Dark Light of Mine (34 page)

"You really like her, don't you?" I said to Ryland.

His eyes widened and he hurriedly gulped down the rest of his wine, turned, and went for the bottle.

I snorted.  "Don't get all embarrassed on me."

"I ain't embarrassed.  Just don't like talking about it."

"And how's that working for you?"

"Not so good."

I took another bite of the delicious stir-fry and regarded Stacey and Smith for a moment.  "She's just flirting with Smith to egg you on.  I think she likes you too."

Ryland grabbed a seat next to me and leaned over.  "You think so?"

I nodded.  "I'm an incubus, after all."  I tapped my temple.  "I know this stuff."  Actually, I was applying another incubus skill, namely, bald-faced lying.  I didn't know for sure Stacey liked him, but something in my gut told me she did.

"I guess you would, right?  I mean, don't you guys have a sense for emotion?"

"Yep."  I finished the last bit of stir-fry and set the bowl on the counter next to my seat.  "Do you feel weird at all that she's a felycan?  I mean, can the wolf-cat thing work out?"

He shrugged.  "I've never felt like this so I don't know."

"What do you mean you've
never
felt like this?"

"I've been with women over the years.  Even loved a few of them.  But this girl—" he shook his head and gazed adoringly at Stacey.  "She lights a fire in me.  Drives me crazy, too.  Sometimes I just wanna pin her against the wall and shut her up with my lips."

My face grew warm and I took a gulp of water to cover my embarrassment.  I'd felt that way about Elyssa a few times for sure.  At this point, I really didn't know what to tell him, so I went for broke.  "So why don't you?  Maybe that's what she wants you to do.  You're both Alphas of your own packs.  So act like an Alpha and take charge."

He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed and gazed with a thoughtful expression at Stacey.  "All or nothing, huh?"

"Ryland, you're a wolf.  Since when does a wolf not take what he wants?"

He smacked the bottom of his fist into the palm of his hand.  "You're right, Justin.  I've been wussing out over this girl for too long."

"Hell, yeah, Ryland.  Man up and carpe girl."

"Carpe girl?"

I shrugged.  "Yeah, you know.  Carpe diem?  Seize the day?"

He burst into laughter.  "Seize the girl?"

"Exactly."

The door to the other bedroom opened and Meghan came out, yawning and rubbing her eyes.  Smith did a double-take and offered some parting comment to Stacey before making a beeline to Meghan.  Stacey slinked over to us like a cat on the prowl, the roll of her hips hypnotizing, and I wondered if she weren't part succubus.

"Keeping the dog entertained, my lamb?" Stacey said in a purr.

Ryland got up and walked back around the kitchen counter.  "You hungry, or did you just come over here to insult me?"

A languid smile curled Stacey's generous lips.  "Someone is rather sensitive this evening."

Ryland poured himself some more wine.

"Adam is very charming, Justin.  Did you see the flying kittens?"

"Kind of hard to miss," I said.  "Nice trick, I suppose."

Ryland leaned back against the fridge and looked across the room, his eyes lingering on Smith and Meghan.

"How was the stir-fry, Justin?  Can the dog cook?"

Ryland's face darkened but all he did was take another swig of wine.

"Carpe girl," I said and stood up.

"What?"  A puzzled look furrowed Stacey's forehead.

Ryland's look turned glum.  What was going on with him?  He couldn't really be shy, could he?

"The stir-fry is amazing," I said.  "You should grab some."

"Perhaps I will," she said, stepping into the kitchen.  She reached for a bowl on the shelf behind Ryland, her body brushing against his.  Poor guy.  She was toying with him like a cat with a mouse at this point.

Stacey took the bowl and set it on the counter.  "I'll be surprised if it's palatable.  You know the sorts of things dogs eat."

Ryland blurred into motion.  Grabbed Stacey by the shoulders.  Spun and slammed her against the kitchen wall.  Her eyes widened with shock as his lips met hers.  She struggled, hands pushing at him but he overpowered her, pressing the length of his body against hers.

I wondered if I'd made a horrible mistake telling him to go aggressive as Stacey squirmed and shoved.  I backed away, my face heating with uneasy embarrassment.

Then, out of the blue, Stacey gave a contented sigh as her arms encircled Ryland, pulling him tight.  She ran her leg up his and he growled deep in his throat.  My embarrassment reached new heights.  I spun on my heel and walked across the room to Smith and Meghan.

"What's wrong?" Meghan asked the minute she saw me.  "Your face is bright red."

"I'm kinda tired.  Probably gonna hit the sack."

"You want to help me set up a perimeter?" Smith asked Meghan.  "I love how you tie off your wards.  You're so neat about it."

"You really think so?"

"Heck yeah.  I'm hoping I can learn a thing or two by watching you."

Meghan's face brightened with the compliment.  She bounced a little on her heels, clasping her hands in front of her and giving them a shy look.  "I'd love to help."

One thing was for sure.  Smith was a natural flirter.  I said goodnight to Dad and found Elyssa in the smaller of the two bedrooms, fiddling around with her smartphone.

"I hope I didn't just upset the balance of the universe or anything," I said, "but Ryland just kissed Stacey on my advice."

Her eyes widened.  "No way."

"Yes way."

"I knew Ryland had a thing for her.  But I had no idea Stacey liked him."

"Apparently so."

"So, dish!  I want to hear everything."

I chuckled and gave her the rundown of events. She ate up the details like a woman reading a trashy romance novel.  "I'll bet you enjoy reality TV."

"You have a problem with that?"

I shook my head.  "Of course not.  What could be more fun than watching other people make train wrecks out of their lives?"

She nodded.  "Exactly."

"And to think I always figured you for the low-drama kind of girl."

She yawned and stretched.  "That's me, all right.  I let other people live out the drama so I can enjoy it."

I took off my shoes and shirt and lay back-down on the bed.  My limbs felt like dead weight.  "I'm so tired all of a sudden."

Elyssa lay down sideways, leaning on her elbow and traced my newly chiseled—and formerly buried in chub—abs with her fingers.  "Are you trying to tempt me?"

I pulled her on top of me and kissed her.  "Any way I can."

She smiled.  "I researched the Conroys, but haven't come up with anything actionable just yet.  A little more time and we should have something to go on."

"You're so hot when you go all Sherlock Holmes."

She pecked my nose and smiled, then slipped off me and leaned on her elbow again as her smile faltered.  "What are you going to do about school?  About Nyte and Ash?"

I blew out a long sigh.  I hadn't thought about our mutual friends much over the past couple of days, but it was time I started.  Coach Burgundy was probably wondering where I'd vanished to and his threat against my friends hung heavy on my conscience.  In a nutshell, he'd told me if I didn't play football, bad things could happen to my friends.  Elyssa and I didn't have much to worry about, but Nyte and Ash were mortal and vulnerable.  And if Maximus truly had allies at the school, he might tell them to go after my friends.  Maybe kidnap them or worse.

"I'm sick of threats hanging over my head.  I think it's time we go back to school and take care of Maximus's goons.  Maybe we'll figure out how to handle Coach Burgundy and his thugs too."

My phone rang, scaring the crap out of both of us.  I pulled it out of my pocket and looked for the caller ID but it came up as blocked.  Could it be my mom again?  I answered.

"Justin, it's Felicia," Smith's sister whispered.  "Something terrible is about to happen."

Chapter 31

"Felicia?  Why did you go back to Maximus?  Smith told us about it and—"

"Quiet!" she said.  "Listen to me.  I came back to spy on Maximus for you.  He's up to something big.  Something nasty.  I'm trying to find out more."

My stomach clenched.  "And he took you in, no questions asked?"

"I told him you kidnapped me, which is technically true.  He hates you with an unholy passion.  Ever since you busted out your dad, he's been trying to find you."

"Felicia, I really appreciate you doing this.  It's very brave, but you should come back to us, to your brother.  If Maximus finds out what you're doing, he'll kill you."

"He won't.  I know what I'm doing."

Famous last words.
  "Please.  Come back."

"No!" she hissed.  "I've got to go.  I'll let you know as soon as I have something.  Just be careful.  Maximus has eyes all over the city looking for you."

The line went dead.

"Crazy stupid girl," I said.

Elyssa shook her head in disbelief.  "I heard everything."

"What do we do?"

"Tell Smith for one thing.  Then we play it by ear."

"Aren't you supposed to be the planner?"

She shrugged.  "I can't think of everything."

I slipped back into my shirt and went into the common room but Smith and Meghan were gone, probably outside setting wards on the perimeter.  Shelton was still busy with my dad, and Stacey and Ryland had also vanished.  Looking at Shelton reminded me of our earlier argument.  Elyssa had been certain he was hiding something from me and it occurred to me what it might be.  But now wasn't the time to confront him.  I was so tired I could hardly see straight.

I went back into the bedroom and found Elyssa wearing a pair of short-shorts and a black tank top.  Her curves pressed against the fabric, offering a tantalizing preview of what treasures they concealed.  I stopped dead in my tracks and gazed for an awestruck moment before remembering something I'd wanted to ask her earlier.  "You packed enough clothes for school?"

She looked up from fluffing her pillow.  "Since when have I ever gone anywhere unprepared?"

"Yeah, yeah, stupid question, I know."  I slipped out of my clothes and into a pair of shorts from my duffel bag while Elyssa made appreciative comments and wolf-whistles.  My face burned by the time I hopped into the bed.

"Aw, are you shy?" she said, snuggling up to me under the covers.

A certain part of my body reacted immediately to her soft warmth.

She giggled.  "Ooh, something's not shy."

"That's not under my control," I said, trying to think about baseball, chess, or even Coach Burgundy to banish my embarrassing situation.

"I wish we didn't have people with preternatural hearing outside the door," she whispered, a pouty frown tugging at her face.  Her lips found mine as she pressed harder against me.

My inner demon slammed against its cage and I pulled away breathing hard.  "That's it.  I'm getting us a hotel room."

She rolled her eyes.  "How romantic.  Maybe you can get us one of those places that charges by the hour."

"As if this place is more romantic?"

"It's naughty for sure."

"Not with my dad in the next room."  A yawn cracked my jaw.

"Poor baby.  You must be exhausted."

I snuggled against her and decided cuddling with Elyssa was better than anything else in the world.  "I am."  My heavy limbs seemed to sag even further against the bed.

She kissed me on the forehead.  "Goodnight, sweet prince."

I snapped awake just before six in the morning.  The alarm on my cell phone hadn't blared its morning greeting yet so I switched it off.  Elyssa lay on her right side, facing me and breathing gently.  She looked so beautiful asleep.  Technically, she looked beautiful to me all the time, but there was something about the peaceful serenity of her sleeping face that reclaimed the lost innocence being a Templar had stolen from her.

My finger reached out to trace her cheek.  Her hand snapped painfully tight around my wrist and she sprang to her knees, the other fist cocked and ready to fly.

"Good morning?" I said uncertainly.

Her wide eyes went back to normal.  She released my wrist and offered a sheepish laugh.  "Sorry.  Reflexes."

"What in the world was that?  A ninja wakeup assault?  Your parents must have done evil things to you while you were asleep."

She shuddered.  "Templar training is not kind.  Although the Divinity grants supernatural gifts to noms and preternaturals alike, you have to hone those skills razor sharp."

"You and Underborn spoke a little about this Divinity being.  He said people blessed by the Divinity can't die."

"Not of starvation or thirst or natural causes.  We can still die by plenty of other means as you should know."

My mind flashed to the cave where I had almost lost Elyssa.  Where I'd almost killed her by draining her essence.  I remembered seeing the light in her eyes flicker out and a knife seemed to twist in my heart.  Somehow, I'd pushed essence back into her and brought her back.

"Do you remember being dead?" I asked.

She shook her head and got up, heading for the shower.  "I—I don't remember a thing.  I don't think I was dead anyway, just very close to it."

The way she stumbled on her words made me wonder if this was the truth.  But why would she lie about such a thing?  "Is there something you're not telling me?"

She pulled clothes from her knapsack and smiled reassuringly.  "Why would you think that?"

I blurred from the bed and gripped her shoulders.  Stared deep into the ultraviolet glow in her eyes I had almost snuffed out.  "I remember someone telling me to never lie to them.  Ever.  Hiding something counts as a lie, in case you're wondering."

A large tear welled like a shimmering crystal and tumbled slowly down her fair cheek.  "Please don't make me say it," she said, another tear falling down her other cheek.  "If I don't say it, it won't come true.  It was a dream.  Just a dream."  Her voice faded to a whisper.