“You think I’m beautiful? Not that it matters,” she rushed out, then shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “What I was saying was that Aden once told me I calm him, then Tucker later told me the same thing. Maybe I’m, I don’t know, like a tranquilizer to anyone who’s not human.”
“Not a tranquilizer,” Aden said. “A neutralizer.”
“Well, if I negate powers, how was Tucker able to produce that snake? I was on the other side of the door from him, but we were still close.”
“Perhaps to do any negating, you need open space between you and the one with the power,” Aden suggested.
“Let’s not talk about this here.” Riley eyed the many cars in the parking lot, the doors in front of them and the students still in the foyer. Anyone could walk up on them at anytime. Anyone could be hiding in the bushes nearby.
They strode into the building, leaving the cool morning behind. Students rushed along the halls. Aden leaned into Victoria and whispered, “Are you going to be okay?” He rubbed his neck to let her know what he meant.
“Yes,” she whispered back, her breath warm on his skin. She didn’t sound sure.
“If you get hungry—”
“I won’t,” she said. Again, she didn’t sound convinced.
“Well, I’m here for you, anyway.”
The bell rang and each of them froze.
“We better get to class,” Aden said with a sigh. “We’re already late.” And just how was he going to explain that to Dan? Hey, Dan. You can’t toss me out because I was talking business with a vampire and a werewolf.
“I’ll take care of it,” Victoria said with a grin. “No one will know.”
“How—oh.” Her voice voodoo. He grinned, too. Hanging out with a vampire princess certainly had its advantages. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
He expected them to all go their separate ways, but it turned out Riley and Victoria had done more than sneak into the school; they’d ensured Victoria had the same schedule as Aden and Riley the same as Mary Ann.
Victoria. At school with him all day long. He would get to spend more time with her, see her openly, talk with her, learn more about her and her people. Did it get any better than that?
Actually, yes. Mary Ann was helping him and Riley wasn’t threatening to kill him.
His optimism didn’t last long, though. Something would go wrong and soon. It always did. That wasn’t paranoia. That was the simple crux of Aden’s life.
“Elijah,” he mumbled as he entered first period beside Victoria.
The psychic knew what he wanted. Bad is indeed on its way, my friend. I told you that before you began this journey.
Yet he’d embarked on it anyway, so whatever happened would be his fault.
THIRD PERIOD, the boy pretending to be John O’Conner was waiting for Aden, practically bouncing up and down in the doorway. Aden was still furious with him, plus now suspicious of his origins, and pretended not to hear his eager questions.
“Did you talk to Chloe, huh, huh? I couldn’t get to the cafeteria for some reason, but I tried.”
Victoria claimed “John’s” seat, forcing the boy to stand beside Aden. Others were filing inside, staring at her with openmouthed astonishment. He wanted to hit them.
“Go away,” Aden growled.
“Who? Me?” Victoria asked.
He motioned to John with a tilt of his head. “No. The pest.”
She frowned as she peered over at John. Or tried to. Her gaze never quite made contact. “What pest?”
“Is he…do you think he could be…”
“Come on, man,” John said before Victoria could reply. “It’s not like I’m asking you to solve world hunger or anything. I just want you to talk to Chloe, see how she’s doing.”
Aden flattened his palm against John’s chest and shoved—or tried to. His hand slipped through as if he were only touching air. Electrically charged air that zapped him as if he’d stuck his fingers in a light socket.
For a long while, he simply peered down at his tingling hand. The teacher started talking, then forced Victoria to stand in front of the class and tell everyone a little about herself—Hi, my name’s Victoria and I’m from New York. I’m happiest when I’m alone and my favorite ice cream flavor is butter pecan. Thank you.
He raised his gaze to John, studying him through new eyes. The glittery skin, now so clearly an outline of the body he used to have. Not a goblin, fairy or witch, after all. How had he not known? How he had not reasoned it out?
“What? You didn’t know?” John asked him. The real John, after all. Killed by a drug overdose and now, apparently, a ghost.
Figured, Aden thought. Were these spirits after him now, too? If so, how was he supposed to be guarded from them?
THROUGHOUT THE DAY, the gossip about Victoria and Riley intensified. One group claimed they were models trying to hide out from the media. Another claimed they were the children of models trying to hide out. Everyone thought they were wealthy and a few even speculated they were here to film a reality TV show.
Mary Ann rolled her eyes at it all, not quite sure how money and stardom had entered the equation. She could hardly believe Riley was here. And in human form!
He stayed by her side, watching everyone around her and making sure they behaved. Part of her was still afraid that he only wanted to hang out with her because she calmed him as she calmed Aden and Tucker. Who was a demon. A freaking demon. And she’d kissed him. Did she have demon germs now?
Not that she was complaining about Riley’s attention, but she hoped and prayed tranquilization—neutralization—wasn’t her only draw. Did he find her attractive? He had called her beautiful, but what if he’d said it only to be nice?
He could have anyone he wanted, she was sure. Like Penny, if she’d been here. Mary Ann hadn’t seen her all day. He could even have Christy Hayes, head cheerleader, who was currently blowing him kisses as she sashayed by.
“You can go talk to her if you want,” Mary Ann told him. Was that harsh tone really hers? “There’s time. The third period bell won’t ring for another,” she glanced at the wall clock, “four minutes and our class is just down the hall.”
His brow furrowed, his step never faltering. He shifted the books he held—both his and hers—from one arm to the other. “Talk with who?”
O-kay. He hadn’t even noticed the perky and beautiful Christy. Pleasure zoomed through her. “Never mind. So how are you handling the day so far?”
“Fine. We’ve attended school before. Of course, the students and teachers were just like us, but school is school. You go, you learn, and you kill anyone who gets in your way.”
All the heat drained from her face. “You can’t just go around killing people. There are rules, laws that must be obeyed or—”
His husky laugh silenced her. “I was only teasing, Mary Ann. I would not harm your friends.”
“Oh.” Her apprehension faded, and she growled. “Don’t scare me like that!”
“Your enemies, however…” he muttered.
She shook her head at him, unsure whether to believe him this time.
They entered the classroom together. Mary Ann took her seat in the far right row, closest to the teacher’s desk. Kyle Matthews had the one next to her and he was already seated. As Riley had done in their first two classes, he stood in front of his desired spot and stared. Stared until Kyle was shifting uncomfortably. Stared until Kyle picked up his books and found another seat.
There was such an intensity about Riley, an intensity no other boy possessed. The wicked gleam in his eyes didn’t help, either. I’ll do anything necessary to get my way, that gleam said. Except, he never turned that gleam her way. With her, he was gentle and protective.
He watched her as he placed her books on her desk. “Once again your aura is a mix of colors. What are you thinking about?”
You. She leaned toward him, whispering, “Do you have a girlfriend waiting for you at home? I’m just curious, you understand.” No, I’m a moron. But she had to know.