“Who cares? It’s just a dance.”
As though they heard her, three of the guys detached themselves from the group and swarmed to our side. I didn’t catch their names, didn’t care to, but soon we were in a circle, Amelia and McKenzie flanking me, the three guys completing it.
The one opposite me, blond hair with dark roots, grinned. Something in his eyes bothered me. I tried to read his thoughts, but the music messed with my concentration. I pressed closer to Amelia, wanting to tell her the guys gave me the willies, but she was dancing with the guy beside her, a dreamy expression on her face.
Dark Roots crossed the divide between us and moved into my personal space. Panic surged through me. I stepped back. He followed, leering at my chest. Before I could stop him, he reached out and lifted my pendant from where it rested on the V of my top.
“What’s this? Ouch.” He let go. “It burned me.”
My gaze swung to the pendant. The hexagonal green core wasn’t glowing. I closed my hands around it. It was neither warm nor cold. The pendant only glowed and warmed when a demon was around, which meant this bonehead wasn’t one. But the pendant also caused demons excruciating pain. Why would it hurt this guy? I tried again to find his psi but was distracted by…McKenzie.
What was she doing?
She lifted her hands above her head and swayed her hips in slow, circular motion. Her dance partner took her hands, intertwined them behind his head then placed his hands on her waist. He drew her closer, locking their hips. He imitated her slow, sinuous dance.
I glanced over at Amelia. Her eyes were wide. Then McKenzie’s partner whispered something in her ear.
“I’ll be right back,” she mouthed to me and winked. She and the guy started toward the auditorium. The deejays chose that moment to replace the colored lights with strobe.
Bursts of white light and darkness blinded me, making it hard to see where McKenzie and the other jock were headed. I swallowed, my heart hammering with dread. Dark, tight places were my worst nightmare.
I strained to see and tried to find his psi. A flash of light and I saw his face. He nodded at someone. I followed his gaze to two of his friends who were still standing by the vending machines. The two threw their empty bottles in the trash can and started forward.
My heart dropped.
“We can join them if you like,” my partner whispered in my ear, dousing me with his foul breath, his hand gripping my arm.
“I don’t think so, pal.” I wrenched my arm from his hand and grabbed Amelia’s arm. “I think McKenzie is in trouble.”
“Not with all these chaperones.”
“The guy with her….” my voice trailed off when I realized Dark Roots was walking away, following his loser friends and McKenzie. I had to do something. “Amelia.”
“What?”
I pointed at her dance partner. “Don’t go anywhere with him. No, help me find one of the chaperones.”
“Why?”
Yeah, what would I tell them? The boys hadn’t done anything yet. “I have to find McKenzie.”
I looked at the undulating crowd. My irrational fear of tight, dark spaces, or rescuing my friend? That was a no brainer. I plowed into the crowd, my eyes on the retreating back of Dark Roots. Shadows from the strobe light skewed my vision, and bodies rolled onto my path, fueling my phobia. That I’d fail to help McKenzie wasn’t an option.
A hand brushed against my breast. I slapped it away.
Another dug into my waist. “Want to dance?”
I grabbed his hand and yanked. A howl followed.
Bodies bumped me, slinked around me and slowed me down. My height gave me added advantage, and I could see Dark Roots disappearing toward the western ramp. I barreled through the dancers, heading his way, pushing and shoving, but forward motion seemed impossible. The flashing lights weren’t helping. The shadows and bodies smothered me and made my skin crawl.
Can’t let panic control me…can’t stop now…must go on…
Heart drumming hard, ears ringing, I plunged forward. I had to do something. But what? I couldn’t blow out the stupid lights or cut off electricity. Pandemonium would follow. Asking the other trainees for help would have been nice. But I couldn’t focus enough to lock on their psi energies. That left one solution. I hoped it worked on humans the same way it worked on the omnis. I closed my eyes and focused hard.
Everyone freeze.
Nothing happened. I stopped walking, focused hard until my head hurt. Freeze. The bodies bumping against me stopped. I opened my eyes. Great! I did it again.
The dancers had stopped with their arms frozen in crazy positions, bodies contorted and faces grotesque masks of merriment. The flashing light washed over the frozen mob, giving an illusion of motion. Outside, I noticed students were still moving. If someone entered….
Doors…lock.
I weaved my way around the mannequin-like students, avoiding elbows and legs, praying I wouldn’t knock someone down and start a ripple effect. I burst out at the other end of the crowd, circled the western wall of the auditorium. More frozen students were in the slanted hallway.
I still couldn’t believe I’d forzen everyone in the building. How awesome was that? Dark Roots was about the enter the band room located near the end of the ramp. I tore down toward him, anger replacing my smugness. A wave of my hand and he flew across the broad hallway and hit the wall. Hope he gets a nasty bruise.
I burst into the classroom and hit the light switch. Cold fingers crawled up my spine at the frozen scene. The guy McKenzie had been dancing with had one arm around her waist, his other hand covering her mouth. Facing them were the two other guys. They were pulling at her arms, their leering expression so disgusting I stilled the urge to knock them across the room. I couldn’t do that while they held McKenzie. I had to get her away from them first.
I rushed to her side. Fat tear drops were frozen on her cheeks and her legs hung in the air as though she’d been kicking back. I reached out for her and gulped. My pendant lit up like Christmas lights.
My eyes darted around the room, heart slamming hard against my chest. Nothing but chairs and us. Could one of the boys be a demon? I must take McKenzie to safety. I reached forward, pulled her captor’s hand away.
A familiar cold laugh rippled across the room. My eyes widened in disbelief as Gavyn materialized at the farthest end of the room. In a black tux, white shirt, vest and bow-tie, he looked like he’d just left a party. How could he be here when he was supposed to be in some demon jail?
Just as the thought crossed my mind, two dark-haired men materialized beside him. The Goetz brothers were alive? “You!”
“Yeah, me,” Gavyn mocked, misunderstanding. “Did you think I’d give up so easily? I want my brother.”
“He’s not here,” I yelled, my mind going in circles. Who could have lured Bran away from the valley with the lie that Gavyn was in trouble? Why? Nausea hit my gut.
“Don’t lie to me, Guardian!”
Gavyn’s frosty voice penetrated the fog in my head. “I’m telling you the truth. Someone told Bran the Goetz brothers disappeared, that you were being charged with their death. Bran went to L.A. to see you. But you’re here, and they,” I pointed a shaking finger at his men, “they’re alive. It doesn’t make sense.”
His gray eyes flashed. “Lies. You can’t fool me.”
“Listen—”
“No, you listen to me. You think you did well tonight saving your friend? Unless you hand over my brother, I’ll come after everyone you love and care about with everything I’ve got. You won’t see me coming, but you’ll know it is me. You can’t be everywhere every time, Guardian.”
Gavyn was too blinded by his hatred for me to listen to anything I said. And Bran. Who had him? Blood pounded in my temples, and my knees threatened to give out from under me as I imagined all sorts of scenarios. Did Coronis hear he was about to leave her breeding island and got him? She could be torturing him now. Maybe his mother was behind this treachery.
No, I mustn’t jump to conclusions. Bran was smart. He’d realize he was tricked. Or maybe he wouldn’t. I must try and contact him, tell Grampa what was happening. I closed my eyes, focused.
“Don’t you dare ignore me when I’m talking to you,” Gavyn snapped, breaking my concentration.
“Go away,” I yelled at him. “If you won’t listen to me, leave. And don’t come back.”
He smirked. “Oh, I’ll be back. And that’s despite the Council’s doubled security. Don’t you idiots know we always find a way? This time around, we’re winning this war.”
“Winning…winning…winning, is that all you ever think about? How about finding out who has your brother, you moron?”
“Your acting is pathetic, Guardian. I see right through…. What are you doing?”
I dangled a chair between us, courtesy of my telekinetic abilities. I lifted another and another.
Gavyn smirked. “What are you going to do with those?”
My eyes narrowed. “What do you think? So? Will you listen to me, or do I have to beat the crap out of you and your boys first? Bran…is…missing.”
He chuckled, exchanged glances with the Goetz brothers then sneered at me, his arms crossed. I waved my hand and the first chair sailed through the air. Pow. It hit the wall, right where the three of them had stood a second ago. The metal legs twisted then the chair crashed to the floor. Gavyn and his men reappeared to my right.
“Are you nuts to pick a fight with me?” Gavyn snarled. “Do you know who I am?”
“A bonehead who won’t listen to reason. If anything happens to Bran, I’ll hold you responsible.”
His eyes narrowed, and for a moment, I thought I got to him. “Try and hit me again—”
I missed him by a breath. Someone tried to stop the chair, but I was faster, my psi stronger.
“Let me get her,” one of the twins growled.
I smiled but on the inside, I wondered if I was getting in way over my head. There were three of them against me. No, Bran was worth it. “Bring it on, short stuff.”
Twin One locked on the still dangling chair and pushed. I resisted. The chair moved toward them. I felt the pressure in my head when his brother joined. Trying not to panic, I pushed some more. The chair kept moving toward them. Their eyes widened. I was stronger than both of them. If I wasn’t worried about Bran, I would have grinned. I wasn’t even exerting myself. I looked at Gavyn.
“Someone lured your brother away from here with a lie. Find out what’s going on.” He didn’t respond. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, didn’t dare lock on his thoughts to find out. “Did you hear me?” I snapped.
“No one tells me what to do,” he snarled then a chair lifted and whipped through the air. It wasn’t coming toward me or the chair locked in the tug-of-war between me and the demon twins. It was headed for Kylie and the jocks, still frozen at the back of the class.
Keeping my hold on the other chair, I raised my hand and stopped the one Gavyn threw before it hit the students. I brought both chairs down and glared at him. “You could have hurt her.”
He sent a scathing glance at the students. “So? She’s human. Damned fools. Amazing what these were willing to sacrifice to win a game. So many of them, so many opportunities. Don’t get too attached to pawns, Guardian, or you’ll always lose.”
I stepped forward. “Give them back their souls, Gavyn.”
He stepped back. “I don’t have them…yet. Just bought their services for this little game we’re playing, just like I will buy others.” One of the Goetz brothers mumbled something. “Remember what I said, Guardian. Send my brother home, and I’ll leave you alone. Don’t, and you’ll be sorry.”
“I already told you, he’s miss—”
“What’s going on, Lil?” Remy snapped from behind me.
My head whipped toward the door. Remy, Sykes, Kim and Izzy stood in the doorway.
“Are you crazy? You’ve frozen everyone in the building,” Kim added.
I pointed at the corner of the room at Gavyn and his men. “The demons. They…they used these football players to attack my friend. And Bran’s missing. He’s in danger. I tried to tell Gavyn, but he wouldn’t listen. He hates me—”
Sykes gripped my arms and shook me. “Whoa, slow down. What demons?” he asked.
I glanced back at the corner where I last saw Gavyn and the Goetz brothers. They were gone.
18. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
“Gavyn and the Goetz twins were here,” I stressed, blinking hard to stop the tears from falling. Times like this I hated the fact that my tear ducts were tied to my emotions. “Remember? Bran got a message that the twins were dead and that Gavyn was being blamed for it. It’s a lie. They’re alive.”
“Really?” Kim asked.
I bristled, not liking the way she said that one word or how the others looked at me as though I’d lost my mind. I shrugged off Sykes’ hands and leaned against the wall for support. I was shaking. “Yes. I spoke with them just seconds ago. They…were…here.” I pulled out my amulet from under my top. “Look at the stone. It’s still warm and glowing.”
They all stared at the stone. That they needed proof to believe anything I said hurt.
Silence followed.
Did they believe me now? Sykes and Remy’s expressions were blank. Kim and Izzy walked past me to the frozen scene inside the band room. They circled the motionless students and murmured among themselves. I still wasn’t good at linking and only caught snippets of their thoughts. Freezing people…my powers… not fair.
“Isn’t he supposed to be in some demon jail or something?” Izzy added.
I nodded. “For the Goetz twins’ disappearance. Yet they were here with him.”
“The bastard is playing games,” Sykes said, drawing my attention.
“He’s not. Bran believed his brother was in trouble,” I snapped.
“I meant Gavyn. He lured Bran away, and now he’s messing with you,” Sykes explained.
I shook my head. “Gavyn doesn’t know Bran’s gone. That’s why he was here. He promised to keep coming after my friends until Bran goes home. I tried to tell him he wasn’t here, but he wouldn’t listen to me.” My voice ended in a sob, which only ticked me off.
“Then someone in the demon world is up to something,” Sykes muttered.
“Yep, and we’re caught in the middle,” Remy added.
I blinked at his choice of word. “We?”
“Yes, we. When a demon targets one of us, he or she deals with all of us.” He glanced at the others for affirmation.
Sykes nodded.
Izzy and Kim took their time before bobbing their heads.
“The Cardinals might think we’re inexperienced and keep us out of the loop whenever something big is going down, but we’re more than ready for assignments. If Gavyn comes back, we’ll be waiting for him. If Bran needs our help, we’ll give it to him.” Sykes grinned as though enjoying the thought of a good fight.
“Thanks.” My voice broke.
“So what’s the plan?” Izzy asked.
Remy pointed at Dark Roots. “Bring him inside and unfreeze everyone, Lil. Let’s finish this in private.”
I pointed at Dark Roots and dragged him across the floor to the band room. Up the ramp, students were still frozen on the dance floor and in the hallway. I focused, raised my hand and pressed a palm toward them. Unfreeze.
Using my powers the second time was a little easier but I was beginning to feel lightheaded and fatigued. And my head hurt. The students came to life, continuing to and from the restrooms as though they hadn’t stopped moving. Dancers resumed dancing and adjusted to a different rhythm. If anyone noticed the change in songs, I hope they’d blame the deejays.
“You may want to unlock the doors, too,” Sykes reminded me.
I did, smiled at him in gratitude as I joined them inside the room and closed the door.
“And these boneheads?” Sykes asked, pointing at the still frozen Dark Roots
and his friends in the room with McKenzie.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Can’t we beat the crap out of them and teach them a lesson or something?”
“Don’t you know anything? We can’t use our powers to harm humans. It’s against the code,” Izzy snapped.
I caught her eyes and sighed. Why couldn’t she see it wasn’t my fault her powers and mine had similar effect? As a Time Guardian, she froze things by stopping time while I froze things without affecting time. I couldn’t even explain how I did it.
I looked away from her and focused on the frozen students. “What if we just humiliate them?”
“By doing what?” Izzy asked in a belligerent tone.
“What did you have in mind?” Remy added in a more calm and reasonable voice.
“Strip them and throw away their clothes?” I suggested.
Everyone laughed, except Izzy.
Remy nodded. “Good idea. Sykes and I will stand guard outside.” They left the room still laughing.
I went to McKenzie and pried the boys’ hands from her arms. Izzy and Kim joined me. Once we freed McKenzie, we carried her to a chair. Because she was stiff, she started sliding off. The others held on to her while I went to work.
A wave of my hand and the clothes ripped off each boy. Jeans, T-shirts and underwear flew to my feet. Even touching their clothes repulsed me. I wiggled my finger in the air and they formed a bundle, opened the door and sent them outside to where Sykes and Remy stood. “Dump them in a trash can somewhere.”
“I’ll burn them,” Sykes said and guffawed as I closed the door. I turned to Izzy and Kim. “On a count of three, I’ll unfreeze them and McKenzie.”
Kim pulled out her cell phone from a small pouch around her waist. “Let them see how they like being humiliated.”
“One, two, three.” I waved a hand and everything happened at once.
McKenzie’s body jerked. She tried to scramble to her feet and at the same time, opened her mouth to scream. No sound came out. It was either stolen by the scene across from us or our presence and my soothing words. “You’re okay, McKenzie….you passed out…nothing happened…we got here on time….” I stayed by her side.
Awakened Page 21
