Love Sucks!

by Melissa Francis

  His ears turned red, but other than that, he masked his surprise very well. “Is this what I think it is?” he asked.

  I nodded. “What does it feel like to you?”

  “It’s warm. Like oddly warm. It feels almost alive,” he said, turning it over in his palm. “How strange is that?”

  “Robbie was right,” I said with a smile. “You’re a key holder, Ryan.”

  He snapped his head toward me.

  “You’re my Frieceadan counterpart. And we have to work together to find the other runes. Is the stone telling you anything?”

  He shrugged but didn’t say anything.

  “Ryan, just trust me. What do you see?”

  Ryan immediately let go of his poker face as the wall he had built up came crashing down. He looked at me with soft brown eyes and sighed.

  “When I shoved Lex this morning, I must’ve touched the rune in his shirt pocket, because as soon as I did, I could see the rune sitting in a glass case in the artifact room of the library. I tried to retrieve it with one of the spells Aunt D has been teaching me. I’ve gotten really good with my casting; Aunt D has been working with me a lot while you and Buffy have been training.”

  I giggled. “Have you been calling him Buffy in your head?”

  Ryan sheepishly smiled. “Buffy the Vampire Trainer. From day one.”

  “No wonder he’s digging at you every chance he gets.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, well, that was the silver lining to this whole thing.”

  “So you have the second rune, then?” I asked as he started the Jeep and pulled away from the curb.

  “No. I went there this morning to try to get it, but I couldn’t. The first time I tried, I was visualizing the location of the rune and tried to pop it into my hands but wound up literally popping the rune up into the glass case and shattering it. Which, of course, set off the alarm. Good thing I was outside the building and could get away before the sheriff got there. That would’ve been awkward. Anyway, that’s where I’m headed now.”

  I reached over and touched his hand as he shifted. Warmth slowly spread from my arm to my chest to my belly. I swallowed, trying to wet my suddenly dry throat. “Then let’s do this together.”

  He was quiet for a few minutes, and the tension between us thickened like gravy. I let go of his hand and stared out the window as he drove. Finally, he spoke.

  “My feelings haven’t changed, you know,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion. “I’ve tried, but I can’t seem to find the cure for you.”

  Every nerve in my body seemed to spark at his words. My heart quickened, my stomach knotted, and my fingers itched to touch him again. I wanted to scream, Me too! But I knew that was a bad idea.

  “Ryan—”

  “I know,” he said, looking at me again with warmth in his eyes. Our gazes locked, and I knew right then that nobody would ever replace Ryan Fraser in my heart.

  Ever.

  I cleared my throat and changed the subject. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Just go in and ask the librarian if we can please check out the ancient artifacts and assure her we know nothing about who vandalized the library this morning?” Ryan said with a smile.

  “I think we might need a little bit more than that. You drive, I’ll plot.”

  The library was about four blocks from our house, and I thought it might be a good idea if Ryan and I had a diversion. So I called Ana as we drove.

  “Hey, Ryan and I need you to bring Ainsley and the boys to the library, ASAP,” I said.

  “Why?” she whined. “We were going back to bed.”

  “Ana, we’re getting the second rune and we need your help. All of you.”

  When we got to the library, Sheriff Christopher’s car was still parked out front. Great.

  “You must’ve done a helluva job breaking into the library with your fingertip fireworks, Ryan.”

  “I did my best to create as many problems for us as possible.”

  “Mission accomplished.” I laughed.

  We sat in the library parking lot and waited for the kids to arrive. It felt good to just sit in silence together, with no tension between us. Well, other than the elephant of sexual tension that was in the car. But we were going to ignore that.

  Ana and the boys rode their bikes up to the bike rack and parked them.

  “Where’s Ainsley?” I said, getting out of the Jeep.

  “She wouldn’t come. She’s been grumpy lately. I had to hunt her down in the tree house. She’s been trying to keep me out of her head. I think Robbie’s been giving her mind-blocking lessons on the side, because I’ve had a real hard time finding her lately.”

  “She’s at the house, though. Right?”

  “Right. She won’t leave by herself,” Ana said. “Mom’s accident freaked her out. She won’t even talk to Aunt D or Auntie Tave right now.”

  “We’ll give her some space and I’ll talk to her this afternoon,” I said.

  “So what’s the plan?” Oz asked. “Do I get to use one of the new spells Aunt D has been teaching me? I can make the lights go out now.”

  “We might need that. We’re definitely going to need a diversion.”

  While we planned our strategy, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. We were being watched; I could feel it. And that stupid smell was back.

  “Do y’all smell something sickly sweet?” I asked, remembering that none of them had smelled the Bborim that day at the farm.

  They all shook their heads.

  “Well, I do. I’m not sure why I can smell that thing and y’all can’t, but it means we’re not safe right now. It’s here somewhere. Watching.”

  We all entered the library together. Being a school day, it was empty except for Mrs. Horvath the librarian and Sheriff Christopher.

  “Kids, what are y’all doing here? I heard about your parents; I’m so sorry. How are they doing?” Mrs. Horvath asked.

  “Getting better. Mom is still in pretty bad shape, but she’s trying to stabilize.”

  The sheriff came out of the artifact room with his notepad. He smiled at us, but I saw the suspicion register in his eyes.

  “I lost my cell phone the other day,” Rayden said. “I think I left it here.”

  “Oh well, nobody’s turned it in to the lost and found yet,” Mrs. Horvath said.

  “Can we look around?” Ryan asked. “With our folks in the hospital, we really need to be able to stay in touch.”

  “Of course, hon. Just don’t go into the artifact room. We had some vandalism this morning and there’s broken glass everywhere. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  We all nodded.

  The sheriff and Mrs. Horvath wrapped up, and the sheriff left.

  “I’ll be in my office. Come get me if you need me,” Mrs. Horvath said, walking behind the circulation desk to her office.

  “Mrs. Horvath, I’ll come with you and look through the lost and found. Just in case,” Ana said, following.

  Ryan gave his little brother a high five. “Nice job, Rayden. That’s a much better story than the extra-credit research crap we came up with. Like we’d really do homework with our parents in the hospital. What the hell was I thinking?”

  Ryan took over. “Rayden, hang out by the circulation desk and keep an eye on Mrs. H. We don’t want her getting suspicious. Oz, come with AJ and me. We may need your help.”

  Oz’s face lit up like a flashlight. “Sweet.”

  I could hear Ana talking Mrs. Horvath’s ear off in the office, keeping her distracted. Rayden pretended to search for his “lost” cell phone, which he just happened to have in his pocket. And Ryan, Oz, and I headed toward the artifact room.

  “Uh, you didn’t tell me you used a pipe bomb,” I whispered. The place was a mess. There was glass everywhere, old books strewn about, and even some of the artifacts were on the floor.

  “I didn’t do this,” he said. “There’s no way I did this.”

  “The demon did it,” I said, finally realizing why
I kept smelling it. “It’s leaving a residue when it visits. I smell it before it arrives, and apparently I’m smelling it after it leaves. I know it’s been trying to get into my head, too. I’ve had to work really hard to keep it out.” I opened my hand. “Give me the rune and let’s find its mate.”

  The stone hummed to life in my hand. I realized now that every time I practiced opening myself up to the senses around me, I was also opening up my mind to outside forces. So I focused hard on keeping my wall strong while I tried to be receptive to the rune’s message. “The stone is still here. The demon didn’t get it. But it’s buried under a pile of rubble.”

  “Okay, Oz, I need you to work your special magic,” Ryan said.

  “Turning the lights off?”

  “Nope, not that trick. You’re the best in the family at telekinesis. Start with the books. Can you stack them all up in a corner?”

  “Sure.”

  I watched in awe as Oz just raised his eyebrows and with barely a nod managed to quickly pile up every book in the room into two neat stacks.

  “Now the artifacts. Move them all to that empty shelf.”

  Pottery, jewelry, drawings, and other assorted artifacts just floated over to the shelf and gently landed there. Ryan carefully stepped through the remaining rubble to examine the items.

  “Keep an eye out for me,” he said.

  “Any luck?” Mrs. Horvath called from her office.

  “Not yet,” Rayden answered. “I’m going to check the computer area. I was there for a while yesterday.”

  “Hurry, Ryan. I don’t think we can buy much more time,” I whispered.

  “It’s not over here,” he said. “I’ve touched everything, and nothing is warm. Nothing is humming. It’s not here.”

  I pulled the first rune from my pocket and concentrated again. “It’s here. But it’s still somewhere in the rubble. Oz, can you move all the broken wood into a pile and all the glass into another pile?” I asked quietly.

  Oz shot me a look that said duh! This move seemed to require more effort than the last two. I guess since he was separating two different items, he had to concentrate a little more. He closed his eyes, lifted his hands, and before I could say “Cleanup in aisle nine,” there were two separate piles of rubble. The floor was almost spotless now.

  Except for the sand-colored stone sitting on the floor where the broken flowerpot had been.

  As soon as Ryan touched the stone, a black etching appeared on the surface.

  “Whoa!” Oz said. “Dude, how’d you do that?”

  “This magic is way over my head, kid. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Found it!” Rayden yelled from next to the computer stations once he realized we were leaving. “It must’ve fallen out of my pocket over here. Thanks, Mrs. Horvath.”

  “You’re welcome, guys. My love to your parents.”

  The kids loaded up on their bikes and headed straight to the house. Ryan drove me back to my car, which was still parked at Bridget’s.

  “Now what?” I asked, examining both stones. The rune I had found was an iridescent black, possibly carved from obsidian. Holding both stones was intense. They hummed loudly, and instead of a lingering warmth like before, it was a searing heat that had me sweating.

  I focused on the stones to see if they would tell me where the final rune was located.

  “All I can see is Mrs. Christopher,” I said.

  “Then I think that’s where we need to go next.”

  “Let’s take these home first. I want them to be safe. And if that thing is reading my mind, these aren’t safe away from the house.”

  “Agreed.”

  As Ryan turned onto the old county road toward Bridget’s subdivision, the demon smell filled my nose.

  “Ryan, the Bborim is here. Somewhere.”

  The words were barely out of my mouth when we heard a loud pop and then another one. Ryan tensed his grip on the steering wheel as the Jeep heaved forward. He slammed his foot on the brakes but nothing seemed to happen.

  “Hold on!” he yelled as the Jeep swerved left and he tried to pull it back to the right. I grabbed the “oh shit” handle and did my best not to think, Oh shit!

  There was another loud bang and the Jeep jumped forward like we’d been hit from behind. I glanced backward, but there was nothing there.

  Only a gray fog, and the sickly sweet smell left behind by the Bborim.

  The tires were thumping now as tread flew off in large chunks. The Jeep didn’t seem to slow down at all, even though Ryan was no longer giving it gas.

  I heard him murmuring something under his breath and I knew he was working on a spell. I gripped the handle tighter.

  The road exploded in front of us, creating a bathtub-sized crater and sending asphalt flying around us. Another explosion behind us sent more asphalt raining down. Panic now owned my body, and my heart was hammering like I’d just taken a hit of speed.

  But Ryan never broke his concentration, and just before the Jeep took a nosedive into the crater in front of us, we lurched to a halt.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I was shaken but not hurt. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  “I’ll call the sheriff and you call Bridget,” Ryan said. “I’m not sure how I can explain the craters in the street, but I suppose that’s really for them to figure out. Get Bridget to take you to your car, and then I’ll meet you back home.”

  I pulled out my cell to call Bridget and then thought for a second. “Take one of the runes. It’s obvious they want them, and they’re going to do whatever they can to get them. I shouldn’t have them both.”

  He nodded, holding out his palm. When I laid the warm stone in his hand, I was almost blinded by the burst of light in my head.

  Our hands were connected and we couldn’t let go. It was like the rune was supergluing us together. I looked at our hands, then up at Ryan’s face. His pupils were dilated, making his dark brown eyes seem almost black. I couldn’t break away from his gaze.

  The seconds felt like hours and the air grew thicker. Slowly Ryan pulled me to him. When his lips touched mine, it was like a secret passed between us.

  No, not a secret—a truth.

  The kiss was warm and electric and everything a girl dreamed a kiss should be. It was more than just heat; it was filled with whispers of destiny that had my skin tingling and my head spinning.

  And ringing. No. Wait. That was my phone.

  I broke the kiss in a haze and answered my phone.

  “Um, hello,” I said. My voice was gravelly.

  “Did I wake you?” Lex asked.

  Guilt coursed through me when I heard Lex’s voice. “No. I’m awake. What’s up?”

  “Your mum’s not doing so well. I’m sorry, love. The transfusion of the Serpentine blood wasn’t enough. They need more, but I’m afraid it’s not looking very promising.”

  Worry and dread sat in my belly like an anvil. “I’m on my way.”

  I clicked my phone shut and looked at Ryan. Tears burned my eyes; I tried to blink them away, but one escaped. Ryan caressed my face and brushed the tear away with his thumb.

  “I’ve got to go,” I said. “It isn’t looking good for Mom right now.”

  “I’ll come with you,” he said.

  “No. Go to Mrs. Christopher’s house and see if you can find the third rune. I’ll call you if it gets worse.”

  Chapter 18

  Bridget picked me up and drove me to my car. She told me she’d been up to visit my mom a couple of times, which really touched me. We admitted we’d been missing each other like crazy and that life without your bestie was no life at all. But it was still a little tense between us. We promised that once everything settled down we’d try to get back to being us.

  My life was a full bucket of hurt and confusion. My mom was dying. I could save her if I asked my dad for help, but it felt risky. Would he help? He said he wanted to be back in our lives; would he donate blood to my mother to prove it to us?
r />   I knew I had no choice. I would beg him if I had to. Either way, the man who had abandoned his family eight years before was my only chance at keeping the family together now.

  Then there was the torn-between-two-lovers aspect of my life. Lex was everything a fantasy was made of. He was sexy, and fun, and made my toes curl every time he looked at me. And underneath his bad-boy persona was a really good guy.

  But he wasn’t Ryan. Which, when it came right down to it, was the most important ingredient.

  Lex was a physical pull; Ryan tugged at my soul.

  I guess I wasn’t really so torn at all.

  When I parked in my driveway, my heart jumped into my throat. Leaning against a carport post was my father.

  He looked relaxed, like he was supposed to be there. Dread traced my spine, and I shuddered. He knew I needed him.

  He approached as I closed the car door. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I think you know.”

  My throat was scratchy and my mouth dry. “You’re Mom’s only chance. Are you going to help her?”

  “What’s my incentive?” he asked.

  “Your daughters,” I answered, walking past him. He made me nervous. I didn’t want him near me. I didn’t trust him. “I thought you wanted to make things right between us. Make up for abandoning us. Has that changed?”

  Clive Ashe’s smile was anything but friendly. “You’re smarter than that, AJ. You called my bluff the moment I showed up. You know exactly why I’m here. You’ve known all along, haven’t you?”

  I couldn’t hide my disgust.

  “You’re here for me,” I said. “Mr. Charles was right last year—you sent him for me. You’re the guy in the cloak, the guy in my dreams. You’ve been trying to manipulate me for months. And now you’re using my mom to get to me. You’re the reason she’s in the hospital, aren’t you? You did this to her—to us. Because you need me for something.”

  A wave of nausea hit me when he laughed. “You’re a smart girl. A lot smarter than your old man, that’s for sure. I moved the family here specifically to find those damn runes. I searched everywhere. My gut told me at least one would be hidden at the church, but I couldn’t find any clues. Nothing. We had no idea who the key holders were. I could’ve been one just as easily as you. But I still disappointed everyone in the clan when I came home empty-handed.