Page 56 of Secrets in Salem: Part One

"I've never watched it," he replies, lying through his teeth. His left eyebrow raises the smallest bit, his index finger taps once on the wheel, and his lip twitches so slightly you'd have to be paying attention to see it.

Slapping a hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing, my words are muffled when I blurt, "Bullshit! You've watched it. Did you think it was good? Who's your favorite? Were you Team Edward or Team Jacob?"

Bishop's mouth falls open, and he risks a quick glance in my direction, his cheeks growing rosy when he takes in my humor-filled eyes. "Fine, I've watched it. I thought it was shit, I didn't have a favorite, and I think both teams are stupid."

Lie, lie, lie.

I completely lose it, full belly laughs radiating through the car.

"What? What's so funny?" Bishop asks, confused but amused nonetheless.

"I thought you said you were going to mix truths with lies. You just lied your ass off," I chuckle, wiping under my eye to rid the tears that gathered there. "You absolutely liked the movie. I don't know how. The books were way better. You definitely have a favorite, and I bet it was Rosalie. She's a babe even with the 'tude. And as for Edward or Jacob... I reckon you were team wolf. Am I right?"

Bishop sends me a look, eyes sparkling as he deliberately lies. "No, wrong on all counts."

He flashes a big grin at me, and I start laughing all over again, head tilted back against the headrest of my seat. "Such a liar!"

"Those were lucky guesses! I demand a retrial," Bishop volleys, playing along like he didn't just lie on purpose.

Just as I inhale to joke back, my vision goes blank and another vision assaults me.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Bishop. You know better," I growl, crossing my arms over my barely covered chest. The shirt I'm wearing has a deep v slit all the way to the top of my navel, the sleeves all cut up into a grungy look.

"I'm not lying, baby. Everything will be okay, I promise. You'll have me, Aleric, and Micah right by your side every step of the way. He won't be able to keep us away, alright? You've got this. You're going to be amazing," he answers, his lip still, eyebrow in exactly the same position, and his fingers on display so I can see that his index fingers remain outstretched instead of tapping his thumbs once. He truly believes that. There isn't a single lie.

My arms fall, and I rush to him, falling into an embrace I desperately need. He holds me tight to his chest, rubbing my back while placing a sweet kiss to my head.

Gasping, I come back to myself, startled eyes turning to stare at the Bishop in the car beside me. With a raspy whisper, I ask, "You saw that, right? That wasn't just in my head?"

Looking as blindsided as I feel, Bishop nods, eyes on the road while his knuckles turn white around the wheel. Instinct takes over, and my hand reaches out for his leg, my palm and fingers resting gently over his tightly wound thigh while I wait for him to relax.

My heart is hammering as painfully as it did when this very thing happened with Aleric, my mind a jumbled mess of thoughts that don't make sense. This time I'm getting more snippets of visions, smaller and blurrier, but no less there. They don't make sense, though I get the very distinct impression these are very much memories and not visions of the future or whatever else Aleric might have thought them to be. These things have happened before. To me. To us. And there are some things that are triggering these memories.

Gradually, Bishop starts to relax under my touch, one of his hands finally leaving the wheel. He places it on top of mine, his fingers slipping under my palm to grip it better in his.

The rest of the car ride is silent and tense, though Bishop never once moves his hand from mine. As soon as he's pulling up to the sidewalk directly outside of Cassie's house, I whisper, "They're memories, aren't they?"

Bishop nods, looking down at me with an emotion I can't decipher. His hold on my hand tightens, mine reflexively squeezing back while my gaze searches his for answers he doesn't have. We're all in the dark on this particular puzzle, and it fucking sucks.

Just as I open my mouth to say something else, movement to my right catches my attention. Cassie stands in her doorway with that motherly smile I love to see, waving a little when she notices me in the car. I wave back with as genuine of a smile as I can muster before turning back to Bishop. "We'll figure it out."

He nods, his low voice agreeing, "We will. Have a good night tonight. Need one of us to come get you when you're ready?"

Biting my lip, I think about it before answering. "It's only ten minutes away, fifteen if I'm dragging my feet. I can walk or catch an Uber. I'll be fine. Salem is usually dead by midnight."

I know he's deep in his own head since he simply says, "Alright. I'll see you later."

"See you later," I mirror, leaning over to kiss his cheek. Why? Fuck knows. I have no idea what possesses me to do it, but my mouth falls onto the corner of his briefly, his skin heated beneath my lips.

Almost as suddenly as I did it, I pull back, feeling my cheeks flush and my eyes bug open. I don't have time to feel embarrassed about it, though. Not when Bishop goes right ahead and cups the back of my head with his large hand, his speed much too fast for any human, and firmly presses his lips to mine in a searing kiss I feel all the way to my toes. His other hand cups my jaw in a secure hold, and my breath catches in my throat.

A squeak of surprise is the only noise that slips out of me before I remember to breathe again, and I completely melt against the beefy guy. My eyes shut languidly, and a hum of pleasure floods my body, setting every nerve on fire. My hand reaches for his arm, looking for an anchor while his full, soft lips flip my life right on its axis in a kiss I've known for centuries.

When he pulls back, we're both breathless and glassy-eyed, staring at one another in shock and desire. It's only when there's a soft knock that I pull away with a start, turning to look at an amused Cassie standing by the window.

I face Bishop once more, lips swollen and eyes wide, and whisper, "See you."

The guy just nods, stunned and speechless.

---