Halflings (7 page)

“No.” He rummaged his memory bank. He’d had to explain the “electricity” a few times before. Never to a gorgeous earth girl, but hey, first for everything. He nodded toward the window. “I’m sure it’s just the storm. Electricity fills the air with ionized particles. That’s part of what makes lightning storms so dangerous.”

“Ionized particles, huh?”

“Yeah,” he said, and stopped nodding his head like a bobble-head doll. He wasn’t so good with lying.

She tossed dark brown hair over her shoulder. “Thank you, Professor Mace. What about yesterday? There was no lightning and no storm, just some crazy dogs chasing me, and I felt the same jolts. I saw you there too.” A cold wind whistled through the slat wall, momentarily stealing her focus. When the beams above groaned in protest, Nikki hugged herself.

Mace stole the opportunity to move away. He surveyed the surroundings. “I don’t know what you’re talking about — and you’re shivering. I’ll find a blanket or something for you.” He’d hoped yesterday would be enough of a blur that she’d assume it’d been a nightmare. No such luck.

She closed the distance and spun him around to face her. “You still haven’t explained what happened.
Really
explained.”

“And, must I remind you, I said I would explain
what I could
,” he countered, voice rising as he realized just how huge of a mistake he’d made.

Her unrelenting, golden-brown eyes devoured his composure. Apparently, earth girls had their own brand of electricity,
and males were susceptible no matter what realm they hailed from. Will had never told him what to do if he was taken in by her atmosphere.

“I don’t even know you,” she said. “In the last two days, I was nearly mauled by rabid dogs and ran down by a whack-job SUV driver. And you showed up both places. How do I know you didn’t stage both those attacks?”

Appalled, his head jutted forward. “What? Now you sound crazy. Why would I do that?”

She lifted her hands then let them fall to her thighs with a slap. “I don’t know, freak. You tell me.”

Freak
. So true, but hurt twisted his chest — a deep, slow burn that ached until it seemed his very heart would explode. The pain slid like morning fog into his being, then burned like the poison from a hell hound’s bite. Shoulders curled forward, he gave a slight nod. “Your bike is across the road. You’ll see it.” He took a tentative step toward the door.

“Wait,” she said.

Regret crossed the valley of hay and hurt to catch him as he reached for the slat handle. But it was too late. In one word —
freak
— she’d summarized him. What he was. What he’d always be.

“Don’t leave.” Almost a plea.

But it didn’t matter. He’d already caused such a mess there may be no hope of repair.

Muted light flooded the space as he tugged on the barn door. Tiny, singular peaks of moist straw lay in lonely clumps around the opening, separated by mud holes and dirt trenches of unabsorbed rain water. His eyes scanned the perimeter. “You’ll be okay,” he said, not bothering to turn and look at her. “Just get home.” His fingers tightened on the door. “And Nikki?”

She shuffled closer. “Yes?”

The storm had abated both inside and outside the barn. Tiny shafts of sunlight tried to puncture through the weighty wall of clouds. “From now on, be careful.” Mace slammed the door behind him, solidifying his resolve to never, ever again break Will’s rules. No one was worth the consequences, especially a human girl whose words could rival the bite of any deadly spider.

R
aven sauntered down the long hall of Waterside High School. Same sights, same sounds as the last dozen times at the last dozen schools. Same female eyes tightly glued to his back.
Huh, never gets old.
He sniffed the air, aware of Nikki Youngblood somewhere nearby. Her scent filled his nose and he caught himself pulling it deeper into his lungs above the institutional smells of floor varnish, leather tennis shoes, and girls trying too hard to smell good.

A cute redhead crossed too close in front of him, then hugged her notebook and threw a flirty, “Oops, sorry,” back at him.

He graced her with a nod and allowed one corner of his mouth to grin in that “Hey, babe, no problem” way he’d perfected.

High school could actually be fun if he let himself enjoy it.
If.

When was the last time I really enjoyed anything?
A cloud fell over him, one he’d learned to live with. Before he spent another moment seeking self-pity — for that’s all it was — he returned to the game at hand.

His eyes fell to his schedule. He’d memorized it, of course, but the slight hesitation in his steps gave proof of just how many people were watching. Three feminine voices spoke up at once, blending in a mix of words that flew toward him at barrel-neck speed. “Are you lost?” “I can help you find —” and “I think we have the next class together.”

Too easy.

He checked out each face and settled on the cute redhead that had bumped into him moments before. She’d continued her hunt by lingering at a locker until a geeky guy asked her to move. She shot him a look that reminded him of a shark facing down its prey. The poor kid shrank visibly, turtling into his oversized polyester shirt.

So, she was a mean girl. That suited Raven fine. He didn’t need any romantic involvement, just some pretty eye candy to decorate his arm now and then. Mean girls, he’d discovered, harbored an amazing power to bounce back. Like him, they didn’t seem to feel much. No broken hearts when the game ended.

Just enjoy it
, he told himself. He offered his arm, and she laced hers through and gave the other girls a victorious — albeit vicious — smile followed by a “try to touch him again and you’re dead” glare.

Like the turtle-geek, the girls shrank away wordlessly.

Krissy Cunningham hugged her notebook, her cheeks shimmering with a perky peach hue. “Don’t you see? You are our ticket to Coolsville.”

“Did you just say
Coolsville
?” Nikki slammed her locker then placed a finger in her open mouth and made a gagging sound. “Never, ever say that again.”

“Seriously.” Krissy propped her weight against the lockers and inspected her strappy sandals for a moment. “This is a new
year. A chance to make a change, a fresh start. I know you’re the self-proclaimed brooding-artist type. But you know what happens to them? They all cut off their ears. Think about it. You’ll end up with
no ears
, living in a trailer house eating cat food. Not a pretty picture.”

Nikki tried to keep her eyes from rolling at her petite, blonde best friend. Good thing, because Krissy then raked her eyes over Nikki. “And what happened to the clothes we bought? You swore you’d wear them. A best friend oath is nothing to trifle with, Miss Thang.”

Nikki fingered the corner of her science book. “The jeans are uncomfortable and the shirts you insisted I buy are too tight.” She started walking and motioned for Krissy to follow.

“Ugh. What am I going to do with you? Anything would be uncomfortable after living in boyfriend jeans and threadbare T-shirts. And isn’t there some unwritten rule about
having
a boyfriend before you wear his jeans?”

Nikki shrugged. “There wasn’t a tag or anything when I bought them.”

Krissy tipped her head. “It’s bad luck.”

“I don’t believe in luck.”

Krissy countered, “Do you believe in fate? Because I think she’s going to have to work overtime to find your dragon slayer if you don’t start cooperating.”

“I don’t believe in fate. And I don’t think I’m scared of green Jell-O anymore.”

Krissy rolled her contact lens – enhanced blue eyes. “You know what? I think it would be easier to have the Grinch as a best friend. Fashion isn’t always comfortable, but you get used to it. It’s the price of looking good. And speaking of looking good, have you seen the new hotties?”

Nikki frowned.

“Three blond, gorgeous brothers, though there’s a rumor they’re cousins. One has this long white-blond hair. It’s amazing. You can’t stop staring at it.” She wiggled her fingers in the air. “You just want to touch it, ya know? Blondish-brown hair on the other two. I don’t know how they’re related, but as long as one is interested in me …” Krissy said, traipsing down the hall all but lost in her boy dreaming.

Nikki stopped, causing a traffic jam behind her. “Do you think about anything but boys?”

Krissy blinked. “Do you
ever
think about boys?”

An azure gaze materialized in Nikki’s mind. Yes, she’d met one of the new hotties. In fact, in the deepest part of her mind she felt as though she’d been in contact with all three. But her mind was a hazy and foggy dream she couldn’t reach. “I don’t want to wear clothes I can’t breathe in.”

“It’s part of being a woman, so just deal.” Krissy flashed a megawatt smile as a guy in a football jersey ran past.

“I don’t want to be a woman. I want to be an artist,” Nikki complained. Around them, locker doors squealed open and slammed shut.

“You’re a junior. Only two more years, then college.” Krissy’s voice rose.

“News flash. Everyone wears sweats in college,” Nikki said. “I’ll have to be deconstructed just to fit in.”

“News flash for you. I’m sorry, but motorcycle-riding pretty brunettes that are black belts don’t fit in anywhere.”

Nikki chewed on this truth a moment. Krissy hadn’t meant anything by it, but she’d hit pretty close to home. “Wait a minute! There is somewhere.”

Krissy waited.

“Japan. Lots of pretty brunettes there are black belts, and I’m sure at least some of them ride motorcycles.”

Krissy’s entire body radiated exasperation. She raised a hand. “Stop it. Stop it right now. I refuse to have this conversation with you. And most black belt moto-chicks would be jealous of your curves, so I don’t think you’ll find a line waiting to be your best friend. You don’t even maximize your shape. Do you know what I’d do to have curves?”

“Shut up. You have a great body,” Nikki said.

“Yeah, if you like two-by-fours. I’m a stick. But you …” She gestured over Nikki’s form with an open hand. “Besides, you made a promise about the clothes.”

It was true, but she’d only promised to try. Which she had. She put the pencil-thin jeans on with the dark blue blouse Krissy picked out because some rock star wore it when she performed at Madison Square Garden. Krissy had bought the concert on pay-per-view and freaked when she spotted the shirt at the mall.

“Why do I have to change? Who makes these rules? Why can’t I just be me?” Nikki pleaded.

Krissy stepped behind Nikki and shoved her toward science class. “You’re going to be you,” she grunted. “Just you in amazing clothes. You
promised
, Nikki. Breaking a best friend promise is like a curse that plagues you for life.”

“You’re making that up,” Nikki said.

“Am not. Check the internet.”

Krissy: Her personal hero. Her personal bulldog. Her personal pain in the neck.

What wasn’t to love about a best friend?

Raven stepped into the classroom, where a friendly smile greeted him. Dr. Richmond, science teacher extraordinaire. Blah, blah. Who cared?

At the doorway of the classroom, the redhead seemed reluctant to leave.
Okay, one thing I don’t need is a lost puppy following me everywhere.
He flashed her a quick smile then looked away to concentrate on his reflection in the mirrored window. Oh, yeah. He looked good. Dark jeans, graphic T — with wings on the shoulder blades.
If they only knew.
And to really get the girls’ hearts beating, he’d jelled and clumped his blond hair into long spikes around his face.

Though in the glass, his eyes seemed darker, a harsh reminder of the penalty for playing the game but tossing the rulebook. He swallowed past the lump. Would his eyes completely blacken one day? Would he wake one morning and find himself on the enemy’s team? Chewing his lip, he dropped into a seat near the window and turned from the perfect reflection of himself.

Best not to linger on it.

Nikki Youngblood entered the room, and he silently gave thanks for an enjoyable assignment. Pretty, really pretty, but moving like she didn’t know it. She and the science teacher greeted each other warmly as if friends.
Friends. What a human idea.
Sappy and sentimental. Shallow and stupid. Raven didn’t need friends, he needed subjects. Minions. He bit his cheek to minimize the smirk toying with his mouth.