The Wild One

Isabel hesitated for about one second. I can't believe I am chasing after a guy, she thought. But she had to know who he was. She had to find out why sense memories of her planet were in his dream. And admit it, she told herself. You can't wait to feel him touch you again.

Isabel caught up to Nikolas as he pushed his way out of the big side doors. They headed out to the parking lot in silence. Nikolas swung onto a wicked-looking motorcycle. This time Isabel didn't hesitate at all. She climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Nikolas gu

Maria studied the jumble of vials on her dresser. Each was filled with one of the essential oils she used in her aromatherapy. She plucked out six vials-cedar, ylang-ylang, ci

She wanted to re-create the blend of scents she'd smelled the night Max formed a co

And he formed a co

Once the co

But it was the perfume that affected Maria the most. During the co

Ever since that night Maria had been trying to blend her essential oils in a way that would re-create the perfume of the co

She rubbed a few drops of the eucalyptus oil on her wrist and sniffed it. Yeah, that was definitely the scent Michael gave off. Tangy, sharp. It almost burned if you breathed it in too deeply.

Maria pulled the top off the vial of rose oil and smelled it. Rose, that was her scent. Her contribution to the perfume that filled the cave. Soft and sweet. Maybe a little too sweet?

She sighed. She wished her fragrance was more exotic, like the ylang-ylang Liz gave off. Or more spicy, like Isabel's ci

Maria added a few drops of the rose oil to her wrist, blending it with the eucalyptus. The combination was… unique, that was for sure. But she liked it. The sweetness of the rose took the edge off the eucalyptus, and the eucalyptus made the rose a little more interesting.

Hmmm. She wondered what Michael would think if she explained how their scents complemented each other. It would probably go right over his pointy little head. Guys were so literal. He could totally miss the fact that she wasn't really talking about perfume at all.

Maria heard a rustling sound outside her window. "Kevin, you're supposed to be in bed," she yelled.

Her little brother, Kevin, had just entered a particularly a

Her window slid open. "Who's Kevin?" Michael asked as he climbed inside.

"My brother. What are you doing here?" Maria blurted. She hadn't even thought Michael knew where she lived.

"I figured you might be nervous. You know, because of the whole weird power thing going on," Michael said. He flopped down onto her bed, looking totally out of place on her flowered comforter. It was like G.I. Joe had stormed a Barbie Dream House.

"So are you?" he asked.

"Am I what?" Maria was having a little trouble concentrating.

"Nervous," Michael said.

Well, my heart is pounding a couple hundred miles an hour, Maria thought. But it had nothing to do with the whole weird power thing. It had to do with Michael.

Liz would probably have some scientific reason for why Maria's heart was doing a slam dance in her chest and for why the little spaces between her fingers were suddenly all sweaty. Something about hormones or pheromones or whatever. But Liz would be wrong. There was nothing clinical or scientific about the way Maria felt when Michael was around.

"Did I wake you up or something?" Michael asked. "You seem sort of out of it."

Oh, God. I've been standing here staring at him with my mouth hanging open, she realized. "Urn, no, I just-" she stammered. She took a deep breath and started again. "Nervous? I wasn't really nervous. Should I be?"

Michael gri

Maria giggled.

Michael sat up. "What?"

Maria laughed louder.

"What?"

"Not with me around," she repeated in a deep, gruff voice. "Why don't you…" Her words dissolved in another burst of giggles. "Why don't you… just flex your muscles and call me babe and get it over with."

"How about missy, or little lady, or… or princess." Michael cracked up.

"Princess Maria. I almost like that," she answered. She wiped her face with the neck of her T-shirt. Her T-shirt.

Maria's heart stopped. Oh no. She'd been having this whole conversation dressed in one of her dad's old T-shirts and a pair of panties. And that's it. She felt her cheeks turn red. At least the T-shirt was long. As long as some dresses-some very short dresses.

She jerked open the middle drawer of her dresser and pulled out a pair of sweats. Should she take them into the bathroom and put them on or just put them on right here or what?

"Uh, it's cold in here. I'm just going to-" She yanked the sweats on, feeling totally self-conscious. Why did it feel weird to put on more clothes in front of a guy?

She took a quick peek at Michael. He wasn't even watching. He was checking out all the aromatherapy vials on the bed. Maria frowned. It's not like she'd wanted him to be staring at her. But it would be nice if he noticed that she'd been standing in front of him half naked. Like, hello. She wasn't his little sister.

"So, uh, since you're not nervous about the weird power thing, I guess I should just take off," Michael said.

"No!" Maria exclaimed. "I mean, I, um… I do have a need for a big strong man. My mom? She's out on a date, if you can believe that. And I rented this old movie that's supposed to be really creepy. But if I watch it with only my little brother in the house, I know I'll get all freaked out and start hearing noises and stuff."

"That won't happen-not with me around." Michael smirked at her.

Maria felt another bout of the giggles coming on, but she managed to restrain herself. "So you'll stay?" Maria asked.