by J. Meyers
He wasn’t sure which.
And that worried him. Was he becoming the monster Lilith had long hoped he would? He raked his hands through his hair, his fingernails leaving long scratches on his scalp. The sting was a welcome distraction, though it faded instantly as the scrapes healed over.
Tonight’s meeting had not gone…well. They’d called for the healer’s life in return for Meghan’s, though he had pointed out that Meghan was, in fact, still alive. Or, really, alive again. They didn’t want Sera transforming anyone else. They didn’t want her to wipe out their kind. She had to be stopped. Volunteers popped up at once, the more bloodthirsty of the crew fighting over who would get to do it.
“She’s protected,” Jonas had said loud enough over the din to be heard by all. It stopped them cold. “We can’t touch her without consequences.”
“Like what?” A voice rang out from the throng.
“War,” Jonas said. “Full out war.”
“Over a human girl who is a threat to us all?” They were incredulous. “Who is protecting someone with this kind of power? Who, exactly, wants to keep her alive?”
“You don’t need to know that,” he said. “What you need to know is that you cannot harm her or her brother. They are both protected.”
“She has other family. She took one of ours, we’ll take one of hers.”
“YOU WILL DO NOTHING!” Jonas roared.
Silence. Hot stewing silence.
“I will take care of it myself,” he said, temper under control, but barely. “I have warned her, and I am watching her. That is enough for now. You will say nothing about this to anyone.” He looked directly at Xavier. “We will keep this amongst ourselves.”
Xavier’s voice boomed across the room. “We are guardians of the Realm, Jonas. We must inform Lilith and do away with this girl. It is our responsibility to keep the Realm safe, to keep ourselves safe.”
“I am well aware of our responsibilities, Xavier. I do not need to be reminded.”
“I think you do.”
The room was quiet as death. Jonas spoke in a low voice. “Remember who you are speaking to.”
“Remember who you are!” Xavier said.
Before his voice had even faded, Jonas was across the room, Xavier’s throat in the vise of his grip. Lip curled into a snarl, Jonas squeezed slowly, deliberately, until he felt something pop. Xavier’s eyes jumped in pain.
“You’d do well to remember your place,” he said in a sharp hiss, and shoved Xavier backwards. Xavier stumbled and fell to the floor, gasping, his hand on his injured throat. No one moved to help him. They knew better.
Jonas glared around the room at the rest of the group. And then he’d stormed through the door Devlan held open for him once again, his black leather coat flying out behind him like wings.
Mortis angelus. The Angel of Death.
He closed his eyes now, and breathed in the cool night air coming off the bay. He was calm again—water always did that to him—and feeling relieved that it was out, in a way. The worst was over, he thought. The coven knew, they were controlled, they would continue in their duties. They didn’t know Sera’s name or anything about her, so they wouldn’t be able to find her on their own. And they would keep the situation a secret from the rest of the vampires in this world and in the Realm.
At some point he would have to tell Lilith—well, maybe the worst wasn’t over yet—but that could wait. Indefinitely. Until he figured out how he was going to get her to agree to let Sera and Luke live.
Which meant, essentially, that she could never, ever find out.
FOURTEEN
Sera placed her mug on the table and slid onto the bench. The coffee house was busy this afternoon and she was glad Fey had spotted the open booth as they’d waited in line. Luke handed a mug to Fey and sat down next to her.
“So,” Sera said to Fey, “what’s the story on your friend Jonas?”
Fey looked around the room quickly, then at Sera. “Why? Have you seen him around?”
“No,” Sera said.
“Oh, good.”
Luke leaned in toward Fey. “So, who’s Jonas?”
“Just someone I know,” she said, and waved her hand as if dismissing the idea of him. “Not someone I want hanging around.”
Luke looked relieved. Sera eyed Fey for a moment, wondering if she should say anything. When Jonas had shown up outside her window a couple of weeks ago, she hadn’t told Fey anything about what he’d said, though Fey had asked. But it wasn’t like she could really say anything without telling Fey her secret. And she’d decided not to tell Luke about it because it would have just worried him.
But keeping this to herself was torture—especially keeping it from Luke. And she thought, maybe, just maybe it might be okay to tell them about it. They would just think Jonas was insane, as she did, and that would confirm that she didn’t need to worry about him knowing her ability. After all, it had to have been a lucky guess.
“Um, Fey?” Sera said slowly. “Has Jonas ever told you that he is a—”
“Hey, Marc,” Luke said to someone suddenly standing at the end of their table. Sera looked up.
Oh. My. The mystery man from the school parking lot. Her worries about Jonas faded away.
Bright blue eyes framed by long eyelashes were surrounded by fair skin with a slight toasty glow to it, like he’d spent some time in the sun recently. A square jaw and angular cheekbones. Looking up into his face, she realized how tall he was. Taller than Luke by several inches. Sera’s mind ground to a halt as she took him all in.
Then she snapped back to herself.
“Sera, Fey, this is Marc.”
Her eyes flew from Marc to Luke, narrowing when they got to her brother’s face. He mouthed the words your new boyfriend. She glared at Luke. She didn’t know why he didn’t get it. She wasn’t going to date anyone.
She turned her attention back to Marc. He wasn’t looking at her face, but gazing at her hands. That was different. She glanced at Luke again. He shrugged and shook his head.
“Hi,” she said, and forced a smile.
“Hey.” Marc nodded, glanced at her face before looking around the coffee house.
Which was very odd. Most people gazed right into her face, as if drawn there, almost leaning in toward her at times. Her gift pulled them in, as if they fell under a spell she hadn’t cast. And all it took was a moment in her presence or a touch of her hand.
For a few people, it was the exact opposite. They were inherently repelled by her power, and approached her with mistrust. That didn’t bother her at all. She could change it with a silent suggestion.
But his seeming immunity to the magnetism of her gift—being neither attracted nor repelled—was strange. She watched him as he went up to the counter to get a cup of coffee. There was something about him—she didn’t know what. Something familiar.
When he got back to the table, Sera scooted over to make room for him on the bench. Luke raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes at him. Seriously. It was the only place left to sit at the table.
Fey stood up. “I’ve got to go,” she said.
“Where?” Luke said.
“Home.”
He looked a little disappointed.
“I’ll catch up with you two later?” She looked at Sera and Luke, then nodded at Marc. “Nice meeting you,” she said. She studied him a brief moment before turning back to Sera. “I’ll call you later,” she said, and left.
“So,” Sera said, turning to Marc, “do you go to school here?”
“No, got my GED a year ago.”
“Really? How old are you?” Sera said.
“Eighteen.”
“Why’d you drop out?” Luke said.
Marc opened his mouth, but didn’t say anything. He almost seemed afraid to answer. There was this look in his eyes—haunted was the word that came to Sera’s mind. She had the sudden urge to reach out and touch his arm, plant the silent suggestion that he was safe. But she kept her hand
s to herself.
There was a story here, she could see. And he wasn’t going to tell it. At least not today.
“Too cool for school?” Luke said.
Marc smiled, warm. “Something like that.”
“Yeah, me too,” Luke said, “but Sera won’t let me leave. She needs me.”
Sera nodded. “Like a hole in the head.” She rolled her eyes and laughed, then leaned back. She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. Several strands of curls immediately fell out, and she automatically tucked them behind an ear.
She noticed that Marc had paused and was watching her. Her heart did a little flip.
An hour and a half later, the three of them were laughing and talking like old friends. Their cups were empty and it was time to go. As Sera zipped up her sweater, Luke and Marc headed for the door.
Sera watched Luke and Marc tease each other. They’d obviously become fast friends—there was an ease to the two of them—and since she was pretty much guaranteed to like anyone that Luke liked, she was sure to become friends with Marc too. Already she liked him. And she was amazed at how easily Marc fit in when so many people hadn’t. In fact no one else but Fey and Quinn ever had.
For some reason, Sera had a feeling this wasn’t just a passing acquaintance as everyone else always was. Marc felt comfortable to her. As if she innately knew him. She’d felt the same way about Quinn the first time she’d met him four years ago. She didn’t know what it was exactly that made her feel that way, but it was there. She looked at Luke laughing hard at something Marc had just said, and she could tell he felt it too.
She was suddenly struck with the desire to get to know him more. Really know him. He was like a puzzle she wanted to solve.
“Where are you from?” she said, when they all stood outside. “Because it’s obviously not Vermont.”
Marc tilted his head to one side, considered her. “No,” he said, “it’s not. How did you know?”
“You’re wearing a parka.”
“So?” He looked down at the black and grey down coat he was wearing, spreading his arms wide. Then he looked at Sera and Luke. Sera had on a sweater and Luke wore only a yellow long-sleeved button up shirt that hung open like a jacket over his t-shirt.
“It’s fifty-five degrees out here,” Luke said. “It’s still warm.”
Marc looked at them, then back at his coat. “It’s unzipped,” he said.
“It’s a winter coat.” Sera laughed and shook her head. “You tuck your hat and mittens into your pockets, Sunshine?”
“Sunshine?” Marc smiled at her. “Are you suggesting I’m from someplace warm?”
“I am.”
He scrunched up his face and shook his head looking impressed. “I’m from Florida.”
“Disney World?”
“Never been.”
“Ah,” Sera said, “that explains it.”
“It does, indeed,” Luke said.
“Explains what?” Marc asked.
“Your coat, never been to Disney World, growing up in the land of blue hair,” Luke said.
“You’ve lost your inner child, and at such a young age,” Sera said.
“It is a shame,” Luke said.
“So young, and yet so old.” Sera peered at Marc, concern on her face. “Do you need help getting back to your car, Sunshine?”
“Do you even remember where you parked?” Luke said.
Marc laughed. “Nice.” A shadow crossed his face for a brief second—almost too quick to be seen. But Sera had seen it. She studied him harder.
Here was a person with secrets, she thought. Just like her.
Sera and Luke said goodbye and headed back to their car. She could hardly believe she’d just spent the afternoon with a person who was completely unaffected by her power. It was almost disorienting. She wasn’t sure how to act around him. Especially because he seemed to like her. He’d been interested in what she said and he’d watched her with curiosity burning in his eyes.
She suddenly, irrationally, wanted to reach him, charm him with her natural draw. But that was crazy. She usually had to fight it off, not encourage it. It wouldn’t make sense to do that to herself or to him. No, she should be happy he seemed immune.
Besides, if she influenced him she’d never know if he actually liked her. He’d be just like everyone else. She didn’t want that.
Maybe Marc could be a real friend, like Fey and Quinn, because of his immunity. But then, what if he liked her? Was there a boy who would really like her? The question scared her because the answer might be no.
But she couldn’t do this. She didn’t want a boyfriend. She couldn’t risk finding out if he’d like her for just her. Because if he did—the thought made her heart thump faster—then there’d be no coming back from that. Which would be wonderful and terrible because in all reality he’d never know who she really, really was. She couldn’t trust that with anyone except Luke.
Okay, she thought as they got to their car and unlocked the doors, that’s settled. She was not going to fall for this boy.
The silence in Marc’s mind dissolved into the gentle hum of people’s thoughts once Luke and Sera had walked away. He looked around the streets of Burlington—college students milling around, people heading home from work.
One girl trudged to her car nearby and he zeroed in on her thoughts….why he hates me so much. I mean, what have I ever done to him? I hate his idiotic class. Stupid, bald, middle-aged has-been. He probably can’t… Then let her fade back into the dull hum.
In the week since Luke had come up to him in the coffee house, he still hadn’t figured out why he couldn’t hear Luke’s or Sera’s thoughts, or those of anyone standing close to them.
It was so strange.
So interesting.
And frustrating because it made identifying him and his sister as the sought-after twins much more difficult. He was going to have to earn their trust enough that they shared their secrets.
Although, if their lives were anything like his when it came to the sharing of these abilities, then they were never going to tell him anything. He hadn’t come across a single person who seemed to know anything about what they could do. And he figured he wasn’t going to get them to reveal anything. He’d have to catch them at it, so he was going to have to stay as close as possible.
Which was great, because he was really starting to like them both.
Which was not great. Because he was really starting to like them both.
These were people he could be friends with. He could see that. He already felt as if he’d known them a long time. Something he’d never experienced with anyone before.
And Sera. Man, Sera. With her piercing grey eyes that felt as if she could see right into his soul. It was slightly disconcerting and yet…totally hot.
This could cause some serious trouble for him because he didn’t know how he’d be able to hand them over to the Shadows once he confirmed what he already knew to be true. They were the ones the Shadows were looking for. And he’d be sending them to their deaths.
Oh, man. He leaned down, braced his hands on his knees, and shook his head. He couldn’t think about that now. He just couldn’t think about it.
FIFTEEN
A week and a half later with a plan firmly in mind, Marc leaned against his car in the parking lot, waiting. He could feel the anticipation of classes ending as the collective thoughts of everyone in the building swelled quicker and louder, before bursting into firecrackers of sound as soon as the last bell rang. He had to stifle them in his mind, dulling the sounds so they didn’t overrun his own thoughts. People’s thoughts were always louder and stronger when they were excited—regardless of whether it was a happy, sad, or angry excitement—and it took more control to contain those thoughts to the back of his mind.
He felt a rush of relief when he saw Sera walk out a side door and head toward the parking lot. He wouldn’t have to work so hard once she was close enough to him to block out other people’s thoughts. He
studied her as she moved through the crowd of students. She seemed to watch people closely, their faces and body language, like she was looking for something. He noticed her focus on a guy who slunk toward the cars by himself. She narrowed her eyes at him, and tipped her head to the side, her dark curls falling over one shoulder. Then she jogged to catch up with him and placed her hand on his arm.
Marc gawked, and almost slid off his car. The guy looked brighter, suddenly sharper. Was he glowing? Marc blinked. Now the guy looked normal. Whoa. He blinked again, and nothing changed. Sera was still touching the guy’s arm. Perhaps he’d imagined it. Maybe he was just seeing what he wanted to see.
Maybe.
He thought the guy was walking taller as Sera said goodbye and headed toward her car. Happier, more confident. But that could be just the side effect of talking to a pretty girl. It wasn’t conclusive.
Sera smiled at Marc as soon as she saw him, though he was sure he could detect a bit of wariness in her eyes. If he could just get in her head to know what it would take to get her to trust him, this would be so much easier. He’d never wished so hard to be able to use his gift.
“Hey, Sunshine,” she said, and walked past him to put her book bag into her car. “What brings you here today?”
The sudden silence in his mind now that she was near was bliss and he smiled at her, forgetting to feel frustrated. “Coffee,” he said.
“Coffee?”
“Coffee.”
“At a high school?” One eyebrow lifted. Man, he liked it when she teased.
He raked his hand through his hair. “I was hoping you’d join me for coffee.”
She looked over toward the school where kids were still pouring out of the doors in twos and threes. “Luke and Fey should be out in a minute, I’m sure—”
“Actually? I was thinking just you.” He smiled, gave a little shrug, looked down at his well-worn hiking boots. He’d found the shy, aw-shucks thing worked with most girls. He peeked back up at her. “What do you say?”
“Oh,” was all she said, eyebrows raised, eyes wide, her mouth stuck in a perfect o. She looked at him in silence for several long seconds.