“It seems you are meant to be the keeper of her book,” he said in a deep, gravelly voice. “You’d best take great care with it. If word reaches the ears of others that you hold the power to take away their magic, you’ll be hunted down. This town is full of magic—the forest even more so. Even the Six won’t be able stop the chaos that would follow you if they knew your secret.”
“That’s uplifting,” I muttered. I hadn’t exactly asked to be the guardian of this crazy book. It had just happened. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Wynter is, would you?” Nothing would have suited me more than to give this weird book back to its owner.
“Do you think I would have destroyed the library if I had known where she was?” Mr. Giles’ already bugged out eyes seemed to become even rounder. “Wherever she’s gone, I doubt she returns. She used most of her magic protecting everyone else and never took any back. She became weak. It doesn’t matter how good your intentions are when you are a creature of darkness. You can only deny your nature so long before you must give in to it.” He turned and walked off the porch. “You had best protect her well,” he told Ed and Michael as he passed them, “If the book falls into the wrong hands, none of us will ever be safe again.” And with that, he strode back to the edge of the forest, and disappeared.
“Well, that was fun,” Michael said dryly. “Now what do we do?”
“Now I’m going back inside to try to think of what I’m going to do with this book,” I replied. “Do you all want to come in?”
“No,” Ed shook his head, “its best we stay out here and patrol. If Giles has already shown up, it’s hard to tell who else might try knocking on your door next.”
Apparently the worry must have shown on my face, because he added quickly, “We’ll be close by, Nikki. We won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.” And with that, he and Michael transformed back to their wolves and began their guard, while I went back inside and wondered what else would be coming our way.
Chapter 6
MY MOM WAS coming in the door the next morning as I was getting ready to head out of it. “Hey, I know I’ve been difficult to get along with lately,” she said, handing me a McDonald’s bag. “So, I bring a peace offering. Sausage and egg, your favorite.”
“Okaay,” I said, hesitantly taking the proffered bag from her hand. She’d been in a terrible mood for the better part of a week. At first I had chalked it up to the book hidden in my room, but it hadn’t taken long to figure out that her anger went deeper than the contents of my backpack. “So, what’s up?” I glanced at the clock on the wall. I still had a good ten minutes before I had to leave for school. I pulled off my backpack and set it by the door and walked back toward the kitchen to unwrap my breakfast on the table.
“Yeah, you’re probably going to want to sit down for this,” she said, pulling out the chair across from me.
I stopped just before taking the first bite. “That’s not helping my appetite.”
“Sorry, it’s nothing that bad. Eat,” she said, waving her hand for me to continue.
I took a bite, watching her warily. Then, since my mouth was full, I arched an eyebrow, asking my question again. What’s up?
“Shaina and Todd are getting a divorce,” my mother announced without preamble.
I stopped chewing and stared at her. Realizing that my mouth was wide open with the contents on display, I quickly swallowed, and asked, “What? Why?” Tori’s mom and dad always seemed to be the model couple. I had actually envied my best friend when we were younger. Her parents were always going to parties and were so wrapped up in each other, that they often left Tori to do whatever she wished. That kind of freedom at twelve years old wasn’t always the best thing in the world for my best friend and had landed her in more fights at school than I cared to think about, but it had also given her a strength and hardness that no one else our age had at that age.
My mom’s next words ripped me out of the past and threw me back into the present. “Shaina caught Todd cheating with his secretary.”
“Oh.” The word that escaped my lips didn’t seem adequate for the situation, but then, I really didn’t know what to say.
“They are moving up here,” she continued, “and staying with us.”
“With us?” I repeated numbly. The words sank in an instant later. “Really?”
“Yeah,” she nodded. “I told Shaina that they could stay with us until she got on her feet. We’ve got two extra bedrooms after all. It’s not like we don’t have the room.”
“That…is…awesome!” I squealed, hopping on the chair in much the same fashion that my little sister often did. I had quickly adapted to living in Virginia. True, it was nothing like Florida, but the one thing that I had continued to miss like crazy was my best friend.
I grinned, thinking of someone else that would be happier than me to see Tori. “Did you say anything to Anita about it?” If she had told Brian’s mom, the odds were that Brian already knew before I did.
“Nope. I’m leaving it for you to tell him. They should be up in a few days,” she said, returning my grin. She turned and looked at the clock. “Speaking of which, you’re going to be late if you don’t get going.”
“Okay, I’m gone!” I hopped up and snatched my basically uneaten biscuit off the table and rewrapped it. Then, I gave Mom a kiss on the cheek and grabbed my backpack from its place by the door.
I was still thinking about Tori, when I began driving down the driveway. Out of nowhere, Adam appeared by the side of the road and put his thumb out.
“Where are you headed?” I asked, cracking the window just an inch, as if he were a strange hitchhiker.
“Anywhere you’ll take me,” came the answer with a smile that lit up his eyes.
“With an answer like that, I should leave you there,” I quipped, moving my backpack and my uneaten breakfast into the backseat so it would be out of the way.
He shrugged and smiled as he got in. “It’s the truth. I’ll go anywhere you’re going, though I’m hoping it’s to school. I don’t think I could take much more of my however-many-times-great ancestor right now.”
My curiosity peaked at the mention of Swift Foot, and I completely forgot to tell him my own news.
“How did that go?” I asked, as I put the Jeep into gear and started down the road.
“Well, we left your house and made it back to the Res with no problems. Dad was home when we got there, so I told him what happened. Naturally, he had a million questions which seemed to take forever. Anyway, once he was satisfied, we began getting a spot ready in the garage.”
“The garage?” I asked in disbelief. “You put him in the garage to sleep? Why??”
Adam shook his head, “He wouldn’t stay in the house. We tried. Nikki, I don’t think he had ever stepped foot inside a real house until I took him to mine. He wouldn’t sit down the entire time he was in there. He would pace back and forth, and then look at something that took his interest, and then pace some more, as if he felt trapped.”
I nodded. It made sense to me. For someone who had been in the body of a wolf for centuries with an entire forest to roam, perhaps being inside a house would seem confining.
“We had to leave the door of the garage cracked before he would even stay in there. We put a couple of heaters in there for him. It took some of the chill out of there, but not much of the heat stayed in, since the door was open. I had an old military surplus cot that we took out for him to sleep on along with a huge pile of quilts and a sub-zero sleeping bag that I used to use for hiking before I became a Keeper.” Adam seemed to be talking to himself, replaying the night’s events in his mind. “I went out this morning to check on him. Everything was exactly where we left it, except for one quilt that was stretched out near the biggest heater. He’d slept on top of it, and hadn’t touched anything else.”
“You’re making it sound like he wasn’t in there.”
“He wasn’t.”
I was nearly into the parking spot at the schoo
l by now and stopped so suddenly that the Jeep shuddered and threatened to die. I shoved my foot down on the clutch and the engine smoothed out, and then I turned my attention to Adam. “What do you mean he wasn’t there? Where was he?”
“He’d apparently gone hunting for his breakfast,” Adam grinned. “I met him as soon as I came out of the garage. He had killed a rabbit and asked me where our fire was. He intended to share his breakfast with us as his way of saying thank you.”
“So what did you do?”
“I took him inside and showed him the modern conveniences of the electric stove and cooked his rabbit for him. He was quite impressed.” The grin on Adam’s face stretched from one side to the other, causing little crinkles to pop up at the corners of his eyes. “Oh, and he loves coffee, by the way.”
I laughed. “Coffee, huh? I never would have figured that one.”
“Yep. He drank nearly the whole pot. Dad didn’t have anything but the dregs left in the bottom when he came through to leave for work.”
“So where is he now? Is there anyone hanging out with him while we are here?”
“He left for the forest after he ate. He didn’t say anything, but I’m thinking he’ll be back later tonight,” Adam said, pulling my backpack out of the back seat.
“Hey! Careful with that…” I hadn’t even gotten the words completely out of my mouth, when Adam tossed it to me. Steam rose from the small teeth of the zipper, as if my bag held the contents of a volcano that was threatening to erupt. Within a couple seconds of it being in my hands, the smoke disappeared.
“So much for trying to be helpful,” Adam said, “Is it going to be safe to take that in the school?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, “I was afraid to leave it at home, since Giles showed up last night. I figured the safest place is with me, though I’m not sure that anyone else is going to be safe with me around. I guess I’ll just have to do the best that I can.”
“Ed sent Michael back to tell me about it last night, and then we all guarded your house until early this morning and didn’t see or hear anything unusual. Maybe Giles caught that crow in time,” Adam said thoughtfully as we got out of the Jeep. “Either way, we’ll stick as close as we can to you today. I don’t suppose you can leave it in your locker for some of your classes, can you?”
I shook my head. “I prefer to keep it in sight.”
“It’s going to look strange with you carrying a backpack all day. It might call even more attention to yourself. You know that, right?” Adam pointed out.
“Yeah, no worries,” I grinned, “I’ve thought this through.” I put the backpack on, and then pulled out a big coat out of the back of my Jeep and put it on over the backpack.
“You’re going to wear that,” Adam said in disbelief, “all day?”
I shrugged. “It’s cold out. I won’t be the only one wearing a coat all day. Not everyone has fur to keep them warm.”
“Yeah, but you forget—you do have fur to keep you warm now. You’re wolf will still be watching out for you and sharing her warmth, even though you’re in your human form. You’re going to burn up wearing all of that. It’s not going to work, Nikki,” he insisted. “You’re going to have to put it in the locker and hope for the best.”
“No,” I said stubbornly, “I have to try.”
Adam sighed, “Okay, let’s give it a try then.”
I MADE IT until lunch. By then, sweat popped out on my forehead and ran down my face in streams. What was worse was the fact that my stomach was revolting from the constant heat and the pressure of the heavy book against my back, which made me feel like I was giving a baby elephant a piggyback ride. Adam was right. It wasn’t going to work. Everyone filed past me to the cafeteria, while I struggled against the wave of kids and headed in the opposite direction. Adam appeared as soon as I made it to the door of my locker. He must have heard my stomach grumbling five doors down the hallway.
“You’ve got to guard this locker with your life,” I told him. I took off my coat and the book bag, and shoved them both unceremoniously into the bottom of my locker and smacked it shut. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay. Where are you going?” he asked worriedly.
“To the nurse’s station. Don’t leave my locker for anything—got it?” I repeated, waiting only long enough to see him nod in agreement. I trotted down the hallway as fast as I could, my stomach threatening to spill its contents at any second. Please, don’t throw up. Don’t throw up. I repeated my inward mantra the entire way to the door with NURSE plastered in big, black letters. Without bothering to knock, I flung open the door, rushed past a very surprised Ms. Watson, and promptly threw up in the trash can by the bed.
Feeling only slightly better, I did a sideways roll onto the bed and moaned, “I think I’m sick.”
Finally finding her voice and getting her wits about her, Ms. Watson replied, “I think you may be onto something.”
“I swear I’m not on anything,” I said, just before I leaned over the trash can again. “I don’t do drugs,” I managed between gasping breaths.
“No, I meant that I believe that you are sick,” she said. I heard the sink turn on, and a moment later, she was wiping my face off with a cool rag. “Okay, time to check you out, if you’re finished with my garbage can.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said weakly as she popped a thermometer under my tongue.
A few seconds later it beeped. “Mm,” she said, frowning, as she looked at the display. “You have a low-grade fever, Nicole. We need to call your mother.”
“Okay,” I agreed readily as she picked up the phone and I recited the number for home.
Five minutes later, I was on my way back to the lockers with an excuse to skip the rest of the day’s classes in my hand.
Adam took one look at me and his eyes widened. “You look terrible.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said dryly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that you aren’t as beautiful as ever, because you are…sort of…but you look kinda greenish right now.”
“That isn’t helping,” I said, getting my stuff back out of the locker.
“Sorry,” Adam said sheepishly, “So where are we going now?”
“I’m going home,” I announced, “Ms. Watson cleared me, so I’m heading out.”
Adam walked to the other side of the room, opened his locker, and began getting his things out.
“What are you doing?” I asked, even though I had a good idea of what he was planning.
“I’m coming with you.”
“You can’t just leave school. You’ll get in trouble,” I argued. “Besides, I’ll be fine. Mom is home and she knows I’m coming.”
“I’ll drive you back,” he said stubbornly. “All kinds of things could happen between here and there with what you have in that bag. Once I know you are safe, I’ll come back to school. Deal?”
“Okay, deal,” I said.
“All right, wait here for just a minute. I’ll run to the nurse’s station and get her to okay it, and then you won’t have to worry about me being in trouble. Does that sound like a plan?”
I nodded, and sat down on the bench that ran along the far wall to wait.
Within the next moment, he was back and we were on our way home.
Safe in the passenger seat of my Jeep, I remembered that I hadn’t told Adam my news. “Tori and her mom are moving in with us. Her parents are divorcing.”
“Oh? Well, I know Brian will be happy to hear she’ll be so close.”
“Yeah, I guess I’ll have to call him later and tell him. I didn’t get the chance to talk to him at school.”
“He’ll still be thrilled, whether you tell him now or later,” he said, reaching over to take my hand. “I know I would be.”
I gave his fingers a squeeze. “Thanks for driving me home, Adam.”
“You’re welcome. Are you feeling any better?”
“Yes, though I may fake it for a day or two to get out of school. I ca
n’t leave this book home alone and I can’t take it with me to every class. I need some time to think of what I’m going to do. I wish Wynter would come back and get it. I didn’t ask for this responsibility—or the trouble that it’s bringing with it.”
“I know.” I watched the corner of Adam’s eye narrow, as if he were concentrating on trying to find the solution to my dilemma. Then, he smiled. “If you can make it until Tori shows up, she’ll help, I’m sure. She probably won’t be able to start school until after Thanksgiving break, so she should be able to help keep an eye on it until you get back from school.”
“It’s an idea, but I’m not sure that the book will ‘let’ her guard it. We’ll have to see whenever she gets here, I guess.”
“Did your mom say when they were coming?” Adam asked, as he pulled up into my driveway.
“Nothing precise, other than they would arrive in a few days. This is Wednesday. With my luck, she won’t get here until the weekend or later,” I answered, hopping out of the Jeep.
“Well, just so you know, you and Tori won’t be guarding it alone. One of us will be close by to whomever is watching that book.” I frowned. Adam looked over and caught my skeptical expression and laughed before he got out of the car. “You aren’t the only one who can fake sick when the occasion calls for it. This isn’t negotiable either, just so you know. Someone will always be nearby.”
I was getting ready to tell him to drive my car back to school, when I heard my mother come out the front door.
“Nikki, are you feeling any better?” she called out worriedly as she came down the porch steps in record time.
“Yeah, I’m getting there. I don’t think breakfast agreed with me,” I lied. The sausage biscuit was still wrapped and uneaten in my car, but I figured she didn’t need to know that or the real reason of my being sick at school. “I’m gonna go up to my room and lay down for a while,” I said, walking toward her. Then, inspiration struck. “Could you give Adam a ride back to school, Mom? I don’t want him to get in trouble and miss classes. I promise I’ll be fine until you get back.”
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