by Pat Esden
“You ready for some fun?” Selena asked.
“I guess,” I said, and we were off again, speeding helmetless toward the party, my stomach cartwheeling like one of those nasty up-and-down-and-all-around rides at a fair.
Selena parked on the edge of the firelight, then hooked her arm through mine and pulled me into the crowd. She snatched a Twisted Tea out of a kiddy pool filled with ice and waved for me to take one. I snagged a wine cooler instead, popped it open, and took a long swig.
The drink’s coolness settled my stomach a little, but the beat of the music and the sheer number of strangers swarming all around me, everyone moving, dancing, laughing, all the voices, strobing firelight, the heavy scent of pot, made my head swim. I took another slug and a deep breath. At least a majority of the people were around my age, like Selena had promised.
I leaned in close to her. “Where’s Newt?” I asked.
She went up on her tiptoes, looking over the crowd. “I don’t know. But he’s got to be around here somewhere.”
“You sure he knew we were coming?”
Playfully, she punched me in the arm. “Of course. He’s got a surprise for you, too. C’mon.”
As she dragged me through the swarm of dancing couples, I worried about Newt’s so-called surprise. I was pretty sure I didn’t like the sound of that.
She shouted introductions to a couple of guys and girls. But we were moving too fast for me to connect faces with names. She veered out of the crowd for a second, pointing at a black Mustang and giggling something about Newt, condoms, and spilling something or doing something. Sweat glistened on her forehead. Her eyes were wide. Still, she didn’t look stoned or drunk, at least not yet.
Finally she let out a squeal, ran ahead, and latched onto the arm of a tall blond guy in shorts and a rugby shirt.
She hauled him toward me. “This is my cousin, Annie,” she said. “Annie, this is Newt. Isn’t he amazing?”
He had floppy hair like Taj and a Boys of Summer tan. I gave him a smile and said, “Hey.” I could see why Selena had the hots for him, but—
Keeping the smile plastered on my face, I gave him a second look. Something about him seemed . . . incongruent was the word that came to mind. I’d caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the inside of his left wrist: entwined snakes or maybe just one twisted up like a pretzel. Not anything unusual in and of itself, but it drew my eye to a charm on his gold bracelet. It wasn’t any fraternal symbol I’d ever seen.
With a shake of my head, I shoved my uneasiness aside. What was wrong with me? He was a normal guy. Preppy, rich, and Harvard, just like Selena had told me.
“Glad you could come,” he said, elbowing the guy behind him.
The guy turned toward us. He was wearing a U of Maine sculling team hoodie, but he was blubbery-chunky and his skin was as pasty-pale as a slug. He was maybe nineteen at the most.
“This is Selena’s cousin. Remember I was telling you about her?” Newt said.
The guy gave me a body scan and an approving grin. “Annie, right? You want to dance?” He reeled off the questions like they were rehearsed—and I suspected they were.
I folded my arms across my chest. Something told me this guy was Newt’s surprise. Why hadn’t Selena warned me? Yeah, right. Because I would have said no.
“Go on.” Selena nudged me toward him. “He’s Newt’s brother.”
I turned to scowl at her, but she and Newt were already vanishing into the crowd. Man, I hated this.
The guy swaggered toward me. “Come on, I won’t bite, unless you want me to,” he said, wiping his hands on his shorts.
Reluctantly, I let him take my hand and lead me into the dancing crowd. But, as we danced, I searched the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Selena and Newt or one of the girls she’d introduced me to earlier, anyone safe to hang with.
But no one looked familiar, their faces brightened, then shadowed by the pulsing orange light. The smoke stung my eyes. The pounding music dug its way into my brain. Newt’s brother jerked his pelvis and flailed his arms, dancing like a slug on fire. My legs felt heavy as if they were made of lead. Worst of all, it was clear I wasn’t going to get my chance to pump Selena for information. This was one of my worst ideas ever.
Without warning, the music went from throbbing to slow. Newt’s brother snatched me like I was his favorite blow-up doll, one hand fastening me against him while his other weaseled its way up my body. He leaned in close, his crotch grinding. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.
Teeth clenched, I strategically twirled away from him. Where the hell was Selena?
He snagged my wrist and yanked me from the dancing crowd, and toward the picnic tables and coolers. “I’ll make us some drinks,” he said.
A thousand ways to kill Selena flashed through my mind. I couldn’t deal with this, especially tonight. But I couldn’t leave the party until she did and I was done hanging around with this jerk.
He unscrewed the top off a half-empty bottle of foamy orange liquid, poured a little into two plastic glasses, then pulled out a hip flask and added whatever it contained to the drinks.
Holding one out to me, he licked his lips. “I’ve got a blanket in my car. I’m real good at the horizontal two-step, if you know what I mean.”
I started to reach out for the drink, then pulled my hand back. “Give me a minute.” I winked to throw him off the track and added, “Nature calls.”
I fled back into the dancing crowd, around the fire, past a table covered with pots full of steamers and corn on the cob, by someone throwing up and a couple humping on the sand, and finally slid to a stop.
Ahead, the ocean rolled toward me, black and undulating like a mass of writhing snakes, rushing over the tidal pools, waves crashing higher and closer than when we’d arrived. Flashes of firelight and moonlight sizzled across the water.
I looked to my left. A bunch of people were stripping off their clothes, readying to go skinny-dipping. I glanced the other way: to the very edge of the firelight and beyond, to the night-shrouded dunes—and Selena’s ATV.
I shifted my weight from one leg to the other and considered my choices. Newt’s slime-mold little brother. A bunch of naked strangers. Or the ATV and darkness, terrifying but as familiar as my own name.
Shivering, I tucked my hands under my arms and jogged toward the ATV. I could feel the dark watching me approach, as alive as the demon that had taken over Dad’s body.
I slumped down with my back against the machine, the night air chilling my skin.
Digging my heels into the sand, I stared straight ahead, my body hidden by shadows, my eyes focused on the firelight. I forced my childish fear into the furthest reaches of my mind. Instead, I bristled at what Selena and Newt must have said about me to Newt’s brother in order for him to think he was going to get lucky, and chastised myself again for ever thinking that coming to this party was a good idea.
Slowly, my anger drained. My muscles relaxed. My mind wandered.
I pulled my knees to my chest. Everything that had happened until now, coming to Moonhill, Grandfather pretending to be Tibbs, the shadows, Dad cutting my ear, even the way Chase made my body thrum. It all seemed so unreal, so distant and strange.
In a cold rush, an image of Dad thrashing on the bed and the demonic voice coming from his mouth flooded my brain.
Burying my face in my hands, I rocked forward. I was too tired, too on edge to think about this. I needed a break. Dad had told me so many stories about Moonhill and the supernatural. I’d seen artifacts and exhibits about cursed Egyptian tombs, African shamans, the Romans, the Mayans, all kinds of cultures and religions. I’d talked to the Salem witch and the Santeria priest. But there was a huge difference between suspecting magic and supernatural were real, and having them invade your life like they had mine.
And I couldn’t afford to just not think about it either, even for a second. I knew this as surely as I knew the dark was daring me to turn around. A demon, a living, breathing spawn of the D
evil, had possessed Dad. And I had gone into the church with him. The demon could have possessed me.
“Hungry?” A guy’s voice came from right in front of me.
My pulse jumped. I dropped my hands from my face and jerked my head up.
Chase crouched in front of me. He was wearing a black hoodie and his trademark low-slung jeans. There was a bowl of steamers in his hands.
His eyes settled on mine, lingering, leaving me breathless for a second.
“Want some?” he asked.
“Not really,” I stammered.
Chase set the bowl on the sand. “I went through a lot of trouble to fix you this picnic.”
I snorted. “More like you filched it from a bunch of drunks.”
“That too.” He pulled a pair of beers from his hip pockets and set them on either side of the steamers, then took off his hoodie, spread it out on the sand, and indicated he’d put it there for me. “Come on. Humor me. Think of it as a peace offering to make up for earlier today.”
As I scooched onto Chase’s hoodie, I caught a hint of his outdoorsy scent. But it wasn’t a bonfire smell like I’d thought. It was actually a purer, hotter smell with a metallic tang, like a welder’s torch.
Chase sat down on the other side of the beers and bowl. “Isn’t this more comfortable?”
“Yeah—” My brain staggered, searching for something chit-chatty to say. Finally, I blurted, “You’re lucky I didn’t kick you in the shins when you grabbed me in Dad’s room. And how slow were you going on the way back from Port St. Claire? Like ten miles per hour?” I gulped a breath, then gave him one last reaming. “And you really scared me the other day in the library—with that if you live bit.”
He gave me a pained look that sent a shot of guilt tumbling around inside me.
Pressing my fingers over my eyes, I grimaced. “Sorry. That was totally rude.” Man, I needed to lighten up. He was trying to be nice and I was giving him the third degree. Totally the wrong way to get things sizzling. Not that I was intent on hooking up with him right now, but I didn’t want him to run for the hills, either.
Chase twisted the top off a beer and handed the bottle to me. “The situation has changed anyway.”
The bottle chilled my lips as I took a tiny sip. “Because of what happened today with Dad?”
He looked away from me and reached toward his boot. I took advantage of the moment and dumped some of my beer onto the sand. If I didn’t catch a buzz and he did, I might be able to pump him for information like I’d planned on doing with Selena.
His hand came back up, clutching a glinting dagger.
What the hell! I sucked in a breath, my hands braced behind me, readying to push up and run. First Dad with a razor, now this.
Chase laughed. “Sit down. I’m not going to use it on you.” He took a steamer from the bowl and, with a flourish, used the dagger to open the shell and spear the meat. “Here.” He held it out to me.
Gingerly, I took the clam off the blade’s tip. “Thanks,” I said, trying to look as cool as possible while I struggled to get my pulse back under control. I popped the meat in my mouth. It was tender and left a delicious smoky aftertaste on my tongue. I smiled at him. “So does Selena know you’re here?”
“That’s something I generally try to avoid. It makes life happier for the both of us.”
I swallowed what remained of the clam. “You’re not going to tell Kate about the party, are you?”
“Not unless I have to.” He pointed his knife at my beer. “Drink up. There’s plenty more.”
As I took a tiny sip, I eyed Chase’s nearly full beer. “Kate asked me not to tell Selena about Dad, and I don’t think she’s figured it out on her own.” Talking about Selena seemed like a good way to find out how much he knew and to get him to trust me more.
“What makes you think Selena isn’t a better actor than you?”
It took a second for what he’d said to sink in. I glanced past him toward the bonfire, double-checking to make sure Selena wasn’t within earshot. Then I lowered my voice. “What do you mean?”
“Think about it.” He reached behind him and brought out another beer. He held it out to me. “Here, you deserve it. Seeing your father like that couldn’t have been easy.”
A flash of Dad tied to the bed slammed into my mind, him arching and thrashing, his eyes rolled back into his head so only the whites showed.
A sob built in my chest and I turned my head away from Chase, swallowing hard and digging my hands into the sand to keep from crying out in anguish. Why my dad? Why something so awful?
I felt the cool-damp brush of the second beer as Chase set it down next to my hand. Then, his hand covered my clenched fingers, squeezing them gently and sending a comforting wave of warmth across my skin.
His voice deepened. “What did you get by coming here, clams and some beer? What did Selena get by bringing you here?”
Blinking my eyes open, I struggled to regain my composure. “What are you talking about? She just wanted to see Newt and have some fun. She wants us to be friends.”
“Are you sure that was all? I told you to be careful.” Chase looked away from me and stared toward the incoming waves.
With him distracted, I dumped out the rest of my first beer, then gave his half-empty bottle a sideways glance. As slow as he drank, the chances of him getting tipsy were next to nothing. On the other hand, I felt as mixed up as if I’d drunk a twelve-pack already.
After a few minutes, he turned back toward me. “I’m sorry I scared you in the library.”
“That’s okay,” I said, waving his apology away. “Did you tell me not to talk to Dad because”—I forced the words out—“because of the demon?”
“No. I told you not to talk to anyone about your mother. I still feel that way. Except, I need you to tell me how your father thinks she died.”
My throat squeezed and my mind raced. “Why do you care about that?”
Chase set his beer down. His gaze went to my face, then abruptly dropped to the sand beside me. In horror, I realized his eyes were focused on the spot where I’d dumped the beer.
“Uh, so—” he said.
Bowing my head, I stared at the bottle beside him and tried to think of a witty comeback.
Next to his bottle was a shadowy spot. No. Not a shadow: a wet spot. He wasn’t drinking his beer either.
My eyes went to his and we both began laughing. I laughed so hard that tears moistened the corners of my eyes. I wiped them away with my fingers, relief flooding through me.
He gave another laugh. “Great minds think alike, huh?”
“Maybe we should just be straight with each other,” I suggested.
He smiled, his beautiful eyes lighting up like I’d given him the best gift in the world. And, once again, those sexy flutters began dancing inside me. Only this time I let them take control, reverberating, rocking me to my toes with a surge of desire. I wanted to feel the sand against my back and his body pressed against mine. I wanted to forget everything else, except the sensation of his hands and lips against my skin. I wanted to make the daydream I’d had about him come true. Why not? Dad and I were leaving Moonhill soon. I could see in his eyes that he wanted me as much as I wanted him. This wasn’t like Taj. I had no misconceptions about it leading anywhere.
Without letting my gaze stray from his, I shifted in close to him, my pulse beating a frenzied rhythm as I tipped my chin up, parted my lips and waited, hoping.
“Annie,” he murmured. He lowered his head toward mine, one hand sliding down my back, bringing me in even closer until our lips were a breath apart.
My heart stumbled. I closed my eyes. I could smell his white-hot scent, feel the warmth radiating off his body. For a long moment, I feared he was going to retreat. Then his thumb grazed my bottom lip, leaving me breathless and trembling.
Finally, his lips touched mine, warm and tender, a gentle caress, growing harder, more demanding. Desire exploded through me. I opened my mouth, surrendering. I d
idn’t care if someone saw us. I didn’t care—
His mouth was gone from mine, cold air once more separating us.
Stunned, I blinked my eyes open.
He was scrambling to his feet. Turning away, he raked his hands over his head and groaned. “Annie, this is a bad idea. If you knew me, you wouldn’t want to—” He stopped midsentence and cocked his head.
My breath came in short pants. “I—I’m not expecting anything—”
“Shhh.” He turned back and raised his hand to silence me. Every sign of passion had drained from his face.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
After a few tense seconds, he grabbed my arm, pulling me up. “You and Selena have to leave. Now.”
“Why?”
“Wait here. I’ll go get her,” he said, his jaw muscles clenching.
But before he could move, someone shouted, “Cops!”
Three cruisers, maybe more, squealed into the parking area. Searchlights flooded the beach. Screams filled the air. The music died. People scattered everywhere. I snatched Chase’s hoodie from the ground and thrust it at him. Selena was running toward us. “Get on the ATV!” she shouted.
I glanced at Chase. There was no room on the ATV for three.
“Don’t worry about me. Get out of here.”
Selena started up the engine and we flew across the wet beach, through the incoming tide. Sand sprayed out behind us as the ATV took the dune and sped into the shelter of the trees. Once we were out of sight, she slowed to a stop and we both looked back.
In the early morning light, I could make out the dying bonfire. A dozen or so partiers slouched beside the cruisers. A cop hauled someone across the sand, and a naked couple hid behind a dune.
“I don’t see Newt, do you?” Selena asked.
“No,” I said, though from this distance it was impossible to tell.
She blew out a breath. “That was close.” She gave me a friendly cuff. “Hey, what happened to Newt’s brother? And what were you and Chase doing, all by yourselves?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. Having a beer, talking.” I touched my lips, remembering the warmth of his kiss.
