Chapter Seven

Dillan

Can Anybody Say Awkward?

In the front seat of his uncle’s car, Dillan stewed. Just when he thought he’d gotten her out of his head, she crawled back in. The shopping trip actually helped get his mind off her, but the Fates were cruel bitches. The second he and Rainer turned into the cereal aisle, there she was, standing with a troll of a guy.

That invisible string he’d been talking about pulled taut. He sensed the hostility in the guy’s attitude toward her. Without thinking twice, he found himself butting in on the lover’s quarrel. From the way she scowled at him, she hadn’t appreciated the interference.

Looking at Bowen, minus the rancid stench, his instincts had been right. The guy reminded him so much of a troll. Quick to anger, all brawn, no brains. Clearly, Selena was handling it. If he hadn’t stepped in—and what could he have done anyway?—he wouldn’t be in this situation. Sitting in a car with her strawberry shampoo filling his lungs.

Forced to listen to the constant, yap, yap, yapping, hurt his ears. Rainer and Selena discussed school, of all things, and some stupid field trip he’d rather die than join. The beginnings of a headache pulsed between his eyes.

Arms folded close to his chest, he leaned back, trying in vain to relax. He called on some of the meditative technics taught to him by one of his instructors. He focused on his breathing, inhaling deeply then exhaling slowly. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to clear his mind, Selena’s face kept flashing back in. Having her sitting so close to him…he bit his tongue to keep from asking her outright what she was.

Outside of town, the Mustang turned onto a dirt road. His still sore shoulder didn’t appreciate the bumpy ride. Healing himself meant using energy he might need later. So he balled his hands into fists and sat through the pain.

In the distance, an old farmhouse of peeling, blue paint came into view. To the left stood what looked like a shed, only bigger. A garage, maybe? No fence. No protection whatsoever from any kind of attack. He searched for points where he’d place wards if he still had his Guardian powers. Then he remembered he was at a human’s home. Well, human until he proved her otherwise. And he sure as hell wouldn’t stop until he got answers.

Rainer shifted the ‘66 into neutral and said, “Dillan, why don’t you help Selena with the bags?”

He cocked an eyebrow at him.

“No need. I can bring them in myself,” Selena said from the backset.

His uncle’s lips disappeared as he stared daggers at him. “Selena, let Dillan help you.”

Hearing the finality in the “request,” he unfolded himself out of the car, pushed down the passenger seat, and let Selena out. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed him to the trunk. Both his throbbing finger and shoulder stood as witnesses to what his uncle was capable of. After a loud pop, he lifted the lid and grabbed her grocery bags. He didn’t look at her. Yet he was pretty sure her eyes were on him when he led the way to the front door.

Maybe a casual touch? He thought about it. A fingertip grazing her arm and he could prove he wasn’t going crazy. That this girl did shock him.

“I can bring them in myself.” She grabbed one of the bags, barely missing his hand with hers. Dillan yanked back until she was forced to let go. So much for casually touching her.

“Sure you can.” He made his way up the gravel path to the front porch. “Just trying to avoid the long lecture I’d get if I didn’t help.” Among other more painful consequences. Maybe knowing about his uncle’s violent streak was the reason behind the Council sending him to Newcastle. Rainer made the perfect warden. Sadistic.

“I don’t want to owe you any favors.”

The same stubborn fire he saw at the grocery store flared. He almost grinned. Almost. Instead, he stood by the door and waited for her to join him. “Trust me. You don’t need to pay me back.”

Selena matched his scowl with one of her own. “Why are you staring at me like I kicked a puppy? I’m not a bad person.”

A cute knot formed on her brow. He cursed himself. He did not find her cute. “Why do you care how I look at you?”

They stared at each other. Her aqua eyes sliced through him. He didn’t like the churning his stomach did because of it. Just when he thought he couldn’t stand it any longer, she broke eye contact, pretending to adjust her bag. Huh. That was unexpected.

“Did you really date Taylor Swift?” she asked.

“What?” Her words didn’t sink in fast enough. He was too distracted by the way the setting sun brought out golden highlights in her copper curls.

“Penny said she read somewhere that you dated Taylor Swift.” She sneaked a peek at him through long lashes. “That she wrote a song about you?”

He watched her lips move, forcing himself to concentrate.

“It was one dinner.” He should have been annoyed, having been asked the same question at least ten times already today. But he wasn’t. Her already big, bright eyes got bigger. He imagined himself reaching out and touching the smattering of freckles across her nose. She flinched like she’d read his mind.

“What do you keep staring at?” She rubbed the bridge of her nose. The exact same spot he wanted to run his thumb over. “Is it my freckles?”

Without meaning to, he leaned in. “Now that you mention them…”

“What!” A blush spread across her cheeks. Jesus H. Christ, she was gorgeous. How hadn’t he noticed before? Maybe because they’d only met that day? The thought of Rainer being right about hormones killed him. “Are they that obvious? Kyle says I’m being paranoid and that I don’t really have freckles. I told him it was my face, and I know they’re there.”

“Kyle?”

“My best friend.”

Why that statement relieved him, he didn’t want to know. First the nutty Taylor Swift question, and then the freckles. His face hurt from trying to suppress the grin, but it was no use. He laughed out loud. For the first time since stepping off the plane, he truly relaxed. When she glared at him like he was an idiot, he quickly sobered. She’d caught him off guard, and it didn’t sit well.

“Are you opening the damn door or do I have to kick it in?” he barked.

Selena scrambled for her house keys. Her hands shook so badly she missed the hole twice before finally inserting the key. A nervous laugh escaped her. His fingers tightened around the plastic bags. Eventually, she got the key into the lock. A click later, she twisted the knob and let the door opened.

“Kitchen. Hall. Back,” was her barely coherent response.

He walked past her into the house. Framed photos littered the walls. Lots of smiling faces, some of them Selena’s at different ages. The carpet beneath his boots was simple and clean. Not what he expected from a farmhouse with peeling paint. He suddenly missed his parents.

Heart heavy with the reminder of disappointing them, he deposited the bags on the kitchen table and turned on his heel. In his distraction, Selena collided with his chest and on reflex, his hands went up to steady her. She gasped, probably feeling the same jolt he did. Dammit. He wasn’t imagining the electricity. Their eyes met.

“What are you?” he asked, shaking her slightly.

She blinked those big, clear eyes. “What do you mean, what am I?”

Catching himself, he lifted her and set her aside. He realized the price of getting answers might be too steep. If she didn’t know what he was talking about then she was human, and humans couldn’t find out about the Illumenari and the Supernaturals that walked among them. It would mean chaos.

Avoiding saying anything else incriminating, he left her in the kitchen. He closed the front door behind him and kept his steps measured, even. He wasn’t running away. But in Rainer’s car—after he’d strapped in—his self-control argued with his common sense. The shocks had to do with his diminishing powers. Nothing else explained the current. He shoved his fingers through his hair, further disheveling the meticulously styled strands. She was just some girl. Human. Completely human.

“What’s wrong?” Rainer asked from the driver’s seat.

“Maybe you’re right,” he answered, trembling. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid about Selena.” Copper curls did nothing for him, he convinced himself. But those eyes. And not to mention that body. He didn’t notice until now, but she filled out those jeans. Damn.

“But you’re really pale.”

“I…” He rotated his shoulders to ease the tightness between them. “I asked her what she was.” Rainer sucked in a breath, which prompted him to quickly add, “But I stopped and got the hell out of there. She doesn’t know anything. You were right. Can we just go?”

Without arguing, Rainer started the car and pulled out of the Fallon driveway. Dillan didn’t want to think anymore. There was no point. He let the crunch of tires on dirt road anchor him to the present. The fatigue he’d been battling since leaving the school finally won. He tuned out the classic rock on the radio and lowered his eyelids.

Almost immediately, his mind moved from one girl to another. The ghost he tried his hardest to forget floated toward him. His heart twisted.

This time, he didn’t close his eyes as she came closer. She wrapped her fingers around his neck. He didn’t move, giving her every right to choke the life out of him. When she started applying pressure, someone called his name. She looked over his shoulder, easing her grip on his throat. For a reckless moment, he wanted to catch her wrists and keep her there. Beg her to finish the job. But it was too late. She faded into nothing.

He sucked in a breath and opened his eyes, reaching up to rub the sleep from them. It took him a second to regain his bearings. They had moved from gravel to asphalt, and an endless supply of grass stretched out on each side of the road. He cursed under his breath. Between being haunted and Selena acting like a human socket, he just wanted to pack up and leave.

But where would he go? A sobering thought. No matter where he ran, the Illumenari would find him and drag him back here. He’d have to deal if he wanted to survive staying with his sanity intact.

“You dozed off on me.” Rainer ruffled his hair in an uncharacteristic show of affection.

He shoved his uncle’s hand away. “How long was I out?”

“A few minutes, give or take. You were calling her name.”

Any jetlag he had vanished. He sat up straighter. “No, I wasn’t.”

“Dillan, I’m not deaf.”

“I wasn’t.”

“It wasn’t—”

He punched the dashboard.

“Don’t take it out on my car.”

A part of him wished Rainer had yelled. He wanted a fight. Anything to numb the hurt and hate. Instead, his stupid uncle decided he’d be the bigger person, leaving him feeling hollowed out.