Sebastian rubs his jaw, where Jack punched him after he’d been clued into said loop. Let’s just say Jack wasn’t too fond of Sebastian training me to confront Ludvikas—the jackhole vampire who’s been sending lackeys to kill me. “Yeah, I remember. He’s got one hell of a right hook.”
“I’m sorry he hit you. He had no right to do that.”
“Yes, he did. I would have done the same thing in his shoes.”
“No, he didn’t. Like I told him, I am fully capable of learning how to fight my own battles. I don’t need him puffing out his chest and going all macho or getting all antsy because he feels he has to be the one protecting me from the world.” I poke him in the upper arm. “The same goes for you.”
He raises a hand in defense. “I’m not going to hold you back. I saw what you did to the tree back there. I will, however, always have your back. Your battles are my battles.”
“Well, as long as we’re clear.” I nudge him with my shoulder and he brings up our linked hands, kissing the back of mine.
Knowing he has my back has me feeling slightly less nervous about going to the center, which is probably why the rain pouring down around us has finally faded into a light drizzle. Thank the heavens, because I don’t think the ground can soak up anymore. It’s already sloshing up over my Chucks every time I take a step.
“No.” He drops my hand and breaks into a sprint without another word.
I chase after him, only to come to an abrupt halt. Broken glass litters the pavement around his car, as well as in it. Someone bashed in every single window along with both headlights and taillights. A series of dents covers the hood and doors while the side mirrors hang broken and limp.
Who would do something like this?
Why would someone do this?
Glass crunches under the soles of my Chucks as I move in for a closer look. On the other side of the car, Sebastian lets out a string of obscenities that would give my Aunt Claudia a heart attack if she were here. I, however, barely hear it over the sound of blood rushing through my ears as I crouch down near the passenger side door. My eyes lock onto the soft blue petals of a rose just visible from underneath the frame. My hand shakes as I reach under to grab it.
I know who did this.
3
“Did you find something?” Sebastian asks as he rounds the back of the car.
I crush the head of the flower in my hand, popping it off the stem as I stand with it hidden behind my back. “No. Just more glass.” I swallow the lump in my throat, then stuff the flower head into my back pocket. There is no way I can tell him who did this without giving away what I’ve done. He doesn’t exactly know about Evan, either.
He nods, then kicks at the glass before pulling out his phone.
Turning in a slow circle, I search everywhere for signs of Evan and come up empty-handed. He is either not here or well hidden. A shiver runs down my back as I face the car. This is bad. This is really, really bad.
I know Jack said messing with someone’s emotions could backfire in disastrous ways, but the snake in class, and now this? It’s bordering on dangerous. Could Evan have somehow twisted happiness into some sick obsession for me? The snake in class so I wouldn’t have to present my paper when I wasn’t ready, and Sebastian’s car now because… because… I don’t know, he saw me kiss Sebastian in the park and he’s jealous?
I really need to speak to Ivy about a reversal spell, which was the original plan for today before it all went sideways.
I scan the streets one more time, but still don’t see Evan anywhere.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s not Evan at all. Maybe it was someone else. Sebastian is a chaser. I’m sure he probably has enemies of his own. So really, this could have been anybody.
Or I’m deluding myself with wishful thinking because no matter what excuses I come up with to deny it, I can’t shake this gnawing feeling in my gut. Add in the flower…
With my back turned to Sebastian, I pull the rose head back out. Evan used to leave flowers for me everywhere. Leaving the blue rose here could be his way of letting me know he’s watching, and he’s not happy about what he’s seeing. I stuff it back into my pocket and swivel around to find Sebastian still on the phone arranging for someone to pick up his car.
I’m going to run to Hammond’s Bakery. I’m supposed to pick up donuts. Meet me there when you’re done? I half-whisper half-mouth. He nods and I take off down the street with my fingers crossed. With any luck, I’ll be able to sneak across the alley and pick up a reversal spell too before things can get any worse. Because if Evan really is responsible for the things I’m accusing him of, what if he ends up hurting somebody next time? Really hurting somebody. It would be all my fault because I did this to him.
By the time I make it to the bakery, I’m so consumed by the idea of Evan hurting someone, I can’t tell if it’s me shaking uncontrollably or if it’s the earth shaking beneath my feet. I really hope I’m wrong about him, about all of it, but the stupid blue rose won’t stop flashing in my mind. His mom’s flower shop is the only one I’ve ever seen carry them.
Lack of oxygen has the world dipping and swaying beneath me, and I lean against the brick façade of Hammond’s Bakery to catch my breath. Keep it together, Indi. Books and Brew is right down the alley. All you have to do is get the spell, and this mess with Evan will be over.
Pulling myself together, I wring out my hair and clothes out as best as I can and head inside. My wet shoes squeak over the floor, gaining the attention of table closest to me.
I spot Sherry and head toward the counter. She’s got her dark hair pulled up into a tidy bun on top of her head, and a strawberry-colored smile on her face for the woman seated on the stool in front of her. My shoe squeaks loudly and she turns her eyes toward me, her gaze running over me from head to toe. “Oh no. Looks like someone got caught in the rain.”
“Yeah. Sorry about the floors.”
“No worries. Tommy will take care of it. What can I get for you today, Indi? Besides a towel?” She winks and flashes me a smile.
“The usual will be good. Plus two hot chocolates and an apple fritter, please.” I’d skip over this part and head straight for Books and Brew, but if I show up at the house empty-handed, Jack will question me. I’ll probably have a panic attack given, well, everything. He’ll question me some more, and in my panicked state I’ll either pass out or spill my guts in a rush without thinking about what I’m saying. I could end up telling him not only about Seth, but about Evan too, and that would be disastrous. Telling him about Seth will be bad enough. Telling him about Evan will be too much, and he’ll likely make good on his threat to tell Aunt Claudia and Uncle Caleb about what’s going on with me. Then it’ll be game over. No more magic. No memories of ever having it.
I glance out the window for signs of Sebastian, then turn my gaze down the hall. “Hey, Sherry. Is it okay if I use the bathroom while you ring me up?”
“Sure thing.” She busies herself with my order, and I head down the hall.
Outside the bathroom, I pause to look back over my shoulder to make sure no one is paying attention, then slip into the storage room, hoping I don’t run into Hector. He likes to sneak behind the storage shelves to enjoy “free” donuts when Mrs. Hammond isn’t working. I don’t know how he hasn’t been fired already.
I tiptoe further into the room, my heart pounding in my chest as I look around. Empty. Thank the stars above. Being questioned by Hector on why I’m there—or why I won’t go on a date with him, followed by his argument that being four years older than me isn’t that taboo—isn’t something I have time for at the moment. I’m going to be cutting it close as it is with Sebastian.
Without another moment’s hesitation, I hurry to the back door leading out into the alley. Books and Brew is right across the way. I’ll run over, get what I need for the spell, and be back before anyone knows I’m gone.
I prop a cinder block inside the door to keep it from closing, then dart across the alley. Al
l my hopes sink into the ground the second I read the sign on the door.
Closed for the week.
Great. What am I supposed to do now?
Jack swings the front door open, a set of keys clutched in his hand. “Holy cheese balls!” He slaps a hand to his chest, all the color draining from his features at seeing Sebastian and I standing on the other side. I bite my lip to keep from laughing at the look on his face. No wonder Uncle Caleb gets a kick out of scaring us all the time.
“Did he just say holy cheese balls?” The corner of Sebastian’s mouth lifts in an amused grin.
Ignoring Sebastian, Jack focuses on me, the green in his hazel eyes dominating over the brown, which means he is either thrilled to see me or really worried. My money is on the latter by the way he’s scanning me from head to toe.
“Where have you been?” he demands. “I was getting ready to come look for you. You were taking forever, and you weren’t answering your phone. I thought something might have happened to you again. Did something happen?” He rakes a hand through his dark brown hair, getting a fingernail stuck on the strands.
Yep. Definitely worried if he’s been biting his nails.
He yanks his hand free with a slight flinch at ripping out a few strands. “I knew I should have gone with you to Hammond’s. I’m so stupid. Vampires are targeting you, and all I do is give you a stake and a knife. Why do I keep letting you talk me into thinking you’re okay on your own? You barely know about this world and—”
“Jack, stop. I’m fine. You’re fine. We’re all fine.” Mostly fine, anyway. After I tell him what happened with Seth, though… My stomach churns, and I push away his imagined reaction of freaking out and spewing all my secrets to my aunt and uncle before it gives me a full-blown panic attack.
Who knows, maybe he’ll take it better than I think he will?
Yeah, right.
Coco darts past Jack’s legs with an excited bark, startling him a second time. He jumps and drops his keys onto the foyer floor, while Sebastian kneels to scratch Coco behind the ears. I can’t help it, this time I do laugh, if for no other reason than to release some of the tension tying my insides into knots. I have a feeling no one will be laughing after I tell him and Liv I can somehow turn vampires human again.
Jack narrows his eyes, shooting me a really, Indi? glare.
I hold out the box of donuts. “Peace offering?” He continues firing daggers at me with his eyes, so I lift the lid. “I got your requested éclair, plus an apple fritter because I know you love those too.” And because I’m hoping it’ll serve as a bribe to keep your mouth shut when I tell you about Seth. “Hmm?” I give the box a little shake and smile for good measure.
Jack takes the box from my hands. “All is forgiven. But you know I hate it when things jump out at me. It’s bad enough Dad does it all the time. I don’t need it from you and Coco too.”
“Technically, I didn’t jump out at you. I was just simply standing on the porch minding my own business when you opened the door so…”
“Whatever. You two look like drowned rats. You better come in and get changed before you end up sick on top of everything else.” Jack stuffs half of the éclair into his mouth with a moan before looking Sebastian up and down. “I sh…d have so…ing that…il…f…you.” He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, then stuffs the rest of the éclair in it. Turning toward the stairs, he motions for us to follow.
Sebastian hesitates on the porch. “What did he say?”
I laugh. “He said he should have something that will fit you.”
“You understood that?”
“With the way Jack eats, I learned a long time ago how to decipher his mouthful speak.”
“Impressive. Because I didn’t understand a thing.”
Sebastian follows me inside and we both shed our shoes at the door so we’re not tracking mud throughout the house. Aunt Claudia would have a fit if she saw muddy footprints on the floors. The lady is a neat freak. I search the immediate area, remembering she said something about taking this weekend off. I don’t see her anywhere, which is probably for the best. She wouldn’t like us leaving puddles on the hardwood either.
I take Sebastian’s hand. “Come on, before we drip too much onto the floors.” I lead Sebastian toward the stairs when Uncle Caleb suddenly pops out from around the corner. I jump, nearly slipping on the water collecting around my feet. I guess that’s what I get for laughing at Jack.
Uncle Caleb holds out a plate with a stack of frittata muffins on it. “Care to try one? It’s a new recipe.”
“I’ll try one.” Sebastian grabs a muffin before I get the chance to stop him. He takes a large bite. Two seconds later, his chewing slows to a crawl. The corners of his mouth quirk into a jerky smile, the rest of his expression screaming, spit it out! Spit. It. Out! He swallows, gagging a little as it goes down. “Did I taste A1 sauce, pickles, and oranges in there?”
“Yes, you did. Amazing, isn’t it?” Uncle Caleb pops a chunk of muffin into his mouth as he pats Sebastian on the back. He chews and swallows with real gusto. Uncle Caleb’s sense of what tastes good and what doesn’t is so off. On his way to the living room, he leans in at my shoulder. His eyes shift to Sebastian, then back to me. “Door open.”
Sebastian smirks. Heat deposits in every inch of my face until it’s practically on fire. Of course he would hear him. My uncle’s quiet voice isn’t exactly as quiet as he thinks it is. Then again, he probably wanted Sebastian to hear, which is even more embarrassing.
“I know, Uncle Caleb,” I grind out in a whisper between my teeth.
“So long as you do.” Taking another bite of his disgusting frittata, Uncle Caleb walks off as though he didn’t just humiliate me into wanting to melt into the floor.
Sebastian pinches his rain soaked shirt between his thumb and finger. He glances over at me with a devilish gleam in his eyes. “So, should I leave the door open while I strip down and change into something a little less wet?”
“No.” I shove him into the banister—my face no doubt ten times redder than it was before—giving him exactly the reaction he wanted.
4
“If the only thing you’re going to do is stare at your donut, I might as well eat it.” Pushing his way across the carpet in his desk chair, Jack holds out a hand. I gaze up at him from my position on the floor at the foot of his bed. He cocks an eyebrow. He knows the only time I can’t eat is when I’m harboring bad news he isn’t going to want to hear. Plus, with the amount of nerves wreaking havoc throughout every inch of my body, I’m sure I don’t have the most serene face at the moment either. To keep from confirming his suspicions and spilling said bad news just yet, I bite off a chunk. I still don’t know how to tell him about Seth without him going into overly-protective-cousin mode.
The door opens before Jack gets a chance to question me like I know he wants to. Thank the stars above because I so need more time to come up with a convincing speech. The short distance between the bakery and home did not give me enough time to sort everything out, though not for a lack of trying. Truth be told, a hundred different scenarios and conversations between my cousins and me played out within my head. They just all sucked. Maybe there really is no good way to tell them because no matter how much I’m freaking out over Seth’s revelation, they’re going to freak out more.
I shift my eyes to Sebastian standing in the doorway. He’s wearing a pair of Jack’s light gray sweatpants, a plain white t-shirt that hugs the curve of his muscles, and no socks. There’s a two-inch scar down the top center of his left foot. I wonder how he got it, how many other scars he has from being a chaser, and if I’ll have as many as him one day now that I’ve been dumped into the deep end of the supernatural pool.
If I can scar, that is.
After I died for those few minutes after being bitten by a vampire, I’ve had the ability to self heal, but whether it’s from emerging vampire traits or latent abilities from my angelic side is the million-dollar question. One I’m
scared to death to know the answer to, if I’m being honest. Becoming anything like a bloodsucking fiend terrifies me to no end. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle it if it turns out that’s where my healing powers come from. Because if it does, what if it then means I’ll eventually develop other traits too? And by other traits, I mean the one where I crave blood.
“I may have used all the mouthwash in the bathroom,” Sebastian says, interrupting my thoughts and saving me from spiraling into my nightmares. He wipes at his tongue with the palm of his hand while flicking his gaze in my direction. “I can’t get the taste of your uncle’s frittata out of my mouth.”
Liv smacks me across the side of the head. “You let him eat one of Dad’s frittata’s? What’s wrong with you? Why do you think Chuck never comes around anymore?”
I look over my shoulder at her. Lying on her belly with her head propped in her hand, she stares at me as she drums her fingers over the bedspread. “Um, because you dumped him after your one and only study date for being a sloppy kisser.” I put ‘study date’ into air quotes because we both know no studying is ever done when she has a boy over. It’s all flirty looks and make out sessions.
“Yeah, well…” She looks a little lost for words with her lips pinched and her eyes opened wide. “Technically, yes.” She holds up a pointed finger. “But also because he ate a frittata and vowed never to come back because he said Dad was trying to poison him. So there.” She flips a chunk of red curls over her shoulder and juts her chin out.
Sebastian sits down beside me and grabs the last donut from the open box on the floor. He crosses his ankles, taking a bite while the room falls back into silence. He nudges me with an elbow, then nods his head toward my cousins. His way of asking if I’m going to tell them about Seth. I promised Jack and Liv I wouldn’t keep any more secrets from them, but—gah!—I’m so scared to tell this one because it has the potential to complicate everything. I’d almost rather tell them about Evan.
Of Darkness & Light: Blood Descent Book 2 Page 3
