“I want to trust you, Bryce. I really do. But….” I look away. I don’t want him to read in my gaze that I’m also being deceitful. But I can’t share what I know if I don’t trust him. Too many lives might be destroyed if Bryce isn’t the guy I want to believe he is.
“All I’m asking for is another chance.” He pinches my chin between his forefinger and thumb and turns my face to his again. “Please, Daisy.”
“What does that mean?”
“For starters, let us protect you.”
I frown, ready to offer a retort.
“Yes, us,” he continues. “I know you have a connection with the others, and I don’t begrudge you that.”
“Are you saying you don’t care that I slept with Rufio or Phoenix?”
Bryce returns to his side of the car and laughs sarcastically. “Of course I care. I’m flawed and selfish. I don’t want to share you with anybody, not even my brother. But if that’s what you want, if it’s what you need, then I’m game.” He looks at me again.
“And also, I’ve been meaning to return this to you.” He pulls my father’s diary from the storage compartment between our seats. “I’m sorry I’ve kept it for so long.”
I clutch my most precious possession against my chest as I stare at Bryce, speechless. But thankfully, I don’t have to come up with a reply right away, as his phone pings, announcing an income message.
He looks at it, then back up at me. “It’s Morpheus asking where we are.”
“Shit. We totally lost track of time. We have to get back or I’ll be late for class.”
“Don’t worry. We’re not too far from campus. So, are we good?” he asks.
My heart wants me to say yes, but my head hesitates. The gleam of hope dims in his eyes, making me feel guilty as hell.
“I get it. Don’t worry, Daisy. I’ll earn your trust again.”
43
Morpheus
First come the shivers down my spine, and then my hands and arms become numb from the cold. The shadows are restless again but somehow still contained by the bracelets. I stumble out of the cafeteria with my phone already out, not waiting for Rufio and Phoenix to join me. I want to call Bryce, but the hallway is packed with students, and I don’t want to be overheard. No sooner do I finish texting him than someone bumps into my shoulder.
“What the fuck!” I yell, but the culprit, Pietro, doesn’t even look at me. He’s pushing people out of the way as he sprints toward the school’s exit.
What the hell is wrong with him?
“Any word from Bryce yet?” Rufio asks as he and Phoenix join me.
“No.”
“Who are you glowering at?” Phoenix follows my line of sight.
“Pietro Armani. The idiot bumped into me like he’s walking blind.”
“He’s a moron,” Phoenix replies. “He was playing Formula One in the garage the other day.”
White-hot pain flares up on my forehead, making me hiss. I press the heel of my hand against it and close my eyes for a second.
“Oh shit. Is the god in your head again?” Phoenix asks.
“No,” I grit out. “I think I’m about to have another vision.”
Rufio and Phoenix grab each of my forearms and help me walk to an empty classroom. It’s humiliating how my gift can turn me into a useless mess. I take a seat and lean my elbows on the desk, holding my head in my hands. The bracelets are ice cold, and they burn against my skin.
“I’m calling Bryce,” Rufio announces.
Nausea has my stomach rolling, forcing me to clamp my jaw tight. A groan escapes my lips.
“Dude, what can we do to help?” Phoenix asks.
I lift my chin to look at him. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Fuck. Hold on.” He runs to the corner of the classroom and grabs the garbage can.
“Bryce won’t answer the phone now. Son a bitch.” Rufio glares at the device in his hand. Tiny dark veins appear on his cheeks, and his eyes flash brighter.
“Whoa. Don’t you dare go crazy now. I can only handle one of you at a time.” Phoenix sets the garbage can in front of me and steps away.
“Bite me, asshole.” Rufio stares daggers at him.
I open my mouth to tell them to chill the fuck out when another round of white-hot pain slams into my head. I involuntarily close my eyes, and then the vision comes. Bryce’s SUV on the highway, followed by Pietro’s flashy sports car cutting him off, and then an explosion.
My eyes fly open. “Daisy!”
“Daisy what?” Rufio is in front of me. “What did you see?”
I jump out of the chair, ignoring the throbbing pain in my head. “A collision. We need to get on the road immediately.”
BRYCE
It’s hard to keep my eyes on the road when all I want to do is stare at Daisy. I wish I could read minds. There have been occasions when I thought she heard me in her head, but I don’t have any solid proof of that.
But the tension inside the car can’t be denied. Does she regret kissing me? She didn’t hesitate or pull away, but now her body is tense as she’s staring out the window.
“Do you want to listen to some music?” I ask.
“Sure.” She shrugs.
I turn on the radio and tune in to her favorite station, The Freaks. I don’t know what song is playing, but the background noise does little to ease the heaviness in my chest.
“A penny for your thoughts,” I say.
“I’m not thinking about anything worth sharing. I’m just trying to process everything.”
“I never asked you, who gave you that dagger?”
She lets out a heavy sigh. “Strangers. I was on a bus coming back from Saturn’s Bay when it broke down. I wasn’t far from school, so I decided to walk the rest of the way. Then this old couple offered me a ride.”
“You accepted a ride from strangers?” I can’t help the alarm in my voice.
“No, at least not at first. But eventually I did. In hindsight, I think they could have been Knights in disguise. It’s possible they compelled me to hop into their car.”
A strangled noise escapes me. “They could have been working for the ones who are trying to kill you.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” she snaps. “It’s not like I can protect myself from compulsion.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m fucking pissed that I can’t protect you at all times.”
“Nobody can, Bryce. It’s an impossible task.”
My phone stars to ring. I see Rufio’s name flashing on the screen, but I’m not in the mood to deal with him right now.
“It shouldn’t be impossible to me.”
“Because you’re a level seventeen?” Daisy scoffs. “Don’t let your ego go to your head.”
“It’s not my e—” A red sports car zooms past me on the highway. “What the hell!”
A second later, it swerves sharply to the right, completely cutting me off. I press on the brake, but I know I won’t avoid a collision.
“Fuck!”
Daisy yells and everything seems to happen in slow motion. My tires screech while I unbuckle my seat belt with my mind and throw myself in front of Daisy. She reaches for her own seat belt, unbuckling it too.
What the hell? Is she crazy?
She then opens her door and grabs me by the lapel of my jacket, yanking me while she jumps out of the moving car. We both hit the ground hard, but not as hard as we should have with the way my car was speeding. We roll together in a tangle of limbs, ending up on the grassy part of the side of the highway.
It’s then that I realize we were actually moving at a snail’s pace, and suddenly, normal speed returns. My SUV slams into the sports car, and both cars explode in a shower of twisted metal and fire. I throw my body over Daisy’s while projecting my power outward. Bright light envelopes us, shielding us from the blast. But the protective dome can’t deflect the deafening sound of the explosion. The noise seems to go on forever, or maybe it’s just the ringin
g in my ears.
After a moment, I rein in my power, and the brightness fades. The soil surrounding us is charred, and there are still a few pieces of metal that are bright red. Dark smoke is quickly blown in our direction, which can be just as deadly.
“Come on.” I get to my feet, dragging Daisy with me.
She’s staring at everything wide-eyed and with mouth agape. I curl my arm around her shoulder, bringing her flush against my body. She’s shaking, damn it.
Together, we amble away from the crash, but it’s impossible to stop staring at it.
Finally, when we’re at a safe distance, Daisy speaks. “Do you think the other driver was able to get out?”
“Not likely. I don’t know how we did.”
Daisy looks at me, stunned. “You mean you didn’t slow time to a crawl?”
I stare at her for a moment, at a loss for words. “No, Daisy. I can’t bend time.”
“Are you sure? You didn’t know you could heal either.”
I shake my head. “But I knew what I was doing as I healed you. I could feel the power coming from my core. I felt nothing while everything was happening in slow motion. It wasn’t me.”
“What does the power feel like?”
“I… it’s hard to explain.”
The sound of a vehicle approaching grabs my attention. Rufio’s car stops on the other side of the crash. He, Phoenix, and Morpheus jump out, and at first, they don’t see us. Rufio lets out a roar and runs toward the burning mess, ripping at his hair.
“We’re okay,” I yell and wave.
I finally get their attention, and in another second the three of them are standing in front of us. Rufio yanks Daisy from my hold and crushes her into a tight hug.
“Fuck. I thought you were gone,” he whispers.
“I’m okay.” She hugs him back, but after a moment, she eases off.
Rufio gives her a once-over, and then he looks at me. “How did you get out of the car before it exploded?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you okay?” Morpheus asks Daisy.
“Yeah. A bit sore from the jump, but no broken bones or anything.”
“Shit, girl. You’re a disaster magnet.” Phoenix pulls her into his arms now and kisses the top of her head.
“I don’t mean to be,” she replies in a small voice. After a moment, she steps away from him and glances at the wreckage.
I wrap my arm around her waist, needing to offer her comfort as much as I need her to comfort me. I can’t deny that I’m still shaken.
Phoenix turns his attention to the crash site. Then he moves closer to it.
“Where are you going? There could be another explosion,” Morpheus says.
“Do you know who was driving that car?” Daisy asks.
“Yes. Pietro Armani. I had a vision about it,” Morpheus looks at me.
“Shit. Why would he do such a thing?” I ask.
“I don’t know. He left school in a hurry, almost as if he was compelled to go somewhere.”
I don’t miss Morpheus’s insinuation.
“Do you think Drusilla forced him to commit suicide and take us out in the process?” Daisy asks.
Rufio’s gaze darkens, and then it flashes brighter as his dark veins appear. “It has to be her. Who else wants Daisy dead and can use compulsion?”
“Don’t jump to conclusions and do something stupid, Rufio,” I say, dead serious. “You know what the consequence is for Idol-on-Idol murder.”
“What is the consequence?” Daisy asks fearfully.
Rufio stares into her eyes. “Death.”
44
Rufio
There’s absolutely no fucking way I’m going to let Drusilla get away this time. I don’t need proof that she sent Pietro on a suicide mission. Whether she’s guilty of that is irrelevant. She’s tried to kill Daisy twice now, and that’s enough reason for me to end her pitiful existence.
By the time Bryce and Daisy gave their statement to the police and we returned to campus, class was already over for the day. It doesn’t matter. I’ll get Drusilla alone eventually.
But the day is far from over for me. Naturally, my mother wants to have a word with Bryce and me. The moment the office door closes behind us, she begins the interrogation.
“What the hell happened today?”
“I already told you. Pietro decided to play kamikaze,” Bryce replies.
“I do not appreciate your tone, young man. I spent my entire afternoon on the phone with board members trying to explain how three of my students were involved in a fatal car accident. Never mind the other incident that I had to sweep under the rug.”
“What other incident? Drusilla’s murder attempt on Daisy?” I ask.
Mom narrows her eyes, clamping her jaw shut. “No, Morpheus going psychopathic on Drusilla.”
“The only reason Morpheus used his gift on her was to protect Daisy. You asked me to keep her safe. Is that no longer your priority?” Bryce takes a menacing step toward our mother’s desk.
“Of course it’s my priority, but Morpheus isn’t even a full-blooded Idol. His parents are Fringes, so it was much harder for me to convince the board to not expel him.”
“If Morpheus goes, then I’ll go,” I say.
“Me too,” Bryce adds.
“Oh please. Your childish threats are ridiculous.” Mom waves her hand dismissively.
“They aren’t threats. Maybe I’ll join the Knights,” Bryce grits out.
Finally we get something from our mother other than contempt. Her face blanches. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I beg to differ. I did spend an entire weekend with them, after all.”
“What do you mean, you spent an entire weekend with the Knights?” Mom rises from her chair.
“Exactly what I said.”
“Bryce, don’t even say that as a joke. The Knights are a radical group, and most are wanted dead. They’re dangerous.”
“Really? I was under the impression you were buddies.” Bryce raises an eyebrow.
Mom’s eyes widen. “Don’t ever repeat such blasphemy. The Knights are traitors to our kind.”
“Aren’t you a traitor as well?” I ask. “Didn’t you have a Norm lover when you were younger?”
“Where did you hear that?”
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s high time you share with us what you want with Daisy and why you played us like fools.”
Mom rubs her face and sits back down, swiveling her chair to face the window.
“It’s true that I fell in love with a Norm once. His name was William, and he was the most wonderful man I’ve ever met. But of course, your grandfather would have never allowed his only daughter to marry a lowly Norm.” Mom turns to us, her mouth twisted into an ugly grin. “I don’t need to tell you the grim details of how that story ended.”
“Our father killed him,” Bryce says.
Mom’s eyebrows twitch. “You were eavesdropping on my argument with your father, weren’t you?”
“Yes. What I don’t get is why you had to call Mr. X right afterward,” Bryce continues.
“Xavier was William’s adopted brother. And you wanted to know where Daisy fits in all this, right? William’s last name was Rodale. He was Daisy’s uncle.”
And just like that, Mom dropped a bomb on us. I’m stunned, and by the look on Bryce’s face, so is he.
“Does Daisy know?” Bryce asks.
“No. Xavier is adamant that she never finds out.”
“Why? He’s her only living relative besides her sister,” I say.
“He’s afraid if people find out, it’ll put Daisy and Rosie in danger.”
“That’s bullshit. If he was so concerned about Daisy’s safety, he would have pulled her out of here after the first attempt on her life. Or better yet, he would off Drusilla himself,” I say.
“Rufio, I’m only going to say this once. Stop your obsession with Drusilla. She wasn’t the one who tried
to drown Daisy, and she wasn’t in school today either.”
“What? Bullshit.”
“I’m not lying. She went home this weekend and was absent today. So if Pietro was compelled to cause the accident, it wasn’t her doing.”
“You don’t think he truly committed suicide, do you?”
“I can’t rule out any possibility.”
“No, no way. Pietro was a narcissistic junkie. He wouldn’t simply kill himself,” I say.
“You don’t know what goes on in the head of anyone, son. But now that you know all the facts, I hope you forget your need for revenge. I can’t deal with any more scandals in this school, especially with the Founder’s Ball coming up.”
“It’s that time of the year again? It seems you just forced us to attend the idiotic event,” Bryce grumbles.
“Yes, it’s that time again, and you’d better make sure it goes smoothly.”
Bryce and I trade glances. He’s grimacing, and I’m sure I share a similar expression. He dealt with his obligation in previous years by being his weird, antisocial self. Phoenix, Morpheus, and I got high and drunk out of our minds. It was during last year’s Founder’s Ball that I made the mistake of hooking up with Drusilla. Yeah, happy memories. I’m so not looking forward to this year’s bullshit.
MORPHEUS
I wait until Phoenix goes to the gym before I check on Daisy. I’m sure he stopped by her room first on his way out, but I don’t sense his presence anymore. I grab the plastic container sitting on top of the counter and head out.
My heart is beating a little faster than usual as I wait outside her room. I’m not sure why I’m nervous. I knock before I lose my nerve. When Daisy opens the door, the feeling that I’m way out of my depth increases.
“Hey,” I say like an idiot.
“Hi. Did you come to check on me too? I’m fine.”
“Yeah, I can see you’re fine. I brought treats.” I offer her the box.
She peers through the plastic lid. “Cake?”
“My mother sends me baked goods sometimes. The only reason I have some left is because Bryce didn’t see it.”
Ruthless Idols: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 2) Page 24
