Bloodlines

by Trisha Lynn

Chapter Nine

  The next day passed by in a blur. She'd avoided Loki at all costs. Calculus class was difficult as she felt him staring at her the entire time, but she focused solely on the teacher and as soon as the bell rang, she rushed out the door. She just could not handle dealing with him right now. Dealing with the fact that he knew so much. She knew her feigning ignorance would only get her so far. He knew. There was no question that he knew what she was, what she could do. She knew that she'd need to pursue the answers he said he had, but right now she just needed to let the entire situation settle inside of her.

  That is why she faked sick coming up on her final class of the day. There was just no way she could avoid him in a class where she could be partnered with him again at any moment. She just couldn't do it, and since she never went home sick, the nurse didn't even question her. So, since Marissa rode with her, she had to sit in her car until Marissa got out of her final class.

  She'd been battling herself with what to say if she were to approach him.

  Hey, so all those things you said, I feel them. The current of electricity. The magic. I feel it. I have it. Why?

  Could she really just say that? Ugh! Why was everything in her life all of a sudden a question? And so difficult. She wished her only issue was boy troubles and college applications, again.

  She looked up just as a tall guy walked down the steps; she let out a little gasp when she recognized him.

  Loki waltzed out of the school. It was as if just thinking about him materialized him from thin air or something. Could her powers, or whatever they were, do that?

  The bell rang half a second later. Her body tensed, and she lifted herself up from where she had slouched in her seat. Her body was on fire with nervous heat.

  Why was he walking out of the school? What was going on?

  She swallowed, and almost whimpered when his eyes searched the lot and found her. Heat curled into her belly, and she felt the tingling along her entire body. She felt a small tremor of fear run up her spine, but it was mainly replaced with awareness and questions.

  He sauntered over to her car, and looked into the window. His golden eyes intent. His facial expression, completely blank. Devoid of emotion.

  Her lips pressed into a thin line, she swallowed the too thick saliva down her throat. With a trembling breath, she hit the switch for the automatic windows to go all the way down, pushing down the tickle of electrical current, fear and awareness all running its way up her spine just from looking at him. She could do nothing but stare.

  “I noticed earlier, but you didn't come to class,” he smirked and gestured towards the rear of her car, “your tire is almost flat.”

  She bit her lip, and said oh very softly. She opened the door and got out, looking at the offending tire. He stood very close to her, a smell of evergreens or balsam fir coming off of him. It was woodsy, rich and pleasant. Her senses were out of whack today, again. Her sense of smell was on overload.

  Her red Ford SUV was only a few years old, and she knew it had a tire pressure sensor thing; it was odd that it hadn't gone off at all prior to this. She wondered if she had run over something as she parked and turned off the car. Not that she knew much about cars, but she remembered her father telling her about the sensor and how it would help her to never run flat unless she hit something.

  She grunted her hands on her hips. She turned and looked at him. He looked like the type of guy that new a thing or two about cars.

  “Ah, you think it'll make it to the closest gas station for me to fill it?”

  He cocked his head, assessing the tire and nodded. “Sure, I don't see why not, but maybe someone should -”

  “Adeila! Loki!” A blond head bobbed its way through the sea of students now rushing out of the school.

  Adeila groaned realizing how this situation would go down. Loki appraised her at the noise, and she only gave him a fleeting glance before Marissa stopped in front of them.

  “Hi! Loki, so good to see you.”

  Marissa had made sure to find Loki and greet him as often as possible. Loki was very polite to her but also very vague, they'd never really had any sort of lengthy conversation. Adeila was not looking forward to this interlude.

  “You as well, Marissa.” He smiled politely, and then turned to Adeila.

  “I could follow you guys; make sure you get there okay.”

  Marissa's eyes widened and she looked to Adeila, but before Adeila even opened her mouth, Marissa nodded. “No clue what this is about, but that would be super nice of you, Loki!”

  Adeila rolled her eyes, and gestured to Loki. “No, no that's fine. I think we'll be all set. Thank you though.”

  Marissa pouted. “What's going on?”

  Adeila resisted the urge to shake her. Maybe you should have asked before agreeing to something! But she pointed to her tire instead. “My tire is low. I need to head right to the store to put air in it.”

  Just then she heard her name called, and looked up to see Erik saunter over. His crowd of friends had broken apart; some were staring after him shaking their heads. She didn't really know what that was about, but smiled and waved at him. Perfect, now he could follow her to the store, and she could send Loki along before things got even weirder.

  Marissa stepped closer to Loki and began talking to him quietly, while Adeila stepped closer to Erik. Erik's eyes wandered her, and then turned their blue gaze to the tall boy next to Marissa, then to Marissa. Clearly taking in the situation, before resting back on her.

  “Everything okay?” He bent down and kissed her lightly on the lips before turning his attention back to Loki.

  Taken completely aback by his blatant kiss, it took her a moment for her mind to work again. “Ah, yeah, Loki noticed my tire was going flat and warned me.”

  Erik looked at the SUV a moment. “I'm sure the car would have warned you as soon as you got inside, babe. It's new enough for tire pressure sensors.”

  Adeila had a moment of annoyance trickle through her body at his tone. He was clearly jealous, and it made him sound like an ass. And he made her sound stupid. Maybe that was just her female trait of over-analyzing, but she did not like the feeling. She was thrilled that he cared enough to be jealous but it still annoyed her.

  She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I'm sure your right, but it's still a nice heads up.”

  He only continued to look at Loki, she shook her head.

  “Alright, well thanks everyone, but I have work, so gotta go.” Adeila gestured to Marissa, who pouted ridiculously, but touched Loki's elbow and said good bye.

  Adeila turned to Erik, and he finally met her eyes.

  “See you tomorrow, Erik.”

  He must have picked up on her annoyance because his face softened. “Call me when you get out of work.”

  A whistle was heard from across the parking lot, and his friend Chris waved at Erik. He gave her a quick chaste kiss on the lips, one last stare at Loki, then turned around and went back to his friends.

  Adeila watched him a moment before turning back to her car. Her eyes met golden-green ones. She had really hoped he'd already left. His expression was blank. She discovered that he hid his emotions frustratingly well at least ninety percent of the time.

  She wanted to ask him something, say something, but her eyes shifted to Marissa, and she decided against it.

  He must have picked up on this because he took a step closer. She only shook her head.

  She wasn't even sure if she was ready to go to him with questions. But seeing him flooded her with the things he had said. The things he knew. Things only someone like her would know or someone that could feel and do the same things.

  She needed answers from him, because she saw no other alternative to finding them on her own. She needed help. Needed someone who knew what was going on, that she could trust. She just really didn't want that to be this stoic, gorgeous-eyed boy that she wasn't even sure she liked.

  She watched those eyes flash, but his words were calm and sincere
.

  “Do you want me to follow you and ensure you make it there safely?”

  She pursed her lips, looked over to where Erik was high-fiving his friends and walking away. It would have been nice for him to offer her that. But whatever, it's not like her car was dead and she was stranded or anything.

  Her eyes turned back to Loki, who'd been looking at the same thing as she, his eyes flashed a quick emotion again, something resembling anger to then be masked into their stoic golden color. She shook her head.

  “I think I'll be okay.” She smiled. “But thank you. I'll talk to you later.”

  She quickly opened her door and got inside before he could say anything.

  “What was that all about?” Marissa was gawking at her, with her eye brows up.

  “He asked if we wanted him to follow us to put air in the tire, again.”

  Marissa swiveled in her seat to where Loki walked away.

  “Did you say yes?”

  “Of course not, we'll be fine.”

  Marissa pushed the button to lower her window and Adeila stopped it with her own side. Thank goodness for child safety!

  “Don't you dare!” Adeila put the car in reverse and began heading to the gas station.

  Marissa pouted. “What's your problem with him anyway?”

  Both of their eyes went to the large black pickup truck and the tall, mysterious guy within.

  Adeila swallowed and put her eyes back to the road. “Nothing really, there's just something I don't like about him.”

  “Maybe, you just don't know him well enough! I, for one, am trying to get to know him better.”

  Adeila groaned. She hadn't told Marissa anything about the ride he had given her earlier that week. She figured it would come with too many questions and Adeila had zero interest in trying to avoid the awkwardness that, that conversation would bring.

  What did you guys talk about?

  Oh, well I did ask him if you were pretty, then we talked about an electrical current that's running through my blood, and how he has answers to the questions I ask about myself on a daily basis, because I am not normal!

  No, thank you!

  Even with her thoughts on haywire, she made it to the gas station without incident. Though she was quite sure a certain black pickup truck followed a few cars behind her and turned off when it saw her pull into the station. She wasn't one hundred percent sure, but as she pumped the air into her tire, the thought made her smile. Even though sometimes he gave her the creeps, and she wasn't even sure if she liked him, or that he liked her, he was kind of an okay guy. He gave off a vibe that was just plain frightening, especially the way her body weirdly reacted to him, but she was pretty sure he wasn't intending to be harmful or malicious. It's not like it was his fault she was heading towards a mental breakdown that would likely have her ending up locked in some mental institution or maybe she had a brain tumor? Or something equally screwed up was wrong with her? Regardless, none of that was his fault. He'd been nothing but nice to her, even offering her help. Help with something she couldn't go anywhere else about. She should probably cut the guy a little more slack.

  When she turned to get back into the SUV, the buzzing of her skin alighted. She automatically assumed that Loki had come back to harass her about something, but her heart raced when she took in the dark, late model sports car parked at the gas pump across the lot from her. The buff, crew cut guy from the diner was standing there staring at her. The grin he wore almost split his face in two. It was so creepy and non-human like; as were his eyes, there blank darkness reflecting back at her.

  She let out a little gasp and a shiver of fear chased its way up her spine, to pool into the pit of her belly. Her right wrist ached and tingled, and she bit back the urge to itch at it. She gulped and hopped back into the car, he watched her like a cat does a mouse as she backed out and drove off, but he made no moves to pursue her. Marissa didn't even notice him, so immersed in talking. Adeila was glad at that, no need for both of them to be completely freaked out.