by Jo Holloway
CHAPTER 9
GOLD FABRIC CROSSED her shoulders, meeting a sweeping black skirt at her waist. Gazing at the image on her phone, she studied the arm covering the seam between fabrics and traced the line of the black tuxedo up to Rhys’s dark-blond hair and then across to his eyes. In the picture, he stared into the face she barely recognized as her own. After all the times she’d looked at this photo, she’d stopped seeing the angry glares of that night at the gala last summer, and let herself imagine the passionate gaze the camera had captured had been real.
A knock at the door cut off her sigh. She locked the screen and threw the phone onto her bed, where it fell on her coat.
“Yeah?”
Wes opened the door and looked her over. She did a quick twirl, as much to hide her guilty blush as to show off her borrowed dress. “Well?”
“What’s up, Buttercup?” Wes joked.
“Shut up. It’s Cassidy’s. Liv picked it out and made me wear it. Something about the yellow setting off my eyes. I’m sure it looks better on Cassidy.”
“No. You look nice.”
“Gee, thanks. You’re not so bad yourself, for someone I forced into taking me to a dance.” She gave him a warm smile, taking in the crisp black pants and black shirt that brought out the russet tones of his skin. He was working a serious tall, dark, and handsome angle tonight.
In the two weeks since the basketball game, the harsh feelings from the hostile Pyx nearby had settled to a steady burn, never gone but never too intense either. She even managed a laugh when he shook his head at her compliment.
“So, if I’m Buttercup, guess that makes you my man in black. Which means”—she picked up her coat and then held out her arm—“my dear, sweet Westley . . . Would you accompany me to this ridiculous dance?”
He somehow managed not to roll his eyes at her. Tucking her arm through his good one, he turned so she could close the door behind them. The brace on his injured arm kept his other elbow at a steady angle until the biceps had time to fully heal, but he didn’t need the sling all the time anymore. He had put it on for tonight, though. Too much movement still hurt him.
“What? No ‘as you wish’ in response? Come on.” She grinned. Yep, there was the eye-roll this time. “Seriously, though. Thank you. I’m glad to have someone to go with.” It would take some of the sting out of watching Rhys dance with Emma. At least she wouldn’t be alone sitting out.
Not that she’d been alone at all lately. She hadn’t been allowed to go anywhere unaccompanied for the past few weeks. No morning runs alone. No walking down to the stables on her own to collect Jenner. She had chaperones everywhere.
Jory or Wes came on runs with her when she wanted, but they always stuck to the path around campus and never entered the forest. Coach Francis had been keeping the team to the track, so she hadn’t needed an excuse to skip any practices yet. Harrison had shown up once and joined her when she walked down to the stables with Liv and Jory, and they’d stayed to watch Liv ride Charlie.
Wes had stopped complaining about having to help Harrison, but he didn’t have much else to say about the newcomer. He was being quiet lately, even for him. Between the constant low level of anger Cara now had to live with, and everyone being on high alert, they were a somber group to hang around. For some reason, Harrison still sought them out. He wasn’t pushy, but he was persistent.
Mostly, she stayed indoors and tried not to let her bad mood spill out to the people around her. She struggled to keep it separate from herself and hoped she would notice if it grew stronger, signaling one of the outlaws was close. Jenyx checked the woods daily, so Jenner got plenty of exercise without her. He’d found new scents in the area a few times, but hadn’t encountered anyone. The strangers were keeping their distance.
Cara and Wes met up with Liv and Jory in the lounge.
“Wow, Liv. You look amazing,” Cara gushed.
“This old thing?” Liv ran a hand over her sleek bright-red dress before giving her a dazzling smile with matching red lips.
Jory beamed with a fierce pride at his date. He draped her coat over her shoulders and wrapped his arm around her waist as they left the Cedars. Cara pulled her own coat together and crossed her arms to keep warm.
A sky the color of a ripe peach set their faces aglow as they hurried along the gravel path. Watching Jory and Liv walking together—all dressed up and smiling at each other in the sunset—was enough to make Cara want to believe in soulmates. She sighed into the collar of her coat, allowing a bit of warmth for her friends to rise past the nagging burn in her chest.
By the time they reached the gym, she wished she could stay outside to enjoy the colorful sky and a few more minutes of tranquility. But the biting cold on her bare legs and the ongoing danger nearby drove her indoors again.
“Oh no. It’s worse than I thought,” she whispered to Wes, grimacing at the sea of silver and pink decorations.
Wes wrinkled his nose in commiseration, and they quickly found one of the bar-height tables along the walls to claim as their own. She and Wes held it down while Jory and Liv went off for their first dance.
“Aw, look at Sunshine. I never would have thought he could look happier than he always did before.”
Wes had a distant look. “I did.”
Harrison sauntered up, looking perfectly preppy in his plaid bowtie and purple shirt. Cara could have sworn Wes actually growled under his breath, but she raised a hand in greeting. It wasn’t like they could keep him away. Delaney wandered in behind him and settled herself beside Cara.
“Excellent,” Harrison said. “Is this our home base for the evening? How does this work? Do people simply stand around, waiting to be asked to dance?”
“I guess,” Cara answered. “I mean, a lot of people came with dates, so they’ll dance together. Wes can’t dance thanks to his arm, obviously, so we’ll just hang out.”
“He may not be about to spin a gal around, but surely he can still dance?”
“He is right here. And what Cara meant to say is I don’t dance.” Wes leaned on the table.
She snickered and turned to Delaney. “Did you walk over with Kaylee?”
“Uh huh. And Ethan and Mike. He’s looking for you, by the way.”
Cara’s stomach sank. Why had she promised him a dance? A shadow of guilt passed through her, but she quickly let it go, leaving only the steady annoyed feeling she’d almost grown used to.
When Mike came into view at the next slow song, she had a moment’s thought of throwing herself at Harrison and begging him to dance with her. Instead, she sucked it up and put on a pleasant expression. Might as well get it over with. How bad could it be? Maybe Mike would surprise her.
Three and a half minutes of awkward swaying later, Cara slipped away from Mike’s sweaty palms and rushed back to the sanctuary of Wes’s side. What had she possibly been thinking?
Liv and Jory had rejoined the table, and Delaney had wandered away again.
Liv sidled up to her. “So . . . that looked miserable.”
Cara winced. “It was, but he’s so nice. I wish I liked him more.”
“Don’t feel bad. We’ll find someone better for you,” Liv proclaimed. She began to search the crowd, like she could find someone for Cara in the gym somewhere.
There was only one person she wanted to dance with . . .
“Hey, big bro.” Liv raised a hand. Cara held her breath, inner freak out in full force, but Liv turned to them and continued. “Excuse me, guys. I need to go show these pathetic swaying bumpkins how it’s done.”
She poked Jory in the shoulder with a wink, gave her auburn hair a flip, and then flitted across the space to her brother. Rhys listened to Liv before leaning back with a reluctant tilt to his head and a sigh, but Cara could tell he’d give in. After an indulgent look at his sister, he took her arm and they moved to the dance floor.
Twirling, gliding, and spinning around the gym, Liv and Rhys put on a show that stopped all but the bravest pairs from joining them
. Most people just stood around gaping at them. All Cara could think of was the way he’d looked when he’d first told her the story of what happened to Liv, while she was still in the hospital—how he’d been willing to do anything to save her, even if it meant condemning himself. She’d never forgotten that guy she’d first met, so broken and yet so fierce in his love for his family. Even if the magical moment when he’d caught her during the Skai run had never happened, Cara still would have fallen for him that day at his house.
When the song ended, the two of them gave a little bow to a round of applause like it had been a professional competition, and Cara found herself clapping along. A memory of a photo she’d seen in Liv’s bedroom last summer floated to the surface. Oh. They had competed. That was why he was such a good dancer. And Liv had been his partner, not a series of other girls like she had assumed at the gala.
She turned to Jory with a lightness she hadn’t felt in a long time. “You might need to take some classes, Sunshine.”
He picked up his slack jaw and tore his gaze from Liv. “Um, yeah. I’m in trouble.”
Peeking back over at Rhys, she knew the feeling. It was one she had to swallow when he headed toward Emma and her friends. Cara turned to the table with her back to the dance floor. Fortunately, the rhythm changed and a fast song came on. She could be spared a little longer from watching him dance with Emma. Liv returned, bouncing to the beat. Harrison joined in and held out a hand to each of the two girls.
“Ladies?” He dragged Cara and Liv out to dance, leaving Jory and Wes watching after them from the table.
By the time the slow songs came back, they were out of breath and sweating from trying to keep up with Harrison. They walked back over to the table, laughing. Harrison could be pretty fun sometimes. Cara’s eyes twinkled at Wes’s darkened face as she tried not to laugh at her friend’s exasperation with the new guy. Harrison eventually sighed at all the standing around and asked the closest girl, a junior, to dance. The girl looked surprised, but shrugged and went with him.
Liv stood on Cara’s other side, facing the gym and leaning against the table. She grabbed Cara’s hand. “Uh oh,” she hissed, “Mike is headed this way again.”
Cara's eyes widened. She searched for an escape.
“Quick. Find someone to dance with. Jory—nope. Where’d he go?” Liv said, turning to find Jory had stepped away. “Oh, here—”
Her other hand darted past Cara, latching onto someone approaching behind her. The knot in Cara's stomach flipped over when she saw who it was.
“Rhys, do me a favor. Cara needs a savior.” Liv pressed their hands together and shooed them away before Mike could arrive.
The warmth from dancing with Liv and Harrison had started to fade, but heat rushed back up her neck. This wasn’t at all like she’d imagined.
“Sorry this keeps happening to you,” she said over the music.
Rhys looked down at her. “What do you mean?”
“People keep forcing you to dance with me.”
“Oh.” He stopped in the crowd of people and turned to face her. “I guess that’s true. But I didn’t think of it like that. Not this time, anyway.”
He held out a hand, and a gold flash of amusement in his eyes met her gaze. She stepped into his waiting arm with a fierce rush of nerves and her pulse thudding in her neck. The music faded behind the rushing in her ears.
Once again, as they had at the gala, her steps fell easily into a rhythm with his. Her body responded all on its own to the light pressure of his hand on her back, and they moved effortlessly together. With Rhys confidently guiding her, the rest of the gym faded into the background and the music broke through once again. What had she ever been anxious about? What was that lingering angry feeling she’d been having? She had no idea anymore. None of it mattered while she was floating in his arms.
“Nice dress,” he offered.
She glanced down and then craned her neck up to see his face again. “Thanks. Your sister has good taste. Much better than mine, as she likes to remind me.”
He laughed. “That sounds like her.” A quick step led to a faster twirl, and her head spun. His eyes swept her neckline, and she hoped her hammering pulse wasn’t too obvious. “I’m glad you and Wes are, you know . . .”
“Yeah. We’re both fine. I mean, he’s still recovering, obviously, but it could have been worse.”
“Right. Yeah. No more morning runs, though, hey?”
She looked up, surprised he would have thought of it. “No sunrises, no.”
“Sorry. You must miss it.”
“I do.”
He drew her a little closer to sidestep between two other couples and turn in a sweeping arc. She took a sharp breath. A wave of cedar wood washed over her, and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment in the wake of his heady scent. Whether it was his soap or cologne, wow, it was worth every penny. Even though he hadn’t been the one to ask her, she started to let herself enjoy the moment. Until she spotted the girl.
A senior girl stood at the far side of the dance floor, staring with wide eyes. Rhys spun Cara to face her, and the girl’s mouth fell open. Cara looked away quickly, hoping it meant nothing, but an echo of Cassidy’s voice on the first day back at school last fall came to her.
“I heard some of the girls from upstairs talking about him. I guess one of them swears she saw a picture of him at a big fancy party this summer looking all steamy with some brunette. No one can find it now, so who knows if it’s true,” Cassidy had gossiped.
One of the seniors claimed to have seen the gala photo before it had mysteriously disappeared from the internet, but hadn’t recognized the girl—her. When no one could find the picture, people stopped believing it existed. The internet was supposed to be forever. Now the girl was streaking toward Emma at the bleachers with recognition all over her face. Cara’s head swiveled to follow her progress.
“You okay?” Rhys asked.
She swallowed and nodded. The next time she peeked over, Emma was staring at her while the girl talked feverishly in her ear.
The song ended, and Cara took a quick step back. “Thanks again for saving me.”
She rushed away, barely hearing his, “Anytime.” Why had she pinned her hair up the way she’d worn it to the gala? Why had she let herself obsess over some dumb picture or agreed to dance with Rhys? And, oh crap, what was Emma saying to him right now?
He must have gone straight to her. Or Emma had called him over. Cara’s head whipped away when Emma caught her eye. She practically ran for the safety of the table and her friends, but she arrived to find it abandoned. She searched the gym for Wes or Liv or Jory, or even Harrison. All she saw was Emma.
The graceful girl had her long fingers wrapped around Rhys’s arm, and leaned in to talk beside his ear. Emma was so perfect, she even had a sweet smile when she was angry. How was that fair? And why did Cara feel bad? It wasn’t like she’d done anything wrong. Rhys had only danced with her at the gala because he’d been forced to, and the same thing had happened tonight—minus the ending where he’d yelled at her to stay away from him and his sister, and then clearly used his family’s resources to have the picture removed from the charity’s website and socials. He was obviously embarrassed by it, and she hadn’t asked for any of this.
Rhys’s tiny flinch of surprise was so subtle, she would have missed it if she weren’t a super-observant Pyxsee. He shook his head, trying to pretend he had no idea what Emma was talking about. They both glanced at her. The gnawing irritation that had faded away came clawing back with a sickening burn. She had to get out of there.
She grabbed her coat and swept the room again for one of her friends. Wes would go back with her, if only she could find him. Emma’s girlfriends had surrounded her when Rhys walked away, and they kept shooting looks across the gym even when Emma steered them away with a glance back over her shoulder as she went. Their eyes met, and Cara’s teeth clenched. She clutched her coat to her middle and decided to risk it. She could run
back to the dorms in no time, and Jenner was waiting there for her. She’d only be alone for a few minutes.
CHAPTER 10
CHARGING THROUGH THE door, Cara tried to clear her mind in the blast of cold air. A delicate frosting of white coated the ground. The burning anger inside her refused to be suppressed by the frozen night. She zipped her coat and tried to jog.
Why did that idiot girl have to be there? Without her, she could have had a nice couple minutes in fantasyland, and Emma wouldn’t have known or cared that her boyfriend had shared one dance with his little sister’s friend. What did it matter? But no. That gossiping cow—Her foot slipped in the frost-tipped grass, and her arms flailed for balance.
Why had she let Liv talk her into these useless ballet flats? At least she’d said no to the heels, but every rock on the gravel path now ground into her feet through the flimsy soles. She slowed to a walk. There was no winning between the painful gravel and the slippery grass.
By now, the girl back at the gym had probably told ten more people, who would have told a bunch more people. Cassidy was probably looking to pounce on her for details at this very moment. If only she had skipped the dumb dance altogether. Her friends would have been able to enjoy it more without having to look out for her all the time. Harrison could convince Wes to talk to him, and they could bond over archery and whatever other stuff guys talked about. Jory and Liv could ride off into the sunset together. Rhys could be enjoying a romantic Valentine’s Day with Emma.
Instead, her and her weird eyes and bizarre empathy were standing in everyone’s way. She glanced between the buildings to the forest. Maybe she should leave school. If these hate-filled Pyx were after her, then her friends would be safer without her. They’d be better off.
She huffed into the collar of her coat. What was she thinking? If she didn’t shake these thoughts off, she’d never feel if there were outlaws nearby. She needed to be able to pick up on their hostility if they were close.