I stared at him. I hadn’t allowed myself to think that word because I clearly didn’t deserve it. If he thought he could tell me something like this, he was fucking wrong. “Harvey …”
“I heard a bit of your argument with her that day,” he continued. “You’re trying to push her away because you’re afraid of hurting her. Of getting her killed. Dude, I get it. I really get it. But you got to admit one thing: Erin is already in a lot of danger. Chances are that when her father comes for her, she’ll end up dead. You know who could be by her side to help her? To protect her? You, you idiot.”
Deep down, I knew he was right. But there were so many factors stopping me. How could I be there to protect her if there was a legion of demons after me? How could I keep her safe if Randall was most likely to use her against me? How would she be well if I brought pain and disgrace to a lot of people around me?
My head and heart were at war right now, and I wasn’t sure who would win.
“It’s not that easy,” I said, my voice low. Dejected.
“It never is,” Harvey said, sounding way older than his nineteen years. “But you got to keep going. If you let fear stop you, then why are you living? Come on, Rey. Erin likes you, and she’ll be at the ball, waiting for someone to dance with her. That could be you.”
Fuck.
I let out a long sigh, wishing I was stronger. But I wasn’t. When it came to Erin, I could barely think straight. “All right.” The words were surprising even to me. “I’ll go to this fucking ball.”
Harvey didn’t wait for me. He said he had to head to the ball, but if I didn’t show up soon, he would drag me there. I believed him, so I hurried up. I took a shower, put on a tuxedo with a silver bow tie, combed the longer strands of my hair back, and went to the ballroom at the Aster building.
The place had always been grand and fancy, with a high ceiling, big thorn chandeliers, and large windows, but tonight, it was even fancier. Round tables with fine tablecloth and elegant white flower arrangements lined the ballroom. In one corner, the bar with long marble countertops and black chairs was open. On the other, a small dais had been set up.
Surrounding by the academy’s professor and other staff, Randall stood on the dais, finishing up his speech.
“Once again, I thank the Blackthorn Hunters for all they do for our community,” he said, with a wide smile I knew was plastic. The crowd clapped enthusiastically, especially the full-fledged demon hunters. Randall raised his champagne glass high. “Let’s honor them tonight.”
The clapping intensified. He climbed down the dais and turned to the professors, who congratulated him on a great event. Then he turned to the full-fledged hunters. Andre, Doreen, and Norah were among them.
Norah … I had almost forgotten she had seen us helping Farrah escape, and she had let us go. I didn’t understand why. Wasn’t she brainwashed like the other demon hunters?
The band, located on a balcony upstairs, started playing. My attention moved elsewhere.
I scanned the area, searching for her.
For the woman who had stolen my heart, long before she had claimed my soul.
The crowd spread out, going for the tables around the ballroom, or for the bar, or just hanging out in the open area in the middle—the dance floor.
Then I saw her.
Standing beside Ava, Harvey, Peter, and Harper to the side of the dance floor.
My breath caught.
She wore a one-shoulder dress with the most unique fabric I had ever seen. It started dark green and went down to her feet in a gradient to bronze, reminding me of the color of her eyes. The dress had a tight bodice, and a long, flowy skirt with a slit to her mid-thigh. When she turned to speak with Harper, her leg peeked from underneath her skirt … holy fuck. I swallowed hard, trying to regain control over my body, but it was too fucking hard when she looked this gorgeous. This hot.
Her long black hair was half-up and half-down, with a thin golden thread wove between the strands. And even from here, from several feet away, I could see she was wearing makeup—smoky eyes and red lips.
I really wanted to claim those lips right now.
But first … first I had a confession to make.
Mustering my courage, I walked up to her.
“Hey,” I said, stepping into their circle. Instantly, Erin froze beside me.
“Good to see you,” Harvey said, with a wink.
I offered my hand to Erin. “Would you like to dance?”
Erin glanced at my hand.
Harper took Erin’s hand and placed it in mine. “Of course, she would.”
Before Erin could pull her hand away, I tightened my grip, and tugged her to me. Then, I spun her away from her friends.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked, her tone harsh. Even though she was in my arms and she had her hands on my shoulders, she was tense. Uncomfortable.
“I know you must be mad at me—”
“Must be?” She glared at me, her golden eyes bright. “You told me once and for all, to stay away from you. And now you want to dance? I don’t get you.”
“When you say it like that, I feel like I’m only twenty-two, and not a thousand.”
“Maybe you should start acting your age.”
I went for a joke. “Then I would have to act like the dead.” She didn’t crack a smile. Fuck. “Erin, I’m sorry. I never meant to be rude to you and hurt you, but …” Why wasn’t this easier? Because I knew she would be even madder the moment I admitted the truth. She would hate me for lying, but I would win her trust again. I would earn her forgiveness. “I have something to confess.”
“Excuse me,” Thierry said, halting right beside us and forcing us to stop.
Erin dropped her hands from my shoulder and took a large step back. “There you are.”
I frowned.
He handed her a flute with what looked like champagne. “Sorry it took so long. There were a lot of people at the bar.” Then, he smiled at me. “Thank you for keeping my date entertained while I was getting us some drinks.” He put his arm around her waist.
Erin kept her eyes trained on the flute.
Jealousy rolled inside me, feeding the rage I didn’t know was hiding under my skin. I had been too late. Erin was here with another man. The rage and the jealousy heated up inside me. I felt like taking Erin’s arm and pulling her to me. Yelling at Thierry that he would never be anything to her, because she was mine. She was my soulmate. My twin soul.
But that behavior, that outburst would only hurt Erin more in the end.
So, I reined in my feelings. “You’re welcome.”
I stepped back, turned around, and marched away.
It had been a mistake coming here. I had allowed the sliver of hope that was always in the back of my heart to come forth. I had allowed it to deceive me.
Holy fuck, how old was I again? Once more in the short span of two hours, I had acted like I was young.
A hand closed around my upper arm. “Don’t go yet.”
I jerked free of Harvey’s grip. “Don’t start. I listened to you and look where that got me?”
“Dude, I didn’t know she had agreed to come with Thierry. If I had, I wouldn’t have said anything. I would have left you alone.”
“Give me two minutes and I can be alone again.”
Harvey shook his head. “No, not tonight. Since you’re here, try to be a normal person for once.”
“I’m not a normal person.”
“That’s why I said try.” Harvey grabbed my arm again and pulled me back to Ava and Harper. I could have fought him and walked away, but I felt too exhausted even for that.
So I let him.
And regretted it five minutes later, when Erin and Thierry joined our circle. Thierry smiled wide, and Erin had a rose tint to her cheeks, as if she was either laughing too much, or drank too much.
I didn’t know which one was worse.
Despite the overwhelming feelings inside me, I couldn’t take my eyes off Eri
n … and Thierry. She was stunning, but he wasn’t bad either. They looked nice together. If he could love her in a way I couldn’t, then maybe it was for the best. He was a good demon hunter, with a good heart. He would be able to protect her without bringing more danger into the mix.
I should be happy for her.
But I was fucking dying on the inside.
A moment later, Erin glanced around, a knot between her brow. “You guys haven’t seen Claire?”
Harper shook her head. “I was just thinking about her. Why isn’t she here?”
“We were heading this way together, then she said she forgot something and went back,” Erin said. “I wanted to go back with her, but she knew I had to arrive early for one final check on the guest list and decorations, so she told me to go on, and that she would catch up with me.”
“You got here a few minutes after me,” Ava said. “And that was over an hour ago.”
“I know. I’m worried,” Erin muttered.
“I saw her going to the Snapdragon building when I was on my way here,” Peter said.
Erin’s shoulders squared. “I’m going after her.”
I opened my mouth to tell her I would go with her, when Thierry offered her his arm. “I’ll go with you.”
With a small grin, Erin placed her hand on the inside of his arm.
It killed me to see them like that.
“Wait,” Harper called. “Look.”
We all turned to the entrance.
Claire walked in the ballroom with Tanner right beside her.
25
Erin
What the hell? Yesterday Claire had promised she would break up with Tanner. As far as I knew, she hadn’t seen him today.
And now she showed up late to the ball with him?
No one else in the ballroom seemed aware of how that irritated me, except for the people in our circle. That didn’t stop me from marching past clueless students and stomping to her.
“What the hell is this?” I asked, pointing to her and Tanner.
Claire averted her eyes. “He’s my date.”
With a wide smile, Tanner took Claire’s hand and pulled her closer.
I glared at him, then looked at my friend. “He’s not your date. He’s a jerk who is always mean to you. You said you would break up with him!”
Tanner let out an amused chuckle.
“Sorry, Erin,” Claire muttered, still not looking at my eyes. “I can’t break up with him. I love him and I think we can work this out.”
My jaw fell open. “You can’t be serious.”
Tanner winked at me. “You heard your friend. Now excuse me, because I’d like to dance with my date.”
He tugged her past me.
“Claire!” I called, not believing what was happening.
“Sorry, Erin,” she muttered as she disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor with Tanner.
I stayed planted in place, confused and extremely upset. What the hell was going on here? Why hadn’t she broken up with him? How could he have this kind of power over her?
I took a step forward intent on taking Claire away from Tanner, but Thierry showed up beside me and gently touched my arm. “I know you’re worried about her, but it doesn’t seem you’ll be able to change her mind tonight. Why don’t you try to enjoy the party? You can talk to her again tomorrow.”
Thierry was probably right, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Why was she here with this douche? She should have come with me. Right at this moment, we could be arguing with Ava and flirting with Harvey. What was more fun than that?
Defeated, I let Thierry escort me back to the circle with our friends. Harper couldn’t take her eyes off Claire, clearly as saddened as I was, though I didn’t think the others noticed her real feelings.
Thierry did his best to distract me. He took me for a spin around the ballroom, and mingled with my friends, when I was sure he would have rather stayed with the other full-fledged demon hunters.
Besides not looking at Claire, I tried not looking at Rey too.
Such a damn hard task.
I could have sworn he wasn’t coming to the ball. If he hadn’t, it would have been so much easier. But the moment he came into the ballroom and danced with me, the wall I tried to build around my heart shook. It almost crumbled.
But I remembered the night he was a jerk to me, saying I had to let him go once and for all. I remembered how awful I felt. How lost. A little sadness snaked through my chest, mixing with anger and frustration. I grabbed on to those feelings and use them to keep the wall around my heart intact.
It certainly didn’t help that he came in looking so dashing in the tuxedo and the silver tie that emphasized his pretty, shiny gray eyes. His hair had been combed slightly back, showing off more of his angular face. With his height, his sure steps, his lean shoulders, and how I knew his chest—and probably the rest of his body—was completely ripped, it was hard looking away. Staying away. Telling my heart to forget him.
Despite myself, I watched as he mingled, talking to professors and the guards that were stationed at strategic points. He also talked to the headmaster for a long while, until the headmaster exited the ballroom, then moved on to the bar where he ordered a beer.
Occasionally, his eyes met mine, but he averted his gaze. I really didn’t get it. He made me so freaking confused. He told me to stay away from him, and tonight he had asked to dance with me. He had looked at me as if he worshipped me. It seemed he wanted to tell me something.
And then he quit. He let go and walked away.
I shook my head.
“You know,” Thierry started, catching my attention. For a moment there, I forgot we were slowly gliding around the dance floor. “You’ve spent most of the night by my side. Even though your body is here with me, I can see your mind and heart aren’t.”
I stared at him, a little shocked and upset he had noticed it. “Thierry—”
“It’s okay,” he said quickly. “I’m a little jealous of Rey right now, but I’ll be okay.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, ashamed of myself. This wasn’t right. I had agreed to be his date, and yet I spent the night looking at another man.
“It’s okay, really.” He stopped dancing. “In fact, to show you it’s okay, I’m going to tell you this: go to him. Let him know how you feel.”
I scrunched my nose. “I already did that. He rejected me.”
Thierry frowned. “Then he’s lying.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It’s the same way you look at him. He might not acknowledge it, perhaps, but I’m sure he feels the same way you do.”
Could it be? Could Rey be lying to me? I had considered that a thousand times, or more, but when he shut me out like that, I decided it couldn’t be true.
But now even Thierry was telling me it was true.
“I don’t know,” I muttered.
“I understand your reservation, but I think that at least once, you should tell him straight how you really feel. Get it off your chest. All the right words. If he still rejects you …” He shrugged. “Then it’s his loss. But at least you can move on.”
I stared at Thierry. Poor guy had been on a date with me a minute ago, and now he was pushing me toward another guy. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I mean, us, this way. You’re handsome and nice … I was hoping to fall for you. I’m sorry I didn’t.”
He nodded. “Unfortunately, we can’t control the matters of the heart. I know that.” He picked up my hand and kissed the top. “Now go on, and good luck.”
“Thanks.”
I stayed in the same spot while Thierry walked away from me. I felt relieved he was so cool about all of this, but also ashamed it had taken this long for me to realize that no matter what I did, Rey wouldn’t leave my heart so easily.
I inhaled deeply, calling the few threads of courage I still had within me to fill my veins, to give me strength. I was sure I would be rejecte
d again, but this time, I was going to be honest.
This time, I would tell him I loved him.
I scanned the ballroom, searching for Rey. I found him at the bar, still nursing the same beer from before.
With determined steps, I walked to him.
I was about ten feet from him when he saw me. His gray eyes on me, he straightened and rested his drink on the bar counter.
Shit, he looked so freaking hot.
My heart beat so fast—from the anticipation, from the high, from the courage, and from the fear of what he could say to me—I was surprised no one else heard it, even over the loud music playing in the ballroom.
He frowned. “Erin, what is it? Something happened?”
I halted right in front of him. I opened my mouth and nothing came out. Flashes of all the times he pushed me away ran through my mind. What if this was a mistake? Hadn’t I made myself clear already? Didn’t he know I liked him way too much?
It didn’t matter. This would be the last time I bothered him with this. If he rejected me, I would surely, definitely walk away and never look back.
“I need to tell you something,” I blurted out.
“About?” Rey asked, his voice low, the shine in his eyes guarded.
“Rey, I—”
“What the hell?”
His voice was like a grate scraping against my ears. My fist clenched. I turned around and found Tanner looming over a cowering Claire, a few feet from Rey and me.
“Please,” Claire croaked with tears brimming in her eyes.
“I already told you, you’re stupid,” Tanner barked, his voice loud. More people were starting to take notice of what was going on.
“Tanner—”
The sound of the slap echoed through the ballroom. People stopped chatting and dancing, and even the band stopped playing.
And I fumed.
Ready to punch him in the face, I stomped to him.
But before I could lay a hand on him, Tanner turned to me. He sneered before his entire body shimmered.
I took a step back as his form changed right in front of my eyes. His hair grew long and spiky, his hazel eyes darkened and stretched, his mouth became a huge gap, full of pointy teeth. His tanned skin turned sickly green, and he gained at least a foot, if not more, causing his tuxedo to stretch and rip along his shoulders, and legs.
The Hunter Secret (Rite World: Blackthorn Hunters Academy Book 2) Page 17
