I ran until I was outside, breathing in the fresh air. What was so wrong about that kiss? I kissed him back, didn’t I? The only boy I ever kissed. Panic stricken, my throat constricted and I was dry heaving with breaths that didn’t reach my lungs. This was the summer before ninth grade all over again, and I fell for it.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
“Holy preggers, woman.” Pey walked through the front door, her face beaming.
“What was that?” she asked, handing me my jacket.
I counted. One, two, inhale. One, two, exhale. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, no prob.” She eyed me suspiciously for few seconds. “That was some kiss. Epic.”
“Well, I didn’t really have much of a choice, did I?” I said, feeling my breathing come back to normal.
She laughed at me. “You guys were intense. If I didn’t know you, I would’ve believed you guys were having sex right in the middle of that room.”
“What? I wasn’t…” My fingers went to my swollen lips. “Shit.”
Pey put her arms around my waist. “No shit! I knew he had the hots for you.”
“I need to get into the witness protection program.” I groaned with a hand to my face.
She chuckled. “How about I take you home?”
“I will pay you a million bucks and do your chores for a month if you get me the hell out of here.”
Pey bumped my hip. “Okay, I’m gonna hold you to it. Give me a sec.”
She ran back inside, disappearing into the seam of gyrating bodies. My thoughts wandered to how I reacted to Dean’s lips on mine. My hand once again caressed my swollen mouth. I shook my head and told myself it couldn’t happen again. I couldn’t let my feelings and frustration with Axel confuse me—if that was what it was… That was the only thing that made sense. I was never this drawn to Dean. Sure, I had a crush on him and thought he was super attractive. I mean, anyone with a set of eyes would think the same. But it never was more than an innocent crush.
“Let’s go.” Pey’s voice pulled me back to reality. “Just had to let Landon know I’m going home with you.”
“That is the last party I’m ever going to,” I said, more to myself.
She laughed and hooked her arm through mine as we walked toward her car.
CHAPTER TEN
“What missing people?” I asked, surprised. This was the first time I heard about it.
“People from Salt Lake, Portland, and some other smaller cities have disappeared at a staggering rate in the past two weeks.” Pey’s eyes widened and her voice turned low and spooky. “And some turned up dead. They think a serial killer is at work.”
“That’s freaky. And so close to home.” I shivered thinking about it.
“Oh, and did you hear about the old sugar factory in Nampa blowing up a couple nights ago?” The air buzzed with a familiar sense. “Apparently, they found dead bodies mutilated with stab wounds.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, aren’t you just the bearer of morbid news today?”
“Ren, I worry about you sometimes. The world is full of crazies. I sometimes wish I could burst your naivety bubble.” I raised my eyebrows at her. “Yeah, that’s right, naivety. How did you ever survive this long?”
“I live by the principle ‘live life with simplicity.’”
“What the hell does that mean?”
I heard a girl’s voice squeaking with excitement. I shushed Pey.
“…It’s going to be awesome. You can be my king and I can be your queen.”
Warm, familiar tingles rose along the back of my neck. There was no doubt in my mind who was close by. We rounded the corner to the hallway that my locker was in and the blood drained from my face.
“I’ll make it worth your night. I can ride your Dulcea.”
A petite-framed cheerleader, Rachel, stood with one leg between Axel’s and her upper body super-glued to his chest. Her manicured nail trailed down his arm suggestively. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. His hands were planted on her hips. My heart bled at the sight of him holding another girl so close. I stumbled back, stepping into Pey.
“What the hell…?” She stopped midsentence as she took in the scene in front of us. “Oh.”
My eyes stung as I ran in the opposite direction. I felt Axel’s eyes burn a hole in my back and I hated him even more at that moment. I was a fool.
I snuck into the closest bathroom and stayed there.
I felt like a complete idiot to even think he would be interested in me. My phone rang and I ignored it… and the next twenty calls.
Why did I let him have such power over my emotions? I couldn’t get past the fact that we weren’t together and he was free to be with anyone. He never showed that kind of interest, apart from the innocent flirting we both did. Sure, we talked and shared information and had an incredible connection, or so I stupidly thought. I was just his friend. He saw me as a friend. Nothing more. Everything else was my imagination. It had to be.
And I hated myself for thinking otherwise.
“Ren, babe. I know you’re here,” Pey said, standing in front of the stall I was sitting in. “I can hear you sniffle.” I stilled. “Argh… You’re going to be sorry…” She grunted as she got on all fours and crawled under the stall door. “…because I’m going to hug you now.”
She held me in silence, stroking my hair.
That night, I received another call from him, shattering my will to do homework. I gave up reading A Tale of Two Cities for my Great Books class and went to the roof outside my window. It was a breezy September night, but not too cold. Through his bedroom window, I saw Dean looking at me while talking on the phone. He gave me a small wave. I returned the gesture.
I lay back and tried to relax. I concentrated on the night sounds, pushing aside the thoughts of Axel and Rachel. The slight breeze tickled my skin, and I took a much-needed deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Aren’t you the happiest chipmunk in the world?”
Dean interrupted my meditation, holding a square box in one hand and two soda cans in the other. “How did you get in?”
“Your brother agreed you needed to be slapped out of your misery.” He winked.
Argh! “Go away, Dean.”
“Well, then who’s going to eat this extra-large Hawaiian pizza and drink this Crush?” he asked, climbing through my window onto the rooftop.
“I’m sure you can manage.” I opened my eyes to look at him and sighed. “What do you want, Dean?” He was trying to be nice and that meant he wanted something. I wasn’t in the mood to play his games tonight.
“What? Can’t I be here without needing something?”
I cocked my eyebrow at him. Really, do you even want me to answer that question?
“I know I haven’t been much of a friend…” I glared at him. “All right, fine, I’ve been a complete sadistic ass of a friend. Happy?”
I giggled. He was one person I used to depend on to have my back. To make me laugh, to share secrets and missions that got both of us grounded for weeks, and to make me forget about the rest of the world.
He sat beside me. “I’m always here for you, Pernell. I don’t like seeing you like this.” He smiled. “Okay, all this emotional crap is bringing me down. Pizza?”
I happily took a slice. We both were quiet for few minutes, enjoying the cheesy, chewy pizza. I took a big bite out of my slice. Dean cocked his eyebrow and took a bigger bite. I took another bite, bigger than his, almost choking myself. Dean laughed, falling backward.
“You’re a sucker for challenges.”
“Shut up!” I said playfully, shoving him.
“Oh, you’re gonna get it now.”
Before I knew it, we were tangled limbs and laughs, not knowing where one started and the other ended. Dean lay on top of me, looking directly into my eyes. His face remained stoic and his eyes studied me for few seconds before they went to my lips and back up. He shifted his weight to one hand while he reached up to pu
sh a strand of hair behind my ear. He brushed the back of his hand against my cheek and down my jaw.
Blood pounded in my ears like a herd of deer chased by a lion in the wild. My heart raced, thumping erratically against my chest as I remembered the kiss. I bit my lip as he leaned down closer and closer and closer. I cleared my throat before I lost control of the situation. He stilled a mere heartbeat away and his breath playfully brushed against my lips. His mouth curved shyly as he helped me back to a sitting position.
“Remember that year you had a huge crush on Mr. Bean?” Dean asked a few minutes later.
“Yeah, I think that was the same year you were drooling over Wonder Woman,” I said, remembering the posters all over his room.
“Yeah.” He had this dazed look on his face. “I would so do her. She is hot and, God help me, if I knew the things I know now about womanly curves…”
“Ew. Dean.” I gave him a playful punch. “Is that all you think about?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve got a Y in my DNA.”
It felt natural sitting here beside him, eating pizza. All too familiar. But everything was different. He had changed. He looked so much older and stronger and confident.
“You’ve changed quite a bit.”
“Eh!” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Dean…” I waited for him to respond.
“Mmm-hmm.”
“About that kiss…”
“It was just a game,” he responded, looking away, the muscles in his jaw twitching.
Even though I felt the same way, hearing him admit it made my heart clench the slightest. Can I be any more hypocritical? I chanced a glance at him. If he felt any other emotion, he didn’t show it.
After that, we didn’t talk much, but I was glad to have some company. It made this day better. He took a sip of his Crush and offered me some. I accepted, just like old times.
Out of nowhere, Dean wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him, and I let him.
“I meant what I said before, about missing you.” He gave me a gentle squeeze.
I laid my head on his shoulder, taking another bite of my pizza. He dropped a chaste kiss on my forehead.
Then, a strange wonderful feeling stirred in the pit of my stomach, making my body shiver. I knew there was only one person that could make me feel that way. I pulled away from Dean and searched for the person responsible.
My gaze darted across the street, combing the area of parked cars, then all the way down both ends as far as I could see. Nothing. It was too dark for me to make out anything or anyone. But I knew he was here… watching… the way my skin prickled. That only happened when he was around.
“You okay?” Dean asked.
“Yeah… Yeah.”
Disappointment nagged at me. I let my body sag back down. Maybe this was just another of my stupid fantasies. Once again, my hope, my stupidity, my emotions let me down.
Why would Axel care?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The cold early morning air whipped over my face and sweaty neck. My heart raced and my breathing became harder. I ignored the pulsing pain in my thighs as I pushed myself faster and harder. It had been so long since I ran the trail at Cantbury—nineteen miles of pure bliss, nature, and hills. Even for a seasoned runner like me, this trail could be a challenge.
The sun rising in the east just above the horizon blinded me.
“Princess, this is kinda early for a jog, don’t you think?” Tyler said, coming up from behind.
I stifled a scream. “Damn it, Tyler! You scared me shitless. What’re you doing here?”
“Running. Duh.” He smirked.
I rolled my eyes and picked up my pace. “Well, as long as you don’t hold me back.”
He ran past me. “Me? I hope you can keep up.”
“Show off,” I yelled, trying to catch up.
He chuckled.
It was hard for me to grasp that Tyler was a Dracian. I was still trying to come to terms with the whole magical world thing.
“Please… Like you’re any competition.” I pushed myself to run at my full speed to keep up.
“Were you following me?” Not that Tyler had any reason to, but I’d never run across any teenager running this trail this early in the morning. Who could blame me for being suspicious?
“I can’t give away all my secrets now can I, princess?” He slowed his pace, letting me catch up.
“Whatevs. It’s creepy if you were.”
“You wouldn’t say that if I were a different Knight.”
My whole face flushed, and not because I was running at full pace.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” After a few miles of silent running, Tyler asked, “How come you run and don’t spend any time at the gym? God knows you need some meat on you.”
“Have you seen me lift weights?” I asked, sarcasm dripping.
He chuckled, probably remembering the last time I was in the weight room for PE.
“Yeah, you pick up things and put them down.”
“Um… I think the more accurate way to say it is I pick things up and drop them on myself.”
“Yeah, about that, why?”
I shrugged. “I heard it’s the new fitness craze in Hollywood. You know, like Keeping up with the Kardashians.”
“Or like the cookie fad diet.”
I slowed my pace to a stop, taking deep breaths and absorbing the scenic view before us. I dropped down on my butt.
“You know, Axel is a good guy.” His eyes sparkled from the rays of sun. “He cares more than he should about you, regardless of how… things are between the two of you.”
“Listen, I know you think highly of Axel and so do I. I care for and respect him beyond reason. But I think he and I are old enough to make our own decisions.” I sighed. “Besides, I’m not totally blind, Tyler.” A lump formed in my throat, hindering me from speaking further.
Tyler put a hand around my shoulder. “Not everything is black and white, princess.”
“Kissing is as black and white as it gets.” Although, I didn’t exactly see them locking lips, but the intention was clearly there. Wasn’t it?
Tyler gave me a genuine smile. “Sorry, princess. Like I said, not all is black and white. I know you like him; I can tell.”
“It doesn’t matter… what I want anymore.”
After a few minutes of silence, he turned to me, his features apathetic. “If you ever need to relinquish your frustration, I’m open to…” His face turned up into a mischievous grin. “…playing doctor.”
I almost choked on my own tongue. I nudged his ribs playfully. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I sprang up. “Last one down the hill eats rotten eggs.”
I took off like a speeding bullet.
I knew it was a bad idea to mess with magic and those who can use it. Only, I didn’t know Tyler was so damn competitive.
“You really are going to make me do this?” I asked him as groups of people gathered around us.
He smiled like Satan incarnate.
“You’re gonna pay for this. I promise.” I narrowed my eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. Now stop stalling and chug.”
Who knew Tyler would actually have rotten eggs handy? But that brat did!
I took the rotten-egg-goo-in-a-glass, eyeing it with disgust. One whiff of the contents had my eyes burning. Oh, good grief. I should’ve known he would be faster than me, seeing how he hardly broke a sweat on our run up the trail. I placed my mouth close to the rim of the glass and almost puked.
“Oh, God,” I said, gagging.
“Not God, princess. Just rotten eggs.” Tyler laughed menacingly.
I heard bets being placed, Hunter leading, on how well I would stomach the contents. I held my breath and took one last look around the table, swallowing hard. I couldn’t back down now; I was too much of a challenge junkie. Yeah, I have issues. I was tough and I had to prove that I could take on any task, even if it meant I gulped down this repulsive goo.
<
br /> “Chug, chug, chug…” I heard chanting all around the cafeteria.
Great, now I’ve got cheerleaders for an audience.
I took another deep breath, plugged my nose, and poured the nasty rotten gunk into my mouth, gulping it down my throat. Hoots, hollers, and whistles encouraged my very non-princess-like behavior. Go figure.
The eggs slithered down my esophagus, making their way into the pit of my stomach. I could feel everything threatening to come right back out, and I willed my body to do anything but. Instead, I belched the most disgusting burp in the history of mankind.
“Gross.” Tyler chuckled. “I’ve got a whole new kinda respect for you.” He put his arm around my shoulder, hugging me with pride. “How about some water?” He stepped away a few inches with his hands in the air. “Or… toilet?”
“God, I’d rather keep this crap inside me than puke in a public toilet,” I said. “That was disgusting.”
“Yeah… Your breath ain’t that pretty, either. Phew. Here.”
He offered me a box of Altoids. Without a second thought, I threw a handful into my mouth. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Axel, who looked royally pissed. Actually, he looked like he was ready to rip off someone’s arm.
“You’re so on, asshat,” I said to Tyler.
“Oh yeah, Tyler, Ren’s got a thing with revenge. Watch your back, man.” Dean chimed in. He wrapped his arm around my waist as if we’d been dating for years. He tilted his head down the slightest. “I gotta say, I didn’t think you had it in you. That was wicked awesome.” His eyes glistened with pride.
“I’m gonna hurl.” I covered my mouth and ran out of the cafeteria as people shouted nice job, you rock, and patted my back, shoulder, and butt.
My butt? Seriously, people!
“Ren.”
I froze mid-step just outside the restroom door.
I was so caught up with controlling the contents of my stomach and getting away from the crowd, I didn’t notice the signs I felt when Axel followed me out of the cafeteria. I pivoted my body to face him and was caught in his captivating liquid blue eyes for a few seconds until he looked away. He ran his hand through his hair like he was nervous.
Dracian Legacy Page 7
