“I probably overreacted.” Gwen smiles a little as she inspects the bauble filled with swan down.
“You think?” Kat throws a wad of paper at her.
“Don’t say we’re cutting you out again,” I tell Gwen. “Because it’ll never happen, ever.”
Winn pats Gwen’s arm. “Told you it was nothing to worry about.” I raise an eyebrow, and Winn recoils. “Uh, she kind of yelled at me in text last night about stealing you away and ruining your trio.”
I turn to Gwen. “Seriously?”
She sinks into her seat. “I was really mad! And I already yelled at you and Kat, so . . .”
“I reassured her that I would never intentionally damage your friendship,” Winn says. “Hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it is,” I say.
“There’s only one problem with all of this.” Adam leans on the back of our seat. “Why didn’t you call me, Gwen? You could have cried on my shoulder.”
She gives him that look, the one that any guy would fall for. “I don’t have your number.”
He holds his hand out. “Gimme your phone.”
When he takes it, I elbow her. She bites her lip, and that’s all I need to know she’s totally smitten. Despite Kat’s claims that Gwen and I are giant balls of hormones, we’ve really only had a few crushes, and Gwen’s the only one who’s had a boyfriend until now.
“There.” Adam hands the phone back, his smile surprisingly charming instead of mischievous. “Now if you ever want to ditch these losers, you have a place to go.”
“Losers?” I hold out the spell candy. “I was going to let you have some of my nana’s best homemade sweets, but if you think so little of me . . .”
He snatches the bag. “You’re cool, Jo, even if you’re dating a complete dork.”
Winn takes the bag and shoves Adam off the seat. “That’s it. Go sit next to Gwen, since she’s the only one deserving of your presence.”
“Damn straight.” He pops a few candies in his mouth as he sits.
“These are pretty good,” Winn says through a mouthful. “Billy, you gotta try some.”
I breathe a tiny sigh of relief. At least they have some defense for the day, even if I have no clue how much it’ll help. It sure would be nice to know what we’re up against. Protection or not, I can’t seem to stop looking over my shoulder. I fear our hunters are closer than we’re prepared for.
Winn touches my arm, and I jump. That’s right: I’m in art, and nothing is wrong, unless you count being forced to sketch a rocking chair with one seriously creepy doll on it.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “You’re quiet. You haven’t said a word about how that doll looks possessed.”
I can’t help but smile. “I guess I’m a little on edge about what you said yesterday.”
“About the guy who took our picture?”
I nod.
He puts his arm around me, and I feel slightly better. “Don’t worry. If we see him again, I’m calling the cops. I don’t care if the guy is scary or crazy or what. I’m sorry I didn’t say something that day.”
I lean into him, glad for the comfort even if Winn is essentially powerless. If only cops could help.
The day is extremely uneventful, which makes it even harder to focus on anything besides who could be watching me. It’s all so normal, and yet not. I used to feel safe here. I can’t feel that way now.
Ten minutes before school lets out, I start to think maybe we’ll be okay. Maybe Nana and I blew things out of proportion. But then my heart stops, and every hair on my body raises.
Kat. Again.
My hand shoots into the air. “May I use the restroom?”
The teacher nods. “Take the hall pass.”
I rush out the door toward the physics room, where I’m sure Kat is furiously taking notes. Putting my hand to my chest, I wish I could get my heart to slow down. But as I round the corner, the sensation is immediately gone, replaced with shock.
Dark hair. Cunning eyes. A suit.
He smells of magic, of power deep and limitless. I shiver as we stand there, staring at each other. I can feel his wanting, like a rope around my heart. He craves me and the power I hold. And like Winn said, he’s a boy. An achingly beautiful boy who can’t be much older than I am.
Maybe he’s not the one who killed my mother, but that doesn’t mean he won’t kill me.
TWENTY-THREE
“That binding spell is pretty convenient,” the boy says in a surprisingly soft voice. “All I have to do is think about killing your friend and here you are. Better than a phone, really, since you have to answer.”
Instead of replying, I put my hand to the charms around my neck, pulling the magic into my fingers.
“Don’t worry.” He smiles, as if he finds this all extremely amusing. “I’m not going to Curse you . . . yet.”
“So comforting.” Kat would be out here if I were in real trouble, but I continue with the spell anyway. The magic makes my hand tingle with power. The charms are definitely working, because I don’t think I’ve ever felt so strong. This stupid boy has no idea what he’s up against.
“Seriously, you really don’t want to do that.”
“Oh? If you’re the one who took my picture and tried to murder my friend, I definitely do.” I let electricity spark from my fingers. My hair will turn permanently gray if I let the spell shock him to death, but that seems like a small payment.
He sighs. “Details, details. I knew you’d stop that bubble curse before your friend died—that’s why I picked the one who was bound to you. I do have a cover to maintain, you know.”
“That makes it okay?” I’m so angry I can barely contain myself. “Whatever you are, you’re evil. You’ve tormented us for the last week and a half! No, for hundreds of years, and—”
“I know who killed your mother.”
My eyes grow wide, and the spell fades back into my body. “W-what? Who?”
His grin turns smug. “Give away my best protection against electrocution? I don’t think so.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
He shrugs, coming a few steps closer. I force myself to stand my ground. I won’t cower—not even if he can Curse me. He looks me up and down, and then says, “Just wondering what all the fuss is about.”
“Who’s fussing?”
His laugh is like a whisper, barely there and yet powerful enough to make me shudder. “It’s cute how you think I’ll tell you. But they weren’t kidding.” He takes in a deep breath, and the ecstasy on his face is sickening. “That is some top-quality magic, and it comes in such a pretty package.”
The lightning surges to my fingers again. “Maybe I should show you what it can do.”
“All in good time, Josephine.”
I hate the way he looks at me, that he knows my name and says it so intimately. I flick a few sparks at him, and they zip right to one of his pretty brown eyes. In my peripheral vision, I can see a lock of my hair turn silver. “Don’t. Push. Me.”
He pulls out a handkerchief to wipe the blood. “Impressive, the control you have not to release the entire spell.”
“I’m sure you know nothing of control.” The spell begs me to do it, to let go and watch him fry to a crisp. It would be so easy, but I can’t give in. He knows who killed my mother. Even if it’s a lie, I can’t risk losing a single lead.
Now his face goes truly cold. “You have no idea how hard it is to restrain myself from tasting your power, but I’m not a fan of taking what’s not offered. Unlike some.”
I tilt my head, completely confused. “Huh?”
He pulls the handkerchief from his eye, and it’s as if I did nothing to him. “There’s a lot you don’t know. Let’s just say people aren’t telling you the truth.”