Burned

by Kensie King

  If I had to be here an entire month waiting for another full moon, I figured it was about time I began to exercise my powers.

  My breath caught when I heard a noise at the back of the house. My heartbeat picked up and I listened closely. Was it Gage? Just the house settling?

  “Hello?” I called out after a moment. Gage couldn’t come in here, I had to remind myself.

  But at some point I had to return to Dylan’s house.

  “Shit,” I whispered. If Gage was out there, I was stuck in here.

  At least it was safe.

  I used the time to page through the journals. But after another thirty minutes of silence, I walked back to the front door.

  I peered outside but didn’t see anything more than a sunny morning. A crow flew overhead, circling the property. A chipmunk ran across the path in front of the house.

  Totally normal.

  I pulled open the front door and started to step out. Something moved in my way and I jerked to attention.

  “Hey,” Gage said, propping his hand against the door frame. “I thought I might find you here.”

  CHAPTER 15

  My hand went automatically for the necklace while I took a giant step back to make sure I was fully inside of the house. I reached for the door to slam it in his face, but he held up a hand.

  “Hold on,” he said calmly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Kidnapping doesn’t fall into that category?”

  His lips twitched. “Okay. I’m not here to kidnap you. That better?”

  I kept my hand wrapped around the pendant. I almost sort of hated myself in that moment because I believed him. He hadn’t lied to me this far. Well, except for telling me we were going to the police station. Fucker.

  Even worse, he looked good. Like he’d gotten a relaxing night of sleep—did vampires sleep? He didn’t look like he’d gotten stabbed by a letter opener or had chased me through the woods last night.

  I lifted my chin. “You can’t come in.”

  “You’re right,” he said easily. “That’s one thing that hasn’t changed since yesterday. But you could invite me in, and we could have a conversation like adults.”

  “Hell no.”

  “You sure?”

  “What the fuck?” I said, shaking my head. “You really think I’m going to ask you in here after what you did? You lied to me, you drugged me, you kidnapped me. Some of these things are felonies, you know? As in, punishable by law—even if you think you’re beyond those kinds of things.”

  “Link,” he said, as though talking to a child. “Come on. You really think they’re going to believe you? Not when I can get into their heads. I can make them believe it’s your fault. Or I can make them believe other things.” When my eyes narrowed, he shrugged. “Like maybe…your new friend Grace is a danger to the public. That she might walk into that cozy little grocery store on Main Street with a gun and they have to take her out.”

  My stomach lurched. “You’re bluffing.”

  I was sure of it. But the expression on his face wasn’t doing much to convince me.

  He turned to walk to the stairs. I almost thought he was leaving. But then he turned back and started a little circuit of pacing. I kind of wanted to throw my necklace at him just to see him writhe in pain.

  “My point is,” he said, “that we can handle this like adults. We don’t need to make threats or get other people involved.”

  “You might want to try playing by those rules, then,” I told him.

  He flashed a smile and stopped pacing. “I like that you’re still full of spirit. All right, then. Let’s discuss this like adults.”

  I folded my arms and waited for him to talk. When he lifted his eyebrows, I shook my head. “I’m not coming out there.”

  “I wouldn’t even dream of asking,” he said easily.

  Fuck him. He was making fun of me. “This isn’t a joke,” I said, my voice low.

  An almost dangerous smile skimmed his lips. “Don’t you dare think for a moment that I’m not taking this seriously. There are bigger things at stake here.”

  Which he’d said more than once. What else was he talking about? If it was about more than power, what was it?

  “Why don’t we just make nice first,” he continued. “You forgive me for kidnapping you, and I’ll forgive you for stabbing me. Deal?”

  I laughed. “Seriously? I stabbed in self-defense.”

  “Self-defense? If I recall correctly, you didn’t look defenseless when you kissed me. Or when you took off my shirt. Or when you looked like you were about to come—”

  “Stop.” No way was he going to throw that back at me. In fact, he needed a taste of his own medicine. “So you’re pissed that I tricked you. Boo hoo. I thought we were being adults here, no getting our feelings hurt.”

  He took a few deep breaths, and I knew I’d hit him where it counted. But after another moment, he smiled again. “If it makes you feel better to tell yourself that, then fine. Let’s move on. I was thinking maybe we could make a sort of truce?”

  “What kind of truce?”

  “You say you’ll help me with the spell, and I won’t hurt anyone you’ve come to care about.”

  I swallowed hard. He was bluffing again. He had to be. So far he hadn’t hurt anyone. Drugged me yes and slashed my tires, but he hadn’t laid a harmful finger on me. Although, I knew he and Dylan—maybe even Grace—weren’t on the same terms.

  “I don’t know how to do the spell. I can’t even look at my mother’s Book of Shadows anymore thanks to you. So I guess you’re out of luck.

  When I started to slam the door, he held up his hand again. “Hold on.”

  “Now what?”

  “I’ll give you the book back. Whatever you need to do the spell.”

  I paused. Now he was negotiating? Even trying to help me? “What are you really after?” I asked.

  His gaze flickered with something I couldn’t recognize. Surprise, maybe? A fleeting desire to actually tell me?

  “Are you okay?” he said instead.

  “Excuse me?”

  His eyes lowered briefly. “I followed you to the border last night. I saw what happened. I hope you weren’t hurt too badly.”

  “I’m—” My voice broke off. What? Now he was trying to be nice? Acting like he cared. “I’m fine.”

  His eyes locked on mine, and it was too late before I saw the black creeping over the irises. “Come on, Link, you know I’m not going to hurt you. Come out here so we can talk.”

  I willed my hand to lift to the necklace. I held it out so he could see the pendant. “What was that again?”

  He grimaced and the black vanished from his eyes. “You know I’m telling the truth. I’m not going to hurt you and I’m not the bad guy. Maybe if we…talk,” he said, “we can figure out a way to help each other.”

  Talk? As in, he was going to tell me his secrets? I frowned. No way. I’d almost believed that before and look where it had gotten me.

  “Sorry, no can do,” I said.

  Before he could respond, we both heard the sound of tires on gravel. Gage frowned and took a step back. “Well, I guess that’s my cue. I’ll be seeing you, Link. And maybe think about what I said. I’m sure we can help each other.”

  He stepped off the porch and the little jerk even waved at Dylan as he was hopping out of his truck before vanishing through the hedges.

  Dylan slammed his door, looking torn between going after Gage and running to me. He finally walked in my direction with long, angry strides. “What the hell?” he asked. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No. I was in here the whole time.”

  Dylan ground his teeth together. “Then I repeat: What the hell? I thought you were supposed to stay in my house.”

  I gave the books I was holding a squeeze to stay calm. “I needed answers.”

  “Seriously?” He stepped inside. “You could have been killed.”

  “He kills me, he doesn’t get what he wants.”
>
  “You sure about that? Gage isn’t stable,” Dylan said. “Or he wouldn’t have kidnapped you in the first place. You have no clue whether or not he’s going to hurt you.”

  Gage wasn’t that irrational—I’d seen from personal experience.

  When I didn’t respond, Dylan propped his hand on his hip and lowered his voice. “Fine. What did he want?”

  “To negotiate.”

  “Negotiate what?”

  “He still wants me to do the spell.” And when I said it out loud, it sounded like the same old Gage looking to get what he wanted no matter the cost.

  “No,” Dylan said bluntly.

  “Well, I didn’t—”

  “No.”

  “Dylan,” I grumbled.

  “I think it’s pretty straightforward. It’s not just the town and everything that could happen to us all. It’s you, too. You’re part of this now. Do you know what he could do to you if he was at full power?”

  My brain and heart tore in two different directions, one side of me touched that Dylan seemed to care so much and the other shocked into realizing what Gage was capable of.

  “Why did you even talk to him?” Dylan asked.

  “He threatened Grace,” I said simply. “And he threatened you.”

  A muscle worked in Dylan’s jaw, but his face softened. “And I imagine he threatened you, too. Or he will sooner or later if you don’t do what he wants. He—” Dylan leaned in slightly, surprising me. He pointed to the pendant on the chain at my neck. “What’s this?”

  “Uh…” It was going to sound ridiculous saying it out loud, but on the other hand Dylan was a shifter so everything seemed ridiculous right now. “One of my ancestors gave it to me.”

  “Smart. It’s a symbol to ward off vampires. Did you get this before you came here?”

  “No, uh…” I quirked one corner of my lip. “It was when I got here. One of my ancestors gave it to me at the Knob Creek Hotel.” When he lifted his eyebrows, I added, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she was a ghost. I mean, I’m definitely sure because she died over a century ago.”

  Dylan cleared his throat. “Well. That’s one I haven’t heard before.”

  “I know.” I laughed softly. “But it helped. It hurt Gage.”

  “Good.” He gestured to his house. “Ready?”

  When I nodded, he gripped my arm and pulled me from the porch. We both stayed vigilant as he tugged me in the direction of his house. He didn’t speak again until we were safely inside.

  “When did Grace leave?”

  “No too long after you did.”

  He frowned, making me roll my eyes.

  “She had to do something at work,” I told him. “And the reality is, I can’t just stay here all day. In fact…” I glanced around, remembering I had a least a month to go here in Knob Creek. “I should probably figure out a place to stay now that I’m stuck here.”

  Dylan didn’t respond. He only walked to the kitchen. I heard the refrigerator door open and followed him inside, setting my books on the table before looking at him.

  “Guess you don’t have a lot to say on that topic.”

  He looked over the top of the refrigerator door, eyes locking on mine. “What do you want me to say?”

  He was right. He was quiet by nature and I liked my space. We didn’t have to talk the whole time. Besides, I knew how he dealt with things based on how he’d dealt with me when I’d first gotten here.

  “I get it,” I said, backing up. “I’ll just give you some space.”

  After all, this was his house. We were two people thrown together in a shitty situation and it made sense to keep our distance if it meant staying on each other’s good sides.

  I scooped up the books once more and walked to the living room to do some research. When I settled on the couch and looked up again, Dylan was standing in the entryway watching me.

  “Shit.” I blew out a breath. He was as quiet as Gage. “I didn’t hear you.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, ignoring the comment. “I was pissed off, okay?”

  “What?”

  “When you got here that first day, I was pissed because this—all these things—were coming together just like my dad said they would.”

  I set the books aside and propped my forearms on my knees. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He took a minute to gather his thoughts and then walked to stand in front of me. “So, you’ve probably already figured out that the original four families in Knob Creek were werewolf, vampire, witch and—”

  “Shapeshifter?”

  His lips curved slightly, relieving me. “That’s right. The shifters were allied with witches, so they were—we were sort of their guardians, if that’s what you want to call it. Shifters protected and looked after the witches. And because of that, they could manipulate other forms besides animals.”

  “You mean—”

  “Hold on. Let me finish. Even though that was history, it was still my job to look out for the witches.” He gestured in the direction of my mother’s house. “That’s why I live so close to your mom. But I had no clue she was related to a Master of the Flame. So when you got here, I knew how serious this was and the only thing I could think to do was run you out of town. It seemed like the quickest way to solve the problem without raising a lot of questions.”

  He ran a hand down his face while I silently cursed myself for being so stubborn. If I’d just turned in the other direction and forgotten all about this, we wouldn’t be in this situation. But that wasn’t in my nature. And that would have just left me with more questions.

  “I should have talked to you instead. If I had, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped or hurt.”

  I swallowed and stood, recognizing the pain on his face. He was doing his duty and he thought he’d failed. “It’s not your fault,” I told him.

  “It’s absolutely my fault,” he said, voice rough. “I could have prevented it. I could have—”

  When he broke off, guilt still written all over his face, I took a chance and stepped up to him. He was almost a whole head taller than me and I had to tilt my head to look up at him. I reached up and touched his cheek softly, my fingers catching on the stubble at his jaw.

  When he straightened, I thought for a moment that I’d made a mistake, but then he gripped my hand and held it to his cheek, as though he was taking comfort from my touch.

  “If you hadn’t been there last night, I probably wouldn’t have gotten away,” I reminded him. “Then I’d still be stuck there and—”

  “Don’t,” he said, voice tortured. He squeezed my hand tighter. “I don’t want to think about what might have happened. It’s my job to help protect you.” He swallowed hard again and met my eyes. “I want you to let me.”

  “I’m glad you were there,” I said with a nod. And it was a nice change from him trying to chase me out of town. Nice to know we were on the same side. That I could trust Dylan.

  He released a long breath and backed up, shoving his hands in his pockets. “So. I’d feel better if you stay the night here again.”

  I smiled at him. “Sounds like a good deal to me. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “And I’d also appreciate it if you don’t leave the house unless you tell me where you’re going.” When I frowned, he smiled this time. “For the rest of today. For my own peace of mind.”

  I considered this. It was a small concession considering the circumstances. “All right. Just for today.”

  “And then we can talk about it again once we get through today.”

  With a laugh, I nodded. “Sure. We’ll see.”

  When he joined in my laughter, I felt some of the stress from earlier release.

  “You’re going to have to get used to it,” he said, leaning his shoulder against the wall.

  “Why’s that?”

  “We’re connected now.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “When you did that thing…” He g
estured vaguely in the air. “Whatever it was when you were at Gage’s—projecting yourself to me? So you could talk to me?”

  “Yes?”

  “It kind of left a…”

  “A?”

  “A residual effect? Or something like that.”

  I angled my head. “I still don’t know what you mean.”

  “I mean, I can still feel you. I don’t think it’s permanent because it’s not as strong as it was before, but…” He squinted his eyes like he was having a hard time describing what he meant. “I guess I can still feel you with me. What you feel. That’s how I knew something was wrong here with you and why I came back early.” He shrugged. “I could feel how worried you were.”

  Oh, shit. It hit me all the sudden that if he could feel my distress, he could feel other things. Like how I’d felt with Gage. Completely turned on. I’d already connected with him by that point.

  “Can you, uh…” I cleared my throat. “Can you feel other things, too? Like other emotions besides me being worried?”

  He nodded and grinned before he turned and walked back to the kitchen. “Yep.”

  CHAPTER 16

  That same evening, Grace came back to Dylan’s house with an armful of books and Chinese takeout.

  “Tell me you have wine,” she said to Dylan when I took the bags.

  He squinted his eyes, thinking. “Something I can’t pronounce and something red.”

  “Good enough.” She smiled at me. “Where?”

  “Pantry.”

  She walked around the corner in the kitchen to another door and opened it. I heard her make a noise of approval before she appeared again with a bottle of red wine and a grin.

  “Now we can start the evening,” she said. She pointed to the cupboard. “Get some wine glasses, why don’t you? You’re going to need this.”

  I followed her direction but glanced at Dylan.

  He started removing cartons of Chinese food from the bag. “Grace probably has a plan. She usually does.”

  I set the wine glasses on the table and looked at her. “Let’s hear it.”

  Grace peered in two drawers before she found a wine opener. “Link needs to practice his magic.”