“Sorry, buddy,” I muttered, then shook my head to clear it as I lowered the window back down. Why was my mind so muddled? It literally felt like someone had stuffed oversized cotton balls in every nook and cranny inside my skull.
Last night when I got home, my head was pounding so hard from the lack of sleep from the night before, I quickly glanced through my texts for anything from Ethan. I was disappointed when I didn’t see one, but then maybe that was because things were going well between he and his parents. I did have a text from Lainey complaining about her babysitting detail. I also had a text from Drystan.
Drystan – 8:00 p.m. ~ Am I officially in denial mode now?
I didn’t know how to respond to that. Instead, I closed his text, then tried to surf the Internet for information on Freddie, the raven guy. After a half hour of fruitless searches and increasing needle-shooting pain in my head, I’d taken some headache medicine, then gone straight to bed, where I had strange, psychedelic dreams.
Everything was a long-tail blur and completely out of focus, like a photographer showing off all his camera’s special settings, one picture frame zipping by after another. All flash. No substance. The medicine sped me through my entire day on super-high, fast-forward mode. In other words, my dream from last night was totally useless when I woke up the next morning.
With a frown, I grabbed the medicine bottle from my nightstand to see if I should have only taken one pill instead of two. As I read the instructions, my eyes widened and I quickly turned it to the label on the front. Headache PM? Crap! I’d taken a sleep aid medicine by accident. Produced by the same manufacturer, the headache medicine and sleep aid bottles were identical in size and shape. The only difference was that the sleep aid medicine’s front label had a dark purple background with PM marked in bright red. I would have seen all that if I’d bothered to read the front!
I closed my eyes and sighed, thankful I didn’t have anything more extreme planned today than shopping for dresses with Lainey. Then again…
I marched into the hall to riffle through the closet’s medicine bin. This time I retrieved the headache pill bottle and tossed it into my backpack, murmuring, “An ounce of prevention…”
* * *
“Still have Central Virginia’s finest watching over you, huh?” I whispered to Lainey as I cut my gaze to the two police officers dressed in regular clothes (like they thought they blended in, ha!) sitting in their car a few spaces down from hers in the parking lot. They’d rolled up their window against the brisk air, but they were watching us as if they could read lips.
Lainey put her back to them, shoved her hands in her jacket pockets, and rolled her eyes. “Ugh, I am not letting them ruin my mood today. Yesterday they informed my dad of every move I made from the time I left school. I mean, does he really need to know that I went shopping at Victoria’s Secret?”
I coughed into my gloved hand. “What happened to you and Matt going to the dance together as friends?”
“Not you, too?” Lainey hunched her shoulders and frowned. “You do realize Victoria’s Secret also has pajamas, right? You know, the long pants and long-sleeved shirt kind? That’s what I was buying, but of course my dad assumed the worst. I thought for sure he was going to have a heart attack. I had to show him the receipt so he’d calm down. I was ready for World War III if he’d tried to forbid me from going to the dance with Matt.”
“What’s this about the ‘dance with Matt?’” Matt draped his arm around Lainey’s shoulders, then pressed a kiss to her temple.
Lainey placed her hand on his chest and fluttered her eyelashes. “Oh nothing. Nara and I were just discussing dress shopping. That’s where we’re headed, so I can’t stick around and chat long.”
Running a hand through his short blond hair, Matt heaved a relieved sigh. “Ah, dress shopping. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the winter dance requires ice colors?”
“Totally sucks.” Lainey pursed her lips ruefully. “There are only so many dresses in white or silver, which means chances are I’ll see my same dress at least once if not more than once at the dance.”
Matt thumbed toward his chest. “Makes it easy for us. All white tux with a silver or gray tie and vest. In and out of the tux place in five.”
“Don’t forget the mask,” I chimed in. “Since it’s a masked event.”
Matt rolled his eyes. “Great. One more thing.”
When Lainey snorted and shook her head, he laughed. “What? Guys like things simple. We like minimal fuss, our instructions short and clear, and our women easy.”
“What!” Lainey’s eyes bulged and she punched his arm, making him laugh harder. When she moved to smack him again, he held his hands up in submission. “I meant easy to get along with, Lainey,” he said, eyes twinkling.
“Now who’s making assumptions,” I teased her.
“I’ll take honest over uncomplicated any day,” Drystan said in a dry tone.
As he moved to my left, I glanced at him, unsure what to say, but Drystan ignored me completely, addressing Lainey. “Any news on the poacher? Was he the one who took that shot?”
Lainey started to speak when the undercover guys started their car, then waved to her and drove off. She watched them leave, a surprised look on her face. A couple of seconds later, her phone pinged with a text. “It’s from my dad,” she began as she scrolled through the note. “He says they don’t have any evidence to prove the poacher was the one who shot at Nara. He’s still going to be held on various charges from hunting violations to possession of an illegal substance, so they’ve called off the security detail. Thank God!” she breathed out, lowering her phone to her side.
“I don’t know if getting rid of your protection so soon was a good idea. That shot could’ve come from anyone or anywhere,” Drystan said.
I cast my wide-eyed gaze his way. Would he tell her what he “saw”?
Lainey shrugged as she dropped her phone into her purse. “Yeah, but if your theory is right, that would make the shooting sheer randomness, not a case of ‘that poacher’s pissed at me for pulling up his traps, so he’s going after my family.’ The poacher’s locked up for now, hence the cancellation of my ever-present bodyguards. The last thing I want is to have to worry about security every day of my life.”
Drystan’s lips set in a grim line and I held my breath. Please don’t say anything. Please. Don’t. Say. Anything.
“What do you think…” Drystan’s green eyes swung my way, full of bristling challenge. “Nara?”
Everyone turned to me. Who would want to have to always look over their shoulder? To keep themselves under constant lock and key? I wondered. Lock? Oh crap, did I lock my window this morning? I frowned, trying to remember.
“Nara? You okay?” Lainey drew my attention.
“Sorry, all this talk about security made me wonder if I’d locked my house this morning. I don’t remember doing it.” I started to walk backward. “I need to run home to check before we go shopping. How about I’ll meet you at the mall?”
Lainey waved me on. “Gives me some time to hang with Matt then. See you there at four.”
“I’ll walk you.” Drystan glided into step beside me as I turned toward the back parking lot.
I tensed and gripped my backpack strap tighter. “Okay,” I said grudgingly.
As soon as we were out of Lainey and Matt’s hearing range, Drystan said, “Lainey doesn’t know, does she?”
I stopped and frowned. “Know what?”
He faced me, tension in his expression. “About your—” he gestured toward me as he finished, “—ability…whatever it is.”
I cut my gaze back to Lainey. She and Matt were watching us with interest.
Forcing a smile, I hooked my arm in Drystan’s and made him walk with me. “No, she doesn’t,” I said in a low, snappy tone. “No one does.”
As soon as we rounded a corner where a patch of trees obscured the main parking lot’s view, I let go of Drystan and put a couple of feet between
us. “And I would like to keep it that way.”
Drystan shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and clenched his jaw. “What if Lainey gets shot at this time?”
I counted to five. “As long as Lainey hangs with me, she’ll be fine. Trust me.”
My answer seemed to suffice and we’d walked a few more steps before he glanced my way, hurt reflected in his voice. “Aren’t you curious at all?”
I met his frustrated gaze. “Yes, I’m curious how your powers work, but not at the expense of sharing. I’d rather stay blissfully unaware.”
“Why?” His penetrating eyes demanded an answer.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” I glanced around to make sure no one was watching us. Everyone must’ve had stuff to do after school today. Thankfully, the lot was empty.
He slowly shook his head. “I want to get this sorted in my head. I’ve run across a couple of people here and there who’ve had some psychic ability, but I’ve never met anyone whose powers played off mine. It’s a strange experience.”
“Are you going to say anything to Lainey if I don’t tell you?”
He looked insulted, then shrugged. “Lainey probably wouldn’t believe me anyway. I don’t go around advertising my…special skills. Matt doesn’t know. You’re the only person, outside my mum, I’ve felt comfortable enough to tell.”
He felt comfortable telling me? Why did I feel this internal struggle, like I was being pulled in two directions? Was it because I’d kept my secret locked away for so long? Gran has known about my gift since I was thirteen, but Aunt Sage just recently learned about my powers. Of course Ethan knew, but ours was a special connection.
Is that why I couldn’t tell Drystan? Because I didn’t want to mess up my bond with Ethan by sharing with someone else? Would my ability to connect with Ethan be severed if I shared with Drystan? I was pretty sure once he learned what my powers were, Drystan would want to combine our powers again—to experiment for curiosity’s sake.
Neither Ethan nor I knew why my powers flowed to him whenever we spent time together. My dreams helped him cope with the constant darkness of his own dreams, which made me feel extra special and needed in his life. Ethan and I thought it was some kind of psychic connection. Is that what happened with Drystan? A psychic connection? What if my bond with Ethan no longer happened when he came back because I’d worked with Drystan? My heart twisted at the thought. I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Drystan. I just…can’t.”
Drystan tensed and surprise reflected on his face. “You don’t trust me.”
“No, that’s not it.” I stepped closer, but he pulled back, his jaw working.
“I saved your life. Twice.” His gaze narrowed. “And my uncle says I have trust issues,” he ground out before abruptly walking away.
“Drystan!” I called after him, but he refused to stop or look back. I felt like the lowest of low. He had every right to be pissed. He’d saved my life, more than earning my trust. But how could I explain my reluctance to share without exposing Ethan’s secret?
I’d woven a web of lies and half truths and now I was flailing around in its convoluted stickiness. Guilt knotted my stomach as I headed for my car.
Chapter Twelve
I’d beeped my car and had just reached for my car door handle when something swooped down in front of me, landing on the roof of my car.
“Patch! I’m sorry about this morning, boy,” I said as I dropped my keys back inside my backpack to retrieve a piece of kibble. I dropped it on the roof and continued, “That’s what happens when I take the wrong medicine.”
Patch ignored the kibble and spread his wings, squawking at me. When I stared at him in surprise, he stepped closer, then began to sway back and forth, making the same long, low warning sound. It reminded me of that day by the lake when he’d tried to intimidate that goose into leaving us alone.
I started to reach for the kibble, but he pecked toward my hand, causing me to jerk back. “What the…what’s wrong with you?”
As my car re-locked itself (since I’d taken so long to open the door), Patch flew off. I called after him, “If you didn’t want it, you could’ve just flown away without snapping at me.” Shaking my head, I fished my keys back out of my backpack and beeped the car again. Just as I touched the door handle, Patch swooped down between the door and me, making a loud raaaak sound.
As his wingspread batted me back, I gasped, “Patch!” and watched him make a wide, arching swoop in the air. God, he must really be mad about this morning. I started to reach for the handle once more, but he dove in again. This time his wings smacked at my head and I thought I felt his talons grab a few strands of hair.
“Ow!” I yelped, patting the top of my head to make sure I didn’t have a bald spot. As Patch arced in the air once more, I glared. “What is your problem?” I yelled at him, shaking my fist in the air.
When he made a deep gronk, gronk, gronk noise and dipped down again as if he was preparing to dive bomb me, I beeped my car to lock it and backed away, hands held up in surrender. “I’ll come back when you’ve gone to hunt!” I grumbled.
As soon as I walked away, Patch flew off toward the trees. Pleased that he fell for my ploy, I turned back toward my car and lifted my key fob to beep it. Patch came out of nowhere, making high-pitched kaugh, kaugh, kaugh sounds.
“Fine!” I stomped off in the direction of the main parking lot and tapped out a text to Lainey.
Me – 3:45 p.m. ~ Are you still here? Decided to skip going home. It’d be more fun to ride together.
Once I sent the text, I snorted my annoyance when I realized Patch was still watching me from a nearby tree. What was wrong with him? Was he really that mad at me for not opening my window this morning?
Lainey – 3:46 p.m. ~ I was just getting ready to leave. I’ll drive back and get you.
* * *
The moment we strolled into the department store’s formal dress section, Lainey squealed in delight and quickly grabbed an emerald-green sequined gown off the rack at the front of the store. Holding it against her chest next to a full-length mirror, she beamed. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”
It really did go well with her auburn hair, but I tugged it from her tight grip, then slipped it back on the rack. “Silver or white, remember?”
“Ugh!” Lainey heaved an annoyed grunt. “I’m going to look like a washed-out vintage photo. I really don’t like that they wouldn’t at least consider letting us wear blue,” she said wistfully as she brushed her fingers along a gown in electric-blue satin.
Clasping her hand, I steered her toward the center of the store. “Um, yeah, ’cause electric blue is one of the colors you see in ice.” When she tensed, I met her gaze and squeezed her hand. “But what you do see are shades of very pale blue,” I said, tilting my head toward a rack of blue dresses in every spectrum.
Lainey’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas. She made a little hop, then shot over to the dresses, calling over her shoulder, “This is why I made you come. I knew you’d help me find something that would look right on fair Irish skin.”
As she grabbed several dresses in shades of light blue to try on, she nodded. “You too, Nara.”
I folded my arms. “I’m not going to the dance, so there’s no point in trying anything on.”
Arms full of dresses, Lainey approached. “What if Drystan wants to go just so he can experience his first American school dance?”
Was she really trying to play the sympathy card? “I’ve seen the way the girls get all swoon-goofy whenever they hear him talk. Trust me, he won’t have trouble finding a date.” Then I remembered how Drystan probably hated me now. “Anyway, you’re not going to have to worry about Drystan’s feelings. I’m the last person he would ask.”
Lainey’s gaze slit in suspicion. “What’s going on, Nara? I saw you two talking. Then I saw him walk away. Well, more like stalk away.”
“He was mad at me that I didn’t back him up about you keeping your security. I happen to agree wi
th you. I think you’re safe.” I shrugged. “Drystan didn’t see it that way.”
“Awww.” Lainey smiled. “Isn’t that sweet that he’s so worried? Matt was the same way. He wasn’t happy about the police protection being called off either, but I trust my dad’s instincts. Drystan really is a good guy, Nara. If he asks you, you should say ‘yes.’ He would only ask you to go as a friend. He knows you have a boyfriend.”
“He does?” I stared at her, some of the tension easing out of my shoulders. How did he know? The subject had never come up between us. For all I knew he had a girlfriend back home in Wales.
Lainey shifted the heavy stack of dresses in her arms. “I told him you weren’t going to the dance because your boyfriend couldn’t make it. He thought that was a lame-arsed reason to stay home.”
My eyebrow shot up.
“His words, not mine,” she said, lifting her shoulders.
I really didn’t want to talk about Drystan anymore. With Lainey, distraction always worked, so I grabbed the first two dresses in my size from a silver-and-white themed dress rack. “Okay, we’re here to try on dresses. Let’s do this!”
An hour and a half later, I was completely exhausted, but enjoying myself. For every dress Lainey tried on, she insisted that I do the same. After about the thirtieth dress, she finally found a gorgeous floor-length dress in satin with a sequined halter-style bodice. The color was so pale blue it looked gray, and best of all it complemented her fair complexion.
I was in the process of slipping out of a silver-sequined gown when Lainey’s arm came over the top of the dressing room door, holding a white and silver dress. “Here. One more.”
“But you found your dress...”
Lainey shook the dress. “Please, Nara! It was hidden on a back rack and I’ll bet it’ll be gorgeous on you. Dresses like this only look good on tall people.”
Lucid, YA Paranormal Romance (Brightest Kind of Darkness Series, Book #2) Page 11
