by Jenna Kay
He takes my hand and kisses my palm gently, the touch sending shivers up and down my spine. The look he's giving me is so fierce, consuming me entirely. My heart does a flip-flop in my chest as he starts kissing my fingertips. I blow out a breath, trying to regulate my stampeding heart.
“I'm not sorry I went through the heartache and the pain,” he tells me, getting closer to my face. “It made me a stronger person, though I lack the understanding when it comes to friendship...and love.”
I gaze at his lips as I inch closer to them. “We can help each other understand.”
He smiles. “I'd like that,” he tells me as he tilts his head to kiss me—but the kiss never lands. One second we're about to kiss, and the next second he's jumping off the bed, his gaze stretching over to the door.
“Your mother is coming,” he informs me, turning back to me. “See you at school tomorrow?”
I smile and sigh. “Yeah.” His smile broadens, just as the black mist envelops him and takes him away from me, and just in time, because Mom doesn't bother to knock.
The door swings open and she strolls in. She inspects my room, opening my closet door and peering in. Finding nothing, she checks my bathroom, only to find it's empty as well. Then she walks over to my bed and glares down at me.
“Are you alone in here?” she questions. Her hand is placed firmly on her hip, her gray eyes trapping me in a steely grip. The sun has set and she's already wearing her slayer garb.
“Of course I'm alone,” I reply, adding snidely, “Why would you ask that?”
“I thought I heard another voice in here,” she tells me, appearing bewildered.
Sweeping a quick glance around my room, I say, “Um, nope. Just me.”
Shaking her head she sits down in my desk chair, rubbing a hand through her short blonde hair. The air is thick with her feelings, ones I'm shocked she's having. Not only is her heart racing, but the panic and restiveness starts to cling onto me.
Crossing my legs on my bed I ask, “Mom, what is bothering you? You're all jittery.”
“I just got some news,” she responds, “and I'm trying to deal with it.”
“Oh?” I'm intrigued. “What kind of news?”
Her gaze studies me a moment before she answers, “None that you need to worry about right now. When I figure it out I'll tell you, okay?”
Great. Mom's being secretive and holding back on me. I'd been hoping that she had comprehended the fact that I wasn't a little girl anymore, but it seems she still thinks of me as such.
Sighing, I decide to let this go for the time being. After being sick and meeting Ash, I'm so ready to not think or feel. All I want at the moment is to be alone—unless Phoenix wanted to join me.
I roll my eyes. “Fine, Mom. Tell me later. I don't even care.”
“Don't give me any attitude, Gracen,” she says strictly. “I know you've been sick the last couple of days, but that doesn't give you the right to belittle my decisions.”
Why is she so dang sensitive? And what decisions is she talking about?
“Sorry,” I say, too tired to argue. “So, did you want to talk about anything else, or were you just checking up on me?”
“Actually, I wanted to talk about the Vipers Phoenix introduced you to Saturday.”
I make a face. “How did you—oh. Phoenix told you, right?”
She grins. “Yep. Tell me about them and tell me everything.” Very typical of mom to keep things from me, but I had to tell her every little detail of my life.
Again blowing out a sigh, I dive right into Saturday's details, leaving out the Mark situation. I also leave out meeting Ash and everything Phoenix told me about his past.
Hey, if Mom's allowed to have secrets it's only fair that I have a few of my own.
***
For the first time in ages I make it to school early, even before Phoenix. I'd wanted to get there early so we could talk, but as students start to trickle into the classroom it becomes apparent to me that Phoenix is running late.
I sigh, deciding to pull out my MP3 player and plug my ears with some grunge metal. Leaning my head back and closing my eyes, I listen to the pounding beat that invades my ears. Getting lost in the music, my mind pushes out all the negative crap, inviting the positive in. And that positive has a name, and his name is Phoenix Brooks.
Phoenix has been in my life a little over a week now and he's already hooked me with his integrity and charm. Not leaving out his dark, mysterious eyes and sultry lips. Oh man, those lips! Just picturing his head tilting down, about to kiss me, and the feel of his lips on mine—
A tap on my shoulder breaks me away from my Phoenix-induced day dream. Thinking it's him tapping my shoulder, I open my eyes and show off my biggest smile. That smile quickly disappears as my face automatically pulls into a sneer. The two cheerleaders standing in front of me is not quite what I'd expected.
Racking my brain I try dredging up their names out of the deep recesses of my mind—that's where I keep information that I have no use for. The short-haired blonde's name is Shay, and the dark-skinned chubby one is Caitlyn. These two have never spoken to me—to my face, that is, and right now I'm wondering what their ploy may be. In other words I smell suspicion, and it smells rank.
“What do you two want?” I nastily question, my lips curling up.
Shay speaks first. “Well, we were just wondering, uh, what's your name again?”
When I don't give them my name, chunky Caitlyn says, “Her name is Gracie, or something like that.”
“Oh yeah!” Shay shrieks, slapping her hand against her forehead and grinning at her. She turns her light green eyes back to me and continues, “So, Gracie, the guy that sits next to you, Phoenix. Are you guys, like, a couple?”
My mouth twitches into a sardonic smile. “Why are you asking?”
“Just answer the question,” Caitlyn spits out, popping out an attitude with her hand on her hip.
“What if we are?” I challenge, leaning my elbow atop the desk and resting my chin on my balled-up fist.
“Yeah, we'll take that as a big fat no,” Shay snorts with laughter.
“I agree,” Caitlyn pipes up, looking her nose down at me. “Who would want to be seen with a skanky, trashy ho anyway?”
“Excuse me,” Phoenix's voice booms from behind them. The girls spin around, their eyes wide and mouths hanging open.
“Hi Phoenix,” Shay says, batting her eyelashes at him as he sits down. “How are you this morning?”
“I'm good, thanks,” he answers them. Turning to me with a smile tugging at his lips he adds, “And I'm doing a whole lot better now that I'm sitting next to the most beautiful girl in the world.” He winks at me and I almost melt.
My heart skips a few beats and I know my face is two shades of red. Not knowing what to say or do, I just stare at him in awe, fighting the desperate urge that's tugging at me to crawl into his lap and press my lips to his.
“Beautiful?” Caitlyn exclaims, her face full of shock. The girls look at each other, suddenly bursting into obnoxious laughter.
“Oh boy, that's rich!” Shay reacts. “Phoenix, I think you need to get your eyes checked, because that thing sitting next to you is nowhere near beautiful.”
“She's a ghost, a creeper, a creature of the night!” Caitlyn makes a noise that's supposed to represent a ghost, then both girls laugh out loud again.
Their chatter is starting to chafe my hide, causing my mellow to vanish. My mind is telling me to let it go, that they're not worth the energy, but my body is screaming for me to unleash the beast all over these snotty little cretins. An image of me ripping their throats out comes to mind, but before I'm able to haul myself from my desk and take them out, Phoenix comes to my rescue.
“I think,” Phoenix begins in a low voice, his dark eyes darkening even more, “that the two of you need to look in a mirror. You,” he points to Shay, “need to get some better zit cover up, a razor for your mustache, and some toothpaste. And you,” he points t
o Caitlyn, “need to get on a treadmill and lose a couple hundred pounds.”
They gawk at him, their dubious expressions and utter speechlessness causing a giggle to roll out of my mouth.
“And another thing,” Phoenix continues, slouching all the way into his seat, “you two need to get as far away from us as possible. We don't want to catch any of your stupid fumes, especially with a big test coming up tomorrow.”
Their dual expressions of blushing dismay makes me bust out laughing. Probably never in their perfect, spoiled little lives have they ever been talked down to like that. They'd just gotten a taste of realism, the hard truth slamming them right in their silver-spooned mouths. Ahhh, what an awesome sight.
The two girls twirl on their heels, walking away, though Shay halts her steps to put in her two cents.
“You know what?” she thinks out loud, directing it in Phoenix's direction. “As much as I can't stand Billy Stanton, I do have to agree with him when he says that you're a freak.” She says the last word like it leaves a bad taste in her mouth, then walks to the front and takes her seat.
Stealing a peek at Phoenix I'm expecting to see smoke coming from his ears. Instead I'm surprised to see he's actually smiling, and it's genuine. His emotions are carefree—he hadn't let those two ditzy rah rahs get to him. A smile spreads the whole length of my face.
“Wow, I'm impressed,” I tell him truthfully, shooting him a look of approval. He in turn throws me an inquisitive yet incredibly handsome glance.
“What are you impressed with?”
I grin. “The way you put those two heifers in their places without losing your cool. I'm totally impressed.”
He turns in his desk, resting his elbows on his thighs. “Impressed enough for a kiss?”
I turn in my desk as well, leaning into his face.
“Almost,” I tease, then I lean back in my desk with a huge pestering smile—he doesn't move, keeping his dark eyes on me. Changing the subject I ask, “Why were you late today?”
He quirks an eyebrow. “Late? Class hasn't even started yet.”
“I mean,” I say, rolling my eyes, “why were you later than usual?”
“Oh,” he nods his head in understanding, “that's because I overslept. I was up all night and most of the morning talking with Ash.” I shudder, remember the conversation from the day before. He hadn't been too happy to meet me, which I still didn't understand.
“What did he have to say?” I inquire softly.
“I think he's coming around. I had a real break through with him and I think he's ready to—”
The bell cuts his words off, leaving our conversation in the air. He turns his gaze to the front, sitting straight up in his desk. The teacher walks in, tells us all to hush up, and starts writing away on the chalkboard. I try getting his attention, but he has put all of his concentration to the front of the classroom. I needed to know what Ash was ready for. If I didn't find out I'd be ineffective the whole class.
Ripping a piece of paper from my spiral notebook I quickly jot down:
Ready for what?
I fold the paper in half, and when I'm sure the teacher's not looking I fling it on his desk. He glances at me with silent surprisal written all over his face. I point at the note and mouth read it. He grins, nodding his head, and opens the note. After reading it, he writes a few words, folds it up, and slings it back to me without checking to see if the teacher's watching us. I shoot him a glare. He only shrugs and grins.
Opening the paper back up I read:
Ready to join us.
I glance up at Phoenix and he regards me with a strong, serious look. Then he deviates his attention to the front of the class, concentrating on the lesson being taught. Though I keep my attention focused on him and the fact Ash is ready to work together.
The entire day my mind is working on overdrive, contemplating what this might mean for the future of Silver Mortals and Night Vipers. Could this really work? Could Vipers and Eagles really work together to keep down the evil befalling the world?
By the time lunch rolls around my head is pounding like a drum. I'm a little upset that Phoenix wouldn't be at lunch with me. He had to run home and check on Tink, who had been sick the last couple of days.
Sitting down with my turkey sandwich, I let out a sigh and close my eyes. I want to take a minute to chill and process everything that's happening, but I don't get the chance. As soon as I let my mind start to drift, Bets sits down next to me.
“Wake up, Gracen!” she shouts in my ear. I open my eyes and shoot daggers at her. She doesn't notice my glare as she continues, “Let me tell you about my date last night. First off, we went to his band practice in some dudes garage. There was, like, a dozen slutty girls hovering over the band members, but Jason only had eyes for me.” She went on to tell me about how awesome the band sounded, and that I'd love their music because it was grunge metal.
“What's the name of the band?” I ask when she stops to catch her breath.
“Oh, you'll love it,” she tells me, grinning slyly. “They're called The Deviant Demons—isn't that the coolest name ever?”
I grimace. “Sounds—neat.”
“Neat?” Bets scoffs. “They're the next big thing! And guess what?” I open my mouth to speak, but she doesn't give me a chance to reply. “Jason has promised me that I can go on tour with them next Summer! Isn't that awesome?”
I surprise her by groaning loudly. “Bets, like you'll still be with this guy next summer. You go through guys faster than it takes to microwave popcorn.”
“This guy is different than the rest, Gracen,” she tells me, her eyes all dreamy and glazed. “I've been waiting for the ultimate bad boy, and Jason is the supreme qualifier.”
I wince at the emotions I feel coming off of her. Lust, greed, power, all rolled in one.
“What if he's not good for you?” I point out. “What if he hurts and uses you?” Her eyes drift back to me, still a bit glassy with happiness.
“Oh, he's the one for me, Gracen,” she tells me matter-of-factly. “Let me explain why. After his band practice we went to his apartment, where we...”
I tune out the rest of the conversation. Something about this Jason guy gives me the creeps. As for the band's name The Deviant Demons—something about the name doesn't settle well in the pit of my stomach, and seeing how Bets is already entranced by this guy rubs me the wrong way.
Something tells me that I need to check up on this so-called band, and find out a little more about this Jason dude.
As soon as my life settles down, that is.
CHAPTER 16
Friday evening has arrived and I'm busy gearing up for a night I'm sure I'll remember forever. Tonight would mark the first night in history that Night Vipers and a Silver Mortal hunt demons—together. Yes, Phoenix and I had shared one night of demon demolishing, but tonight we will hunt as a group, united as one. My adrenaline is already close to spilling over, my anxiety growing a mile a minute with the need to start this night with a bang.
Which is totally what I'm expecting.
Walking through the apartment I try to find mom so I can tell her the recent news. With Ash agreeing to join up with a Silver Eagle, the group of Vipers that have been hiding out can now burn off some of their built-up aggressions. Mom has yet to hear about the turn of events. I haven't seen her since Wednesday night. She'd been asleep when I was awake, or awake when I was asleep.
Jude had been scarce around the apartment as well. I'd been wanting to talk to him about his research. I'd been hoping he'd found out if any Ashley's in the city had turned up. Tonight I find him knocking on the hall bathroom door, calling out my mom's name.
“Hey, what's up?” I ask him. He jumps at the sound of my voice.
“Oh, h-hey Gracen,” he greets me solemnly, his voice trembling. I study him a moment, knowing he's feeling weary and...nervous? Why would Jude feel nervous?
“Why you so jumpy?” I query, just as I hear Mom behind the bathroom door, heaving
and throwing up into the toilet. “Oh, I see. Mom's got the sickness.”
Jude leans his back against the closed door with a pained expression sitting on his face.
“Yeah, she's very sick.”
“She must've caught what I had,” I sigh, shaking my head. “It'll take a couple of days minimum for her to recover.”
“Yeah,” he replies, his eyes staring off into space.
“Well, anyway, I better get going,” I tell him, adding, “I'm taking the motorcycle out and meeting Phoenix and the other Vipers.”
Jude's gaze cuts to mine in an instant. “Tonight's the night, huh? Never thought this would happen. Never thought this could happen. Years upon years of fighting against each other, and tonight that cycle will be broken.” He blows out a shaky breath. “No one could've ever predicted this.” He continues to stare at me, his unblinking eyes giving me the chills.
“Jude, are you alright?”
He nods his head slowly. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”
Taking a closer look I see that his pupils are dilated and glazed over. He also has a hint of liquor laced on his breath.
Great. Just great. Mom's sick with a stomach bug, puking her insides out, while Jude is drunk. He probably wouldn't remember this conversation later. Absolutely freaking great.
“Oh-Kay,” I mumble out, securing two of my sharpest Bowie knifes to my legs, concealing them under my black pants. “Guess I'll see you later.”
His gaze slackly drifts up to the ceiling as he responds, “Yeah. Later.”
I back away from him, then turn to leave. Bounding down the stairs to the garage I push out the strange thoughts of Jude's drunkenness and mom's sickness. Tonight's events would go down in history, definitely leaving a mark on the Touched world.
When my black Suzuki V-Strom comes into view, my lips tug up into a smile.
Yep. Tonight's going to rock.
***
Freedom and exhilaration flows through my body as I rev up my motorcycle and tear off into the night. I have a fresh, vibrant rush of adrenaline coursing hot in my veins. I weave in and out of traffic, not worrying one iota about being pulled over. They'd have a hard time catching this chick.
