by Karen Lynch
“Stop being a douche,” I scolded him when we were out of earshot of everyone.
He looked genuinely surprised. “I’m being a douche?”
I shook my head and groaned. “Roland, I know you think girls are okay if you only date them once or twice, but not all girls are the same. Can’t you see that Cassidy still has a thing for you?”
“She does?” He looked over my shoulder at the group of girls we had just left. “But we only saw each other twice, and that was weeks ago.”
“I guess you made a bigger impression on her than you thought.”
“What am I supposed to do? I can’t help how she feels.”
I had to stop myself from shaking him. Boys could be so dense sometimes. “I know that, and I’m not saying you have to stay away from other girls. Just try not hook up right in front of her face.”
After that, Roland kept a polite distance between him and Cassidy. He continued to flirt with other girls but to his credit, he toned it down a bit. An hour later, I saw Cassidy laughing with one of her friends, and I was glad I’d decided to say something to Roland.
By ten o’clock the crowd had almost doubled and I recognized a lot more of the faces. At some point, I separated from Roland and Peter and made my way down to the beach where a dozen or so people sat around the fire drinking. I found a flat rock to sit on and enjoyed the warmth of the fire on my face and the sound of the waves in the darkness.
The sensation of being watched made me glance around at the other faces to see who was looking at me. One boy I didn’t know smiled at me, but I knew that wasn’t what I’d felt. My eyes travelled along the top of the bluff. It was more like…
Son of a bitch. My gaze landed on Jessie Clark and Marie White practically hanging on the tall blond man watching me. If this was Chris’s idea of staying in the background, I’d hate to see what the alternative was like.
By the time I made it up the low embankment, Chris had detached himself from the two girls and met me at the top. The girls’ crestfallen expressions changed to open glares when they saw who the object of their attention had left them for. Jessie and Marie were two of Faith’s cronies, so I couldn’t have cared less what they thought.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed at Chris. “What happened to keeping your distance?”
Unfazed by my anger, Chris checked to make sure no one was close enough to hear us. “There have been some developments. We are bringing more people into Portland to investigate, and we thought it would be best to keep a closer eye on things on this end.”
A small chill ran down my back. “What kind of developments?”
“Nothing I can elaborate on at the moment.”
“Well, since it obviously has to do with me, you’d better give me more than that,” I whisper-yelled at him. Did they really expect me to accept their vague explanations just like that?
Chris gave me a patient smile, and I had the feeling that between him and Nikolas, he was the more temperate of the two. That was probably why I was dealing with him instead of Nikolas. I think he knew it, too.
“All I can say right now is that we believe the vampire who attacked you may be stepping up his attempts to find you.” He scanned the partiers as if assessing them for threats. “It might be advisable for you to go home and stay there for the next few days.”
I blinked at him. “Are you serious? I’m in the middle of werewolf territory with two of my werewolf friends. We haven’t heard or seen anything out of place – except you – in two weeks. I think I’m safe enough here.” No need to tell him that ever since I’d spoken to Nikolas on Tuesday, I’d taken to carrying the knife he gave me everywhere. It was tucked inside the inner pocket of my jacket tonight.
“Nikolas said – ”
“That’s another thing. Since when does he get to call the shots here? So I’m an orphan. That doesn’t give him the right to run my life.” I spun away from him. “And if I want to party, then I’ll party.”
I stomped away, looking for Roland and Peter. Seeing neither of them, I headed for the crowd standing around by the van. Samson intercepted me as soon as I got close.
“I thought you’d run off. You ready for that beer now?”
“Definitely.”
“Alright.” He flipped open the nearest cooler and pulled out two beers. He opened one and passed it to me, and I took a long swallow. I didn’t care what kind it was. It was cold and wet, it tasted like rebellion, and I was thirsty.
Samson grinned at me. “Slow down there, chugger.”
I let out a loud burp and slapped a hand over my mouth. “Oops, sorry.”
He laughed good-naturedly. “That’s what happens when you drink the first one too fast.”
A laugh bubbled out of me. “I’m not exactly much of a drinker.”
“That’s funny coming from one of Roland’s friends.”
“He thinks so, too,” I said as we moved away from the cooler to grab a couple of plastic chairs at the edge of the crowd. I noticed a few girls watching us, and their expressions told me they were not happy to see the drummer with me. What is with girls and good looking guys? A girl couldn’t even talk to a guy without every other female baring their claws. Nate had no idea what he was talking about when he said he wanted me to be like normal girls.
Samson leaned toward me so I could hear him over the din. “I don’t know any girls who are into the older music. What stuff do you like?”
“I don’t know. Most of it, I guess. Not the real heavy stuff. I like Janis Joplin, the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner. Stuff like that.”
“What, no Backstreet Boys or ’N Sync?”
I made a face. “Did you really just ask me that?”
We both laughed. Samson had the rocker look nailed, the hot drummer with groupies and all, but he was a lot more down to earth than I had expected. We talked a lot about music and the different bands he’d been in. He told me Delilah’s Crush was the first band he’d started on his own, and he had great hopes for them. I was surprised when he told me he was also doing a couple of business classes at USM. He said you had to have a backup plan.
“So you haven’t said much about yourself,” Samson said when he returned from getting us another beer.
“Not a lot to say really,” I replied, accepting the cold beer from him. I took a long drink. “I’m a senior at a Catholic school, so you know there’s not much to say about that. I live with my uncle, and unlike you I have no idea what I want to do in college, even though my school counselor keeps telling me I have to start applying soon.”
He raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Catholic school girl, huh?”
“Ha, don’t believe the hype,” I quipped, earning a laugh from him. I laughed with him, aware that I hadn’t been this relaxed in a long time and never with a boy who wasn’t Roland, Peter, or Greg. I always figured that if you talked to boys too long, they’d make something out of it. I wasn’t the best at reading male signals, but Samson seemed to be genuinely interested in only talking. Maybe he was tired of girls clamoring for his attention all the time and just wanted some normal conversation.
Our laughter drew the curious stares of the people nearby. I caught Dylan’s eye, and he winked at me. I couldn’t tell if he was playing along with his earlier comment about me crushing on him or if he was insinuating there was something going on between me and his drummer.
I turned my attention back to Samson, and I found him watching me with a soft, almost wistful expression. As soon as our eyes met, he turned on his good-natured grin again, but it was too late. Uh-oh, there it was. I groaned inwardly. Men need to come with a user manual. One that said, “Don’t push this button.”
My first impulse was to start looking for a way to politely slip away from him. But then I thought, Why? I liked Samson, and he seemed like a great guy. We laughed a lot, and he hadn’t tried anything inappropriate. He hadn’t even pushed me to drink more like a lot of guys would have. And it wasn’t like I had anything to be afraid of. I
was here with Roland and Peter and a Mohiri bodyguard.
Samson must have seen the conflict in my eyes because he stood and said, “Come on, we can’t sit over here by ourselves all night. People will call us wallflowers.”
“Ha. Can’t have that. It would totally ruin your image.”
“Damn straight.” He took my hand and pulled me to my feet. The world spun for a second, and I suddenly remembered why I didn’t drink. Only two beers and I was tipsy.
Samson reached out to steady me. “Whoa. Lightweight.”
My scowl only got a laugh from him. “You know what the best cure is for that?” he asked, and I shook my head. He tugged me toward a group of people dancing on the other side of the van. I tried to pull back because I wasn’t much of a dancer, but he wasn’t having any of it. I soon discovered that he wasn’t much better than me, but that didn’t stop him. Soon I was dancing with everyone else and really enjoying it. We danced two fast ones before it switched to a slower song. Samson stood back and gave me a questioning look. I shrugged. What the heck?
He was a lot taller than me so my head only came to his shoulder. It felt awkward at first, dancing so close to him, but he suddenly began dipping me and acting all goofy. I was flushed and laughing by the time the song ended. Could I really be enjoying myself at a party… with a boy? What had come over me?
A sudden annoying niggling sensation in my head told me a Mohiri was near, and my lips thinned as I scanned the area looking for Chris. What was his problem now? Was dancing with a boy some kind of security risk? When I found him I was going to let him know how creepy it was to have someone watching me all the time.
My watcher stood in front of the lighthouse, arms folded and a shuttered expression on his face. When I faced him, he moved slightly and I saw the set of his jaw and the stormy stare that I was starting to think he reserved just for me.
Lucky girl.
Chapter 9
I pulled away from Samson and started walking in the opposite direction.
“Are you alright?” Samson asked behind me, and I slowed to let him catch up. It wasn’t his fault I was being stalked by two overbearing demon warriors. The absurdity of that thought almost made me burst out laughing. I just smiled instead.
“I’m fine, just a little thirsty.”
“You want another beer?” he asked, stopping by a large cooler.
“Water if you have one. Or a soft drink is fine.”
He looked in the cooler. “None here. I think we have some in the van. Be right back.”
I knew Nikolas was behind me, and I turned to confront him before he spoke. “What are you doing here?”
Nikolas’s brooding eyes studied my flushed face for a moment before they moved to the van and back. “Obviously protecting you from yourself. Are you drunk?”
My spine stiffened. “No, I’m not drunk. And even if I was, it would be none of your business.”
His expression did not flicker. “You are my business. Whether you like it or not, you are one of us and we protect our own.”
Indignation flared in me. “First of all, I am nobody’s business, and I don’t belong to you or your people or anyone else. This bossy act might work on little kids, but it won’t work on me, and if I want to party with my friends or drink or do anything else, I will.”
I had no idea what made me go off on a tirade like that. I swear something about Nikolas pushed all my buttons. Maybe I resented him for being the one to turn my life upside down. Or maybe he reminded me how weak I really was out there in the world. Maybe it was me and not him at all.
I began to whirl away from him and stumbled, and his hand shot out to steady me. “You are drunk.”
I was wrong. It was all him.
“Everything okay here?” Samson asked.
I tried to make my expression neutral when I faced him. “Peachy. My… cousin was worried that I might be drinking too much. He’s a lot older than me and way too uptight.”
Nikolas’s eyebrows shot up, and Samson did not look convinced. “Cousin, huh?”
“Distant cousins, practically unrelated.” Was that a challenge I heard in Nikolas’s voice? God, all I needed was to end up in the middle of some stupid testosterone match.
Samson glanced from me to Nikolas. “Listen, if there is something going on between you two, I – ”
My laugh came out as more of a snort. “Yeah, not in this lifetime.” I looked at Samson, ignoring Nikolas altogether. “I think I’ll go see what Roland is up to. Maybe I’ll see you again later.”
I hadn’t stomped off like that since I was five. Nikolas made me feel like throwing a tantrum; how could one person be so damn aggravating? But then a couple hundred years is plenty of time to learn how to piss people off.
I spotted Roland with Dylan and a few other guys, but I found that I had no desire for company so I headed to the beach and grabbed a seat near the fire. Someone had brought a guitar and he was playing a Lifehouse tune while everyone else talked amongst themselves. I watched the fire, content to sit quietly and listen as the guitarist finished his song and started another one.
Why did he have to show up and spoil everything? I was enjoying myself, really enjoying myself for the first time in weeks before he came along, acting arrogant and superior and reminding me how messed up my life was. All I wanted was to put the last few weeks behind me, and for a short while with Samson I had been able to do that. If Nikolas and Chris had to follow me, couldn’t they do it a little more subtly? It wasn’t like either of them could go unnoticed in this crowd, or any crowd for that matter, and I wasn’t blind to the attention I received from people when I was with either of them. I liked to stay in the background, and I hated being stared at. I hated all of this.
I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn’t have to look up to know it wasn’t one of my self-appointed protectors. The girls coming down the embankment scrambled and squealed like they were tumbling down a mountain.
“I don’t get it. What is the deal with her?” whined Jessie Clark. “Did you see Samson practically drooling over her? Samson – who won’t even look at a girl if she’s not in college!”
“I know!” Marie cut in. “I tried to talk to that dark-haired hottie, but he was watching her like frigging hawk. I thought he and Samson were going to fight over her.”
My ears burned, and I was relieved no one could see the flush creeping up my cheeks. I had no doubt they were talking about me.
“I don’t think she even wears makeup,” Jessie declared as if wearing no eyeliner was a capital offense. I was wearing mascara and lip gloss; didn’t that count?
Faith snickered. “Well, what do you expect? She only hangs out with guys. Maybe they’re getting something we don’t know about.”
“You think she’s like that?” Marie asked eagerly.
“Who knows with her,” Faith replied. “But if you ask me…?”
I didn’t get to hear the rest of her comment because they walked past me without even realizing I was there. My hands clenched in my lap, and I was glad no one had noticed me overhearing the exchange between the three girls.
All the fun had left the party for me, and I felt like crawling under a bush where no one could bother me until it was time to leave. I stood and picked my way a dozen feet down the beach where I could be alone but still keep the fire in sight. The night was cooling off, and it was chilly away from the fire. I pulled my jacket closer around me and drew my knees up against my chest. Close to the water, the waves drowned out the voices and music and made me feel like I was completely alone here.
I picked up a stone and flung it out into the water. This is their fault. I couldn’t even pretend to act like a normal teenager without the two of them messing it up.
I felt the brush against my mind, and I had to stop myself from crying out in frustration. Was it too much to ask for five minutes to myself?
“Please go away,” I said without looking up. “I promise I won’t have any fun or fall into the ocean in my dr
unken state if you’ll leave me alone.”
He sat down beside me, and I ignored the warm arm touching mine. Silence stretched between us. I didn’t want to fight again, so I kept quiet and waited for him to speak.
“I’ve heard that some orphans take the transition to the Mohiri life well and others struggle to adapt. Eventually, they all come to love our way of life.”
I stared at the black water. “Maybe that’s because their life before wasn’t that great. It’s got to suck being a little kid with a demon wreaking havoc in your head. But I’m not like them.”
“No you’re not.”
“Why?”
It took him a minute to reply. “You are very strong. I don’t mean physically. Like I told you before, you have amazing control over your Mori; it’s almost effortless.”
“You don’t seem to have any trouble with yours,” I said.
Nikolas chuckled. “I’ve had many years to learn this much control, and it’s still not as good as yours.”
“Oh.” I pondered that for a bit. “But you do control it, right? You’re not going to go all Linda Blair on me, are you? Because I’ve had all the craziness I can handle for one year.”
His laugh was rich and warm, and in spite of my dark mood, I felt a smile tugging at my own mouth. How was he able to infuriate me one minute and make me smile the next?
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” he said lightly.
I sighed and looked at him, but he was silhouetted against the fire so I couldn’t see his face. “How long is this going to go on? I just want to go back to some semblance of a normal life.”
“Sara – ”
“I know what you’re going to say. How normal can it be when I’m immortal and everyone else is not? Why can’t I have it for now, at least until I have to leave?”
It was his turn to sigh. “That might have been possible before the vampire found you. You don’t know what they’re like; once they decide they want something, it’s like a predator scenting their prey. And you are the one that got away.”