***
I looked around, and from this angle the warehouse looked much different.
“You came yourself,” Ace said, frowning at me. He looked like someone else without his jacket on and the top few buttons of his shirt undone. “You’re a little bit conspicuous in this neighborhood.” Ace gestured at me while he talked.
I shrugged and started walking towards a crate, nodding at a guy with glowing eyes as he grunted under his burden. “I apologize if I’ve caused you any inconvenience.”
Ace scowled. “I’m not used to brothers showing up unannounced in my warehouse, dragging along their pet hybrid like a show and tell. I ask you, why did he choose this day to come poking around? Any other day and I’d have something maybe less legitimate but that would raise fewer questions. You know how I hate questions.”
I took my time exhaling before I forced a smile to my face. “I appreciate your patience. It’s difficult to find anyone willing to hold these for me at whatever price.”
Ace rubbed his chin. “I couldn’t exactly say no, could I?”
I laughed briefly. “So a brother brought the girl here? I wonder what he was trying to accomplish.”
“He said he’s looking for a link between Lucky’s death and their boy’s. I do wish a happy-go-lucky blood worker hadn’t taken out a Slide on my turf. It’s awkward any way you look at it. Hunters used to take care of things like that, the good ones take care of things before they happen.” He drew his eyebrows together as he looked at me.
I opened my mouth to reply when someone shouted, “Ace!” We turned to see a guy running across the cement floor, bulky with fury, his eyes glowing greenly. “A fury burned out some demons in the business district, a young female. There isn’t any sign of the body so far, Sir,” he said, making enough noise to attract the attention of every other worker in the place.
Ace asked, “What kind of a description would you give her? Red-violet eyes? Green dress?” The man nodded dumbly. “Well, there won’t be a body then.” He turned to me with a grim smile. “Looks like the brother has his hands full don’t it?”
I felt my mouth go dry. “Old Peter’s involved with the girl. I’m responsible for Old Peter. Let me know if there are problems with transportation.” I turned not waiting for Ace’s answer. In a moment I was outside moving past a group of guys.
“Hey, where’s the fire?” One of them asked stepping in front of me. There was no hesitation as I flipped him over me and kept going. The car hunkered low in the shadows, a slight purple sheen visible before I slid inside and turned on the engine. The car spun neatly in my hands and at terrifying speeds soon found the freeway.
***
I felt heavy hands on my head, “Here now,” Old Peter’s voice said and I felt dragged into my body, and pushed down into a deep darkness I couldn’t escape.
I felt warm and safe with my eyes still closed, like I was wrapped tightly in a soft cocoon. I sighed and buried myself deeper in the blankets, my foot touching something warm and alive. I could feel the hair tickling the bottom of my foot and reluctantly parted my eyelids to take in my surroundings. The curtains were closed, but light came in around the edges. I could hear rain pattering on the roof above me, the roof, I could see by the dim light was low with a very boring light fixture. I turned my head and saw Lewis with his head propped on his hand looking at me curiously. His eyes were warm as was his smile, and his leg, I supposed, which is what my foot had found.
“Good morning, afternoon actually. How do you feel?” he asked in a voice not much above a whisper.
“I feel...” I whispered back then stretched my arms above my head and my legs down until my foot brushed his skin again. That touch made me shiver, or else it was my foot being out of the blanket. I curled back inside the down duvet until only my eyes were outside, staring at him. He was so nice looking, like a day in the sunshine, but not too hot, and he smelled so lovely, like pine trees in the wind or cut grass.
“You feel…” he prodded.
“Very nice. You smell like a tree.” I smiled at him and he smiled back until I heard a pan clang in the other room and Old Peter’s mutter. “Oh. Where am I?” I asked forcing myself to sit up. He moved quickly to help me, like I couldn’t sit up all by myself, and then black spots filled my vision and I found my face mashed against his chest when I’d regained my senses. I couldn’t move away from the gently thrumming heart beneath his soft cotton shirt. I put a hand up and wrapped around him, holding that heart as close as I could.
He eased slowly away from me, catching my hands in his as he hunched over to peer into my eyes. “Steady now. Give your body time to adjust to the elevation. You’re in my bed. Welcome. I meant to say that before but it’s difficult when the addressee is unconscious. You’ve been out two and a half days during which your mother has spent more than her fair share hovering over you, checking your temperature, and so on. You gave us all quite a scare. Except Old Peter. Nothing frightens him,” he said with a grin, looking over my shoulder. I took a deep breath and turned my head slowly to where he stood in the doorway looking at us.
“Lewis, why don’t you come in the kitchen? I’m struggling with that chicken dumpling recipe. Girl, there’s a robe there on the chair if you feel like you could use some company,” he said gruffly.
Lewis dropped a kiss to the top of my head and then was out of the bed walking towards Old Peter. “You’re trying to lure her up with food. That’s a sneaky trick, old man.” At the door he turned and winked at me before closing it behind him. I stared at the door and felt somehow less happy than I had been. I snuggled into the blanket but it was less warm and enveloping without him. I sat up again, this time slowly and without the dizziness. After I’d pulled the old plaid robe over my nightgown, I made my way to the bathroom, and leaned for a minute on the sink staring at my reflection. I looked brilliant and it wasn’t only my eyes. My skin had a warm glow. Whatever potion Old Peter had given me had done more than get rid of my headache, but I had a sneaking suspicion it had more to do with Lewis than Old Peter.
“Dariana get a grip on yourself. You’ve lost two days while you’ve rested and that’s why you feel so good now. It’s not Lewis. He’s just nice.” I closed my eyes remembering the feel of his hands on mine, his chest beneath my cheek and sighed. “Really, that’s pathetic,” I told my reflection but she only smiled dreamily back at me. I gave up on the giggling girl and went to find Old Peter, food, and Lewis.
Lewis leaned against a counter looking tousled in soft gray pants and a long sleeve T, while old Peter sat at the table looking thoroughly worn out. I felt a wave of guilt that I’d been a burden on him.
“Are you all right?” I asked him, putting a hand on his old bony shoulder.
He up at me and his bright eyes twinkled. “I’ve certainly been worse. How about you, girl? Any dizziness? You look better than I’ve ever seen you.” He gave Lewis a look and chuckled. “Your mother’s fit to be tied.”
“My mother?” I looked at Lewis for some clarification but he only grinned and turned to the stove to stir a steaming pot that made my mouth water.
“She’ll be along shortly, an hour or so, to check on you. With how well you’re doing she’ll probably take you home.”
I stared at Lewis’ back, the way the muscles shifted under the fabric, and wanted to tell Old Peter I was still terribly dizzy. I sat down in a chair and forced myself to look out the small window where I could see Lewis’ car sitting in the drizzle on the driveway. “Thank you for your hospitality,” I forced myself to say. “I wouldn’t want to impose on you any more than I already have. You didn’t have to take me in, Sir, but I really appreciate it.”
“Call me Old Peter,” he said and reached out to ruffle my hair easily. “It’s a pleasure to see you looking so well. It’s not every day things work out so perfectly. Isn’t that something how good she looks, Lewis?”
Lewis glanced at Old Peter with a wry smile. “Dari’s looks have always been something.” He turned
his eyes on me and I stared resolutely out the window at the car. “You do look better.” He sounded almost disappointed. I looked at him puzzling out his last statement while he served up some bowls.
I ate the chicken dumpling, trying not to drip on myself. It wasn’t just food, there was something special added to it for my benefit. I could tell. Food didn’t taste this good, I could feel the strength from it pour into me as I sat beside Lewis. Even after I was full I felt better and better until Lewis got up to take the bowls to the sink. I stared at him as I realized, really knew, that it wasn’t the soup, it wasn’t the potions, it was him. What was he that he could make me feel so good? What magic could do that? I felt suddenly awkward, and wanted to go home to the familiar cold clean lines where I didn’t feel so much, but things were less complicated.
“If I’m going home today I may as well go now,” I said tripping over my words, half wishing Lewis would disagree with me.
“I’ll drive you.” So much for him disagreeing.
I thanked Old Peter again, and followed Lewis slowly out the door pausing on the stoop to survey the rain, and pulling the robe tightly around me. Lewis held an umbrella over my head while he scooped me up in one arm and unceremoniously dumped me into the passenger seat. I started breathing again as he walked around the car, pulling my knees up and tucking my bare feet under me. Maybe I should have waited for my mother so I could wear shoes and he wouldn’t carry me around in the rain, something which apparently left me completely unsettled.
“Lewis,” I said when he was beside me, taking his time to start the car. He looked at me, the warmth of him flooding me with a need to touch him. I curled my hands into fists. “Where are my clothes?”
His mouth twisted into a half smile. “I’m not sure actually. By the time I got back your mother was already here with Old Peter discussing your treatment. I haven’t seen anything but those pajamas on you since school.”
I nodded my head thinking about him getting back from the city, from the warehouse with Ace where he’d heard about me and come to find me. I wanted to ask him about Ace and what he had in the crates but then I’d have to tell him about dreaming him. I felt embarrassed about it, like I’d invaded his privacy however little control I had over it. I remembered my own trip to the city and the fury that had filled me.
“How did I do that? I mean I was so hot it seemed like I burned the demons up. Is that possible?”
“Possible?” He laughed only it wasn’t entirely happy. “With you all things are possible.”
“I feel better when I’m with you,” I said in a whisper. “When we’re together, I feel like I’m strong enough to do anything.”
He started the car with a roar and turned to me with a casual smile. “Yes, but are you wise enough not to?”
I blinked at him and then giggled. “You sound like my father. ‘What is the value of arbitrary morality’, really, don’t you feel it? Do I suck out all your energy or is it more equal? You look pretty great yourself, you know. I mean healthy,” I said biting my lip.
He laughed out loud, throwing his head back and showing his white teeth before he grinned at me and reached out to squeeze my hand. “Yes. I feel very good when I am with you. It’s like you are my sun and I am a solar powered refrigerator. It’s very interesting.”
“Interesting,” I muttered, feeling a little put out that if I were his sun he’d be a fridge. There had to be a better analogy to use.
“Your mother has all sorts of theories about it from the closer proximity of our souls sustaining our bodies to a less coherent explanation of magnetic pulses and, er, I didn’t really follow her actually. Old Peter has one theory which she adamantly opposes.”
“He thinks we’re soul mates, right? I still don’t understand why she got so upset about the idea of that. If strengthening each other is from that, what’s wrong with it?”
“Hmmm,” was all the sounds he made and then we were at my house. “Here we are.” He got out and came around to my side with the umbrella. I climbed into his arms, trying not to enjoy being held against him too much. My heart was pounding when he put me down in the hall and leaned the dripping umbrella in the rack. “Let’s see if Satan’s around here.” He walked past me, poking his head in various rooms before he came back with a frown. “It seems like we’re alone.”
I stared at him, trying to figure out why that bothered him. “I’m grown up. I can be left home by myself.”
He quirked a dark eyebrow and shook his head. “Suppose demons attacked you here and you burned too much fury and no one found your limp body broken at the bottom of the stairs until it was too late?”
“Why would I be at the bottom of the stairs?” I asked crossing my arms across my chest trying to sound annoyed. The truth is I wanted to lean against him and have his arms wrap around me.
“Because…” Lewis said and then scowled at me. “It makes a fine poetical statement that’s why. If you keep standing there looking cold and obstinate, I am going to carry you somewhere and hold you as close to me as possible, and then when your mother comes home, she’ll probably give me another lecture about why we aren’t soul mates. Frankly I’m not sure I can bear that,” he said taking a step towards me.
“If you stand there scowling, I’m going to put my cold feet on your legs until they’re warm.” I took a step towards him.
“All right, all right,” Satan’s voice boomed across the hall. “Now that you’ve made your positions clear, Lewis, get home. Dariana, to bed. I don’t care if you feel fine. Unless you want to stay home from school again tomorrow, you’ll go climb into your blankets like a good little Hotblood and stay there until Snowy comes for you.”
“She’ll need dinner,” Lewis said, for some reason still staring at me.
“We’ll take care of it Lewis. Helen’s been spending all her time learning about how to raise a Hotblood. After that scare she’ll overdo it. Home now, before I have to smash your scowling face in.”
“Satan,” I said protesting as I turned to him. “Lewis gave me a ride.”
“He’s right. I’ll see you at school,” Lewis said and leaning forward, brushed my cheek with his lips. I gasped and blinked but the door shut and he was gone. I stared at the door with my hand on my cheek wondering how to cool down this sudden burning in my chest.
15 My Scarred Psyche
School was stressful with piles of homework to catch up on in every class. I couldn’t see how missing two days would require so much paperwork. When I saw Smoke during gym, I was glad to see someone I could relax around as we practiced at the far side of the gym, but he was actually serious about dancing. I’d never seen him focused like that. He never asked where I’d been.
Snowy was completely wrapped up in her plans for Homecoming, and during lunch she didn’t notice me for the stream of people who kept coming to the table to talk to her about final plans. It was awkward to sit between her and Lewis. He seemed cheerful, like I hadn’t spent two days in his bed, and he hadn’t kissed my cheek, and that I didn’t feel better the minute he sat beside me, breathing the same air as I did. I relaxed a little when Osmond came in until he started joking about Homecoming. Going on a group date with Osmond, Lewis and Snowy was something I didn’t want to think about since it would be strange and uncomfortable any way you looked at it.
The next day, Friday, was only a half-day, because of the big football game, so I didn’t have to spend lunch with Snowy. I sat with her and the rest of the dance team on the bleachers with our black suits over the skimpy dance uniforms I still didn’t feel comfortable wearing. The wind was biting, and I reluctantly pulled off my suit to go out on the field and strut my stuff, or to freeze my knees anyway. I only stumbled once when I looked up and saw Lewis standing in an aisle of the bleachers, leaning against the banister as he watched me. I heard Valerie snicker beside me and felt heat rush to my cheeks. On the way off the field I was ready for her when she ‘accidently’ jostled me in a way that would have brought me flat on my face
if I hadn’t been watching for it. Instead I twisted and it was her that went down awkwardly on the grass.
“Oh, wow, Valerie, I’m so sorry about that,” I said offering her a hand. She looked up at me and I was bewildered by her feral smile.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, honey,” she said ignoring my hand and getting smoothly to her feet. “It’s better to fall in the field than at the feet of a man.” She sashayed off, and I stared at her back wondering if that was a quote I was supposed to recognize. I didn’t. Everything about her was so alien to Sanders.
After the game, I got a ride home with Snowy.
“Do you know what the guys have planned for dinner? It’s weird that I’m not sure which of us is with whom, I mean for the sake of corsages, and Osmond never asked about my dress, and if we’re going to have a group photo we should have coordinated. I can’t believe I haven’t even seen your dress yet, but with you getting strep and everything else going on I’ve barely had time to get a manicure. I saw you and Valerie on the field; it looked very chummy,” she said.
“She is so strange. It was like she was glad that I’d tripped her. Maybe she’s crazy.”
“That would explain her taste in shoes,” Snowy said airily. “After we swing by my house to get my dress your mother is going to help us get ready for the dance. Your mother has the most incredible makeup.”
“Yeah. I need that,” I said and hated how grouchy I sounded.
“No, you look really good. I was going to say something but with everything that’s been going on… anyway, I’ll be right back,” she said and ran into her house.
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