Witch & Wizard 04 - The Kiss by James Patterson Read Free Book Online Page B

fancy new place downtown with the awesome view of the mountains.”
    “Whit Allgood, are you asking me on a date?” She arches an eyebrow.
    I grin sheepishly. As lame as it sounds, I’ve never actually asked a girl out. Celia was a cheerleader, and I was the foolball captain, so we first got together because that’s what everyone expected. With Janine, I have to work for it.
    “What if I am?”
    “Well, then I’m not sure,” she answers.
    “Since when is a ‘daughter of the Revolution’ ever not sure of anything?”
    Janine smirks. “I’m not sure I want trendy food that looks like whipped vomit and tastes like air. Let’s grab a burger instead!”
    “Deal.”
    We end up at a hole-in-the-wall grill that used to have the best burgers and wings in the City.
    “It feels exactly the same,” Janine marvels. It’s the only building left standing on the block, but inside it’s still cozy, with the same worn red furniture and loud decor on the walls.
    “Last time I was here, I didn’t know I was a wizard,” I say, remembering. “I didn’t even know the Resistance existed, and you were already running it.”
    We stuff our faces with greasy goodness, reminiscing about those early days—the jailbreaks, the protests, the so-horrible-you-just-have-to-laugh-now-because-we-made-it-out-alive mishaps—if you can call them “mishaps.”
    “I hate to say it, but this barbecue dip kind of reminds me of that time the Lost Ones basted us in roasting sauces,” Janine says.
    Yeah, that was rough—we were trapped between dimensions in the maze of Shadowland, and hunted down by tormented souls who survive on the flesh of the living. Not one of our finest moments.
    “I still don’t get why they wanted to eat you.” I pick up her hand. “Not much meat,” I joke. But feeling the warmth in her touch, I can’t help thinking about how I almost lost her then. “That was one of the worst days of my life,” I say quietly.
    Janine meets my eyes. “That was the day I knew…”
    “Knew what?” I ask, even though I remember. It was the day she told me she loved me. I couldn’t say it back, not yet.
    “I knew I never wanted to eat barbecue again,” Janine answers solemnly, and takes a huge bite of her sauce-covered burger. I crack up, but Janine shakes her head and takes my hand again.
    “What?” I ask. She glances down at our entwined fingers.
    “I never thought I’d be holding hands with the star of the foolball team, that’s all.”
    “Yeah, because back in school, girls like you wouldn’t give us jocks the time of day.”
    “Ha!” Janine cackles. “Girls like me?”
    “Creative, confident, independent, crazy smart…”
    “All true!” she says wryly. “I was smart enough to see there was more to Whit Allgood than muscles, even before you read me poetry.”
    I smile, remembering that first intense moment between us, and the awkwardness after, when Wisty told her I hadn’t even written the poem.
    Janine drops her eyes and sighs. “But you were always with Celia. It was like you didn’t even see other girls, especially me.”
    “I see you now,” I say, squeezing her hand.
    Janine looks up at me, and I’m really happy to just lose myself inside the endlessness of her wide green eyes. “I see you, too.”

Chapter 13
    Whit
    I’M WALKING THROUGH darkness where trees are made of bone, and shadows slither under my feet. When I hear wailing in the distance, a familiar terror grips me. I start to run. But then the sky fills with light, the noises stop, and her face is all around me. Her almond eyes, sweet mouth, and rich curls—she’s all I see.
    “Celia?” I ask, blinking up at her ethereal image in wonder. After she died, even the thought of Celia brought instant tears and a sharp stab of hurt, but right now, I only feel peace.
    “It’s good to see you, Whit,” she says serenely. “How’s Janine? I can feel the two of you getting closer.”
    The accusation makes me wince. “I’m sorry,