I frowned. “I’m used to having you invisible. But Patrick . . . how can I pretend he’s not there?”
“Are you saying I’m easy to ignore?” He actually looked offended.
“It’s different,” I hedged.
“That was a cop-out if I ever heard one.” He grunted once. “Right, well, I’m going to go get your drugs—I used to be pretty good at that, once upon a time . . .”
I rolled my eyes as he left and put a steadying hand to my forehead. After watching Grandma verbally beat Patrick at the hospital, it was far too easy to imagine the escalated argument she’d carried on at home. But Patrick raising his voice at her? Inconceivable. Sure, they’d both been under a considerable amount of stress, but . . . I couldn’t imagine him yelling at her. Couldn’t imagine him yelling, period.
Grandma was the one to bring in a tray with some applesauce, a glass of water, and my medicine. She set it on the end table, pushing back the clock and clutter that dominated the surface before finally meeting my gaze. “Are you feeling any better?” she asked meaningfully.
I answered honestly. “My head hurts. But I feel more alert.”
“Good. Toni said you’re not very hungry.”
“Not really,” I admitted. “Nothing sounds very good.”
“Well, I want you to eat this. I’m making some homemade chicken noodle soup—none of that wimpy canned stuff. It should be done soon, and I’ll bring some up.”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
The skin around her eyes relaxed a little. “You’re welcome, dear.” She picked up the bowl of applesauce and an accompanying spoon, handing them to me with simple instructions: “Eat.”
She wouldn’t let me take the medicine until I had something in my stomach, so that alone encouraged me to swallow some applesauce. When she was finally satisfied, she handed me the pills, which I took gratefully with some water. Once they were washed down Grandma took the glass and set it aside.
I wasn’t sure how to broach the subject of their argument, but I needed to know the things she’d said to him—if for no other reason than to help belay any doubts she may have instilled in him.
I decided to start with something simple. “Toni said Patrick’s moving in.”
She brushed a hand over my blankets, trying to get rid of imaginary lint. “Yes. He seems to think it’s the safest thing for you.”
“I already have a nightly guard,” I said cautiously, seeing in her aura that these emotions were still dangerously close to the surface.
“I’m well aware of that,” she fairly sniffed, still more interested in my bed than me. “But he doesn’t seem to feel that’s good enough.”
I kept my voice quiet. “Grandma, did you really yell at him?”
Her eyes flashed up to mine, then narrowed. “Toni. Of course. That annoying little tattle . . .” She sighed. “I don’t want you worrying about that.”
“What did you say to him?” I asked softly.
The muscles in her jaw worked briefly. Her voice was rough. “Things I probably shouldn’t have. But what’s done is done. I just don’t understand how your grandfather managed to . . .” She swallowed hard. “Well, I just don’t know how to handle all of this strange, supernatural business.”
I reached for her hand, squeezing her weathered fingers gently. “You’ve been doing a great job,” I assured her.
“I don’t know about that, but . . . I’ve been trying.” She hesitated shortly, shame filtering into her aura. “I should probably tell you I said some pretty harsh things to him. I didn’t really mean to speak the words; they just sort of . . . came out. Well, you saw. I was just so frightened . . .” She pulled her hand away suddenly. “Then again, you’ve been talking to Toni. You probably got the play by play.”
“Not exactly.”
She straightened. “It’s just as well. It’s in the past.”
“Your aura doesn’t agree with that.”
She blinked but recovered firmly. “Kate Bennett, I order you to stop looking at my aura.”
I forced a smile, but my eyes remained steady and uncompromising. “I love him, Grandma. And he loves me.”
For a long minute she didn’t say anything. Then she patted my leg. “I know. It may not be easy for me to accept or even understand. But I know.” She reached for my glass before I could question her further. “I’ll get you a refill. You finish that applesauce, young lady.”
***
Lee drove the twins home in my car and they all came right up to see me. As far as the twins knew, I’d mysteriously fainted, knocking my head against one of the school lockers. I made sure my T-shirt collar was up enough to hide the worst of the bruising. Hopefully the visible discolorations would look like harmless shadows.
I shouldn’t have been so worried. They didn’t linger. Josie stayed only long enough to make a few jokes, and Jenna just wanted to make sure I really was okay. Once they were reassured they slipped out, moving to the kitchen to get something to eat.
Lee sat on the edge of my bed, her face pale and her aura flushed with worry. Monday brought her new fashion phase, so she’d already given us a few days to get used to her new look. Rainbow Days was over, and the fifties had begun in full swing. She’d taken out her nose ring a couple weeks before, and in that time the small hole had mostly mended. She was wearing a blue poodle skirt and plain white tennis shoes. She’d cut her hair before Rainbow Days, but in the seven weeks it had grown to almost her shoulders. Though her ponytail was a little short for the style, the long and thick ribbon she wore helped sell the illusion of a true fifties haircut. Her hair was actually dyed back to something resembling her natural color—a simple brown. It was weird not seeing all the bright-colored makeup on her face. Some lipstick, a little mascara . . . that was really all she had on. She looked really pretty—almost full-blown beautiful.
“You scared the living daylights out of me,” she confided. “Toni called, but . . . what all happened?”
And so I told my story for what felt like the millionth time. The only good thing about rehashing it with Lee was that I didn’t care if some of my fear leaked through. I didn’t feel the strict need to hide my emotions from her, like I did to keep from further worrying Patrick and my grandma.
When I was done catching her up she just shook her head. “This is weird. I mean, the Demon Lord hasn’t done anything for so long. This seems so random.” She paused, and I was this close to telling her about the reward he’d put out for me. But then she was speaking again, and the desire to tell her faded. “Toni said that Peter was the one that tipped them off?”
I nodded slowly. “That’s what I’ve been told. He saw a Demon hanging out at the school and figured it probably had something to do with me.”
“I honestly don’t know how to feel about that,” Lee admitted. “I mean, I’m glad he helped and all, but it’s weird to think that he might choose to help that creep Selena at any time. You know?”
“Yeah.”
“So where’s Patrick?” she asked suddenly, peering around the room like she might have just missed him before.
“Packing at the warehouse,” I muttered.
“Huh?”
“He’s moving in, I guess.”
“Moving in? As in, here?”
“Into my dad’s den, apparently.”
“Seriously? And your Grandma’s okay with this?”
“She isn’t stopping him. I don’t think she’s happy about it, though.”
“Oh my Oreos, Kate—your boyfriend’s moving in with you!”
My face was red. “It’s not like that, and you know it.”
“Maybe not, but it’s still fun to say those words together like that.”
I rolled my eyes, but Lee was already changing the subject. “So Aaron talked to me at lunch, wondering if I’d be interested in a movie night tomorrow at his house. He said he’d already talked to you?”
“Oh yeah.” I’d completely forgotten.
“So, are you guys going?”
“I don’t know—I haven’t talked to Patrick.”
She winced. “Well, I hope you do.”
“Why?”
“Because Rodney has work, so I don’t think I’ll be able to go. I’d feel bad if we all bailed on Aaron.”
“So are you two officially a thing now?” Toni asked a little too loudly from the doorway. We turned to watch him amble into the room, thumbs snagged in his pockets. His expression was open and unassuming. He looked too innocent to be believable, though; Toni never looked innocent, unless he was hiding something.
Lee actually squirmed. “Um, sort of. I mean, we aren’t actually together yet, but . . .” I’d never seen her looking so awkward. Her aura was . . . Was she excited to have Toni walk in on us? Embarrassment was there too. Was she regretting that Toni had heard her talking about Rodney? I knew she’d had a crush on Toni from the beginning, but she’d been moving on. Especially after finding out about him being an immortal Guardian.
But if she was over him, why was there a slight blush warming her cheeks?
Toni wandered closer, his voice even, looking straight at her. “So I could ask you out, if I wanted to?”
Lee’s eyes widened. “Are you asking this rhetorically?”
He shrugged. “I can be rhetorical if you want me to be. But I was genuinely curious.”
There was no doubt about her blush now. “Um . . . Yeah, I guess you could.”
He nodded once. “Good. So tomorrow night then? For Aaron’s shindig?”
I spoke before Lee could. “Toni, what about my sisters? You’re supposed to be invisible at all times. You’ll freak them out if they see you in here!”
He hardly spared me a glance. “Just a second, Kate. This is important. So, Kellee, is it a date?”
She just stared at him for a moment, completely taken aback by his seriousness. When she realized she was being silent for too long, she settled for a quick answer. “Sure.”
Toni nodded, his face still smooth and his brown eyes intense. “Great.”
He might have said more, but the doorbell rang. The twins could be heard running through the entryway, and Toni gave Lee a polite nod before fading from her sight. I knew he was invisible because he suddenly turned to look at me, his breath coming out in a huge burst. “Wow. Do you think that was the wrong approach? Never mind, don’t answer that. And stop looking at me like that. For heaven’s sake, she’s going to think I’m saying something about her!”
“What’s he saying?” Lee asked, eyeing the place he’d been standing just a second ago. “Toni, what are you doing?”
Toni rolled his eyes at me. “Thanks a lot, Kate. Remind me to dislike you later.”
“What did I do?” I grumbled at him.
But he was already leaving the room. Lee was looking at me questioningly, but she didn’t have time to form a question because the twins were coming up the stairs, catching Patrick up on how dumb I was for falling into a locker.
They all entered the room at seemingly the same time, but my eyes went right to his. He looked tired. Like he’d been working constantly for days on end, only to realize that his sacrifices meant nothing. He’d managed to create a small smile for the sake of the twins, but it was probably the worst lie he’d ever told in his long life.
Lee followed my gaze, and it was obvious that she could read the same things I was. She stood quickly, offering him a short greeting before turning to the twins. “What did you guys find to eat?”
“Grandma made homemade chicken noodle soup,” Josie said.
Lee frowned. “In my day, an after school snack was an apple. A cookie, if you were lucky. You’re so spoiled.”
“Do you want some?” Jenna asked.
“Absolutely I do.” They shuffled back out into the hall, and Lee was considerate enough to close the door behind them.
Patrick was still standing a couple feet from my bed. One hand was in his pocket, the other was rubbing the back of his neck. The smile he’d managed to get for the twins had faded, solemnity taking its place.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, seconds after the door closed.
“Better.” I bent my legs under the sheet, pulling them closer to me. I patted the bed beside me, closer than Lee had been sitting. “So, I hear you’ve been packing.”
His hand dropped away from his neck as he stepped forward. He sank onto the bed, careful not to bounce me. “Is that all right?” he whispered.
“It’ll be different . . .”
His lips pressed together. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For making your life so unusual.”
I stretched out my hand, watching as his fingers wrapped almost eagerly around mine. “You’re the best part of my life right now,” I told him truthfully.
“Even with all the bad that comes with me?”
“You make it sound like you’re the one trying to off me.”
He closed his eyes deliberately. “Kate, please don’t joke about that.”
I’d struck a real chord, which only made me more anxious to know the details of this afternoon. “Patrick, what on earth did she say to you?”
He offered a half smile that held no mirth, his sad eyes only accentuating the pain he so obviously felt. “Nothing I didn’t deserve.”
“I don’t believe that.”
He peered up at me through his lashes. “Maybe there wasn’t truth to everything she said. But I do have a job, Kate, and I failed to do it today. I failed to protect you.”
“I’m alive—I’m here.”
He shook his head partially. “You’re making me feel worse.”
“What? How?”
“I’m feeling guilty about how quickly you’re driving away my guilt.”
“Patrick . . .” I decided to try a different approach. “Did that Demon hurt you?”
He lifted a single shoulder in a partial shrug. “Nothing that didn’t heal.”
I tightened my grip on his fingers. “Same here. It just takes me a bit longer than you, that’s all.”
He sighed. “I should have been paying more attention. If Peter Keegan hadn’t seen the Demon, if I hadn’t acted immediately . . . That’s why I need to be closer to you. The warehouse is close, but not close enough. Not if we suffered another surprise attack like this one. I can’t . . . I can’t be helpless again.”
He grimaced suddenly. “Also, um . . . I’m afraid I may have hurt your grandmother’s feelings. I’m definitely not on her good side right now. I thought I should warn you.”
“Toni hinted at that. So did my grandma.”
“I promise I didn’t mean to hurt her in any way.”
I shook my head, halting his stilted apology. “She can be a little rough. Especially when she’s upset about other things.” I trailed my thumb over the back of his hand, keeping my voice soft. “So are you going to tell me what she said? No one’s dared to give me any specifics.”
He watched my thumb move for a silent moment, then quietly spoke. “She said several thought-provoking things. The most prominent in my mind is . . . She believes that I’m using our relationship for my own gratification, and in so doing I’m ruining your life.”
“Ruining my life? She said that?”
He didn’t meet my stare. “Exactly that.”
“Patrick, you know that’s not true.”
He looked up at me at last. “Of course it’s not true. I love you more than anything, Kate. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. But I can’t give you the things your family wants for you, and they resent that.” He swallowed hard. “Your grandfather felt the same way. Even Terence realizes how unhealthy this relationship is for you. He’s just too polite to say anything.”
“My grandpa respected you,” I argued.
Patrick nodded. “Yes. But he didn’t appreciate my feelings for you.”
“What about how I feel? Doesn’t that mean anything?”
His eyes traced my adamant face, his lips pursing tigh
tly at what he saw. “Of course. It means everything to me. But I can’t be the best choice for you, Kate. You have to realize that—see their point of view. I can’t give you the simplest of things. Normalcy, stability, a family—” His voice almost cracked, though he continued quickly to hide the slight break. “Even something as simple as aging alongside you; it’s beyond my capabilities. I can love you forever, but something as trivial as death will divide us in the end. We’re a tragedy waiting to happen.”
I blinked. “That’s a really positive view of things. The cup’s half empty for you, isn’t it?”
He almost smiled naturally for the first time today. “Yet another of my failings. Chronic pessimism.”
I shook my head. “Luckily I take a different perspective. I happen to think the glass is half full.”
“What glass are you looking at?”
I chuckled. “It sounds like we’ve each got half a cup,” I argued lightly. “So logically, if we put our cups together . . .”
“We’ll be whole.” He nodded, conceding my point.
I pushed carefully away from the headboard, leaning toward him encouragingly. “So, how much more gloom and doom did you want to do today?”
“I’ve probably had my fill,” he admitted, watching me with a look that could only be described as charged.
“Good. Because I can think of better ways to spend our time . . .”
He grinned at last, though it was small, then he leaned in and met me with a tender kiss.
Nine
Grandma refused to let me go to school in the morning, and in all honesty I didn’t really try to resist. My head was still hurting pretty badly, and staying in bed was just too easy. I slept off and on in the morning, but once I got the medication going I was able to get up and move around. I didn’t shower, because I didn’t want to risk getting the stitches wet. I tried to put on a little makeup though, layering on some foundation a little too thickly around my throat. It didn’t cover the bruises perfectly, but it helped.
Downstairs I ate a late breakfast while Patrick sat at the table, watching me. We didn’t say a lot at first, since Grandma was in the other room folding laundry, but the need to break the strained silence overwhelmed the awkward knowledge that she’d hear every word.
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