by Jana Oliver
As she dressed, Riley’s emotions boiled like a pool of lava. It was silly, but she’d dreamed of floating down the long staircase at Stewart’s house as her handsome beau waited for her. She’d even made a test trip down the stairs to judge how much the dress would be a problem with her heels. When no one else was around, of course.
Now there was no Beck.
‘Damn!’ she swore, tugging her tights in place.
The dinner would have been so cool, but the dance was the big event. How stupid would she look if he didn’t show up? It was a good bet Alan would certainly notice and he’d be all over her about it. He wouldn’t back off no matter what she said.
Why did Beck have to go trapping tonight? Why couldn’t he have refused?
Once home, Beck raced through his shower, did a quick shave, threw on his suit, hastily knotted his new tie and fled out the door. It was pure torment not to exceed the speed limit, but with his luck a cop would pull him over and he’d get into an argument and end up in jail.
I’m like some kid on his first date.
He felt like one too. Riley made everything new and shiny, and he wanted that feeling to last, but his first big chance to make a good impression was falling apart before his eyes. He hoped this wasn’t a harbinger of their future together.
Riley had been so caught up in her own misery that she hadn’t noticed the car had come to a stop in the hotel parking lot. Simi and Peter looked over the front seat in unison, concerned.
Riley sighed. I have a gorgeous dress and a ticket to the dance. Suck it up.
She followed her friends towards the hotel’s entrance, trailing beside them. As Riley drew near, Peter took her hand. Then he ran his arm round Simi’s waist.
‘Hey, look at me. I’ve got two hot girls with me tonight.’
When Riley didn’t smile, he sighed. ‘Beck will be here. That guy would walk through fire to spend time with you.’
‘What he said,’ Simi added.
‘I hope you’re right,’ Riley replied. ‘I only want to see his face. Know he’s safe. I’m mad at him but . . .’
God, I have it bad.
Riley shuffled through the line and checked in, then followed her friends into the hotel’s courtyard. It was an open area with skylights that offered a magnificent view of the clear night sky. Real trees sat in huge containers, decorated with miniature white lights. Flagstones paved the ground among the trees with benches interspersed here and there. Couples wandered down the paths, the girls clad in a rainbow of colours, like a flower garden in motion.
‘This is so neat,’ she said. ‘It’s like a fairyland.’
Come on, Den. Don’t miss this. We both deserve a night just for us.
Her eyes drifted from couple to couple. Some fitted well together and others . . . not so much. When she checked out her friends with the same critical eye, she knew they were right for each other. Simi laughed at something Peter said and it wasn’t forced. They were genuinely enjoying each other’s company. If Peter’s mom had still been in town, this night probably wouldn’t have happened.
As usual, Simi was her own person when it came to clothes, clad in a short harlequin print dress and hot pink tights that made her look like an escapee from a punk rock band. Her hair was a mishmash of black, silver and pink, but when put all together it looked great. Peter was in a black suit and a tie that matched Simi’s tights. His hair was spiked at the ends and he looked really sharp, despite the slight bruising from his brush-up with Alan’s fist.
Suddenly nervous, Riley fussed with the flowers in her hair, delicate pink orchids with baby’s breath, a present from Beck that had arrived earlier this afternoon.
Stop worrying. He wouldn’t have sent them unless he meant to be here.
Her friends were watching her now, reluctant to leave her on her own.
‘Go on. I’ll wait here. I’ll be fine,’ she said, fibbing.
‘Find us when he shows up, OK?’ Simi said.
‘I will.’
They wandered off, occasionally stopping to talk to other students. Riley spied Brandy and her date, some really tall guy, near the hallway that led to the ballroom. He was way cute and Riley wondered where she’d found him. Further down the hall was their class’s resident vampire wannabe, the guy Riley had dubbed Vlad. He was in a classy tux, and his date was clad in a long black gown. Her blonde hair hung in waves down her back and there wasn’t a single tattoo or piercing in sight. When Vlad smiled, his fake vampire teeth were noticeably missing. Maybe his date had given him the word on those.
When her eyes lit on another guy, her stomach lurched. Alan. He was staring at her. Before she had a chance to escape, her ex was in front of her.
‘Face it, you’ve been dumped. How does it feel?’ he chided.
Now was not the place to get into it with her ex.
Knowing it was a waste of time to talk to him, Riley took off across the atrium. She wasn’t so much afraid of Alan’s fists any more as what harm he could do to her friends. The more she pushed back the more volatile he would become. One of these days there would be a showdown, and he’d be surprised to find that she wasn’t the same girl he’d assaulted two years before.
To Riley’s delight, the fairyland theme carried over into the ballroom where gauzy wings hung from the ceiling, shimmering in the muted lights. The tables were laced with silvery ribbons and balloons were tied to the chairs. An iridescent bubble floated by her nose, created by a special machine near the front of the room.
Luckily Simi’s choice of bizarre hair colour proved a boon as she and Peter were easy to find in the packed ballroom.
When Riley joined them, they all traded looks and the message was passed: no Beck.
‘The Neanderthal find you?’ Peter asked.
‘He did,’ Riley replied. ‘I’ll leave before I’ll dance with him.’ Which would make her evening a total wreck.
‘Did you see Vlad? He looks human tonight. Who’d have thought that?’
Riley’s eyes wandered over the crowd in search of one man with those broad shoulders and enchanting eyes.
Still no Beck.
She could call him, but if he was actively trapping that distraction could get him hurt. Especially when he was trying to capture a pack of Threes.
He said he’d be here. He lives up to his promises. Just chill, will you?
Another song started and Peter and Simi headed towards the dance floor. Out of the corner of her eye Riley could see Alan working his way through the crowd, intending to make his move. He never learned.
She gave him her back and prepared herself. When a hand touched her elbow, she turned, ready to deliver a tongue lashing.
The scorching words died in her throat. It was her hero.
Beck’s face was flushed like he’d been running. ‘Hey,’ he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. ‘I made it.’ His eyes ran the length of her and then widened in appreciation. ‘Look at you. That dress is . . . I’ve never seen anything like it before. Yer so beautiful, Riley.’
He’s in a whole roomful of pretty girls and all he sees is me? How awesome is that?
‘I’m sorry I’m late,’ he added. ‘We got all three of them and nobody was hurt.’
That was really good news. ‘You’re forgiven,’ she said, touching the lapel of his jacket. ‘That’s a new suit. It’s really nice.’ It fitted better than his old one, accentuating his muscular build.
He smiled, pleased by the praise. ‘Figured the other one had seen too much sorrow. This is a new beginnin’ for us, so I wanted to do it right.’
Riley carefully straightened his tie. ‘This matches my dress. How did that happen?’
‘Oh, I might have some help with that,’ Beck said. ‘So, how’s about we go dance, pretty lady?’ He offered his arm and she took it.
‘Yes . . .’ Forever.
Beck had been so wired it took him some time to unwind. By the end of the first fast dance, he felt better. It’d all worked out, even if it had been ins
ane right from the start.
After the dance, they joined Simi and Peter at a table where the females promptly took off to that most mysterious place in the universe: the ladies’ room.
‘Dude,’ Peter said, executing a fist bump. ‘Good to see you. I kept telling her you’d be here.’
‘Thanks. It was a pain to be late, but I had no choice.’
‘Does she know Simi gave you the prom fyer?’
‘No. Best we leave it that way,’ Beck replied. ‘It worked out perfectly.’
Peter’s eyes roamed across the dance floor and when Beck followed his gaze it ended on Alan.
‘He botherin’ her tonight?’
‘A little, but she can handle him now. He tries to nail her and she’ll bust him one.’
Beck nodded. ‘Heard you did the same.’
‘Yeah, I got my hit in right before he flattened me. But I don’t regret it.’
Beck shot the offender a visual warning that said serious agony was his for the taking if he kept bothering Riley. Alan scowled, then backed off, probably hunting for some other poor girl to thump.
Peter lowered his voice. ‘It’s probably none of my business, but is this a one-time date or . . . I mean, if this is just a drive by, I’d better find some protective armour, you know?’
‘It all depends on Riley,’ Beck said, then took a sip of the punch. It was too fruity for his liking and he set it back on the table. ‘I’d like this to be the start of somethin’ good. I’m tired of messin’ around with girls that aren’t worth the trouble.’
Peter nodded his approval, accompanied by a huge grin. ‘All right! No armour needed. Just don’t lie to her or treat her like a kid, and you’ll be fne.’
‘Yeah, already learned those lessons.’ The hard way.
When his date and Simi returned, Beck found himself staring at Riley in awe, wondering what he’d done to deserve the honour of escorting Paul Blackthorne’s daughter to the prom. He’d known she was pretty, even when covered in demon pee and wearing ruined jeans, but that dress hugged every curve, setting his blood on fire. Her glossy brown hair curled around her shoulders and he wanted nothing more than to touch those curls. Touch her.
Beck behaved himself, though it was really difficult, especially during the slow dances when they were so tantalizingly close. He savoured the feel of her against his body, the light scent of her perfume, the look in her eyes that told him he was the centre of her universe. It was a new and totally overwhelming experience.
I could get used to this.
Beck finally gathered his courage during their last slow dance. Moving his lips close to her ear he whispered, ‘Thank you for believin’ in me.’
She smiled up at him. ‘I knew you were worth the effort, even when you got yourself lost in some old swamp.’
He made sure the kiss they shared wasn’t hurried: if it got them thrown out of the dance, he didn’t care. When it ended, he sighed in wonder.
He was sure that somewhere up in Heaven, Riley’s parents were giving them a thumbs up.
The drive back to Stewart’s went too quickly for both of them. Riley could sense Beck didn’t want the evening to end, and neither did she. Tomorrow it would be back to the homework, Demonland and Ori, but tonight was just for the two of them.
Beck played the gentleman, opening the truck door for her. As they walked to the house, they paused every few steps and traded kisses.
‘I should go,’ he said. ‘Don’t need someone complainin’ to Stewart that we were makin’ out on his front porch.’
Riley laughed lightly. ‘He’s in bed. He told me that he’d leave a fire going for us if we wanted to come in for a while.’
Beck arched an eyebrow in surprise. ‘I’m likin’ that old man more every day.’
While her date added a log to the glowing embers, Riley settled on the couch, a thick afghan over her legs. It wasn’t sexy, but she was used to heavier clothes.
‘Cold?’ Beck asked as he settled next to her.
‘A little. He keeps it like Scotland in here. Chilly.’
‘Then I’m not doin’ my job right.’
‘What?’ she asked, puzzled.
The kiss that followed helped her warm up considerably.
‘Better?’ he asked. There was a bad boy grin now.
‘Getting better.’
The next kiss made her toasty indeed.
‘You still cold?’ he asked, teasing.
‘A little,’ she fibbed.
He bent to the task and this kiss was longer and deeper than the ones before, their tongues lightly touching. The kiss took on an intensity of its own as Beck slid his hand underneath a breast and cupped it. He didn’t appear to notice he’d done it until the kiss ended.
‘Whoa, sorry,’ he said, pulling the offending hand away. ‘That was out of bounds. My bad.’
Riley couldn’t hold back the grin. ‘If you get out of line, I’ll let you know.’
Beck sighed. ‘It’s just that, well, I’ve always been in a hurry to get a girl in bed, mostly because that’s all that mattered. Never figured there was much past that.’ He ran a finger down her cheek. ‘Not this time. I don’t want to push you into anythin’. We do it right, so it’ll last.’
He’s totally serious about us.
Riley curled up against him, silent as she thought that through.
‘Oh, damn, now I’ve upset you,’ he murmured.
‘You’re fine, Den. I was realizing how this is so different for both of us.’
‘I hope so. You’ve trusted other guys and got hurt and—’
She put her fingers over his mouth to stop him. ‘We’ll work it out. We’ll know when the time is right.’
They cuddled for a time. Then he stirred again. ‘You ever think of what yer gonna do after you graduate from high school?’
Why is he asking that? ‘I’d like to go to college, but it can’t be full time, not and keep trapping. What about you?’
‘I want to get my masters’ licence. That’s about as far as I’ve thought ahead. Well, at least when it comes to trappin’.’
She stilled her breath. What else had he been thinking about?
When he said nothing more, she laid her head on his chest, feeling his breath in her hair and the soft touch of his fingers on her shoulder.
If only one moment of her life could be preserved for eternity, Riley would choose this one.
It was close to midnight when she walked him to the front door, wondering what might have happened if she was still in her own apartment. Would she have asked him to stay until morning? Wasn’t it too soon to be thinking about that?
Their final kiss was achingly tender. ‘Thank you for making a dream come true,’ she whispered.
‘That goes both ways.’ He touched her cheek with fondness. ‘You sleep well. I’ll be dreamin’ about you, don’t you doubt it.’
After he’d departed, Riley floated up the stairs to her own bed, her near perfect evening with Denver Beck over.
No matter what tomorrow threw at them, they’d always have this one night.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
As if to punish her for the romantic time with her beau, Ori summoned Riley out of her dreams about an hour after she’d gone to bed. The first stop was somewhere in Atlanta, then they were in Las Vegas and on to Seattle, where a cold rain pelted down on her in the dark night. Once all the demons were dead, she was coated in steaming black blood, the fiends’ death shrieks still reverberating in her ears.
‘I can’t do this any more,’ she pleaded. ‘Please . . .’
Ori glared at her as the rain poured from the heavens. ‘You should have been able to kill all of them on your own by now, but you’re too busy thinking about that accursed trapper and—’
‘Why are you doing this to me?’ she demanded, heaving herself to her feet. ‘Are you jealous of Beck? Is that it? God, if you hate me that much, just kill me!’
Something altered in the angel’s deep eyes. It wasn’t jealousy sh
e saw there, but cold resolve. Riley took a few steps backwards, suddenly afraid.
‘You forget your place. It is I who owns your soul, not the other way round.’
‘If I am so pathetic, then why are you bothering with me?’
‘Because there was no other choice.’ Then just as suddenly his anger fled. ‘We have little time left. I want you to . . .’ He shook his head. ‘The time may come when I am not able to protect you. You have to learn how to fight, how to survive, or all of this will have been for nothing.’ He waved a hand dismissively. ‘We’re done for tonight.’
Riley found herself on the floor of her room. There was no demon blood on her, her clothes as clean as if she’d pulled them out of the dryer, but she could not cast aside the horrific images in her mind. No angelic power could erase the growing sense of dread deep inside her heart.
Like the previous day, Riley’s fellow students were all buzzing about the dance, who was there with whom, who wore what and who got drunk and passed out in the girls’ (or boy’s) restroom. Because there was always one or two of those.
Peter nudged her with an elbow. ‘Hey? Anyone in there?’
‘Sorry. It was a late night.’ Not willing to share anything about her ordeal with the angel, she went for a more pleasant memory. ‘Beck and I sat in front of the fireplace until about midnight, then he went home. It was so . . . perfect.’
‘Please tell me there were abundant displays of affection.’
That got her to smile. ‘Of course there were. How about you and Simi?’
‘We went to the coffee shop to get her caffeine fix and we talked until it closed,’ her friend replied. ‘She’s got a really unusual mind, but I like that. Then I drove her home. And yes, there were PDAs.’
‘Wait until your dad wants to meet her.’
‘That’s in the works,’ he said, not sounding happy about that. ‘He is so going to freak out when he sees her hair.’ Peter popped a couple of knuckles, demonstrating how much he was concerned about that meet the parent encounter.
‘It’ll work out. She’s crazy, but she’s cool. I bet your dad will see that.’
Riley felt the weight of someone’s stare. It was Alan, and from his expression he was jonesing for payback.
