“I launched into a graceful ninja-like front roll, then stood my ground to face the monstrous heathen, fearless in my determination to vanquish the deadly foe.
Nah, just kidding. I bolted, discretion being the better part of not getting dead.”
“Ayden and Blake stared each other down.
"Oh. My. God," Luna blurted from Ayden's back seat. "It's a love triangle."
We all looked at her like she'd sprouted an alien from her head. "it's just like in a book. Two guys after one girl and-"
I groaned. "That's ridiculous, Luna, this is not a love triangle."
"Says the girl in the middle of a love triangle. Luna ignored my protests and prattled on. "Not one Hexy Boy but two. I've got to call Danica. Oooo," she squealed and clapped her hands,"We could have teams. Team Ayden and Team Blake. With T-shirt and buttons and-"
"I could make a website," Lucian offered.
"No!" My voice pitched with panic. "No teams. No shirts. No-"
"I'll get you some headshots," Blake said, turning his profile towards Luna and Lucian. "I've been told the left is my best side. What do you think?"
"Aurora's right," Ayden said. "This is buts. Blake you can follow us-"
"Dude, you know no one would pick Team Ayden. You're just jealous."
"That's not true. My team would be way bigger than yours."
"Dare to dream, little man, dare to dream."
"Care to make a wager on it?"
"Absolutely."
"Fine. How about-"
"You two shut up!" I shoved myself out of the car.”
“Ayden strolled up and nonchalantly tossed me the keys. I caught them with ease.
Nah, I dropped them. Okay, technically I didn’t drop them. I just flinched when they hit me in the shoulder then I watched them drop. Did I mention I didn’t sleep well?”
“We are killers,” Matthias said.
Bad news.
“Not girls. We don’t kill girls.”
Good news.
“She’s no girl.”
Insulting news?
“What? Of course she’s a girl.”
“Want me to check?”
“Shut up, Blake,” the rest of them chorused.”
“I reached for something to break my fall. The ground obliged.”
“Want some ice cream?"
His head bumped the frame. "Ouch! What?" His voice was back to normal. He turned around. "Don't offer me ice cream. I just broke into your room and threatened you.”
“Wish I could say it was a deviously clever move, but the truth is I’ve got grace management issues.”
“How'd you get the burn?"
Ignoring him only got me a barrage of chatter.
"Yeah, how?"
'Did something, or someone, do it?"
"You're bleeding."
"It's her knee again."
"She opened it up."
"Did you fall?"
"You've got grass in your hair."
"Were you in a fight?"
"How'd you get grass in your hair?"
"I think she was in a fight."
"Leaves and some dirt, too. And...is that a feather?"
"You were in a fight with a bird?"
"Hey, how did you manage to knock Blake down?"
"She didn't knock me down! I caught her."
"Hah! A little girl took you out."
"Shut up or I'll take you out."
"Her extreme velocity overcame Blake's superior mass."
"I am superior."
"How'd you get moving so fast?"
I stopped abruptly and turned on them, arms gesturing wildly. "Shut up!”
“It would probably strip my flesh while giving me vocabulary lessons. I'd be dead but smarter. How's that for glass half full?”
“What do your parents do? Do they travel a lot?"
My brow wrinkled. "No, they don't." I was tired of the interrogation. "Do yours?"
He blinked. "What?"
"Do your parents travel a lot? Are they still married? How many in your family? How old are you? What classes do you have? Boxers or briefs? What's your GPA? Do you always go around knocking strange girls off their feet and then hammering them with a barrage of personal questions?" I finished with a cocky smile.
Tristan hid a grin behind his fist. Mr. Exotic levelled me a steady stare, a sly smile gaining momentum. "Do you always end up straddling the guys that do?"
Tristan choked. My smile froze. Crap.
"And as for boxers or briefs." One hand went to his belt buckle. "I'd be happy to..."
Double crap. I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder towards my house "I've gotta go.”
“Aurora?”
“Logan?”
He poked his head in and gawked. “He handcuffed you?”
“Nah, it’s my latest fashion statement.”
“It’s getting closer,” Tristan said.
Ayden nodded.
“So let’s track it.”
“No,” Ayden snapped. “She’s our priority.”
“I know, but it’s following her, so,” Tristan held one hand up, “find the demon,” he held up the other, “find Aurora. It could work.”
The itching intensified. Invisible claws grazed up the back of my neck, wrenching every nerve to painful attention. Another hungry screech sent spikes piercing my brain. Lights shattered my vision. I couldn’t breathe. I burst out of the suffocating space just as the engine roared to life and gunned the car forward.
With a violent curse, Ayden slammed on the brakes but not before the Maserati rammed my hip. I hurtled into the air and rolled a fast spin onto the hood.
“Or you could just hit her with the car,” Tristan said.
“Real smooth.”
“One hand planted on the top rail, slick from a recent rain, I swung my legs sideways, up and over. Home free.
Until my bottom foot clipped the post, and I spun as if caught in a crocodile’s death roll.
Good news? The spongy forest floor cushioned my fall.
Bad news? Momentum slammed my torso into a tree trunk. Couldn’t breathe.
But good news again. I’d rolled under a fat, bushy pine, which, along with the fading twilight, concealed my position. I heard the beast fly overhead in pursuit, taking out a few treetops on its way by.
Yeah, that was my plan all along. Man, I’m good. Except my body. It hurt.”
“You don’t understand.She was mean to me. Very mean. And she’s dangerous. A very dangerous girl. I’m your guardian, Ayden. I have to protect you!It’s my sworn duty. My sworn duty!”
“Protect me?”
“Yes!” Pearl hovered frantically in front of “her boy,” and slathered her voice with disgust. “She threatened to…”
Oh, she wouldn’t.
“Kiss you!”
She would. My cheeks fired. I stared at the floor.
Ayden laughed. “Kiss me?”
“Yeeeeesss,” Pearl wailed in agony. “She promised a big juicy kiss! On a real date. No pretending. With hand holding and—and cuddling!”
And I thought it couldn’t get any worse.”
“Ironic, is it not, that the great Divinicus Nex cowers in fear from that which should be her fated prey? A decidedly diametric circumstance."
What? It's irritating when the monster hunting you has a better vocabulary than your own. Maybe it could do my eulogy?”
“Her dad’s coming,” she said, voice shrill.
“What?” we all said in unison.
Tristan, Ayden and the fairy looked at me and said, “What?”
“What?” I repeated, panicked and irritated at my lack of control in responding to a fairy I wasn’t
supposed to see or hear.
“What?” came their reply.
“What?” I continued the theme of repetition because I lacked any form of explanation.
Ayden held up a hand for silence. “Why are you ‘whatting’?”
“What?”
The hand again. “Okay, stop that,” Ayden said.”
“Are you twins?"
"Yes. Very good." Jayden nodded. "But not identical. Fraternal. We developed from two distinct eggs. Identical twins develop from the splitting of one egg and-"
"I know," I said. "I've got a pair."
"Of eggs?" Jayden said.
Ayden closed his eyes. I would've needed the Heimlich maneuver if I'd been eating.
"No." I shook my head. "No, I-"
"Because you've got far more than two," Jayden said in a lecturing tone. "In fact, girls are born with approximately two million eggs patiently awaiting puberty to-"
"Ooookay." Ayden slung an arm around Jayden and gave him a rough squeeze. "Why don't you leave something for Sex Ed class, huh?" He raised one finger and plastered on a smile. "Excuse us a minute." He dragged Jayden down the hallway where they spoke in harsh whispers.”
“May I?” Jayden sat on the edge of the couch and poured me a fresh cup of tea. He placed his hand over the brew. As his eyes swirled a whirlpool of shimmering blues and greens, the liquid iced into a frozen block. He fanned his fingers and spider lines cracked the ice. Seconds later the tea boiled.
“You control tea?”
Jayden’s satisfied smile faltered. “No. I…I control water. The tea, the actual plant doesn’t change, however—” He caught my look and nodded. “Ohhh. You were being
facetious.”
“If that means joking, yes I was.”
“Stop her!" Matthias bellowed as he thundered downstairs.
Blake's mouth twisted sideways, hand tightened on the knob. What little breath I'd regained, caught. Heart sputtered to a standstill. Then he swung the door open with a sweep of his arm.
"After you, milday."
My legs didn't hesitate. I vaulted off the porch and hit the driveway running.
"What the bloody hell did you do that for?!"
"I'm her knight in shining armor. Seriously, dude, your chivalry needs some work. Ow!”
“The demons diverted its sights from me and swooped down on the yappy mutt.
Dogs aren't my thing.
I hate dogs. And if this one was dumb enough to sacrifice itself for me, hallelujah. I kept running.
After I reversed course.
Stupid dog.”
“Smite me? You think you can smite me? Do you even know what that means?
I shrugged. "What do you think it means?" I thought I'd gotten it right.
"Nothing," she cackled, "Absolutely nothing because you couldn't smite me even if you knew what it meant."
"Really? A minute ago you didn't think I could see you. How do you know what I can't do?"
That slowed her down.
"Trust me, if I can see you, I can smite you." - Aurora to Peaches”
“Uh, do you mind?"
I glanced down and saw something far scarier than any demon. A guy. My age. And I was on top of him. Straddling his hips. Oh, jeez.”
“My eyes ran away from his. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Your blush says otherwise."
"It's - it's just hot in here."
His grin deepened. "Yes, it is."
"Oh, shut up.”
“His chin rested on top of my head as he stroked my hair.
"It's alright," he murmured. "I'll keep you safe."
"She okay?"
Ayden jerked away, dropping his hands. And me.”
“You're sure? I thought I heard someone."
"Nope, not a soul," Blake said. "Get it. Soul. Because we're in a church.”
“Matthias flinched, teeth grinding. "Which one of them told you?" He zeroed in on Ayden.
"One?" I said.
With a growl, Matthias pushed a button on his watch and spoke into it. "What part of 'don't tell her anything' didn't you all understand?"
A moment of silence, then Blake's voice cracked through static, "Can't-" The static sounded suspiciously like crinkling paper. "Hear-" More "static" then, "break- up.”
“I caught you!" he beamed. "See, girls really do throw themselves at me. Hey, guys!" His voice echoed off the carved stone and marble of the empty cavernous space. "Oh, come on. I save the girl and no one's around to see it?"
"Sorry about that," I said. "But thanks."
"I don't mind. I'm a contact sport kinda guy.”
“You've got to learn to stand your ground and," she flicked her feet in a little Irish stepdance and sang, "you've got to have faith, faith, faith."
My jaw dropped. "You're kidding me, right? You're dancing in the streets and quoting George Michael. I'm about to get eaten alive!”
“He turned around and came toward me. I’d seen a panther stalking its prey on the Discovery
Channel. I think it took lessons from Ayden.”
“He likes you. You like him, you're just scared. Well," she glanced over her shoulder and dropped her voice, "unless you tell me he's some freaky psycho-killer..." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Then I'm not letting you mess this up for yourself. Your creepy hermit status is officially over.”
“Do me a favor."
"Don't lick your seat belt?"
Ash's expression was total confusion. "Huh? where did that randomness come from?”
“From the necks up... well, whoever said two heads are better than one never met a hydra.”
“Delphine witnessed awful things occurring to other humans. Worse than that, she was powerless to alter their fate. It would be that way all her life--disasters, falling like chairs all around her, falling so close they disarranged her hair, but not touching her.”
“As for myself, I am splintered by great waves. I am coloured glass from a church window long since shattered. I find pieces of myself everywhere, and I cut myself handling them.”
“nothing is impossible. you just need to learn how to bend the rules.”
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