With several more minutes of effort, red scales reached all the way up his arms. A little farther… His whole body burned now, muscles starting to tremble with the strain. I have plenty of magic. I just have to focus. So much of this was mind over matter.
Shoulders, the bottom of his neck, then ever so slowly down his back. The spot between his shoulder blades lit with tingling heat. Come on, wings! Dylan strained, a headache beginning to throb at his temples. No matter how he forced it, how much he willed it, the transformation slowed and stopped. Then it began to retreat.
“Damn it,” he gasped, legs shaking. He dropped to his knees, grunting as they hit freezing mud. What had taken him something like an hour to accomplish reversed in less than a minute. His head pounded in time with his heart as he looked down at pale human hands.
How many more times would he have to try this until it worked?
Burning stuff at the pit wasn’t enough anymore. Flying was part of his nature too, and that wouldn’t hurt anybody. Maybe if he could fly things would be better. That is, if he could ever grow some damn wings.
* * *
Setting his book out on his desk, Dylan sighed. The homework never ended. Maybe he could get the math assignment done before dinner and then he could go out to the pit for a while. Aiden wasn’t using it today.
After a quick knock, Mom opened the door. From the look on her face, something was wrong. “The police are here. They want to ask you some questions.”
Hot anger boiled up and he growled, “I already talked to them. What more do they want?”
“Someone else went missing.”
That sent a chill through him. “That’s three people now, isn’t it?” Once in a while, someone ran away from Shadow Valley, unable or unwilling to be certified, but three people in three months?
“Yes.” Now he recognized the look on her face… worry. “Please come down and answer their questions. Just be calm.”
Dylan almost laughed. Not likely. He followed her downstairs to the sitting room, where Dad and three others were waiting. Two cops, and a woman with a hard look in her eyes. Warden, he guessed. Shit.
“Dylan Galloway, we have some questions for you,” the older cop said. She had a little pad out, pen ready to take notes.
“I didn’t do anything.” Dylan stood just inside the room and crossed his arms.
“Dylan, please.” Mom put a hand on his back and nudged him.
He growled, but took a seat in the chair farthest from all of them.
“That’s what we’re trying to determine,” the older cop said, tone even. “Where were you this morning between approximately three and five a.m.?”
Dylan fought to keep his expression neutral. He couldn’t admit exactly where he’d been because they might get suspicious. He didn’t know exactly what Mr. Johnson had told the wardens about what happened, but he knew he and Aiden were supposed to have been in a different part of the woods that night. “The woods.”
“Do you remember where in the woods you were?”
He glared. “For two hours? No, I was walking.”
She made a note. “Your father claims he saw you leave the house at approximately three a.m., so that matches. Unfortunately, Mrs. Rajan went missing during that timeframe.”
Dylan jumped up, jaw clenched. “What do you think I did? Just come right out and say it. You think I kidnapped those people? Killed them?”
“Dylan—” Mom warned.
“We have to investigate every lead,” the cop said.
To his surprise, Dad said, “If you’re accusing my son of something, then come right out and say it.”
The cop was about to speak again, but the warden held up her hand. “Mr. Galloway, I hope you can appreciate we’re trying to be thorough. If one of your loved ones was missing, you would want us to do everything to find them. All three of the disappearances occurred near your property. That doesn’t mean any of you were involved, but perhaps Dylan witnessed something.”
The warden turned to him. “Did you see anything unusual? Hear or smell anything?”
“No.” He’d been absorbed in his transformation attempt for most of that time.
“Would you be able to retrace the route you took early this morning?”
He bit back an angry curse. “No. I was thinking. Wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” Screw you, leave me alone.
“What were you thinking about?” the cop asked.
“None of your business. What, you want to police my thoughts, now?”
The cop’s partner, a wide-shouldered man with a buzz cut, said, “Thank you for answering our questions. If you remember anything unusual, please call us.” Both the older cop and the warden shot him a look. Stepping on toes, was he?
“We’ll be in touch if we have further questions,” the older cop said. They all got up to leave, and his parents went to show them out.
If the wardens were involved, they really were taking things seriously. Dylan couldn’t help wondering if someone was trying to frame him.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Taking his seat at the dinner table, Aiden looked over at Tiago. The other boy looked a little tense, and Aiden hoped it was just nerves. Tiago had said hello to his parents every time he came over, and he’d spent a few moments talking to them here and there. So he knew them a little.
“Thank you for uh… feeding me,” Tiago said as Aiden’s mom came in carrying a steaming dish of ground beef.
“You’re welcome, Tiago. We’re glad Aiden is making more friends.”
Aiden thought the unspoken addition to that was besides Dylan. They knew he was the one who had burned Aiden, and it was Dylan’s stupid insistence that they tell both their parents that Dylan had hurt him during a fight. They could have explained it away as a training accident and that would have been easier. Now they saw Dylan as dangerous.
Dad joined them with warmed taco shells and fresh guacamole. “Okay, dig in.”
Tiago looked at Aiden as if asking for permission. He didn’t know what else to do, so he nodded. Tiago picked up a shell and reached for the meat. The dishes were passed around as they built their tacos.
“So, how is school, Tiago?” Dad asked.
Tiago tensed slightly. “Fine.”
Mom’s eyebrow went up briefly. “Is Aiden’s tutoring helping?”
Tiago glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. “Uh… yeah.”
“That’s good.” Mom looked at Aiden as if asking for help.
“He’s making really good progress. I’m worried he might not need me much longer.” Aiden could have smacked himself. Why did he have to say it like that?
Tiago frowned at his food. “I appreciate what you’re doing for me.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Aiden’s voice cracked a little, and he shoved a bit of taco in his mouth to spare himself further embarrassment.
“So where are you from, Tiago?” Dad asked.
Aiden could practically feel Tiago wall himself off. Oh no. He should have warned his parents not to ask questions.
Strained silence filled the table. After a long moment, Tiago said, “All over the place. We moved around a lot.”
Dad asked, “Did your parents travel for work?”
Aiden bit back a groan.
Another tense pause. “No.”
Aiden had to figure out something to shift the conversation. But what could they talk about? Tiago didn’t want to talk about school, and he really didn’t want to talk about his parents or his life before Shadow Valley. “Our training has been going well.” It wasn’t something Aiden really wanted to talk about, but it was better than this.
“Oh?” Mom said. Both his parents looked surprised. They knew he was practicing with Tiago, but he didn’t talk about it much.
“Yeah. I’m not as scared as I used to be. I’m even trying some new things, like using two spells at once.”
“Your son is very powerful.” Tiago looked more relaxed.
Mom blinked
in confusion, like she didn’t know how to take that. Then her expression brightened. “We’re very proud of him.”
“What kind of spells do you practice?” Dad looked between him and Tiago before his gaze settled on Tiago. “Aiden never told us what you… um, what kind of magic you have. Is have the right word? Or use?”
Aiden looked over at his friend, worried that the conversation had turned uncomfortable again.
“Have is fine,” Tiago said, looking thoughtful. Not upset or closed off. “I’m a werejaguar.”
“A what?” Mom asked.
Dad seemed to get it, though. “Is that like a werewolf, but you turn into a jaguar instead?”
Tiago nodded and took a bite. Something flickered across his face while he chewed. After swallowing, he said, “It’s strange to say it out loud like that. What I am. I have to keep remembering that here it’s… normal.”
Aiden made a fist against the table, fighting an urge to put a hand on Tiago’s arm. He wanted to tell him he understood how he felt, at least a little. Maybe he could say something later.
“We’re still adjusting too,” Mom said. “Did you know,” she started cautiously, “what you were before you came here?”
Tiago took a deep breath and Aiden tensed. “I always knew, since I was little.”
Aiden looked at him, hoping he’d say more. That he’d start to open up about his past.
Then Tiago’s mood shifted and the wall went up again. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“That’s okay. We can talk about something else.” Mom’s tone had a bit of false cheeriness.
God, what must she be thinking? Her son had brought a broody monster home for dinner again.
“So… what do you like to do for fun?”
* * *
Aiden was finally able to escape the awkward dinner and take Tiago up to his room. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to be uncomfortable.”
Tiago shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t think I was a very good guest. I, uh—” He cleared his throat. “I’ve never eaten over at someone’s house before.”
“Really? Why not?” Aiden sat on the bed. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”
“It’s okay. You’re curious.” Tiago stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I still don’t get why you trust me. You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you’re nice.”
Tiago scoffed.
“You’ve never been mean to me or anyone else. Well, there’s Conner, but he’s an asshole.”
That got a chuckle out of him. Tiago spun the desk chair around and sat facing him. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing, but I guess I’m doing okay if you like me.”
Aiden’s heart lurched. He didn’t mean it like that.
“I hope I didn’t weird your parents out. They’re so nice. Are they always like that?”
“Pretty much.”
“My parents were never—” Tiago pressed his lips together. He stared at Aiden, then got up. Crossing his arms, he looked down at the floor and paced. “They always made sure I knew my place. That I did exactly what they told me.”
Cold worry spread through him. “Did they… hurt you?”
Tiago stopped pacing. He was facing the other way, so Aiden couldn’t see his expression. After a long pause, he said, “Yeah.”
That one word carried so much weight.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault.”
“I’m sorry it happened.” He wanted to hug him, but knew that was out of the question. “Is that why you left?”
Tiago started pacing again, keeping his eyes down. “Part of the reason.”
“If you want to talk about it, I’m here.” Aiden’s heart slammed against his chest. Was he being too nice? Girly? “You don’t have to or anything, but if you want to, I’m happy to listen.”
A half laugh escaped Tiago. “Thanks.” He took a breath and looked at Aiden. “The warden really didn’t tell you?”
Aiden shook his head. “He said I had to ask you.”
“Hm. I guess you’d act different if he’d told you.”
Aiden swallowed. “Something bad, then? No, never mind. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.” Although he burned to know what it was.
Tiago gave him a searching look that made his heart skip a beat. Those dark brown eyes. “We all have our secrets, right?”
Wait, what the heck did that mean?
“I guess we should do that stupid homework.” Tiago went to the desk and pulled out his notebook.
“Yeah.” Aiden slid closer, armpits and the small of his back getting sweaty. Oh God, did he know?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
It was finally warm enough that they could sit outside. Dylan led the others to a table on the far side of the grassy square, as far away from the school as he could get. He set his tray down with a sigh and stepped over the bench.
Hanna moved to his side of the table, made an odd face, then shifted to the other side of the table where Aiden was sitting down. What was with her? She was getting weirder all the time.
“It’s a little chilly, but this is nice,” Aiden said, taking a deep breath. “I’d be happy never to eat in that lunchroom again.”
“Seniors can leave school grounds, and I’ll have a car by then,” Dylan said. “So you’ve only got like two more years to deal with that.” Although he figured Aiden hated the lunchroom because of Conner, and Dylan was going to take care of that problem long before then.
Aiden sighed. “That’s something at least.”
Tiago said, “Shit.”
Dylan looked over to see Conner marching toward them, his pack trailing behind. Two of the people with him weren’t werewolves.
“You won’t get away with this.” Conner’s eyes flashed yellow.
Aiden turned, face going pale with fear. Beside him, Hanna tensed.
“With what?” Dylan asked, power simmering inside him, ready to be let out.
“You took Dalton, you took that man, and now you took Sanjit’s mom.” Conner pointed to an older boy, one of the new followers. “We know it was you. They all just happened to disappear by your house, and you, or maybe your mom, are the only ones with magic strong enough to cover your tracks. So where are you hiding them? Where are the bodies, Dylan?”
Okay, that was it. Dylan stood, barely holding back his rage. They could go behind the school, away from where Aiden could see them. “Let’s go, right now—”
“Mr. Mays, I need to ask you to go back inside. Now.” The same hall monitor who had chased Conner off before appeared from out of nowhere.
Conner’s jaw worked, his whole body stiff. “Yes, ma’am,” he snapped.
She stood staring until he turned away and started walking toward the building. The others followed. The last one, the boy with the missing mother, glared at Dylan. “You’ll pay.”
“I’m still watching,” the hall monitor said. “Don’t worry.” She stepped behind a nearby tree.
Aiden let out a deep breath and laid his head on the table.
“Duel. We need to get on that,” Tiago said, picking up his hamburger.
Dylan laughed, although he wondered if that might actually be a good idea. They couldn’t fight in front of Aiden, and now they were being watched by hall monitors. And Conner getting non-werewolves to follow him around might be some kind of plot. Maybe he was trying to get others to do his dirty work.
Some of Dylan’s anger twisted into fear. People were afraid of him already, and the cops kept questioning him about the disappearances. What if Conner could convince enough people that Dylan was responsible? The kids could convince their parents, and they could push the cops. Shadow Valley modeled its justice system on human ones, but they didn’t have to follow the same rules. The wardens had the final say on everything.
If the wardens decided Dylan was guilty, he’d be punished, with or without proof.
* * *
“Good, now hold it,�
� Phoebe said.
Aiden was trying to look like the hero of an action movie. This was the next stage of his glamour training. Up until now, he’d made changes to his appearance: making his hair a different color, or his eyes, looking like he was taller or more muscular. “It’s… hard.” He had his eyes squeezed shut, holding on to the image of the actor while his magic tingled all over his body.
His concentration slipped and he let out a grunt as the spell broke apart. “Nuts.”
“Okay. Take a moment and we’ll try again.”
He opened his eyes. “Sorry. I’m trying.”
“Don’t feel bad about it. You’re stretching your abilities. I don’t expect you to get it right on the first try, and you shouldn’t either.” She smiled.
“You keep saying that. Maybe it’ll sink in one of these days.” At least with Phoebe he was making real progress with his magic. Not like the pathetic struggle he was having in gym. Target practice was okay as long as he was on the opposite side of the room from Dylan. Aiden could watch the matches that didn’t involve fire, but the idea of getting in there filled him with cold dread.
“Maybe actors aren’t the best way to start.” She put a finger to her chin. “Could you make yourself look like Dylan?”
“What?” That was crazy.
“You see him every day. His image is sharp in your mind, and you know what he feels like. I think that’s a much better place to start.”
“You want me to turn into Dylan?” Although he did see the logic of it.
“Not turn into him. Like a costume, remember? A costume made out of magic.” She took a step back. “Try it.”
He considered saying no, that he could try changing into his mom or dad. But being Dylan for a moment might be kind of fun. “Okay.” Aiden closed his eyes. Picturing Dylan was easy. Like she said, he saw him every day. Magic tingled all over him, the glamour starting to work.
Aiden focused on details: the messy dark hair, hazel eyes that glowed green when he was using magic. The line of his jaw, the shape of his cheekbones, his strong nose. The tingle of magic all over Aiden grew warm. Now he thought of how Dylan felt: strong, confident, aggressive but not cruel.
The 7 Bad Habits of Slightly Troubled Monsters Page 11