4 Waxing & Waning (8 page)

“I can’t believe they sent me here again,” I grumbled. “This is just unbelievable.”

I was on another assignment – this time with a new partner – but I was back in front of the Alpha Chi house. I knew Professor Blake was messing with me now. This couldn’t be an accident.

Paul was sitting behind the steering wheel watching the fraternity house with unblinking eyes. He was either oblivious to my mood – or he just didn’t care. It bothered me either way.

“It’s just a surveillance gig,” Paul said, his voice deep and smooth. “I don’t see why you’re so worked up.”

“I don’t care about doing surveillance,” I said. “Surveillance is stupid, but it’s generally just stupid and not irksome.”

“Then why are you whining?”

“I’m whining about being here,” I said. “I don’t like that he keeps sending me here even though he knows I don’t want to be here. I just … I’m going to pop his head like a zit.”

“Why do you have a problem with Alpha Chi? Do you not like werewolves?”

“I could give a crap about werewolves,” I countered. “They’re not really a concern for me. They’re fine.”

“So, you like werewolves?”

“Not all of them,” I said. “A few of them have tried to kill me, so I’m not really fond of them.”

“And the others?”

“They haven’t tried to kill me, so I really don’t care.”

“They’re still monsters,” Paul said.

“How do you know they’re monsters?”

“They kill people.”

“You don’t know that,” I scoffed.

“You don’t know that they don’t,” Paul countered.

“You’re right,” I conceded. “What I do know is that people kill people a lot more than your purported monsters do.”

“Oh, so you’re one of
those
.”

“One of those what?” I already didn’t like this guy.

“You’re one of those people who blame everyone else for the behavior of monsters,” Paul said.

“That doesn’t even make any sense.”

“Maybe you don’t make any sense.”

I had no idea where the Academy found these guys – but I was at my limit. “You know what? Why don’t you go and listen at the window at the house and I’ll wait here.”

“That’s not our mission tonight,” Paul said.

This was news to me. “And what is our mission tonight?”

“We’re supposed to break into the second house while the meeting is going on in the first house.”

“And why is that?”

“We’re looking for something,” Paul said.

I cocked an eyebrow, waiting.

“It’s need to know,” Paul said. “Apparently, you don’t need to know.”

I frowned. “Who told you that?”

“That’s classified.”

Yup. It was official. This guy was a tool. “How am I supposed to help you look if I don’t know what I’m looking for?”

The look on Paul’s face told me I’d struck a nerve. “All right, ma’am. We’re looking for a necklace.”

Huh. “We’re looking for a necklace? And don’t call me ma’am.”

“I’m sorry if it offends you, ma’am,” Paul said, smirking. “And, yes, we’re looking for a necklace.”

“Describe the necklace.”

“Just grab any necklace you find,” Paul instructed.

Something was going on here – and whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I forced a bright smile onto my face. “I can’t wait.”

“That’s good, ma’am.”

The smile slipped. “Every time you call me ma’am, I’m going to call you douche bag.”

“That’s certainly your prerogative, ma’am,” Paul said.

“And they say you guys are all steroids and no sense of humor.”

WE SLIPPED
into the Alpha Chi house from the back door, making sure to keep out of sight from individuals in the first house by skirting along the fence line on the far side of the lawn as we made the trek.

Paul pulled a set of picking tools out of his back pocket, focusing on the door.

“What are you doing?”

“We have to get inside,” Paul hissed.

I sighed and reached forward, turning the knob. The look on Paul’s face was priceless. “They never lock it,” I said.

“And how do you know that, ma’am?”

“Well, pencil dick, I spent a few nights in this house my freshman year,” I said. “And I’ve been to a few parties here. They’re not big on locking doors.”

“You slept with a wolf?” Paul looked disgusted.

“Two of them,” I said, casting a disparaging sneer in his direction. “What can I say? I like it when they howl.”

Paul wanted to separate when we got inside of the house. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the suggestion. On one hand, I hated him and I didn’t want to spend one second more with him than I had to. On the other? I didn’t trust him.

“Fine.”

“Just grab every necklace you find,” Paul instructed.

“I got it,” I snapped. “Gawd! Do you ever shut up?”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Paul said. “I’ll try to take your feelings into account.”

I watched Paul move through the house, his frame taut, his footsteps light. Once he hit the stairs and disappeared in the direction of the second floor, I immediately cast my attention toward the basement.

I don’t know why, but something was telling me to head in that direction. I’d been down there before, and as I descended into the bowels of the house, my mind travelled back in time. It had been early into my freshman year when Will and I had called it quits. Before then, though, I’d spent a handful of nights in this house – and in this basement.

I paused outside of Will’s old room, wondering briefly if it could still be his. As soon as I turned the handle and looked inside – I realized I was right. This was still Will’s room. I recognized the comforter, the brown boots at the end of the bed, and the photograph on his nightstand. It was a picture of the last summer we spent together. The two of us were posing with five other guys – all friends of his – and we’d just got done kayaking down a local river and were having a barbecue and bonfire at a park.

Seeing the photograph was creepy. I’d put Will behind me a long time ago – even if he refused to truly go. Why would Will keep an old photograph of me up in his room, and not have one of his current girlfriend? I scanned the room one more time to make sure, but my initial observation had been correct. There wasn’t a single hint that Brittany had even been in this room before, let alone spent frequent nights here with her boyfriend.

I pursed my lips. Will wasn’t in the hierarchy of the wolf pack, but his conversation with Aric a few weeks before seemed to indicate he was trying to make inroads with a rival faction. If Will wasn’t a concern, why was Aric worried about him?

I still didn’t have proof that what Paul was looking for was in this room – and yet something was calling to me. It was like a tiny little fairy was standing in the corner screaming for me to find it.

I moved toward the desk, sliding the top drawer open and looking inside. Everything appeared normal. There were two notebooks, a few small trinkets, and a handful of loose ink pens. Something told me to probe further. I reached to the back of the drawer, my fingers closing around a hard box.

I pulled it out, looking at it closely. It was wooden, but bland. I flipped open the lid of the box, finally banishing the screaming fairy from my mind. The necklace inside was simple – and gaudy. The chain was golden and thick, the gem at the center a rich and shiny blue. I had no idea what it was, but I somehow knew this was what Paul had been looking for.

I debated what to do. There was no way I was handing this over to Paul. I didn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. I wasn’t comfortable leaving it with Will either. I decided to take it – and keep it a secret. I removed it from the box, leaving that behind. I was hopeful Will wouldn’t notice the necklace was missing right away if the box was still in his desk.

I started to slip the necklace into the pocket of my blue jeans and then thought better of it. I reached under my shirt, securing the amulet near the underwire of my bra, and then gave myself a brief glance in the mirror. You would have to be looking closely to notice something was different.

I left Will’s room as quickly as possible and climbed the stairs, finding Paul waiting on the main landing of the house.

“Did you find anything?” He looked agitated.

“No.”

“Me either.” Paul was frustrated. “I would like to search longer, but I don’t think we can risk it.”

“I think we should go, too,” I said. “They could come back at any time.”

“Well, let’s go then.”

We left the house the same way we entered, both of us breathing a sigh of relief when we found ourselves on the sidewalk with plausible deniability on our side.

“You didn’t find anything in the basement?” Paul asked.

I shook my head. “I went through all of the rooms down there,” I lied. “The only thing I found was an overabundance of cheap cologne.”

“Yeah, they like to mask their scent,” Paul said. “I noticed that, too.”

Since I was making it up, I merely nodded. “Let’s get out of here. I’d rather not have to explain what I’m doing here.”

Paul agreed. When we turned the corner and walked back onto the sidewalk in front of the Alpha Chi house, I couldn’t swallow the sigh on my lips. Aric and Will were standing on the walkway, their heads bent together. They both looked up when they saw me.

“Seriously,” I groused. “I have the worst luck ever.”

“Zoe,” Will said, looking me up and down. “What are you doing here?”

I made a quick decision, reaching out and linking my fingers with Paul’s – even though touching him made my skin crawl. “I was just out for a walk with my new … friend.”

Paul’s eyes were wide, but he didn’t pull his hand from mine. “Yes. We’re … friends.”

Aric’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’re with him now?”

“Yes.”

Aric looked Paul up and down. “What happened to Rafael?”

“He died,” Paul interjected quickly. He had no idea who Rafael was – and he clearly wasn’t good under pressure.

“He died?” Aric cocked an eyebrow.

I didn’t like being on the defensive. “What are you two doing together?”

“We were coming from a fraternity meeting,” Will said quickly. “It’s not a big deal.”

“I think you’re lying,” I pressed.

“Well, I know you’re lying,” Aric said. “You wouldn’t touch this guy with a ten-foot pole.”

“Hey,” Paul said, feigning outrage. “You’re talking about the woman I … .”

I yanked my hand from his and shrugged. “Let it go,” I said. “He’s not wrong. You bug the crap out of me.”

I risked a glance at Aric. He looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh.

“So, what are you doing here?” Will pressed.

“We were spying on you,” I said.

Paul’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“They already know what we’re doing here,” I said. “There’s no sense in lying. We were going to listen to your pack meeting.”

“Pack meeting?” Will’s eyebrows nearly shot off his forehead. “It was a fraternity meeting.”

Aric rolled his eyes. “He’s with the Academy, you idiot,” he said. “He knows what we are.”

Aric’s eyes met mine for a brief second. “We should really be going.”

Will’s hand shot out, grabbing me by the crook of my elbow. “What did you hear?”

I yanked away from him. “Don’t touch me.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Don’t touch her,” Aric growled, causing both Paul and Will to take a step back. He was serious.

“I want to know what you heard,” Will pressed.

“I heard you’re bad in bed and your girlfriend is a whiny control freak,” I said. “That wasn’t exactly news to me.”

Will made a face. “You’re unbelievable.”

“A lot of people have told me that before.”

“We should be going, ma’am,” Paul said.

“Right you are, bleeding hemorrhoid,” I said.

I followed Paul down the sidewalk, accidentally brushing against Aric as I passed. He stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Be careful,” he whispered. “You’re playing with fire here.”

I searched his face. “I’ll be fine.”

“You better be,” he said. “If all of this is for nothing – I’m going to be really pissed off.”

“So, what happened next?” Paris was enjoying the story.

“We left.”

“And what did Paul say?”

“Paul isn’t happy,” I said. “Paul thinks I’m mean – and stupid.”

“And what do you think?” Kelsey asked curiously. She was sitting on the floor with a textbook open in front of her.

“I think Paul is a complete moron,” I said, reaching underneath my shirt and withdrawing the pilfered necklace. “I’m more interested in finding out what this is.”

Paris held her hand out, letting me drop the blue-stoned piece of jewelry into her palm. “Wow. This is … .”

“Horribly ugly,” Kelsey finished.

“And that’s being generous,” Paris agreed. “How can you be sure this is what he was looking for?”

“Why would that be in a wolf house if it’s not something special or magical?” I asked.

“Maybe Will is going to give it to Brittany for Christmas,” Kelsey offered. “It does kind of look like her. It would look great with her matching sweater sets.”

“It’s something else,” I said. “It was hidden in a box. Brittany may be tacky, but even she isn’t this tacky.”

“She’s pretty tacky,” Kelsey said.

Paris was eyeing the necklace thoughtfully. “This looks familiar.”

“I’m pretty sure that you’ve seen it attached to a Cleopatra costume in one of those Halloween stores,” Kelsey said. “That’s why it’s so tacky.”

Paris rolled her eyes. “That’s not it.”

“That has to be it,” Kelsey said. “That thing is so ugly there’s no other possible explanation for where you would’ve seen it.”

I sat down on the couch, keeping my eyes trained on Paris. She was staring at the necklace like it was about to sprout wings.

“I can’t remember where I’ve seen it,” Paris said. “But I think it was in a book.”

“What kind of book?” I asked.

“Like a history book?” Kelsey asked.

“I do think it was a history book,” Paris said. “I just don’t think it was the kind of history book you’re talking about.”

Realization dawned on me.

“What kind of history book are we talking about here?” Kelsey asked. “Like European history?”

I shook my head. “No. She’s talking about witch history.”

“Oh,” Kelsey said. “Oh, wait … oh.”

“Yeah, oh,” Paris said. “I just can’t remember which book – or what it means.”

“You’re sure you’ve seen it before, though?” I asked.

“It’s a hard amulet to forget,” Paris said.

“Amulet?” Now Kelsey was the one who looked baffled.

“It’s definitely an amulet,” Paris said. “It’s almost like it … sings. I can feel it kind of humming.”

I straightened. It was weird that she would put it that way. “I heard it calling to me,” I admitted.

“It was talking?” Kelsey’s face twisted.

“It wasn’t talking,” I said. “It was more like it was … trying to get me to pay attention to it.”

“Calling to you directly, or just calling out to anyone in general?” Paris asked.

I shrugged. “I think it was calling to me directly,” I said. “Although, I’m not sure I would know the difference.”

“Tell me exactly what you heard,” Paris prodded.

“I didn’t hear anything,” I said. “I felt like I heard something, if that makes any sense. It was like the memory of a sound.”

“Had you ever heard the sound before?” Kelsey asked.

I shook my head.

“Is this part of that mage thing?” Kelsey asked. “Can inanimate objects now talk to her because she’s magic?”

I lifted my finger, pressing it to my lips and shifting my eyebrows to the ceiling of the living room. We’d been careful so far not to let Tally and Kristy overhear any of our conversations. I didn’t want that to change.

“They’re doing their homework,” Kelsey protested. “They’re not listening. Even if they were, they’d just think we were crazy – not that we were telling the truth.”

“She has a point,” Paris said.

“What if they’re spies?” I said the words as a joke, but part of me wasn’t completely sure it wasn’t the truth.

“If they’re spies, they’re outstanding actors,” Kelsey said.

“That’s what I thought about Laura,” I said.

“Yes, but there were signs with Laura,” Paris said. “You didn’t want to see them at first. I always saw them.”

I sighed, leaning back on the couch and pinching the bridge of my nose. “I wish we knew more about what Will was up to. You’re absolutely sure Brittany has no idea?”

“I’ve seen her twice,” Paris said. “I’ve tried to feel her out about Will, but it’s difficult without making it look like I’m digging.”

“But?”

“But? But she says they’re in love and happy,” Paris said. “I think she’s deluding herself.”

“I don’t,” Kelsey said. “I think she knows that she’s lying – even to herself – she just doesn’t care. She wants to win. She wants to beat Zoe at something, and this is what’s she’s chosen.”

“It’s not like Will is a prize,” I said. “He’s pretty stinking far from a prize.”

“Not to her,” Kelsey said. “She just wants to win. Trust me, I think she’d take Aric if she could – but he’s not even pretending to be interested in her, so that won’t work.”

“Pretending?” Paris asked.

“Will isn’t interested in her,” Kelsey said. “He’s playing a part. I think he was hoping that Zoe would be jealous of his relationship with Brittany and come back to him. That’s why he even dated Brittany in the first place. We all know it’s not her personality.”

“Ugh.”

“Now he’s just keeping up the charade because it’s the only tie he has to her,” Kelsey continued.

“I think she’s right,” Paris said. “I’ve never seen him express any hint of emotion where Brittany is concerned.”

I told them about what I’d found in Will’s bedroom.

“That’s creepy,” Paris said.

“There were other people in the photograph,” I reminded them. “Maybe he kept it because of them.”

“Still,” Paris said. “I don’t like that. I think it’s weird.”

“I also think it’s confirmation that Brittany has never been in his room,” Kelsey added. “If she saw that picture, she would’ve burned it.”

She had a point.

I got to my feet, pacing. “This is all such a mess.”

“Isn’t it always?”

“Yeah, but I’ve really stepped in it this time,” I said. “I’ve stolen an amulet, which may or may not do something magical, from the werewolf pack that’s tried to kill me on more than one occasion. I’ve lied to the Academy about doing it. Aric knows I’m up to something. Will thinks I’m up to something else. Did I miss anything?”

“We occasionally have a vampire keeping watch in the backyard,” Kelsey supplied.

I pursed my lips. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, for starters, we’re going to find out what this is,” Paris said. “I’m going to take a picture and text it to my mom. Hopefully she’ll be able to do some research and find out what it does.”

“And after that?”

“We need to hide it, and we need to hide it better than Will did,” Paris said.

“Suggestions?”

“We could give it to Rafael,” Kelsey said.

I shifted, unsure. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t want to tell him that you broke into the house and stole it, do you?” Paris asked.

“Nope.”

“Do you think he’ll freak out?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. I just … we’re in a weird place.”

Kelsey got up from the floor and stretched, craning her head so she could see down to the vestibule and out the back door. “He’s outside right now.”

I sighed. I shouldn’t have been surprised. “What is he doing?”

“He’s pacing,” Kelsey said. “I don’t think he does anything else. What’s the point of living forever if you just keep walking across the same stretch of ground constantly?”

I ignored her, focusing on Paris. “Hide that in your room – and hide it well.”

Paris nodded.

“Why aren’t you hiding it in your room?” Kelsey asked.

“Because, when Will figures out it’s gone, I’m going to be on the top of the suspect list,” I said. “That means it’s my room they’re going to search when they’re looking for it.”

“You think they’ll break in?” Kelsey looked worried.

“I think it’s a definite possibility,” I said, moving toward the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Kelsey asked.

“I’ve got to talk to the lurker outside,” I said. “He obviously wants something.” I could only hope it was something I was willing to give.

Rafael looked up when he heard the door open. “What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?” I challenged.

“I’m watching out for you,” he replied. “You appear to need it.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I know you were at the Alpha Chi house spying tonight,” Rafael replied. “And, before you freak out, I didn’t find out because I followed you. There were two wolves talking about it in front of the library.”

“What did they say?”

“They said that a blonde woman was eavesdropping on the pack meeting,” Rafael said. “I knew there could only be one blonde on campus who was that stupid.”

Great. “It must have been Will who told them,” I said. “Aric wouldn’t have said anything.”

“Aric was there?” Rafael stiffened.

“He was.”

“And … did the two of you speak?”

“We did.”

“What did you say?”

I hadn’t told Rafael about my first run-in with Aric, so he had no idea we’d already discussed last year’s Laura debacle. “He didn’t say a lot,” I said. “It was an awkward situation.”

“And what were you really doing there?” Rafael asked.

“They wanted us to steal a necklace,” I said. “That’s what Paul, the guy with me, said anyway.”

“And? Did you?”

“We couldn’t find it,” I said, making the decision to lie on the spot. “I’m actually kind of glad. Until I know what they want it for – I don’t want it in their hands.”

“I agree with that,” Rafael said.

I moved to his side, staring up at the moon. “You don’t have to keep coming here to stand guard,” I said. “No one has come after me – and classes have been going on for more than two months now.”

“I don’t come to watch you,” Rafael said.

“Then why do you come?”

“Just to be near you.”

His words were sweet, and they took me off guard. “Really?”

Rafael leaned over, pushing his face closer to mine. “I find you fascinating.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“I also find you frustrating.”

“I can see that,” I said, my mouth dry.

His face was only inches from mine now. “I also worry that you’ll never get over the wolf, and all of this will be for naught.”

When Rafael invaded my space, it wasn’t warmth I felt. There was something there … something difficult to put a name to. I did feel something. It was just different than what I had felt with Aric.

Rafael pressed his lips to mine, the gesture short and sweet. His hand reached up, catching in the back of my hair. We remained like that – lips pressed together – for almost a minute before pulling apart.

The aftermath was … awkward.

Rafael sighed. “Stay out of trouble.”

“Where are you going?” I asked, running my finger over my lips thoughtfully.

“I’m going to see what else I can find out,” he said.

“Um, okay.”

The smile Rafael sent me was small and wan. “I’m not joking. Trouble isn’t our friend right now – and you seem to be a magnet for it.”

“I always try to stay out of trouble.”

Rafael snorted. “No, you don’t. Try this time, though. I don’t like the vibe on this campus.”

“What vibe?”

“Unrest. People are waiting for something to happen. And, if history is a gauge, whatever it is won’t be good.”

Here we go again.