Right away, I felt sorry for her because I could tell she was crushing on Havoc. And he's at least four years older than her so I figured she didn't have much chance with him. She pulled back into the shadows of the garage and eyed me shyly—and worriedly—like she was afraid I was gonna steal her Havoc and run off with him.
"Dude!" I shouted, hoping to ease her fears by acting like one of the guys. "I didn't know you could dance."
Havoc slipped out of his clogs and padded across the garage floor on bare feet. "We were just finishing up," he said, wrapping the girl's small hand in his and tugging her over to meet me. "This is Sophie," he announced and grinned down at her. "We're putting on a show at her school next month so we've been practicing a lot lately."
"Well, I don't want to interrupt anything," I said.
"That's alright," he insisted, although it didn't look alright with Sophie. Havoc didn't notice but she looked devastated. "Her mom will be here soon to pick her up."
"Well why don't you guys show me some moves while we're waiting?" I suggested and noticed the relief in the little girl's eyes.
Havoc looked down at her. "Whatcha say, Sophie? Are you down for some more clogging?"
So Elaina and I leaned against MacKenzie's jeep in the other bay and watched them. They were really cute together and stamped up a storm.
While they were dancing, a van pulled up the driveway but it wasn't Sophie's mom. It was Simpson coming to collect the guys. I stood in the background while everyone piled out of the house and the guys said their goodbyes. Valor promised he'd call with any news so I was amped to think Chaos might be free by the end of the day.
As the van turned back down the driveway, and Elaina headed back inside with Mim and Whitney, MacKenzie pulled Havoc aside and quietly told him Sophie's mom had called. "She said she was running a bit late but I think she and my dad are fighting again," Mac confessed privately.
Of course, her comment wasn't meant for my ears. The only reason I could hear was because of my new hearing skills. I felt like I was intruding but there was nothing I could do about it.
"I'll watch Sophie if you want to go next door with Torrie," MacKenzie offered.
I felt bad about separating Sophie and Havoc but I could tell that he was looking forward to our skateboard session. "We could skate here," I suggested.
Havoc shook his head. "Chaos would want to see you," he insisted, stuffing his feet into his purple high tops and heading around the front of the house. I skipped to keep up with him, following a path that wound through mounds of melting snow. And when we got to the lot next door, he immediately opened the garage door. "Don't worry," he said when he saw my worried look. "Our company will help distract him. And the sun won't be able to reach him in the back of the garage."
"Okay," I agreed tentatively as I stood in the spring sunshine, looking wistfully into the garage at Chaos. Something moved in the forest off to my right and caught my eye. "Grab your knife," I murmured and elbowed Havoc standing next to me. "There's a huge, hairy horse in the forest. If you're quick, you can bag it for dinner."
"That's never a horse," he laughed in his endearing accent. "That's MacKenzie's dog, Hooligan."
"That's a dog?" I snickered. "That thing's big enough to pull a stagecoach to California." As I spoke the dog galloped in my direction, stopping when he reached me and shoving his face into my hand.
"He likes me," I exclaimed, and ruffled the silky fur on his head.
"Of course he does," Havoc laughed, his white grin flashing in the sunlight. "Our Hooligan's a good judge of character."
"I don't know about that," I mumbled, scratching behind the big dog's ears for a while before he ambled away to the edge of the driveway and selected a sunny spot to snooze, promptly forgetting about us.
In the garage, I showed Havoc a few tricks. He didn't know much, which was good because I wasn't exactly an expert. But I showed him an ollie and a simple kick flip and he spent a lot of time practicing—and falling—while I stood on my board in the driveway, tugging at the waistband on my jeans. I'd lost so much weight I was having a hard time keeping them up and I didn't want to go flashing my Saturday undies at either Havoc or Chaos. I stole another look at Chaos and hoped he was happy we were there.
Havoc fell again and I moved inside the garage to give him a hand up. "You have a smudge on the side of your nose," I informed him with a smile.
"Can you get it for me?" he asked with a wicked grin, like he was flirting with me.
"No!" I exclaimed, laughing. Havoc is such a tease. I dug through my backpack and found my compact, flipping it open and shoving it at him.
He held the mirror close to his face and rubbed at the mark with his knuckles then handed it back.
Thoughtfully, I opened and closed the compact a few times as I walked out a circle in front of the garage, thinking about harpies and the fact that they hated mirrors. The square piece of silvered glass shimmered in the sun, sending shards of light reflecting into the forest, against the house and into the shadowed garage. Worried that the light might wake Chaos, I snapped the compact quickly shut and slipped it into the pocket of my hoodie.
The sun climbed into the middle of the sky as the morning crept by, and I kept checking my phone to see if I'd missed a call from Valor, even though I didn't really expect him to call me. I assumed he'd contact MacKenzie and she'd either call or text or come over with any news. But he did have my number so a call from him wasn't entirely out of the question.
Havoc landed a trick and looked pleased with himself. "We need a picture together," he decided all of a sudden.
So I joined him in the garage and he put his arm around me while I held out the phone and snapped us both. It was actually the first picture I'd taken on my new phone. I was tempted to get a shot of Chaos but was afraid someone might see it and start asking questions.
"Ugh," I said when I saw my face in the picture.
Havoc grabbed the phone away. "What are you ughing about? We look lovely together."
"It's not you," I complained with a laugh. "It's me."
He narrowed his eyes on the screen. "There's nothing wrong with you," he claimed.
"I'm not what you'd call a real beauty," I argued. "Not like my sister."
He looked surprised as he handed the phone back. "Well, you're a bit of a tomboy, but I've seen your sister and you're just as pretty."
I wondered if he meant I was pretty inside or outside. "You're just being nice," I muttered, and slipped the phone back in my pocket.
"I'm never nice," he chuckled with a savage grin. "Just ask my cousins."
Yeah, he had to be lying. He was so nice to me it was unreal. But then, all of the gargoyles were really nice. But I figured they just treated everyone that way. It was hard to imagine Havoc ever being anything less-than-friendly to anyone. Then I found out I was wrong about that when a blue SUV pulled into the driveway.
A hard look of distaste flickered across his features as he picked up his board, moved quickly across the concrete slab and closed the garage door behind us.
Over on the other side of the driveway, Hooligan lifted his head, curled his lip and growled. So I wondered if a harpy was driving the vehicle even though that seemed unlikely. And I could see the outline of a teenage girl through the tinted windshield. I sidled up close to Havoc. "I take it you don't like her very much," I murmured.
He shook his head but never removed his narrow gaze from the driver's seat, watching the girl the same way you'd watch a snake. "She almost killed Whitney," he muttered.
"Really?" I exclaimed, but didn't get a chance to pump him for details. Because the teen with auburn hair opened the car door and slid from the driver's seat.
She was the kind of girl who oozed flirty young sex appeal but I didn't like what I sensed about her. And don't ask me what I mean by that, because I didn't normally go around sensing things about people. But I did this time. I didn't like her and I didn't trust her.
"Hi, Havoc," she called out ch
eerily, bouncing toward us while twisting her hips like some girls do when they want to be noticed. I've often wished I could pull off that exact same move, but I always fail when I try. I wasn't born with the sexy gene. Just the 34-C gene. And it's not the same.
"Alexa," he said, his usual smile flattening into a straight line. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to invite you guys to a party," she answered like she didn't notice Havoc's less-than-warm reception. "My place. Tonight. My folks are outta town. There's gonna be a keg and lots of other stuff. It'll be fun!"
"Thanks for the invitation," he said and walked toward the car. Opening the door, he said, "Goodbye Alexa."
She acted all coquettish, like a little girl in red lipstick. "Where are the rest of the guys? I want to make sure they know they're invited too."
"They're not here," he answered flatly.
"When will they be back? Can you make it to the party?"
"Thanks for the invitation," he answered. "But I think I'll give it a miss."
Her eyes flashed with sudden annoyance. "But I told a bunch of the girls you'd be there. They're expecting you."
"Then I guess they're going to be disappointed," he growled.
Her expression turned suddenly poisonous and I blinked at the transformation. "You know, you're not going to be able to avoid me forever."
Finally, a faint smile returned to Havoc's lips. "I mean to give it a good try."
"Well, it's not gonna work so you might as well get used to me being around," she snapped. "I have plans for your cousin, Victor."
"I'll be sure to warn him," Havoc answered coldly.
"A warning might not be enough," she spat, seemingly incensed by Havoc's attitude. "And you can tell MacKenzie that I know. I know how to make the magic work."
Havoc started the slightest bit, then hid his reaction and acted all bored. "What are you talking about?"
"The magic," she sneered venomously. "I know how it works. I know that you have to use wood."
He opened the car door wider and acted like he couldn't care less about what she'd just said. "Well, good luck with your wood magic Alexa."
As the tense seconds ticked off and they stood there staring each other down, a young girl's scream tore through the quiet forest. The piercing sound sent an icy chill of terror clutching at my spine.
Havoc's head whipped around and his gaze locked on mine. "Sophie," he whispered.
We shared a startled look as our boards dropped from our fingers and smacked against the ground. Then together, we turned and sprinted toward MacKenzie's place, Havoc leading the way by several yards at first, Hooligan overtaking both of us before we were halfway there. We raced around the corner of the house and found Sophie standing frozen in the driveway, her head turning and her big green eyes staring at three large mountains lions that almost had her surrounded.
The cats' bellies scraped the ground as they glided toward her on three sides. It was so startling that I screamed almost as loud as Sophie, which wasn't very helpful. Hooligan was a lot more useful. He was a gray blur of flying fur as he leapt at the cats that were as big as him. Havoc dove in after the dog, his dreadlocks flying out behind him like a gnarled banner, while I rushed to Sophie's side and pulled her into the garage.
"Havoc," she screamed as he disappeared beneath one of the huge animals.
"He'll be okay," I told her, hoping I was right as a door banged at the back of the garage and the rest of the girls rushed from the house, their faces white, their eyes wide with shock.
Out on the driveway, it looked like an old Tarzan movie, only a lot more realistic. Vicious snarls overlaid the deep sound of rumbling growls, and not all of those noises were coming from the cats…or the dog. The vibrations coming from Havoc's throat were just as threatening as those of the other animals locked in mortal combat out on the gravel driveway.
I choked back a scream as a tawny cat with lashing tail squirmed on top of Havoc, pinning him to the ground while the sun glinted on a mean set of dagger-like teeth that were reaching for his head. I saw the young gargoyle's blade flash before he shoved it deep in mountain lion's flesh, ripping it up through the cat's midsection while the cat clawed at his dreadlocks and hissed down at him. The creature's blood poured out over Havoc's chest and spattered across the gravel beneath them.
Before I had a chance to absorb what had just happened, the gargoyle shoved the cat away, rolled to his feet and launched himself in Hooligan's direction. The big dog had his jaws around the throat of one lion while another climbed his back. Havoc's barbs shot into place and he buried them in the cat's neck. Seconds later, three cats lay dead in the driveway, two of them lying in their pooled blood, one of them immortalized in stone forever. I pulled Sophie's head into my shoulder before she could start wondering about that.
"Good dog," Havoc panted quietly and ruffled the fur on Hooligan's head.
A low growl rumbled in the dog's chest as he prodded a tawny carcass with his nose.
"I think you got him," Havoc chuckled.
"Are you okay?" MacKenzie asked as the girls rushed from the garage toward him.
"Fine," he answered and turned to look at Sophie who was peeking out from under my arm. Pulling his bloodstained shirt over his head, he let it drop from his fingers as he walked slowly toward us. "What about you, Sophie? Are you alright?" he asked gently and lifted his wrist to rub at a deep scratch that tore down the side of his face.
She ran to him and he dropped to one knee to meet her. "I'm sorry," she cried, throwing herself into his arms. "I shouldn't have screamed. I was so afraid."
"Of course, you were," he soothed, and stroked her hair. "And of course you should have screamed. It's no good waiting until you're half eaten, is it?"
"But they might not have…they might not have attacked."
He lifted a bronze eyebrow and shared a dark look with me.
I sent him a nod. I'm no wildlife expert but I've seen enough nature shows on the Discovery Channel to confirm that the cats had been stalking her.
"They might not have attacked," he allowed. "But I don't know how they could have resisted a yummy little morsel like you. And it is lunch time," he pointed out. "And they did look hungry."
"But they almost killed you and Hooligan," she wailed, rubbing her small fist into the corner of her eye as he held her at arms length.
"What? Me? And Hooligan? Never," he said with a rough chuckle then turned suddenly serious, pulling her fiercely into his arms. "I should have been here. I should never have left you. I'm sorry, Sophie."
The rest of the girls gathered around the two of them, fussing over Sophie and telling her she'd done the right thing while she smiled up through watery eyes.
"How about some lunch, then?" Havoc suggested easily, like he hadn't just risked his life and killed three man-eating mountain lions with the help of his trusty dog. "I could slice up some of that chicken we roasted last night."
As he got to his feet and took Sophie's hand, I shook my head to think how cool he was. Then I noticed how white his knuckles were and the tremor that ran through his lean frame. His hand was still locked around Sophie's, but he looked like he was struggling not to crush her small fingers in his grip. So I guess he was really affected by the thought that she might have been hurt…more than he wanted anyone to know, anyway.
I was about to follow everyone into the house for lunch when I realized Alexa hadn't followed us over to MacKenzie's. And in the panic, both Havoc and I had forgotten about her. Frowning, I turned my head and listened for any sign of her on the lot next door. The wind gusted up, rushing through the forest and bending the narrow pines, their needles rustling, their branches creaking, but my super-sensitive ears picked up the sound of a car door slamming.
So Alexa hadn't left yet but it sounded like maybe she was on her way. That was probably good but I thought I'd better check back there and make sure everything was okay. She might have started snooping around while we were gone, and might have stumbled upon C
haos. I wasn't sure that was a good thing.
I hesitated, wanting to say something to Havoc about where I was going but his entire focus was on the little girl as they made their way to the back of the garage. Besides, it was probably nothing more than a mild case of paranoia on my part and I didn't want to look silly. So I excused myself and told the girls I was going to check on Chaos real quick.
Elaina gave me an understanding smile and I started back to the house next door, picking up the pace as soon as I was out of sight. I got there just in time to see Alexa slam her big vehicle into reverse. I don't know if she was pissed that we'd run off and left her alone or if she was just in a major hurry, but the SUV was moving fast as she backed it in front of the house, and her wide bumper smacked into a tree on the other side of driveway. Her wheels squealed on the asphalt pavement as she peeled outta there.
Taking a few quick steps backward, I kept my eye on the tall tree she'd hit. It leaned backward several inches then swung toward the house, tilting over the garage. Its branches exploded in a shower of tinder as it hit the roof with a terrific noise of rending wood. Dry pine needles and fragments of wood fluttered down on me in a light rain as Alexa's tailpipe disappeared around a bend in the driveway.
"Crap," I muttered, picking bits of bark from my hair and moving swiftly toward the garage, wanting to make sure Chaos was still there. But a familiar noise echoed through the forest and stopped me in my tracks as the garage door started to rumble upward. And as I stood, staring, the wide door rolled open to reveal Chaos standing behind it.
Chapter Fifteen
"The t-tree," I stammered uselessly, realizing that one of the branches on the fallen tree must have punched a hole in the roof, letting in the sun.
"Aye," Chaos answered, his desperate gaze locking on mine, his eyes heavy with dread. His wings unfurled and snapped as they caught the wind.
Chaos Page 13
