Entangled (31 page)

Charlene’s eyes narrowed as Gray approached. “Hi, Charlene,” Gray sang out in Stacey’s peppy voice.

Charlene looked her up and down. “Welcome back.”

“The doctor said it was a miracle.”

Charlene’s lower lip stuck out.

“I’m just ready to move on with my life and pick up where I left off.”

Charlene grasped her hands. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from Blake.”

“Or what? You’ll try to kill me again?”

Charlene started.

Gray moved within inches of her face. “I know what you did to me.”

Charlene’s jaw dropped. She cowered, and it made Gray stand up even taller. These long legs of Stacey’s were nice. There was fear in Charlene’s eyes. There ought to be.

This was for Stacey Morehouse.

This was for her.

“Who told you that?” Charlene asked. “They’re lying!” she said when Gray stared her down. “If it was Raj McKenna you should know he has a weird fixation on me.”

Gray threw her head back and laughed. “Stop lying, Charlene.”

Charlene eyed her suspiciously. Her lower lip quivered in the next instant when she looked into Gray’s eyes. Gray’d made them flash the way only a witch could, sending an electrical current like lightning crackling around her irises. It sent pinpricks of pain back to her eye sockets, but the effect was dramatic and unavoidable when a witch was angry enough.

 “I know what you are, Charlene. I know what you did, and now I’ve taken your powers.”

Gray looked at Charlene’s legs. Her sister followed her stare. A wave of pale white skin rolled over her legs like stockings being stripped off. At the same time Charlene was losing her perfect tan, Stacey’s skin filled with color.

“You can’t do that!” Charlene cried. “It’s not possible.”

Gray leaned in. “If I were you, I’d keep my voice down—wouldn’t want to end up in an insane asylum.” Gray spun on her heel and left Charlene opening and closing her mouth like a guppy.

There was only one thing left to do.

Gray was waiting on the hood of Raj’s car when he walked out at lunch. The luck amulet he’d given her dangled from her fingers. She watched Raj’s eyes alight upon it. Gray swung it into her palm and closed her fingers around it.

Raj approached her cautiously. “Pretty amazing recovery,” he said.

She pushed herself off the hood. “No doubt.”

“Is this permanent?” Raj asked, waving a hand to indicate the towering figure that was Stacey Morehouse.

“Twenty-four-seven.” Gray smiled. “I suppose I can learn to live with being a size zero.”

“I don’t care what size you are so long as it’s you.”

“Aw, say stuff like that and I might have to kiss you, McKenna.”

Raj’s lips, however, were twisted in a non-kissy kind of way. “So Adrian’s spell worked?”

“What spell?”

“When we arrived at your house you’d turned into Charlene and Adrian performed some kind of Latin spell—nearly killed himself in the process. His grandmother left town with him.”

Gray squinted. “I didn’t see either of you after the extraction.”

“Extraction?”

“Ryan succeeded in extracting my soul from Charlene’s body, but he didn’t destroy it.” Gray snorted. “He told me to go to the light. I went to Stacey’s body, instead.” Speaking of Ryan, he was on her S list, right under Nolan Knapp.

“I thought I lost you again.”

Gray lifted her chin. “Nope. This witch ain’t going nowhere.” She uncurled her fingers around the amulet and grinned. “I am going to need new initials put on this, however. Think you can get used to calling me Stacey?”

Raj’s nose wrinkled.

“What about Lee?” Gray asked. “It’s Stacey’s middle name—sorta fitting really.”

Raj looked Gray in the eye. “Are you sure you don’t want to exchange me for the senior class president or captain of the basketball team?”

Gray pocketed the amulet before putting her arms around Raj. She brushed her cheek against his then whispered in his ear. “Not for all the magic in the world.”

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Duplicity

AVAILABLE MAY 2012

It was difficult to concentrate on mathematics when all Lee could think about was jumping her boyfriend’s bones.

Stacey Lee Morehouse—Graylee Perez in a former life—sat across from Raj McKenna on the tapestry rug inside her bedroom.

It was Wednesday night: date night, which meant her mom and Mr. Morehouse were out for the evening. Lee suspected her mother’s motives were, in part, to allow her and Raj time alone. Not that they needed it with Raj hunched over his textbook engrossed in… Lee leaned forward…
Two-Dimensional Collisions
. Snore.

From the moment Lee awoke from a coma, nine and a half months ago, Mr. Morehouse had played an Oscar-worthy role as devoted and overly protective single father. It’d taken months for him to allow her a modicum of space. Dating Marney Perez helped.

What Mr. Morehouse didn’t realize was that Lee was Miss Perez’s daughter, not his.

Lee brushed her thick mane of blond hair over one shoulder and stared at Raj. Her room was always dim given the overhead light had to filter through colorful fabrics hanging like canopies from the ceiling. Early on, she’d transformed Stacey’s floral fixation into an exotic Indian haven with ornately carved wood furniture and colorful throw pillows—one of which Lee was sitting on.

Lee tapped her pencil against her geometry book. Raj continued reading.

Lee cleared her throat. Finally Raj looked up. His smirk always got her. It said: you’re an adorable pest, but I can’t resist you. Best of all, Raj looked at her like she was Graylee Perez. Not Stacey Morehouse.

Lee walked over to Raj on all fours.

His smirk increased when she planted her palms on top of his open textbook. “Not in a study mood, I take it?”

His eyes darted to her gaping V-neck. Now she had his attention. Lee’s smile traveled up her cheeks. “We’re alone. Besides, I’m sure there’s more to a Wednesday night than…” Lee glanced down and then back up. “Science.”

Raj leaned forward, stopping only half an inch from her forehead. His pupils reflected Lee’s eager face. “Such as?” Raj drawled.

Lee lowered her voice. “I think we should do it.”

Raj leaned back as though startled. “Are you referring to what I think you are?”

Lee walked forward. The textbook crinkled under her knees. She pressed her lips against Raj’s then pulled back when he didn’t kiss back. “What’s the matter?”

Raj ran a hand through his hair and looked away. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m interested, you know I am, but why all of a sudden?”

Lee’s lower lip pouted. “Why not? We’ve been going out for eight months. We’re seniors and, you know, we’re ready—at least I am. Maybe you aren’t.”

“Ha, ha,” Raj said. His smile mellowed. “I think I know what this is really about.”

“What?”

“Tomorrow’s February ninth.”

Lee sat on her knees and folded her arms. “Yeah, and?”

“And that’s the day you died.”

“What about it?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

Lee pushed away from Raj. She snatched the pillow off the floor and set it in her lap. “Fine. It’s the anniversary of my death. I can’t help thinking about how close I came to eternal oblivion. It makes a girl reflect on the experiences she wants to have before it’s lights out forever.”

“Lee…”

Lee blinked rapidly and looked away.

“Lee.”

She still refused to look.

“Gray!”

Her eyes latched onto his as though on command. For some reason this angered her. Lee was on her knees pushing Raj back before she could form a coherent thought. “Don’t call me that!”

Raj was quick to recover—levitating before ever hitting the ground. “You’re forgetting something, Lee. I’m your boyfriend now.”

“And?” she challenged. She squealed an instant later when Raj got her on her back.

“And you can’t just throw a fit and push me away. I’m not going anywhere.” He dove forward and gave her the kisses she craved.

Lee hugged Raj between her thighs. She slipped him the tongue. Lately this had been the prelude to near sex, but instead of twisting tongues with her, as he’d done in the past, Raj pulled back. “You’re serious?”

Lee smiled. He was caving. “One hundred percent.”

Raj’s chest rose and fell. “And you’re sure you’re ready?”

“This isn’t rocket science, stud. I want you.”

Raj’s brows furrowed. “I want you, too. I love you, Lee. I’ve loved you from the moment you appeared in my life.”

Literally. Raj had noticed Lee when she’d tried to sneak into English class late by turning herself invisible then filling herself back in once she took a seat at the back of the room. Nothing got past Raj McKenna—at least not where Lee was concerned.

Lee chuckled. “A little less talk, if you don’t mind.”

Raj cupped her breast in reply. He squeezed gently.

Stacey Morehouse did have impressive boobs. Size C. Firm. Perky. Lee still didn’t think of them as her own.

She twisted to her side. Raj rocked back and stood up. “I’m sorry. This wasn’t a good idea.”

“No!” Lee scrambled to her feet. “It’s time I embraced this body.”

“Sure?”

“Definitely.”

Raj twisted his lips. It was replaced by a grin. He didn’t believe her. Fine, she’d show him how serious she was. Lee pulled her V-neck over her head and tossed it beside Raj. His eyes grew bigger. Amusement was replaced by a heavy stare. The pendant she wore daily, a vial encased in smooth silver, dangled between the valley of her breasts.

Little pinpricks of pain stung the back of Lee’s eyes. She ignored it.

Raj’s gaze was trained on her fingers, unzipping her jeans. Lee stripped each leg down like stockings then stepped out. She quickly pulled her socks off because they looked plain stupid without pants on. She now stood several feet away from Raj on the rug in her bra and panties. Lee reached back for the hook on her bra.

Raj’s eyes looked ready to pop.

Gray unhooked the bra and suddenly she was gone.

Not gone, gone, but invisible. She re-clasped her bra, which might have been humorous if she’d been thinking straight because it wasn’t like anyone could see her.

Raj’s brows rose right before he chuckled. “If you didn’t want me to see you naked, you could have kept your clothes on.”

“Raj, this isn’t funny. I didn’t make myself invisible.”

“It’s okay, you’re not ready. You know I’m in no rush.”

“I’m ready! Seriously, this has never happened to me before.”

“Okay, so make yourself visible again.”

Lee stomped her foot. “I’m trying!” Etch A Sketch, M.C. Escher’s Drawing Hands—nothing was working!

Raj chuckled again. “I thought guys were the ones with performance anxiety.”

“Stop making fun of me.”

“I’m not. Need help?”

There was a brief pause followed by a huff of frustration. “Fine. Fill me in. Whatever.”

Raj was still grinning until his clothes ripped off his body. They fell in tatters to the tapestry rug at his feet.

“Someone’s eager.” Lee was happy to be the one on the teasing end of things this round.

Raj turned instantly red and quickly cupped himself with his left hand in an attempt to cover his… parts. “That wasn’t me!”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Seriously.”

Lee had to laugh at the way Raj’s eyes darted around the room trying to find her.

“Are you staring at me? Don’t look at me!”

“I never pegged you as the shy type.”

“I’m not. I just don’t like you staring when I can’t see you.”

“Fine, I’m not looking at you.” But she was. She was ogling every inch of him at the moment. Sixth hour weight training was doing wonders for Raj’s physique. Not that she’d ever found it lacking. He was all tight, toned muscle tinged in rich, dark Indian skin. A pendant matching hers dangled below Raj’s throat.

Lee wet her lips. It wasn’t like he’d see the gesture.

Raj was squinting as though that’d help him locate her. “Something weird is happening.”

“Let’s worry about it later.”

He tried to find her eyes. “Lee, what’s going on?”

As though Lee had something to do with this. She knew what was happening. Well, not really, but alarm bells were ringing. She’d disappeared. What was next? Total annihilation? She didn’t have much time.

“Kiss me!”

Raj was beginning to look like a Chinaman with his squinty eyes. They widened once more. “What?”