by K. C. Blake
Jack used to think that way too.
“Are you going hunting tonight?” Jack asked.
“No.”
“Do you want some help with those?”
Billy looked up at Jack with doubt in his eyes. “Do you know how to clean a weapon properly?”
“I’m probably not as good as you, but another set of hands will make the job go faster. We’ll be done by midnight.”
Billy smirked. “Don’t count on it.” He tossed an unloaded .9 millimeter to Jack. “Start with that, and we’ll see how you do.”
They worked in silence for a while, a comfortable silence this time. Jack worked diligently, determined to make his little brother proud. It was funny how he’d come to rely on Billy being in his life. If anything ever happened to him, Jack didn’t think he could survive it.
Billy looked up, caught Jack smiling at him, and asked, “What?”
“I was just thinking it’s good to be home.”
******
The phone woke him early the next morning.
Jack squinted at the sunlight spilling through the partially opened blinds. He didn’t have school today, so he’d wanted to sleep late. Billy had been right about the time it would take to clean each weapon thoroughly. They hadn’t crawled into bed until three in the morning.
Jack tried to check the Caller ID, but his vision blurred. He couldn’t read it. With a sigh, he answered the phone.
Silver’s animated voice filled his ear. “Where were you last night? I waited and waited for you to come over. I thought we were going to set a trap for Isobel.”
He yawned and tried to talk at the same time. “She didn’t show, did she?”
There was a slight hesitation on the other end. “No. Did you know she wasn’t coming?”
“I ran into her on my way over. She had no intention of spending the night at your house, so I talked to her on my own.”
“Did you get anything out of her?”
Had he? Jack tried to remember. His memory of the night before was fragile, and there were fragments missing. Plus, he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to share with Silver at this point. “Uh… she told me she’s not working for Jersey.”
“And you believed her?”
He did. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be on my guard with her.” Blanca jumped on his bed and glared at him through glittering green eyes. He pushed her aside. Going to the window, he stared at the horizon as he let Silver in on what was bothering him. “I know Ian Carver was at your house last night.”
Dead silence.
“I guess we’ve both been lying to each other,” he said. Figuring a confession of his own might rend one from her, he added, “I actually ran into Isobel while leaving your house, after seeing you and your parents with Carver, talking like you’d known each other for years. You want to clue me in.”
“My parents know him.”
“What about you? Do you know him? When he came to work at the school, did you know him then?”
“Yes!” She shouted the word. “Okay? He’s been a family friend for years. I think he used to date my mom or something.”
Date her mom? Somehow Jack thought there was more to it than that, but he didn’t want to press the issue. There were other things they needed to talk about. Changing his mind, he decided that Silver needed to know what he’d done last night. He steeled himself for her reaction. “Isobel showed me how to suck souls out.”
“She did what?”
“We’ll have the upper-hand for sure with Jersey if I can do it too.”
“No!” Silver took a few moments to recoup. It sounded like she was hyperventilating. “You? How could you let her show you something like that? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is?”
Why would it be more dangerous for him than it was for her?
His peripheral vision caught sight of movement through the window. Isobel stepped into the open, and she stared straight up at him. She didn’t wave, didn’t nod. She simply stood there and looked at him as if she was waiting for him to do something.
Jack stepped away from the glass, still talking to Silver. “I can do this.”
“What if there are side-effects we don’t know about? I was born with the ability, but you’re messing around with the unknown. If you were supposed to use the power, Lovely would have written something about it in her diary.”
That blasted diary was quickly becoming the bane of his existence. “Lovely didn’t know everything. She only wrote about what she saw in her visions.”
He could hear Silver counting to ten under her breath. She finally said, “I’m not going to waste time defending a woman who died three thousand years ago. You have the rock, and I have the ability to suck out souls. Why take the chance and play around with a power we don’t understand? Why risk it?”
Maybe she was right. He told her he wouldn’t do it again. After disconnecting the call, Jack went outside to talk to his visitor. He wasn’t looking forward to telling her about the conversation and his ultimate decision not to train with her anymore.
Isobel met him on the porch. She stood close to him, leaning a little as if they were magnets being drawn to each other by a force beyond their control. She said, “I came over early because I think we should practice until we lose the sun’s light. Time is running out.”
Jack stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and walked to the other side of the porch. He wanted a bit of distance between them. He wasn’t sure how she was going to react to the news. The girl struck him as someone who didn’t take rejection well.
“I’m not doing it again.”
“Why not? You weren’t hurt yesterday. You’re fine. Don’t be such a baby.”
“I talked to Silver about it, and we agreed it’s too dangerous.”
“Wow. You are so whipped.”
“I am not.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “For your information, I was already having second thoughts before I talked to her. She only reinforced what I was already thinking.”
“Then you’re an idiot.”
He didn’t have to stand there and take that crap from her. She was a stinking werewolf. She’d betrayed him in another life and got him killed. If anything, she should be begging for his forgiveness, not giving him attitude. He pointed to the road. “Get off my property.”
“No.” Her hands went to her hips. She stared at him in open defiance. “I’m not going anywhere until I change your mind.”
“Do I need to wake my brother and get the artillery?” He moved in her direction.
She met him halfway. “I’d like to see you try.”
“I’ll do more than try.”
Before he could gauge her intention, she grabbed his face with both hands and her mouth slammed against his. He tried to push her away—for about ten seconds before giving into it. Touching her felt good. It felt right. He started kissing her back with a fierce passion he hadn’t realized he was capable of.
Isobel’s fingers tangled in his hair.
He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her closer. They fell against the wood railing, but continued to kiss with feverish intensity. His kisses with Silver were sweet, innocent, nothing like this.
The thought of Silver dashed his spiking fever with ice cold water. He tore his mouth off Isobel’s and shoved her to the side. “Enough! I love Silver. I’m not going to cheat on her with you, and I’m not running away with you. Not ever.”
Isobel looked at him as if he’d slapped her. She blinked her eyes several times and turned her head so he couldn’t see the tears. It was too late. He knew he’d hurt her, but she had to know the truth. It would have hurt more if he’d let her believe they had a chance.
“Silver doesn’t want you to know how to suck souls out because she wants to be the only one who can do it. It’s jealousy, pure and simple. Believe me, I know all about jealousy.”
She could be right. If he mastered the art of sucking souls, Silver wouldn’t have any reason to stand next to him while he took J
ersey on. Learning how to do it could save Silver’s life. That fact alone made it worth the risk.
“Okay,” he said. “Train me.”
Isobel smiled. “You won’t regret this.”
He already did.
******
Chapter Thirteen:
DEAD AT 18
Yawning, Jack stumbled down the stairs in the gray boxers and rust-colored shirt he’d worn to bed. He rubbed his eyes and blinked in an effort to clear his blurred vision. His dark hair, uncombed, went every which way. It was Sunday, almost noon, and he’d barely slept the night before. He’d tossed around for hours, plagued by uncertainty because he had promised Isobel he’d meet her today, practice soul-sucking. On the other hand, he’d promised Silver he wouldn’t do it anymore.
Which girl had he lied to?
The kitchen was empty. Billy would be asleep for at least another four hours. Jack went to the refrigerator and pulled out a day old muffin. He wished Billy would get over his aversion to the grocery store. Jack considered taking over the chore, shopping for food himself, but he felt weird about asking Billy for money. As soon as he graduated he was going to find a job, a real job, not hunting. He settled for the muffin and a glass of milk for breakfast.
Blanca strutted into the kitchen. She jumped onto the stool first and then onto the snack bar. He held his hand out. She walked back and forth beneath it, purring as he petted her. He asked, “What are you up to today?”
She leaped off the other side. The female shape-shifter stood on two legs and glared at him. “Question is what are you going to do today? I heard you talking to that she-devil.” Blanca pouted. “I cannot believe you’re letting her teach you one of her nasty werewolf habits after what she did to me.”
“I like it better when you’re in cat form and can’t talk.”
She stuck her pink tongue out. “Stay away from the werewolf girl. If you don’t, you’ll be sorry.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Blanca began to quake from head to toe. She transformed back into the pretty white cat instead of answering him. Her last sentence rolled around in Jack’s brain. Was his cat threatening him? Or was she simply worried that Isobel couldn’t be trusted?
He started thinking about Silver as he poured milk into the glass. He wondered what she was doing at that exact moment. Was she thinking about him? On a whim, Jack closed his eyes. He focused on reaching out to touch her with his mind. A tiny electrical shock sizzled along his fingertips.
******
Stunned, Jack looked around and took everything in at once. It had worked, sort of. He was in the corner of Silver’s bedroom along with her and Trina, but he wasn’t seeing the scene from Silver’s eyes. Something had gone wrong. He had jumped into one of her memories without touching her. At least that part had worked out. In the past he had had to lay a hand on a person to see the memory. His powers were getting stronger, evolving.
Although he had wanted to see what she was doing in present time, he was definitely in a memory. Through her bedroom window he saw a dark sky. It was night, and Trina was staying over. That told him the exact date. He had stepped into the memory of their recent sleepover.
Trina was lying across the bed with a teen magazine in front of her face. She was in lime green pajamas and striped socks. It was the tamest thing he’d seen her wearing. There was a picture of some young pop star on the magazine cover. Tossing it to the side, she said, “It’s so much fun to hang like we used to before Jack came along. Let’s try to stay up all night.”
“Well now that you brought up Jack... where is he?” Silver paced the length of her room, turned and repeated the trip. “And where is Isobel? If he doesn’t hurry, she’s going to get here before he does, and we won’t have a chance to set the trap.”
“I can help you with the trap if you want.”
“I know you can. That isn’t the point. Where is he?”
Trina rolled her eyes. “I’m sure he’s fine. You know how guys are. They see something shiny and forget all about you.”
“Jack isn’t like that.”
“Every guy is like that.” Trina climbed into a sitting position in the center of the bed. “Hey, let’s watch a scary movie or two. Better idea. We can have a scary movie marathon, and we can eat popcorn and ice cream. What do you think?”
Jack realized he could hear Silver’s thoughts. Maybe he wasn’t inside of her head this time, but he still knew what she was thinking. Bonus! He could watch her expression and listen to what was going on inside of her pretty head at the same time. What more could he ask for?
Silver didn’t want to think about movies. She’d been holding something in for a long time, and it felt like her insides were going to explode. The truth had to come out. She decided to trust Trina with it. “Do you know why I broke up with Jack?”
“Because you’re ultra-busy. You already told me.”
“No.” Silver’s mouth turned down at the corners, and she gave Trina a glimpse of the misery she was feeling. “I’ve been thinking that maybe my mom is right and I only think I love Jack because of the prophecy. Lovely talked about us like we were a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. I couldn’t wait to meet him, especially after all those times I dreamed about him. It didn’t even occur to me to question it. I just jumped into an instant relationship with him.”
Trina frowned. “He’s cute, and he’s going to slay a werewolf for you. Sounds pretty awesome to me.”
“I just don’t want to rush into something. Mom thinks I might have let Lovely’s visions of Jack influence how I feel. She doesn’t think I really love him, and both my parents think if I just stay away from him for a while, my feelings will change.”
“That’s intense.”
Tears filled Silver’s eyes. “I think they might be right. I’ve been so busy studying that I hardly even think about him anymore. My heart doesn’t ache when I’m not with him. I think I might already be falling out of love with him.”
“Wow. That’s major.”
“I’ve been keeping a huge secret from him too. That’s what started this. My parents told me that I can’t tell him about it. They made me swear I wouldn’t. It was so hard. I couldn’t look him in the eye anymore, so I started avoiding him. Then it got me thinking that maybe I only loved him because I thought I had to, that it was my destiny.”
Trina hugged her best friend before ordering her to dry her face and make some popcorn. She told Silver that they both needed a good monster movie marathon to get their minds off their problems. Determined to have fun, they pushed the discussion of Jack to the side. Neither Jack nor Isobel were going to show, they decided, so they should just enjoy the sleepover, have fun like they used to before Jack entered the picture.
******
Jack returned to his own body with a start. The back of his hand stung. The pain returned him to the present. He looked down at his hand. Three long lines, red and bleeding, had been scratched into his flesh. Blanca hissed at him. Stupid shape-shifting cat had attacked him while he wasn’t looking. Somehow she’d known he was with Silver. Thinking of Silver brought new pain to the surface. Emotional pain was a hundred times worse than physical pain as far as he was concerned. He couldn’t believe what he’d heard, the thoughts swirling in her mind, not to mention what she’d said to Trina. She didn’t love him anymore.
Well that wasn’t actually what she’d been thinking, but it was close. He was losing her, and he didn’t know what to do about it.
Jack dumped the contents of his glass into the sink. Blanca jumped up on the counter and hissed at him again. He knocked her off with a wide swing of his arm. “Now is not the time to mess with me.”
He stormed from the kitchen and out of the house without a plan. He wanted to run away, go somewhere where no one knew his name, maybe disappear forever. He wondered if anyone would miss him. Circling around the two cars in the drive, he hopped over the fence and started across the pasture. The sun beat down on him without mercy. It a
dded fuel to the fire of his anger even as sweat beads formed on his forehead.
His every thought connected him to Silver.
Her words replayed through his head. He pictured her face, felt her tears as if they were his own. Again and again he tried to reason out something he could do to turn Silver around, and each time he came back to the same conclusion: she didn’t love him.
The knowledge broke his heart.
He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. Lost in his dark thoughts and eyes focused on the ground, he didn’t notice he had company until he was almost on top of them. There were five of them: werewolves. He stopped walking and glared at the one in the middle. Usually he wasn’t in the mood for a fight, but they had caught him at a bad time.
The werewolves looked like college boys on Spring Break vacation. Three of them had football jerseys on, and one wore a baseball cap. It rode backwards on the guy’s head. Another wore a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt with khaki shorts. The arrogant grin on his face testified to the fact that he thought he was something special. Being werewolves, their faces didn’t reflect their true age. They could be anywhere from twenty to a thousand.
The leader had a full head of thick blond hair that fell over his upper face in unruly locks. With his muscular physique and blue eyes, he reminded Jack of every dumb jock he’d come into contact with since starting Kindergarten. The guy reminded him of Tanner’s hotheaded friend, John. Tanner had turned out to be an okay guy, but John was still on Jack’s list of people to avoid.
It would be his great pleasure to tear these dogs apart. Jack was going to shred them. They had stumbled onto his property on the wrong damn day.
The leader said, “Hey, bloodsucker. Word is you’re planning to wipe out werewolves. Is that true, sport?”
A wry twist moved Jack’s lips. “Yeah. That’s me. Killer of werewolves.” Curious, he asked, “Who told you about me anyway? What is there a newsletter circulating around that I don’t know about?”
“The Albino told us everything in great detail.” The leader laughed. “Boy, that guy hates you.”
