The Vow: Dangerous Suggestions Book 1 (14 page)

I walked back to the living room and
sat back down on the couch. I tried to focus on the movie, but I
couldn’t. The sound of raised voices caught my
attention.

“
Why would I throw a rock
through the window?” Mason asked, angrily.

“
Because you are
childish!” Dawson snapped. The door slammed. I heard Mason mutter
something; then the sound of his footsteps disappearing up the
stairs.

Dawson walked into the room. He looked
flustered and annoyed. “I know he threw that rock. I don’t
understand why he has to be so childish,” he said
impatiently.

I tried not to smile. I knew it would
probably annoy him. I was sure that it could have been someone else
throwing the rock. Maybe a young kid, or even Lena came to mind,
but Dawson seemed determined to blame it on Mason. “Are you sure he
did it?” I asked cautiously. I didn’t want to make him angrier, but
I figured I would ask.

He hesitated and looked at me; then
sighed and sat down next to me. “No, he is just the most logical
choice. He and I have been fighting since he got back. I could see
him throwing a rock through the window just to spite
me.”

I giggled at the accusation. “I really
don’t think Mason did it. I think he would have proudly admitted it
if he had.” I thought Mason was a little juvenile, but throwing the
rock was going a little lower than I thought Mason would. Mason was
just an easy target for Dawson to take out his frustration
on.

He ran his fingers through his hair.
He had a distant look on his face, like he was thinking about what
I was saying. “I guess you are right,” he said softly, after a
minute or two of silence. He looked at me and smiled slightly. “I
guess I should go apologize.”

I nodded as I stood. “Probably. I
think I am going to go outside for some fresh air. Why don’t you
join me when you are done?”

“
I will,” he said,
smiling. He walked out of the room. I didn’t leave until I heard
him go up the stairs.

* * *

I walked through the kitchen, and out
the back door. The night air was cool, but not cold. It was the
perfect time of year here. I was really starting to enjoy being out
of the city. Sometimes I missed the sounds of the city, but I was
definitely starting to enjoy the country.

I leaned against the railing and
looked up at the sky. The stars seemed even brighter tonight than
they usually did. My thoughts drifted to Dawson. Lately, I found
myself thinking about him a lot. I’d always told myself I wouldn’t
be one of those silly girls I saw that fell so easily for a cute
guy. Lately, I found myself feeling things I wasn’t used to when I
was in Dawson’s presence. None of it made sense to me. I’d only
known him for a couple days. I couldn’t possibly feel anything for
him yet, could I?

I shook my head, trying to chase the
thought away. I didn’t feel anything for him. He was just being
nice to me and I wasn’t used to it. I was going to leave it at that
and quit with all the nonsense thoughts about him.

“
He is such a baby,”
Dawson muttered, as he stepped out of the door behind
me.

I smiled slightly. “You did just
accuse him of throwing a rock through the window.”

He sighed as he leaned against the
railing next to me. “I may have been quick to blame him, but he is
a troublemaker. I wonder who did throw the rock,” he said, as if he
was just now thinking about it.

“
Maybe just a kid,” I
said, shrugging. I doubted it was anything serious.

“
Maybe,” he said softly.
He was back to watching me with his brilliant blue gaze. “I made a
call. There is a witch not far from here. Her name is Selena, and
she agreed to see us. I figured we could go before it gets too
late.”

I perked up a little at his
suggestion. I wanted to learn more about myself, but I was planning
on being patient, and waiting until Dawson had time to ask around.
I didn’t think he would make calls so quickly. “I would love to
go,” I said excitedly.

“
Good! Come on,” he said,
as he walked down the steps. I followed him around the house to the
truck. He walked to the passenger side and opened the door for me.
I smiled at him and climbed into the seat. I was finding it hard to
contain my excitement. I didn’t know why finding out what I was
suddenly mattered so much, but it did. The longer I was around
Dawson and Mason, the more I longed to fit in. Knowing more about
myself would help me do that.

Dawson climbed in the truck, and
started it. He backed out of the driveway and set off down the
road. We were going in the opposite direction of the bar. It seemed
like we were going deeper into the woods.

“
She likes living in the
middle of nowhere,” he said, as if he was reading my
mind.

“
So she is a witch?” I
asked, a little nervous. I didn’t even know witches existed. It
annoyed me at times how oblivious I was to the world around me. I
thought I had it all figured out, but there was a lot that I didn’t
know.

“
She is, but she is a good
witch. She helps my pack from time to time. She knows a lot of the
same people Deek does. She may know where Deek got the information
he gave you,” he said softly. He was keeping his eyes on the road.
He seemed a little tense. I wondered if Selena was someone I needed
to worry about.

“
Thank you for doing this
for me,” I said quietly, as I looked out the window.

His hand touched mine, and my breath
caught in my throat. I looked at him wide eyed, and he smiled. He
knew the effect he had on me. “I am glad I can do something for
you.”

I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked
away from him. “I really do appreciate it,” I said, trying to keep
my tone even. It felt like my heart was going to explode, it was
beating so fast.

“
I know you do. Here we
are,” he said as he released my hand. He turned up a gravel path. I
would have missed it if Dawson didn’t turn down it.

I straightened a little as a small log
cabin came into view. It looked like something out of a magazine.
It was a really rustic-looking home, but it was well maintained.
The lights were on in the window, and there were several cars
parked on the lawn.

“
I didn’t know she would
have company,” Dawson said dryly.

“
Should we come back?” I
asked, sensing the tension in his body. He’d seemed tense the whole
drive. It made me wonder if she was really a good person, or if he
was just being nice.

He shook his head as he shut the truck
off. “She is expecting us,” he said, climbing out of the truck. He
smiled down at me as I shut my door. “She is not as scary as she
sounds.”

“
I hope not,” I said,
trying to relax a little.

He started toward the house, and I
followed behind him. I was trying to gain my courage before I met
Selena. I wanted to make a good impression; I wanted her to tell me
what she knew. I hated that I could not persuade supernatural
beings – well, unless they were drunk, apparently. I somehow
doubted Selena was going to be drunk, so I had to rely on my people
skills, which, as Mason constantly reminded me, were not the
best.

Dawson raised his hand to knock, but
the door opened before he could. A woman smiled at him as if she
was waiting at the door for him. I was a little surprised by how
she looked. I’d thought she would be a little old woman, but she
wasn’t. She was probably around Dawson’s age. She had long,
flowing, chestnut hair and gray eyes. The dress she was wearing was
a little over the top. It seemed like something a witch might
wear.

“
Dawson, darling, you
came,” she said, as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him
on the lips. I was a little surprised by her brazenness. I was also
finding I was a little annoyed.

“
Yes. I brought Larel with
me,” he said, trying to break free from her hold. He didn’t seem
threatened by her, but he didn’t seem like he wanted her hanging on
him.

Selena shifted her gaze to me. Her
smile dimmed a little at Dawson’s attempt to turn the conversation
to me. “Dawson told me about you. I have to say, your case is very
peculiar.”

“
I have been told that I
am strange. I was hoping maybe I could get some answers. I want to
figure out what I am; then, maybe, I could find where I belong,” I
said, watching her. I figured I would get straight to the point.
She had already irritated me, and I hadn’t been here for five
minutes.

She giggled as her gaze shifted to
Dawson. “Come in, both of you. We can talk a little,” she said
happily as she took Dawson’s arm. She pulled him through the door,
and led him deeper into the house.

I rolled my eyes as I stepped into the
house and closed the door. I followed behind them, trying to relax.
I was in awe of the house. It appeared to be a little cabin from
the outside, but it was the size of the mansion on the inside.
There was more than one floor, and there were way more than just a
few rooms, as the cabin appeared to have from the outside. It was a
shocking contrast. The only thing I could think was that the
exterior was an illusion.

Selena was talking to Dawson in a low
tone, so I couldn’t hear what she was saying. He replied to her,
and she giggled and gently slapped his arm. I couldn’t help but
feel a slight pang of jealousy. I tried to push the feeling away. I
needed to be objective, and not worry about who Dawson was flirting
with.

Selena led Dawson into a formal
sitting room. It was a huge room with a fireplace, and tall
bookshelves. Dawson glanced at me as soon as Selena released his
arm. She took a seat in a chair across from a small couch. She made
it a point to expose as much leg as she could.

“
Please have a seat,” she
said, smiling at me.

I walked over to the couch, and sat
down next to Dawson. I wasn’t sure what to ask, or what to say to
her. I was hoping Dawson would start the conversation, since it was
his idea to come here.

Dawson spoke, as if he was reading my
mind. “Deek gave Larel some information about sirens. He seems to
think she may be one. We were wondering if you knew anything about
sirens. We were trying to find out if it is possible that she is
one, or if Deek is just misinforming her.”

Selena’s gaze shifted from Dawson to
me. She looked me over, as if studying me would tell her everything
she needed to know about me. “Sirens are rare. They were rare in
the old days, and they are even rarer now. I have never met one, so
I don’t know what the characteristics of one would be. I suppose
she does possess some abilities that are similar to a siren. At
least, it seems that way from what you described,” she said
casually as she looked back at Dawson.

I was a little disappointed. She was
basically saying she didn’t know. It didn’t matter anyway; if
sirens were as rare as she claimed, then the chances of me having a
family was slim.

“
What else could she be?”
Dawson asked as he leaned forward slightly. He was interested in
what she was saying. I was trying to figure out if he wanted to
learn more about me, or if he just liked listening to her talk. I
was trying to keep my mood from going sour, but the more I watched
them interact the harder it was.

Selena sighed dramatically as she got
to her feet. “I’m not sure. There are so many variations of
vampires, witches, and other manner of creatures. She could really
be any combination of things, I suppose.” She stopped at the
minibar, and began to mix herself a drink.

Dawson looked over at me. I could see
he was disappointed. He was obviously hoping to learn more. “Do you
know anyone else we could ask?” he asked, shifting his gaze back to
Selena.

She smiled. “Not really, but I will
look into it for you. You know I would do anything to make you
happy,” she teased as she took her seat again. She crossed her
legs, letting her dress ride up and exposing a decent amount of her
leg and thigh.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. It
wasn’t that I didn’t like her, I just didn’t like how much
attention she was giving Dawson.

“
I would appreciate it,”
Dawson said as he stood. I thought he would flirt back, but he
brushed off her advance. “Come on, Larel, let’s get
going.”

I got to my feet and followed Dawson
to the door. I was a little surprised we weren’t staying longer.
The meeting seemed to end abruptly. Dawson knew he wasn’t going to
learn anything else here, so he was ready to leave.

The silence in the truck was
overwhelming. Dawson was obviously deep in thought. I found myself
not enjoying the silence as much as I normally did. I normally
treasured silence, but I didn’t when Dawson was around. I liked
hearing the soft tone of his voice when he spoke to me.

“
I thought she would tell
me more,” he said, finally breaking the silence after a few
minutes.

“
I was hoping she knew
more, too,” I said, agreeing with him. She didn’t tell us much of
anything. The most she did was flirt with Dawson. The thought
annoyed me; I attempted to think about something else.

“
She knows more, she just
wouldn’t say it. I have known her long enough to know when she is
lying. She wanted to see you for some reason. Why have me go all
the way to her house just to tell me she will look into it?” he
said, annoyed.