Unraveled i-2

by Gena Showalter

  Never ceased to amaze him, how different things now were. Only a few weeks ago, this boy had treated him like a leper. “In a minute,” he returned. There was only one shower stall, so there’d be a wait. He’d rather spend the time out here. Besides, he kind of liked the thought of going to therapy covered in horse shit.

  Seth paused. He braced his arms against the sides of the barn door, keeping his back to Aden. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure,” he said, dread leaking into his voice. He pushed his rake into the ground and leaned against the long, thin handle. “Ask.”

  “I heard Shannon tell Ryder that you’ve got girls coming into your room at all hours of the night.”

  Okay. Not too terrible a topic. “Only two girls, and yes.”

  Seth swung around, one corner of his lip curved up. “You dating both?”

  “Just one, but the other is taken, too.” And Riley will gut you if you go near her.

  “Oh.” Seth’s shoulders sagged. “Maybe you could invite others and, I don’t know, introduce us?”

  Aden almost grinned. “Next week, maybe.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I know a girl. Stephanie. Very pretty. And she has four friends who I’m sure are pretty, too.” No better way to get rid of his unwanted dates than to foist them off on other guys. “I haven’t met them yet, but I know you’ll love them.”

  “That’d be great.” Seth tossed him a parting grin and loped off.

  “Finally. We are alone,” a female voice said from behind him.

  Aden whipped around as one of the horses whinnied. An unfamiliar girl stood at the end of the barn. She wore a red tank top and a pair of black jeans that molded to her legs. Girls at Crossroads High wore similar attire every day, but on her it looked odd, out of place and uncomfortable.

  He studied the rest of her. She had shoulder-length brown hair and dark eyes that slanted up at the corners. Her skin was pale, and she was smiling. That smile wasn’t a happy one. Two sharp fangs poked into her bottom lip, revealing the predator she was.

  Please tell me this is your next date, Caleb said, finally deigning to speak to Aden.

  His next date? Aden tried not to groan.

  She appeared older than Victoria by at least ten years, but he supposed that made her young by vampire standards. Vampires aged much, much slower than humans, and the older the vampire, the less their skin could tolerate the bright rays of the sun without blistering. Victoria was “only” eighty-something—that still made him chuckle, since he’d once teased her about being his grandma Vicky—and she could still roam freely.

  “I see you’re looking at my clothes. Stephanie told us colors were now acceptable, and that you actually preferred them. What do you think?” This new vampire twirled, dark gaze remaining on him as long as possible.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, which was true. She did. She just wasn’t his type.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Draven.”

  An unusual and pretty name. “I’m Aden Stone.”

  “I know.” She moved toward him. Floated, really, so graceful were her movements. As she passed, the horses bucked, but she paid them no heed. “We’ve met. You do not remember?” A pout curved her bright red lips. “I was there the night you met each of my—your people. You told me you were so happy to make my acquaintance.”

  Oops. “Uh, now I remember,” he lied. Too many faces, too many names. No one stood out. And really, he’d said the same thing to everyone.

  Tell her she’s hot and you could never forget someone like her, Caleb instructed.

  We aren’t prowling for babes, Julian admonished. We do have a girlfriend.

  Actually, I have a girlfriend, Aden thought, but they couldn’t hear him.

  “I’m here because every king requires a queen, and you are in need of one. And I’ll be honest. I resisted the thought of being bound to a human at first, but I now think we would be a perfect fit.” Her voice dipped huskily, her gaze on the pulse at the base of his neck. “I still feel the pull of you, and I find it…delicious.”

  He liked when Victoria told him that. Draven? Not so much.

  Lucky, Caleb said. She’s hot and she wants you.

  “Actually—”

  Draven reached him and traced a white-hot fingertip along his jawline. “You will discover that I’m much better suited for you than Victoria. I,” she added, leaning all the way into him and sniffing, “will do anything you ask. Anything.”

  He wasn’t dumb. He knew what she was implying, and so did the souls.

  I’ll take her! Caleb said.

  You’ll also get us stabbed and killed sooner rather than later, Elijah grumbled. She’s power-hungry. A man-eater.

  Even better.

  Dude. Julian tsked. Were you a pervert in your other life? Like I already said, we’ve got Victoria. We don’t need this one harshing our mellow. Do you remember those trees Victoria battered? We flirt with this girl, and that’ll be our head.

  We? Aden had Victoria, and they needed to start remembering that. “That’s sweet of you to offer,” he told Draven, then coughed again. So uncomfortable. “To do anything, I mean, but, uh, nothing like that will be necessary.”

  I think I hate you right now, Caleb grumbled.

  You should be thanking him, Elijah said with a sigh.

  Draven’s eyes narrowed, her lashes fusing together. “Well, if you change your mind…the offer has no time limit. Now, what shall we do for our date, hmm?” Hot breath trekked over his face, and he stepped back. “I know humans enjoy having dinner together. We could eat.” Her attention returned to his pulse and she laughed. “Or I could.”

  “I’d prefer not to be the main course, thanks. Or dessert,” he added before she could.

  She shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Then let’s get to know each other better.” The words were purred. “That’s why I’m here, after all.”

  She couldn’t be more obvious. Elijah’s disgust was clear. She wants to be queen, nothing more. If you marry her, you’ll be in pieces by the time she’s finished with you.

  “Yeah, I kind of figured that out on my own,” he muttered. First, Aden wasn’t marrying anyone. Not even Victoria. Not yet. He was only sixteen. Well, almost seventeen. Second…he realized he didn’t have a second point.

  “Figured what out?” Draven asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

  He had that effect on everyone. “Oh, uh. Nothing. Listen.” He backed up a few more steps, placing himself out of striking distance. “For our date, we can sit there, in the hay—” he pointed to one of the empty stalls “—and talk about any laws you’d like to see changed.” Easy. Innocent.

  The grind of her teeth echoed from the wooden walls. “Sitting in hay and talking about laws isn’t romantic.”

  “I never promised romance.” God, he wanted this to end. Did Victoria know Draven was here? If so, was she currently bottling her feelings? Part of him certainly hoped so. Unbottling her was fun.

  “You studied the stars with Stephanie.” Irritation radiated from Draven. “When she met with your councilmen, she extolled the virtues of such a pastime. Now, I would like to study the stars.”

  The candidates really were reporting their “dates” with him. Talk about embarrassing! “Sky’s clear right now. If you want to look at the stars, you’ll have to come back tonight,” he said, knowing full well he wouldn’t be available. First, therapy. Then dinner. Then he’d be in town with his friends, hunting. “You aren’t allowed to drink from any of the humans here, though, and that’s an…order. From your king.”

  Embracing the role of sovereign? Elijah asked.

  No. Yes. Crap. Desperate times and all that. He’d only said what was necessary.

  Draven popped her jaw, even as she bowed her head in acknowledgment of his command. “I will not harm your friends, Majesty. You have my word.”

  “Thank you.”

  “However, I cannot visit tonight. You may not know this, but gua
rds are posted around our home at all times. We all take turns protecting what’s ours. Tonight, from midnight until six, I must patrol the grounds. Unless you relieve me of my duties…” She reached out and drew a fingertip across his collarbone. She was close enough to touch again, yet he’d never seen her move.

  He had to arch his back to avoid further contact. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. That wouldn’t be fair to the others.” Impartiality, yeah, that’s what he was all about.

  Her hand fell heavily to her side. “Very well,” she said stiffly. “We will postpone our date, then.”

  Not if he could help it. “Great. Can’t wait.” Except that I can. Forever.

  “Until then.” Draven turned and floated from the barn, leaving him alone with a sudden sense of doom.

  EIGHTEEN

  A few hours earlier…

  THE DAY PASSED in a haze for Mary Ann, classes and tests and friends mere blips in her mind. Riley had ignored her, even though they shared the same schedule. That was more than a blip, but not the cause of her upset.

  There were only two more days until the witches’ death curse took effect. If it did. Health-wise, she still felt fine. And yet, she’d never felt so helpless. Or more desperate. “What if” was a constant refrain inside her head. What if she went to sleep in two days and never woke up? What if her heart simply stopped beating? What if a car plowed into her?

  If she had to round up every witch in the area and call a meeting to order herself, she would. And she would—hey. Wait. Her eyes widened as her mind whirled. Maybe she could do that. What if she used her…aptitude for sensing magic to find the witches, kinda like following her very own yellow brick road, and forced them into the same location?

  Finally, a “what if” she liked.

  Would calling a meeting to order herself count, though? Or would she simply earn the wrath of some very powerful women?

  Worth trying, she thought. And besides, she’d already earned their wrath. So, next question: when to begin? Aden would be busy most of the evening; he had an appointment with his therapist and a dinner at the D and M Ranch. But Riley and Victoria, and even Lauren, could help her. They’d all planned to meet up anyway, but if Mary Ann struck out on her own, she could find the witches, call her friends, and they could bag and tag. Of course, Victoria and Lauren might wonder exactly how Mary Ann was able to sense witches now, and Riley had told her not to tell anyone about her new ability. With very good reason.

  Crap. Victoria and Lauren were out. Mary Ann would have to rely on Riley. Only Riley. Her stomach clenched. He was clearly angry with her again. After all, she hadn’t told him about Aden’s possible murder. And she’d broken up with him, had meant it, and she wouldn’t change her mind. Don’t cry. That didn’t mean they had to stay away from each other, though. Didn’t mean they couldn’t be civil. They could work together, amicably, to save their lives. Couldn’t they? Yes. Yes, they could. And next time she saw him, she would tell him so. Even yell at him if she had to.

  He’d commanded his brothers—the snow-white wolf and the golden wolf who had followed her and Penny that night—to walk her home after school and had taken off. Where he’d gone, she didn’t know. She’d asked the brothers, but they had ignored her, merely keeping step beside her.

  Now she pounded inside her house, shutting the two out before they could race past the front door. Her dad could barely tolerate Riley. No way she’d introduce him to two more wolves. Wolves she didn’t even know, at that. Wolves who clearly hadn’t wanted her to know them.

  “How old are you?” she’d asked both after failing to gain Riley’s location.

  Nothing.

  “Do you have the same parents as Riley?”

  Nothing.

  “Are you nervous about the death curse placed on him?”

  Again, nothing.

  Finally she’d given up on that, too. Her relationship with their brother was over—seriously, don’t cry—so of course they hated her and wanted nothing to do with her.

  She sighed. Her dad was still at work, the house silent. Mary Ann sprinted up the stairs, down the hall and into her bedroom. All the colors splashed throughout blended together and created a bright rainbow haze. Usually she found comfort in that. Today, not so much.

  At her desk, she withdrew her cell phone from her backpack and sat down. Are you really going to do this?

  A moment passed before she nodded. Oh, yes. She was going to do this. There was no other way. Just after she punched the first word in her text, her house phone rang. Frowning, she leaned over to the unit poised at the edge of her desk and glanced at the caller ID. Penny.

  Though she felt harried, Mary Ann answered. “Hello.”

  “Hey, you. You raced out of school today before I could talk to you.”

  “Sorry. I just—” What? Telling the truth wasn’t an option.

  “I hardly see you anymore. Unless you’re sneaking out, that is. Which brings me to the reason I’m calling.” There was so much glee in Penny’s tone, Mary Ann had no doubts about what her friend was thinking.

  “I can’t sneak out again,” she lied, and hated herself. Honesty was prized, but she didn’t want Penny involved in tonight’s hunt. “I need my rest.” Now that was the truth. She needed it, but she wouldn’t get it.

  “Oh. Well, that’s too bad because I hear a big group of kids will be making an appearance in town tonight.”

  Mary Ann groaned. “That’s not safe.”

  “The fun things never are.”

  “You’re going?”

  “Nah. Not if you’re staying in. The baby…”

  “Are you sick?”

  “A little. Only, it’s not just morning sickness anymore. It’s now nighttime sickness, too. And get this. I think I saw Tucker today.”

  Mary Ann straightened, her ears perking. “Me, too. Yesterday, I mean, but I wasn’t sure.”

  “I know the feeling. He was in the trees when I walked out of school. Not that he bothered to come talk to me, the bastard. And he was gone so fast I couldn’t tell if it had really been him to begin with.”

  What was he doing, lurking about? After surviving a vampire attack, he’d vowed to behave. “Just…be careful. Okay?”

  “I will. Love you, Mary Contrary.”

  “Love you, too, Penn.”

  As she hung up, Mary Ann spied another of her candy bars from the corner of her eye. Her mouth didn’t water, but she found herself ripping past the wrapper, lifting the chocolate sticks and holding them to her nose, sniffing. Not a single hunger pang, no flooding of moisture in her mouth.

  She’d been without any food for nearly a week. Well, except for that one bite of Snickers, but it didn’t count since she’d immediately barfed. In front of Riley. How mortifying. His opinion doesn’t matter. You can’t have him.

  Don’t cry.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat, set the candy bar aside and reclaimed her cell phone. With trembling fingers, she typed the rest of the text to Riley. He rarely used his phone, but she wasn’t going to concern herself with that. It would be his fault if he missed her message.

  In two hours, I’m hunting witches. Either come with me or don’t. Up to you. Either way, I’m headed out without the others.

  Good or bad, she had to try to find them, and she had to go before her dad got home. That way, she could leave him a note—studying with friends, be back later—and not have to endure the Spanish Inquisition.

  Are you really going to do this?

  Yes, she thought again. She was. Though her trembling increased, she pressed “send.”

  ADEN LAY ON Dr. Hennessy’s couch again, the room dimmed, that same tranquil music playing in the background. He waited…craving answers…

  “Did you take your medication today?” the doctor asked him.

  “Yes,” he lied.

  “If that’s so, why aren’t your pupils dilated?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t had any medical training.”

  Good one,
Caleb said, mentally high-fiving him. Julian laughed.

  Behave, Elijah cautioned. We have to tread carefully.

  “Do you like the souls, Aden? Is that why you refuse my aid?”

  Aid? Ha! For once, Aden opted for honesty with this man. “Actually, Dr. Hennessy, I just don’t like you.”

  “I see.” The good doctor didn’t seem like he cared.

  “What did you do to me, the last time I was here?”

  “What I always do. Talk. Listen.”

  Hardly. “And you plan to talk and listen to me again this evening?”

  “Of course. Mr. Reeves is very pleased with your progress. He says you now get along with the other boys at the ranch. He says you’re doing your schoolwork and are even impressing your teachers. But he also says you’re still talking to yourself, and you and I both know why that is, Aden. Don’t we?”

  He stiffened, even as the soft lounge beneath him begged him to relax. “You tell me.” He would have to act soon. He couldn’t risk being sucked under again. No telling what the doctor would do.

  “I’ve encountered your kind before, you know.”

  “Crazy?”

  “No. A…what did you call yourself? A magnet.”

  And he’d thought himself stiff before. He’d never told Dr. Hennessy he saw himself as a supernatural magnet, but he had thought it. He’d told Mary Ann and the others, but none of them would have confided in Dr. Hennessy. Which meant that the doctor had dragged the confession out of him, without his awareness.

  What else had he learned?

  Not yet. Steady. He wanted to gather as much information as he could before acting.

  “No lies to feed me? That’s not like you, Aden.”

  “You mentioned that you’ve met others.”

  “Yes.”

  “Who? When? What could they do?” Did he believe Dr. Hennessy? No.

  But lies could be checked out, information verified—or not.

  Good. Keep him talking, Elijah said.

  “What do you know of your parents?” the doctor asked, rather than answer him.