I refused to respond to his baiting tone. Dad says the best way to learn stuff is to shut up and let the other guy fill in the silences. So I put on my best neutral face, figuring Dad was right: while LPD was trying to impress me with his cleverness he was more likely to slip up and reveal more important stuff to do with my “problem”.
He cocked an eyebrow and smirked.
Ah crap. He knew exactly what game I was playing. But he obliged me anyway. “Once you stabilized, I scooped you up and hauled arse to the nearest cab rack. Would have preferred my motorbike, but hey, beggars toting unconscious girlies can’t be choosers. None of your teachers spotted us. Your reputation is safe. For now, anyway.” This time he grinned openly at me, leaving no doubt he expected me to be impressed.
And I was impressed. He’d hauled me half a block to the taxi rack. Those muscles I’d noticed definitely weren’t just for show. But no way was I going to inflate his already high opinion of himself by acknowledging that—or anything else, for that matter. No way. Not even if the memory of being in his arms and held so tightly against his chest did make my breath catch in my throat.
“A-and if you hadn’t been able to, uh, do whatever it was you said to, uh, phase me back in?”
“Sync with you?”
“Yeah. That.” Whatever that was.
He shrugged. “I’d have thought of something. I always do.”
I got the distinct feeling that wasn’t an idle boast. I inched back up the mattress until I could prop my back against the padded headrest. It wasn’t exactly comfortable so I shoved a pillow beneath the small of my back. Ah. Bliss. And right now, it would be even more blissful to close my eyes and shut out the world for a few hours. I couldn’t get my head around what had happened, let alone process his explanations. I couldn’t even imagine the extent of the fuss if someone from school reported me missing to my parents. Provided anyone remembered I was supposed to be at school without me to remind them. Hah. Fat chance of—
Hey. That taxi driver had been able to see me. So, what if LPD doing that… that… sync thingie to… to… phase me back in, had fixed me—even temporarily? How long would it last?
Maybe I should play nice and try to convince this guy to stick around so I could have a chance at a normal life. Or at the very least, graduating high school. I had some savings—Christmas and birthday money I’d added to my allowance. How much would it cost me to convince him to, say, pretend to be my boyfriend and become my shadow?
I eyed him from beneath my lashes as he snatched up his beer again and took a long swig. If I had a preference for any kind of guy at all, he’d be right up there. And the accent was a definite plus. Majorly yum. Sure wouldn’t be a hardship having him dogging my footsteps. Or, it wouldn’t be if he didn’t have a knack for saying things that embarrassed the heck out of me.
As if sensing my thoughts his gaze licked me from head to toe. He took his time about it, too. I fought not to squirm. And when he finally spoke I could hear the amusement infecting his tone. “So, if you’re not concussed, are you planning on getting your cute little behind off my bed? Or is this your way of hinting I should join you? I gotta say, most girls wouldn’t be so coy. They’d just come right out and say it.”
Huh? Way to confuse me with a complete change of subject. “Say what, exactly?”
“That you think I’m hot.”
Oh. Oh, crap. I opened my mouth, swallowed, shut it again with a snap. No way could I let him know what I’d been thinking about him. No freaking way. So I snorted, and hoped it was convincing enough to put him off. “You’re hardly my type.”
“Reckon I’m exactly your type, luv. Lucky me.”
I hit him with my best you-are-so-far-off-base-I’m-embarrassed-for-you glare. “In. Your. Dreams.” There. That had sounded pretty darned convincing.
“Uh uh,” he said, his lips curving into that infuriating smug grin again. “In yours. You talk in your sleep, Wren. Did you know that?”
My cheeks scorched with damning heat. Oh no. Not good. Sooo not good. And about the only thing that could salvage this disaster was a bluff. I blotted my face with the washcloth, desperately trying for nonchalance. “Really. What did I say about you?”
“Oh, a bunch of stuff about how my sexy-as English accent makes your heart flutter, and how you’d lurve to jump my bones and do wicked things to my body. It was all very flattering.”
“You’re making that up.”
“Where’d be the fun in that?”
I hoped the pause while I struggled for something cutting to say didn’t lance the sting from whatever retort finally popped into my head. Okay. Here goes. “Wow.” I batted my eyelashes at him. “You’re so full of yourself. There’re so many hot boys at my school I could have been talking about anyone. My boyfriend, for instance.” Ex-boyfriend, but he didn’t have to know that.
“Pathetic. You’ll have to try harder than that, luv.” He laughed at me—made no effort to hide it, either.
I lobbed the washcloth at him but he batted it away.
Jerk. A really hot jerk, but a jerk just the same. I clambered off the bed and headed for the nearest door.
“Ensuite bathroom,” he said.
I pivoted to change direction and stalked past him into the next room, which turned out to be a living room dominated by a big-screen TV, a surround-sound system, and a couple of gaming consoles. Dan would be drooling with envy right about now.
LPD followed me. Of course. No surprises there.
“You can’t leave, luv,” he said.
Hah. We’d see about that. “Sure I can. Watch me walk out the door.”
“Have it your way. Been nice knowing you, Wren. I’ll be sure and come to your funeral.”
***
Get your copy of Liminal:
www.mareeanderson.com/books/
www.liminalbook.com
The Freaks series:
Freaks of Greenfield High
Freaks in the City
Freaks Under Fire
Other Books by Maree Anderson
PARANORMAL ROMANCES
The Crystal Warriors Series
The Crystal Warriors Series Bundle (Books 1, 2 and 3)
Book 1: The Crystal Warrior (Chalcedony & Wulf’s story)
Book 2: Ruby’s Dream (Ruby & Kyan’s story)
Book 3: Jade’s Choice (Jade & Malach’s story)
Book 4: Opal’s Wish (Opal & Danbur’s story)
Elemental Riders Series
Lightning Rider
FANTASY (with romantic elements)
The Seer Trilogy
The Seer Trilogy Bundle (Books 1, 2 and 3)
Book 1: Seer’s Hope (Hope’s story)
Book 2: Seer’s Promise (Romana’s story)
Book 3: Seer’s Choice (Ryley’s story)
YOUNG ADULT (paranormal)
Freaks Series
Book 1: Freaks of Greenfield High
Book 2: Freaks in the City
Book 3: Freaks Under Fire
Liminals Series
Book 1: Liminal
About the Author
Maree Anderson writes paranormal romance, fantasy, and young adult books. She lives in beautiful New Zealand, home of hobbits, elves, and kiwis—both the fruit and the two-legged flightless variety. Her first novel for young adults, the multi-award-winning Freaks of Greenfield High, was optioned for TV by Cream Drama, Inc., Canada, and currently has over 2 million reads on Wattpad. She recently released the third book in her Freaks series, and is currently working on a second book in the Liminals series.
For blurbs, excerpts, reviews and more, please check out the Books page of her website: www.mareeanderson.com. Contact Maree at: [email protected].
FREAKS UNDER FIRE
ISBN: 978-0-9941160-0-0
Copyright © 2015 by Maree Anderson
Published by Maree Anderson
Cover Design by Rob Anderson
Formatting by Maree and Rob Anderson
This novel is a wor
k of fiction. Any names, characters, places and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. All rights reserved; the right to reproduce this book or any portion thereof in any form whatsoever in any country whatsoever without the express permission of the author is forbidden.
***
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Freaks Under Fire Page 25