“I will not apologize for protecting your honor, Maya. I could not let him treat you that way.”
Maya looked at her arm, where a bruise had already formed, five perfect finger-shaped purple marks. “You know what? You shouldn’t apologize. It’s all right. In fact,” she added, taking his hand, “it’s better than all right. If I want to date someone, or more than one someone, is there anything wrong with that?”
“Not at all.” Gavin led her away from Stuart, who’d stopped groaning but hadn’t gotten to his feet. “A beautiful young girl like yourself shouldn’t be serious with just one person. You need to meet people, experience different outlooks and personalities. Otherwise, how will you ever learn who you are and what you want out of life?”
The warm feeling expanded, and Maya realized what it represented: freedom. Freedom to date who she wanted, to be herself instead of belonging to someone else. Without guilt and without worrying about what everyone thought.
Is this how Lucy feels all the time? Is that why she’s always so carefree and happy?
“You’re right, dammit,” she said. “I’m my own person, not anyone else’s. Not Stuart’s, not Blake’s, and not--” She stopped, suddenly aware of what she’d been about to say.
The potential insult didn’t bother Gavin, who smiled. “Not mine, either. Although I hope that doesn’t preclude our seeing each other on occasion.”
As much as she knew she should tell Gavin she wasn’t interested, somewhere between her brain and her mouth the words changed. “I suppose that can be arranged. But I’m warning you,” she added, pointing a finger at him, “No means no. I’ve had my share of pushy people, and I’m not looking for a wrestling match every time we see each other.”
Gavin’s smile grew wider, and he chuckled softly. “Agreed. I’ll do my best to be a gentleman. It’s just that your beauty makes it difficult.”
“Yeah, right. Flattery will get you nowhere.” Even as she said it, Maya knew her face had betrayed her, that she was blushing furiously.
Politely pretending not to notice, Gavin asked if she wanted to take a walk with him. “It’s a beautiful evening, and hopefully the actions of the young man back there haven’t spoiled it for you.”
Maya shook her head, feeling a pang of regret as she did so. “Ordinarily, I’d say yes in a heartbeat. But I’ve got a ton of homework due tomorrow, and I really have to get home. Raincheck?”
For a moment, Gavin’s smile hardened, and she caught a glimpse of the person who’d gotten out of control in her bedroom. Then his face cleared, and he shrugged. “My loss. Perhaps tomorrow. Have a good night, Maya.” He took her hand and kissed it, his lips and fingers cool against her skin.
“Goodnight.”
As he walked away, she almost lost her resolve and told him she’d changed her mind, but she clamped her mouth shut and let him disappear around the corner.
Standing in the gathering darkness, Stuart a block behind her and long forgotten, Maya whispered to herself.
“Oh, man. What am I doing?”
Two boyfriends? That could only lead to trouble.
But it felt so good!
Hidden in the darkness between two buildings, Gavin watched Maya walk down Main Street and eventually turn onto the road that led to her house. Only when she was long out of sight did he finally let his frustration boil over. White, orange, and red streams of electricity shot out from his body, making him look like a character from a movie struck by lightning. Light bulbs and neon signs exploded in the two stores closest to him, and out on Main Street a power line separated from a pole with a burst of sparks and a sound like a gun shot. A second later, half the stores on the block went dark.
Muttering a string of increasingly vile curses, Gavin strode past gawking pedestrians towards the library, his presence nothing more than a curiously cold breeze in the warm autumn air.
* * *
Stuart Newman wondered if he was going crazy or if he’d been hit on the head too many times in football practice. The past ten minutes had been the weirdest in his life. After getting sucker punched by Maya’s newest boyfriend, he’d had to endure watching them walk off together while he struggled to catch his breath. Of course, it wasn’t like he’d been forced to watch them, but he’d found himself unable to tear his eyes away, like the time he’d caught his sister and her boyfriend having sex in her bedroom. He hadn’t wanted to watch then, either, but there’d been some kind of sick fascination holding him in place.
With each step she took, Maya seemed to be exiting his life a little more. He hadn’t expected to feel sad, but there’d suddenly been tears in his eyes as he realized it was finally over.
So at first, he’d simply blamed those tears when it seemed that the guy walking with her was slowly turning invisible. He’d wiped a hand across his face, clearing his blurry vision, but nothing changed.
The guy was disappearing!
Stuart squinted hard into the last remains of the dusk. As impossible as it might be, the guy was walking away from Maya, and at the same time he was fading away into thin air. Maya, a stupid, smitten look on her face, didn’t even seem to notice. She’d just waited ‘til he disappeared completely, and then headed down the street toward her house.
As if that wasn’t strange enough, a couple of minutes later, while Stuart was still trying to process what he’d seen, a series of sparks shot out from the alley where the guy disappeared, and then all hell broke loose as a power line burst on Main Street and all the buildings went dark.
While people from the stores oohed and ahhed over the mysterious blackout, Stuart found himself unable to shake the feeling that the miniature lightning storm and Maya’s disappearing boyfriend were somehow related.
The question was, how?
And what should he do about it?
Chapter 13
“Lucy, I’m telling you, he just appeared like some kind of dark prince to save the day. If Gavin hadn’t been there, I don’t know what Stuart would have done to me.”
Maya’s homework sat unopened on her desk, as it had for the past hour. She knew it meant another late night of hitting the books, but really, who could expect her to concentrate on her schoolwork after what happened? She’d been too tense, too worked up, and too excited to even think about history or science. So instead, she’d grabbed a handful of cookies and run upstairs to call Lucy. Texting was out of the question - she’d end up with carpal tunnel before finishing her story. Maybe once she talked everything out, got it out of her system, she’d be able to concentrate.
Maybe.
So far, that theory hadn’t worked. Lucy kept asking for more details, and Maya found herself reliving Stuart’s quasi-attack and Gavin’s sexy rescue over and over.
“I can’t believe you didn’t let him walk you home,” Lucy said, her voice equal parts teasing recrimination and envy.
“Yeah, right. After what happened the last time? I think it’ll be awhile before I spend any time alone with Mister Grabby Hands, no matter how hot he...he is,” she finished lamely.
Lucy didn’t miss her hesitation. “How hot he is, or how hot he makes you?”
Maya didn’t answer. She didn’t want to admit the truth of it, to herself or Lucy.
“What’s the matter, cat got your tongue? Or maybe you’re thinking of where that tongue--”
“Okay, Lucy, that’s enough. I gotta go. For real this time. Homework calls.”
Maya punched the disconnect button on her cell, cutting Lucy off in mid-protest. Not that she’d be insulted. She got a kick out of seeing how far she could push Maya.
Probably spend half the night thinking of new ways to embarrass me tomorrow.
Normally the prospect of enduring Lucy’s one-track teasing would have had Maya thinking of ways to avoid it - usually by giving her the silent treatment - but the way she felt at the moment, she could fail a pop quiz in every class tomorrow while the whole school made fun of her, without coming down from her cloud.
“Gotta concentrate,” she whisp
ered to the empty room. She flipped open her history book, but it only took a few seconds before the lines of text blurred and all she saw was Gavin’s face and tall, lithe body. Already her imagination was changing the events of that evening. In her mind, Gavin emerged from a cloud of fog, his black coat whipping behind him with primal fury as he strode towards her, one side of his mouth tipped up in a sultry half-smile that begged to be kissed.
“Maya.” Hearing her name from his lips sent chills down her back, and it took her a moment to realize she wasn’t imagining it.
“Maya. May I come in?”
“Yes.” The word was already leaving her mouth as she turned and saw Blake sitting on her windowsill.
He climbed in and stood up. “Maya, we need to talk. There’s something--”
“Shut up.” Maya didn’t know which of them she surprised more by grabbing him and pressing her lips against his. For a moment he stood still as a statue, then his arms went around her, and he angled his face without breaking contact.
Maya shivered as the chill emanating from his lips, hands, and body covered her from three directions at once. Rather than putting out the fire raging inside her, it served as cold fuel, each tingling wave heightening the sensations she felt.
Still locked in their kiss, she pulled him towards her bed and let her body fall backwards onto the comforter, dragging him along with her. Stuffed animals and pillows toppled to the floor as they rolled back and forth, taking turns on top. His hands drew frigid trails down her back and sides and her palms felt like ice from holding tightly to him. She gasped when icy fingers crept under her shirt and bra, but didn’t even think of telling Blake to stop.
Until two of those fingers opened the button of her shorts.
“Please, don’t.” Misty vapor formed as her breath flowed over Blake’s otherworldly form.
“Don’t fight it, Maya, it’s for the best.” His hand slid further down, and suddenly it was like a glass of cold water on her hormones.
“Dammit, I said no!” She pushed away from him, feeling an eerie déjà vu. What was it about her bed that turned nice guys into dogs? Was it always going to be like this?
“You need to have sex, Maya. Right away.” Blake’s expression was serious and clinical, as if he’d just told her she needed to take her vitamins every day and drink plenty of water.
“Oh, really? Well, I’ve got news for you. I decide what I need, and when I need it. And the last thing I want from you right now is sex.”
Instead of being angry, Blake nodded. “Okay. It doesn’t have to be me. It can be anyone. Your ex-boyfriend. Someone from school. Anyone except Gavin--”
“All right, that’s enough. Get out.” Maya couldn’t believe it. Blake was jealous of Gavin! He must have seen the two of them together, maybe even earlier that night.
Oh, God, is that the only reason he came here?
“But Maya, you don’t understand. Just let me--”
“I said out, Blake. Now. Scram. Make like an egg, and beat it.” She leaned forward and pushed him, sent him flying off the bed. “I mean it. Get the hell out of my room.”
This time he did look angry, but unlike Gavin the day before, he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he went to the window and climbed out. As soon as he disappeared, Maya shut and locked it. She had no idea if a ghost could move through walls, but if nothing else, it would send a message that she didn’t want him coming back.
Her hands trembled as she buttoned her shorts and straightened her shirt. She picked up her history book again but had even less success than before trying to concentrate.
Dammit to Hell!
The book hit the wall across the room, and Maya threw herself down on the bed, beat at the pillows and comforter with her fists until her arms ached. When she sat up, sweaty and flushed, instead of feeling better for having released her pent up frustrations, she felt more charged up than before if that were possible.
Maybe I should have...
No. That’s just the hormones talking. You’ll know when it’s the right time. And, this wasn’t it.
Unfortunately, knowing she’d done the right thing didn’t make her feel any better.
Downstairs, a door slammed. Her mother, home from work.
I can’t let her see me like this.
She grabbed her pajamas and ran for the bathroom, hoping a nice, cool shower would calm her down and clear her head.
If not, it’s gonna be a long, long night.
Chapter 14
“Girl, you look like a reject from a bad zombie movie.”
Maya didn’t bother acknowledging Lucy’s comment as the two friends took seats next to each other in homeroom. She knew exactly how bad she looked. She hadn’t fallen asleep until well after three. She didn’t even remember hitting the snooze button and going back to sleep when her alarm went off at six-fifteen. If her mother hadn’t come in and woken her at twenty to seven, she’d probably still be in dreamland. As it was, she’d had just enough time to run a brush through her hair and throw some clothes on. Everything else would have to wait until after class.
Not one to accept silence, Lucy gave her a poke with the eraser end of her pencil. “What’s the deal? Late night? Who was it, Gavin or Blake? Give me the juicy, girl.”
Thinking about both boys made Maya groan. “Ugh. I don’t want to talk about either of them right now. I overslept thanks to the two of them being jerks. Look at me. No makeup, no lipstick, not even any blush or cover-up. Geez, the boys’ll be lining up to ask me to the dance now, huh?”
“All guys are jerks. But don’t worry. We’ll fix you up after first period. I always have my emergency make-up kit in my bag. Besides, it’s not your face that’s gonna keep the guys away.”
Something in Lucy’s voice caught Maya’s attention, even through her fog of exhaustion. “What do you mean?”
“I was gonna tell you after class, but I guess I don’t have to worry about ruining your morning now. It’s Stuart.”
Jerk number three. Naturally. “Oh, no. What’s he done now?”
Lucy shook her head. Her black hair, cut in a bob this month, swished back and forth. “You’re not gonna believe it. He’s been spreading the word that if anyone asks you to the dance, he’ll personally rearrange their body parts.”
Maya felt her face tighten. “Tell me you’re joking.”
Behind her rose-colored eye shadow, Lucy’s eyes held equal amounts of compassion and sympathetic outrage. “I wish. Oakley told me on the way to school. Seems your ex is mounting a major campaign to keep you boy-free for the foreseeable future.”
“That son-of-a-”
“Class, please put your books under your desks, and take out your pencils and calculators. We’re having a little quiz.”
A chorus of groans followed Mr. Rollo’s announcement. Lucy’s was the loudest. “I can’t believe it. A pop quiz in chemistry? Who does that?”
Maya put her head on the desk. “Could this day get any worse?”
* * *
Gavin Hamlin stood in a storeroom in the museum’s basement, his attention focused on the young woman who was opening boxes with an odd triangular blade and sorting the contents on a long table. She’d caught his attention the moment she’d entered the building, thanks to the Virgin-a-Teens button pinned to her shirt. He’d followed her into the basement, a plan already forming in his mind for testing Anton’s theory about virgin blood. After waiting several minutes to make sure no one would be joining her, he’d moved close to her, so close she’d shivered and rubbed her arms.
You think you’re cold now, he thought, watching the gooseflesh rise on her skin. Wait until I can really touch you.
His plan was a simple one. He’d known for some time that unlike his fellow ghosts, he had the ability to actually affect what happened around him in the real world by causing episodes of electrical energy, usually fueled by intense emotion. Whether these derived from his own forceful personality or his years of practicing magik, he had no idea. But it was ti
me to put them to good use.
Just as he would for a spell, he focused his concentration, putting all his effort into it, until it felt like his head would explode. He let his anger and frustration at being dead and denied his ultimate goal fuel him, build up inside him until it felt like he couldn’t contain it any longer.
Just when he reached the point where his brain threatened to explode, he released the energy one massive surge, keeping his eyes on the girl’s hands. The lights flickered momentarily, but better than that, one of her hands jerked as she opened a box.
The hand holding the small knife.
“Ow!” The girl held up her other hand. A tiny cut on her thumb bled a few ruby-red drops.
Yes! Gavin leaned forward, extended an incorporeal hand out, and touched his fingers to the droplets.
And felt the girl’s warm skin.
Knowing his slight solidity wouldn’t last long, he grabbed the knife from her. It passed partway through his hand, but not all the way. Lifting it, he swung it as fast as he could.
The girl never had time to scream as the blade sliced through her throat. Blood sprayed out onto Gavin’s flesh, and he felt himself grow more solid. He brought his arm back, cutting deeper into the muscles and tendons of her neck. This time a fountain of blood exploded over him. Dropping the knife, he scooped handfuls of her blood and smeared it on himself, reveling in the hot, sticky liquid. In moments, he was nearly as solid as a living person.
Now, to find the key. Gavin grabbed the knife and ran up the stairs to the main floor. Even in his haste, he spared some of his attention to being physically part of the real world again. Colors seemed brighter; and when he took a deep breath, he was able to smell odors again - metal and dust and leather and a thousand other scents. The dead girl’s blood was cold and tacky against his skin, and he loved it.
Although he’d been prepared to use the knife on anyone he saw, Gavin found the Black Lady’s exhibit room empty. He immediately began searching through any items where a key might have been hidden, tossing the objects to the floor as he finished with them. As he raced against time, he grew more frustrated, throwing utensils and tools across the room and cursing Fate for sending the ship to the ocean’s bottom in the first place.
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