Barking preceded Bo’s white snout poking behind the curtains. More barking ensued and two seconds later his small muscular frame dashed out the dog door. Thunderous barks followed, and then Luke’s massive black body settled next to Bo’s on the porch as I approached. A Jack Russell and a Rottweiler. What a pair.
“Thanks for the welcome, boys.” I scratched behind their ears. “How’s Duke doing?” Movement caught my eye and Duke was slowly pushing his head and body through the dog door. As he tentatively approached, I reached out my hand. “Hey buddy.” He sat and I patted his head. “You look great.”
As soon as I stepped onto the porch, Bo leapt into my arms. When Luke panted and raised his ears, his expression hopeful, I shifted Bo to my hip and put my other hand up in warning. “Don’t even think about it, big guy.”
Aunt Sage opened the door. “Inara, sweetheart. I’ve been hoping you’d come by,” she said and immediately yanked me into a hug. I hugged her quickly, then stepped back. Living with my mom, I always felt a little unsure how to handle my aunt’s demonstrative affection, yet every time Sage gathered me close, a hole inside me widened and I found myself wishing, Why can’t Mom hug me like this?
Taking in my zip-up jacket, athletic shorts and flops, Aunt Sage said, “Practice huh?”
When I nodded, Bo, who didn’t like being ignored, began to shove his head back and forth, looking for more pats. I set him on the floor and followed Aunt Sage inside. Bo had already scrambled up the cushioned chair to balance on the back and stare through the curtain. Most likely looking for squirrels to hunt. “I swear that dog acts like a cat.”
Aunt Sage patted Luke’s thick jowls, then rubbed Duke’s soft head, the stack of gold bangles on her arm clinking with the rhythmic movement. “And just like a cat, Bo rules the roost in this house.”
“He thinks he’s the big dog,” I said when Bo leapt from the top of the chair to dive-bomb Luke, then took off down the hall with the Rott in fast pursuit. Ever watchful, Duke lumbered behind them in a slow lope.
“Duke seems to be adjusting well.”
“He’s a sweet dog. He was a bit skittish when I got him home last night, but Bo and Luke took to him right away.” Sage’s tone hardened slightly. “It makes me so angry to see the evidence of his mistreatment.”
“His situation was pretty awful.”
“That was a kind thing you and Ethan did, Inara. Dangerous, but kind. Please don’t do that again. Your mother would have a heart attack.”
Waving her hand like a magic wand whisking the topic away, she said in a lighter tone, “Guess what I have…” as she walked off toward the kitchen.
I sniffed the air and followed her long-legged stride, smiling at the multi-colored dress swirling around her bare feet. You’d never know she had a willowy figure underneath the baggy clothes she preferred to wear. I was built more like my aunt than my mother’s medium, stockier frame, though Aunt Sage was three inches taller than me.
Baked apples and cinnamon floated teasingly in the air the moment I entered the kitchen. “Pie!” I squealed.
Aunt Sage laughed and handed me a napkin before she opened the cabinet and pulled down two mugs. “Coffee?”
When I eyed the napkin, she touched her cheekbone. “War wound from practice?”
I quickly dabbed at my cheek, coming away with a thin streak of blood. I’d forgotten about the tree limb cutting my face. “Yeah.” Forcing a laugh, I tossed it into the trashcan, then pulled out a high-backed wicker chair and sat down at the mosaic table. “Coffee would be awesome.”
While chewing a bite of pie, Aunt Sage paused briefly and pointed her fork. “Don’t tell your mother. She’ll be upset you had dessert before dinner.”
Shoveling the last piece of warm, gooey apple-crusted goodness into my mouth, I mimed an X over my heart.
Aunt Sage winked and picked up our plates. Setting them in the sink, she settled across from me once more as I stirred more milk into my caramel-colored coffee.
“I can tell you’ve got something on your mind. Does it have anything to do with the boy I met last night? He’s an interesting one.”
Her casual comment instantly sidelined my riotous thoughts about the incident in the woods. “What makes you say he’s interesting?”
Aunt Sage looked contemplative. “I’ve never met such an old soul before.”
Ethan definitely came across as mature, and my aunt had always had keen intuition about people. “What do you mean by ‘old soul’?”
“I can’t explain it. He just has a kind of a ‘been there, done that’ vibe about him.”
I stiffened. “I don’t think Ethan has a ‘know it all’ attitude.”
She shook her head, her curls bouncing like a soft, red halo. “That’s not what I meant. Your friend’s power…it’s off the charts. I haven’t experienced that level of energy before, even in people who claim to have been reincarnated and lived several lifetimes.”
My eyes widened and she patted my hand briefly. “It’s nothing to worry about. All I was saying is that Ethan has a fascinating inner strength. It’s amazing to see in someone so young.”
“Yeah, he’s a solid friend.” That part was definitely true. He’d been there for Duke last night, and then he’d saved me tonight. As for the closeness that was developing between us, I wasn’t quite sure what to call it. I just knew that it felt…right. Unlike the rest of my life lately.
I hated feeling so out-of-control. Hated not knowing what was coming. If I’d still had my dreams, I would’ve known Kurt and Jay would try to attack me, and I would’ve left practice when the other girls did.
Even though worry over my aunt’s reaction to my gift still nagged on my conscience, a part of me believed confiding in her at this point was the right thing to do—I needed advice and guidance.
Sage was into tarot, had done a few séances and had gone ghost hunting with her friends. She also maintained a bookcase full of paranormal and New Age books. In a way, my dreams were similar to the divination she sought in her daily tarot readings. Hopefully she’d understand my gift and how I missed the certainty and comfort it brought me.
Wrapping my hands around the coffee mug, I let the warmth soak into my skin. “I know you’re into all this New Age stuff…” I began hesitantly.
She smiled, her hazel green eyes reflecting patience.
“Life’s been kind of crazy lately.”
“Do you want a reading with the cards?” Sage asked, before taking a sip of her coffee.
I shook my head. “A couple weeks ago I could’ve told you my own future, but now…”
Aunt Sage’s calm expression faded. “What did you say?”
“I said I could’ve told you my future, but now I can’t, and it’s really bothering me that I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
She gripped my hand. “Are you telling me you can see the future, Inara?”
I braced myself, surprised by her sudden intensity. Please don’t let her freak out. “Um, not exactly. I can just see my future, but only what was going to happen one day ahead.”
She frowned slightly. “I thought I sensed something in you, but convinced myself my mind was playing tricks, because you would’ve told me if that were the case.” Guilt gripped me as she squeezed my fingers and her frown smoothed out. “How long have you been able to see ahead, sweetie?”
At least she seemed to believe me and wasn’t freaking out. I withdrew my hand and took a sip of coffee as I considered how much to tell her. Mom would’ve immediately made an appointment with the family doctor and insisted on a psych referral. Elizabeth Collins saw things in black and white, hence the reason my mom was CFO and worked with numbers all day long.
Setting the cup down, I decided to tell her everything. “Since I was seven.”
When she gave a little gasp, I rushed on. “It’s no big deal. It helps with school and stuff.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
Hunching my shoulders, I sighed. “I’m
sorry, Aunt Sage. Mom doesn’t know and I don’t plan on telling her.” When I saw the hurt look in her eyes, I skipped the confession that Gran knew. “I didn’t say anything to you before, because I felt that if I didn’t have to talk about it, I could pretend I was the same as every other kid.”
She gave a slow nod of understanding, then her brow furrowed. “This gift to see ahead is unusual, Inara. I hope you’re not misusing it.”
“Misusing it?” I hadn’t expected her to take that position about my powers.
“In my studies I’ve learned to respect the balance of nature, the natural give and take.”
Sadie flickered through my mind, but I dismissed the memory. Everything had turned out all right after I’d called in the bomb threat...and Kristin was okay. “I try not to get involved in things, but if I hadn’t acted recently, a lot of people at my school could’ve been hurt.”
Puzzlement crossed her face, then realization dawned. “Are you talking about the bomb threat?”
When I nodded, something close to panic flitted through her eyes. “Would you expect me not to act, Aunt Sage? Who knows how many people could’ve been seriously hurt.” And God, Ethan probably would’ve been killed. Waving my hand, I continued, “That was an unusual circumstance. Mostly my gift just makes it easier to deal with life stuff. But the reason I’m telling you now is because I stopped having my dreams a couple weeks ago—that’s how I see my next day, in my dreams the night before—and I’ve only had them twice since. Do you think you could help me get them back?”
Aunt Sage looked like she was processing several things at once as she absently stroked the teardrop crystal hanging on her necklace. “When you lost your dreams the first time, had anything in your life changed prior to that?”
You mean like calling in a bomb threat? Screwing up in soccer and having problems talking to my best friend? Oh, and I met Ethan. I shook my head. “No, it’s been pretty much the same old, same old.”
“Did you hit your head, maybe while playing soccer?
“No. My dreams just stopped. What’s weird is that now that I don’t have my dreams, I don’t dream at all. I’d really, really like them back.”
Her hand paused over the necklace. “Is there something else, Inara?”
Her assessing look reminded me that there was more to my aunt than the “free love” persona she projected. She’d made a killing with an internet-based business, and then shrewd investing later that had funded her jewelry business. “I’d just rather know about stuff ahead of time, so I can get back to my old self. That’s all.”
Aunt Sage pursed her lips. “Mmmm, hmmm. I think you’re not telling me everything, but for now I’ll do some research to see if I can help you get your dreams back. It could be some kind of mental block. Maybe your body just needs a good cleansing.”
I hadn’t thought that a mental block could’ve caused my dreams to flicker in and out, but it was possible the whole bomb incident had messed with me more than I realized. It felt good to finally share my secret with my aunt. And if I did finally get my dreams back, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally mentioning her tarot reading before she’d had a chance to tell me about it. There’d been a few close calls in the past.
Later that night, while taking a shower, I’d just lathered the soap bubbles on my face when a sharp pain radiated across my cheek. Wincing, I moved my hands to avoid my forgotten wound, when a sudden realization made my heart do a crazy staccato dance. Ethan hadn’t just been kissing my cheek, he’d kissed my wound.
Holding onto that bone-melting thought, I quickly finished my shower and crawled into bed early. As I lay in the dark, I relived the sensation of Ethan’s warm hands on my face, his soft lips on my skin and his hard chest pressed against mine as he held me close, over and over.
I’d been kissed by boys before, even had a boyfriend for a whole week when I was fourteen, but Ethan’s kiss didn’t feel like the fast spin to thrillsville guys had taken me on in the past. It felt like a road trip, a journey to somewhere entirely different. Somewhere solid and real.
Why had I let my own fears keep me from hugging him back? Everything about him intrigued me. I was falling deeper and deeper for this guy, which made me a little anxious. I knew so little about him. That had to change.
Chapter Eight
The next morning, as I passed from one class to the next, I felt compelled to scan the crowds in the hallways, looking for Kurt and Jay. I must’ve held and released my breath a hundred times before I finally spotted each guy. Even though they’d both intentionally turned their swollen and bruised faces away when I passed them at separate times in the hall (I wasn’t exactly thrilled to see them either), I was relieved neither was having to use a wheelchair or crutches to get around school.
Gossip flew around that they’d gotten into a knock-down, drag-out fight with each other. Considering I saw them pass one another in the hall later and neither said a word or acknowledged the other guy, I could see why people believed that was the case.
When I saw Ethan’s dark head weaving in and out of the students crowding the locker hallway after lunch, I mentally psyched myself up for the challenge. I will get to know him better today.
I’d worn a v-neck emerald green sweater with faded jeans and my ankle boots. Wearing a sweater of any kind lately tripped my argh my clothes won’t stop sticking to me comfort meter. Today was no different. Static city. But I knew this sweater looked best with my eyes. Mascara was normally my only makeup, but today I’d added a bit of eyeliner before I took the time to flip the ends of my hair out. Dealing with the curling iron in the morning usually got on my nerves, but at least my extra efforts seemed to have paid off. A couple of the football players had raised their eyebrows and whistled as I walked past. I’d waved, but didn’t stop to talk. I was on a mission.
When Ethan approached, I leaned against his locker. Instead of being surprised by my bold move, his dark blue eyes softened. “You okay?” he asked, grazing his knuckles across my cheekbone near my wound.
“I’m fine.” My voice cracked and my skin electrified where he’d touched me. I nearly forgot my goal—that “getting to know him better” vow I’d made—but I forced myself to focus. “I saw my aunt last night. Duke’s doing great.”
Ethan looked pleased. “I’m glad. Thanks for finding him a good home.”
I smiled and my fingers flexed, crinkling the paper in my hand. “Oh, by the way,” I handed him the note. “Here’s what you missed in History yesterday.”
As he glanced down at the paper, I rambled, “We were paired up to work on a paper about war. Since you weren’t there, I volunteered to be your partner.”
His gaze met mine. “Partners, huh?”
“We study together anyway.” I hoped I sounded casual. “The paper can be on any aspect of war. We should probably meet in the library today during study hall time.”
Ethan’s eyebrows shot up as he moved his book and notepad from one hand to the other. “The library?”
“The project’s not due for a while, but I thought maybe we’d see if the school library has anything useful.” My heart pounded harder as I continued, “Oh, and I wrote my cell on that paper. What’s yours?”
“I don’t have one.”
He looked slightly amused, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I seemed to be taking over our project or that I’d just asked him for his phone number. “You don’t have a cell?” Who doesn’t have a cell phone nowadays?
He shrugged. “I don’t like being that easy to track down.”
I guess not carrying a cell matched his loner personality, but it left me feeling four steps behind his long-legged stride without a way to catch up. How was I supposed to do that when texting and chatting on my cell were my lifeline? Finally my stalled brain kicked in. “Um, okay. You have a landline phone, right?”
When he smirked and nodded, I felt stupid for asking. “Why don’t you call me if you miss class and want your homework assignments and stuff.
”
“Deal.” Just then, the bell rang and the noise in the hall shot up. Leaning close, his lips brushed my ear. “See you in the library.”
I was standing between two tall bookshelves in the library, scanning through the books on a shelf when Ethan’s delicious smell wrapped around me.
“Hmm, somehow I don’t think graphic novels are the teacher’s idea of appropriate source material,” he said in a low tone.
Grabbing a slim volume called The Demon’s Lair, I flipped it open, then turned to face him. “I was just killing time until you got here.” I tilted the book so he could see the colorful, graphic pictures of a demon fighting a two-tailed scorpion. “You ever read these?”
Ethan’s focus locked on the pages long enough that I hoped he’d tell me about the horned creature I’d seen in his notebook. “Nope. I read fantasy books by Salvatore, Jordan and Brooks.”
Didn’t fantasy books have otherworldly creatures in them? Maybe he created drawings based on figures he’d read about. Sounded logical. I glanced at the demon locked in battle with another equally hideous monster. “There’s some great detail in this artwork.”
Ethan put his hand on the bookshelf above me and stepped closer, flattening the book against my chest. “Nara, if you have something to ask me, just ask.”
What would he say if I asked him about his drawings? Would he push me away because I’d asked something too personal?
“I—” I dropped my gaze to the book and slowly shut it. “No, nothing to ask.”
He caught my chin and made me meet his gaze. “You’re going to ignore all those nasty rumors about my drawings, the stories that I was expelled from my last school, and the dangerous friends I have without a single question?”
How did he know what I was thinking, the things I wanted to ask, but didn’t? I was so blown away, I answered honestly. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
Brightest Kind of Darkness Page 9
