He could practically feel her eyes on him as he walked. She stayed behind him so she could watch his every move. He was surprised they’d only sent one person to get him. They should’ve sent a whole group, marched him to the office like a dangerous criminal. He had an image of being strapped down, mask and everything, like Hannibal Lecter.
She walked him all the way to the door of the principal’s office. “Knock and then go in.”
Another image: burning the door, blasting it so hard it flew into the office. Smashing her desk, crashing into the wall. Dylan took a deep breath and knocked.
“Come in.”
He opened the door and froze. The principal wasn’t alone. There were two cops waiting for him. “What the hell is this?”
“Please close the door, Mr. Galloway,” the principal said. “They just want to ask you a few questions.”
“Questions, my ass. About what?”
“I’ll ask one more time. Please close the door.” Red fire danced in the principal’s eyes, reminding him of her power.
With a growl, he stepped the rest of the way into the room and closed the door. “So? Why are the cops here?”
They looked at him with cold, neutral stares. The older one said, “We’re investigating the disappearance of Dalton Rhodes. He was last seen late Friday night, heading into the woods near his home. The same woods that adjoin the property of your parents.”
“So?” Dylan crossed his arms.
“We’ve already questioned your mother, and we’re satisfied with her answers,” the younger one said. He had close-cropped blond hair and looked like a human cop.
The scent of burning wood and heated rock filled the room. “My mom?” Couldn’t they ever fucking leave her alone?
“Mr. Galloway, I won’t tolerate any incidents in my office,” the principal said, raising her eyebrows.
He took a long, slow breath. “I wasn’t there. I was out at the pit. The gravel pit. I was there until after sunrise, then I went home.”
“That matches your mother’s story,” the older cop confirmed. “Did anyone see you at the gravel pit?”
“No. I was alone.” He growled. “Look, I didn’t do a fucking thing to him. If I was going to go after someone, it would be Conner. And I wouldn’t kidnap him or kill him or whatever you think I did to that werewolf. I’d beat his ass hard enough that he’d never mess with me again.” He longed to settle it. For his own satisfaction, yes. But also so Aiden and Hanna wouldn’t have to worry about Conner anymore.
“Mr. Galloway, there will be no ‘ass kicking’ in my school. If you get in another fight, you’ll get a suspension and a meeting between me and your parents.”
Dylan ignored the principal’s comment and watched the younger cop take notes. “What are you writing?”
“Just a few notes on your violence and your history with the missing person in question,” the cop said mildly.
Dylan growled, fingers digging into his palms. Getting into a fight with two cops and the principal was the worst possible idea. Well, next to releasing a dark fae. “I didn’t do it,” he repeated.
“His record does indicate he likes to be… public about his disagreements,” the principal said.
Defending him? That was surprising.
“Also noted.”
“This is just a formality,” the older cop said. “Following up any leads we might have. A noncertified minor missing from Shadow Valley is a serious issue. We’ve had to notify the wardens. You may get a follow up visit from them.”
Great. Wardens were the only thing he was afraid of. Dylan was well aware they had the power of life and death over him. If they decided he was guilty, whether there was evidence or not, they could lock him up for life or execute him outright.
“Are we done?” Dylan asked.
The cops exchanged a look.
“You can go,” the older one said.
Dylan left the office, his whole body tense. It took a lot of concentration to hold his magic in. He wished he could go to the gravel pit right now and burn the shit out of something. Was staying here worth it? If he hurried back to class, he might be able to have a match, but that wouldn’t be enough. He was actually a little worried that he might hurt whoever he went up against.
Maybe he should just go to the pit. It would take him a while to walk there, but it was better than staying here with anger boiling inside him. If only he could fly like in his dreams. The ability was still beyond him, if it was even possible. His mom could transform into a dragon, but with his weaker blood, no one was sure Dylan would have that ability.
Wearing his gym clothes— an old Avenged Sevenfold T-shirt and torn jeans— he went right out the door and kept walking. The magic inside him took a moment to adjust, raising his body temperature until he barely felt the cold.
He pictured the buildings around him in flames, snow melting into steam. Burn it all. No, he had to get out of there and calm down.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Aiden looked for Dylan, but there was no one at the table. Was he still in the office? What was he in trouble for? He sat down and sent a text asking him what was going on. Hanna joined him.
“Where’s Dylan?” she asked as she set down her tray.
“One of the hall monitors came to take him to the office. She wouldn’t say why.”
“I hope he’s not in trouble.” She sat close to him but didn’t take his hand. She was as cautious as he was. Then Aiden wondered if she knew about the incident that morning. Probably not.
“Hey, Conner came up to me this morning and accused Dylan of doing something to Dalton. He said he went missing this weekend.”
“Oh, yeah.” She frowned. “We heard about it on Saturday. My parents joined the search party. He just… disappeared. His trail went to the barrier and stopped. He wouldn’t leave, not without a pass.” She shook her head. “Conner thinks Dylan hurt him?”
“Or something.”
Then, as if summoned, Conner stalked toward them, packmates in tow. “Where the fuck is he?”
Aiden didn’t have to ask who he meant. His stomach went cold and tight as the sensation of fur surrounded him. “The principal’s office.” Beside him, Hanna tensed. Oh, crap. With Dylan gone, that meant only Aiden stood between her and the werewolf pack.
Conner snorted. “So they know he did it? We told the cops it was him and they said they’d look into it, but I thought they were full of it. Too bad. I wanted to get my hands on him.”
“Dylan didn’t do anything.” Aiden’s voice shook a little and he prayed that Conner would just go away. Behind the alpha, the other werewolves glared with yellow eyes.
Conner leaned close and Aiden flinched. “You think I’m stupid? We know your boyfriend did it. Dalton is probably buried out there somewhere. Probably just a pile of ashes with some dirt kicked over it.” His eyes glistened with moisture.
It was hard to breathe, and little spots danced in Aiden’s vision. Beside him, Hanna whined. Aiden put an arm in front of her as fear rolled through him. If he reacted, he could hurt Conner and the pack, which was bad enough, but worse than that, he could hurt a lot of other kids. Could he get out of the lunchroom? Or at least find a hall monitor to hide behind? But he couldn’t make himself move.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Both he and Conner turned. Maggie stood in the aisle, hands planted on her hips. The sparkly unicorn sweatshirt didn’t make her look intimidating, but she was doing her best to glare. As much as he was worried about her getting hurt, it also warmed his heart that she would stand up for him.
The werewolves growled.
“Sit down,” Conner said. “This isn’t your business.”
“We’re making it our business,” Sakura said as she and Izume moved to join Maggie.
If all of them fought the pack, the odds were now even. Aiden prayed it wouldn’t come to that.
“Yeah, leave him alone.” Toby and Tina came up behind Aiden.
Conner looked around, and fo
r a moment his eyes narrowed. Aiden forgot to breathe, worried he would start a fight anyway.
“We want Dylan. He’s the one responsible. If you see your boyfriend, you tell him to come find me or I’ll find him.” He turned, taking the pack with him.
Aiden slumped against the table.
* * *
Dylan stayed at the pit until he was exhausted. As he walked home, his phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he saw six new texts and a missed call, all from Aiden. Crap. All of them were variations on Where are you?
He texted back, Cops questioned me. Let me go. Pissed, so I went to the pit.
Seconds later, a reply. Conner threatened me at lunch.
Dylan stopped. Are you okay? He hadn’t even thought of that. Leaving meant Aiden and Hanna had no one to defend them. Aiden was perfectly capable, but unwilling.
Fine, came the reply.
Maybe Aiden was busy and didn’t have time for a longer reply. School had just ended. He might be grabbing his things, on the way to the bus. But Dylan couldn’t help reading more into that one terse word. Turning, he went back through the gravel pit in the opposite direction, toward Aiden’s house.
When he was almost there, he debated knocking and asking Aiden’s parents if he could wait, but he didn’t want to explain why he was there. Besides, it would be awkward. So he went down to the bus stop, hoping he remembered the right place. He’d come home with Aiden once and the bus had dropped them off a block or so from the house. Dylan shifted his feet and paced, looking up anytime he heard a vehicle approaching.
How long did it take for the bus to get here? Maybe he should just call Aiden. No, he wanted to apologize to his face. Dylan had been selfish and abandoned him. He’d failed Aiden, again.
Finally, the bus arrived. The kappa kids— Toby and Tina— walked off the bus, staring. Aiden was right behind them.
“Is something wrong?” Aiden asked.
“Want to talk to you.” He’d forgotten about Toby and Tina and didn’t want to do this in front of them.
“Okay.” Aiden drew the word out.
“What happened? Why weren’t you at lunch?” Toby asked.
Dylan glared at him and the boy dropped his gaze, shoulders slumping.
“Don’t be a jerk,” Aiden muttered.
Dylan sighed and walked toward Aiden’s house.
After almost half a block, Aiden asked, “So what is it?”
Dylan cleared his throat. “I, uh, want to apologize. For leaving. Are you really okay? Conner didn’t hurt you?”
“No. He came looking for you at lunch, and when you weren’t there… He didn’t actually threaten me, I guess. I was just so scared I started freaking out.” Aiden didn’t look at him. “Maggie came over to defend me, and the fox sisters, and Toby and Tina.” The troubled look on his face became a smile.
“Was there a fight?”
Aiden shook his head. “Conner walked away. He didn’t like the odds, or he thought about how he’d get suspended again. Either way, he left.”
“I’m glad nothing happened.” He should have been there.
“What happened with you and the police?” Aiden finally looked at him. “You said they questioned you?”
“Yeah. That’s why they dragged me down to the principal’s office. Two cops were waiting there and questioned me about Dalton’s disappearance.” Dylan snorted. “Guess even the cops think I’m suspect number one. But they let me go because they’ve got no evidence.”
“So you were upset and went to the pit?” Aiden turned up the walk.
“Yeah. I shouldn’t have left you.”
Aiden reached the door and paused. “Maybe it’s best you did. If you were that mad when Conner came over at lunch… there would have been a fight.”
Dylan pictured that asshole growling at him yet again. “Yeah, probably.”
Aiden put a hand on his arm. “If you need to leave to control your anger, I’d rather have that than a fight.”
“Like I said, if it came to that, I’d take it outside.”
Aiden sighed. “Thanks for coming to talk to me. For you, that’s… super thoughtful.” He smiled. “And I accept your apology.”
“Thanks.” Was there anything he could do that Aiden wouldn’t accept an apology for? Dylan didn’t want to find out.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The text had come shortly before dawn on Saturday, after Aiden had gone to sleep. He didn’t see it until he got up around noon.
Theyy knw!!! It was from Hanna.
He stared at it. Was she in trouble? He sent back, Who? Knows what? He waited awhile but didn’t get an answer. She was probably still asleep. He tried to keep calm while he ate breakfast, but he kept picturing Conner attacking her. So he called and got her voice mail. Called again. Texted again. No answer.
He was supposed to go to Dylan’s and hang out, but he had to know if Hanna was okay. Briefly, he considered asking his parents to drive him over there, but he didn’t want to worry them, and if it ended up being nothing he’d feel really awkward.
Instead, he called Dylan and asked if he would meet him at the gravel pit. From there, they could go to Hanna’s house. Dylan seemed eager, and Aiden suspected it was the idea of fighting Conner and not that he was actually excited to think Hanna was in danger. Even Dylan wasn’t that callous.
Aiden ran over as fast as he could. He beat Dylan and had to wait a few minutes for his friend.
When Dylan showed up, he said, “I don’t know where Hanna lives.”
“I do.”
Dylan gave him a puzzled look before saying, “Oh, yeah. The date thing.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “Come on.”
As they jogged, Dylan asked, “So you really think she’s in trouble?”
“The text seemed frantic and misspelled… Well, more misspelled than usual. And I didn’t get an answer, even when I called. Maybe she’s fine and her phone is off cause she’s sleeping, but… I need to be sure.” Worry squeezed his chest and he sped up.
They made it to Hanna’s house half an hour later. Aiden made one wrong turn but realized his mistake before they went too far. He hurried up to the front door, almost wiping out on a patch of ice. It took six rings of the doorbell before a sleepy man answered the door. He was tall, with broad shoulders and hair a few shades darker than Hanna’s. He didn’t quite glare, but the look he gave Aiden wasn’t happy.
“Yeah?”
Aiden swallowed, then he sensed Dylan come up behind him and found the courage to speak. “Is Hanna okay?”
Her father blinked and his expression shifted into a for-real glare. “You’re him, aren’t you? The fae boy she’s sneaking around with?”
Then it clicked. They know. Her parents. “We’re just dating, that’s all. I haven’t even kissed her yet. Sir.”
Dylan’s voice came almost at his ear, steady and low. “He won’t hurt you, Aiden.” A faint sensation of warm lizard skin as the dragonkin drew on his power.
From in front of him, a brush of fur. Hanna’s father’s eyes flickered with yellow. “Dylan Galloway. I won’t let you take my daughter like you took Dalton.”
“I didn’t do anything to him!” Dylan roared.
Aiden flinched away from the heat. “Please don’t!” He ducked, covering his head.
The heat disappeared immediately, leaving a chill. “Sorry.”
Aiden took deep, slow breaths, telling himself to relax. After a moment, he straightened. “I just wanted to know that Hanna was okay. She texted me and I thought she sounded worried. She wouldn’t answer her phone.”
“Hanna is grounded and lost her phone privileges.” Her father’s expression softened a bit. “Thank you for protecting her, but she’s not allowed to see you anymore.”
“Why not?” His stomach sank. The whiplash of emotions made his head spin.
“Because I said so,” he snapped. “Stay away from my daughter.” He turned and slammed the door in Aiden’s face.
Dylan snorted. “Well, that explai
ns Conner. Asshole dad, asshole boyfriend.”
“Do you think he beats her?” Could he tell the police? Would they help, or were things different here?
“Well, he did thank you for protecting her. I assume he was referring to Conner,” Dylan turned down the walk and Aiden followed. “So at least maybe her dad doesn’t put his hands on her.”
“I hope not.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “At least she’s safe. That’s all I really cared about.”
Dylan clapped him on the back. “Congratulations, you just became irresistible.”
“Huh?”
“Her dad is forbidding her from seeing you. Which just means she’ll want you more now.”
“Really? But won’t that make her dad mad?”
“Yeah, but so what?”
Aiden shook his head. “I don’t want any trouble.” But he didn’t want to stop seeing Hanna, either. They hadn’t even gotten to kiss. They’d only had one date. It was so unfair.
* * *
The rest of the weekend, Aiden heard nothing from Hanna. It ate at him, wondering if she would listen to her parents or not. At least she was safe. After what happened with Dalton, Aiden was probably going to get nervous anytime someone didn’t answer a text or a call. Had Dalton run away? Had someone taken him? Hurt him?
Aiden shivered as he rode the bus to school. Bad things happened everywhere else. Of course they could happen here too. Really, it was surprising there weren’t more problems. It was a town full of monsters. Werewolves didn’t get along with vampires or ghouls, so maybe it was a feud thing?
He found Hanna waiting for him by his locker and pulled her into a hug. “I was so worried. Are you really okay?”
She accepted the hug for a moment, then squirmed and backed away. “I’m not supposed to talk to you.” Hanna rubbed at her arm. “My parents… They were so mad when they found out.” She looked up, meeting his gaze for a moment. “Conner told his parents, and they told my parents. That asshole. He knew they would talk to each other. I guess he got too mad about us dating. He was embarrassed to admit I dumped him before.”
The 7 Bad Habits of Slightly Troubled Monsters Page 6