Hanna’s pack. She wasn’t used to hearing that. And it wasn’t just the other members who called it that. Some of the other kids in school did too. The ones who weren’t still calling it the mutt pack anyway.
Jamila nodded. “That’s what I heard. And you’ve all been very nice so far.” She beamed at them with her sharp white teeth. “Thank you,” she repeated before digging into her food.
A pack with a reputation for kindness. Hanna liked that. Part of her was still nervous about being able to keep them safe, but Conner, the biggest threat, still hadn’t bothered them this year. That wasn’t due to her, but due to the threats Dylan had made.
Was it poor leadership not to protect them herself, or good leadership to seek out those who could keep the pack safe?
Glancing over at Jamila and then at Brooke, Hanna considered that it might be the latter. Hanna and most of the others were graduating this year. Until then, that meant Brooke would be left alone. But if Hanna were strong, that strength wouldn’t keep Brooke and Jamila safe after she was gone. Arranging for others to protect them would.
Dylan would watch out for her pack after she was gone.
But after he graduated next year, then what? Would Brooke become strong enough to take care of herself and watch out for the new girl?
Pack succession had different problems when it wasn’t based on strength. I’ll figure this out. I have to. I can’t let them down.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Tiago walked with his hands in his pockets, shoes crunching on the snow. He wondered if he should finally ask for a new pair of boots. Winters here sucked.
The breeze shifted, carrying a scent that made his heart stop. Werejaguar. Footsteps sounded behind him and he spun. His stomach dropped to his toes. No, no, no!
His father smiled and spread his arms. “Don’t worry Santiago, we’re not here to hurt you.”
“We were worried about you,” his mother said.
“How… how did…” Tiago forced himself to move but only managed a slow step backward.
“You weren’t hard to find,” his father said. “There was only one place you could go.”
What could he do? He couldn’t fight them, and if he ran they would catch him. Could he make it to the house fast enough? But then he would be putting his guardian at risk. She was a powerful witch, but she was old and he didn’t know what she could do against two werejaguars. I wish Aiden was here. It was almost funny, wanting his boyfriend to come protect him.
“Are you okay? We thought the wardens might kill you or put you in jail.” His mother did actually look worried. Over the past few years, Tiago had wondered if his parents really loved him or if they were very good at acting.
“I’m fine. I didn’t tell them anything about you.” Was he trying to protect himself from them or trying to gain their approval by telling them? “They kept asking where you were, but I wouldn’t tell them.”
“I knew some part of you was still a good boy,” his mother said.
Neither of them had moved closer, hands held up in a nonthreatening way.
“You’re testing your boundaries. Challenging my authority because you’re becoming a man,” his father said. “I understand why you ran away.”
The little boy in him wanted to run to them, beg forgiveness. They were the only constants in his life. Friends, schools, houses—they were always changing. But his parents had been the center of his life. “I can’t hunt humans anymore. Never again.” He still had nightmares about the last time, the way the man had screamed.
His father’s eyes flashed, so quick Tiago might have imagined it. “We can talk about that.”
“This isn’t where you belong, son.” His mother shuffled forward just a bit, and Tiago took another step back. “You belong with us. With your family.”
Tiago shook his head. “This is my home now.” At least until he graduated, and then… then he’d be all alone. Would they even let him leave Shadow Valley? He’d broken the treaty multiple times, and although Mr. Johnson argued that he couldn’t be held responsible, many of the other wardens hadn’t been happy to let Tiago live free in Shadow Valley or go to school.
His mother’s lip curled. “This is a prison. They’ve taken your claws and teeth away. Taken your manhood. Jaguar people should never live like this.”
If just living in this town and not hunting humans took away his manhood, what would they say about his dating Aiden? He’d never admitted he was gay, but they’d called him names and beaten him when they only suspected it. He wouldn’t deny it now. He wanted to shout it at them, throw it in their faces. But fear closed his throat. The memory of his father’s fists was all too clear.
“Come with us. Be a true jaguar again. It’s your nature, and you’ll realize that sooner or later,” his father said. “You can’t be what they want you to be, muzzled and caged, made to follow their ridiculous treaty.” His voice dropped, something almost like compassion in his tone. “I know it’s hard to live in the human world, surrounded by them all the time. You start to think that maybe you could be one of them. But we’re better than that, Tiago. They are cattle. We have the spirit of a jaguar, and that makes us hunters. To be anything less is blasphemy.”
Tiago had heard some variation of this lecture dozens of times. His parents had always been passionate about their place at the top of the food chain and how Tiago was inheriting a great legacy that had started thousands of years ago in the Amazon Jungle. But the thing was, living in Shadow Valley didn’t make him feel like he was in a cage.
For the first time in his life, he felt free.
He swallowed a few times before he could find his voice. “I’m not coming with you.” His heart hammered and he balled his fists, calling on the jaguar spirit. If they tried to grab him, he had to run and hope he made it to his house. The door would slow them down at least, and maybe his guardian, Rosalind, had some tricks up her sleeve to keep them away. Or they could call for help. Mr. Johnson could be there in minutes.
If the wardens caught his parents, they would kill them.
But he couldn’t go back to that life.
“We’re your family. Your blood, Santiago,” his mother said, as if reading his mind. “You can’t turn your back on us.” They took a step forward. Another. Their eyes brightened, turning gold.
Panic flooded him, and Tiago literally did turn his back on his parents, sprinting as fast as he could toward his house. It was a block away. Not that far. He could make it.
Behind him, his parents growled and then fell silent. All he could hear was their feet crunching in the snow. They were hunting him.
Tiago’s backpack thumped against him as he ran. It was slowing him down, but trying to take it off would slow him down more. The books kept slamming into his back as he ran over the sidewalk. A cleared section came up and he ran faster, feet thudding over the concrete. Half a block.
Every second he imagined them grabbing his arm, pulling him down. Thank God he’d stayed fit by spending all that time running in the woods with Aiden.
The house was just up ahead. He wanted to look back but didn’t dare. He could barely hear their footsteps over his panting breath and pounding heart. Reaching the yard, he leapt, landing in the snow. It slowed him down and he wondered if he’d made a terrible mistake. Snow sprayed around him as he ran through it, knees high.
They were right behind him.
Another jump, and he made it to the front steps, almost falling. Oh God, what if the door was locked? But the lights were on. Rosalind must be home. Tiago shoved the door open and stumbled inside. Spinning, he slammed it behind him and twisted the lock. He stayed pressed against the door, trying to catch his breath and waiting for them to try to break in.
Silence.
After a few moments he gathered enough courage to look out the peephole. Nothing. He moved to the widow and scanned the front yard. All he could see were the tracks cutting through the snow. No sign of his parents.
A creak on the stairs almost g
ave him a heart attack. But it was just Rosalind.
“Tiago? Is something wrong?”
He opened his mouth. All he had to say was that his parents had tried to take him back. The wardens would catch them, and he’d be safe. But he’d be sending his parents to their deaths. “Nothing.”
“Are you sure?” A little wrinkle formed between her eyes, her face concerned.
“Yeah. I’m fine. What’s for dinner?” He wondered what was wrong with him that he was still protecting his parents.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A smile spread across Aiden’s face when he saw Tiago’s number. They didn’t have a date or tutoring planned for tonight, so he wondered why he was calling. Sometimes they called each other just to talk, and Aiden was always happy to hear his voice.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” Tiago’s voice sounded weird. “I need to tell you something. But you can’t tell anyone.”
Great. More secrets. “Okay.” Aiden sat on his bed, weight settling on his shoulders and a nervous flutter in his stomach.
“My parents came to talk to me.”
Aiden jolted. “What?” A million questions flooded his mind.
“Don’t worry, I’m okay. They were… they tried to convince me to go with them.”
“Do you mean they tried to take you?” Aiden pictured shadowy figures grabbing Tiago and dragging him toward a black van.
A pause. “They didn’t touch me. But they… chased me.” He sounded scared, really scared.
Aiden’s stomach tightened. “We have to call Mr. Johnson. The wardens will—”
“No! Aiden, please. You can’t tell anyone.”
“But what if they try to kidnap you?” He’d already been through that terror with Dylan. He couldn’t bear it if Tiago’s abusive parents dragged him off.
“The wardens will kill them. I can’t murder my parents.”
Aiden didn’t know what he would do if he were in Tiago’s position. The right thing to do was tell the wardens, and as much as Aiden wanted to think they were like the human police or FBI, they weren’t. Of course, serial killers and other murderers got the death penalty. It would be following human justice to put Tiago’s parents to death.
Aiden wanted to think he’d do the right thing and turn his parents in if they were murderers, but he couldn’t be sure. And he wasn’t Tiago and could never really understand what he was going through.
“Okay, but you can’t put your safety at risk.” Aiden’s gut clenched again at the thought of Tiago being taken away, being hurt.
“That’s why I’m calling.” A nervous laugh. “Will you protect me?”
It was absurd. Aiden was a coward, and Tiago was so brave. He’d wanted to take on the dark fae, even knowing a werejaguar didn’t stand a chance. “Me?”
“Don’t be like that. You’re awesome. I know you don’t like fighting, but this is different. It’s watching out for me. And it’s just in case. You’ll be like, my bodyguard.” Another nervous laugh. “Maybe I was just overreacting. Maybe they chased me because they wanted to talk more. Or they were afraid I’d tell someone.”
Aiden closed his eyes. How could Tiago keep downplaying this? “So what if they come after you again? What am I supposed to do?”
“Just keep them from taking me, that’s it. Do that vine thing, or the quicksand spell.”
“And then what? Just keep waiting for them to come after you again, over and over?” There was no way Aiden could stand that.
Tiago made a long sigh. “If they seriously try to kidnap me or hurt me I’ll… I’ll tell the wardens.”
“Promise?”
Another sigh. “Yeah.”
“Okay.” Aiden gripped the phone tight. After everything he’d been through, fighting off two werejaguars should be easy, but Aiden felt a panic attack creeping up on him. What else could he do though? If he said no, Tiago would be alone in this.
“Thanks. You’re my hero.” Tiago tried to make it sound light, but his voice still had a nervous tremor.
Maybe they could get some help. “I think we should tell Dylan.” The dragonkin was a much better choice for a bodyguard.
“I don’t want anyone else to know.”
“He can keep a secret, trust me. And having two bodyguards is better than one.”
“So you trust him, but you still won’t tell him about us?” Before Aiden could protest, Tiago cut him off. “I know, I know. It’s not the same. I guess we can tell him, but we have to do it together.”
A little sting of guilt settled in the middle of Aiden’s chest. It wasn’t like he wanted to keep secrets from Dylan, but he didn’t want to risk losing his best friend. “Okay. We’ll talk about it at lunch tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” There was a long pause. “I guess I have an idea what you felt like last year.”
Aiden shifted on the bed. “Is there anything I can do? My parents could drive me over.” He suddenly, desperately, wanted to hold Tiago.
“No, I’ll be fine. Although I wish you could spend the morning with me. Not in a sex way,” he added quickly. “Well, I mean I do. But not today. I want you to do that alarm system thing with my house where the walls can tell you if someone’s trying to break in.”
“I could try that, but it only works if I’m around.” For a moment Aiden seriously considered it. Sneaking out and walking all the way to Tiago’s house once his parents were asleep, spending the morning with him. Just to make sure he was safe. Although there were parts of him that contemplated how nice sharing a bed with Tiago would be.
Tiago let out a breath. “God, nothing fucks me up like my parents. I just never thought I’d see them here. They must be nuts to walk into Shadow Valley. If anyone catches them…”
“Did you tell Rosalind?” Aiden asked. Tiago had finally started inviting Aiden over to his house, and he’d met the woman acting as Tiago’s guardian. She seemed really nice and had told Aiden he was welcome to come over anytime.
“Hell no. She’d call the wardens in a second. She keeps asking about my parents, so I know she’s trying to get info out of me. Shit, I hope she doesn’t listen to my phone calls or have some kind of magical bug in my room.”
Aiden hoped so too, for very selfish reasons. Tiago didn’t have a cell phone, so he had to make all his calls from the landline. If Rosalind wanted to, all she had to do was pick up another phone in the house and spy on Tiago. If she was monitoring his calls, she knew all about their relationship.
“I guess she’s probably working for the wardens, which is why she’s taking care of you.” It was on the tip of Aiden’s tongue to tell Tiago that Mr. Johnson kept asking about his parents, but he didn’t want to worry his boyfriend anymore tonight. “But I do wish you could trust her. Do you think your parents will try to break into the house?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t put anything past them, but it’s been almost two hours and they haven’t tried anything.”
Aiden wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t offer. “I could come over.” No matter the risk. “I could sneak in your window and keep you safe while you sleep.” It sounded absurd and romantic, and it made his stomach flutter.
Tiago snorted. “That’s quite an image, and man, I’m so tempted. But I’ll be okay. They probably ran off, thinking I’d tattle on them. I bet they’re long gone.” It sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
“Okay. But if you change your mind, just call and I’ll be there.” If Aiden got caught, they could tell the truth. But no, Tiago didn’t want anyone to know about his parents. They could lie, or tell a half-truth. Make up some reason why Tiago was afraid to sleep without protection.
There was no reason anyone needed to know they were dating. Aiden’s reasons for spending the morning truly would be innocent.
“And you could watch me sleep all creepy Twilight style.”
“It wouldn’t be creepy! I’d be sleeping too. The house would be watching.”
“So you want to turn my house into a v
oyeur?”
“That’s not—”
Tiago laughed. “I guess I should go. See you tomorrow.”
They said good-bye after Aiden made him promise to call if he changed his mind. Aiden had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy to sleep for either of them anyway.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
That morning while Dylan drove to school, Aiden said Tiago wanted to talk to him about something, but Aiden wouldn’t say what it was. They’d both been acting weird for months, so maybe Dylan would finally find out what it was.
As soon as Tiago joined them at the lunch table, Dylan asked, “So what’s this big secret?”
Tiago looked nervous, a faint scent carrying over the smell of food. Dylan had never seen him nervous for anything except tests. And when they were trapped in Aiden’s house with the dark fae.
“Um.” Tiago glanced around. “Maybe I shouldn’t talk about this here.”
“Tiago…” Aiden frowned in concern.
“After school.” Tiago rolled his shoulders, and Dylan got the impression he wanted to pace like an animal trapped in a cage. “I just don’t want anyone listening.”
So there was a secret.
“We could meet by Dylan’s car,” Aiden suggested, looking between them. “Would that be okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure,” Dylan said. He was dying to find out what the hell was going on.
He had English with Tiago in the afternoon, but Cat Boy wouldn’t say a word about this big secret. Finally the day was over, and Dylan grabbed his coat and went to meet Aiden at his locker.
Tiago was there waiting with him and they walked out to the parking lot together, Tiago’s head down and his hands stuffed in his pockets. Now Dylan was worried. Had something bad happened?
Dozens of other kids were in the parking lot, some of them hanging out and chatting. Tiago glanced at the nearest group. “Can we get in the car?”
“Yeah.” Dylan hit the unlock button and slid into the driver’s seat. Tiago got in the back and Aiden hesitated for a moment before joining him in the backseat.
Zen and the Art of Major Magical Control Page 6
