B00AO57VOY EBOK

by Myers, AJ

  Next time, I’ll bring you her head.

  I was quiet on the ride to school the next morning, trying to decide what I was going to tell Kim. I didn’t want my best friend to be scared of me, but for her own safety, I was going to have to tell her the truth. Being around me was becoming more and more dangerous and Kim had no way to protect herself. If I told her the whole story and she ran away screaming, I wouldn’t even be able to blame her.

  “Do you want some coffee?” Nathan asked hesitantly when I still hadn’t spoken as we were passing The Coffee Bean.

  I shrugged, letting him know I still wasn’t speaking to him. I hadn’t said a single word to him since he’d decided to compel me the night before. Sighing sadly, he pulled up in front of the little coffee shop and cut the engine. Promising he would only be a second, he hopped out of the car and ran inside.

  Figuring he would be way more than a second—judging by the line I could see through the window, most of the senior class was in line waiting for their morning caffeine infusion—I let my eyes roam up and down the sidewalk. When my eyes fell on a familiar sun-streaked dark head at one of the Coffee Bean’s little outdoor bistro tables, I actually smiled. Getting out of the car, I closed the door softly behind me and tiptoed over to where Tyler was sitting hunched over something spread out on the table in front of him.

  Tyler nearly jumped out of his chair when I walked up behind him whispered good morning in his ear. As soon as he saw me, though, his face lit up with a brilliant smile. There was a sketch pad lying in front of him and I peered over his shoulder to check out what he was drawing, but he snapped it closed before I could see it.

  “Good morning, yourself,” he said brightly as I walked around the table and took the chair across from him. “I’m glad to see you’re okay. I’ve been worried about you. You didn’t answer my text last night.”

  “Yeah, I was taking care of a few things,” I told him, sighing and leaning back in my chair. Trust me, the last thing I’d been thinking about the night before was my phone. “You worry a lot about someone you barely know.”

  “Well, if you’d quit disappearing like Cinderella after the ball I could change that.”

  I had to give him that one. So far, we were having the only conversation we’d ever had face-to-face that didn’t end in either him getting his ass kicked or me going all Super Witch—then, our conversation wasn’t over yet so there was still time for the shit to hit the proverbial fan.

  Leaning his elbows on the table, he tilted his head to study me, a worried look in his pretty golden eyes. “You look like you’ve had another rough night, beautiful. You all right?”

  I started to say I was fine, but something stopped me. I wasn’t all right and, for some weird reason, I thought Tyler probably already knew that. Even weirder, I didn’t feel the need to lie to him to keep him from worrying about me. I wasn’t up to recounting another not-so-wonderful interlude with Bastian, either, though, so I decided it was time to change the subject.

  “What were you drawing?” I asked instead.

  “Just a sketch,” he said, dropping his eyes to the pad in front of him. My eyebrows went up when I saw he was blushing. “It helps me think, but I’m not very good at it.”

  “Can I see?” I asked, smiling at his sheepish expression. When he just sat there, the pink in his cheeks getting a little brighter, I couldn’t help but tease him. “Come on, Ty. They can’t be that bad.”

  Rolling his eyes, he flipped open the sketch pad and turned it around toward me. I was surprised to see my own face smiling up at me from the paper. It was…amazing. He had caught every detail from my high cheekbones to my full lips to the curls that surrounded me like a halo. I stared at it for a few seconds and then gave him a shy glance from beneath my lashes. I didn’t want him to be embarrassed that he had been caught sketching me from memory, so I went back to teasing him.

  Plastering a smile on my face, I slid the pad back to him. “Does my nose really look like that?”

  “You have a cute nose,” he told me, smiling. It was obvious he was relieved that I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of the sketch. It was so clear on his handsome face that I nearly laughed. “It’s harder to do portraits from memory. I could give you the perfect nose you so obviously desire if you were interested in sitting for me sometime.”

  “Maybe,” I told him, being intentionally vague. Just the thought of what Nathan would have to say about that proposition made me want to cringe. “So, where did you learn to draw like that?”

  When Nathan walked out with two cups of coffee in his hands ten minutes later, Tyler and I were laughing and talking like old friends who’d known each other for years. We were having such a good time, in fact, that had I not caught movement next to his car I wouldn’t even have seen Nathan. I glanced over just in time to see him turn his head and zero in on me.

  Our gazes locked for a full second before he slowly turned his softly glowing eyes to the back of Tyler’s head. Seeing the way I was staring over his shoulder, Tyler turned around to see what had caught my attention. Given how furious Nathan looked, the last thing I expected to hear was Tyler’s soft hoot of laughter.

  “He looks less than thrilled, doesn’t he?” he quipped, turning back to look at me with a mischievous smile.

  That was the understatement of the week. Nathan looked livid as he stalked toward us. He stopped next to my chair and held out my coffee, totally ignoring the continued laughter behind him.

  “We need to get going, baby,” Nathan said shortly as I took the grande-sized Styrofoam cup from him. Just to irritate him, I took a sip of my coffee and smiled. He narrowed his eyes at me and my smile got bigger. Holding out his hand to me, he practically growled, “We’re already going to be late, Em.”

  Deciding not to push my luck, I ignored his hand and hauled my tired butt out of my chair all on my own. I saw Nathan’s shoulders stiffen when Tyler laughed again. Grinning, I told Tyler goodbye. Without waiting for my less-than-happy chauffer, I walked back to the car and was already buckled in and sipping my coffee again when I realized Nathan hadn’t joined me.

  Turning to look for him, I found him still standing by the table talking to Tyler. Judging by the thunderous look on his face, I didn’t think they were making a play date. I was already reaching for the door handle to go back and drag him to the car when he snapped one last thing at Tyler and headed right for me. Tyler turned to watch him go and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw he was rolling his eyes. Catching me watching, he winked and blew me a kiss.

  Nathan nearly tore the door off when he threw it open and I could almost feel the anger rolling off him. Without so much as a word, he tore out of his spot and sped off with a loud screech of his tires.

  “Well, someone’s testy, aren’t they?” I muttered. In answer, he shot me a warning look and then turned back to the road. “Seriously, what’s your problem? We were just talking! You’re acting like you just walked out to find me with my tongue halfway down his throat or something.”

  “I don’t like that guy,” Nathan snarled, his eyes narrowing. Really? I never would have guessed. “I want you to stay away from him, Ember. I don’t trust him.”

  What? Was he picking my friends now? I didn’t give two hoots in hell if he trusted Tyler or not. I did. I don’t know why, but I felt safe with Tyler. Which, after the night before, was more than I could say for Nathan.

  “Let me make something clear to you, Puppet Master,” I snapped, causing Nathan’s head to jerk in my direction so fast that I’m surprised he didn’t break his neck. “I don’t answer to you. You don’t give me orders. And this last part is very important so you might want to pay attention, you will not pick and choose my friends for me. I’m perfectly capable of thinking for myself when that ability isn’t taken away from me. So why don’t you let me do that, kay?”

  “I said I was sorry, Em,” he mumbled, sounding miserable.

  “And as long as you don’t do it again, I might forgive you one o
f these days,” I grumbled right back.

  When Nathan pulled in and somehow managed to get the best parking spot in the student lot, I remembered that I had bigger problems to deal with than my sulking maybe-boyfriend. When Nathan opened my door for me and held out his hand, I knew I couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer. Squaring my shoulders, I let him pull me from the car and prepared for the worst. It was time to see just how strong my best friend really was.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, stopping and arching an eyebrow when Nathan fell in step beside me.

  “To class,” he said with a shrug.

  “Uh, no you’re not!” I snapped.

  “Yes, I am. I enrolled yesterday morning. Even got all the equipment I need to pull off the charade of a high school student.” He patted the strap of the backpack I hadn’t even noticed he’d slung over his shoulder and smiled when I glared at him. “It was the easiest way to guard you, Em.”

  “Okay, let’s get one damn thing straight—” I began, but Nathan cut me off.

  “We’re late,” he said, dropping a kiss on my lips and grabbing my hand. Towing me toward the doors, he grinned at me over his shoulder. Seeing my totally mutinous look, he stopped and turned around to face me. “Okay, Em, you’re right. This isn’t fair. Therefore, I will give you a choice.”

  “How very twenty-first century of you,” I growled.

  “Choice A, I go to classes with you until we get this situation resolved,” he continued, ignoring the less than loving look I was giving him.

  “What’s Choice B?” I asked, pretty sure I really wasn’t going to like that one.

  “You finish high school via correspondence courses on the Internet.” I gasped in horror and he actually had the nerve to smile at me. “Well, baby? What’s it going to be?”

  Yeah, like he really had to ask.

  Jerking my hand from his, I lifted my chin and marched past him with my shoulders so stiff they felt like they were going to crack. My temper, never the most stable, experienced a whole new level of strain when we walked through the door and half the female student body stopped what they were doing to gawk. Deciding it would be hazardous to someone’s health—and my disciplinary record—for me to look around, I marched directly to my locker without turning my head once.

  I unlocked my lock in record time and had just finished grabbing the books I needed when Nathan reached around me and slammed it shut before pressing me against it. Before I could ask him what he was doing, his lips closed over mine in a kiss hot enough to melt the metal behind me. By the time he drew back enough to give me a seductive little grin, I felt like my entire body had turned to goo.

  “What was that for?” I whispered, too senseless to manage much more than that.

  “Just letting everyone know who I belong to,” he whispered back with a wink. He jerked his head ever so slightly to the left and I followed the gesture to find Stacy Martin standing there, her mouth hanging open. When I looked back up to smile at Nathan, he took my hand and started leading me to class. “Just in case that didn’t get the message across, I’m willing to get more creative.”

  “Were you thinking of having sex in the hallway?” I asked him, starting to laugh.

  “Depends,” he said, looking like he was really thinking about it. “You game?”

  “Definitely not,” I told him, really laughing by that point. “I was thinking more along the lines of an exhibition at the pep rally on Friday myself.”

  “A girl after my own heart,” he said with a chuckle.

  Still laughing, I let him continue to lead me down the hall, enjoying every envious glance I got as we passed.

  ∞§∞§∞§∞

  I didn’t have any classes with Kim until after lunch and no matter how hard I looked for her between classes, I couldn’t find her. In the end, I decided I had been given a stay of execution. I can’t say I appreciated it, however. Since I had decided to come clean, I really just wanted to get it over with.

  Nathan was practically glued to me, which began to get on my nerves by the time third period was over. He had somehow managed to get the same schedule as mine and I noticed he compelled people to move so he could sit next to me in each and every class. The only class he didn’t manage it in was Ms. Cantrell’s—who appeared to be immune to his vocal charms. In fact, she took a great deal of pleasure in directing him to a seat all the way across the room from me. Nathan noticed it, too, and spent the entire class glaring at her murderously.

  She asked him to stay for a second after class and he looked like he was imagining her head on a plaque. I gave him a warning look I hoped he took to mean he wasn’t allowed to kill her and ducked out the door, my eyes scanning the sea of students around me.

  I really didn’t want an audience for my confession. Visions of Kim freaking out in front of the entire student body danced through my head, making me cringe, and I started running down the hall to make sure I was waiting at the door of the cafeteria so I could drag her off somewhere private.

  I was so focused on my goal that I didn’t see the door to the west wing of the school open. I completely missed the gorilla-sized hand that came out of the darkness. Before I knew what hit me, I was jerked through the door and up against a broad chest.

  I knew exactly who that gorilla hand belonged to. I should. I had been dodging it for months. And if there was any doubt in my mind, the burning sensation where those long fingers wrapped around my arm was a pretty good indicator that I was right.

  “Hello there, gorgeous,” Bastian purred in my ear. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “Let go of me, you demonic jackass,” I told him, sounding a whole lot braver than I felt. Instead of letting me go, he gave me the most evil smirk in history and then tightened his grip, snaking one arm around my waist.

  “Did you get my note, Ember?” he crooned in my ear, causing me to shiver in disgust. “Since you showed up with that parasite, I’m assuming you aren’t taking me seriously. Kim’s going to be very sorry to hear that, my love.”

  He had Kim! That’s why I hadn’t been able to find her. My stomach curled itself into knots as visions of what he could have done to my friend started playing in the back of my mind. It was enough to make me sick—and so furious that suddenly I was seeing the world through a filmy shade of bright red.

  “If you hurt her…” I began, but his soft laughter cut me off.

  “You’ll what?” he asked. “You’ll cry and beg and plead? Don’t make threats you can’t follow through on, Ember. It makes you look weak. You can still save her, though, my love. I believe we can come to an arrangement, you and I. I have something you want, and you definitely have something I want.”

  He leaned down to nuzzle the side of my neck and I felt my whole body tense in revulsion. That revulsion turned to horror when I felt his tongue dart out to taste my skin. It froze me in place, that feeling. It wasn’t a normal human tongue. It felt too thick, too…scaly. It was like being licked by a reptile. I just stood there, too scared and too repulsed to move for a second, but when his hand started sliding up toward my breast I snapped out of it real damn quick.

  “I said, let go,” I snarled, feeling a surge of power beneath my skin.

  Bastian yelped in pain and let go of me fast. I immediately put some distance between us, hoping he would give me the chance I needed to dart past him to the door. Wishful thinking at its very best. With a howl of fury, he dove for me and I quickly jumped back out of his reach. Off balance and too furious to think clearly, Bastian crashed to the ground where I had been standing just seconds before. He rose to his knees and then just stopped, staring at me warily.

  Confused, I looked down at myself to find dancing blue-white light flickering across my fingers—the same light I’d seen in the mirror the day I banished him. Bastian’s eyes kept darting between my hands and the smug smile on my face as he got slowly to his feet. I could practically see the gears in his brain turning as he hesitantly took a step toward me, his
eyes blazing with anger.

  You can end this, right here, right now, a hard, cold voice said in the back of my mind. You can send this piece of crap right back to the lost plane.

  But what about Jack? Another voice countered, stopping me as I reached for the cross around my neck to do just that. He’s still in there, damn it! Are you really willing to condemn him to that kind of hell?

  No. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t bear the thought of sending the demon back to the lost plane with my friend trapped in that body with him. Knowing he was still in there, still alive and fighting, changed everything.

  “If you take one more step, I am going to light your ass up like a firecracker.” I told him, coldly, refusing to back down as he took another step toward me. I couldn’t banish him without killing my friend, but I wasn’t going to let him kill me, either. “Seriously, back off.”

  He stood there for a second, unsure whether to believe me or not. Then a slow smile began to tug at his lips. It wasn’t a pleasant smile, either. In fact, it was downright sinister.

  “Go ahead,” he said, starting toward me again. I looked down at my hands and saw that the light show I had been so proud of was already starting to go out. “I knew that show at the B&B was a fluke. Here, my love. Let me show you how it’s done.”

  I have no idea what he hit me with, but it threw me back about ten feet, slamming me into an old desk that had been stored there. I stayed where I landed, all the breath knocked out of me and every muscle in my body screaming in agony. I had never hurt so much in my life. I could feel my very bones starting to bruise and let out a wheezy groan of pain.

  For about the millionth time in my life, I wished I weren’t so small. If I had been a guy, he never would have done that to me. But, I wasn’t a guy and I sucked as a witch. Therefore, I couldn’t do anything but watch as he sauntered toward me like he was coming over to chat about the weather.