Darkness & Discovery (The Bespelled Trilogy #2) (2 page)

I shrugged. “Doesn’t
everyone dream of having superpowers at one point or another?”

“I suppose so. But why
not fantasize about, oh, flying, for example? Or being super strong, or
something like that?”

Because my childhood
sucked, and I’d wanted to be invisible so I could hide from my life.
I didn’t say that out loud, because that really didn’t seem like cheery date
banter. Instead I smiled and said, “You know, in all likelihood, you possess
both of those superpowers.”

“I doubt it.”

“Joey thinks you can
transform into your angel half. He’s never seen it, but he’s pretty convinced
it’s possible. And if you did, you know what that means.”

“That I could fly?”

“
And
that I’d
expect you to give me a ride,” I joked.

But he frowned a little
and said, “I hope you never see me like that.”

“In angel form? Why
not?”

He turned his head and
watched the rushing creek as he said, “Joey describes angels as terrifying. I
couldn’t bear it if you were frightened of me.”

I rested my palm on his
cheek and gently turned his face toward mine. “I could never be afraid of you,
Allie.”

“Then you’re braver
than I am, Lu. Because I scare the hell out of myself.” He said that so softly,
not meeting my eyes.

“Why?”

“Because part of me is
a monster. Because I have the ability to kill, apparently without remorse. And
another part is so far removed from human that I can’t even begin to understand
it.” He turned away from me again, looking back out at the creek. “I worry
about what I’ll become when I get my memories back. Well…not
become
. But
revert back to.”

“You’ll still be you,
Allie. This part of you, the part that’s so sweet and gentle, isn’t going to go
away when you remember who you are.”

“I hope you’re right.”
He took a deep breath and turned toward me, trying to lighten the mood with a
little smile and a squeeze of my hand. “No point in worrying about it now.
You’re probably hungry. Let’s go get some dinner.” And he took my hand and led me
off the bridge and back toward the plaza.

We had dinner at
Greenleaf. Well,
I
did, anyway. Alastair ordered a cup of soup, but
didn’t so much eat it as experiment with it. He scooped up a spoonful and stuck
the tip of his tongue in it, and then tried to identify all the ingredients
based on what it smelled like. Well hey, that’s what happens when your date
isn’t actually human.

After dinner, we walked
hand in hand a few blocks to the Varsity Theater. It hadn’t snowed in a couple
weeks, but it was still bitterly cold, and I’d been too nervous about the date
to remember a hat and gloves. Alastair realized I was cold just as we reached
the theater. Maybe my subtle attempts at blotting my running nose with the back
of my hand had tipped him off. “Lu, you’re freezing,” he said with concern, and
pulled me into his arms.

His jacket was
unzipped, and I slid my arms under it and around his body, holding him close.
There was something reassuring about the way he felt, so strong and solid. And
he was warm – really warm. That had to be the angel side of him, because most
vampires ran the same temperature as the air. I snuggled against him and the
rest of the world just sort of disappeared.

For about two seconds,
anyway.

“Lu?” a familiar voice
asked.

I stepped back from Alastair
and mumbled, “Hi Teddy.”

My ex-boyfriend looked
pale and thin, his slightly too long hair sticking out from under a knit cap,
dark circles evident behind his glasses, his hands thrust into the pockets of
his old ski jacket. He glanced from me to Alastair and back again, clearly
confused.

I had asked Joey to
compel him, to make Ted forget he’d been abducted by werewolves and imprisoned
by vampires, because I didn’t want him to know there were monsters in the
world. I’d wanted him to feel safe, wanted him to be able to keep living a normal
life. But I felt guilty for manipulating him, on top of feeling terrible about
all that had happened to him because of me.

And the fact that he
looked so lost only compounded my guilt. I also had to wonder how thorough the
compelling had been, since it kind of looked like he was experiencing déjà vu right
now.

“How have you been,
Lu?” he asked, his brow still wrinkled in confusion.

“Good. Uh, this is
Alastair,” I told him. “Alastair, Ted.” The two shook hands awkwardly. They’d seen
each other before, but that was one of the things that had been wiped from
Ted’s memory. “How are you, Teddy?”

“Ok, I guess, but it’s
been a pretty weird winter break.”

“How so?”

“Well…I went to San
Francisco by myself for some reason, and got mugged. My truck got stolen. I
only remember the sketchiest details. Next thing I knew, I was at my cousin’s
house in Berkeley. He bought me a bus ticket home.”

My guilt ratcheted up a
couple more notches. Ted had just repeated the cover story that Joey had
implanted when he’d compelled him. And his truck was at my place. He’d gone
there looking for me, and that’s when he’d gotten snatched by a pack of
werewolves that had been watching my house. The truck wouldn’t start (I’d
planned to anonymously leave it in Ted’s driveway) and I still didn’t know what
to do about that. It was impossible to tow it down the steep, windy mountain
road leading from my home in the woods. I knew that because Joey and I had
tried, and we’d almost wound up with both my Bronco and the truck at the bottom
of a ravine.

“That sucks,” I
murmured. But what I was thinking was,
I suck
.

Ted was staring at
Alastair, and now he asked, “Do I know you?” Ok, yeah, definite déjà vu.

Alastair watched him
closely as he said, “Maybe you’ve seen me around town.”

“Maybe,” Ted agreed,
but he didn’t look quite convinced.

“So, are you here for
the new Joss Whedon movie?” I asked, in a desperate attempt to change the
subject.

“I just saw it, I’m on
my way out. Are you seeing it, too?”

“Yup. Wait, you saw it
today? It’s been out for a while. I’m surprised you weren’t here on opening day,”
I said, a little too cheerfully.

Ted grinned a little at
that. “I
did
see it opening day, and a few times since then. You know I
love me some Joss.” He looked like his old self, but only for a moment before
the lost expression returned. “If you two are on your way in, I should let you
go. I know you hate walking into a theater when the previews have already
started, Lu.”

“Take care, Teddy,” I
said.

“You too. Nice meeting
you, Alastair,” he said before turning and heading down the street.

I sighed and watched
him go. And Alastair asked quietly, “Do you want to go after him?”

“No. But I do need to
talk to him sometime soon. I feel terrible that he got hurt because of me. And
I’m not sure compelling him to forget was the right thing to do.” I turned to
look at Alastair, and was surprised by his sad expression. “Allie, what’s
wrong?”

“Nothing really. I
just…I wonder if I’ll ever know you as well as he does. You two share such an
obvious bond.”

“I’ve known Ted since I
was twelve, he’s had five years to accumulate useless Lu trivia. But in time,
you too will know all kinds of inane facts about me.”

Alastair flashed his
radiant smile, and it made my heart flip over in my chest. “I look forward to
that,” he said before kissing me gently. “Now hurry up, let’s get our tickets,
because I have it on good authority you don’t like to walk into a theater once
the previews begin. And on the way, you can tell me what a Joss Whedon is.”

“He’s a who, not a
what. And you’re about to experience his brilliance first-hand,” I grinned,
linking arms with him and leading him to the ticket booth.

After the movie, Alastair drove us home and walked
me to the front door. “Well, here’s where it gets a bit unconventional,” he
said as he took my hand and I turned and faced him. “Normally, as a gentleman,
I’d kiss you goodnight and be on my way.”

“But since we’re
roommates, you won’t actually be doing that,” I said with a grin. “So what
will
you be doing?”

He ran his hand around
the back of my neck and rested his forehead against mine. “Firstly,” he said,
his British accent really coming through, “I intend to kiss you quite
thoroughly. And secondly, I plan to take you inside and deposit you in front of
the fireplace and make you a cup of tea. Because you’re still half-frozen.”

“That’s actually very
romantic,” I said.

He smiled at me.
“You’re the only girl I know who’d find tea romantic.”

“Actually, you can just
cut that sentence in half. I’m the only girl you know,” I teased.

“Ok, that might
technically be true, seeing as I can’t remember anyone from my past. But I
assume it’s still an odd characteristic.”

“You’re not wrong. Now
please hurry up and ‘kiss me quite thoroughly,’ because I am, in fact, freezing
out here.”

“With pleasure, Luna,”
he murmured, and then he pulled me into his arms, his lips brushing mine gently
before the kiss deepened, my lips parting under his, my knees threatening to
give out. And when he finally pulled back a couple inches, Alastair smiled at
me and asked, “Thorough enough for you?”

“Almost,” I grinned,
and he playfully pushed me up against the front door and kissed me again.

When we finally quit
making out and went inside, Alastair headed to the kitchen to put the kettle
on, while I tossed my coat on a chair and arranged a few logs on the embers in
the fireplace. Then I dragged the couch in front of the hearth and settled
comfortably onto it.

He returned a couple
minutes later, carrying a tray with two mugs of tea and honey and a little plate
of cookies, and said, “We’re going to have a visitor. There’s an unfamiliar car
coming up the road.” He set the tray on the wide hearth. “Joey’s not here, or
I’d send him to scout out who’s in the car. I could go take a look, though I’d
prefer not to leave you unattended.”

“There’s no reason to
assume the worst. From what I’ve seen of your enemies so far, they’re not
likely to let you see them coming.”

“That’s true.”

I picked up a mug and
leaned back against the couch. But Alastair remained tense, staring out at the
night through the bank of windows, waiting, listening.

It was a good two or
three minutes before I, too, heard the engine, and by then the car’s headlights
were visible through the trees. I got up and walked over to the front door, and
immediately recognized the big white Cadillac as it pulled into the clearing in
front of my house.

I turned to Alastair.
“Please tell me you remember how to compel someone, or could figure it out in a
pinch if you had to.”

“I don’t have a clue
how to do that.”

And I sighed and said,
“That’s really too bad. Because the crap’s totally about to hit the fan.”

Chapter
Two

“Why? Who’s coming?” Alastair asked, putting himself
between me and the front door.

“It’s my ex-boyfriend.”

“Ted?”

“Yeah. I only have the
one ex.”

“Why do you want me to
compel him?”

“Because,” I said,
“he’s about to ask a whole bunch of questions that I really can’t answer.”

The Caddy had stopped
at the base of my circular driveway, and Ted had gotten out of the car. But he
wasn’t coming inside, and I knew why. I took a deep breath, then pulled my coat
on and went out to talk to him. Alastair trailed behind me, but hung back on
the porch.

Ted was in my driveway,
backlit by the car’s headlights, the motor still running. He stood stock still,
staring at a point over my right shoulder. I knew what he was looking at. “Lu,”
he said after a moment, “why is my truck here?”

My mind raced to cobble
together a lie, some even remotely plausible reason why the truck he’d thought
was stolen in San Francisco now sat beside my house. But I was actually a
terrible liar, and I couldn’t begin to come up with anything that didn’t sound
completely insane. So I sighed and said truthfully, “Because it died, and my
attempt at towing it down the mountain almost ended in disaster.”

“But why is it here? I
don’t understand.” Ted looked so lost that once again I was overcome with
guilt.

“Teddy, turn off your
dad’s car and come inside, ok? I’ll try to explain this.”

He glanced at Alastair,
and seemed to be having another déjà vu moment. This was probably because the
three of us had been in this same position the last time Ted came to my house. “I
didn’t expect you to still be on your date,” he said. “I wanted to come talk to
you after seeing you tonight. But I didn’t mean to intrude.”

I walked past him to
the Cadillac and turned off the motor, then shut the car door. I handed Ted his
keys and gently took him by the arm. “Come on, Teddy. Come inside.”