“Scott.”
Huh. I’d never asked him what he was studying. I’d been flattered by his flirting – and awed by his euchre prowess – but that’s where my interest ended. “I didn’t know that.”
“He likes you,” Paris said. “I told him he doesn’t have a shot.”
“You did?”
“He thinks it’s because of Rafael,” Paris said.
“Maybe it is.”
Paris barked out a harsh laugh. “You like Rafael,” she said. “You’re never going to be head-over-heels for him.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do,” Paris said, glancing around the office one more time. “You’re already claimed by the wolf.”
“That makes me sound like one of those cheap romance heroines,” I said. “I am so much better than that.”
“Maybe,” Paris said. “It’s the truth, though. Why else do you think it took finding out what Aric was really up to for you to get the spring in your step back? I think we have everything here. We should go.”
I nodded, flicking off the desk lamp. I paused before opening the door. “I still don’t think I can trust him.”
“That’s not true,” Paris said. “You’re worried you can’t trust him. Everyone in a relationship has that worry. You believe you can, though, and that’s what scares you the most. If he’s telling the truth, and all this works out, then maybe all the moping you did this year was for nothing. That’s what you’re really angry about.”
“It is not.”
“It is so.”
I scowled, holding a finger to my lips to quiet Paris. I opened the door, looking both ways down the hallway before exiting Blake’s office. For a second, I considered writing a nasty message with lipstick on the glass window as a final insult. It seemed a little too juvenile – but just barely.
By the time we got back to the main floor, I was exhilarated. There’s something about screwing “the man” that just fills me with joy. The fact that the man, in this case at least, was Sam Blake, well, that was just icing on top of the cake. Chocolate icing – with sprinkles.
“Where’s Kelsey?”
Crap. I looked around the foyer nervously. “Do you think she left?”
“She wouldn’t just leave,” Paris said. “I don’t care how freaked she was.”
“Then where did she go?”
“Did you hear that?”
I listened, my ears picking up the distinct sound of smacking around the corner. I followed Paris, peering into the adjacent hallway, my mouth dropping open as the scene in front of me finally registered. “Are you kidding me?”
Kelsey jumped, pulling away from the guy she’d been kissing in the hidden corner. “Oh, hey, I was just about to text you.”
“That’s not what it looks like to me,” Paris said.
“Do you even know him?”
“Oh, yeah, this is Kevin,” Kelsey said. “We have a business class together.”
“How … what … why … how … ?”
“We were just talking,” Kelsey said. “We have an assignment due later this week. Then, somehow, we were kissing.”
“And groping,” Paris supplied, causing Kelsey to blush.
“What if someone came down?”
“They didn’t,” Kelsey said. “I was watching.”
“Oh, yeah, you were watching really hard.” I exchanged a look with Paris. “Do you believe this?”
She shrugged. “He’s cute.”
Kevin seemed disappointed by our sudden appearance. “Um, now that everyone’s caught up, can we go back to what we were doing?”
“No,” I said. “We have to leave. Right now.”
Kelsey sighed, but she reluctantly let me tug her away from Kevin. “Call me.”
“I don’t have your number.”
Kelsey reached over and grabbed his hand, pulling an ink pen out of her pocket and writing across the bridge of his knuckles. When she was done, Kevin’s face was bright and happy. “I’ll call you.”
“You better.”
Once we’d managed to drag her away, I was trying to maintain my angry façade. It wasn’t working. “I’ve never even seen you show any interest in a guy and now, all of a sudden, you’re making out with a guy you barely know in the hallway of the athletics building?”
Kelsey shrugged. “I figured if you could move on from your stuff then I could move on, too.”
“I haven’t moved on.”
“You’ve moved on,” Kelsey said. “He’s cute, right?”
“He’s definitely cute,” Paris said.
Kelsey turned to me expectantly. “He’s cute,” I conceded. “He seems to have come out of left field, but he’s cute.”
“I know, right?”
I guess everyone had decided to get their groove back.
Twenty-Nine
When Scott arrived at the house, he was understandably confused. Paris, Kelsey, and I were sitting in the middle of the living room – papers spread out in every direction – and we were all chatting excitedly.
Paris took it upon herself to explain everything to Scott. Well, within reason. He couldn’t handle everything – and we didn’t have the time to go into that much detail. When she was done, we all watched him expectantly.
“Huh.”
“That’s all you have to say?” I asked.
“I don’t know what else to say,” he said. “Although, it does explain a lot.”
“It does?”
“I knew there was something weird about this place,” he said, sitting down on the floor next to the coffee table and booting the laptop up. “I didn’t think it was this weird, but at least I know now.”
“You don’t have to do this,” I offered. “You can still leave. No hard feelings.”
“Well, I can’t turn away now,” he said. “I’m just as curious about what’s on this thing as you are.”
“Are you sure?”
“Let’s get to it.”
I watched Scott curiously. His fingers were deft as they moved across the keyboard, his face pinched and focused.
“It needs a password,” I said. “I have no idea what it would be.”
“So, you’re saying it’s probably not your name,” Scott teased.
“If my name is in it, it’s probably followed by the phrase ‘is a bitch.’”
Scott laughed. “I can’t figure out how they’ve managed to hide this,” he said, plugging a jump drive into one of the laptop’s ports. “You would think people would talk.”
“Who would believe them?” Kelsey asked, scanning a document and then setting it off to the side. “People would just think they’re crazy.”
“I didn’t think you were crazy,” Scott pointed out.
“Oh, come on,” Paris scoffed. “You think we’re a little crazy.”
“I think you’re a little crazy for taking this on yourselves,” Scott said. “Not for what you told me.”
Whatever the jump drive did, Scott seemed satisfied as numbers and letters started scrolling across the screen at a furious pace.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a program I wrote,” he said. “It should unlock the password.”
“How long will it take?”
Scott shrugged. “Not too long.”
“I think I found something,” Kelsey said, tapping the sheet of paper in her hand to garner my attention.
“What is it?”
She handed it over. I read it once – and then again – and then a third time. “Holy crap.”
“What does it say?” Paris asked.
“It’s a letter from Will.”
The room went silent.
“Who’s Will?” Scott asked.
“He’s Zoe’s ex-boyfriend,” Paris said.
“How many ex-boyfriends do you have?”
“Too many.”
“Are you going to tell me what it says?” Paris asked.
“It’s an offer for an exchange,” I said. “He wants Blake
to wipe out the wolf hierarchy at Alpha Chi. He’s willing to provide times and dates so Blake can get easy access.”
“You’re kidding!”
“No. It’s dated from November.”
“What’s he offering in return?” Paris asked.
“It doesn’t say,” I said. “I’m guessing we already know, though.”
Paris’ eyes widened. “The stone.”
“The stone,” I agreed.
“What stone?” Scott was watching us with a mixture of fascination and worry.
“That’s a longer story than we can get into right now,” I said. I told myself I was keeping that little tidbit to myself to protect him but, the truth was, I wasn’t sure how much trust to extend in his direction just yet.
“I’m in,” he said.
I turned away from the sheet of paper in my hand and looked over to the computer screen.
“What do you want me to look for?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “Just start looking. If anything seems interesting, tell me.”
“You got it.”
“Why do you think Will is willing to sacrifice the whole pack?” Kelsey asked. “He’s always seemed like such a limp dick. That’s a huge power play.”
“It’s because he’s a limp dick,” I said. “He became a wolf because he thought it would make him powerful. He was just a drone, though. Turning didn’t live up to his expectations.”
“He’s trying to forge a new destiny where he has the power,” Kelsey said.
“I guess.”
“How do you play into this?”
“What?”
“He’s still got a weird interest in you,” Kelsey said. “That’s why he’s with Brittany, even though you guys don’t spend any time together. She’s his only tie to you.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I honestly don’t know.”
We all lost ourselves in contemplation for the next few minutes, everyone trying to figure out what Will’s ultimate angle would be. We were so caught up in our own thoughts, we didn’t hear the back door of the house open.
“What the hell is all this?”
Rafael was standing in the archway between the living room and kitchen, hands on hips.
“Oh, hey,” I said. “We broke into the Academy and stole all their files.”
Rafael’s body was visibly shaking. “I’m sorry, will you repeat that? I think I’m having an aneurism.”
“You can’t have an aneurism,” Kelsey said. “Wait. Can you?”
Rafael ignored her. “Why did you do this?”
“I don’t want to play their game anymore,” I said. “I just wanted out.”
“And you didn’t think about talking to me about this first?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because you would’ve told me no.”
“And that didn’t, not even for a second, give you pause?”
“Nope.”
“You are the single most frustrating person I’ve ever met,” he bellowed. “There are times I just want to … .” He mimed ripping my head off of my shoulders.
“Well, you can do that later,” I said. “We’ve already found some stuff.”
Curiosity got the better of him. “What?”
I handed the document Kelsey found over to him. “Check that out.”
Rafael read it, a petulant pout on his lips the entire time. When he was done, he glanced up. “Well, this explains a few things.”
“You think?”
Rafael glanced over at Paris. “Can you do wards?”
Paris seemed surprised by the question. “What kind of wards?”
“What’s a ward?” Scott asked, still navigating around Blake’s computer and reading files.
“Why is he here?” Rafael asked.
“We needed someone who could hack Blake’s computer,” I said.
Rafael’s eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead. “You stole Blake’s computer?”
“We figured if we were going to do it, we were going to go big.”
“There are no words to describe how much I want to hurt you right now,” Rafael grumbled.
“What kind of wards do you want?” Paris repeated.
“Protection wards,” he said. “You need to cast a net over this house.”
“What kind of net?”
“Only people who are invited can enter,” he said.
“That’s not going to be much protection,” I said. “Tally and Kristy invite people in all the time.”
Rafael frowned. “Only people invited by the three of you can enter.”
“Don’t you think they’ll get suspicious of that?”
“They’re not bright,” Rafael said. “And I don’t really care how suspicious they get.”
Paris nodded, getting to her feet. I jerked when I felt a hair being yanked out of my head, and Kelsey yelped when Paris did the same to her.
“Hey!”
“It has to be a strong spell,” Paris said, tugging a strand of hair out of her own head. “We need it so it can’t be broken.”
“And you need hair for that?” I asked.
“Yup.”
“That’s just weird,” Kelsey said, rubbing her head ruefully.
“So, you’re a witch?” Scott asked.
“I am,” Paris hedged.
“That’s cool,” he said. “I’m learning so much tonight.”
Rafael looked like he wanted to throttle him. “No one gets invited into this house,” he said. “This one can be the exception, since you’ve already let him in on the big secret.”
“Thanks for your permission,” I said, scowling.
“I wouldn’t push me,” Rafael said. “I’m barely hanging on here.”
“What about Seth?” Paris asked.
“And Kevin?” Kelsey added. “I might want Kevin to come around.”
“Who is Kevin?”
“Kelsey’s new make-out buddy,” I said. “At the rate they’re moving, they’re going to be fornicating in hours.”
“Then go to his place,” Rafael said. “I’m not joking. This place is closed off to visitors.”
“I don’t think that’s really your decision,” I said, knowing my words were akin to poking a rabid bear with a stick.
“Are you trying to piss me off?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “Is it working?”
“What happened to you today? You were the morose wonder when I saw you the other day. Now you’re all … like you used to be.”
“How did I used to be?”
“Obnoxious.”
“You silver-tongued devil,” I teased. “You do know to make a girl swoon.”
“What happened?”
I ignored the question, and the knowing look Kelsey and Paris shared while Rafael was focused on me. “I happen to like being me.”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t be you,” Rafael argued. “I just think that a little thought could go into your actions. You were growing – maturing – until today. So, what happened?”
“I decided to reclaim my life,” I said. “I don’t want to be the Zoe who listens to orders and does what’s expected of her. That’s not who I am.”
“No one is asking you to do that.”
“That’s exactly what you’ve been asking me to do,” I said. “I know you don’t mean it. You can’t help it. You look at us and see immaturity. I get it. Immaturity is what’s gotten me this far. I need to embrace the real me if I’m going to win.”
“And who is the real you?”
“That aggravating and annoying person you met on a balcony two and a half years ago,” I said. “She’s back.”
“I never said you were annoying.”
“You didn’t say it, no,” I said. “You’ve thought it plenty of times. Be honest.”
Rafael fought to collect himself. “Zoe, you’re baiting me. I know it, and you know it. What I don’t understand is why.”
“Because I feel like fighting,” I replie
d, going for honesty. “I need to fight.”
Rafael sighed, running a hand through his long hair. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Me, too.”
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s dig through all of this crap. Paris, you need to get on that spell.”
“You’re not going to argue with me?” That didn’t sound like any fun at all.
“Would it do any good?”
“No.”
“Then I’m not going to argue with you.”
He sat down on the floor next to me and collected a pile of files. I could feel his eyes washing over me from time to time, but he remained silent.
“I like it better when you yell at me,” I admitted.
“Give it time,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll feel like yelling again in a few hours.”
Well, that was something to look forward to.
Thirty
I was woken up the next morning by a knock on my bedroom door. It was timid at first, but it grew incessantly louder the longer I ignored it.
“What?”
“There’s someone at the front door for you.” Tally peeked through the gap between the door and the wall uncertainly. “He says he’s your professor.”
Uh-oh.
“You didn’t let him in, did you?”
Tally shook her head. “No. It’s the weirdest thing. I tried to, but for some reason I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth. It’s strange. I must be really hung over or something. He’s standing on the front porch – and he looks pissed.”
I smirked. “Tell him I’ll be right there.”
I took my time going to the living room, not bothering to brush my teeth – or hair – and proudly flouncing to the front door in my Grinch sleep pants. When I finally opened the door and found Sam Blake standing on the front porch, I didn’t bother to hide my grin.
“Hey, professor,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to you,” he said, his impatience evident. “Can I come in?”
I pushed opened the door and joined him on the front porch instead. We’d moved all of the files and the computer upstairs to Kelsey’s room the night before, thinking that was the best place to hide them, but I didn’t want to give Blake even a peek inside my inner sanctum.
“Good morning,” I said. “What are you doing here at the ass crack of dawn? Not that I’m not happy to see you.”
Blake was trying hard not to kill me right there. “How are you feeling?”
4 Waxing & Waning Page 19