Hello, paranormal lovers! For those who are a fan of the sarcastic, smart-ass Jeremy from the Setti series, I have a little treat for you. If you don't know him, you'll know him pretty well by the end of this story. This short is set during RESISTANCE, book two of the Setti series, telling the romantic tale of Jeremy and Hannah.  

One thing to note before you read if you're unfamiliar with the Setti series. The Setti each have different powers. The Sounders hold the power to wield destruction against their enemy, the demonic reapers and their slaves, the shadow scouts, through their own voices. They also have an affinity for music. Jeremy is a Sounder. Hannah is a Light-bearer, one who can harness energy, all energy, and use it to destroy the enemy. The side-effect is a bright glow under the skin. So, without further ado, here's JEREMY'S HEART. Hope you enjoy.



Jeremy’s Heart

Snow. What on earth was its purpose other than to freeze my ass off? Even in my Wyatt Earp duster, I was freakin’ cold, man. Cold. Ruha beat his drumsticks on a stump next to me. Max sat on another, strumming his guitar. I tapped my fingers on my knees to a different beat. Music consumed us. Sounders heard music all the time—like it streamed through our blood or souls or something, waiting to claw its way out. My fingers automatically started to play the keys of an invisible piano—Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” It was the first song I ever learned. I remembered Ms. Breaux who taught me to play. I was nine, sitting in my back yard and trying to build a clubhouse out of some rusting tin my dad had piled behind the shed. Seemed like I was always working on some project by myself. Didn’t play well with others, as they say.  I was doing a piss-poor job of it when I heard music coming from the house next door. My dad called our neighbor the crazy, old cat lady, so I’d never ventured too close, thinking a witchy woman with a hooked nose and warts hid inside. But that music, so sad and beautiful—it drew me closer. She caught me peeking in her window, but I wasn’t scared. She wasn’t witchy at all. She had silver hair and smelled like jasmine. Kind of nice, actually.After filling me up with hot chocolate and lemon cake, she became my best friend. I probably should’ve been more cautious now that I think about it. She could’ve been some serial kid-killer or something. But, I knew she wasn’t. Even then, I knew the look of loneliness in someone’s eyes.My dad said playing the piano was for pansies, so I never told him that I was sneaking over for lessons every afternoon. I’d sit on the piano bench with a calico curled in my lap then listen, watch, and learn. I asked her once why she liked Beethoven so much. Never would forget her answer.“The love of my life played Beethoven for me. I miss him. When I play this music, he comes back to me for a while.”She never told me where he went. I never asked. Years later when Ms. Breaux’s fingers were bent up with arthritis, I’d go over and play “Moonlight Sonata” for her. She’d sit back on her floral sofa, close her eyes, and smile. When she died, I was one of four people at her funeral. She left me her piano, but my dad said we had no room or business with a piano.The tune wouldn’t stop playing in my head today.“Where is she?” asked Ruha.“She’ll be here soon,” I said, snapping back to the present.As if on cue, Hannah rounded the corner of fir trees. She walked across the clearing where we’d been covertly meeting since our arrival at Mount Haven. I loved to watch her walk.Damn. Look at her. Long legs, slim hips, white-blonde hair blowing around her perfect face. The surprise was her eyes—dark brown and mesmerizing, like they held a secret.I wanted to know the secret. I wanted to know everything. If the girl had any clue what she did to me, she’d stop. It should be against the law to creep into a guy’s head and invade his thoughts day and night. Still, I kept it casual ‘cause I had no idea how to read her. I could never tell if she was being nice or flirty. Girls confused me. I’d never had a girlfriend before. I almost did, but our time was cut short—too short.Jessie and I were a perfect fit, despite our different tastes in music. I hated punk. She despised metal. Still, we connected somehow on that freaky night of the football game back in Beau Chêne, Louisiana, when shadow scouts showed up and caused mass hysteria. Jessie gave me a ride home. Except we didn’t go home.We drove to the bayou, sat on the hood of the truck, and talked all night. She dropped me off at my house near dawn. My parents didn’t notice, didn’t care. I was only worried she would be in trouble.The last thing she said to me was, “Let’s do this again. Say, tonight?”I agreed. Of course, that night was when Jessie ceased to be Jessie. The image of the reaper flying into the sky, dragging her with him still haunted me. I couldn’t save her. I carried the guilt on my back like Sisyphus pushing his boulder in Hades, day after day.Hannah stood in front of me now with a sweet smile on her face. The boulder felt a little lighter.“What’s the verdict?” I asked.        “Yes!” “Alright!” shouted Ruha, hopping up to the news.Max stopped playing and joined us. Hannah laughed—a throaty, beautiful thing to hear.“Luke is already setting up in the cafeteria. We’d better hurry if we want to get all of the equipment ready in time.”“What the hell are we waiting for?” I asked. “Let’s go.”

ííí
Three hours later, we were ready. We’d covered the windows with black visqueen and set up the stage.  I checked the sound system one last time. We were good to go. I couldn’t believe it when Roman had slipped me the knowledge that there was a ton of music equipment in the attic above the cafeteria. It took a lot of sneaking around and tuning things up at the old archery field, but we did it. The moment we played for the very first time, it was like we’d been together forever, like fate or something.I tested the mic when a group of girls opened the door of the cafeteria and crept in slowly. “Is it true?” one of them asked. “Roman said, he said—”I glanced at Luke who’d already started thrumming his bass guitar. Ruha drummed a short beat.“Time to rock-n-roll,” I said to Max, looking like he might pee his pants at any minute. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Just do what we did in practice these past two weeks.”He nodded, his face drained of all color. The girls at the door squealed in a very girlish way. One took off running back out the door.Hannah never squealed. Quiet and calm. She reminded me of the Elf Queen Galadriel in Lord of the Rings. She actually kind of looked like her, too. Damn. The whole camp seemed to pile into the room while we finished warming up.I stepped up to the mic and welcomed the crowd. A pulse of energy hummed in my veins. Usually, my Sounder power stirred only when reapers were near. But, when the Setti gathered in numbers like this, something happened. The room itself came alive.My clansmen Ben, Mel, and Clara pushed through the crowd toward the front. Clara beamed a smile at me—my sister from another mister. Hannah’s eyes were on me. I felt like I might fly when I finally spoke.“We are Flight of Icarus,” I said, as the band started the beat to the first song on our playlist. A line from somewhere, I don’t know where, came to mind. “Flying high, trying not to get burned,” I mumbled. “This one goes out to the coolest Guardian out there.”We slammed hard into “Firewoman” by The Cult. The crowd went insane. The smile on Clara’s face was enough. As I belted out the lyrics, my eyes slipped to Hannah, sitting on the edge of the stage, watching me closely. Admiring me? No. Not her. But maybe.The crowd truly was on fire. Electricity pulsed through the room in rhythm to the music. Setti power vibrated and amplified. Strange that it was invisible, yet so tangible at the same time. When I launched into the opening lines of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” I felt like we could’ve raised Cobain from the dead with the energy pumping in that room. All the time, Hannah watched quietly from her perch at the edge of the stage. Above all else, I could feel her energy the most. What’s more, I could see it. Her skin began to shimmer white with her Setti power as a Light-bearer.Her dark eyes caught mine as I screamed the finale of Cobain’s tribute to the teens of the world. My heart skipped a beat. The power she wielded with those eyes was unnatural, unfair, and un-freakin’-believable. The song ended. I took a deep breath and held out my hand to her.“Come on, Lightning, get up here.”She took my hand and jumped to her feet, moving close to the mic. I could hardly breathe when I said, “This one is for all of us.”I stepped back. Luke moved to the piano, leading us into the next tune—the one I’d been waiting for. I stood there and watched Hannah croon the first lines of “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence.Beautiful. So beautiful. The girl was going to make me lose my religion. I almost missed my cue when Hannah sang the chorus.“Wake me up inside!”I chimed in, echoing her words like Paul McCoy did for Amy Lee. But I didn’t see dark-haired Amy Lee. All I could see was her. Hannah, growing brighter with every chord she sang. Her skin glowed from within. I found myself screaming the desperate lyrics and meaning them from the depths of my soul.“Save me!”“Save me from the dark,” she crooned, gazing at me from deep, brown eyes.We were close now, sharing the mic. So close I could hardly control myself. Around us, the crowd vibrated with an energy I’ve never felt before. I didn’t see them. I didn’t care. My whole being was pulled toward the blonde-haired angel who held my heart in her pretty, little hands.Then we harmonized, “Bring me to life.”Luke ended the song with the piano melody. The room roared with applause, and I couldn’t move. I was frozen. So was she. My eyes fixed on hers. If eyes were truly windows to the soul and if there was ever a time when looks spoke the truth, it was now. I couldn’t keep my feelings hidden as I stared at her, while the room was on fire with cheers for more.She breathed rapidly. Her chest rose and fell at a quickening pace. Finally, I pulled away and took Luke’s place behind the piano. This was Hannah’s solo.My fingers found the keys, shaking a little. Hannah dropped her head. Her eyes closed as she began singing “Sally’s Song” from The Nightmare Before Christmas. She fought for this song to go on the playlist until she won. As she sang the words, I hoped, I prayed they were for me. And I never was the kind of person to do either of those things. For once, I wanted something so far beyond my reach—too good for someone like me.“Will we ever---- end up together. . . .”How could God create such a creature and plant her in my path? It was torture. My mind reeled. I tried to shake it off, playing the final keys to the song. But it was like a disease. Yeah. I’d been infected by Hannah, and there was no cure. Actually, there was. I couldn’t wait to get through the rest of the playlist. I needed to be alone with her. There was no stopping me at this point. I had to know, even if that meant the worst kind of rejection.I’d lived with rejection all my life—from my parents, my peers, everyone. I’d learned how to cope. Just stop caring. Simple, actually. My Setti clan were the first to embrace me as one of their own. They were the first I let over the wall I’d built. Could fortune possibly smile on me one more time? Or was my world going to come crashing down? I looked at her. God in Heaven, what are you doing to me? I wanted her. Bad.We ended the night with Stone Sour’s “Through Glass,” singing about the stars, lies, home and being alone inside your head. Clara had disappeared somewhere, and I never did see Gabe. He’d been his loner self lately. Who knows? Didn’t matter. All that mattered was finishing this gig and getting off the stage.The final eruption of roars and cheers nearly lifted the roof off. Ruha, Luke, and Max came forward. I took Hannah’s hand and pulled her to my side. We all took a bow, then another. As people started to crowd the stage, Luke and Ruha stepped up, accepting pats on the back and all that. No way, man.I gripped Hannah’s hand tighter, pulling her with me down the stairs behind the stage. There was a back door by the office. I pushed it open and led her through. It was snowing again. I was only wearing my Iron Maiden t-shirt and jeans. Still, I didn’t even feel the cold. How could that be? All I felt was the heat in my veins and the warmth shining off her luminescent skin. She truly looked like an angel, casually leaning back against the wooden building. Watching me pace.I stopped and turned to stand in front of her. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.“Jeremy, the swaggering guy with a cocky answer for everything, is actually speechless.”Damn. The way she talked. Dark eyes drew me closer. I could fall into the abyss and be lost forever.“What’s on your mind, cowboy?”Funny nickname she’d been using lately. I stepped even closer, so afraid, but in such raw need to touch her. I traced my thumb along her cheekbone, pushing her hair away from her face. She drew in a sharp breath.“You rock my world, girl,” I said, knowing my voice was low and rough. Her eyes grew a little wider. She was about to pull away, I was sure of it. Then her words stopped my heart from beating.“And you rock mine,” she said, leaning her head toward my touch. “Kiss me. I’ve waited long enough.”No problem. My lips met hers. Then my body caught on fire. So soft. So warm. I couldn’t stop kissing her. She made a whimpering sound. I thought I might be crushing her against the wall, so I pulled her down to the snow. I braced her on top of me, so she wouldn’t be cold, never letting her lips part from mine. No way was I letting her go.I was dreaming. I had to be. Angels didn’t dance with devils. They certainly didn’t make out with them. Still, she didn’t just let me kiss her. She asked for it and kissed me back. With more than a little enthusiasm, I might add. I rolled over. Her head rested on my arm. The snow melted away from her body. Side effect of a Light-bearer, I guess.“You really are hot,” I said with a grin.She laughed. God, that laugh. “There’s the Jeremy I know. Making jokes at my expense.”“How is that at your expense? You really are hot—literally and, well, in every other way.”I was aware my eyes wandered, but I couldn’t help it. She blushed. I planted several light kisses along one cheek, her eyelids, then back to her mouth. Those lips. Damn. She was melting me from the inside out. I wanted her to be mine. I wanted it so bad I thought I might lose my mind.I pulled back.“Why do you call me cowboy?”She sort of shrugged.“Come on. Tell me.”She smiled such a sweet smile I wanted to kiss her again. Hell, who was I kidding? I wanted to kiss her nonstop at this point, lock her inside a cabin where no one would bother us for say, eternity.“Because you are. You’re like one of those cool, loner types. And—” she stopped abruptly.“And what?” I asked, kissing down her jaw to her neck. She paused as I trailed across her windpipe to the other side.“And sort of lonely like a cowboy.”I stopped and looked at her.“I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to, well, you asked—”“No, no,” I said. “It’s true. I just didn’t realize you could see it.”“I don’t think everyone can, Jeremy. But I see you, and I like what I see.”I almost came completely unhinged. My hand was in her hair. My lips on her again. I tried not to crush her, but I wanted to get closer, so much closer. I was vaguely aware that her skin began to glow brighter and brighter. When I thought I might make her lips too swollen from my rough need of her, I pulled away. Those half-open dark eyes could’ve pulled me into Hell, and I would’ve gladly followed with a stupid smile on my face.When I finally found my voice, the words that came out weren’t exactly romantic.“You’ve ruined me.”She frowned.“How have I ruined you?”I pulled her hand from my shoulder and pressed it over my heart.“You feel that?”She smiled.“God, girl. You have more power over me than any demonic reaper ever could. I could be cut into a million pieces and never bleed as much as I would with a wound from you.”The danger I was in, dangling my life over the edge of a cliff. I had just opened a door closed too, too long ago—slammed shut and locked tight against the world at large. But now, a gentle hand, a soft voice, a beautiful face lured me to the edge. A bewitching angel peered into that fractured place where a boy played alone. Would she push me over the edge or catch me before I fell?“Why would I wound you, Jeremy?”Deep, fathomless eyes. I could drown in the black and die a happy man. I realized then I was shaking. I’d never felt, well, anything this much. I’d grown up learning how not to feel a damn thing. It was like my body couldn’t take it.“Jeremy,” she said in a soft whisper, “I love you.”She did not just say that to me. Not her. I fell onto my back and closed my eyes. She couldn’t love me. I felt her body shift over mine. Her hand swept my hair away from my forehead. I shivered.“Jeremy? I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have said that, even if I know it to be true. We haven’t known each other that long, but my heart won’t deny it. Neither will I.”I opened my eyes to see the dark-eyed angel peering down at me. I cupped her cheek then threaded my fingers into her hair, pulling her closer. I was afraid to say this too loudly. The angels might hear and take her away, back to a safe place far from the likes of me. The door was so wide open, no going back now.“Hannah, you have enslaved me, heart and soul. It scares the shit out of me, but there it is. I won’t love you a little bit or just for a while, I don’t know how. I’ll love you fully and forever.”My voice came out ragged and uncontrolled. So unlike me. This whole scene was nothing I’d ever imagined. The boy in the dark room wanted something he never dreamed possible.She smiled. “Good.”“Good? That’s it? I’m your slave forever, and she says good?”A throaty laugh. Damn, this girl. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her down to me, promising in my heart to cherish this gift. She planted a gentle kiss on my lips then laid her head on my shoulder.“Good,” she whispered.“Good,” I echoed.We lay there for I don’t know how long. The night remained in shadow around us. No stars, no moon. The reapers had changed the sky into a constant gray slate, blocking out any light from above. Still, I felt no cold with her so close to me.“What is that you’re humming?” she asked after some time.“What? I was humming?”“Yes. What is it? Sounds lovely,” she said, snuggling closer.I realized then what tune was in my head.“It’s Beethoven. It’s called ‘Moonlight Sonata.’ ”“I love that. Will you play it for me sometime?” she asked softly.“Of course I will. Whenever you want. I’m your slave, remember?”She laughed. I pulled her closer, kissing the top of her beautiful, blonde head.

She was my moon in the darkness, lighting my way. The angel loved me, and for once in my Godforsaken life, I finally felt safe.