Mr. Johnson’s black car was in the driveway when Aiden got home. Aiden expected to find him waiting at the dining room table like usual, but the house was empty. It made him nervous, and he touched the wall, asking the wood and stone if everything was all right. They alerted him to a presence outside, and a moment later someone knocked on the door.
Aiden’s heart lurched, but a look through the peephole confirmed it was Mr. Johnson.
“The wards are all secure,” he said as Aiden let him in.
“Good.” There was no sign of any other dark fae in town, but that didn’t mean they were safe. Aiden’s chest tightened and he glanced toward the living room where Dylan had killed the dark fae. The room had been cleaned up, and there was new furniture, but the walls and floor carried obvious signs of the fight.
Aiden wondered if he could ask for a different house. There were empty ones, and others that would be empty soon once families with graduating seniors moved out. But he’d disrupted his parents’ lives enough. If they were uncomfortable here and wanted to move, he’d move, but he wasn’t going to bring it up.
Mr. Johnson must have noticed where he was looking. “I was… lax in my protection of you. I’m sorry.”
The warden had apologized several times already. “It’s okay.” Dylan had a lot to say about it, but Aiden didn’t blame Mr. Johnson. He’d been trying to watch out for them and investigate the murders at the same time. He’d put wardens outside Aiden’s house to keep watch and set wards. Mr. Johnson had done everything he could aside from sitting outside Aiden’s house twenty-four seven.
“I’ve had it cleared with the council,” Mr. Johnson said. “I’m staying in Shadow Valley for the next few months to follow up on the investigation. And also to watch out for any more of Morgan’s accomplices.”
Others will come, the dark fae had said. Aiden shivered.
“And to watch out for me?” Aiden held back a wince. That sounded so weak and needy.
A hint of a smile tilted Mr. Johnson’s lips. “Yes, that too.” Then it dropped away. “Perhaps redeem myself for my failure.”
Aiden shifted his feet. “It really is okay. I don’t blame you.” He didn’t even blame Dylan, though all this stemmed from his actions.
“Thank you.” But Mr. Johnson’s tone said he still blamed himself.
Aiden got them both a glass of water and they sat at the dining room table.
“Has Tiago mentioned anything about his parents?” Mr. Johnson asked.
Aiden’s pulse sped up, and he hoped Mr. Johnson didn’t notice. He told himself to stay calm. As much as he hated lying to Mr. Johnson, there was no way he was going to betray Tiago’s trust.
Even if his parents are out there killing people?
It wasn’t like Aiden knew where they were or anything. He didn’t have any good information. “No.” He took a sip of water to soothe his lying tongue.
Mr. Johnson gave him a long look. “Nothing at all?”
Best to go for an almost-truth at least. “He doesn’t really talk about his past. It’s like he walked into Shadow Valley fully formed.” And well formed at that. Aiden thought of his muscular chest, his shoulders, the way Tiago’s arms felt under Aiden’s hands…
“He is frustrating like that,” Mr. Johnson grumbled.
His voice snapped Aiden back to reality. “He’s not… he’s not in trouble, is he?” Tiago was free, or relatively so. Going to school and not locked up in jail, so that was something.
“No.” Mr. Johnson considered him for a moment. “He has some information the wardens need, and I’ve been under some pressure to get it.”
Aiden couldn’t help picturing Tiago handcuffed to a chair in some dark interrogation room while wardens threatened to hurt him.
“But,” Mr. Johnson said, “with all this going on, he’s fallen down the priority list.”
Aiden supposed that was one good thing about this whole mess. No, two. Being attacked by the dark fae had led to Tiago asking him out.
“You wouldn’t let anyone hurt him, would you?” Aiden asked. If they tried, he would… sic Dylan on them or something.
Mr. Johnson leaned closer. “I know Dylan’s opinion of us is low, and having two corrupt wardens kidnapping and killing people certainly hasn’t helped, but we aren’t the bad guys. No one will hurt Tiago, I promise.”
Aiden let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.
“But you’ll let me know if he tells you anything?”
“Yeah.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Then a horrible thought occurred to him. Mr. Johnson had paired them up. Did he know Tiago was gay? Had he guessed about Aiden? Was he hoping they would get close so Tiago would tell Aiden all his secrets?
No, that was paranoid. Or was it?
* * *
Dylan waved to Aiden as he headed to his locker. First day of junior year. Dylan sighed, wishing the summer could have lasted longer. Now it was back to classes and rules and homework.
A man in a dark gray suit moved through the crowded hallway and stopped in front of Dylan. “Mr. Galloway?”
“Yeah?” Dylan eyed him. Even the teachers didn’t dress up that much, so the guy really stood out.
“I’m Warden Bradley.” He flashed a badge. “Could you come with me for a few moments?”
“Fuck, what now?” More than enough shit had happened the past few years.
“Watch your language, young man.” The warden frowned. “I only want to have a quick discussion. I’m the new school liaison, and I wanted to talk to you personally.”
Liaison? There were wardens working in the school now? Last year had been bad enough having wardens watching them for safety. Much as Dylan hated wardens, he could admit, at least to himself, that their presence had made him feel better. Once in a while he still had nightmares about the dark fae attacking him, even though he knew for sure the guy was dead.
“Can’t it wait?” The warning bell would ring soon. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to get to his locker and take off his coat.
The man pressed his lips together. “I’d rather do this now, Mr. Galloway. Unless you’d like to have this discussion in the hall?” He pointedly looked around at the students, some of them casting curious glances at Dylan and the warden.
Oh, so that’s how it was going to be. Was there any warden who wasn’t a jackass to some degree? “Fine.”
Warden Bradley led him to the school office and into one of the internal rooms. As soon as the door was shut, he said, “I’d like us to have an understanding, Mr. Galloway. There have been several problems in Shadow Valley recently, and you’ve been at the center of them.”
Dylan opened his mouth to protest, but the warden cut him off. “Other people in this town might consider you some kind of hero, but I’m watching. You’re dangerous. Powerful and you’ve got a bad attitude. You assaulted a student last year—”
“You mean Conner? He’s a bully.”
The warden’s eyes flashed. “I’m not finished, Mr. Galloway.”
Dylan glared up at him. Yeah, this asshole was on a power trip. You wouldn’t stand a chance if I used my magic on you. As tempting as the idea was, Dylan wasn’t stupid. Attacking a warden was a guaranteed trip to prison, even if he was a minor.
“You’ve been suspended several times. You’ve threatened fellow students. Until recently you had poor grades and skipped classes on a regular basis. You’re a time bomb, Mr. Galloway, and I personally don’t want to wait for you to go off.” The man crossed his arms.
“You gonna arrest me because I might do something later?” Anger boiled inside him. The guy was baiting him, had to be.
“Unfortunately, no. Warden Johnson continues to argue for leniency on your behalf, and he has allies in the council. But he can’t protect you forever.” He leaned closer to Dylan. “You’re one screwup away from expulsion.”
Dylan clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms. The faint scent of smoke and heated rock rose up around him. “You think you can read a few files and know who I am? You don’t know shit about me.”
The warden’s eyes went hard. “Please try it, Mr. Galloway. I’d love to have one less problem to worry about.”
That’s all Dylan was to him. A problem. The way people had been treating Dylan lately, he’d started to forget how much most people hated him just because he was a dragonkin. “You’re not worth it.”
“Pity.” The warden kept glaring. “I’d rather have you attack me than someone else.”
“Is that all you dragged me in here for? To threaten me?” Another bully to deal with. Too bad Dylan couldn’t take care of him the way he’d dealt with Conner.
“I know you’re hiding something, you and your little fae pal. My job is to keep supernaturals safe, and that’s what I intend to do.”
Dylan was used to authority figures treating him like crap, but his threatening Aiden almost pushed him over the edge. His magic hummed, ready to be unleashed. “Guess I don’t count as someone to keep safe, huh?”
The warden’s head tilted just a bit. “I think you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself.”
They stared at each other for a moment. The warning bell rang.
“You done?” Dylan asked.
The warden looked like he was about to argue, but then he nodded. “Get to class. But remember, the next time you step out of line, I’ll know.”
His own personal warden bully. Great.