Torn (14 page)

"Stand back
everyone and let me through!" The sub was yelling like an ox,
but making little actual progress. I registered my surroundings, but
my attention was focused on Adri. I saw the mask click back into
place as she came fully back to consciousness.

The substitute had
finally pushed his way through to us, and based upon his breathing
and elevated pulse was only a few seconds from a panic attack of his
own.

"What's going
on? Is she ok?"

I stood, Adri still in
my arms, and began pushing my way out through the path he'd just
made. "I think she'll be fine, but maybe I should get her to
the nurse. Just to be sure."

Adri started squirming
in my grasp as she realized she'd made a spectacle of herself again.

"There's really
no need. I'm fine. I don't need to see the nurse."

She tried to thrash
around, but I carefully immobilized her and continued onwards. I
paused at the door to get final permission to leave.

"You hit your
head pretty hard; I really think we should get you to the office.
Sir, with your permission?"

He nodded and I headed
out into the hall, but I was busy making a note of the fact she'd
calmed down instantly when I'd mentioned the possibility of a head
injury.

"Let go of my
hands."

Mindful of the fact
that she'd been limping, I gently set her down, and then had to
restrain a chuckle as she began probing the back of her head.

"What are you
doing? You didn't actually hit your head. I caught you before you
hit the ground."

"Please, every
other time I've dropped that quickly I've totally banged myself up.
You were on the other side of my desk, there's no way you got all the
way around it and managed to catch me before I hit the ground."

I felt my expression
freeze as I realized I'd once again risked exposure to save her.
"Believe what you will. There's no reason to worry about a
concussion."

"Then why did
you tell the sub I'd hit my head?"

There was honest
curiosity in her voice and I looked away, buying myself time to
decide whether or not to tell her the truth.

"I presumed you
wouldn't want to stay and be subject to everyone's questions. You
seem not to like people prying about your attacks, and you were less
happy than usual today. I thought you could use the break."

I hadn't expected
gushing praise necessarily, but I didn't expect the amount of venom
she rounded on me with.

"
I
looked
unhappy today? You who never cracks a smile unless you're going to
get something out of it was concerned about the fact I wasn't all
smiles and giggles? Maybe you should flunk a test or two. Only it
doesn't really count unless your dad, you know, the one who used to
make your birthdays really special, is gone."

I was too stunned to
respond. I started to reach out to her, but she stepped away before
I could touch her.

"Don't try and
pretend you're sorry. You were just looking for an excuse to get out
of class once all of the hero worship dried up. Well I got you out
and you helped me avoid all of the stupid questions everyone would've
asked, so we're even."

I watched her stomp
off, and then turned around and headed back to Physics. I reassured
everyone that she'd be ok, and breathed a mental sigh of relief when
nobody pushed for more information.

Everyone was still
clustered around the front of the room talking. Nobody had gotten
around to righting the fallen desks, so I picked them back up and
then gathered her books. The Monster Lake picture had torn free of
her binder, and I hesitated for just the briefest second before
pocketing it. The bell rang as I pulled my things together.

Pre-cal passed by in a
haze as I replayed Adri's attack and our resulting conversation again
and again. It was remotely possible she really was that good of an
actor, but more and more I didn't believe it. Only if she was a
human, then I was starting to realize just how big of a mistake I'd
made.

More subdued than I'd
been in a very long time, I followed Jasmin home. Donovan came out
to meet us, and frowned at the obvious damage to both vehicles.

"I took care of
it, and it's not worth talking about, Donovan. Can you please have
them both repaired?"

There were unanswered
questions in his eyes still, but the code he lived by wouldn't allow
him to push. He nodded and then retired back into the house. Jasmin
followed him, but I was too unsettled to go inside myself.

I wandered out to the
green house and began pruning some of the roses that I'd been
neglecting lately. The cool, white petals seemed to reach inside me
and pull at things that were fresh and wounded. I tried my best to
put the thoughts, the lingering scent of Adri out of my mind, and
started working my way down the aisle.

Rachel's arrival
interrupted the first measure of peace I'd managed to find in what
felt like weeks. "Alec, you have to help her."

I shook my head in
confusion as I tried to transition back to reality. "What are
you talking about?"

"It's Adri.
Something is wrong again. It's her birthday, but it's more than
that. She seems so sad. I'm worried about her."

Of course. How could
I have not realized her earlier reference meant today was her
birthday?

"She said
something to that effect earlier, but I didn't put it all together.
I think she's still mourning whatever happened to her father."

Rachel nodded in
sudden understanding as her eyes started to brighten with unshed
tears.

"Her mom isn't
around very much. She's kind of like us, a bunch of near orphans
with too much baggage."

I pulled Rachel into a
hug and then blotted her tears with the edge of my sleeve. "It's
ok, Rach. I'll do what I can for her."

It wasn't the kind of
promise I should be making. Even if she was just a normal human,
there were so many other things that should be taking priority, but I
wasn't talking as the pack leader anymore. It was just Alec that was
making that promise, who wanted to help for more reasons than just
making Rachel happy.

I sat motionless for
several seconds after Rachel left, and then finally picked out the
best specimen of all the roses and cut the cane down near the base of
the plant. The petals were just starting to unfold enough for the
scent to make its way out of the purple-edged prison.

I leaned forward to
smell it, and the fragrance of the rose mixed with the remnants of
Rachel's tears to create something that created an ache deep inside
me. It wasn't Rachel's tears I was thinking about, it was Adri's. I
suddenly had the answer to a question that had plagued me for months.

Lagrimas del Angel.
It was a perfect name for the plant that none but another shape
shifter would ever truly understand.

Pushed by a growing
urgency to carry out my errand, I returned to the house, quietly
raiding the drawer where Rachel kept all of her stationary and
ribbons. A few minutes later the note was written, secured to the
flower with a dark green ribbon, and traveling on the front seat of
our Escalade.

I backed the vehicle
in between a pair of trees that would partially shield it from prying
eyes, and then started cross country to get to the Paige house.
I stopped at the tree I'd referenced in my last note, and found with
mingled relief and disappointment that it was empty. It was good
that things weren't bad enough for her to need the services of her
mysterious protector, but I found myself hungering for more contact
with her.

I crept up the steps,
only to nearly stumble as I realized the cause of the erratic
heartbeat just audible from inside the house. She was experiencing a
series of attacks one right after the other.

I carefully set the
rose down on the doorstep and then knocked firmly on the door. I'd
covered the distance to the nearest set of trees and taken up
position behind the dense underbrush by the time she made her halting
way up to the door. It almost caused me physical pain to see how bad
her limp had become, but I found a measure of relief as she read my
note and then brought the rose up to her beautiful, tear-streaked
face.

I watched until long
after she'd retreated back into her home.

It was amazing just
how quickly you could get a Porsche fixed if you had money to burn.
Donovan spent an alarming amount of money accomplishing his magic,
but my car was ready when the time arrived to go to Vegas.

Unfortunately a new
wrinkle had arisen. When I'd promised Rachel she could go to Les
Miserables I hadn't known I was going to be using the production to
test Adriana's humanity. I would have still been agreeable with the
idea of her going if there'd been a way to ensure her safety. I'd
always planned on clearing the seats to either side of Adri, I didn't
want to put any more innocents in the line of fire than I had to, but
when I offered to swap tickets with Suzanne, I'd been surprised to
find out that she'd already traded spots with my little sister.

Rachel had tried every
combination of guilt and tears known to man, but I'd remained
unmoved. She could still go if we drove together and she was seated
safely on the Mezzanine, but under no circumstances was I going to
allow her to sit next to a possible hybrid when the full moon would
be amplifying every homicidal urge native to our kind.

In the end she decided
it would be more likely she'd be forgiven for just not going at all
than for going and snubbing Adri.

I hadn't enjoyed the
fight, but I wasn't going to run the kinds of risks with Rachel that I
was willing to run with myself.

I made the trip from
Sanctuary down to Vegas in near record time, and even managed to push
concerns about what the rest of the pack was likely going through
mostly out of my mind.

I pulled up to the
opera house a few minutes before the production was to commence and
handed my keys to the valet. Even when Rachel had finally
acknowledged the fact that she wasn't going to sway me when it came
to her sitting next to Adri, she'd still held out for one last
victory.

As a result, I found
myself going to Les Miserables wearing a full tux. I'd wanted to
refuse, especially when she pulled out the blue tie and pocket
square, but I hadn't had the heart to refuse her after I'd just
finished denying her something she'd had her heart set on for weeks.

The moon was heavy in
the sky as I took one last look upwards before entering the building.
Even separated from its pull by marble, steel and wood, I could
still feel my blood all but boil from the energy of the night.

I tried to leash my
power, but it was crackling about me wildly, causing people to turn
and look as I walked into the front entryway. I'd gotten glimpses of
gargoyles as I'd driven up, but my attention had focused primarily on
the large fountain that had dominated the front courtyard. The
graceful curve of the horse's neck had been underlined by the
mythical creatures gathered at its feet.

I ignored the stares
and whispers long enough to take in my surroundings. The marble of
the floor was polished to such a high sheen that I could see the
painted murals on the vaulted ceilings. I followed the wall around
at eye level taking in the gilded molding and intricate detail that
would have been instantly discarded as an unnecessary expense in
almost any other building.

I was close enough to
hear the whisper of velvet on clothing as people passed by the rich,
burgundy drapes that framed the archways deeper into the house. I
could have stayed there enjoying the visual and auditory buffet for
quite some time, but I could hear the sound of the orchestra warming
up, so I finally moved away from my wall and proceeded to my seat.

I slipped into the
back row, and quickly found Adri sitting two rows ahead of me. She
was stunning in a pale sun dress, not as formal as the full tux
Rachel had forced upon me, but still a definite step up from what
most of the patrons were wearing.

Now that the time was
here, I almost couldn't bring myself to act. After several seconds I
finally loosened the leash I'd been using to try and hold my power in
check, and let it roll out and down towards Adri.

I heard her heartbeat,
difficult though it was to pick out among so many, race slightly at
the sensation, but that wasn't any different than dozens of others.
She didn't turn and throw herself at me, there was no answering lash
of power from her, nothing that would have indicated she was anything
other than the lovely teenage girl she seemed to be.

I felt a black mood
descend upon me as I realized just how badly I'd handled things. If
I'd behaved differently, if I hadn't assumed she was a Fir'shan out
to destroy my family, maybe I'd have had a chance at winning her
interest, but the opportunity was long past now. She'd already
accepted Brandon's invitation to the Ashure Day dance, which he'd
executed in his typically ostentatious style.

I almost left before
the performance started, but super-human reflexes or not it was a bad
idea to be on the road in such a mood. A few seconds later the house
lights came down, the orchestra finished warming up, and it was too
late to leave.

Unfortunately, not
everyone was as worried about courtesy. The two college kids
immediately in front of me had been going on and on about their
supposed escapades since before I'd walked in. I'd been ignoring
them up until now, but their testosterone-poisoned brains were
quickly using up my store of patience.

Almost against my
will, another wave of power arched away from me with enough snap that
even the humans shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Adriana looked
back and caught me staring at her, but even worse, her action
afforded the pair sitting in front of me their first view of her
lovely face.