I turned and almost stepped on Onyx. She’d been quiet since we arrived. I reached down and picked her up. You okay?
She glared. No. I’m assuming the one who left with squealing wheels and a dog is coming to our house. She shuddered. I hate dogs.
Really? You can shift into something bigger than a dog and you have claws.
Her eyes narrowed. And your point is?
His stepfather is a bully who likes to beat his mother or Beau, if he gets in the way of his punches. He and I had a brief chat and I thought that he learned his lesson. It’s time for lesson number two. Go home and keep an eye out for Beau. If his truck makes it to my place, come get me.
As long as he’s not bringing that mangy canine inside our house.
I didn’t respond, just put her down and followed Mrs. Hardshaw to the kitchen. She had already removed one can of beer and was pressing it against her chest with her injured hand as she reached for a second one. The first one slipped and fell. I almost stretched out my hand to catch it, but stopped myself. For seconds, she stared at it, fighting tears, shoulders drooping with fatigue.
You’re tired and sleepy. So sleepy you cannot keep your eyes open. Go to the bedroom and lie down. If you hear noises, ignore them.
She put the can of beer back on the counter, ignored the one she’d dropped and staggered out of the kitchen. I followed her, stopped in the doorway and watched her go down the hallway to their bedroom. When the door closed behind her, I checked my watch. I had time.
Grinning, I pointed at the front door and opened it. Slammed it shut. Opened. Shut. Opened again. Slammed.
“Damn it, woman!” Hardshaw senior bellowed and got his fat ass off the rocking chair. “Where’s my beer? And why is the door…” He realized his wife was not in the kitchen. He gripped the door and looked behind it. “Huh?”
I grinned. I had so many ways I could screw with his head. I dragged him inside the room and then slammed the door shut, forcing him to jump out of the way. His friend was still outside. I got rid of my invisibility runes and his eyes widened.
“You,” he said in a strangled voice.
“Mr. Hardshaw, I told you I’d be back.” I crossed my arms. “Taking Beau’s phone? That was just mean. Did you mess with his engine too?”
He looked at the door as though deciding whether to bolt or not, and shook his head. I walked toward him and he inched away from the door. “What do you want?”
“Checking on how things are going. He wasn’t lying about studying. You should have given him your truck.”
“He’s lied before.”
“He didn’t this time.” I locked the door and turned. He was already halfway to the kitchen. “You should have a little faith, Mr. Hardshaw. One day he’ll thank you for taking care of him and his mother, but only if you do the right thing. I don’t understand why you are so mean to him and his mother. She has a broken arm and can barely lift a thing and you have her running up and down, fetching drinks for you. Why are you so determined to be a terrible father and husband?”
“You don’t know anything about me,” he said.
“Actually I do.” I engaged my speed runes and appeared beside him. Before he could react, I grabbed his arm and prayed I got a vision. At first, I got nothing and he tried to break free from my hold. “Stand still.”
His life flashed by. I checked my watch and was surprised to see that only a minute had passed. I let him go and he staggered backwards and grabbed a phone.
“Who are you trying to call now?”
“The police,” he said.
“And tell them what? That someone they can’t see is harassing you?” I engaged my invisibility runes for a few seconds and watched him look around frantically. I got rid of them and reappeared. The look on his face was hilarious. “Put the phone down and listen to me, because if I have to come back here again, I’m coming back with soul reapers.”
That got his attention. He put the phone down and swallowed.
“You were a star athlete too. Kayville High’s finest until you were injured.” He blinked. “I told you I knew about you. With your knee shot, you lost your chance of making it to college on a scholarship. The woman you loved, Lucy Carmichael, left you. You lost everything, and all because of a stupid prank. Without the scholarship, you followed in your father’s footsteps and started working at Chandler Factory. You don’t like it, but you do it anyway. Why? For your family, because you are that kind of man. The one who gets up every morning and goes to do a job he hates, because he wants to put food on the table and a roof over the head of his family.”
He was finally listening to me. But I didn’t have much time to continue stroking his ego without throwing in how he could help Beau. Any second, I expected a portal to open and Onyx to appear.
“You make sacrifices every day for your family, Mr. Hardshaw. You take more night shifts to make more money. You stopped driving the trucks because you were spending too much time away from home. You almost drove off the road the other night because you were so tired.” I’d seen that in my vision and had no idea when it happened, but he nodded. “You could have been killed.” He nodded again. “And that back ache problem you complain about will only get worse.”
“You know about my back?”
“Of course.” I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms. I was beginning to get cold. The pajama bottoms didn’t cover much and the robe was flimsy. “But a time will arrive when you can’t provide for your family, and guess who will help you?”
A sheepish expression crossed his face.
“Yes, your wife and your son. You might have been in love with Lucy in high school, but Janice, the girl you didn’t notice when you were a star football player, was the one who came to see you at the hospital. You weren’t nice to her, but she came anyway. And years later when you met her again, you saw the goodness in her and fell in love with her. You didn’t care that she had a son with another guy. You raised him as your own. Beau is smart, and he works hard at school. Encourage him and he will be there for you when you need him. All the sacrifices you’re making now will be worth it.”
He was frowning now. I had him. His friend was knocking at the door, but he ignored him.
“Your wife and your son need you, Mr. Hardshaw. Stop pushing them away. She’s sleeping now because she’s exhausted and her arm hurts. I told her to go rest, please don’t take it out on her. Show her you are the man she fell in love with. Help around the house a bit. Give Beau some attention. Go watch him play. Ask him about school.”
A small portal opened and Onyx stared at me.
“I don’t want to come back here, Mr. Hardshaw. I have other people who need my help. You don’t. You can change whenever you want to. You can stop drinking and be a loving father and husband, or you can choose not to stop. The choice is yours.”
He didn’t nod this time. He was lost in thought.
“I have to go now. See you around.” I engaged my runes and cloaked. He didn’t even look around. I opened a portal. The last image I had of him was reaching down to pick up the can of beer his wife had dropped.
~*~
Voices reached me as soon as I entered my room. I pulled on sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and then headed downstairs. Mom had opened the door for Beau and was laughing at something he’d said. He stood on the step, one hand in his pocket and the other on his dog’s neck.
“I’m here,” I said and started down the stairs.
“Were you…?” Mom caught herself before she finished the sentence, but I knew what she was going to ask: was I out of the house?
“Yes. Thanks, Mom.” I waited until she left before inching closer. Any second, I expected Beau’s dog to start growling. “Hey.” I glanced at my watch. “Seven-forty-five.”
He shot me a lop-sided grin. “Sorry about that. You won’t believe this, but my engine conked out and, uh, this might sound even lamer. I lost my phone, so I couldn’t call you to cancel. So here I am, apologizing in person.”
“It depends. How much can you show me in fifteen minutes?”
That was a cheap come on. I shook my head. “You didn’t bring your books and you have a dog.”
“Bono. Sit.” The dog sat.
This was the first time a dog wasn’t growling at me. “What breed is he?”
“A mongrel.”
“It has only one ear.”
Beau shrugged. “Made him stand out from all the ugly ones at the pound.”
So he deliberately chose a deformed dog. I knew there was more to him. “Right. Do you have a copy of The Scarlet Letter?”
He pulled it from behind him along with the packet Mr. Gentry had given him. “I always come prepared.”
He and I needed to discuss his flirtatious behavior. I nodded at the dog. “Will he be okay out there? I mean he could come inside, but I have a cat and she doesn’t like dogs.”
“He’ll be fine. Bono. Stay.”
Onyx was on the stairs and watched the dog until Beau closed the door. She followed us to the kitchen. Mom and Femi were having tea and catching up on the news on the kitchen TV.
“Femi, this is Beau. Beau, Femi, a family friend. You’ve already met my mom. Could we use the kitchen?” I asked, my eyes volleying between Mom and Femi.
Mom patted the table where they were seated. “Sure, hun. Don’t mind us.”
Was she serious? “Mom,” I said. More like whined. “We talked about this and you promised you guys wouldn’t be here.”
“I’m just kidding.” She stood, planted a kiss on my temple, and patted my cheek. “Come on, Femi. Nice to meet you Beau.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Cooper.” Then he had the nerve to turn and watch them walk away. He even turned his head sideways.
“Hey!”
He gave me an innocent look. “What?”
“That’s my mother you are ogling, you perv,” I whispered.
He shrugged. “She’s hot.” He glanced toward the living room. “And so is her friend.”
This time, I grabbed his head and forced him to face the window. Mom and Femi disappeared toward the wet bar in the living room.
“Sit.” I waited until he sat and placed his book on the table. “Okay, before we start. Some ground rules. No flirting. No winking at me in school and come up with a better reason for this.” I pointed at the book. “You can’t tell lies to your friends about us or no more tutoring.”
“Damn, you’re tough.”
“No, I have a boyfriend who will make you wish you were never born if you mess with me. Now, how far have you read?”
“Halfway, and it’s the hardest book I’ve ever read. His writing is so weird.”
“Mr. Gentry didn’t ask you guys to read other books by Hawthorne to understand his style?”
“Nope.”
I sighed. “Okay. I’ll explain as we read the chapter you were supposed to cover.”
Fifteen minutes became thirty. Then forty-five. He was sharp, but not afraid to say he was lost when he didn’t understand something. When we finally stopped, an hour had passed. He tried to apologize, but I brushed it off.
“As long as I didn’t confuse you,” I said, getting up.
“No, you were perfect.” He took my hand and covered it with his, then studied me with half-lidded eyes. “I hope you don’t mind if I borrow your copy of Hawthorne’s Short Stories. I promise to take good care of it.”
I could see why he had so many girls chasing him. Those long lashes shading moss-green eyes, the lop-sided grin, and his tendency to be touchy-feely could make any girl think she was the center of his universe. Too bad all his moves were wasted on me.
I eased my hand from his. “Sure. I’ll get it.” I headed upstairs. When I came back he was talking to Femi and Mom by the bar. I walked him to his truck, his dog trotting quietly beside him. Once again, I was surprised by how friendly the dog was towards me.
I waited until he was inside the truck before repeating what I’d said at the beginning of our session. “Explain to your friends what’s going on without making our tutoring session into something it’s not. And quit flirting with me.”
“What did I do?” he protested, then spoiled it by smirking. “I can’t help it. There’s something about you. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
As long as his memories weren’t coming back, I was fine. And if they did, I hoped he assumed it had all been a dream. Mom and Femi gave me strange looks when I came back inside.
“Watch out for that one,” Femi said. “He’ll break your heart.”
“Not mine.” I kissed Mom’s cheek. “Goodnight, Mom. Night, Femi.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Mom said.
“Tutoring,” I said.
“Why didn’t you tell Torin?” Mom asked.
I turned and faced them. How did she know that? “I will. Right now he’s busy with other things.”
“Whatever this is, I hope you get it out of your system fast,” Mom added.
“Sheesh. I’m tutoring someone who might fail a class. Nothing more.” I turned to go upstairs and almost stepped on my cat. “Onyx! Quit lurking around.”
She hissed as I headed upstairs. I knew she was behind me, but I just ignored her. I changed into my pajamas and headed to the bathroom.
As I brushed my teeth I tried mimicking different people, experimenting with changing facial features and hair color and length when Onyx hopped onto the counter and perched herself near the sink. She watched me with those annoyingly intelligent eyes. I could feel wheels turning in her head. When she didn’t make snarky remarks at the people I mimicked, I knew she wanted to talk.
“Out with it,” I said.
He’s a handsome young man.
“Don’t start.”
He flirts too much.
I ignored her.
I know why you’re doing it.
I couldn’t ignore her anymore. “No, you don’t.”
The pretty, uh, Andris one said you have to choose a side.
“You weren’t at Torin’s. How do you know that?”
I heard your thoughts. Sometimes I hear you even when you’re not talking to me.
My jaw dropped. “You eavesdropped on my thoughts? That’s invasion of privacy.”
We’re linked, Raine. Deal with it.
I flicked my toothbrush and splashed her. She just shook herself.
You shouldn’t worry about choosing sides. I’ve watched you and Torin deal with worse situations and win. You’ll make the right choice. She hopped off the counter and went back to the bedroom. Splash me again, little girl, and I’ll scratch your eyes out.
I grinned. She was right. I was stressing over nothing. Torin and I would fix this. The lights were still off at his place. I hoped his talk with Andris was going okay. We had enough to deal with without them being pissed at each other. I went back to my bedroom, turned off my lights, and crawled into bed.
Sometime later, he entered my room and Onyx growled. Silly cat. I shushed her again and went back to sleep. I heard her growl again, then a man’s voice. He didn’t sound like Torin.
~*~
When I woke up in the morning, Onyx was a dead weight on my chest. Torin’s side of the bed didn’t look like he’d slept in it, yet I was sure he’d come into my room the night before. There was something about last night I tried to remember, but it eluded me.
“No sleeping on me, Onyx.” I lifted her off my chest. “Or on my bed.”
Not even if it’s for your own protection?
“From what?” I looked out the window. Torin wasn’t in the kitchen. Weird. “No one can walk in here without runes lighting up like a Christmas tree and warning Torin.”
You’re so naïve. One day you’ll kiss my paws and thank me. For now, I forgive your arrogance because look what Torin gave me. She angled her head, so I could see the collar and the tag. I’ll be the envy of all the cats i
n Asgard.
The collar was bedazzled and the platinum star had what looked like real diamonds. I turned it and read the inscription, Onyx and my phone number. “Your name is officially Onyx.”
Depends on whether I respond.
I grinned and rubbed her head. “It’ll grow on you.”
You may want to check on Torin. He looked bad when he stopped by this morning.
My stomach dropped. “Bad how?”
Like he’d been up all night.
Had he spent the night fighting Draugar again? My eyes went to his bed when I entered his bedroom. He was asleep on his stomach, a pillow covering his head as though he was trying to block out the light. He was shirtless as usual, but there were no marks on him or weird smells. Still, he never slept late.
“Torin.” The mattress dipped when I knelt on it. I lifted the pillow, but he mumbled something and turned his head the other way. “What happened?”
“Go away, Freckles.”
“You’re going to be late for school.”
“Don’t care.”
Not the response I was expecting. I went and yanked open the curtains. Morning rays streamed into the room. He groaned and muttered, “Close it.”
“What about California and teaching? What happened last night?” I grabbed the pillow covering his head, but he caught my wrist before I could fling it aside. A slight tug and I landed on top of him. I sniffed. He smelled different.
I lifted the pillow and frowned. Was that lipstick on his cheek? The corner of his lips had more color. He’d been kissing some girl. Change that to girls because his other cheek had a darker shade.
Anger slammed into me. He was so dead.
He opened an eye and squinted at me. “What time is it, luv?”
I pushed him. “Where were you last night?”
He smirked. “Andris and I went to some of our old haunts. Good memories.”
I marched to the bathroom. I didn’t think I was the jealous kind, but enough was enough. I was ready to take our relationship to the next level and he’d said no. No to me, and obviously yes to some other women. Jerk.
Hoping my voice didn’t betray my soaring rage, I called out, “Really? Like what?”
Witches (Runes series Book 6) Page 18
