When he stood in front of me again, he held out his hand.
I took it. “No funny business, right? Because honestly, I’m too tired to fight it. Unfortunately for you, I’d just lie there and be no fun.”
He laughed softly. “Remember, I told you we’d be in separate rooms.”
Hayden led me down the hallway to the bathroom and opened the door wide. The lights were off, replaced by more than a dozen candles. There was water already in the tub — with bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles.
So he had heard me. And remembered.
Hayden pointed to a pile of folded clothes. “Pair of sweats and a t-shirt, so you’ll have clean clothes to put on. If you want.”
What a sweet, thoughtful thing to do. On impulse, I stretched up on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. I saw the hunger and the intensity in his eyes and I knew I couldn’t stop it. Even if I wanted to. Which I didn’t.
As if in a daze, I watched his lips lower to mine. They touched softly, the gentle pressure of his mouth coaxing mine open. A moment later — much too soon — he stood straight again, our lips separating. Was that desire I saw in his eyes? Was it possible he wanted me as much as I wanted him right then?
He smiled and touched my cheek. “Have a nice bath.” Then he was gone.
After melting in the steamy water and bubbles, I was too tired to drive so Hayden took me home. He saw me safely inside then parked his car around the corner where it would be less likely seen in case my parents decided to make an appearance.
The babysitter left and I settled Hayden in my room to sleep while I went off to snuggle with Bree on her tiny bed. I hadn’t seen her since dropping her off at school that morning. I hated working nights. When Bree and I moved out, it would only get worse since I’d be working longer hours to handle expenses. It would be worth it though. She was worth it.
* * * *
Today would be different — no meeting with Fawn or Mr. Linton, no shift at Delia’s later. Hayden and I could get in a lesson at his house right after school before Chait arrived. But if we stayed at Hayden’s, I’d miss my chance to see Bree before she fell asleep. Mornings weren’t enough.
At lunch, I invited Hayden to sit at our table. Bryce was there with a few of my other dorky friends — yet he still joined us, taking a spot right next to me.
“Hey, why don’t we have Chait come to my house?” I whispered when the others got involved in conversation. “That way, I can spend some time with Bree.”
Hayden mulled it over a moment. “We might need the extra space at my house. We’ll bring Bree with us. She can eat and sleep there as easily as anywhere. Meet with Chait later, get in a lesson and hang out with Bree in between. That way it won’t really matter what time Chait comes over.”
“Yeah.” I gnawed my bottom lip. “It makes more sense, I suppose.”
“We can carry Bree to the car when we’re ready and sleep at your house.” Hayden glanced at our tablemates, his voice remaining low. “So… that party I told you about this Saturday, did you want to go?”
I gave a half laugh. “Not really.”
“Do you want to do something else? It’s still four days away, but I thought you might be one of those compulsive planners.”
I stared down at my plate. “I don’t know. I’ve been out a lot. I’ll probably want to stay home with Bree.”
“So stay with her. Once she goes to bed, the babysitter can watch her for an hour or two while she sleeps.”
My eyes scanned the area, landing on my guard, then Brad who immediately looked away. “The thing is… you and I spend a lot of time together already. You should go out, meet other girls.”
He covered my hand with his and gazed at me. “I don’t want to meet other girls.”
My stomach flipped and churned. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nadia and Corinne frozen in their seats, their eyes glued to us. I reclaimed my hand by pulling it away. “You should though, right?” I whispered, huddling closer to him to ensure no one heard. “It’s not going anywhere with us. Think about it, Hayden. I’ll be eighteen in about a month. Instant guardian. Being with me means playing Daddy to Bree.”
I looked down and squeezed my eyes shut while powering up to give Hayden the rest of my speech. Letting him kiss me for twenty-four hours straight would’ve been my first choice. But he’d never stick around, not if it required that he become a responsible adult.
Why put off the inevitable?
After a deep breath, I made eye contact with him again. “I like you. But you won’t always be there for me. So why start something we can’t finish?”
“Who says we won’t finish it?” He reached for my hand again.
Maybe Hayden meant that sincerely now, but who knew if his feelings would last? I snaked my hand away. “The last thing I want is to walk away feeling like I made a huge mistake. So let’s not make the mistake, okay? Go to Skyler’s party and be with other girls.” I almost choked on the last two words. “I have a lot going on right now. You need to concentrate on you. Don’t forget you’re about to be discovered.”
“Fine.” He returned his attention to his lunch and didn’t say another word until we sat in the library later to tackle his lessons.
Chapter Twenty-two
Hayden
Maybe I’d been going about it all wrong. I assumed that like with any other girl, once I got a taste, it would be enough. But each time I kissed Tessa, I wanted her more. I only had peace when we studied in the library and all my focus went into whatever she was teaching me.
When did I become so anxious to be smarter?
Damn Tessa. I’d been fine before her. I had plenty of girls, more friends than I needed and endless parties where I could lose myself. Life had been perfect.
No, it hadn’t been. I’d been coasting through each day, getting away with whatever I could and had stood by while others got hurt. Not a very nice person. No wonder Tessa kept shrinking from me. Amazing she didn’t bolt.
I didn’t care for Ms. Phillips or Mr. Linton, but they had been right about one thing. It was up to me to create my future. Tessa was right too. My life wasn’t anyone’s responsibility except mine. And if Tessa didn’t want to be with me, it was my own fault. These truths were almost too much to swallow, but I forced them down.
From now on, I’d leave Tessa alone. Well, not totally alone. We still needed to work together. But I’d do my best not to put her in a position that forced her to kiss me or reject me. She deserved better.
Someone like Chait.
My gut knotted, thinking about them together. But as ill as the thought made me, I knew he was the better man. If they ever got together, I’d get through it. If I could overcome the years of beatings, I could get through anything life threw at me. Eventually.
After dinner at Tessa’s house and she bathed Bree, we packed up Bree’s favorite blanket and a bag of other stuff then headed to my place. While Bree watched a cartoon, Tessa helped me practice reading mental pictures.
“Uhm…” Tessa fiddled with a sports magazine on my coffee table. “You’re learning quickly. You might want to do yourself a favor and avoid your step-dad.”
I groaned. If I had to see what went on inside his twisted mind, I might have to kill him.
“Or you need to get very good at blocking.” She sighed. “It’s not easy. I mean, it’s easy to block other sorcerers from seeing into your head, but it’s harder to stop the normal people’s visuals from coming in.”
But if I got the right information from Sam that way, could I use it to make him behave? “Hey, what happened with Brad?”
She laughed, the lilt in her voice musical. “I said something to make him think of the thing he found most humiliating. When I saw the image, I dropped some of the details and told him that if he ever picked on anyone again, he could depend on everything going public.”
“Clever.” I grinned.
Chait arrived and I opened the door, glancing at Tessa.
She smiled. “Hey,
Chait.”
“Hi.” Chait grinned back.
Yep, I didn’t like the way he looked at her. Not at all.
Chait froze and stared at me.
He knew.
Tessa was right. Once you worked your magic, you opened up and everyone sensed it.
“This is a surprise.” He turned to Tessa, brows drawn together. “Is that why you asked me over?”
“Yeah. We’d like to keep it quiet as long as possible.” Tessa flipped her hair as she glanced at Bree and returned her attention to Chait. “We’re hoping you’ll help us.”
“Both of you? Or just you.” He grinned at Tessa again.
“Both,” she replied.
“What do you need from me?” he asked.
“Sorcerers have certain physical abilities. We want you to coach us. That and share anything else we need to know.” She nodded toward the dining room. “Would you like to sit?”
Chait nodded, then made himself comfortable at the dining room table.
Nope, still didn’t like him. But we needed him and I should be a good host. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Whatever soda you have. Wait. Got any beer?”
“As a matter of fact…” I chuckled and plucked a bottle out of the fridge, popped the cap and passed it to Chait.
He took a swig and set it down. “Nothing like underage drinking. So what’s the plan?”
Tessa sat across from him. “Can we practice with you in our free time?”
“Sure.”
“So you’ll help us and not tell anyone?” she asked.
“Yeah, but it won’t be long before everyone knows.” He chugged about a quarter of the bottle. “Are we starting tonight?”
“We’d like to.” She gave a sheepish smile. “Can you hang around until I get Bree to bed? It’ll be quick.”
Popping the lid on my own beer, I took the chair between Tessa and Chait. I should have offered to read Bree a bedtime story rather than stay with Chait. But if I wasn’t alone with him, Tessa would be. I opted for silence and hanging out with my nemesis.
“You guys are different tonight,” Chait commented once Tessa had gone into the guest bedroom with Bree.
“Different how?”
“She seems calmer, happier. And you’re less douche-baggy.” He casually took another sip of the beer.
“I could change that,” I said.
“Oh, I know you could.” Chait suppressed a smile.
“Maybe she’s happier, because she got all that sexual tension released.” I didn’t hold back my smile.
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He studied my face. “But you two aren’t together.”
“No.” I could have lied but it would be too easy to get caught.
“You still want her though.” It wasn’t a question.
If I said I didn’t want Tessa, I’d be giving up my claim and clearing a path for him. If I admitted it, I looked like a loser who couldn’t get the girl.
Game over.
I needed a distraction, so I took another swig of my beer. “How much do you trust Rena?”
“Lately, not so much. She used to be extremely reliable. Got the job done. Rena doesn’t look like it but she’s a fierce warrior. We usually pair up to train the newbies, so they’re not completely defenseless. If you join us, your fighting skills would come in handy for that.” Chait easily switched from competitor to instructor in a blink of an eye, as if we’d never been at odds. It made me wonder if he had any real animosity at all. Maybe he liked toying with me. Maybe if I didn’t always start it…
Who was I kidding? If I had a chance to get in a barb, I’d take it.
“Besides handling newbies, what do you guys do? You couldn’t be sitting around waiting all day while Tessa’s at school. Where do you get your money to live on?”
“Been saving up the questions, huh?” He chuckled, lifted the bottle to his lips again and swallowed. “The less ethical ones run cons. It’s easy to do since we know what’s going on in people’s heads. Makes playing poker more profitable. Our group doesn’t scam people. Some of us work jobs or run companies in the normal world. Some are old enough to have invested wisely and live off the interest. The organization as a whole owns various corporations. People like me who have specific jobs get paid. I’m a trainer.”
My trust fund would last a while and one day I’d get a sizable inheritance. But if I lived as long as other sorcerers, I’d eventually need more. I’d have to learn to invest wisely. “Where do you live?”
“We move around a lot. A few weeks or months in one place isn’t long enough to buy a house and settle in. Living separately, it’s difficult to keep tabs on everyone and stay safe. So we rent a bigger house, set up security and it’s less stressful. Everyone watches each other’s backs. We usually get along pretty good. If someone’s getting on our nerves, we move into a room further away so we don’t run into them as often.”
“Tessa told me you guys had a Blocker. Who is it?”
“Rena.”
“Look at you two playing nice," Tessa said, taking a seat between Chait and me.
“We weren’t. He won. Game over.” I grinned.
“He won? What did he win?”
“Chait got in the last dig. I moved on.”
One side of her mouth curled up. “How grown up of you, Hayden. I’m impressed.”
“Me too.” Chait chuckled and stood. “If you guys want to dazzle everyone with your powers, you don’t have much time. Hayden, if you go to Tessa’s work and one of us shows up, the secret’s out, just like that.”
“My next shift is Thursday, so we only have tonight and tomorrow.”
“Let’s get on with it then,” Chait said. “The first thing you need to know is what we’re capable of. Tessa, have you practiced moving things?”
“No, only jumping mental hurdles so far.”
“Okay, let’s start with something small and easy.” He placed his empty beer bottle in the center of the table. “Whatever you want the bottle to do, see it in your head.” The bottle slowly rose, then stopped about six inches into the air then floated to the table. “Hayden, try it.”
I focused on it, willing it to move, but it stayed put.
“It’s not hard. It’s all in here.” He pointed to his temple. “Look at the bottle. In your head, visualize it floating in the air. The important part is knowing that as soon as you make the decision, it’s done. Try it again.”
Tessa laughed when the bottle ascended for me exactly the way it had for Chait.
I made sure the bottle didn’t fall and break, seeing it in my mind floating back to the table. “You try it,” I told her.
She nodded and the bottle immediately made its way toward the ceiling.
“Why was it so much easier for her?” I asked Chait.
“More experience, I guess. She hasn’t necessarily moved objects, but she’s been getting used to being a sorcerer for over a week. You’ve only had, what, a few hours?”
Chait had missed a perfectly good opportunity to put me down. If he kept it up, I’d have no reason to beat his ass. That would be disappointing.
“Okay, next.” He scanned the room. “The fireplace. You’re going to move the fibers in that log so fast, a fire starts.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Yes. But if you’re afraid, Tessa can go first.”
I groaned at his childish comment.
“I’ll give it a try,” Tessa said, moving to the fireplace. She focused on a log and seconds passed. Nothing.
“It’s the same principle as with anything else. See the fire.” Still nothing happened. Chait moved behind Tessa. “Try it again.”
Sparks flew and a tiny wisp of flame appeared on the log. “Beautiful,” Chait said. “Your turn, Hayden.”
I stood next to Tessa and fixed a stare at a different log in the fireplace. In my head, I could see a giant flame raging. But in reality, the log remained free of flames. “Hold on. I’ll try again.” I concentrated
on one end, seeing the molecules moving in my mind, then the sparks and flame. Seconds later, it materialized before my eyes. “That’s how it’s done.”
Chait laughed and slapped me on the back.
For the next hour, we moved small furniture, boiled water, cooled water, removed lids and finally put out the original fire we’d started.
Tessa collapsed onto the couch. I wanted to join her there. Every organ and limb in my body screamed for sleep.
“At first, it wears you out, because it takes so much out of you,” Chait said. “After a while, it’s second nature — almost too easy. Tonight, you guys are going to sleep great. In fact, as much as it pains me to say this, I’d suggest you don’t drive and both of you sleep here.”
I was so wiped, I couldn’t imagine going anywhere. But it stunned me into silence that Chait would orchestrate us sleeping in the same house together. Of course, he probably already knew I’d been sleeping over at Tessa’s.
“Actually, Tessa, I can drive you home,” he offered.
Bastard.
“To be honest, I’m too tired to deal with carrying Bree inside and getting her back to sleep. I just want to fall into bed.” She turned to me. “Is that okay with you, Hayden, if I stay here? I’ll sleep with Bree. But we have to allow time in the morning to go home and get ready.”
Great. She’d basically announced to Chait that she wouldn’t be in my bed with me. Whatever. He already knew we weren’t together. At least we’d still be under the same roof. “Sure.”
“I’ll be seeing you guys tomorrow then.” Chait made his way to the front door.
“Hey, Chait. Thanks so much for doing this.” Tessa opened the door to let him through.
“No problem. Same thing tomorrow?”
She smiled. “I’ll text you when my IQ returns to normal and I can think clearly again.”
“Goodnight,” he told her, then nodded at me.
I nodded back. Tessa closed the door and headed toward the hallway. “I’m going to bed. Will you set the alarm?”
Something Witchy This Way Comes Page 17
