THIRTEEN

THE NEXT MORNING, Aden did a double take as he arrived at school. Victoria stood just outside the front doors. What was she doing out in public? Everyone could see her—and every boy that passed her couldn’t help but stare.

Shock pounded through him, an urge to hide her riding fast on its heels, and he quickened his step. Mary Ann had to run to keep up. They’d met in the forest, halfway between their houses, and had walked the rest of the way together in a rare moment of privacy. Shannon had stayed home sick. The wolf was also absent. She’d grumbled about him the entire way, wondering where he was, what he was doing and why he wasn’t with her. There hadn’t been an opportunity to thank her for deciding to help him.

“What are you—oh,” Mary Ann panted. Was that excitement in her voice?

He followed the line of her gaze. The boy Aden had seen with Victoria that day in the forest—Riley, the bodyguard—stood beside the vampire, clearly angry to be there.

But Aden was more interested in Victoria. Today she wore a glittery black shirt that hung midthigh like a dress, a pair of black tights and slippers with little bows on top. Her blue-streaked hair was pulled back in a ponytail that swung behind her. The only thing that was the same was her opal ring.

She noticed his scrutiny and shifted from one foot to the other. “These new clothes are uncomfortable, but for once we were concerned with fitting in. Do you like them?”

“You’re beautiful.” And she was.

Her lips slowly lifted into a smile. “Thank you.”

“Hello, Riley,” Mary Ann said to the bodyguard.

Riley nodded in greeting. “Mary Ann.” Was that gruff affection in his voice?

Aden frowned, his attention whipping to her. “You know him?”

She nodded, gaze not leaving the boy. Man. Whatever he was. He looked older and harder than all the guys entering the building. “You know him, too. He’s the one you warned me away from. Don’t worry, though,” she rushed to assure him. “He won’t hurt us.”

The only person—thing—he’d warned her away from was the werewolf. With that thought, Aden sucked in a breath. The werewolf. Riley the bodyguard was the werewolf?

He moved in front of both girls, splaying his arms, and studied the boy, this human version of the big, black animal.

“As Mary Ann just told you, I’m not going to hurt them,” Riley said, rolling his eyes.

Aden remained in place. His gaze landed and remained on Riley’s legs. There wasn’t a bumpy area to indicate bandages.

“I heal quickly,” Riley explained with only the barest hint of anger. “Only limped for a day.” He shrugged. “Or two.”

This was so unexpected. Surreal, unbelievable.

“Eve?” Aden said aloud, and Riley frowned.

Yes, Eve responded.

The only time Mary Ann had failed to banish the souls was when she’d been with the werewolf. That meant the wolf somehow negated her ability, the same way Mary Ann usually negated Aden’s.

When he’d considered Shannon the wolf, he’d thought that Shannon, in human form, simply could not affect Mary Ann—and therefore Aden—in any way. But Riley did, even in human form.

Which meant Aden was indeed standing in front of the “vicious and bloodthirsty” creature that hated him. The vicious and bloodthirsty creature that had helped him last night.

Aden? Eve prompted. Did you need something?

“Oh. Sorry. I was just checking to see if you were with me or in the black hole,” he muttered.

“Who are you speaking to?” Riley demanded as Eve said, I want to talk about Mary Ann. There’s so much I—

Who to answer first? “A friend,” he told Riley. “And Eve, you know I can’t talk to you in public. Please understand.”

She growled at him, not unlike the wolf had in their prior encounters, but lapsed into silence.

“Actually, I shouldn’t be speaking to any of you. Not here.” Aden scanned the area, said, “This way,” and took Victoria and Mary Ann by the hand, leading them under the towering oak that shaded the side of the building.

A frowning Riley followed. His narrowed gaze remained on Aden and Mary Ann’s twined fingers until Aden released her.

“What’s going on here?” Mary Ann kicked a pebble with the toe of her shoe, looking nervous, unsure. If Aden wasn’t mistaken, she was watching Riley through her lashes.

Poor Mary Ann. She obviously liked the boy, yet Aden knew that wouldn’t end well for her. One day soon she would find herself running through the woods, tears streaming down her cheeks, Riley the wolf chasing her. To hurt her?

Or maybe to comfort her, he thought suddenly. Stranger things had happened. Obviously.

“I’ll explain in a moment. Introductions are in order first, I think,” Victoria said, breaking the awkward silence.

How could he have forgotten? “Victoria, this is Mary Ann,” he said. “Mary Ann, this is Victoria. Everyone but me already knows Riley, apparently.”

“Nice to meet you,” Mary Ann said.

Victoria nodded, her gaze darting between Mary Ann and Aden. “You, as well. I’ve heard much about you.” Her tone was far from welcoming.

Was she…jealous?

“I don’t see any…I mean…” Mary Ann’s cheeks bloomed with color. “Never mind.”

“They are retracted,” Victoria explained. “They elongate when the hunger comes upon me.”

Mary Ann covered her neck with her hand. “Oh.”

“She won’t bite you,” Aden said.

Victoria didn’t offer an assurance of her own. Maybe she was jealous. He wanted to grin.

He studied each of the people around him, marveling. How diverse they were. A beautiful vampire, a mysterious shape-shifter, and a seemingly normal teenage girl. They hadn’t known each other long, not really. Strange how he’d already come to feel so close to them. Well, two of them, anyway.

“You told me werewolves were vicious,” he said to Victoria. “If that’s the case, why is one guarding you?”

Her mouth kicked up at one corner. “He is vicious. To everyone but me, that is. And that’s exactly why he’s my guard.”

Excellent point. That didn’t mean he liked it. “What about Mary Ann?”

“I told you. I would never hurt her,” Riley said, offended.

“That’s good to know. But if you ever change your mind, I’ll make you regret it.” He stated it matter-of-factly. Because that’s what it was: a fact. He didn’t have many friends, and those he had he would protect with his life.

Riley traced his tongue over his sharp, white teeth. “Are you threatening me, little boy?”

“Hey, now,” Mary Ann said. “None of that. You two need to play nice. Riley, Aden is only looking out for me. Aden, you remember how Riley helped you last night, right?”

“Yes,” he said grudgingly. Between her questions about the wolf, Mary Ann had told him that when his birth certificate arrived, they were going to hunt down his parents. As grateful as he was to her and as brilliant as he found her plan, he wished he were more excited about it. Actually, any emotion besides dread would have been welcome. But he just couldn’t work up a single ounce of enthusiasm at the prospect of meeting the people who had abandoned him.

“Since we’re on the hurt-a-girl-and-pay subject, you should know that I take my job seriously,” Riley said, the warning clear. “Harm Victoria, I won’t just make you regret. I’ll hang you by your own intestines while you’re still alive.”

Mary Ann’s eyes rounded, as big as saucers. Had the wolf scared her? Part of him hoped so. She needed to know what kind of person—thing—she thought to call friend.

Riley noticed her expression and offered her a half smile. “Sorry. I’ll make it quick and painless, okay?”

“You shouldn’t threaten,” she said. Rather than fear, he heard anger in her voice. A whole lot of anger. So why was she looking at Victoria now, rather than Riley?

Aden replayed the conversation through his mind and realized she hadn’t liked the way Riley had rushed to the vampire’s defense. Jealousy must be contagious, because they all seemed to have caught it.

“I would never hurt Victoria,” Aden assured him. “You, on the other hand…” He would not back down and Riley needed to know that. He had his daggers, and he wasn’t afraid to use them. Even here.

Victoria stepped forward and placed her hand on Aden’s shoulder. He felt the burn of it, the sweet sizzle, and his attention swung to her, the werewolf momentarily forgotten.

Her ocean-water eyes glowed. He couldn’t have turned away to save himself from a bullet to the head. Just then they were the only two people alive, transported back to their pond, splashing and laughing and brushing against each other. He’d held her, had almost kissed her.

“He will not attack you here,” she said. “You have my word.”

A gust of wind swirled between them, lifting her hair and casting several locks in his direction. They danced across his cheek, tickling.

“Now. Let’s talk about something other than your intentions toward each other,” she suggested.

“I’m all for that,” Mary Ann said. Her anger appeared to have drained. “What are you guys doing here? Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy you’re here.” She flicked Riley a glance. “I just can’t figure out why you are.”

A tremor moved through Victoria and she dropped her arm, focus wavering between Aden’s face and his neck. “You know how I told you that my people sensed you?”

He nodded. Was she thinking of drinking from him?

“Well…we weren’t the only ones. Others have arrived.” Concern radiated from her as she leaned into him, careful not to make contact. “Goblins, fairies, witches,” she whispered. “They’re searching for the source of the lure.”

Dear God. More creatures? And they were searching for him? Aden shook his head, wishing the bombshell Victoria had just dropped could be dislodged and lost. Wishing he could forget the trouble that was sure to come. How much more could he take?

“We were raised among them and know how they operate,” she continued. “They’ll want to capture you. Study you.”

“That’s why we,” Riley said, butting in, “are here to protect the two of you from being taken or injured by these creatures.”

He laughed until he realized the werewolf was serious. “I can take care of myself.” He’d been doing it his entire life.

“Regardless.” Riley shrugged. “Orders are orders. Vlad doesn’t want you harmed before he’s had the chance to meet you.”

Aden tossed up his arms. “Why can’t he meet me now?”

Riley ignored him. “And you,” he said to Mary Ann, “are Aden’s closet friend, which means you could be used to get to him. Which is why you’ll be protected, too.”

She nodded and it looked like she was fighting a smile.

So did Riley. “The good news is, Victoria and I are now students here. You’ll be seeing a lot more of us.”

Victoria, with him all day? Okay. Maybe being hunted by goblins, fairies and witches wasn’t such a bad thing. Still…“I haven’t seen anyone suspicious.” Or different, for that matter. Wait. That wasn’t true. The old lady at the shopping center, the girl that first day here at the school and then the boy pretending to be John O’Conner. They glittered and pulsed with energy.

What if they were goblins, fairies or witches? But they hadn’t tried to hurt him or Mary Ann.

Again, Riley shrugged. “You might not have noticed them, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t seen you.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “What do those creatures want with me?”

“The same thing we did, I’m sure.” Victoria twirled her ponytail around her fingers. “To figure out how you blasted that energy, how you hurt them with it. And how you’re still humming with a strange sort of power. Except,” she added, tilting her head, “when you’re with Mary Ann. Only then does it stop. Well, except when Riley is with you. Why is that?”

“I don’t know.” But he wanted to figure it out. “What can you tell me about those I’m up against?”

“With witches, you must be careful.” Victoria clasped his hand briefly in warning. “They can smile while cursing you. Goblins enjoy eating human flesh. Unlike vampires, they do not take only a few pints of blood and walk away. They eat the entire body. Fairies are equally powerful, their beauty a mask for their treacherous hearts.” She had spat the word fairies.

“Don’t like fairies much, I take it?” Mary Ann said, brow arched.

Riley nodded. “They are our worst enemy.”

Even though Aden had dealt with weirdness his entire life, he realized anew that there was a whole world he knew nothing about. He might not want to learn it all, but he had to, every little detail.

“I spoke to my father yesterday,” Victoria began.

“Victoria,” Riley snapped.

“What? He needs to know.”

“You father will not like an outsider knowing of his frailty.”

“Aden won’t use the information against him.” Once again she reached out and squeezed Aden’s hand. “Anyway, during Samhain—Halloween, you humans call it—my father will officially rise. In honor of that, he is hosting a ball and it is there that he wishes to meet with you.”

There was a catch, he knew there was. There was too much guilt in her tone. Then her words sank in and he gaped at her. “You father, Vlad the Impaler, wants to meet with me on Halloween night? And what do you mean, he will officially rise? I thought he was alive and well.”

“Yes, he does want to meet you, and by rise I mean just that. For the past decade, he has been in hibernation to calm his mind, to prevent his too-long lifetime of memories from driving him insane. Your energy woke him early, though his body is—and will continue to be—weakened until the ceremony.”

Good lord. He’d woken a beast. Literally. No wonder Vlad had wanted to kill him at first.

“I’m asking you to please come,” Victoria said. “Do not try and thwart him. You will not like the consequences.”

Had she ever tried to thwart the man? he wondered as he peered into her now-haunted eyes. What had been done to her in punishment? Perhaps it was best that he didn’t know. If Vlad had hurt her, Aden would want to kill him. And if he tried to kill the king of the vampires, even in the man’s weakened condition, he’d most likely be chopped into little Aden bits and scattered throughout Crossroads.

Suck it up. Be a man, he told himself. He’d faced corpses before. Yeah, they’d bitten him and yeah, this one was possibly a thousand times more vicious, had sharper teeth, wasn’t really dead and still enjoyed the taste of blood, but he liked Victoria. For her, he would face anything. Anyone.

“Please,” she said, taking his silence as resistance.

“I’ll be there,” he said. He had a month to prepare, body and mind.

She grinned. “Thank you.”

Inside, a bell sounded, signaling they had five minutes to reach their first class. “You’re students, right?”

Victoria and Riley nodded in unison.

“Come on, then. We can’t be late.”

Reluctantly, the four of them headed toward the school. Their reprieve was over, and they wouldn’t get another one for a while yet.

“Do you guys have schedules and should we give you the tour?” Mary Ann asked, shyly glancing up at Riley.

“Yes and no,” the wolf shifter replied. “Yes, we have schedules and no, we don’t need a tour. We’ve already looked around.”

They had? “When?”

“Last night,” Victoria said with another grin. This one was sheepish.

God, he loved when she smiled like that.

His pulse must have spiked because her gaze fell to his neck; she licked her lips. Thinking of biting him?

That didn’t scare him anymore, he realized. Not even a little. Good thing, too. Soon, she would do it, unable to resist, just as Elijah had shown him. Finally Aden could lay two of her fears to rest: he would not be horrified by her actions and he would not become a blood-slave.

What if you do? whispered through his mind. He ignored the thought. Not like it would matter. He wasn’t going to be alive much longer, anyway.

“Did you see him?” a girl whispered to her friend as they walked past the tree and onto the pavement.

“Oh, yeah. Who is he?” another asked. “He’s hawt!”

“I know!”

Just as their voices trailed off, a group of boys passed. “Christmas must have come early. Have you ever seen a girl that fine?”

“Think the new kid’s already hit it?”

“Does it matter? There’s enough for everyone.”

They laughed, then the doors closed behind them, cutting off the rest of their comments.

Aden’s hands clenched at his sides.

“Humans,” Victoria said with a roll of her eyes.

“Shall I punish them for you?” Riley asked her.

That should be my job, he thought darkly.

She laughed, even as Mary Ann stiffened. “No. Thank you, though.”

Just before they reached the doors themselves, something slammed into Aden’s shoulder from behind, propelling him forward. Riley caught him with a hand on his chest and pushed him to a stand, keeping him from eating the entrance. He spun around, eyes narrowed—and came face-to-face with Tucker.

“You’re in my way,” the jock growled.

He raised his chin, the fury he’d felt a minute ago nothing compared to what he felt now. Since Mary Ann was no longer dating him, Aden didn’t have to play nice. “So go around me.”

You can’t fight him, Eve said, no longer content to remain quiet.

Yeah, but he can’t walk away, either, Caleb told her. He’ll look like a wuss.

And if he’s kicked out of school…Julian sighed.

Elijah remained strangely silent.

“Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” Tucker shoved him again.

The kids in the parking lot rushed forward, expecting a brawl. Wanting it, even. They began chanting, “Fight, fight, fight.”

“Tucker,” Mary Ann said, grabbing for his wrist. “Don’t do this.”

Riley grabbed her wrist before she could even touch the jock and shoved her behind him. “Oh, no you don’t.”

Victoria approached Aden’s side. When she opened her mouth to speak, he held up his hand to stop her. She could save him from this fight, yes, but Tucker would come back. Bullies always did—until someone gave them a reason not to, exactly as he’d done with Ozzie.

“If you don’t get out of my face, jock, I’m going to grind your teeth into the concrete and everyone here will know you aren’t the tough guy you pretend to be. That you’re just an overgrown baby who runs to his girlfriend’s best friend to cry.”

Good one! Caleb said excitedly.

Tucker sucked in a breath. “You’re going to die for that.”

“Ohh. How clever,” he said and clapped. “A death threat. You know what’s funny? That’s not even my first of the day.”

For a long while, Tucker just glared at him. Then the glare became a frown of confusion, and the frown of confusion a scowl of irritation. Finally, he pivoted on his heel and stomped into the school.

Okay. What had just happened? Why had Tucker walked away without Aden having to throw a single punch?

The kids surrounding Aden moaned in disappointment but followed Tucker’s lead.

“Very strange,” Riley said. “I could see spiders springing from the blackness of his aura. It was almost as if he was projecting them at you, as if he expected you to see and feel them all over your body.”

“What are you talking about?” Inside that glass foyer, Aden watched as Tucker’s attention swung to the boy beside him. A second later, that boy screamed so loudly it shook the glass, patting at his body, ripping at his clothes.

“Yeah, what are you talking about?” Mary Ann asked. “What do you mean, projecting spiders?”

“Demon,” Victoria said grimly.

Riley nodded. “You’re right. Of course. I should have guessed. Clearly Tucker is part demon. A very small part, but it grants him the power of illusion.”

“What?” Aden and Mary Ann exclaimed simultaneously.

“And did you say demon?” Mary Ann added, mouth floundering open and closed. “That can’t be right. He was my boyfriend. We dated for months. I might’ve been distracted for much of that time, but c’mon. I would have known if he wasn’t human. Right? I mean, I’m studying to be a shrink. A trained observer. And okay, yeah. Yesterday I wondered if demons could maybe walk among us and that’s who Aden had trapped in his head, but I didn’t really believe it.”

Aden didn’t want to believe it, either. “A demon, like, possesses him?”

Riley shrugged. “Either that, or there’s a demon in his family tree.”

“Penny’s baby,” Mary Ann gasped out. “Will it be a demon?”

Again, Riley shrugged, though his expression was sympathetic. And relieved, if Aden wasn’t mistaken. “Only time will tell.”

“Shane Weston knows about Tucker, I think, and doesn’t seem to care. I wonder if that makes him one, too.” She massaged the back of her neck. “Very soon you’re going to have to tell me how this kind of thing is possible. I mean, I still don’t want to believe you about this demon thing, but I guess it explains Tucker’s cruel streak, the way he once produced a snake out of thin air and why he was so adamant about dating me and later, when we broke up, about remaining friends.”

“He wanted to stay with you because you are beautiful,” Riley said.

“You think I’m beautiful? Not that it matters,” she rushed out, then shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. “What I was saying was that Aden once told me I calm him, then Tucker later told me the same thing. Maybe I’m, I don’t know, like a tranquilizer to anyone who’s not human.”

“Not a tranquilizer,” Aden said. “A neutralizer.”

“Well, if I negate powers, how was Tucker able to produce that snake? I was on the other side of the door from him, but we were still close.”

“Perhaps to do any negating, you need open space between you and the one with the power,” Aden suggested.

“Let’s not talk about this here.” Riley eyed the many cars in the parking lot, the doors in front of them and the students still in the foyer. Anyone could walk up on them at anytime. Anyone could be hiding in the bushes nearby.

They strode into the building, leaving the cool morning behind. Students rushed along the halls. Aden leaned into Victoria and whispered, “Are you going to be okay?” He rubbed his neck to let her know what he meant.

“Yes,” she whispered back, her breath warm on his skin. She didn’t sound sure.

“If you get hungry—”

“I won’t,” she said. Again, she didn’t sound convinced.

“Well, I’m here for you, anyway.”

The bell rang and each of them froze.

“We better get to class,” Aden said with a sigh. “We’re already late.” And just how was he going to explain that to Dan? Hey, Dan. You can’t toss me out because I was talking business with a vampire and a werewolf.

“I’ll take care of it,” Victoria said with a grin. “No one will know.”

“How—oh.” Her voice voodoo. He grinned, too. Hanging out with a vampire princess certainly had its advantages. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

He expected them to all go their separate ways, but it turned out Riley and Victoria had done more than sneak into the school; they’d ensured Victoria had the same schedule as Aden and Riley the same as Mary Ann.

Victoria. At school with him all day long. He would get to spend more time with her, see her openly, talk with her, learn more about her and her people. Did it get any better than that?

Actually, yes. Mary Ann was helping him and Riley wasn’t threatening to kill him.

His optimism didn’t last long, though. Something would go wrong and soon. It always did. That wasn’t paranoia. That was the simple crux of Aden’s life.

“Elijah,” he mumbled as he entered first period beside Victoria.

The psychic knew what he wanted. Bad is indeed on its way, my friend. I told you that before you began this journey.

Yet he’d embarked on it anyway, so whatever happened would be his fault.

 

THIRD PERIOD, the boy pretending to be John O’Conner was waiting for Aden, practically bouncing up and down in the doorway. Aden was still furious with him, plus now suspicious of his origins, and pretended not to hear his eager questions.

“Did you talk to Chloe, huh, huh? I couldn’t get to the cafeteria for some reason, but I tried.”

Victoria claimed “John’s” seat, forcing the boy to stand beside Aden. Others were filing inside, staring at her with openmouthed astonishment. He wanted to hit them.

“Go away,” Aden growled.

“Who? Me?” Victoria asked.

He motioned to John with a tilt of his head. “No. The pest.”

She frowned as she peered over at John. Or tried to. Her gaze never quite made contact. “What pest?”

“Is he…do you think he could be…”

“Come on, man,” John said before Victoria could reply. “It’s not like I’m asking you to solve world hunger or anything. I just want you to talk to Chloe, see how she’s doing.”

Aden flattened his palm against John’s chest and shoved—or tried to. His hand slipped through as if he were only touching air. Electrically charged air that zapped him as if he’d stuck his fingers in a light socket.

For a long while, he simply peered down at his tingling hand. The teacher started talking, then forced Victoria to stand in front of the class and tell everyone a little about herself—Hi, my name’s Victoria and I’m from New York. I’m happiest when I’m alone and my favorite ice cream flavor is butter pecan. Thank you.

He raised his gaze to John, studying him through new eyes. The glittery skin, now so clearly an outline of the body he used to have. Not a goblin, fairy or witch, after all. How had he not known? How he had not reasoned it out?

“What? You didn’t know?” John asked him. The real John, after all. Killed by a drug overdose and now, apparently, a ghost.

Figured, Aden thought. Were these spirits after him now, too? If so, how was he supposed to be guarded from them?

 

THROUGHOUT THE DAY, the gossip about Victoria and Riley intensified. One group claimed they were models trying to hide out from the media. Another claimed they were the children of models trying to hide out. Everyone thought they were wealthy and a few even speculated they were here to film a reality TV show.

Mary Ann rolled her eyes at it all, not quite sure how money and stardom had entered the equation. She could hardly believe Riley was here. And in human form!

He stayed by her side, watching everyone around her and making sure they behaved. Part of her was still afraid that he only wanted to hang out with her because she calmed him as she calmed Aden and Tucker. Who was a demon. A freaking demon. And she’d kissed him. Did she have demon germs now?

Not that she was complaining about Riley’s attention, but she hoped and prayed tranquilization—neutralization—wasn’t her only draw. Did he find her attractive? He had called her beautiful, but what if he’d said it only to be nice?

He could have anyone he wanted, she was sure. Like Penny, if she’d been here. Mary Ann hadn’t seen her all day. He could even have Christy Hayes, head cheerleader, who was currently blowing him kisses as she sashayed by.

“You can go talk to her if you want,” Mary Ann told him. Was that harsh tone really hers? “There’s time. The third period bell won’t ring for another,” she glanced at the wall clock, “four minutes and our class is just down the hall.”

His brow furrowed, his step never faltering. He shifted the books he held—both his and hers—from one arm to the other. “Talk with who?”

O-kay. He hadn’t even noticed the perky and beautiful Christy. Pleasure zoomed through her. “Never mind. So how are you handling the day so far?”

“Fine. We’ve attended school before. Of course, the students and teachers were just like us, but school is school. You go, you learn, and you kill anyone who gets in your way.”

All the heat drained from her face. “You can’t just go around killing people. There are rules, laws that must be obeyed or—”

His husky laugh silenced her. “I was only teasing, Mary Ann. I would not harm your friends.”

“Oh.” Her apprehension faded, and she growled. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Your enemies, however…” he muttered.

She shook her head at him, unsure whether to believe him this time.

They entered the classroom together. Mary Ann took her seat in the far right row, closest to the teacher’s desk. Kyle Matthews had the one next to her and he was already seated. As Riley had done in their first two classes, he stood in front of his desired spot and stared. Stared until Kyle was shifting uncomfortably. Stared until Kyle picked up his books and found another seat.

There was such an intensity about Riley, an intensity no other boy possessed. The wicked gleam in his eyes didn’t help, either. I’ll do anything necessary to get my way, that gleam said. Except, he never turned that gleam her way. With her, he was gentle and protective.

He watched her as he placed her books on her desk. “Once again your aura is a mix of colors. What are you thinking about?”

You. She leaned toward him, whispering, “Do you have a girlfriend waiting for you at home? I’m just curious, you understand.” No, I’m a moron. But she had to know.

His features softened. “No. There is no one. Actually, Victoria is my only friend.”

The gorgeous Victoria. Fabulous. Mary Ann hated herself for wishing the vampire princess had flaws beneath that perfect exterior. Anything to even the playing field a little. Not that Mary Ann was going to try for something with Riley. Right?

“I’m your friend, aren’t I?” she asked. He’d said so before but could have changed his mind.

A moment passed, his gaze searching hers, before he nodded. “Yes. And I am yours. I will protect you, Mary Ann. You have my word.”

The bell rang, and the teacher, already standing in front of the class, began his lecture. She didn’t hear a word of it. Oh, she peered straight ahead and pretended to study the board and take notes, but her mind was focused solely on Riley.

Sadly, that’s how the rest of the day progressed, as well. She found herself wondering what he thought of the school, the kids. If he was bored and wanted to be anywhere else. If he liked being with her as much as she liked being with him.

At lunch, they sat together at the back of the cafeteria, and Aden and Victoria joined them. Everyone else stared. Even leaned closer to hear what they were saying. Riley ate from a tray of his own, as well as Mary Ann’s and Victoria’s. Victoria, Mary Ann noticed, didn’t even pretend to eat.

“Well, we won’t be discussing anything here,” Aden muttered. “Though I will tell you that John, the real John,” his gaze became pointed, “spoke to me again.”

Had he…did he mean…A ghost? she mouthed.

He nodded.

First a demon, then a ghost. What would pop up next? Her hand trembled as she spooned a bite of her chocolate pudding. “What did he want?”

“For me to hook him up with Chloe Howard.”

Mary Ann pictured the shy girl who rarely spoke up and liked to wear hoodies. “Are you going to do it?” Just how did someone go about hooking up a dead person with the living?

He swallowed a mouthful of soda. “I don’t know. What if I screw it up and he gets mad? What if I do it and he sends others my way. And I know there are others. I’ve seen a few. Didn’t know what they were at the time, but in hindsight that’s all they could be. Anyway, new subject.”

“We can go to my house after school,” she said, pushing her tray aside. No way would she be able to wait until tomorrow morning to talk to him again. And maybe, just maybe, her mother was still inside that house. Maybe Aden would see her. Maybe they could talk.

Victoria and Riley nodded, though their expressions were confused. They hadn’t followed the thread of conversation. “I’ll explain later,” she told Riley, and he nodded again.

“I can’t.” Aden withdrew a sandwich from his lunch bag and peeled back the plastic. “I have a four o’clock curfew at the ranch.”

“What about a study group?” She propped her elbows on the table. “Would Dan let you come to my house for a study group?”

First he looked hopeful, then doubtful, then resigned. “I’ll ask, but I can guess the answer and it’s not a yes.”

“Only one way to find out.” She withdrew her cell phone from her pocket and turned it on. This was a big no-no, totally against school policy, but she didn’t care. She dialed her dad’s number. “Daddy,” she said when he answered, “would it be all right if I have a few friends over after school to study?”

“Wait. Is this my little girl?” His gruff voice filled the line. “Can’t be. She never invites anyone over, even when her dear old dad begs her to do so.”

“Dad. Be serious.”

“Sure, invite them over. But is that really why you’re calling? You almost gave me a heart attack, using this line. Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.” She was only to call his private work number, the one that interrupted his sessions, for emergencies. She’d never called it before. “I swear. It’s just really important that we study.” Not a lie. They needed to study each other, the other creatures, figure out what was going on and what needed to be done.

She could just imagine him grinning, nodding his head in satisfaction. “Want me to work late? Wouldn’t want my lame self to get in the way.”

He really did want her to socialize more, she realized, even if it meant studying. Maybe she had been working too hard. “That would be great.”

“Then I’ll see you around…nine?”

“Perfect. Thanks!”

“I love you, baby.”

“Love you, too.” Mary Ann disconnected and handed the phone to Aden. She grinned. “Your turn.”

 

“I CAN’T BELIEVE I’m here,” Aden said, gazing around Mary Ann’s house. Dan had actually said yes. Granted, Victoria had gotten on the line and had told him to agree, but still. Aden was here.

He and Victoria walked around the living room; Riley, who’d already been there, remained beside Mary Ann in the entryway. It was spacious, with soft red couches, a blue-and-green rug, and several tables with orange-and-pink marble tops. Tying it all together was multicolored fringe that dangled from the lampshades.

“My mom decorated the place and my dad just didn’t have the heart to change anything after she died,” Mary Ann said, and he could hear the affection she still harbored for the woman.

“I love it.” It had character and warmth. Livability.

One foster family he’d stayed with had had leather furniture and glass tables. A single smudge had sent the wife into a cleaning frenzy. Another foster family had filled their home with only white and beige furnishings, just like every institution he’d ever been committed to, and though they’d never acted as if they minded, he’d been afraid to even step on the carpet. His favorite foster family hadn’t been able to afford anything but mismatched, threadbare stuff and he’d felt most comfortable there.

He would have lived with them forever, if possible, but Eve had transported him back in time and he’d changed the future. When he’d returned to the present, it had been as though he’d never stayed with that wonderful family.

“Riley tried to describe this place to me,” Victoria said, “but I didn’t believe him. Who could have guessed?” She sighed with longing and joined Aden at the unlit fireplace. Her gaze skidded over his neck, then returned and stayed. More and more, as the day had worn on, her focus had been lingering on his pulse. “Our home is very dark. Colorless.” Now her voice was thick, almost slurred.

Was she hungry? Her skin appeared paler than usual, no color in her cheeks. “Where is your home, by the way?” If he had to, he would drag her outside and demand she drink from him. “I know you’re from Romania, but where have you been staying?”

“A large group of us traveled here, so we had to buy the biggest home we could find. It’s far enough away to give us the illusion of privacy, but close enough that we can run into town at a moment’s notice.” Her gaze never lifted from his neck.

He leaned his head to the side, widening the expanse of skin she could see. Her breath hitched. Oh, yes. She was hungry.

“You can drink from me, you know?” From the corner of his eye, he saw a framed photograph on the mantle and lifted it.

“No,” she croaked out.

“You sure?” The photo was of a man, a woman and a little girl. Obviously Mary Ann was the little girl and the adults were her parents. She looked just like her mother. Same dark hair and eyes. Same lean face.

“So, Aden…do you see any ghosts here?” Mary Ann asked hesitantly.

Before he could answer, his companions began chattering frantically.

That man, Eve said on a gasp. I know him.

He is familiar, isn’t he? Julian said.

Aden drew the picture closer. The man had a clean-shaven face, blue eyes, and was a little boyish, like hundreds of people he’d seen over the years. “It’s Mary Ann’s dad,” Aden said, frowning. “We can’t know him.”

Yes, yes, we can, Eve replied excitedly. We’ve seen him before. In person. Remember? Just add a beard and glasses and you’ll—never mind. I’ll take you to him.

No, everyone shouted in his head at once.

“Aden?” Victoria asked. Her hand cupped his shoulder, hot, a brand. “What’s wrong?”

“No, Eve, no!” Aden roared, focused only on one thing: survival. “Please don’t do this to—”

But it was too late. His entire world faded to black. He was falling down…down…spinning and screaming and flailing for an anchor—an anchor that constantly danced out of reach. His stomach churned and sharp pains tore through him, burning, scorching.

His body began to melt, skin pouring away, muscle disintegrating, bone crumbling until he lost his hold on reality, losing himself completely.