The text had come shortly before dawn on Saturday, after Aiden had gone to sleep. He didn’t see it until he got up around noon.
Theyy knw!!! It was from Hanna.
He stared at it. Was she in trouble? He sent back, Who? Knows what? He waited awhile but didn’t get an answer. She was probably still asleep. He tried to keep calm while he ate breakfast, but he kept picturing Conner attacking her. So he called and got her voice mail. Called again. Texted again. No answer.
He was supposed to go to Dylan’s and hang out, but he had to know if Hanna was okay. Briefly, he considered asking his parents to drive him over there, but he didn’t want to worry them, and if it ended up being nothing he’d feel really awkward.
Instead, he called Dylan and asked if he would meet him at the gravel pit. From there, they could go to Hanna’s house. Dylan seemed eager, and Aiden suspected it was the idea of fighting Conner and not that he was actually excited to think Hanna was in danger. Even Dylan wasn’t that callous.
Aiden ran over as fast as he could. He beat Dylan and had to wait a few minutes for his friend.
When Dylan showed up, he said, “I don’t know where Hanna lives.”
“I do.”
Dylan gave him a puzzled look before saying, “Oh, yeah. The date thing.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “Come on.”
As they jogged, Dylan asked, “So you really think she’s in trouble?”
“The text seemed frantic and misspelled… Well, more misspelled than usual. And I didn’t get an answer, even when I called. Maybe she’s fine and her phone is off cause she’s sleeping, but… I need to be sure.” Worry squeezed his chest and he sped up.
They made it to Hanna’s house half an hour later. Aiden made one wrong turn but realized his mistake before they went too far. He hurried up to the front door, almost wiping out on a patch of ice. It took six rings of the doorbell before a sleepy man answered the door. He was tall, with broad shoulders and hair a few shades darker than Hanna’s. He didn’t quite glare, but the look he gave Aiden wasn’t happy.
“Yeah?”
Aiden swallowed, then he sensed Dylan come up behind him and found the courage to speak. “Is Hanna okay?”
Her father blinked and his expression shifted into a for-real glare. “You’re him, aren’t you? The fae boy she’s sneaking around with?”
Then it clicked. They know. Her parents. “We’re just dating, that’s all. I haven’t even kissed her yet. Sir.”
Dylan’s voice came almost at his ear, steady and low. “He won’t hurt you, Aiden.” A faint sensation of warm lizard skin as the dragonkin drew on his power.
From in front of him, a brush of fur. Hanna’s father’s eyes flickered with yellow. “Dylan Galloway. I won’t let you take my daughter like you took Dalton.”
“I didn’t do anything to him!” Dylan roared.
Aiden flinched away from the heat. “Please don’t!” He ducked, covering his head.
The heat disappeared immediately, leaving a chill. “Sorry.”
Aiden took deep, slow breaths, telling himself to relax. After a moment, he straightened. “I just wanted to know that Hanna was okay. She texted me and I thought she sounded worried. She wouldn’t answer her phone.”
“Hanna is grounded and lost her phone privileges.” Her father’s expression softened a bit. “Thank you for protecting her, but she’s not allowed to see you anymore.”
“Why not?” His stomach sank. The whiplash of emotions made his head spin.
“Because I said so,” he snapped. “Stay away from my daughter.” He turned and slammed the door in Aiden’s face.
Dylan snorted. “Well, that explains Conner. Asshole dad, asshole boyfriend.”
“Do you think he beats her?” Could he tell the police? Would they help, or were things different here?
“Well, he did thank you for protecting her. I assume he was referring to Conner,” Dylan turned down the walk and Aiden followed. “So at least maybe her dad doesn’t put his hands on her.”
“I hope not.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “At least she’s safe. That’s all I really cared about.”
Dylan clapped him on the back. “Congratulations, you just became irresistible.”
“Huh?”
“Her dad is forbidding her from seeing you. Which just means she’ll want you more now.”
“Really? But won’t that make her dad mad?”
“Yeah, but so what?”
Aiden shook his head. “I don’t want any trouble.” But he didn’t want to stop seeing Hanna, either. They hadn’t even gotten to kiss. They’d only had one date. It was so unfair.
* * *
The rest of the weekend, Aiden heard nothing from Hanna. It ate at him, wondering if she would listen to her parents or not. At least she was safe. After what happened with Dalton, Aiden was probably going to get nervous anytime someone didn’t answer a text or a call. Had Dalton run away? Had someone taken him? Hurt him?
Aiden shivered as he rode the bus to school. Bad things happened everywhere else. Of course they could happen here too. Really, it was surprising there weren’t more problems. It was a town full of monsters. Werewolves didn’t get along with vampires or ghouls, so maybe it was a feud thing?
He found Hanna waiting for him by his locker and pulled her into a hug. “I was so worried. Are you really okay?”
She accepted the hug for a moment, then squirmed and backed away. “I’m not supposed to talk to you.” Hanna rubbed at her arm. “My parents… They were so mad when they found out.” She looked up, meeting his gaze for a moment. “Conner told his parents, and they told my parents. That asshole. He knew they would talk to each other. I guess he got too mad about us dating. He was embarrassed to admit I dumped him before.”
“And you didn’t tell your parents? About how he hurt you?” The image of her cowering in the snow after Conner hit her filled Aiden’s mind. Sometimes he wondered if he should encourage Dylan to beat the crap out of Conner.
Hanna sighed. “They know now. They’re super pissed … and they’re disappointed in me. They keep asking why I put up with it. Why I didn’t fight back or leave sooner.”
“Why didn’t you?”
The noise in the hall got louder as more kids arrived, but Hanna was silent. Finally, she said, “I was too embarrassed. I thought maybe I deserved it for being weak. I should be strong and dominant like my parents, but I’m not…”
He took her hand, smoothed a strand of hair away from her face. “You’re not weak. And never, ever think you deserved it. No one deserves that. If he really cared about you, he wouldn’t have hurt you.”
She squeezed his fingers. “Part of me knows that. It’s just… there’s a voice—” Hanna sucked in a breath and turned just as Aiden sensed warm fur and power.
“Thanks a lot, bitch.” Conner shoved through the other students to loom over Hanna. “My parents are fucking pissed. I took a gamble and I lost, but so did you.”
Aiden’s pulse sped up and the fading scar on his chest itched. Worse than that was the tingling warmth spreading just below that spot. His magic trying to come out. Aiden desperately held it back.
Conner turned glowing yellow eyes on him. “Say good-bye to your girlfriend. If I see you together again, I’ll make sure her parents know.”
The warning bell rang.
“I’ll be watching.” Conner showed his teeth, then he left.
Aiden sagged against the locker, the eager buzz of his magic fading as he took deep breaths.
“Are you okay?” Hanna asked.
“I’ll be fine.” He couldn’t live like this, constantly afraid that someone would hurt him or he would hurt them.
Hanna reached for his arm, then pulled him into a hug instead. “I’m so sorry, Aiden. He’s right. I can’t see you anymore.”
Selfishly, he was a little relieved. Maybe Conner would leave him alone now. But what about Hanna? “Will you be okay? Do you think he’ll hurt you?”
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. “I can tattle on him too. If he hurts me, I’ll tell my parents. I’ve got nothing to hide now. Nothing to lose.”
The bell rang again. Crap, he was late. “Okay, just… stay safe.” He hugged her again.
So much for having a girlfriend. A hollow sadness filled his stomach. So much for Dylan’s idea that she would defy her parents.