending an exciting heat with each heartbeat.

"I'd rather stay here," Caleb commented, his arms circling my waist. I laughed as I stood, pulling my greedy man to his feet. He grimaced as he stood. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

"A Mason truck," I said with sorrow in my eyes. "I'm so sorry you found out that way. I was trying to call my dad, and somehow you got in the way."

"I saved you," Caleb smiled.

"You did do that," I said, holding him steady as he flexed his legs. "Anger has a way of increasing the link. I didn't like what it did to you."

"The link?"

"Let's go downstairs and I'll explain," I replied. "Your mother has been patient all night. I really don't want her disliking me."

"I saved you," Caleb repeated, his hand finding mine as we headed downstairs. I saw the pride in his eyes. I liked what it did to him, but couldn't help feeling a little uneven in the relationship department. I think he enjoyed being one up on me.

*****

"Caleb!" Grace shouted, waking both Dad and Jack, who had been having a snore war on the couch. Caleb moved ahead of me, almost dragging me along as he went to greet his mother. Grace framed his cheeks with her palms and looked critically at his eyes.

"I'm fine," Caleb said and smiled when his mother kissed his forehead. Her lips lingered, obviously testing for a temperature. "Please, Mom," Caleb struggled away. He didn't enjoy being treated like a child either. Grace looked down at his hand in mine and a multitude of expressions passed across her face. She settled on a smile, and it was meant for me.

"I heard you took out three guys," Jerry said, more excited than a respectable father should be.

"We don't condone fighting," Grace announced, more for her husband than for Caleb.

"Of course not," Jerry said, "but if you're forced into it, you might as well win." He was beaming with pride. Dad slapped him on the back in agreement before he moved around the couch and held out his hand to Caleb.

"I'm eternally grateful you were there," Dad said. Caleb blushed as he let go of my hand and shook my Dad's. Dad pulled him close and forcibly hugged him. I could see the fear of what could have happened in Dad's eyes. "Thank you."

"To tell the truth," Caleb said, looking uncomfortable in the embrace, "I'm not sure how I did it."

"Maybe we can help with that," Mom said as she added a hug of her own after Dad finally released him. "Teegan is, well, special. I think you know that now." Caleb turned toward me I felt his love bombard me. It pleased him when I sent it back folded neatly with my own. He held out his hand, and I placed mine in it.

"He knows," I told my mom.

"She's always been special to me," Caleb said with confidence. His eyes were dancing around my face as I studied his. I loved the way his lips curled when our eyes met. He was undressing my soul, peeling the remnants of my apprehension away. I was swimming in his music.

"We share the same song," I said to him, though it was meant for Mom and Dad. He squeezed my hand lightly, sending the most pleasant warmth surging through my veins. If it was the fault of the bond, then I was addicted. There was no going back.

"Let's sit down," Mom said, breaking my trance. She was smiling at me while biting her bottom lip. We traded a look, and I knew that she knew what I felt. That it pleased her, made it all the better. I led Caleb to the couch, and we sat together at one end. I wanted him close and could feel him desiring the same.

"Will it wreck it to know?" Caleb whispered in my ear. I shook my head, knowing he meant the link we had developed. I could feel his happiness at my answer. He was addicted as well.

Without going into every detail, we explained as much as we could to Caleb. I intentionally left out Wendy and Tom, thinking that was for a more private venue. His parents were better off not knowing the particulars. Enough was discussed that they understood that the bond was to remain private. I was surprised when they enthusiastically agreed. Jerry felt that it would become a sideshow if it ever got out. Mom and Dad were greatly relieved.

During the conversation, Caleb was only half listening. He was playing with the link, sending bursts of feelings at me. They were intense, then soft. I tried to ignore what he was doing, but sometimes they were so gentle, I knew them for the caresses he meant them to be. A moan almost escaped my lips, and I quickly turned it into a cough. I tried to scold him with my eyes, but a vision developed in my mind. I saw myself, yet it wasn't me. The figure was infinitely more beautiful, graceful, and quite naked. The figure smiled as I did.

"I...excuse me," I said and moved quickly to the bathroom. Caleb's feelings followed me. My whole body was more alive than it had ever felt before. Every pore was trying to leap off my skin as I tried to reconcile the way Caleb saw me and reality. I threw water on my face trying to cool the emotions that were exploding inside of me. I didn't care about his hair anymore. I wanted to look and feel like the woman in his mind. To him, I was that woman. She was so strong, so confident, and knew exactly what she wanted. I almost ran out of the bathroom.

I moved past the gathering, straight for the front porch. The link pulled at Caleb, leaving the rest of them looking a little confused. The bond sent my desire into Caleb as I opened the front door. I heard him stumble to catch up, and it caused me to chuckle. A second later, the door opened and everything I could ever want, stepped onto the porch. He wasn't the least bit surprised when my lips attacked his. The bond was such a powerful drug.

Chapter 22 - Teegan

"I saw things," I told my mom once we were alone in the kitchen. The McGuires, Caleb included, left once the sun lifted fully above the horizon. I wanted desperately to have Caleb to myself, but his mother was insistent that they get his hand x-rayed. It was swollen pretty bad, though he had no trouble wiggling his fingers. I could still feel him, comfortably swimming in my music. I wasn't even sure I could shut him out, not that I wanted too. "He sees me like, you know, like those models in the magazines. No, better than them."

"Is that so?" Mom said and turned her face away from me. I could see a hint of the grin she tried to hide from me.

"It's not real," I said. "I'm not like that."

"It's enchanting, isn't it?" Mom said. She turned to me, and her smile spanned the room. There was more than my experience in her eyes. The memory of Wendy's words, after my link with her, returned.

"Oh, God," I said, as I realized that Mom probably saw what was in Dad's head. Mom tried not to chuckle but failed. "I'm some kind of - oh no!"

"You saw what was in his heart," Mom said. "It only matters that he sees you that way." She paused for a second then smiled again. "That's why you went outside."

"He loves me too much," I said.

"And you him," Mom said, her smile disappeared, and seriousness took over.

"I still feel him," I said. "I don't want it ever to go away. I'm not even sure I could block it if I wanted too." Mom sat down at the table and pushed a chair out for me. I took it.

"He has loved you for a long time," Mom said. "The bond only made it easier." I felt tears forming in my eyes. It was all so strong now.

"It's so powerful," I admitted, "and addicting. I'm afraid of not living up to how he sees me. What if he changes his mind?" Mom pulled me close.

"Trust him," Mom whispered, "and trust yourself. You feel the beauty of it, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Then let him all the way in," Mom continued. "The future will take care of itself. Be happy that you two found each other. All your problems are halved when you have someone to share them with." If she had added some swearing, the words could have come from Wendy.

"The man has my vote," Dad said, surprising both Mom and me. He was leaning against the door frame. I wondered how long he had been listening. "How about some breakfast?"

"French toast," Mom answered quickly. It was one of the things that Dad made well and had become his duty. Dad nodded and moved toward the fridge. I smiled at the thought that nothing had changed with my family, even if I did just add another.

*****

"Wake up Teegs," Zane said as he pushed on my shoulder. I had fallen asleep sometime in the afternoon. The night's vigil had finally caught up with me. "Your boyfriend is going viral."

"He's not my..." I sighed. He was now. Then I smiled as I felt him again. He certainly was. "What are you talking about?"

"Facebook, Youtube, you know, viral," Zane replied. I grabbed my phone and unsilenced it. There were a lot of unread texts. I wiped my eyes, trying to wake up more as I began to read. "Someone took a video of him going Jackie Chan," Zane added, then turned his phone to me, and I saw Caleb moving up the stairs like a gymnast. A moment later, the jerky camera shifted and caught him throwing Frank over the balcony. I cringed when I saw what he did to Mason's other buddy.

The video followed Gene up the stairs, and I could hear, but not see the door being kicked in. I heard Traci swearing as she entered the room. Mason was out cold, blood on his face. She filmed Gene and I lifting an equally bloody Caleb to his feet. I pushed the phone away from my eyes.

"Where did she post it?" I asked. Maybe I could get her take it down. My phone was filled with texts from friends, some of them making sure Caleb and I were okay, others informing me of the existence of the video.

"It's everywhere," Zane replied. "They're playing it like it's a David and Goliath thing. Only this time, David saves the girl." Zane laughed, "Mason's going to have to change schools. Beat up by an orchestra nerd will destroy his rep."

"This isn't funny," I informed him. "What if the wrong people see it?"

"Who cares?" Zane said. "No one is looking for Caleb." His face changed, "Oh, you like him. He's going to have girls all over him now." I rolled my eyes and let the flash of jealousy pass through me.

"I'm on that video," I corrected Zane.

"So's Mom and Dad," Zane added.

"What?"

"At the end," Zane continued, "Dad and Gene are carrying Caleb out to the car. You and mom are hugging."

"Crap," I said too loudly and went through my phone looking for Caleb's number. I smiled when I saw it there, my most recent call. It felt good to have him at the top of my list. I clicked to place the call as I headed to my room. At the first ring, I felt a surge of love wash over me, almost making me giddy. Caller ID works well with the link.

"Hi," Caleb said.

'Hi," I said back, trying to send my smile across the connection. It was the first time we had talked since the morning. It seemed a long time ago. "Have you seen what's on the net?"

"No," Caleb replied, "I fell asleep. I had some good dreams." I could hear the happiness in his voice and wished I could keep it there.

"Traci Finland took some videos of the party," I sighed, "she's posted your fight."

"No way!"

"Yep," I said, "and I suspect you'll have a lot more friends on Monday."

"Jealous?"

"Horribly," I replied with laughter. I could feel him reinforcing his affection, making sure I knew that nothing would alter his feelings.

"I like feeling you," Caleb admitted.

"You're not freaked out about it?" I asked.

"No," Caleb replied, "it's like we were meant to be a duet. Doesn't it feel right to you?"

"So right it's scary," I agreed.

"Yeah, it's little overwhelming. I like it way too much," Caleb said. "Is it always this way?" I laughed and felt his apprehension.

"It's never been this way. At least, not that I remember," I answered. "You've made it so much stronger."

"That's cause I love you," Caleb said, then quickly followed. "Damn, I promised myself I wouldn't say it over the phone." I already knew it, but to hear it was as overwhelming as our bond. "Teegan?"

"Me too," I stuttered, trying to slow the coming tears. The bond thickened, something deeper between us intertwined tightly and almost took my breath away. It was if we were as one.

"Wow," Caleb said.

"Double wow," I gasped. "I don't know if that's bad or good."

"It can't be bad," Caleb said. "We're just stronger together."

"I saw what was in your head this morning," I said. Caleb might as well know how far it goes.

"When?"

"Just before we went on the porch," I replied. "I saw how you see me, or how you want to see me."

"Uhm..."

"It's okay," I said.

"I can't stop thinking things," Caleb confessed. "You're kind of on my mind. And., well, I'm sorry."

"I'm not," I said, letting my smile travel through the bond. "I like that you think I'm sexy."

"What did you see?" Caleb asked. "I mean it wasn't real bad was it?" I stifled the laugh that tried to escape. I could hear the worry in his voice and felt it through the link. I only saw the cleaner side of his thoughts.

"Oh, it was bad," I teased.

"I'm human, Teegan," Caleb defended himself. "I can't help thinking about you. Things like that flash into a man's mind."

"You mean like seeing me naked?" I asked. There was a long pause as I waited for his useless apology.