But somewhere along the way, I lost control and the thread took on a life of its own. It tugged hard somewhere behind my ribs, hooking my breath as it pulled. The closer the thread got to Dirk, the faster it went. In the span of about a second the thread bore into Dirk’s back like taser lines from a stun-gun. At the point of connection, the silver turned murky dark and reversed direction, heading back to me at lightning speed—too fast for me to do anything but brace myself. But when it hit me, all it did was melt, or rather evaporate, into the lining of my jacket.
Stopping in mid-step, Dirk wavered, a little unsteady on his feet, before slowly turning and looking directly at me, his eyes blinking, as if he was trying to clear his vision.
The corners of my mouth curved upwards into a smile that didn’t feel like my own, followed by a grunt as the energy stream that tied the two of us together tugged at my ribs again.
Confusion, and a shred of fear, flashed in Dirk’s eyes as he took a step forward. Then he stopped and took a few steps back. He pulled Jessica closer to his body, turned, and walked away.
Well done, Maksim laughed.
“What was that all about?” Justin asked over my shoulder.
I had forgotten he was there. Squeezing my eyes shut, I took a deep breath, and shook off whatever it was that lingered between me and the one guy in the entire world I hated. Shrugging, I reached into the table’s pockets and tossed the balls onto the felt. “Nothing. It wasn’t worth fighting over.” I tried to pretend it wasn’t a big deal, but something happened in that flash of connection, and it wasn’t good.
“I wish I had a camera. Didn’t think Dirk was capable of looking so confused.” Justin rounded the table and grabbed the rack. “One more game?”
I shook my head. I really needed to do something else. “No. Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.” Before we reached the table where Dani and her mom sat, I knew something was wrong. Justin bumped into the back of me when I stopped.
Dani sat across from her mom, Janice, at a table in the middle of the restaurant. I couldn’t see Dani’s face, but her mom kept looking over her shoulder at three men sitting next to each other at the bar. She wasn’t smiling.
“What’s up?” I asked when Justin and I reached their table.
Dani and her mom straightened up.
“Oh, hey! Who won the pool game?” Janice asked.
I stared at the men at the bar. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They were just hanging out, drinking beer. But then I saw that the one in the middle kept looking over his shoulder at Dani’s mom. He wasn’t looking at her like maybe he was interested in her, but like he was a predator looking at his prey. Not cool.
“Who’s that?” I said, jerking my chin toward the bar.
Dani’s eyes flashed to the men for a moment. “He lives a couple of streets over from us.” She scooted over to make room for me and Justin.
I settled next to her and grabbed her hand.
Leaning closer, she whispered, “I think he likes my mom, but he’s really creepy.”
“Dani.” Her mom frowned and shook her head. “It’s okay.”
Janice’s smile was weak, different from the confident smile she usually had. She was attractive, in a mom kind of way. Her hair was dark, like Dani’s, but her eyes were brown. And, like Dani, she was always decisive and totally together; probably another reason men found her attractive. But this guy’s staring had Janice wringing her hands together until her knuckles were white. Her smile didn’t cover what she felt—what I knew she felt—underneath. She wasn’t okay. And neither was Dani.
It didn’t take long for Maksim to start talking.
See how upset your woman is? You can protect her.
Letting go of Dani, I grabbed a couple of French fries and shoved them in my mouth.
Protect her, huh? How? I asked.
The guy turned all the way around on his stool to face us and leaned his elbows against the bar.
What he really needed was to be taught some manners, I thought.
Let me do it. There was a smile in Maksim’s voice. Better yet, let us do it together.
Okay, I was down with that.
We have power, he breathed. We could… persuade him to leave.
Yeah, I was definitely down with that. But how?
I got my answer before I finished my question. Heat surged through my veins and shadows raced behind my eyes with horrible force. As much as I wanted to close my eyes to the pain, I didn’t look away from the jerk at the bar.
The guy stood up and took a step towards us at the same time I stood up. Every head in the room turned to the man when he fell back against the bar stool, choking on his beer, sending a spray of foam onto the peanut shell-covered floor, his eyes wide with disbelief. He didn’t know what had hit him.
Our eyes locked.
Then he pissed his pants.
“Hey, Mac. You’ve had one too many, huh?” The bartender reached over and took away his glass.
The man said something, but whatever it was, was drowned by everyone’s laughter. He scrubbed his face with his hand, grabbed his coat, and hurried out without looking back.
Freakin’ A, Maksim! That was unreal!
As you wished. Protection for your woman and her mother.
“Serves him right for creeping out my mom,” Dani said.
I sat back down and put my arm around Dani and pulled her close. Her hair was smooth under my lips. “I love you,” I whispered. “Sometimes I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you.”
Dani’s arms wrapped around my waist and she gave a tight squeeze. “I feel the same way,” she whispered back.
The buzz of conversation started back up again as soon as the guy walked out the door, but the rush of power lingered underneath my skin, crouched and ready to go again. Everyone had seen what happened, but no one knew how. Then I noticed Dirk sitting a couple of tables over from us. Our eyes locked and the rush of adrenaline fired up again.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said to Dani and Justin, breaking the stare. I pulled out a ten from my pocket and dropped it on the table. “We’re going to walk down to City Beach.” I said to Janice, shrugging on my jacket.
“Oh, okay. I’m ready to head home anyway,” Janice said, gathering up her jacket and purse.
I grabbed Dani’s hand and pulled her toward the front door.
“Thompson!”
There wasn’t any reason for me to respond to Dirk’s challenging call. I had nothing to say to him. What I needed was distance. A lot of it.
Already I grow tired of the games. I am restless, a caged animal, needing release.
~ Maksim
Chapter 10
I shrugged my shoulders, trying to get the suit jacket to fit right. My shoulders and arms had gotten so much bigger over the past few weeks that if I pulled my elbows out in front of me, the suit stretched tight across my back. It’d have to do, though.
Things were really starting to happen for me, now that I had Maksim tooling around inside. Everything he was showing me, letting me do, was way, way cool. Things I had wanted to do, like being able to protect Dani and make her melt when I kissed her, were awesome. But even better were those skills, like not getting burned and stopping a few moments of time—though I still had to wrap my head around that last one. And he said there was so much more and to be prepared. So, yeah. I felt pretty good.
I was actually looking forward to tonight’s Winter Dance. Dani had probably spent all afternoon getting ready, and I was going to make sure the night was perfect for her. And with my angel’s help, I had the power to do that.
My truck’s engine purred to life, humming smugly as I backed out of the driveway and headed out to pick up Dani. I truly did have it all. I was totally stoked that I’d made that auction purchase because now I had no problem believing that I had what it took to keep Dani forever.
Standing outside of Dani’s front door, I straightened my tie and suit jacket.
“Oh, hey, Mrs. Parsons,” I said
as the door swung open. “How are you doing?”
“Hi, Seth! I saw you pull up.” Dani’s mother stepped back to let me in. “Well, well, don’t you look handsome?”
“Thanks,” I said, flushing a little as I stepped past her into the house. I was never very comfortable with compliments.
“Leave Seth alone, Mom,” Dani called from the other room. “You’re embarrassing him.” She appeared from the hallway leading to the bedroom and came straight to hug me. “He has no idea how cute he is!” With the top of her head barely reaching my chin, she had to stand on her tip-toes to give me a quick kiss. “One of the reasons why I love him so much.”
I held her at arms’ length so I could get a better look at her. “Wow, you look great!”
Dani stepped back and twirled around. The green sequins that made up the top of her strapless dress matched perfectly with her eyes and the rest of the skirt layered down in waves to stop just above her knees. It showed off her beautiful long legs.
“Thanks, babe!” she smiled.
“Let me get my camera,” Janice said. “That’s a great shot.”
“Hey.” I pulled Dani against me again and rested my forehead against hers. “Thanks for going with me tonight.”
“I don’t know why you thought I wouldn’t.” Dani leaned back and searched my face. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, definitely.” This night was going to be great. “I love you,” I said.
“Me, too.”
I cupped her face, pulling her close enough to brush my lips against hers, closing my eyes to shut out everything that could possibly distract me from this moment. The dark behind my eyes became darker before it flared, and stopped me mid-kiss. Something didn’t feel right.
“What’s wrong?” Dani frowned.
“Your mom’s coming.” Perfect timing, because I couldn’t explain what was wrong, just that something felt off, as if something bad was about to happen.
Janice appeared in the doorway. “Sorry I took so long. I had to replace the batteries. This darn thing uses them up so quickly. Okay. Get closer,” she said, sweeping her hand through the air, motioning us to get closer.
I draped my arm around Dani and pressed my cheek against her hair, smiling at the lens.
In the split second after the flash went off, I blinked and in that split second of darkness, I saw it.
What the HELL?! Maksim?!
I focused on Dani, squeezing her shoulder and pulling her closer still. I wasn’t feeling so good anymore. “Thanks, Mrs. Parsons,” I managed to say. “I think we’d better go, Dani. Justin is probably waiting for us.” But there was nowhere I could run to hide from what I had seen. And it was more than seeing; it was suddenly knowing the truth. Knowing I had been duped.
I took a deep breath, causing a tremor in my chest.
The voice had a face. Freakin’ A. He had a face.
And that face told me that Maksim was no angel.
# # #
The music was already blasting from inside the Sandpoint Event Center, getting louder each time the doors opened, dulling to a pulse when they closed.
Justin stood outside the doors of the entryway with his hands shoved in his pockets, making sure there was a little space between him and his date. He looked uncomfortable in his suit, like the collar was making it hard for him to turn his head. His face broke into a relieved smile when Dani and I walked in.
Justin had told me yesterday he’d just asked the small blonde from Dub’s to go to the dance that morning. Her dress, a fire-engine-red halter dress, hitting at about mid-thigh, matched Justin’s red tie. I wondered if she’d asked him to wear red. Justin would do it for her to be nice, but he’d be hating it all night long.
“Hey, you guys!” Dani smiled at them.
“Took you long enough to get here,” said Justin.
“Yeah, well, we had to have pictures taken.” I shrugged. “You know how Dani’s mom is with that.” I forced a smile, hoping my voice was steadier than I felt. I still hadn’t been able to fully digest what I had seen at Dani’s house. I wasn’t sure what the hell it was, but I knew it wasn’t Casper the Friendly Ghost. Maksim’s random silence was getting on my nerves. He put me in situations, showed me how to do things, helped me out sometimes, but then disappeared. What the hell? Was he toying with me? Was he trying to freak me out?
Dani pretended to look offended at my comment about the camera. “Hey, it wasn’t…” her voiced faded when she looked into my eyes. “… that… bad.”
Shit! I blinked and looked away, towards the entrance to the dance, so she couldn’t look into my eyes anymore. Because, yeah, I was thinking it was that bad.
“Come on. Let’s go in.” I led the way to the door. After handing in our tickets, we made our way onto the dance floor, where white lights were strung across the rails above us to look like stars. Tables crowded the back of the room and along the sides, leaving a huge space for dancing. At the far end of the room, the DJ had set up camp.
“I’m going to use the bathroom.” Squeezing her hand, I left Dani there with a question forming on her lips. Not now, I thought.
The bathroom was quiet. Turning on the faucet, I let it run for a few seconds before splashing the cold water on my face. I wasn’t ready yet to look at my reflection, and when I finally did, there was nothing. Even inches from the mirror, my eyes were the same shade of brown they’d always been. Maybe I’d imagined the shadows, but the way Dani looked at me, I wasn’t so sure.
“Maksim?” I hated the way my voice quivered.
There was no answer. No noise except for the music filtering through the walls.
Shoving my hands though my hair, I headed to the door and out onto the dance floor. I didn’t want to leave Dani by herself any longer.
The music throbbed through my skin, straight to my bones. But there was something else getting through to me. What, though? I scanned the room. Strobes of light hit the floor and walls at different angles, flashing in time to the music. It was difficult to see clearly through all the bodies dancing, but I felt someone. And there she was. Goth Girl was leaning against the wall next to the DJ set up. I turned my back to her before she could see me and headed toward Dani.
“Oh! I love this song!” Dani grabbed my arm. “Let’s dance!” She raised her voice to be heard.
Justin’s date pulled at him.
Dani dragged me towards the dance floor until we had been swallowed up by the crowd. For about half the song I was so caught up in dancing, trying to focus on having a good time for Dani’s sake, that I hadn’t noticed Dirk and Jessica had appeared beside us on the dance floor. Yeah, my radar was all off.
“Hi, Seth! Hi, Dani!” Jessica shouted. “Great dress!”
I couldn’t ignore the way Dirk’s eyes raked over Dani’s body, and neither could Jessica. Dani was apparently oblivious. She just waved at Jessica and said, “Thanks! I like yours, too!”
“Yeah. Really great dress, Danika,” Dirk smirked.
Dani narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah? Thanks.” She turned her back to Dirk, but to me she flashed a beautiful smile.
The next song started right away and Dani didn’t miss a beat. As for me, I wanted to lose myself in the energy of the music and the flash of the lights. I wanted to forget the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The song wasn’t over when heat began pressing on the sides of my face, shoulders, arms, and legs. I knew only too well what that meant. Not only was Maksim around, but Dirk and Jessica were getting close again. Jessica kept shifting her position, trying to block Dirk’s movement across the floor, but he kept on his slow progression until he was beside us.
“Hey, Jessie,” Dirk spoke loud enough to be heard over the music, “why don’t you dance with Seth and I’ll dance with Dani?”
Jessica glared at Dirk before she turned, looked at me up and down, and smiled, suddenly okay with the idea.
Dirk reached out to grab Dani’s arm, his teeth gleaming in a predatory smile.
Use me.
I flinched at the voice. I didn’t want to hear him, not right now. But this wasn’t a request, it was a command. A low growl rumbled in my chest, and I put my palms out in front of me, pressing against the air between me and Dirk.
He stopped and stepped backwards, a frown wiping away his smile. He started to step toward Dani again, but stopped.
My fingers tingled and burned with a searing heat, but this time I didn’t even try to stop it.
Dirk leaned in again just a little, then his eyes narrowed, and, with his hands held up in surrender, he backed off. “Maybe another time, then.” He slung his arm around Jessica’s shoulders and gave her a hard kiss. “Let’s go.”
“What just happened?” Dani asked, looking at Dirk and Jessica as they disappeared.
With each step that separated Dirk from me, the pressure inside my body faded and the tingling settled down to a hum. I shoved my hands into my pockets to hide the fact that they were shaking. I was coming to the realization that what I’d bought on eSouled—what I’d bought for one dollar, power and control—I’d paid for with more than my debit card. I had let something in and had given it a home. And if it was an angel, it was not the good kind that you read about, glowing white, flying around with a halo over its head. No, if this was an angel, it had fallen. Big time.
I looked at Dani and shrugged my shoulders. “I guess Dirk finally figured out you’re off limits.”
From across the room, even with so many bodies between us, I could feel Dirk’s stare. But when I turned my back on him, whatever it was that connected us, snapped.
“Dude.” Justin appeared. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. No problem,” I looked over my shoulder one last time at Dirk, but instead found myself locking stares with Goth. And her eyes didn’t leave mine.
“I didn’t want to miss out on any of the fun,” Justin said. “I’ll take any reason to kick that guy’s ass!”
“Come on. We’re supposed to be dancing.” Dani pulled impatiently on my hands.
I broke away from Goth Girl’s stare and looked down at Dani’s face. For the second time in my life, I was scared. The first time was when Dad and I had found out Mom was sick and that the doctors gave her no chance of recovering. I wondered what I would lose this time around. My mind? Or would it be Dani? What the hell had I gotten myself into?
Souled Page 8