“Penny.” Harrison put a calming hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder, and she clamped her mouth shut, waiting for me to answer her million questions.
I sat down on one of the desks. “Dad… He’s really hurt by this, but he’s trying not to let it show. And Chloe? She got angry and pretended like she didn’t care, but I know she does. Basically,” I said with a bitter laugh, “we’re all doing a crappy job of hiding our real feelings.”
“And what about your mom?” Penny asked. “Is she back for good? Does she expect to just waltz back into your lives and start from where you left off?”
I shook my head, even though I didn’t know the real answer to that question. How long was she planning on staying here to, as she said, fix things? She had this whole other life in Manhattan, and I couldn’t believe that she’d just drop it like that. I wanted to ask her what her next move was. No. I needed to ask her. “Honestly, I don’t know, Penn. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I’m really scared.” My eyes started tearing up and I looked away, sniffling loudly.
“Okay, okay. It’s okay, Gabi.” Penny gathered me in another hug. “I’m sorry you have to go through this crap. But whatever happens, you know me and Harrison are here for you, right?”
I nodded against her shoulder, never wanting to let go. Dammit, I was so lucky to have such supportive friends. “I know.” I sniffled again. “Thank you.”
“It’s you and me, babe. Always has been, always will be. I will always, always have your back.”
Which was why, seven hours later, when we left school and saw both Rafe and Mom standing in front of his car in the parking lot, Penny marched straight up to Mom and pointed a finger in her face. “If you hurt her again, you’ll regret it. Understand?” For probably the first time in her life, Penny was speaking in a low voice, her words barely intelligible around her clenched jaw. But there was no mistaking the fire flashing in her blue eyes, or the way her body was stiff with tension. Barely breathing, she stared down Mom as she waited for a response.
Mom tilted her head in Penny’s direction. “I’m glad the two of you are still friends. Gabi needs people like you in her life.”
Penny’s mouth dropped as she was struck speechless (another first, I believe). She’d probably expected Mom to yell at her, not praise her, and now she looked to her boyfriend for help. Fighting a grin, Harrison hooked an arm around Penny’s waist and said, “We only want what’s best for Gabi.”
“As do I,” Mom said.
“Good.” Penny still looked flustered as she shoved me toward Mom and Rafe. “Then go talk and catch up and do whatever it is you’re planning on doing this afternoon. Gabi, call me tonight.”
“Will do.” After Rafe opened the passenger side door of his car, I slipped inside while Mom got in the back. No one said anything as Rafe started the car and drove out of the parking lot, but when he turned left—toward his apartment—instead of right—toward my house—I said, “Um, where are we going?”
“My apartment,” he answered easily.
Too late I realized I hadn’t even kissed him hello (forget kissed, I had barely acknowledged him because I’d been too busy worrying Penny would punch Mom in the face), and now I couldn’t because Mom was freaking sitting behind us, watching everything. I settled with awkwardly patting him on the thigh, which made Rafe lift his eyebrows and give me a funny look before turning his attention back to the road. “Hi,” I said.
“Uh, hi?”
I swore I heard Mom snicker, but when I turned around, she was staring out the window.
Ugh.
“Anyway,” I said, “I’m grounded for two weeks. Dad told me this morning before school.”
Rafe winced. “Sorry.”
“He said we can’t go on any dates in those two weeks.” Now Rafe looked downright miserable, and I found myself nodding in agreement. “I know. But at least it’s not two years, which is what I was expecting. So, no date time means I really can’t be going to your apartment…”
“Oh, please,” Mom said from the backseat. “Your father is too strict with you girls. Besides, I’ll be there. What could possibly happen? It’s not like you and Rafe will sneak off to his bedroom to have sex while I watch TV.”
“MOM!” I wailed as Rafe made a choking noise, his face bright red. His grip on the steering wheel was extra tight, and I was afraid we were going to get into an accident before we made it to his apartment. I turned around in my seat again. “You’re embarrassing Rafe!” Never mind that my face was just as red as his.
“Now I know where you get it from,” Rafe muttered under his breath, swearing sharply when I poked him hard in the thigh. He wisely shut up after that.
Mom tsked. “We’re heading to his apartment because I’m going to eliminate the last trace of the parasite spell from Rafe. He asked that you be there.”
Immediately I sobered. “You did?” Good, he listened to what I said last night about sharing this stuff with me. Now all I wanted to do was fling my arms around his neck, but we would definitely crash if I did something like that.
“Your mom said what she has to do isn’t going to be…pleasant. For me, I mean. And I wanted—I mean, if you don’t want to be around, I get it—”
“Rafe Fitzgerald, don’t you dare finish that sentence.” I crossed my arms over my chest and aimed a death glare in his direction. “Of course I want to be there!” This boy, I swear. He didn’t have a selfish bone in his body, and he’d finally made a request (when it was usually me demanding everything), only to take it back two seconds later. I shook my head. Here I was, thinking I was rubbing off on him (a.k.a. corrupting him). I’ll have to keep working on that. Not that I wanted my sweet boyfriend to ever change. “Rafe, I’ll risk getting grounded on top of already being grounded to be there with you all night, if you need me to be.” Too late I realized what that sounded like, and I shouted, “Shut up!” before anyone could say anything. Both Mom and Rafe started laughing, and I found myself chiming in.
It was so weird to be driving around with my boyfriend and my mom. One week ago, I never would have imagined the two of them would ever meet, and now they were laughing together over a shared joke. My life is just one crazy surprise after another. I wasn’t fooled, though. I knew this peaceful moment wouldn’t last. How could it? Between the parasite spell and the demon watching me and Mom’s whole other life—
Maybe you shouldn’t get so close to her, a voice whispered in my head. It was that same voice I’d listened to for seven years, the one that warned me not to trust anyone. And until I met Rafe, I hadn’t. But thanks to him, I had a whole bunch of new friends and my mom back. Even though I wanted to keep my distance and harden my heart against her, I could already see her sneaking in through the cracks in my armor.
And I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Chapter Thirty-three
The rest of the drive was quiet. When we pulled into the parking lot, Rafe got out of the car first. I swiveled my head around and said to Mom, “Can we talk later? I have a bunch of things I need to ask you.” Namely, what was going to happen next. And I wanted to share my nightmares with her as well. Maybe she could offer me some insight on them. While I was hoping she’d just dismiss them as dreams, they’d felt too real for me to believe that.
“Of course.” Mom looked pleased, and I was surprised at how happy that made me feel.
We got out of the car and followed Rafe to his apartment. I hadn’t been over very much since the incident at Christmas, and it was still weird to think of him living there alone. Would Evan come back, now that things seem to be better between them? I hoped so. I never liked the thought of Rafe being alone with just Bo, his cat, for company; it worried the hell out of me.
“Just give me a minute, okay?” Mom said before disappearing into the bathroom. Rafe started pushing the furniture in the living room out of the way, grunting with the effort, and I ran over to help him.
“Did you hear from Phil?” he asked as we m
oved the couch, his face already shiny with sweat. I wanted to tell him to sit down and let me handle the furniture, but I knew he’d never listen.
“Yeah, at three in the morning.” I filled him in on what my brother had said. “What about you? Did you talk to Evan?”
Rafe smiled. “He called to complain Kain had kicked him out of his apartment.”
“Oh, good lord, what did he do now?”
“You know. The usual Evan stuff. I’m surprised Kain even let him into his apartment in the first place. He really must have been feeling bad.” We laughed at that.
I thought of something. “Hey, does that mean Evan and Alex will be heading here soon?”
Rafe shook his head. “They all agreed to lay low for a little while, just in case Silver Moon is watching.” He nudged me with his shoulder. “It’ll just be you and me.”
Normally, I would treasure the alone time, but between my worries about my friends (and, I’ll admit, me) and me being grounded, something told me this wasn’t going to be as great as I hoped.
Speaking of alone time… After a quick check to make sure Mom wasn’t coming back, I threw my arms around Rafe’s neck. “Whoa!” he said as we nearly toppled over.
“I forgot to say hello.” I nuzzled the side of his face, and his stubble tickled my cheek. Usually Rafe was clean-shaven, but I guessed he decided to skip today. Hmm, I could get used to a stubbly Rafe. It was deliciously sexy.
“Oh. Hello.” He brushed his lips against mine, and I tightened my hold around his neck. When we broke apart (too soon, in my opinion, but Mom was in the other room), he said, “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” I bit my lip. “Are you nervous?”
“A little,” he admitted. “But mostly I’m just relieved. To finally be free of the pain…” Rafe touched his side, his eyes dark with worry. “I knew something was wrong, but I just didn’t know what.”
I wanted to scold him again for keeping this huge thing from me, but he had enough crap going on without me nagging him. Instead, I kissed him on the cheek and said, “Things are going to be better now, you’ll see. You can play baseball again.”
“And hunt.” Rafe didn’t say it, but we both knew what he really meant by “hunt”: Protect me.
The bathroom door opened, and I gave him another quick squeeze before slipping away. Mom rejoined us and nodded her approval of the now-cleared living room. “Let’s do this,” she said.
***
So apparently Rafe hadn’t even gone to school today, but instead drove Mom around so she could pick up various supplies. (No wonder he hadn’t had time to shave.) And by “various supplies” I mean a whole crapload of candles. Lit candles were currently everywhere, from the empty floor, where Mom had drawn another chalk circle surrounded by mystical symbols, to any available flat surface. “At least you’re prepared for a blackout,” I said.
Rafe rewarded me with a weak smile. He was sitting in the middle of the circle, wearing only his jeans and a black tank top (mmm). Mom had drawn a couple more symbols on his forehead and arms in black paint; they looked absolutely bizarre, but when I asked her about them, she’d hushed me. Grumbling to myself, I sat on the couch to wait. Bo jumped on my lap and settled down, purring. Rafe had tried to lock Bo up in his bedroom, but the cat had protested loudly, as if he knew something was amiss with his master.
Apparently me and the cat are only here for moral support, I thought as I pet Bo. If I could do something else, something helpful, I would in a heartbeat, but with my powers sealed, I was pretty useless. Although Rafe kept throwing glances my way, his shoulders relaxing whenever our eyes met, and I realized I was helping in a different way altogether.
With the lights off and the candles lit, the room took on a creepy, haunted-house vibe. Shivering, I pulled my jacket back on, trying not to think about that fateful day seven years before when Mom summoned a demon and changed our lives forever. This isn’t like that, I told myself firmly. She was using magic, not summoning a demon. Rafe was going to be fine. I wished I could join him in the middle of the circle, but Mom had specifically told me to put some distance between us.
She was kneeling outside of the circle, her hands pressed down on the chalk line as she murmured softly. Rafe stopped glancing at me to watch her, his eyes narrowed in concentration. As Mom’s voice rose in pitch, he grabbed his side, where the injury was, and I was on my feet before I even realized it, sending Bo to the floor in a startled hiss.
“Stay back,” Mom said before she continued her flow of nonsensical words.
I gritted my teeth, but did as she asked, my eyes never leaving Rafe. The room turned ice-cold, and my breath escaped between my lips in a white puff of smoke. I started shaking from both the cold and fear. If this didn’t work—if Rafe ended up hurt again—
Both Rafe and Mom cried out, scaring the crap out of me. As he toppled over, clutching his side, a bright pink flash of light, something I’d hoped to never, ever see again, made a beeline toward Mom, striking her on the hand. All of the flames on the candles extinguished at the same time, and Bo shot out of the room. I crossed the circle without caring if it was okay or not and helped Rafe into a sitting position. His eyes fluttered open. “What happened?” he asked hoarsely.
The room brightened as Mom flipped the light switch, and Rafe and I flinched. “The spell worked,” she said in response to his question. “The parasite spell is gone from your body—for good.”
I should have jumped up and started dancing for joy, but I was too busy freaking out over the blood dripping from her hand. “Mom, you’re hurt!” I got up again; Rafe kept medical supplies in the bathroom.
“Gabi, it’s fine.” She waved me off. “I’ll take care of it myself. Stay with Rafe.” She left the room before I could say anything, and I slowly rejoined Rafe on the floor, frowning.
Had she shooed me away because she didn’t really need my help, or was she worried the seal would break and I’d end up healing her? I glanced at my fingers. They weren’t glowing, so that was a good sign, right?
Rafe groaned, and I stopped selfishly thinking about myself to tend to him. His skin was sweaty, and he was breathing hard. “Come here,” I said, wrapping my arms around him. He rested his head on my shoulder and I kissed his forehead, letting my lips linger there as I waited for him to catch his breath. “What did it feel like?” The spell had been over so quickly, it was almost like nothing had happened.
He shuddered. “It was like I was getting hit with Nina’s spell all over again, only this time in reverse.” Rafe paused. “Does that make sense?”
“Not really, no,” I said. “But I’m guessing you mean it really freaking hurt. Again. And you’re probably in pain right now.” I lifted up his shirt, dreading what I was about to see. Blood? The infection spreading?
Luckily, none of the above. The wound hadn’t reopened, and the swelling around the scar—which had turned pale red—had gone down considerably. I pressed my fingertips against it and the skin was hot to the touch, like he had a fever. “Do you want me to get that medicine I used for your arm? Do you think that will help?”
“I don’t think it’ll hurt to try it. It’s in the bathroom.” Where Mom was. Mom, who apparently didn’t want my help. Hmm, well, maybe by the time I helped Rafe to his bedroom—because he really needed to lie down—she would be done in there.
“Come on,” I said, hooking his arm around my shoulders. I struggled to lift us both up. “You are so damn huge, Rafe.”
“Sorry. I’ll work on making myself smaller.” Rafe stumbled to his feet, and we shuffled to his bedroom, one painfully slow step after the other. Once inside, he allowed me to lead him to his bed, where he collapsed with a grateful sigh. I fussed with the blankets for a few moments, but when it became clear Mom wasn’t leaving the bathroom anytime soon, I gave him a soft kiss on the lips and left. In the hallway, I passed Bo, who ran into his master’s bedroom and gave a small meow.
Pausing outside the closed bathroom door, I gathere
d my courage (why was I afraid?) before knocking. After a moment, the door opened and I gasped at the change in Mom’s appearance. Her skin was deathly pale and shiny with sweat, and her eyes were dilated, the pupils huge.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded, pushing the door open and letting myself in.
“Nothing, nothing.” She tried to hide her hand behind her, but I grabbed hold of it and forced her to let me see.
There was a long, deep cut on the palm of her hand, and blood followed freely from it. “Holy crap, Mom.” I grabbed a towel and pressed it to the wound (damn, I so owed Rafe a new towel), instructing her to sit down on the toilet. Surprisingly, she listened to me. Next, I squatted, opening the cabinet below the sink and pulling out gauze, antiseptics, and bandages. Mom watched me wordlessly as I worked, not even flinching when I cleaned the wound with alcohol.
“You’ve done this before,” she remarked.
“Once or twice, yeah. It comes with dating a demon hunter.” I finished up and turned on the tap so I could wash my hands.
“That spell,” Mom started. “You said a Silver Moon member did it?”
“A girl named Nina. She pretended to be my friend, but when she found out I allegedly had demon blood inside of me, she tried to kill me.” My throat closed up; even now, I still had trouble talking about her. “Why?”
Mom wore an unreadable expression on her face. “It’s just… That’s not a spell someone from Silver Moon should know. It’s not regular magic, which is what most of them learn, or even dark magic, which only a few of them choose to study. It’s scary, because I’m pretty sure that spell originated from demons.”
Chapter Thirty-four
I stared at her. “Wait. Let me turn the water off, because clearly I didn’t hear you correctly. The spell comes from—”
“Demons,” Mom said again. “I know how crazy this sounds, considering how much hatred Silver Moon has for demons, but something like this? You don’t just pick up a spell book and find it in there.”
The Shadow Stealer Page 19