by Lynn Viehl
A knock sounded on the door, and Trick looked inside. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. I think the aspirin is starting to work.” I wanted to throw my lamp at his head, but I managed to keep my cool. “I’m not really hungry. Would it be okay if I skip dinner tonight?”
“I could make you some soup,” he offered, as if he really cared.
“That’s okay.” I made a show of stretching. “I think I’ll just take a shower and sleep off the rest of this.”
He nodded. “See you in the morning.”
I kept my smile pinned in place until the door closed, and then I got up. Trick knew what had happened to me in the barn, and he was hiding it from me. Had I fallen and hit my head? That would explain the headache and the gap in my memory. Or had Trick given me a drug? How much of my life had been stolen from me to protect our family’s secrets?
Worse, how much more would I lose?
I couldn’t live like this, but I had nowhere else to go. I could run away, but I didn’t have any money or transportation, so I wouldn’t get far. I could call the sheriff, but he wanted us to leave town, so he wouldn’t help. Neither would Jesse’s parents. I was so desperate I even thought of contacting my grandparents, but they were Van Helsings. If they helped me get away from my brothers, it would only be so they could use me for their own purposes. They wouldn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for a granddaughter who had fallen in love with a vampire.
Jesse was my only hope.
Several hours later, when the house was quiet, I climbed out of my window and dropped to the ground. I still had no idea how I would get to Jesse, or if he even wanted to be with me anymore. I was sure his father had told him about the Van Helsings, and my mother attacking Sarah. Maybe he hated me now.
If he hated me, I had nothing left.
I was tempted to take Sali for one last midnight ride, but instead I walked over to the Ravens’ land, and followed the trail to the manor. Along the way Soul Patch, Princess, Terrible and a couple other strays joined me. They followed me up to the steps, and when I sat down they piled around me, purring and rubbing their heads against my jeans.
More cats crept out of the woods and padded over to us, joining the pile-up. I was so preoccupied that I didn’t notice the newcomers getting bigger and wilder until a brown spotted bobcat trying to nestle at my feet swatted at a lynx cuddling in the same spot.
That shook me out of my thoughts. So did seeing a large, cream-colored panther approaching the steps, trailed by her two energetic, fluffy cubs.
I held my breath as the other cats began to slink away on either side of me, making way for the panther as she climbed the steps and sat down beside me. She nudged me under my chin with her blunt head, baring her sharp teeth as I carefully scratched around her ears. The cubs tumbled onto my lap and curled up together.
“She’s beautiful.”
I looked up to see my dark boy walk out of the woods, and when the panther reared her head I stroked her back until she calmed. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
He smiled. “I am happy to disappoint you.”
Maybe Paul hadn’t said anything to him yet. “Did your father tell you that I’m a Van Helsing, and I was born to hunt vampires?”
“He did, in great detail.” He picked up Soul Patch and sat down with him on the bottom step. Some of the other strays began swarming around him. “My father sees everything in black and white. He doesn’t know you.”
“Something happened to me today that made me forget you.” I ran my fingers through the cub’s soft, downy fur. “It didn’t stick, though.”
Jesse let Princess climb up on his shoulders and drape herself around his neck. “We are both stubborn.”
“But we’re not enemies.” Gently I lifted the cubs from my lap to set them by their mother before I stood. “Why don’t they understand that?”
“They’re afraid because they love us,” he said softly.
“Some love.” I walked down and took Princess from his shoulders, setting her on the ground as he stood up and took my hand. “I’m going to the Halloween dance tomorrow night with a boy I don’t like just so I can protect my brother from his evil fake girlfriend. Now that’s love.”
He frowned. “Why didn’t you ask me to be your date?”
“Hmmmm.” I pretended to think. “It might have something to do with the fact that your parents hate me and won’t let me talk to you and have armed men guarding the island where you live. Also, girls never ask boys to go out with them. It’s the law.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” He kissed my forehead before his expression turned serious. “We can be together, Catlyn. I have my own money, and friends who will help us. We can go away together and make a life somewhere else. Somewhere they can’t find us. We can go tonight.”
For a moment I was tempted. My mother had run away with her love, and they had been happy. But she had never escaped her past, or what she was, and she had left behind that burden on me and my brothers.
Jesse and I might escape our families, but we would live the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders, expecting my brothers or his parents to appear and try to tear us apart again. I was human; I would age and someday die. Jesse would always be eighteen, and after I was gone, alone forever.
He deserved better than that. So did I.
“We’re not running away,” I told him. “We’re going to face this, and our families, and make them understand.”
He cradled my cheek with his hand. “How can we do that?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe the first step is to show them that we’re not afraid.”
He pulled me close. “I think I know how to do that.”
Jesse promised we’d see each other again soon, and after making sure I got back in my room safely vanished into the shadows. I went to bed, tired but happy. When I was with him no problem seemed impossible, even one as complicated as ours.
The next day I had to keep up the smiling oblivious Catlyn act in order to fool my brothers into believing I had forgotten all about Jesse. All I wanted to do was knock their heads together, so it was a strain to smile and chat and laugh with them as if nothing were wrong. But I was discovering that I was a pretty good actress when I needed to be, and managed to keep up the pretense without a hitch.
After dinner I went up to change into the one Halloween costume I owned, a garnet-red velvet gown trimmed in black lace and golden braid that I wore every year. I had bought a matching red velvet hat with a golden veil from a RenFaire we’d gone to in Chicago, and once I shook out the hoop skirt and adjusted the angled sleeves I made a passable medieval princess.
I came downstairs a minute before seven o’clock, just in time to meet Boone at the door. I tried not to wince as I surveyed his classic vampire costume, and wondered if I should call the whole thing off. Then Trick came out, and I made myself introduce them.
“Nice to meet you.” My brother shook his hand. “Be careful driving, have a good time, and remember the curfew.”
“I will, sir.” Boone looked over as Gray walked out of the hall.
My brother wore his only Halloween costume, a blue velvet version of a doublet and hose with a broad-brimmed feathered hat. He’d left his hair loose and looked exactly like a prince from a fairytale.
For a minute Boone stared at him with visible dislike before he offered me his arm. “Let’s go, Princess.”
The narrow seats in Boone’s sports car didn’t like my hoop skirt, and I spent most of the drive over to school trying to keep it from getting hooked on his gear shift.
“You look really nice, Cat,” Boone said, glancing at me. “You should wear red often.”
“Thanks.” I’d been prepared for him to behave like the jerk he usually was, so I didn’t quite know how to handle this new, polite Boone. “Why did you decide to dress up as a vampire?”
“They didn’t have a decent werewolf outfit at the costume shop.” He grinned at me. “Besides, gi
rls love vampires.”
I hid my own smile. “Do they.”
The Halloween dance was being held in the gymnasium, which was already overcrowded by the time we arrived. I saw a lot of homemade costumes, and a couple of boys dressed in flannel shirts and jeans who were probably telling everyone they were lumberjacks. Most of the girls had dressed to look more beautiful than scary, and there were so many princesses that I didn’t feel out of place. A few brave souls were dancing between the basketball hoops to the music blaring out of the loudspeakers, but most of the kids were either milling around the room or sitting on the bleachers with their friends. At one end of the gym the chaperons had set up long tables with bowls of punch, platters of doughnuts, fruit and cookies, and several decorated sheet cakes.
“Would you like some punch?” Boone almost had to shout for me to hear him over the music.
I nodded and followed him over to the refreshment tables, where he handed me a cup of black cherry soda with a chunk of frozen pineapple floating in it. I took a sip and discovered it tasted much better than it looked, but shook my head when Boone pointed to the snacks.
No one came up to talk to Boone, and everyone was still avoiding me, so we ended up sitting one of the bleachers and watching the other kids dance. Boone seemed to forget about me as he watched the doors, which was why I knew the moment my brother arrived with Tiffany Beck, who was dressed as Sleeping Beauty.
Boone never took his eyes off her, I noticed.
The music dropped a few thousand decibels as someone put on a slow ballad, and I saw Gray lead Tiffany out onto the dance floor.
“Want to dance?” I asked Boone.
He gave me a startled look, as if he’d forgotten I was sitting next to him. “Yeah, sure. Come on.”
We walked to the edge of the court, and then Boone took my hand and put his arm around my waist. With several respectable inches between us, he maneuvered me toward the center of the dancing couples. He looked past me and over my head and to one side and the other, but I might as well have been a teacher for all the notice he gave me.
“If you really want to make her jealous,” I said, “you should pay attention to me, not her and Gray.”
Boone looked down at me. “I don’t want to make anyone jealous.”
I smiled. “And you’re doing an excellent job of that.”
He ducked his head, clearly embarrassed. “If you want to go home, we can leave.”
“It’s okay. I have my reasons for being here, too.” I glanced over at my brother, who had Tiffany in a virtual bear hug. “If you still have feelings for her, why did you break up?”
“She was acting weird. Always talking about you and how she was going to get even.” He sounded uncomfortable. “I know how girls are when you fight, but she started blaming you for stuff I know you didn’t do, like trashing her locker and putting roaches in her desk. She got totally obsessed.”
I thought of my own trashed locker. “That day in the media center, did you really see her spill that soda?”
“Cat, that’s why she had me buy it.” He sighed. “No, I didn’t actually see her spill it, but another girl did, and she told me while the teacher was yelling at you.”
“What other girl?”
He thought for a moment. “I can’t remember her name, but her mom works for my dad. She’s that chubby girl with the braces. You know her; you used to hang out with her.”
“You mean Barbara Riley?”
His expression cleared. “Yeah, that’s her.”
“Excuse me,” a familiar voice said. “Would you mind if I cut in?”
Boone gave the boy dressed as a highway robber a startled look. “Who are you?”
“I’m Jesse Raven,” my dark boy said, “and you’re dancing with my lady.”
Twenty-Two
Boone reluctantly turned me over to Jesse, and as soon as I was in his arms he whirled me away.
I saw my brother frowning at us, and wondered if Gray would try to start something. “Jesse, what are you doing?”
“I think it’s a waltz,” he teased. “Would you rather try a tango? I used to be quite good at that, too.”
“Well, I’m not, thanks.” I laughed as he twirled me down the length of his arm and then tugged me back to him. “I meant, why did you come to the dance?”
“You said we can’t run away or hide,” he reminded me. “That means being together where everyone can see us. Out in the open. Unafraid.”
“Unafraid.” I closed my eyes and rested my cheek against his chest. “Okay.”
We danced through that song and the next, and I stopped caring who was staring at us or what my brother would do. Being in Jesse’s arms was heaven; he was so handsome, and he made me feel beautiful. When the second song ended, and someone put on a fast, heavy rock song, he took me by the hand and led me out of the gym.
“No one can see us out here,” I said as he guided me to the sidewalk that led down to the lake.
“I want you to myself for a few minutes.” His arm came around my waist. “I also want to persuade you to wear more gowns. You look like a grand duchess.”
I smiled up at him. “Tonight, I feel like one.”
When we reached the dock, Jesse steered me to an old oak tree, where the wide trunk hid us from view. “I also brought you out here so I can ask you something.”
“I don’t think I can move to the island,” I warned. “But maybe, if we talk to your parents, I might visit.”
“That would be wonderful.” He took the ring from his finger and slid it onto mine. “Catlyn, will you wear this for me?”
“After all the trouble I had getting it back to you?” I smiled as I traced the outline of the raven, and then I glanced up. “Why?”
“I can’t be with you all the time,” he admitted. “When you look at it, I hope you’ll think of me.”
“I don’t need a ring. You’re always with me.” I touched my heart. “Right in here.”
He lifted my chin with his hand, and bent down to brush his mouth over mine.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Boone’s angry voice demanded. “Let her go.”
Jesse and I were wrenched apart as Boone dragged me away.
Jesse’s eyes darkened. “Take your hands off her.”
“Go back to the gym, Cat,” Boone said, giving me a push in that direction as he tore off his cape and rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll deal with this clown.”
“Aaron, stop it.” I stepped between them. “Jesse is my boyfriend. He didn’t doing anything wrong. I wanted him to kiss me.”
“You don’t know what he is. No one does.” Boone shoved me aside as he rushed at Jesse, and I fell, hitting my head against something hard.
I propped myself up, holding my aching head as I heard water splash. Boone had pushed Jesse in the lake and was wading in after him.
“Why are you just sitting there?” a girl screamed.
I looked up at Barb, who was dressed like a vampire. I almost didn’t recognize her, her face was so red and contorted.
“Get up,” she shrieked, dragging at my sleeve and ripping one seam as she pointed toward the lake. “Go down there and tell him to leave Boone alone.”
I staggered to my feet when suddenly Boone came flying back out of the lake, landing on the ground in front of us. I heard bones crunch and he howled as he rolled over and grabbed his arm.
“Oh God, oh God.” Barb dropped on her knees beside him and clutched at him frantically. “Aaron, are you all right? How could she do this to you? No, don’t try to move. I’m here now, you’ll be okay, you’ll be fine—”
“Get off me.” Pale and shaking, Boone tried to get to his feet.
I saw Jesse wading out of the lake and started toward him to help, when someone grabbed me from behind and threw me to the ground.
“No, you don’t.” Barb stood over me, and she had an oar in her hands. “You’re not going to ever put your dirty hands on him again. Aaron doesn’t love you. He loves me.”
“Barb, what are you talking about?” I saw the wide, crazy way she was staring down at me and wondered if she even recognized me. “Barb, it’s me. Cat, your friend.”
As she brought the oar down, I threw up my arm to protect my head. Then I saw a dark blur knock into Barb, and the oar flipped through the air, smashing into the trunk of the oak and landing in pieces all over the ground.
Barb cringed and sobbed as she crawled on her hands and knees away from me. “Boone? Boone, he hurt me. Make him leave me alone.”
Jesse helped me sit up, and held me in the circle of his arm as he looked over at Barb. “Who is that girl?”
“I thought she was my friend.” The sound of running footsteps made me turn my head, and I saw Tiffany, Grayson and some other kids running down from the sidewalk toward us. “We need to get some help for Boone,” I called out to my brother. “He’s been hurt.”
“The sheriff is just down the street,” one of the boys said. “I’ll get him.” He turned around to take off in that direction.
Jesse made sure I was all right before he went over to check Barb, who sat with her arms wrapped around her knees. As soon as he tried to help her up, she made a shrill sound and cowered away.
I got up and went to her, kneeling down beside her. “Barb? Are you hurt?”
“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” she said, moaning the words as she rubbed her forehead from side to side against her knees. “He was going to ask me to the dance. I got my costume so we would match. We’re in love. He doesn’t want anyone else.”
“Barb?” When she didn’t answer me, I met Jesse’s gaze. “She’s not like this. She’s never like this.”
“Let me try something.” Jesse touched Barb’s shoulder, which seemed to immediately calm her down. “Why did you attack Catlyn tonight?”
“Catlyn?” She lifted her face, and the blankness of her expression gradually turned into a mask of hatred. “She wants to take Aaron away from me. She’s been flirting with him since the first day at school. I saw her by the bathrooms. I saw how she looked at him. I can’t have that. He’s mine.”
“None of that is true, and Boone isn’t dating her,” I murmured to Jesse. “He doesn’t even know her name.”
