“Thanks,” I replied and dipped my head. It took a few minutes before I was stable in the heels they forced on me, then we quickly walked through the house and escaped before Sebastian could see what I was wearing.
Harvey said we were meeting the boys there, and she’d heard there might be a few other kids from our school out. She was bursting with excitement, stoked for the night she was sure we would have. It took all my willpower to not be a Negative Nancy, but there was literally not one single thing I felt good about when it came to going downtown.
My unease got worse when we pulled up to the building. It was an old warehouse someone had converted to a club for minors. You had to be in between the ages of fourteen and eighteen, and the man at the door had no mercy on those who thought they could sneak in alcohol. Of course, it didn’t stop people from doing it or showing up after their pre-drinking parties. The concept was nice, the idea of kids having a place to hang out other than hidden parties where people ended up making terrible decisions. But I still hated going. The place was filled with humans, which I had no problem with. But they absolutely had a problem with us, and they were never quiet about it.
“There they are,” Harvey said and yanked my arm. Max and Levi were leaning against the truck, watching groups of people pass by. The looks on their faces settled me a bit, knowing I wasn’t the only one who didn’t really want to be there.
Max jerked his head toward us when we got within a couple feet. His eyes widened and he inhaled sharply. I looked away to keep from smirking, I guess Andi did know what she was doing.
“Finally,” Levi said and pushed himself off the door. “I didn’t think you guys were ever going to show up.”
Harvey giggled and leaned into his side, wrapping her arm around his waist and smiling up at him. Max stepped closer and pulled me in for a hug, leaning over until his mouth was near my ear.
“You look nice.” My heart pounded with his breath hitting my neck. “If anyone touches you, I’m going to get kicked out.” His hand skimmed the bare skin on my back and shivers broke out all over my body.
We found an empty booth near the back and watched people dance for a while. Harvey begged and begged before Levi finally agreed to go out there with her. Neither Max nor I wanted to be rubbing against strangers, so we opted to stay behind.
“I meant what I said earlier,” Max said and looked at me from the corner of his eye. “You really are beautiful.” I smiled and bumped his shoulder with mine.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” Max had to be the most gorgeous person I’d ever met, male or female. His brown complexion was clear and a shade I’d not seen on anyone else. His black hair was always styled, usually pushed back on the top and shorter on the side. But even when I’d seen it not fixed, it was still the nicest hair I’d seen on a man. Thick black lashes framed eyes so blue they appeared violet at times, and as clear as the sky others, depending on his mood.
A yell had both of us turning in our seat and scanning the dance floor. Toward the back of the room people were grouped, and when I didn’t see Harvey I stood to make my way over. Max linked his fingers with mine and pulled me close to his side, walking around the edge of the platform. The grip he had was becoming painful, but I didn’t try to break it. I felt better having the contact with him.
People were laughing and holding their phones up, trying to record whatever was happening. When I heard Harvey's voice I started moving quicker. We pushed through them and shoved our way out the back door, where the majority of the crowd had gathered.
“Why are you protecting it? Can’t it speak for itself?” a girl taunted and laughed loudly. “Or is it a defected one? I’d heard there were some like that.” The people around us howled like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard. I couldn’t see who they were making fun of, but I felt it. I took a deep breath and pushed past the last of them, coming to a stop in the front.
“Your ignorance is astounding, truly it is,” Levi said, he was trying to stay calm but I could hear the rage in his tone. The anger he was attempting to contain, which was nothing compared to what I felt from the body beside me.
“You're human, you shouldn't even be here with that thing. You should with your own kind,” a guy said and closed the distance between them. My eyes flickered over his shoulder and I met Harvey’s tear-streaked face.
My hands fisted, and I took calming breathes trying to keep myself from frying these stupid teenagers.
“I wouldn’t lower myself enough to associate with anyone as closed minded as you all seem to be,” Levi hissed and the guy shoved him hard enough to push him into Harvey, who fell to the ground. Before I could react Max had moved. He was holding the guy up from the collar of his shirt, and saying something quietly enough we couldn’t hear it. I rushed forward and laid my hand on his back.
“You have to let him go. You know we can’t fight humans,” I whispered and my eyes darted around at the faces staring at us. A mixture of disgust and fear was written on each of them. “They’re not worth it, Max.”
He dropped the kid and stormed off, parting the crowd like the red sea. The boy jumped to his feet and started yelling at him, then turned around and sneered at us.
“Oh, look at it,” he said and pointed at Harvey. “It cries.”
Levi shook his head slowly, and helped Harvey up, then pushed her gently in my direction.
“You know, it’s funny to me how brave you are knowing they're taught not to fight you. You’re lucky they have enough self-control to stop themselves, lucky they have rules in place for your protection,” Levi said and took a few steps around the circle, making eye contact with most of them. “But unlike my friends, I don’t have to follow those same rules.”
Levi turned and smirked, then hit the guy hard enough to lift his feet off the ground before he crumbled to the floor in a heap, knocked-out cold. Everyone gasped and a few stepped back. Harvey was attached to my side until he came over and wrapped his arms around her, then we walked out.
Max’s truck was gone, so Levi drove Harvey’s car. She told me how they were dancing and some guy bumped into her hard enough she almost fell. She accidentally righted herself before she hit the ground, showing them her power. They lost it after that, gathered around them and started taunting her until Levi snapped.
Those were some of the reasons I didn’t like going out. Nothing good ever came from it. The humans knew we existed, but they were not accepting of us. At least not most of them. They hated us for being different and they taunted us because they knew we tried to prevent showing our power. Their bullying made them feel powerful, even if deep down they knew they were outmatched.
Chapter eight
Max
I shouldn’t have left her there, but if I didn’t walk away I would have done something I couldn’t take back. People like that made me want to hate humans, made me want to hurt them in ways they couldn’t begin to fathom. And those thoughts made me hate myself. I loathed the anger inside me, the darkness I had hidden in the deepest depths of soul.
I stood near the door until I knew she was safe, and then I bolted. I couldn’t sit around and wait for them. I didn’t want her to see me when I was so close to losing control. I didn’t want to slip up and lose the control over what I’d been keeping from her. I didn’t want to hurt her.
I drove straight home but didn’t go inside, instead, I found myself in the bunker under the shed. Reed told me it had been full of weapons years ago, a place Andi’s parents hid the swords from angels. The house we lived in had been hers until she married Sebastian and gave it to my parents. The bunker was given to me when they realized I needed a place I could be alone. They ran electrical wires and laid carpet, making it the best man cave I could have hoped for. I had a full living room set, a couple bookshelves, and a pool table.
I dropped to the couch and kicked my feet up on the coffee table. My head fell back and eyes closed. I knew she’d come, but I needed a minute to gather myself before she did.
Those guys were lucky they chose to single out Harvey and not Misty, not that Harvey deserved it either. The fact they felt the need to pick on anyone was infuriating, but if it had been Misty I wouldn’t have been able to stop. When I saw her walk across the parking lot, wearing a dress that showed far too much skin, I almost forced her into my truck and took her home. I didn’t want to sit in a room full of people who would be looking at her, or hear the guys talk about her body. I had blocked her from as many people’s view as I could until we found a place to sit, but I still caught a few of their gawking eyes.
“You okay?” she asked from where she stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
“Yep.” I crossed my ankles and patted the seat next to me.
She came over and plopped down, letting out a loud sigh as she sunk into the cushion. I cracked one eye and froze on her smooth legs so close to mine I could feel the heat from them. Her dress was riding too far up, and tiny bare feet were crossed next to mine. I grabbed a throw blanket and dropped it over her, she laughed.
“You see me in my bathing suit all the time, Max. This dress covers a lot more than it does.”
I grunted but didn’t respond. She was right, of course, but seeing her in a bathing suit wasn’t easy either.
We sat together for awhile, comfortable enough to be together without having to fill the space with words. Her head had fallen over and rested on my shoulder, and mine was back with my eyes closed.
“I try not to, but I really hate people like that,” she said and I nodded.
“Yeah, me too.” I stretched my legs out and set my feet on the floor. “Harvey and Levi okay?”
“Yeah,” she said and then told me about Levi knocking the guy out. I knew he had, I didn’t leave until afterward, but I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t surprised by Levi like she was, I knew how tough he’d gotten. He might be human, but there was nothing weak about him. Although he usually used his mind more than his fist, Levi was no pansy.
“I’m proud of you for walking away. I know it wasn’t easy.”
It sure wasn’t, but I didn’t need to beat up a few idiots to feel better about myself. They could run their mouths all the wanted, but at the end of the day, we all knew who was stronger. They felt safe talking to us like we were beneath them only because we allowed it. We let them talk to us any way they wanted because the alternative was to become the monsters they feared.
I checked the time and told her I needed to take her home. Wrapping her arms around my waist, even though she knew it was unnecessary, I slipped us to her room.
“You going to stay awhile? We could watch a movie,” she said and walked around her room, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt.
“I should really get back home.” Her face fell but she nodded. I hated the distance I was putting between us, but it was necessary, one day she might understand why.
I reached over and pulled her close, allowing myself a minute to feel her against my chest. My heart pounded as her hands slid around my waist and rubbed my back. I took a deep breath, inhaling her strawberry scent, and then kissed the top of her head.
“Have sweet dreams, Misty.”
“Goodnight, Max.”
“Knock, knock,” Reed said and pushed my door open. It was late but I was still wide awake, laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. He came in and sat in the chair by my desk, I didn’t move.
“What’s up?”
“I feel like I haven’t seen much of you lately. I wanted to see how you’re doing,” he said and grabbed one of my pens, tapping it on the wood.
“I’m fine,” I said and turned my head, narrowing my eyes on his hand. He froze mid tap and then dropped it. I looked at his face, and he smiled.
“Let me ask you again,” he said and leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees. “How are you doing?”
I rolled my eyes and turned back to the ceiling.
“She told you,” I said. I wasn’t mad about it, but it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about either. “Sara is worried for no reason. I promise to let you know if I can’t handle it.”
“You know she’s going to worry no matter what you say.” He laughed and I snorted. It was true, she really did worry a lot. It got obnoxious at times, but I was thankful for her, for both of them.
“Anyway, I also wanted to let you know we were taking a trip. You can stay here if you want, but Charles said your welcome there if you’d rather.”
“I’m good here.” I liked Charles and Emily, they were the first people I stayed with when Andi and Sebastian saved me. Emily was the perfect grandmother, even if she only looked to be in her thirties, maybe forties. I wasn’t great at guessing ages.
“Where are you going?” I asked and turned to look at him again. He stood and leaned back, cracking his bones in a way I cringed from. It couldn't be healthy for a person's bones to pop like that. I wasn’t sure how old they were, but I knew Guardian’s didn’t age like normal humans. They didn’t have immortality the way the fallen did or unknown mortality like nephilim did, but the soul mark kept them from aging normally. I wasn’t sure how long their life span would be, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t be shorter than mine. I didn’t know what I’d do without them.
“Heard a rumor about some kids being taken. We’re just going to check it out.”
“You guys still do that?” I knew they spent years finding missing people in the past, searching cities for those who were hiding or had been stolen, but I didn’t know they still did.
“Not as often as we used to, but sometimes we hear about a few who fell through the cracks.” He tapped my desk one last time and moved toward the door, then looked over his shoulder.
“Do me a favor and talk to us if you feel overwhelmed, okay? You know we’re here for you.” I nodded and he smiled, but it wasn’t a real smile. “I love you, kid. You know that, right?”
I nodded again, and he walked out. Reed and I weren’t as close as Sara and I were, but he was still the only father figure I had. And he’d been a good one, someone I knew I could go to if I needed. Neither of them pushed me too hard or demanded I open up about my feelings, but they both made sure I knew I could. They never talked about having kids of their own, and at times I wondered if it was because of me. I hoped it wasn’t. I hated thinking about them missing out on things because they chose to take in a kid who most people were afraid of. I knew people had judged them for taking me in, for taking the chance on a kid who everyone assumed would grow up to be evil. They didn't care what anyone said though, they made me their family and had my back no matter who it was who opposed me. They were my people, my family, and I couldn't have been more grateful for them.
Chapter nine
Misty
I hated shopping. When Harvey showed up at my house and listed the stores she wanted to go to, I almost told her no. But the look on her face wasn’t one I could deny. Levi finally asked her to go to prom with him, as a real date, and she was beyond excited to find the perfect dress. I was happy for her, but I was sad for myself. I tried not to be jealous about it but a small part of me was. Levi and Harvey had danced around their feelings for years, but they weren’t as close as Max and I were. Even so, Levi had actually asked her to be his date and Max avoided talking about prom at all.
We went to the mall first, stopped at a few stores but neither of us found the right one. We decided to check out one of the smaller boutiques, hoping maybe they’d have something we’d both want. We found a cute store on the edge of town, one I’d never been in, and started searching. The dresses were crazy expensive, but when I pulled out the envelop and counted the money Andi had given me, my jaw dropped. I’d been carrying hundreds of dollars in my back pocket and I didn’t even know. I couldn’t believe she’d given me so
much for one dress, it was too much, far too much.
I went through each rack, trying to find a cheaper dress so I could give some of the money back, and pulled out a couple to try on. Harvey and I made our way to the dressing rooms and promised to show each one, even if they were hideous.
The first one I tried was baby blue and made my eyes pop, but the shape was impossible to walk in. I don’t know who invented the mermaid style, but they were obviously not someone who did a lot of moving. Harvey laughed when I tried to strut and almost face planted. She’d tried on a nice yellow dress, that hung off one shoulder and fit her body perfectly, but she didn’t like it.
After a few more, I pulled the last one off the rack and slip it over my head. It was black, silky, and form-fitting, with jewels outlining the front and back. It was more expensive than the others, which was why I’d kept it for last. I stepped out of the room and waited for Harvey to come from hers.
“Wow,” she said when her door opened. “That’s it, Misty. That’s the one.” I smiled and ran my hands down the front of it. It was the one and it was perfect. I looked up and smiled wider.
“And that’s definitely the one you’re getting,” I said and pointed. It was a light blue, sweetheart style, and had beads around the waistline. She looked beautiful.
We paid for our dresses and walked out with a lot less money than we walked in with. On the way home, she asked if I wanted to stop for pizza, which I quickly agreed to. We found a place not far from the dress shop and ate inside. The sun was setting when we left, making me nervous. It was silly to be afraid, but considering I wasn’t able to use a phone if I needed to call for help, I didn’t like being out at night. Especially not without one of the guys with us. I’d seen too many things in my life to be able to trust strangers, too many bad people who lurked in the corners.
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