The clerk bent his head to the register but then peeked up again after the robber’s back was turned.
“Because I think we’re here for a reason.” I met the man’s eyes. They were weary and apprehensive.
“What reason?” His tone had softened as if he were thankful for any type of distraction. He knew what he was doing was deplorable but, in his eyes, there was no other way.
I took two steps closer and delivered my answer with such compassion and sincerity, the man had no choice but to believe me. “To stop you.”
With shaky hands he continued to point his gun at us, but his voice wavered. “There’s no point. It’s too late. I need this for my daughter. You don’t understand.” He shook his head to fight off tears. “She’s sick. I’ve run out of options. There’s nothing else I can do.”
I drew on my aura for grace and kindness and let the warmth of those emotions flood through me. I took two more bold steps forward, forcing him to either point a gun at a kind girl two feet from him or lower his weapon. As I predicted, he chose the latter. “It’s never too late,” I said. “This isn’t you. I can tell you’re a good father, and I know you want to help your daughter. But this isn’t the way.”
At that he broke down, fell on his knees, and sobbed. He even placed the gun on the ground. Then he pulled off his ski mask and buried his face in his hands. Moments after Gregory had retrieved the weapon, the ink-black silhouette detached itself, revealing a stormy black cloud underneath.
Just as I had suspected.
What I hadn’t suspected was recognizing the figure that had been hitching a ride on top the other one.
“Lucas?” My jaw dropped as Lucas glared at each of us. Separated from the mass he’d been containing with his own form, his face and figure were perfectly recognizable. He gave me a quick once-over that strangely seemed approving, and then took off through the back wall. We were left with a confused dad turned almost-robber and a bewildered convenient store clerk.
“My name’s not Lucas,” the man said plainly. His sobs had been stifled by his confusion.
I cringed. “Sorry. I, uh, thought you were someone else for a minute.”
The man’s eyes shifted from me back to the ground. I knelt down beside him to put my glowing hand on his shoulder, the only spot clear of the heavy emotional shadow that remained. The leech had begun to shift but still hung on for dear life as though sensing it was next.
“No matter what happens,” I let my aura infuse my words with urgency, “your daughter knows how much you love her. But right now, she needs you to be strong for her.” He dropped his eyes to the ground as the tears began to fall again. “She needs to have someone to look up to. Someone she can count on. Someone that can give her hope. She needs you.”
With every ounce of strength I had, I gathered all the light I could find inside me like drawing in the waves of an ocean. Then I funneled it through my hand to this stranger.
As the light overwhelmed him, the man’s crying diminished to soft whimpers and eventually to silence. With new strength and purpose, he straightened up. For his daughter, he stood tall. And, to everyone’s surprise, the storm cloud lifted and rushed through the wall after Lucas.
Not a moment too soon, the cops barged in to take over and place the arrest. I felt awful for him but knew that was the way things had to be. Since he hadn’t actually stolen anything, I hoped he wouldn’t have to stay in jail too long.
As we turned to go, the man called after us. His voice was laced with both desperation and hope. “Hey. My daughter’s name is Erin Flax. She’s in the children’s hospital. If there’s any way you guys can help her...” He trailed off as the police officer finished handcuffing his hands behind his back and helped him to his feet.
I stole a quick glance at Gregory before answering. I knew Gregory had connections, but I didn’t know how far those connections went and what all they could help with.
Gregory smiled and nodded once.
“Sure,” I told him. “We’ll definitely do what we can.”
“Thank you.” He dipped his head humbly as the police escorted him past us and out the door.
Patrick and I waited around all of ten seconds until Gregory distracted the other policeman enough for us to slip out and run to the car to avoid having to make a statement.
We maneuvered out of the parking lot and onto the road as casually as we could manage. Gregory would probably call us, but we were basically done for the night. After two minutes of driving in silence, Patrick couldn’t contain himself anymore. “Iris, that was absolutely amazing! I still don’t even know what to say. That was probably…No, that was the coolest, most brave thing I’ve ever seen a light warrior do.”
I squirmed in my seat, unsure what to do with such a weighty compliment. “Which part?”
“All of it!” he exclaimed. “Iris...” He took my hand in his and glanced back and forth between me and the road. His voice was firm and earnest yet full of affection. “If I ever doubted you before...or if you ever doubted yourself...you have absolutely no reason to after tonight. You get that, don’t you?”
Kyra’s believing in me had made me feel good. Gregory’s trust in me had made me feel empowered. But my boyfriend’s total and unwavering confidence in me made me feel dauntless.
I didn’t know what to say, but I figured actions spoke louder than words anyway. Squeezing his hand firmly, I leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek. When he turned to gaze at me, I only hoped my eyes revealed how much his comment meant to me.
Chapter 23
I was finally feeling like a true light warrior instead of a trainee, which was awesome. But by the end of the week, I was facing a different problem. Every day I tried harder and harder to be a good friend to Lexi. And every day she seemed to grow more and more detached from Kyra and me. I felt like she was slipping through my fingers and I could do nothing about it. I was at my wit’s end.
Since it was Friday, Gregory had plans for us, of course. After we’d seen Lucas manipulating that dad to rob a convenience store, Gregory had been even more on to us about the seriousness of my training. I didn’t know what Gregory’s plans were for us yet, but, of course, I couldn’t just share them with Lexi as an excuse to not hang out anyway. I’d have to make up something. Again.
My stomach twisted into knots as I trudged to first hour. I stepped through the door of the classroom cautiously as if expecting to encounter gunfire. Lexi was texting on her phone. While she wasn’t paying attention, I gingerly strolled to my seat and waited for her to initiate a conversation. The less I said probably the better. Maybe she wouldn’t ask what my plans were.
Her eyes flickered to me as I sat down but then returned to her phone. I could’ve been wrong, but her shadow seemed to have grown in size and was exceptionally darker and more active than normal. That couldn’t be good.
Kyra came in late and sat down a few seconds before the bell rang. Without even a word to me, Lexi stashed her phone in her pocket, pulled out a pencil, and directed her attention to our teacher. I should’ve been thankful I hadn’t had to lie to her, but her purposeful silence ate at me like acid. The rest of the hour wasn’t any different. Though there was no time for any real conversation, Lexi could’ve said a few words to me here and there if she’d wanted to. But that was just it. She obviously didn’t.
Kyra must have noticed Lexi’s silence too. Near the end of class Kyra peeked over her shoulder at me with knitted brows and gestured with her eyes at Lexi.
I shrugged my shoulders. I was as baffled as she was. Had Lexi grown progressively worse throughout the week and I’d missed it, or was this blatant rudeness out of the blue? Of course, I wanted to know what was going on, but to do that, I would have to talk to her. All I could think of to say was, “So what have you got going on tonight?” Which would sound like I was inviting her to hang out. And I wasn’t. I couldn’t.
At last, Gregory stopped talking and everyone began packing up, Lexi included. I peered at th
e clock on the wall by the door. I had less than two minutes to do something.
She stood to go line up at the door with the majority of the class, which she never did. Acting on instinct, I reached up and touched her arm. “Wait.” That was all I had so far.
She stopped and observed me with annoyed indifference. “Yeah?”
“Well, we never got a chance to say anything to each other before class, so...” I faltered, unsure where I was going with this. “I wanted to at least say hi to you.”
“All right. Hi.” She tried to move further down the aisle, but Kyra stepped in her path.
“Hey, what are you up to tonight? Anything fun?”
I was kind of shocked she’d gone there. What was she planning on saying once Lexi asked what we were doing? Kyra’s evaluating eyes were locked on Lexi, waiting for her to respond.
“Nothing that concerns you,” Lexi snapped. “Not that I could hang out with you guys anyway, right?”
She waited for a response, as if challenging us to prove her wrong. But I couldn’t. So I simply shook my lowered head. “I’m sorry,” I muttered. “My mom wants to do a family thing—”
“Save it,” Lexi interrupted me as she pushed past Kyra to get to the door. A moment later, my mouth still gaping, the bell blared overhead. I bent mechanically to gather my belongings as the burning in my chest moved up my throat to my eyes.
Kyra glanced at Gregory as though she wanted to discuss something but must’ve changed her mind. Instead, she walked me to the door in silence. Once we reached the hallway and were about to part ways, she finally looked me in the eyes. “Hang in there. We’ll talk later, okay?”
I nodded numbly.
Second hour was a blur. Getting anxious about seeing Lila as I trekked to third hour hadn’t even crossed my mind. I wandered in aimlessly and took my seat beside Patrick.
He peered at me under furrowed eyebrows. “What’s with the long face? Because if you’re still frustrated about having to see Lila when you come in here every day, I’m fairly certain I have the short end of that stick,” he teased. “I’m the one who has to deal with her relentless attempts to get me back, even though I’ve turned her down every way I know how, short of telling her to jump off a cliff, which don’t think I haven’t considered.”
He settled back into his seat, and I stole a glimpse at the devil in question. Lila sat perfectly still, staring at her hands on her desk. That was odd.
“I really should just start being tardy,” Patrick continued. “Either that or you need to figure out how to walk in warp speed, because I doubt she’d bug me if you were here.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” I mumbled cynically. “What’s up with her today anyway?”
He laughed but then shook his head. “I don’t know. She said something weird before you showed up. After I told her I was staying with you and the light warriors for the fiftieth time, she said if I really cared about you I would leave you for her.”
I knocked my head back and squinted like he was crazy. “That makes no sense.”
“I know. She was completely serious, though. It was…it was just weird.”
I slouched in my seat and pondered that news for a minute. I had considered saying something about Lexi, but the moment had passed. I had no insight on Lila either, so I changed the subject. “What are we doing tonight?”
Patrick scratched his head and chuckled. “Would you believe me if I told you we were going to a party?”
“Not if you told me we were simply hanging out at that party.” I knew exactly where this was going.
“Wouldn’t think of it.” He smiled and then saw I was staring at him flatly. “But seriously, we’re going to Mike’s party again. All three of us, together.” He stated the last word with emphasis, and I tried not to take his reference to my being alone at Mike’s party last time personally. Hopefully, this night’s escapade would be more successful in letting me practice my shadow-slaying skills instead of needing one slain myself.
Chapter 24
At nine thirty Patrick’s car puttered to a stop behind a red Charger a few houses down the street from Mike’s. Cars lined the road on either side. We were lucky to get the spot we did. Someone must’ve ditched early, leaving a small space for Patrick to masterfully parallel park into. “And that’s how it’s done, ladies,” Patrick teased as he twisted the keys out of the ignition.
Kyra chuckled, but my mind was too preoccupied to find Patrick’s humor amusing. The scene was all too familiar. We’d done this, the three of us, not that long ago. I’d seen Lila attempting to defile a young boy, Josh drunk, and my friends, Nicole and Tyler, in the back smoking a joint. Not the best evening of my life. And I didn’t even want to think about what I’d seen the last time I was here by myself.
I shook my head and stepped out of the car. I was not going to let my past bad experiences keep me from doing my job. I had already overcome the biggest obstacle in my past and had proven myself as a true light warrior, so surely I could do this.
The inside of Mike’s house was the same as the last time I’d been there. The furniture was in the same arrangement. The same amount of people were scattered around the same places. The only thing visibly different was that Lila wasn’t on the same couch. All I had to do to find her, though, was search for the largest huddle of guys.
Lila was dressed to kill in black tights, high heels, and a scoop-neck top that hung low off one shoulder. Her high-pitched laughter carried to the entryway from the large living room where she was busy flirting with five guys. Their swirling mass of shadows nearly blocked my view of them.
I had no desire to confront her again. Not in her element anyway. I was about to suggest going a different direction, when one of the guys twisted his head to scan the place. His face became barely visible through the gray fog, and my eyes were drawn back like magnets.
“Josh?” I hadn’t meant to say his name aloud, but it was too late. He smiled widely upon seeing me and turned his back on the group.
Lila noticed right away that she’d lost one-fifth of her audience. She peeked around him to see what had stolen away his attention and immediately frowned. But my presence didn’t deter her. If anything it spurred her on. She stroked her fingers up Josh’s arm and underneath the sleeve of his shirt and then whispered in his ear. And just like that his attention was back on her.
“Oh, this is so not happening,” I snarled. Forget being non-confrontational.
“Iris,” Patrick called after me, but I ignored him. Determination and some serious, albeit uncalled-for, jealousy drove me to her.
“I’m sorry,” I said with fake sincerity. “Am I interrupting something here? Like perhaps your plan to seduce and ruin every decent boy in school? Because I’m not going to let you do that to Josh.”
“Please,” she scoffed. “Enough with the jealousy.”
“That’s ridiculous.” I shook my head sharply. “Josh isn’t my boyfriend anymore.”
“Exactly.” She smiled pretentiously in my face.
I threw my eyes to the ceiling. “Whatever.” I turned to Josh. “You don’t have put up with her crap, Josh. She’s just using you. She doesn’t care about any of these guys.” I swung my arm carelessly at the other four boys who were gawking at us.
“She’s right.” Patrick’s voice from behind startled me but immediately eased the tension in my body. I hadn’t realized how wound up I’d become.
Josh faced Patrick as a boy might face his older college brother. They’d had their issues, but for whatever reason, Patrick was someone Josh respected, even admired.
“Girls like Lila aren’t worth your time. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about,” Patrick continued directing his speech solely to Josh, though the other guys were listening. “So save yourself the effort...the money...” He paused as a couple of the guys chuckled and then added a little more seriously, “...and the heartache if you have any feelings whatsoever, which I kind of gather you do.” He gave Josh a macho half-smile
and waited as though he knew how Josh was going to respond.
Lila blasted Patrick with a fiery glare so potent I was afraid he’d burst into flames. She knew she was about to lose this battle. With each passing second, though, her fury shifted to an odd look of urgency and desperation. But the look was gone before I could even be sure it had existed in the first place. Maybe she was just that desperate to win. Or maybe…there was something else going on entirely.
Josh arched his brows, seemingly both impressed and convinced. “Well said.” The rest of his shadow dissipated, leaving only a slight drunken fog. He gave one resolute nod and then shifted his attention to Lila. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, evil temptress, I have cooler people to hang out with than you.”
Patrick lifted one eyebrow appreciatively and hooked a thumb in Josh’s direction. “I like this guy.”
I grinned from ear to ear. Even though we’d gained a tag-along we’d have to be careful around, I couldn’t have imagined that whole ordeal going any better. Then Patrick twisted his head back to Lila as we ditched her scattered little party. He threw her the most pompous smirk I’d ever seen, wrapped his arm smugly around me, and sauntered off. If that image had been the last thing seared into my memory, I could’ve died happy.
“So what are you guys doing here?” Josh asked Kyra and Patrick.
“We came with Iris,” Kyra said, as though that made a whole lot more sense than showing up by themselves.
“Oh, okay.” Josh shuffled his feet and gazed at the floor.
Nobody said anything until Patrick broke the ice. “Actually, Iris thought you might be here. We figured we’d come check on you and see if you wanted to hang out or something.”
I eyed my boyfriend in wonder. I hadn’t mentioned Josh at all that night. Apparently, though, a little affirmation that he belonged was what Josh had needed to hear. His shy, hesitant expression transformed into a bright-eyed grin.
“Oh yeah?” Josh nudged me playfully. “Well, thanks, guys.” He surveyed the house and its occupants and then sighed as if he were tired or bored, or both. “Yeah, these parties can get kind of old after a while. Just the same stupid stuff, you know?”
Luminous Spirits (Shadow Eyes Series Book 2) Page 23