“Um, what?” Wincing, Ree thought, Good God, how much lamer can I get? I’m bumbling around like a ten-year-old.

Slowly, so she had time to resist, he reached out and touched her cheek. “I love it when you blush. Tria didn’t blush—she was much more forward than you. But I find that I love drawing out your response.” Moving closer, he leaned down so his lips were near her ear and her traitorous heart sped up. “I never expected that when Tria was reborn I would be able to fall for her new reincarnation even harder than I had the first time.”

Something warm tumbled in the pit of Ree’s stomach as she breathed in his scent. The thought that he was interested in her for her, and not just because of Tria, made her heart pound. But at the same time, a discomfort warred in her heart.

“I’m not Tria. I mean, I’m not the same as she was when she was alive. I’m me. Just Ree.” Fire slid through her veins as he placed a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her forward. “You can’t be falling… I mean, you don’t even know who I am.”

“I know enough, Ree. I know you are loyal, brave, and fierce when you are determined to do something. You have a sense of humor, an ease with your friends, and even though you think everyone at the school hates you, they don’t. They are intimidated by your beauty, your spunk, your intelligence.” When he slid his hand up the back of her neck, Ree felt her knees grow wobbly. Part of her wanted to melt into him, give into what he wanted, but another part of her chafed at the thought. Her heart screamed for someone else. She leaned back until he released her. His eyes were bright with desire and hurt, but she just shook her head.

“I don’t know what it is that is floating between us, Roland. I’m not used to…”

“Being wanted?” He looked over her shoulder, a frown creeping onto his face. “Rest assured, Ree McKenna. I want you. And that isn’t going to change.”

“I thought we were supposed to be getting ready to go.” Angry, clipped words made Ree close her eyes in frustration. Turning around, she met Paden’s irate stare and tried to not wince.

“I wanted to know what they were going to do with Scott.”

Paden didn’t say anything else, just stalked toward her. His long, lean frame moved gracefully across the cracked pavement, and she realized his fangs were down. Something in his eyes reminded her of a lion hunting an antelope, and her heart picked up. Nearing her, he sniffed the air and grunted.

“You smell like him.” Ree blushed and looked over her shoulder, but Roland was gone.

“He left.” The quiet statement made her a little sad and guilty. Paden’s eyes flashed as he assessed her emotions and registered the sadness. Moving closer he slid his hands inside the jacket so he was holding her waist and pulled her against him. “You’re upset. Something in you really does remember him.”

“I don’t…” Ree stuttered to a halt when he shook his head.

“No, don’t deny it. I can’t imagine what it must feel like for you. Or for him. But I can imagine what it would be like to live forever without you, and I don’t want to miss the time we do have. I’ve wasted enough time over the years, denying what I felt for you. I thought I was doing the right thing. I really did.” He leaned down and gently nuzzled her neck. “I don’t know how I fought it for so long, but I’m not going to anymore. Maybe I needed a good kick in the ass, but I’m not going to let you get away.”

Her breath shuddered in her chest and her mind swirled with the emotion he was exuding. It was powerful, and it called to part of her that she couldn’t deny. She leaned into him and let him hold her until someone came barging through the back door.

“Oh ho! What have we here? Well, don’t let me interrupt. Just pretend like I’m not here.” Whistling, Weylin walked to Melanie’s car and put a bag in the trunk. Covered in the descending shadows, his face looked haggard. As if sensing her thoughts, Paden nodded his head and let go of her waist. She walked over to her friend and leaned against the trunk, pretending to check out the stars that were beginning to peek out.

“I was kind of hoping to put this talk off a little longer.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, Weylin grimaced and looked down at the ground.

“I think that’s a luxury we can’t afford, buddy.” Ree turned so she was looking at him and thought about her friend and his odd behavior. The hair on that side of his head wasn’t covering the missing ear as well as it would in a few weeks. He had taken that hit so she wouldn’t have to when he blocked the Dark One at the cemetery, and he had suffered for it. Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek and squeezed his arm.

“What was that for? Are you trying to get me killed?” Ree couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her mouth when Weylin looked over his shoulder in mock fear.

“Thank you. What you did for me I won’t ever be able to repay. I’m so sorry you got dragged into this.” Ree swallowed, her throat sore with repressed emotion. “I owe you my life, Weylin. That Dark One would have killed me.”

“It’s no big deal, Ree. Really. If you want to apologize for something, apologize for almost throwing up on me that night. I think that’s the only thing I remember, and it haunts my nightmares.” He placed a hand to his chest as if he was wounded.

Ree dug her elbow into his side and groaned. “I couldn’t help it, okay? Cut me some slack!”

“I will if you will.” Weylin turned to look at her, his face contrite. “I freaked out today. I don’t know why it bothered me so much. And, really, Mel has already talked my ear off about the drinking. That was really stupid. Something could have happened, and I wouldn’t have been able to help.” Sighing heavily, Weylin slumped back against the trunk and looked away from Ree. “I just didn’t want to deal with all of it, you know? I wanted a break. Our whole lives changed almost overnight. Monsters are trying to kill us, I have fangs, and then, Claire…” Trailing off, he blew a big gush of air out of his mouth before looking back at Ree. “And then when Sheila said something about my ear, it was like I just snapped. I wanted to not think about it all. But ditching school just made it worse, because I had nothing to think about except all of this. So I thought maybe if I was drunk enough, I wouldn’t think about anything, period.”

Ree threaded her arm around his waist and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I totally get it, Wey. I do.” Throwing an arm around her shoulders, he hugged her back. “All of this sucks, big time.”

“Yeah, but at least Paden seems to have finally come around. God, I was tired of watching him stare at you with puppy eyes and then deny it.” Weylin shook her shoulders, making her laugh.

“Yeah, yeah. Not everyone can be as suave as you are.”

“But they all dream of it.”

Ree squeezed his waist before stepping back. “Well, we all need unattainable goals. Gives us something to strive for.”

“I’m sorry I let you down today, Ree.”

“You didn’t let me down. I was just worried about you.”

“You won’t have to again.”

Ree smiled and jerked her head toward the door. “Let’s go in and find out what it is Sophie wants. Then I have to call my parents.”

Chapter 15

Ree’s father answered the phone, which was a relief and a nuisance. He had a lot more questions about what Ree was doing and when she would be home than her mother would have asked. Of course, he also didn’t burst into tears when Ree announced she wouldn’t be home for a few more hours, which was a definite plus.

“Juliette wants to make banners for the winter ball, and I promised I’d help her a long time ago.” Staring at the ceiling, Ree almost wished she could tell him the truth, but quickly rejected the thought. She didn’t know if her parents could handle what was really going on. Most people couldn’t handle what was going on. I don’t know if I can handle what’s going on. God, I saw a man die and watched his skin fall apart on an antique rug just a couple of hours ago.

“Ree, are you listening?” Irritation laced her father’s voice, snapping Ree back to reality.

“Um, yeah. Sorry, Dad. Juliette asked me something.” Ree grimaced. The lying was getting easier, but it still set her teeth on edge. It’s a necessary evil, she thought.

“She is going to drive you home, right? Or do I need to come pick you up?”

“No. She’s going to bring me home when we get done.”

“Eleven, Ree. Not a minute later. I’m not even happy about you being out that late on a school night. Are there going to be boys there?”

“Dad. No. God.”

“Okay. Just checking. You’re a pretty girl. I have to stay on my toes.”

Rolling her eyes, Ree couldn’t help the smile that slid along her face. “Love you, Dad.”

“Love you, too, sweet potato. See you tonight.”

Ree ended the call and turned around to see everyone watching her. With an embarrassed thought, she realized everyone in the room had heard the entire call with their super hearing.

“Yep, it’s annoying, isn’t it?” Weylin asked from his seat. “Try going to sleep when Bryce has to pee every twenty minutes. It’s horrible. Like listening to a dam breaking.”

“I don’t have to pee every twenty minutes. You’re such an ass.” Bryce waved his middle finger at Weylin, who only laughed.

“So, what are we doing?” Ree looked at Sophie for her answers. The older Guardian hadn’t really said much. It seemed like she was letting all of her thoughts stew in her head before she told everyone.

“There are some clothes in the upstairs room for you, Ree. You will have to change out of your school uniform.” Sophie sat down at her desk and busied herself with some paperwork.

Not wanting to hold the group up, Ree took the narrow stairs two at a time. On the bed in the room she had stayed in before was a nice but nondescript outfit. Ree shucked off Roland’s jacket, grabbed the clothes, and darted into the bathroom. She held out hope that there was a toothbrush she could use and was pleasantly surprised to see a brand-new brush sitting on a washcloth with a tube of toothpaste on the sink counter.

Sighing in relief, Ree brushed her teeth and hair before throwing on the dark sweater and jeans that had been left for her. There hadn’t been any shoes, so she slipped back into her blue Mary Janes and hoped nothing would happen to them tonight. She carried her uniform back downstairs and shoved it into her backpack. Roland and Paden, both sitting on chairs, looked up at her eagerly as she stood there. Not wanting to hurt either of the guys she sat down on the couch next to Jules and smiled at her friend.

“Okay. What I have to tell you is very serious. Things are much worse than I had anticipated.” Sophie looked up from her paperwork to glance at the teenagers arranged around her workshop.

“We have had reports coming in for the last year that people of our community are being targeted. Alastriana lines have been disappearing, immortal families have been taken out, and anyone with a touch of extra has been murdered or stalked. And now we know why.”

Standing up, Sophie moved to a table that currently held a plethora of different weapons. She picked up the curved shortsword she had gotten earlier that day and slid it into a sheath along her back. “The worst part is I suspect that there is an original Dark One living in Savannah. I also believe she is here to mentor Tristan before the final battle.”

“Whoa, you mean there is an actual alien in Savannah, Georgia?” Everyone turned to look at Weylin. “Oh, c’mon. I can’t be the only one that thinks that’s a little bit cool! An alien is living in Savannah.”

“Yeah, and she’s eating people. Not so cool when you think about it that way.” Paden shook his head at Weylin.

As Ree turned back to face Sophie, she noticed that Roland’s face had gone pale. Completely still in his chair, his jaw clenched tightly, refusing to look at anyone. Ree had to pull the power back into a tiny ball of light in her chest. The range of emotions he was experiencing was more than she could handle.

“This Dark One, if she is who I believe, was one of the originals the dark gods created. She is strong, she is smart, and she is the deadliest combatant you will come across.” Sophie looked down at the weapons on the table and shook her head. “I believe she has been feeding Tristan the blood of the gifted lines to enhance his own power. At this point, I’m not really sure what he is capable of.” Turning around, Sophie met Roland’s eyes for a long moment. He didn’t say anything; instead, he was on his feet and out the door before anyone could say a word.

“What’s gotten into him?” Juliette asked.

“I have reason to believe the Dark One currently with Tristan is the same one who turned Roland.”

The room grew eerily quiet as everyone digested that bit of news. It was no wonder Roland had been having such strong emotions. Ree didn’t know much about his turning, but from little bits of information she had gleaned during the past weekend, it was always a painful experience. The Dark One that turns the human must drink from the body over a long period of time and trade blood, a little bit each time, though the original Dark Ones could force the change faster. While the blood gave the human some Dark One powers, it also caused the soul to become diseased. The body was stuck in limbo, not satisfied with food and thirsty for blood without a way to satiate that need. The further along in the process, the worse the side effects became. By the end, the body was riddled with cramps of starvation, but to add insult to the crime, the Dark One had to drink the rest of the human’s blood before feeding him more of their tainted blood. Not only did the human lose whatever soul he might have left at that point, but the final change was utter agony. The person laid in stasis as the turning progressed, dead to the rest of the world, but trapped in their own hell. It typically took two days for the process to be complete, and some of the Dark Ones that rose afterward were not right in the head. They were used as bloodhounds. Starved and then given a scent, they’d search for the source of the scent, not stopping for anything else.

Scrubbing her palms against her denim-clad legs, Ree fought the impulse to go after Roland. Despite the wrenching in her stomach, she knew she needed to hear what Sophie had to say. Looking at Melanie, she winced and wondered if her friend would understand what she wanted. A quick nod eased some of the tension gripping Ree’s stomach, and she watched as her friend followed Roland’s exit quickly and quietly. She didn’t want him to get into any trouble and Melanie would make sure he made it back safely. I owe Mel. That’s twice today she’s had to babysit, Ree thought.