by L. J. Smith
“I love you too, but—”
Adam kissed Cassie on the mouth, softly at first and then with more passion. The kisses made Cassie feel dizzy and light-headed in a way that made her want to giggle out loud. Even more so, she felt him—his essence—intertwining with hers.
Then Adam abruptly pulled away. “Did you feel that?”
“Of course I did.”
“That’s all the proof I need. Cord or no cord. So forget about what you think you saw when you were half-conscious.” Adam kissed Cassie again, this time affectionately on the cheek.
His lips felt warm and loving on her skin, and she couldn’t deny the feeling she got every time Adam kissed her. He was right about that much.
“I only wish you’d told me this sooner,” he said. “I hate that you’ve been worrying about this.”
“You would tell me if you saw it, wouldn’t you, Adam?” Cassie wasn’t sure where the question came from. She never doubted Adam’s word before. She’d never had a reason to.
But Adam hesitated in a way that caught her attention. His answer didn’t come with the immediacy of honesty.
“Of course I’d tell you,” he said, calmly and dismissively, only after he’d faltered. “I didn’t see a thing. And I don’t think you did either.”
Perhaps it was all in Cassie’s head, but Adam didn’t sound quite convincing enough. Maybe she was even more confused and paranoid than she realized.
Cassie turned away, focusing her attention on the long murky line of Crowhaven houses in the distance behind them. Like Adam said, cord aside, their relationship had grown and evolved way beyond love at first sight.
“You know what I think?” Adam said in a lighter tone. “I think it’s time you allowed yourself to relax. Your mother’s right—you’re taking on too much.”
“She said that to you?”
Adam nodded. “At the meeting you slept through this morning. But she didn’t have to. We can all see it, Cassie. And you’re not alone.” Cassie started to respond, but Adam got that goofy look on his face once more.
“Will you do me the honor of being my date for the Spring Fling? We could use a little fun, hunters be damned. And I can’t think of a better person to have on my arm than you.”
Cassie giggled in spite of herself. But her gaze shifted back to Crowhaven Road, all the way down to the blackened depths of the bottom of the hill. “That sounds perfect, but I don’t know if we can afford to make fun a priority right now.”
Then Cassie paused and thought better of the idea. “On second thought,” she said, “the dance might be just the opportunity we need to get close to the principal and Max in a public setting, to see if we can figure out some of their weaknesses, or find out more about their stone relics.”
“Cassie. You’re missing the point. Your only concern should be making sure I wear the right color bow tie.”
“Come on, Adam, I know you better than that. You’re always putting Circle business first, before everything else.”
Adam blushed with guilt. “Okay, you’re right. Using the dance to get close to the hunters had crossed my mind. But that is all the more reason we both need a night off.” His eyes flickered in the moonlight and he reached for Cassie’s hand. “No magic. Just go to the dance and have a nice time—simple as that.”
Adam was so much better than Cassie at being happy these days. Maybe some awful punch and silly dancing with her friends and boyfriend was just what she needed to clear out the black cloud that had settled into her chest. At the very least she could pretend to be excited about it—for Adam’s sake, and her mother’s peace of mind.
Cassie accepted Adam’s hand and let him draw her in, ballroom dance–style.
“Pink,” she whispered into his ear. “For your bow tie.”
Adam took a step back. “Seriously? Couldn’t you choose a color that’s a bit more manly?”
“Nope. Pink it is.”
Chapter 7
For a dance in the school gymnasium, the Spring Fling wasn’t bad. The walls were camouflaged with cheerful decorations and multicolored streamers. Twinkling lights hung from the ceiling like shooting stars. The basketball hoops were tied back and filled with bright, pungent flowers—primroses, tulips, and chrysanthemums—masking the smell of adolescent sweat. The gym had been completely transformed.
As promised, Adam had matched his bow tie to Cassie’s pink halter dress perfectly. She fiddled with its knot now, straightening it solely as an excuse to touch him.
“Would you get me a glass of punch?” she asked. “Or else I might have to start kissing you.”
Adam grinned. “I’ll be right back.”
Cassie stood alone for a moment and gazed around the gymnasium. Everyone from the Circle had come except for Faye and Laurel, and Melanie, who thought Laurel would need moral support being cooped up with Faye. Cassie thought about giving them a call to check in and see how they were doing, but then Nick appeared before her.
“You look beautiful,” he said.
He’d caught Cassie by surprise, so she laughed, embarrassed. “Thank you. You don’t look half bad yourself.”
Nick stared down at himself, wearing his regular jeans, T-shirt, and leather jacket. “I didn’t really dress for the occasion,” he said. “But this is a clean shirt, so I guess that’s something.”
Cassie laughed again and a sudden warmth came to her cheeks.
“Do you feel like dancing?” Nick asked.
Cassie hesitated.
An air of mischief crept into Nick’s face. “I’m only asking because I know you, Cassie Blake, came here with a very specific mission to have some fun tonight. I couldn’t let you go home a failure.”
“Then how could I possibly say no?” Cassie allowed Nick to lead her onto the dance floor.
Whatever song the band was playing was loud and boisterous, nothing Cassie recognized, but it felt good to let her guard down and just enjoy the music—to enjoy the simple pleasure of being a girl at a dance. Nick skipped and bopped about trying to amuse her. She knew he actually hated dancing and that this was all for her benefit. Cassie appreciated the effort and followed his lead, synchronizing her steps to his until together they were making quite a scene.
From the dance floor Cassie saw that Adam had returned with her punch, and Diana was behind him with a glass for herself.
Nick dashed for them, took the cups from their hands to set them aside, and then pulled them onto the dance floor, too. Deborah and Suzan were quick to join in, and before Cassie knew it, Nick had single-handedly altered the energy of the whole group. They were all being silly, rambunctiously bumping into their classmates on the dance floor, infuriating them in the process. It made Cassie remember when she and Nick were together, and how sometimes his refusal to take anything seriously was just the thing she needed to get out of her own head and start having a good time.
Then the music changed to a slow song—one of Cassie’s favorites. She looked at Adam, hoping he would ask her to dance, but she noticed his attention was elsewhere. He was watching someone.
“Max is here,” he said. “Act natural.”
“Whatever that means,” Nick mumbled under his breath. He turned around and cut through the crowd toward the punch bowl. Their merriment was nothing more than a lingering memory.
“It’s supposed to be our night off,” Suzan said, pouting. “Remember? No policing tonight.”
But Cassie knew it was only a matter of time before the Spring Fling became about Circle business, just like everything else. Come to think of it, she was surprised it had taken this long. The group dutifully exited the dance floor and gathered near the back wall.
Max sauntered over to them with his usual air of confidence. He was dressed in a black shirt, black pants, and a necktie as brilliantly green as his eyes. “Hey,” he said, greeting Diana first, as always. “Is Faye around? I can’t find her.”
“Didn’t she tell you?” Diana said. “Faye’s got a terrible cold.”
&n
bsp; “Oh,” Max said, disappointed. “No, I didn’t know. She hasn’t answered any of my calls.” When Max pouted, his features softened, bringing out the boyish charm to his face.
Diana frowned sympathetically. “Don’t take it personally. She’s been knocked out on decongestants since yesterday. I bet she turned her phone off.”
Cassie couldn’t tell if Max was buying Diana’s story or not. She thought he looked more confused than skeptical, but Diana must have sensed some suspicion in him because she didn’t stop there.
“Just because Faye’s not here doesn’t mean your night should be ruined,” Diana said to him.
Max cracked a sideways, hopeful smile.
“Dance with me,” Diana said. And before Max could even react, she grabbed him by the arm and hurried him to the dance floor. The band was still playing a slow song, so Diana clasped her arms around the back of Max’s neck and let him hold her lower back.
Max gazed into Diana’s eyes as if he couldn’t believe his good fortune. All his arrogance and swagger had given way to a sturdy modesty, and he held Diana with care. Faye was the furthest thing from his mind, Cassie was sure of that.
“I know we want to keep an eye on Max,” Adam said. “But this is ridiculous.”
Cassie noticed Adam’s jaw tighten as he watched the couple dance. Diana was laughing, squeezing Max close, having what appeared to be a pretty good time. Cassie wouldn’t dare say so to Adam, but she couldn’t help but sense Diana wasn’t thinking about the Circle anymore.
A few minutes later, Chris, Doug, and Sean turned up at Cassie’s side.
“Do you see what I see?” Chris asked, and Cassie followed his gaze to the opposite side of the gym.
It was Mr. Boylan, standing with his arms crossed in a finely cut dark suit, his gaze locked on Max and Diana on the dance floor.
“He looks like he’s about to kill someone,” Doug said. “What should we do?”
Just then Mr. Boylan turned the other way and stormed out of the gym.
“Follow him,” Cassie said.
The three of them—Chris, Doug, and Sean—bolted toward the exit without a moment’s hesitation. Cassie saw from the look on his face that Adam was anxious to join them.
“This is my chance to search Mr. Boylan’s office,” he said. “For his relic.”
So much for a night off, Cassie thought. But if Adam could steal Boylan’s relic from him it would be the equivalent of robbing him of his power. He couldn’t perform the killing curse without it.
Cassie grazed Adam’s cheek with her hand and nodded. “It’s a good idea, but you shouldn’t go alone. You’ll need a lookout.”
“We’ll go,” Deborah said. She and Suzan stepped forward, a little too anxiously. “We’ve been itching for something interesting to happen all night. Or at least I have.” She acknowledged Suzan, who was still sulking about being pulled from the dance floor.
“Be careful,” Cassie said, as if it were an order. She was still a Circle leader, after all. “I’ll keep an eye on Diana and Max.”
Adam gave Cassie’s hand a squeeze and then took off. Deborah and Suzan followed him toward the hallway that led to Mr. Boylan’s office. Cassie allowed herself a moment to breathe, to remind herself that though everything was suddenly happening so fast, it was all under control. Her control. Then Nick materialized from the crowd with another glass of punch for Cassie.
“I’m pretty sure it’s not spiked,” he said. “But at this rate I think we can both at least count on a sugar high.” Then he noticed the expression on Cassie’s face. “What’s going on?” His dark brown eyes darted back and forth. “Where is everyone?”
“Chris, Doug, and Sean are tailing Boylan. Adam, Deborah, and Suzan are searching his office.”
“I thought we were here to take it easy,” Nick said.
“Change of plan.” Cassie scoped the gymnasium for Diana’s blond hair and Max’s broad shoulders, but they’d gotten lost in the swarm of students. “Do you see Diana anywhere?”
Nick inspected every couple on the dance floor then shook his head. “It’s too crowded. But I have an idea.” He ran to the punch table and, to the dismay of the servers, climbed up on top of it for a better view. He scanned the room back and forth and then he froze in place. His sharp features turned deathly serious.
“Cassie,” he whispered, and jumped down. But before he could utter another word, Cassie caught sight of a wild mane of dyed-red hair. It was no hallucination this time. No paranoia. Right in the center of the crowd was Scarlett.
Nick looked ready to pounce, but he didn’t move a muscle. “She’s casting a spell,” he said.
Scarlett’s arms were rigid at her sides and her eyes were as black as marbles. She was muttering something under her breath, obviously some kind of dark magic.
“We have to get you out of here,” Nick said. “Right now!”
Cassie was smart enough not to argue. She and Nick rushed toward the nearest exit, but suddenly everyone around them started to act odd. Their necks went soft and their heads drooped down. Their classmates had all fallen into a stupor.
Nick shot a look at Cassie. “What the heck is going on?” He positioned himself between Cassie and the nearest group blocking the exit.
Whatever Scarlett was doing seemed to be affecting everyone but Cassie and Nick. But it soon became clear that their classmates were simply collateral damage. With them out of the way, Scarlett now had a clear shot at her intended target. She redirected all her wicked mumbling straight at Cassie:
Spirant ultimus spiritus
Ultimus spiritus vitae
Suddenly all the air rushed out of Cassie’s lungs and she couldn’t inhale any more in. It was like a clamp had fastened around her throat, blocking her breath. She brought her hands to her neck and turned to Nick. There was no breath to enable a scream.
Nick ran to her as if it were a simple piece of food lodged in her throat, as if the Heimlich maneuver could save her—but there was nothing he could do. And with their stupefied classmates crowding every exit, there was no way to escape.
Cassie’s head spun from the lack of oxygen. She reached out for Nick as she fell to the gymnasium floor.
Chapter 8
Nick screamed Cassie’s name. He was bent over her, trying to get her to breathe, but Cassie could feel herself losing consciousness with each second that passed. The yellow gymnasium light, their comatose classmates, and even Scarlett’s wicked voice had blended into a soft, shadowy haze. Then Nick stood up and raised his arms with outstretched hands.
No! Cassie tried to cry out—the worst thing Nick could do right now was perform magic out in the open—but no sound escaped her gaping mouth.
Nick centered his energy, closed his eyes, and made his voice deep:
I call on the Power of Air, the element from the East, I call you from the atmosphere to Cassie’s lungs.
He repeated the spell three times, louder each moment, but Cassie continued to fade out of consciousness. The whole world diffused; sound ceased. There was nothing. And then all at once she gasped like a drowned woman resuscitated, reclaiming her life with one greedy breath after another.
Her vision sharpened with each inhalation, and she climbed to her feet just as Nick raised his hands to call out another spell—this time not at Cassie, but up at the ceiling:
Motion of heart, current of soul, spark to my hands, at the speed of light.
His face took on a lustrous glow and electricity seemed to pass through him, up from his feet and out of his fingertips.
The overhead bulbs flashed and then burst, raining down spectacular long-tailed sparks like fireworks. Then the gym went black as night.
“Run,” Nick said, grabbing Cassie’s hand.
Their stupefied classmates panicked in the sudden darkness. Cassie could no longer see them, but she could hear them grunting and groaning. Their elbows and knees knocked against the gym floor as they tumbled over one another in a massive stampede.
Cassi
e and Nick raced through the maze of bodies, heading for the emergency exit, without once looking back to see what had become of Scarlett. They stormed through the fire door out to the side parking lot, where they ran straight into the rest of the Circle.
“Are you all right?” Diana asked in alarm. “What just happened in the gym?”
Nick and Cassie hurriedly explained the situation and Diana’s mouth dropped open. “Scarlett’s here?”
Both Henderson brothers bolted back to the gym to find her. Cassie screamed for them not to, but they were already gone.
“Someone has to stop them,” she cried out. “They’ll get themselves killed.”
“I’ll go,” Deborah said, taking off in the same direction as the Hendersons. Suzan followed just behind her.
Diana searched Cassie for any sign of an injury. “Are you sure you’re okay? You aren’t hurt?”
Cassie nodded. “I’m fine. I think we got out just in time. Where’s Adam?”
“Right here.” Adam walked up to the group, looking pale. His hands were trembling slightly and they were empty of Mr. Boylan’s relic. “Cassie,” he said. “Have you been out here long?”
“I’m okay,” Cassie said to reassure him.
Adam appeared more shaken than she was. His breathing was heavy and his forehead was soaked with sweat. He scanned the surrounding area with apprehension.
“Scarlett’s nowhere to be found,” Chris called out as he and Doug exited the gym to rejoin the group. Deborah and Suzan were alongside him.
“The lights are still out, but everyone in the gym is back to normal,” Doug said. “Which is too bad, really. I kind of liked the idea of them all being zombified.”
Cassie looked at Nick, happy he was okay. He was so quick to react, and he’d saved her life, but she never intended for him to be in danger like that. Especially with Mr. Boylan and Max around.
