by K. C. Blake
“I did.”
“No way!” Summer shrieked. “You cannot be human, not after everything we went through together. I saved your life!”
Cowboy agreed. “We took you into our group, made you one of us. How did you do it? How did you become human again?”
“I didn’t change on purpose, guys.”
Summer shrugged. Her voice lowered to its normal husky state. “It doesn’t matter how he did it. We can change him back. I’ll bite him, and we’ll go home.”
“No.” Jack tried to find the right words. He was walking a dangerously thin line with them. They had been his friends, and he would have trusted them with his life, but things had changed. They had become his enemies overnight. “It happened for a reason. I can’t explain right now. You need to trust me. There’s a reason I’m human again. I have a destiny none of us knew about.”
“Destiny.” Cowboy practically spit the word from his mouth. “Since when do you believe in that garbage?”
Cowboy drew closer, his black eyes filled with menace. His upper lip curled, revealing his fangs. He could jump on Jack, tear his throat out, and there wasn’t anything Jack could do to stop it.
He stood his ground on shaky legs, determined to stand up to Cowboy.
“I’m going to give you some time to rethink your position,” Cowboy said. “If you aren’t with us, then you’re against us. If you’re against us, we’ll kill you.”
“No!” Lily moved fast. In a flash she blocked him from Cowboy and cried, “You aren’t going to kill him! He’s my friend. He’s our friend. Try to remember that. We’re family.”
“Not anymore,” Cowboy said. “Not if he chooses to stay mortal.”
“I’m with Cowboy on this,” Summer said. “We aren’t friends with humans. You can’t stand with him on this one, Lily. It’s over. He’s walked away from us.”
“No.” Lily spun around. Her eyes glistened with tears. “Please, Jackpot, you have to come with us. We’re family. I love you.”
Words caught in Jack’s throat, choking him. There was nothing he could say to spare her pain. The other two were right this time. They couldn’t be friends, not now, not ever. Vampires and humans were born enemies.
Cowboy shook a finger at Jack. “You are powerless now, buddy. We can do whatever we want. We can kill your stupid brother and hang his head on a stick in the front yard. Nothing you can do about it. Make the right choice or it will be your funeral.”
Cowboy was gone in a flash, leaving a cloud of dust behind him.
Summer took a step closer and sniffed the air. “You even smell human now. Why would you want to join them? Is there someone keeping you from us? Is it your brother?”
He couldn’t read her mind, but he knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. She would kill Billy without giving it a second thought if she thought Jack had chosen him over her. He definitely wasn’t going to mention Silver.
He took a deep breath and said, “You know I was never truly happy as a vampire. I missed almost everything about being human. I didn’t revert on purpose, but I’m glad it happened.”
“Big mistake.”
Summer took off as fast as Cowboy had.
“What’s it like to be human again?” Lily asked after the others were out of earshot.
She was the only one out of the three who would understand. He smiled. “It’s incredible, better than I remember. Food tastes better than I remember, and it’s good not to have to worry about sunlight anymore. My emotions are a little out of whack right now. I’m having trouble controlling my temper, but it’s still great.”
“It won’t be the same without you.”
“I’ll miss you too.”
She took a few steps away from him. “I won’t be able to stop them if they decide to kill you.”
“I know.”
“But I won’t help them do it.”
She moved so fast she was gone before he got the next two words out.
“I know.”
Cowboy had been right about one thing. He was powerless to stop them at the moment. They could kill everyone he knew, and he wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. It occurred to him the best thing he could do for Silver was to cut all ties to her. He didn’t want to do it, but maybe he should.
He stared at the dark horizon. A slow smile spread across his face. His former friends didn’t know his powers were returning. If they tried to attack his brother, he was going to have a surprise for them... hopefully.
Chapter Eight:
A KISS, A DREAM, AND INVISIBLE CLAWS
Jack went to Silver’s house; he went without a plan. Either he was going to tell her they couldn’t see each other anymore, or he was going to warn her about the threats Cowboy had made. He wasn’t sure which and wouldn’t know until he saw her face.
He sat on the quaint porch swing instead of knocking on the door like a regular human being. The swing creaked beneath his weight. A cold breeze blew his bangs to the left. He stared at the door, knowing he wouldn’t have to knock. Somehow she would know he was there. She would sense his presence the way he’d sensed she was behind him the night they’d met.
The door opened and he held his breath, waiting for a petite girl with silky hair and sparkling eyes to appear.
Vanessa Reign stepped out instead. She slid her arms into the sleeves of a dark blue sweater and pulled it tight around her willowy frame. The belt hung loose, untied. She set her jaw, trying to still her chattering teeth. The woman didn’t appear surprised to see him, almost as if she’d been expecting him.
“May I join you?” She sat next to him without waiting for an invitation. Her eyes went to the star-filled sky. “Beautiful night. Peaceful. I’d like to keep it that way.” Her gaze drifted to him. “You’re lucky my husband had to go out.”
Luck had nothing to do with it. Jack had waited in his brother’s car across the street until he saw Andrew leave. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was tangle with Silver’s father.
“What brings you here?” she asked. “I hope you won’t get in the habit of dropping by unannounced. It’s late, and Silver is asleep.”
Was she? Her mom didn’t know about Silver’s habit of sneaking out to hunt on her own. He considered telling her. That would really piss Silver off. He wouldn’t have to make a decision about her then. She’d do it for him.
“My old vampire clan returned tonight,” he said. Vanessa stiffened beside him, and he added, “They’re threatening my brother. If they find out about Silver, they’ll want to use her to hurt me. I wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “You’re debating on whether you should continue to spend time with her? My husband would say you need to hit the floor running.”
“What do you say?”
“It isn’t my call. If you’re the one we’ve been waiting for, you don’t have a choice. You and Silver will be linked together like it or not.”
“I could warn her about the danger, tell her she needs to avoid me for her own good.”
“Those are fighting words to my daughter. She’s stubborn like her daddy. If you tell her you’re breaking up with her for her own good, she’ll stick to you like glue. She won’t let you walk unless you hurt her.”
He’d rather die than hurt her.
Vanessa insisted. “If you mean it, if you truly want to put distance between the two of you, then be cruel. You’ll have to say some pretty nasty things to dissuade her to forget about your budding relationship. I don’t want to see my daughter hurt, but I don’t want to see her dead either. The choice is yours. To be honest with you, I’ve never seen her like this before. She’s head over heels in love with you.”
He tried to swallow and failed.
Seeing the expression on his face, Vanessa said, “Oh, she may not realize she loves you. Maybe it isn’t even you she loves, but the idea of you. Silver knew you were coming for years. She read about you in the diary, don’t forget. It’s possible she fe
ll in love with Lovely’s romantic description of you.”
“Is there something more in the diary about me? Something else I don’t know?” He wished she would let him read it, but he knew better than to ask. She wouldn’t go against her husband.
“There’s more.”
“How much more?”
“Lovely expressed the feeling the two of you, you and Silver, were destined to be together. She made it out to be a modern-day fairy tale. Problem is we both know there’s no such thing as happily ever after, especially not with werewolves and vampires running around.
“Most likely you’ll be killed before the war begins. You have no idea how many vamps and werewolves want Lovely’s legendary hero to die.” She eyed him suspiciously for a moment. “Have you experienced any returning powers yet? Can you move fast? Have you noticed your superhuman strength returning?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
Which wasn’t exactly true, but he didn’t think she would be impressed that he could growl. Of course she might be interested in his ability to see inside Silver’s head. He sure wasn’t going to tell her about that. She might not like the fact he could see someone’s memories. Plus, she would tell Silver, and he knew Silver wouldn’t like it. It was a huge invasion of privacy.
He wondered if it would work on someone other than Silver.
Jack considered touching Vanessa to try it out. It was tempting. He decided not to risk it. She was a seasoned hunter. By the time he returned to reality, he would probably find he didn’t have any fingers left. She might even take the whole arm.
Silver stepped outside in the cutest pink pajamas. She almost looked like a little girl waiting to be tucked in, sweet and innocent. Her eyes were wide, confused. “What are you doing here? Why are you two talking? You can’t stand each other.”
Vanessa gave him a poignant look to remind him that he had to be cruel and break Silver’s heart in order to save her life. She stifled a yawn. “Mmm. Sorry. I’m beat. I’ll leave you alone to talk, but don’t stay out here for too long. It’s late. Besides your father will be coming home soon. You don’t want him to catch Jack here.”
With that grim announcement floating in the air, she went inside and closed the door. Once her mother was gone, Silver grew a huge smile. She sat next to him on the porch swing, gave him a hug.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, head resting on his chest. “It’s good to see you and my mom talking. I told you they would warm up to you eventually. Sooo…” She sat up and her eyes went to the door. “…what did my mom say to you?”
Vanessa’s words replayed in his head. He needed to say nasty things to Silver, hurt her. Fortunately, he’d come prepared. Just in case he decided to break up with her, he’d written a note. Even before Vanessa’s advice on being cruel, he’d done it. Maybe it was true what they said: Great minds think alike.
“I can’t get over how cute you look in those pajamas,” he said.
She blushed. “Thanks. They’re new.”
“Even though I’d lost a lot of blood that first night, I was right about you. You are beautiful.” He caressed the apple of her cheek. He leaned closer, and his voice lowered. “You smell good too.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth.
He pulled her closer.
She tilted her head and awkwardly bumped noses with him. A short-lived giggle burst through her parted lips. He cupped her face between his hands to keep her still. His eyes closed. Their mouths briefly touched.
They both moved at once, mouths meeting in tempting exploration. His fingers dove into her hair. Her hands grabbed at his shoulders, pulling at him. They kissed like two lovers reunited after years of forced separation. Because he had more experience than her, he let her control the situation. Attuned to the smallest of sounds coming from her and the feel of her hands, he waited for her to decide when it had gone far enough.
Silver didn’t know it was a good-bye kiss.
He had made his decision to keep her safe at the expense of his own heart. He distracted her with a melt-you-on-the-spot kiss while removing the letter from his back pocket. Carefully, he slipped it into her robe’s side pocket. She didn’t put a stop to their make-out session, so he did.
Jack tore his mouth from hers and put as much distance between them as he could without leaving the zip code. He stood on the other side of the porch while she straightened her pajama top. One of the buttons had slid free. Jack tried hard not to look. He couldn’t afford to lose the tenuous grip he had on his self-control.
A picture of Andrew returning to find Jack groping his daughter gave Jack the strength he needed to fixate on the porch railing. Andrew would have his shotgun in his hands before Jack could take a single step. Maybe Andrew even had a gun in his truck.
“You’d better get inside before your mom comes out to see what’s taking so long.”
“Well, you’d better go before my father comes home. He may have respected your parents, but he has five loaded guns in the house.”
Jack smiled despite himself. Silver seemed to be able to read his mind with ease. He was going to miss her almost as much as he missed his mom. “Goodnight then.”
On reluctant feet, she went to the door and opened it. She touched him with a lingering glance. Her expression turned hopeful. “You want a ride to school tomorrow?”
He was dying to say yes. “No. Billy’s letting me use his car.”
“Oh.” Her eyes lost some of their sparkle. “I’ll see you at school then.”
As soon as the door shut behind her, Jack ran around the side of the house and climbed the huge tree outside her bedroom window. He waited in a tangle of branches for her to find the note. He purposely sat in the darkest part of the tree. Without vampire vision she wouldn’t be able to see him. She entered the room with a huge smile on her face. He hadn’t seen this particular smile before. The secret smile of someone who’d glimpsed heaven. It ripped a hole in his gut.
Her hands went into the pockets of her robe, and her expression changed. She withdrew the note. Her smile grew. She carefully unfolded the piece of paper. Her smile withered and died as she read his carefully planned words.
I really like you, but more than anything else in the world I want to be normal. I can’t be normal if I’m hanging out with ‘the’ werewolf hunter. I don’t want anything to do with your so-called destiny. I need to hang out with normal kids and live my life without interference. Please don’t talk to me at school. Don’t make this harder than it already is.
Jack
She couldn’t have looked more stunned if he’d punched her in the face after kissing her. She crumbled the piece of paper in one hand and threw it across the room before dropping on the bed and burying her face in the pillow. Her shoulders shook as she cried.
Without thinking about it, Jack stepped off the branch. He fell to the ground, landing gracefully on both feet. Stunned, Jack realized some of his powers had returned after all. His gaze went to Starr’s window. He hated seeing her sad. He’d like to comfort her, but he was the cause of her pain. Hopefully she would find someone else to take care of her.
Imagining her in another guy’s arms nearly killed him. He reminded himself she would be better off, but knowing that didn’t help ease his pain or hers.
She deserved someone who could do more than pretend to be normal.
****
He dreamed about her that night.
They met in the forest, thick with lush foliage and high trees. The tops of the trees bowed together, touching to form a great canopy that blocked direct sunlight. The place seemed familiar to him. Silver waited for him in the middle of a clearing. He could feel her grief. It pulled him like a magnet.
Jack weaved through a clump of trees, his eyes focused on her the whole time. He placed a hand on a tree trunk and felt the rough bark beneath his palm. The air exploded with sound. About fifty birds abandoned the trees around him, disturbed by something he hadn’t noticed. Something had scared them. Their wi
ngs beat against the wind. They temporarily captured his attention.
The dream seemed more real than any waking moment he’d experienced in his entire life. By the time he looked for Silver again, she was standing in front of him, still dressed in pink pajamas.
“Why did you do it?” she asked. “Why did you write those means things?”
“I had to.”
“Why?”
He couldn’t look at her anymore. The power of those beautiful blue eyes was too hard to resist. It would be safer to gaze at his shoes, but she wouldn’t let him. She placed a hand beneath his chin and lifted it. Their eyes met.
“You hurt me,” she said.
“I didn’t mean to.”
“What did you mean to do then?”
He sighed. “It’s better if I don’t tell you.”
“Better for me or better for you?”
A strange new feeling entered him, a burning sensation in his veins. It grew stronger with each passing second until he didn’t think his body could contain it. If he didn’t know better, he would think sunlight had entered him and was killing him from the inside out.
With a loud cry, he fell to his knees.
“Jack!” Silver joined him on the ground. “What is it?”
He shook his head. A million invisible bells rang in his ears. Silver placed a hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up!”
Another jolt of pain hit him hard.
No. Pain wasn’t the right word for it. It was pure agony, like a hundred knives cutting into him from every direction. He fell on his back and writhed on the ground, shaking and twisting in the dirt like someone exposed to a large amount of electricity. His eyes went to her pajama top. He looked for the glow of the silver dagger beneath the material, but he didn’t see a sign of it.
She wasn’t the one hurting him this time.
More pain radiated through his body. He gritted his teeth to keep from crying out again. A burst of steam blinded him for a moment. Silver gasped. She immediately put distance between them. She was afraid of him. He wanted to reassure her that he wouldn’t hurt her, but he’d been robbed of speech.