Lexia (The Deadwood Hunter Series) (8 page)

“Lex. Lexia!” Alice said, waving her hand in front of her face.

“Sorry, thought I saw someone.”

“What, like a miserable-looking Dan walking up the school path?”

“Shit, let’s move.”

Alice looked back at Dan then to Lexia’s retreating form before running to catch up.

“Tell me now!”

“Later, ok?”

“Fine, but don’t think I’ll forget!”

Oh, if only you would forget
she thought, walking into first period.

The rest of the morning went smoothly. Dan smiled at her when he came into class but Lexia didn’t return it. When the bell rang for lunch she shot out of the classroom hoping to ignore him.

Alice had a different subject from her this morning so they met in the hall. Alice seemed excited about something, she had a massive smile on her face.

“Have you found your next target?”

“What? Oh yes, but that’s not why I’m smiling.”

“Why then?”

“First tell me about this morning,” Alice demanded as they walked into the cafeteria.

“Fine! Dan met me this morning to walk to school, only when I reached the end of my drive, Lincoln was there and then Dan turns up. I’m lost as to what to say but he walks right up and kisses me on the lips like we’re already together!”

“Aren’t you?”

“No, why would you think that?”

“Too late, you’ll find out in a second,” she smiled.

“What do y…” Lexia never finished her question because she spotted Dan and as she lifted her head to see what he wanted, he pressed his lips against hers. She was too stunned to react and sat speechless as he slid into the space besides her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

“Hey babe,” he said.

“Hey, Dan!” Alice said, jumping in, she flashed a wicked grin at Lexia then started rambling on to Dan. Lexia sat there in silence, bending slightly from Dan having his arm around her; he wasn’t quite tall enough to reach his arm around her comfortably. Throughout lunch Alice talked and she never had the chance to ask Dan what he was doing but even if she had, Lexia had no idea what to say. Where had this bold behavior come from? Dan was a nice guy and here he was acting like they were already together. She replayed over the times they’d spent together and was certain she’d never said they were going out.

When the bell rang for afternoon class, Lexia breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to Alice about killing her later.

They walked out of the cafeteria together but then needed to go separate ways. “Come on, Alice, we’re this way, see you, Dan.”

Hooking her hand through Alice’s she started to drag her off down the hall but Dan called, “Hey Lex…”

Lexia breathed in a deep breath and squeezed Alice’s arm as she giggled. “Yes?” she said, turning around.

“Where’s my kiss?”

“Yeah Lex, where’s his kiss? Ouch!”

“I’m going to kill you later for this,” Lexia whispered to Alice and then looked at Dan’s expectant face.
What do I say?
Slowly she started to walk back to him.
Am I really just going to kiss him? Why not just tell him to get lost? What am I doing?
Her lips brushed his and Dan wrapped his hands around her waist pulling her close. Lexia gasped and bit her lip so she didn’t shout at him.

“God, you’re sexy,” he whispered, then turned and left.

Lexia just stood there staring at him, students walked past her staring and whistling. She couldn’t decide whether she was angry, shocked or turned on.
Where had this Dan come from?

“Fucking hell, Dan’s possessed,” said Alice, slipping her hand back through Lexia’s and dragging her off to class.

“I’m going to kill you for that!”

“Hey, I didn’t tell him you two were going out.”

“Neither did I!”

“Well, then Dan grew some balls,” she laughed.

“He sure did!”

“You like it don’t you!”

“Alice, shut up,” Lexia giggled.

“Girls, settle down.”

“Sorry, Mr Peterman,” they said in unison.

Lexia sighed, what was happening to her lately? Lincoln and Dan fighting over her and then there was the panther—what was he and what did he want?

Lexia and Alice walked into the town center after school. They had sat in silence so far, each eating the slices of chocolate cake they’d ordered. Alice opened her mouth, she’d never been good at keeping quiet. “Spill Lexia, what the hell’s going on with you?”

Lexia looked at her stern face, she and Alice had been friends since she’d first started school here and they’d been inseparable ever since.

“Well, I already told you about Dad being weird lately, then there’s Lincoln, and now Dan’s acting insane, too!”

“Well I think you’ve brought out Dan’s competitive side and really, can you blame him?”

“But he’s just acting like we go out!”

“Babe, you didn’t stop him. Come on, didn’t you feel anything when he kissed you in the school hall?”

“I don’t know, maybe... I was just so shocked and pissed off at him acting that way but then... Well, I kind of like his bold side.”

“God you have to like the bad side don’t you!”

“But then what about Lincoln?

“Lex maybe you should give Dan a chance. I mean, he lives here and he isn’t as scary as Lincoln.”

“He isn’t scary and he just keeps showing up, like this morning and then both he and Dan were acting like cavemen.”

Alice laughed. “Well, what did you expect? You’re gorgeous. But seriously, Lexia, be careful around him.”

“I can take care of myself, don’t worry.”

“Really? Because Lincoln looked like a well-built man and you don’t exactly work out.”

They both burst out laughing and Lexia secretly thought
if only you knew the things I could do, Alice
.

They walked together heading back out of the center of town, all talk of Lincoln finished. Lexia felt better after her talk with Alice but she still didn’t know what to do.

After a while Lexia became aware that they were being followed. Every now and then she would see the panther watching her but he would disappear as soon as he caught her looking. The closer the panther got, the more on edge she felt; her skin prickled and she had to suppress the urge to turn and fight.

Alice left in the direction of her home and now she felt the panther stalking closely from the shadows. He didn’t make any attempt to hide his presence, but Lexia kept her pace steady and looked straight ahead, determined not to play his cat games. If he wanted her, she was ready; all he had to do was make a move, but she decided he was just toying with her right now. He wanted her on edge so that when he did strike, fear would cloud her judgement making her an easy target.

As Lexia turned down her drive, fear closed her throat for a moment and she bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. There he was standing in the middle of the drive between her and the house. She forced the fear down deep in her mind and carried on walking. She had killed three vampires at once and taken down a nasty wolf-man, she would not back down to this cat, even if a small part of her still thought the panther was good.

Suddenly the panther vanished into the trees and as she moved to follow she heard the reason for his departure.

“Lex, wait,” Dan called running down the drive.

“Later, Kitty Cat” she murmured, and heard a low growl as her reply.
Yes you are defiantly more than just a cat.

“Hi Dan,” she said, turning around to face him but keeping her senses focused on the woods.

“I’m really sorry about today, I was an idiot” he smiled shyly.

Lexia pushed her anger down. It wasn’t his fault Lincoln was an arrogant bastard. “It’s fine Dan, Lincoln was more of an ass but I don’t appreciate being fought over and you just assuming we were together.” She started walking back toward the house and he followed.

“You noticed that, eh?”

“Bit hard to miss you kissing me, Dan.” She snapped.

“But you kissed me back! It’s not like you to just go along with something.”

“I think I was just shocked at seeing that side of you.”

“Really?”

“Don’t push your luck, Dan.” The smile fell from his face.

“Hey, that guy, you know him well?”

“Not really.” She didn’t like the way this conversation was going.

“He seems a bit sketchy. I mean, I can see the appeal but Lexia he’s a lot older then you.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, Dan, but he’s twenty-three and in a few months I will be twenty.”

“WHAT?”

“Dan this has nothing to do with you.”

His face fell further. “I was kind of hoping after that kiss, it would be my business.”

Lexia looked at him with his sad eyes and his cute surfer-boy looks; she could be happy with him. There might not be the same fire between them that she felt with Lincoln but Alice was right, there was no guarantee he’d stay in town. But then she remembered the vampires and the panther that was probably watching her right now and realized her life was just too messed up for a new relationship.

“I did feel something Dan. But I have a few things going on at the minute... I’m sorry I just... Can we be friends?”

“Friends? Sure” he smiled at her but Lexia could see the hurt in his eyes.

Smiling, Lexia closed the distance between them and hugged him, whispering in his ear, “I really am sorry Dan if only you’d found me a few months ago”

He pulled away his eyes creasing “What do you mean Lex?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter.”

“Bye, then.” Dan walked back down her drive onto the road.

She stood there watching him go taking in his wide, well-muscled form from all the sports he played and his messy hair blowing about in the breeze. As he turned the corner he looked back one last time and flashed a cheeky, cocky grin.

For a moment Lexia felt sad at turning him away, she could have been happy with him, only a few months ago she’d stared at him and daydreamed about the day he’d be interested but now...

A low growl snapped Lexis out of her trance, she whipped around seeing gold eyes peering from the forest. It took her a split second to decide what to do, she ran towards the house as fast as she could, her feet crunching and sliding on the gravel. She could hear his light foot falls as the panther closed the distance between them. Her heart beat in her throat, was this it? Were they finally going to finish this game?

Lexia raced across the grass, she felt like her lungs were on fire but adrenaline course through her veins forcing her on. The porch was nearly in sight but how was she going to get the door open before the panther got her?

His paw caught the back of her leg. Lexia screamed, stumbling forward, but she managed to right herself and that’s when she noticed the open window to her bedroom; she’d never closed it after Saturday night.
Can I make it?

She neared the bottom of the house and jumped as high as she could; Lexia’s hands gripped tightly onto the wooden slats of the trellis and she let out a cry as her body slammed into the house momentarily knocking the wind out of her then she scrambled up, her knees banging and scraping against wood.

But sharp panther teeth sank into her ankle as she neared the top. He pulled her down and she screamed desperately reaching out to get hold of something. She gripped wood again and kicked out with her foot. Lexia pulled with all her strength desperately trying to escape the panther’s jaws. Her foot hit his head but his grip never faltered.

“Get off, get off!” she screamed, kicking out again but he wouldn’t let go. A blood-thirsty look gleamed in his eyes and the more she kicked the further his teeth sank into her ankle.

The sound of a car made Lexia glance up, its horn sounded over and over momentarily distracting the panther and as Lexia slammed her foot into his jaw he let go, falling to into a heap below her.

Lexia sighed in relief but then gasped as her dad’s car sped up towards the panther. The cat froze for a second still in a jumbled heap as the car raced towards him, then he scrambled to his paws trying to avoid being run over but he’d hesitated too long.

Lexia screamed as the car hit the cat. “No!!” she cried, scrambling into her bedroom. Lexia stared down at the panther still on the ground and she wanted to cry, her heart hurt as she looked at this beautiful animal hurt and broken before her.

“What have you done?” she screamed to her dad still sitting in the car, tears welling in her eyes. She didn’t care how irrational she was being or how it may look being so upset by the panther being hurt; she couldn’t control her feelings. Lexia felt as if she’d been split in two, one half of her wanted to jump from her window and make sure the panther was dead. The other felt heartbroken as if her best friend lay below. She didn’t understand her feelings but then she didn’t understand much anymore, so she cried. Cried for the panther and for the loss of her old life; she stopped trying to hold in all of her feelings and just let them out.

Then the panther slowly lifted his head and for a second the world froze as he stared into her eyes, but they weren’t the eyes of a panther anymore, she was looking into the eyes of a man. For that split second everything felt right in the world, then she blinked and he was gone.

Her dad scrambled out of the car. “Lex, Lex! Are you okay?”

Lexia couldn’t speak, she felt too shaken but she nodded to him and smiled weakly.

“I’m coming now, don’t move.”

As he ran in the house Lexia looked down at her ankle and started to panic, the holes were deep and blood poured from them but already she could feel the power in her blood fixing it. The blood was slowly stopping and she glanced up to see her reflection in the mirror on the back of the door, a strangled cry left her throat as she looked into the bright gold eyes staring back at her.

Her dad’s feet pounded up the stairs, “Oh god, oh god,” she said to the girl in the mirror, “please stop, oh god please, he can’t see.”

The floor boards squeaked as he walked across the landing, her heart hammered in her chest, and her hands started to shake. “Go away, turn blue,” she pleaded to the mirror but as the door opened they were still gold and Lexia closed her eyes, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.