I shrugged and lowered my eyes. “It wasn’t really a fight. It was pretty one-sided to be called that. She bitched and I listened.”
“What did she bitch about?”
“You know how Finn kissed my forehead after I woke up?” She nodded eagerly. She’d taken every instance to mention it that she could, and I was getting tired of hearing about it. “Well, apparently it didn’t mean anything to him, because she was bragging to me about how they had sex earlier today. She called it an hour long workout and she told me that Finn would never be mine, because I’m not his type. He goes for beautiful girls.”
“You’re beautiful,” she said, forcing me to look in the mirror. “Look at that girl. You’re a knockout, and you’ll wow Finn tonight. He’ll be so amazed at how beautiful you look, he won’t even remember Brittney’s name, let alone choose her over you.”
I pulled away from Tanya. “Maybe I don’t want Finn. I don’t want a guy that I have to worry about constantly. I just don’t. Even if he and I did develop real feelings for each other, there’s no guarantee that he wouldn’t cheat on me with someone like Brittney.”
“If you two develop real feelings for each other?” Tanya laughed, and I narrowed my eyes at her. “Oh, honey, you both have got it bad for each other. And anyone can see that. Ezra, Holly, and I talk about it all the time. We all agree that there’s something between the two of you. I know he doesn’t show it, but he cares about you, Ronnie. Maybe more than he’s cared about a girl ever before.”
“If he cared about me, he wouldn’t go from kissing me to jumping into bed with Brittney,” I said, scowling at the thought of her and her obvious and stunning beauty. My kind of beauty only seemed to come out with lots of help from people like Tanya, who had expensive clothes and plenty of practice at being girly. “If he cared about me, he would sit me down and tell me, instead of sleeping with everything that has a pulse. It’s disgusting. He’s probably disease ridden and–”
“Werewolves don’t get diseases like that,” Tanya said, interrupting me. “They can smell any infectious diseases that a person might have, and they avoid those people. Generally. Finn is gross, but he’s at least smart about it. You don’t have to worry about getting herpes or something equally gross.”
I snorted. “There is no way someone like Brittney doesn’t have something. There’s just no way. I knew girls like her at school. Girls that slept with guys because they were either bored, or they wanted to be liked, and they either end up pregnant or infected.”
Tanya raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got a pretty uptight view on sex, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “I guess. I just don’t see the need for people our age to be having sex with so many people. There are better things to do with your time, like studying or working. I mean, you can’t tell me that a fourteen year old girl is going to be with her boyfriend forever. If she was smart, she’d wait until she was older, when it would mean more, and be with someone she’d wanna remember for the rest of her life. I guess my views on sex are outdated now though.”
“I don’t know if I’d say that. I agree with what you just said, but I think that’s because I’m not a normal girl. Most supernaturals find one person to be with forever, or at least a very long time. We’ll spend a hundred years with the same person. It’s hard, and a lot of times it doesn’t work out, but that’s just the way we are. Love is different to us than to others. That’s why you think the way you do. Even if you didn’t know it until recently, you’ve been a supernatural being all your life.”
“So what you’re saying is that I think like a sixty year old woman because I’m a necromancer.”
She laughed. “You don’t think like you’re sixty. You just have more morals than the people you used to know. Now, let’s head on down to the cafeteria, where everyone will be waiting for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The cafeteria had been transformed from a gray, slightly drab room full of tables and benches into a magical fairytale wonderland. The lights were off, and the only light in the room came from floating glass orbs the size of softballs that hung free from any form of wire or string, and I realized it was probably through the use of Tanya’s magic. Their soft pink glow sent shadows skittering across the walls.
Vases full of flowers covered every available surface, while beautiful paper streamers stretched across the ceiling. Quiet music played from some unseen machine, and I was glad to see that there were only a few people in the room. Ezra and Finn both looked stunning in dark jeans and black long-sleeved button down shirts. Holly wore a tight dress of gold, and Tanya herself wore a bright purple flowing dress that made her look like a princess.
I felt incredibly insecure and underdressed, until I saw the look on Finn’s face.
His pale blue eyes glowed in the darkness of the room, and for once, he didn’t have a serious or angry scowl on his face. He almost looked happy, or at least as happy as Finn could look, and when Tanya and I stopped in the middle of the cafeteria, he offered me a small smile. All thoughts of Brittney left my mind, and I felt myself being drawn to him.
“You like nice,” he said softly. His unnervingly pale blue eyes looked me up and down twice, before settling on the amethyst pendant that hung between my breasts. Warmth flooded my cheeks, and I resisted the urge to cross my arms over my chest.
“Happy birthday,” Holly said, eyeing Finn with slightly narrowed eyes that reminded me of one of the cats sitting around the room. They watched everything with their sharp gazes and amber-colored eyes, and I easily picked Two Socks out of the group of ten or so. He licked himself clean while Holly gave me a one-armed hug. “You look beautiful. Of course, Tanya can make anyone look beautiful. No offense.”
I smiled. Lately I’d begun to see that Holly didn’t like others thinking she was actually a nice person, kind of like Finn, and she usually said something mean after a compliment. So I didn’t take offense to it. “Thanks,” I said with a quiet laugh. “Tanya does do wonders, especially with hair. And cafeteria’s apparently. This place is really beautiful,” I said, looking at her.
Tanya shrugged like it was no big deal, but her beautiful wings fluttered happily behind her. Then she clapped her hands together. “Well, what should we do first? Presents, dancing, or cake? I had the cook here make one for you; I’m not sure how good it’ll taste though. Well, birthday girl gets to decide,” she said, looking at me. “What do we do first?”
“You guys didn’t have to get me anything,” I said, feeling self-conscious. Celebrating my birth didn’t seem like a good idea at the moment, and even though I was with my new friends, I felt odd about them getting me something. I hadn’t had a real, happy birthday since I was in the third grade before my mom died, and everything felt odd, almost alien to me.
Tanya shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course we did. You’re our friend, Ronnie. Don’t worry; it’s nothing too expensive. Trust me. You’ll like these gifts. Come on. We’ll start with those.”
“Tanya–”
She grabbed my hand and dragged me over to a small table where a couple of beautifully wrapped presents sat. Tanya picked up a box shaped present with pink wrapping and a purple bow and handed it to me with a smile. “This one’s from me and Ezra. It took both of us to find all of–”
“Shhh!” Ezra said, smiling. “Don’t ruin it for her.”
“You guys didn’t have to–”
He sighed. “We’re not taking any of this back, so just sit down and enjoy it, Ronnie. You’re our friend, and we didn’t go through any trouble to get this stuff.” He brushed aside his dark red hair and smiled. “Come on. I wanna see the look on your face when you open it.”
Nothing I say would get through to them, and part of me was glad it wouldn’t. I liked the feeling of having real friends for the first time in years. Back home, I would have been seen as just a crazy girl that belonged in a mental hospital; here I was an equal, someone to be treated with respect. Nobody thought I was crazy or belonged
in a mental institution, and this group of people didn’t blame me for the circumstances of my birth.
I sat down at the table with everyone, and began ripping off the wrapping paper. Inside of a plain cardboard box was a stack of small paperback books, all with the same author name printed on the front: Jules Verne. I flipped them over to look at the spines, and whistled in appreciation. “You found them all.” I flipped through a worn copy of The Lighthouse at the End of the World, before looking up at Tanya and Ezra. “You remembered.”
Tanya smiled. “Of course I did. You do realize that the only author you ever talk about is Jules Verne, right? And since you said you didn’t have any of his books, which were some of your favorites, Ezra and I thought we could find them for you. It took forever. Not one of those books came from the same store.”
I believed her. Each of the books was dusty and worn, and the pages had that musty smell that I simply adored. These books weren’t recent reprints, and had probably cost quite a bit more. I couldn’t imagine how long it must have taken Tanya and Ezra to track down all of these books.
“Thank you, you guys. This is really amazing.” I set the books to the side, careful to make sure nothing got spilled on them, and took the next present from Holly. I was surprised at the sight of it, since I hadn’t expected anything from her.
The present was medium-sized, and when I opened it, I found a folded black cashmere cardigan. I lifted the fabric from the box and it unfolded, looking both beautiful and expensive in the process. I touched the fabric with gentle fingers, and looked up at Holly, who was staring at me with her usual look of boredom. “Thank you, Holly, it’s really beautiful. It must have cost a fortune.”
She snorted, managing to still look beautiful in the process. “Money is of no consequence to a being that will live forever.” She smiled slightly. “Nevertheless, you’re still welcome.”
There was one more box, and Tanya handed it to me with a smile. “The books were Ezra’s idea, so I thought I’d get you something else, too. I picked them out myself. Here.”
Inside the box was a pair of black stiletto boots with straps and silver buckles. They were made of sturdy leather, and I couldn’t wait to try them on. I wasn’t an outrageously girly person, but I did tend to have a passion for shoes, especially boots, and Tanya had remembered that. “Thank you,” I said, embarrassed that I was close to crying. I hadn’t gotten anything this nice from someone in years, and right now I had three awesome presents from friends, and it just made me feel so liked and appreciated.
“Alright, Ezra can start cutting the cake, while I go turn on some better music. Then it’s time to dance!” Tanya said, jumping up and moving away from the table.
“But, I can’t dance,” I sputtered. “Especially in front of other people.”
Ezra laughed as he cut the cake into sections. “Try telling Tanya that. I guarantee she won’t listen. That girl has her priorities sorted out, and right now, partying it up with friends is at the top of that list. Nothing short of a nuclear explosion is going to save you right now.”
I had to laugh with the others, because he was right. Tanya was determined to dance, and dance we would. When she turned on something faster and more upbeat, I began to groove in my seat, trying not to care that I probably looked like an idiot. Right now, I was just happy to be having a semi-normal moment with my new friends, and that was all that mattered. I couldn’t care less that Andrew probably hadn’t given up on his plans for me, and I couldn’t care less that Diego now wanted me dead as well. Tonight was going to be about happiness.
My happiness.
Ezra dished out slices of cake, and as I bit into the chocolaty goodness of it, I moaned softly. “Oh, this is so amazing. Probably the best cake I’ve ever had.”
“I wish I could take credit for it,” Tanya said. Her wings fluttered happily behind her, and I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly beautiful they looked. The light from the floating glass balls caught the silver streaks and sparkles in her wingtips, and it looked like they were shimmering.
The group made small talk while we finished the cake, but I couldn’t help but notice that Finn didn’t say a word the entire time. He remained focused solely on the plate in his hands, and the only time he looked up, our eyes met briefly, and warmth flooded my cheeks again. Finn looked away even quicker than I did, and I didn’t look up a second time.
He hadn’t said a word to me since telling me that I looked nice, and I got the distinct impression that he was embarrassed he’d said it. Or maybe he was embarrassed because of the five of us, he was the one that most clearly didn’t want to be here. He hadn’t gotten me anything–not that I’d expected him too–and he clearly wasn’t enjoying himself.
Tanya got up to changed the music to something softer and slower. When she came back to our small table, Ezra immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her close. She looked startled for a moment, and her cheeks burned crimson in color. “Ezra–”
“Shhh. Just dance.”
“But Ezra, you know we can’t–”
“Who’s gonna find out? You think Holly, Ronnie, and Finn don’t want us to be happy? Just for one night, stop worrying what your family would think, and just let go. Trust me.”
She looked down bashfully, and I had to clench my jaw tightly to keep it from flopping open. Tanya was not ever the shy kind of girl, but I remembered what she’d told me about demons and fairies. I couldn’t understand how two people couldn’t be together just because their races fought in the past. Ezra wasn’t that kind of guy, and I didn’t think he would ever hurt Tanya.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
A hand tapped my shoulder, and I looked back and up into Finn’s pale blue eyes that seemed to glow as bright as the floating glass orbs around us. He stood rigidly with one arm straight at his side and the other held out to me. It looked calm and steady, much calmer than I felt. “Do you wanna dance?”
I wanted to tell him no, but one look at his cautious eyes and one whiff of his woodsy scent and I knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t turn him down, even though I hated finding out that he was just with someone recently. I couldn’t turn him down, even though I knew he would most likely hurt me if given the chance. Deep down inside, I had the feeling that Finn was a good person.
It was just buried so far down that you might not see it even if you were his closest friend. I thought instantly of the way he didn’t push me away after rescuing me. Even though he was wounded and in pain, he held me close and let me sleep beside him. Would someone who didn’t care about you have done that? He’s guilty of questionable partners, not of being uncaring toward you…
My hand rested against Finn’s, and he led me away from the table of open gifts and what was left of the cake. He stopped us in a more secluded corner of the room, and his hand drifted to my lower back. Even though he wasn’t touching my back, I could still feel the warmth of his hand, and it started a low ache in the pit of my stomach, making me lean forward, toward him and his warm touch.
His hand pressed against my back, and heat flooded through me, sending shivers of pleasure over my entire body. My hands draped over his wide shoulders and my fingers twined together behind his neck. His long hair brushed softly over my hands, and I played with it, curling the dark strands between my fingers. He sighed softly, and his eyes met mine, searching them for something.
I held his gaze for as long as I could. While our eyes were connected, I felt my face get red, and I could only imagine how bad I was blushing. When Finn smiled slow and sexy, my stomach twisted painfully, and I looked away from his knowing gaze. I was mostly new to the whole feelings and dating thing, but clearly he wasn’t. I’d seen him with several girls since arriving here, and that kind of accomplishment didn’t happen without knowing what you were doing.
Finn knew exactly how to smile in order to get a girl’s attention. He knew exactly how, where, and when to touch someone to make sparks fly. He knew exactly how to make a girl fall head over heels in love
with him, and right now, he was doing those things to me. He was making me fall for him, and he most likely had no intention of catching me when he got what he wanted.
I’d be left alone to pick up the pieces.
I shoved myself away from him, and a look of surprise crossed his handsome features. “Ronnie, what–”
“I won’t be another of your one night stands.” I wasn’t sure of how I felt until I said it. But now that I’d said the words, I already doubted them. Was that really all that he wanted from me? The thought of our escape invaded my mind, and I was forced to think about how he and I had cared for each other, how Finn had come for me when nobody else had, and how we alone knew what Andrew was really capable of because we alone had seen it firsthand.
He frowned, and his eyes got a sad look to them. “Ronnie, I’m not trying to play you like a fool. I thought you knew that.” He grabbed my hand again and began tracing slow, distracting circles over it with his thumb. His eyes never left mine. “I like you. And I thought you liked me, too.”
I yanked my hand away from him a second time. “Brittney told me about the hour long workout the two of you had today.” He flinched. “How could you do that, Finn? You kissed me when I woke up, and then just a couple of days later you’re having sex with her like it was nothing! How can you do that? It’s…disgusting!”
“Look, Ronnie, I’m sorry.” He sighed and ran a trembling hand through his long dark hair, and I got the impression that he was trying to keep a grip on his temper. “You don’t understand what it’s like to be a werewolf. You can’t, because you’re not an animal, and you’ve only been a part of our community for a short time.”
“What does that have to do with this? Finn, you kissed me. I started to think that you might actually have feelings for me. Real, tangible feelings, like the ones I have for you.” My voice broke, and I looked away so Finn wouldn’t see how upset this conversation was making me. Already I could feel the burn of unshed tears, and I bit my lip to keep from crying. “I thought you cared about me, or were at least starting to.”
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