At least it wasn’t another kid this time, or a werewolf. It wasn’t anyone Dylan had a direct connection to, and the police didn’t drag him in for questioning. Although when he got home, he found out the police had paid a visit to his parents. The missing woman had last been seen near the woods that bordered their property.
What the hell? Was someone trying to frame him or his mom?
“This is bullshit.” He paced the living room.
“They’re just doing their job,” Mom said.
“I bet Conner has something to do with this.”
“You leave that boy alone. One fight was enough.”
No, it wasn’t. That was becoming clearer by the day.
“Dylan,” Dad said, a warning tone in his voice.
He stopped pacing and whirled. “What?”
“Don’t prove them right. Some people in this town think you’re too dangerous to allow in school, to even live here. The angrier you get, the more you lash out, the more fuel you give them.”
Dylan squeezed his fists. “Arrgh! How can you be so calm about this?”
Mom sat in a high-backed leather chair, serene as a statue. “Because we had nothing to do with those missing people. The police will figure out whatever happened, hopefully soon. I pray those people are all right. Maybe Dalton ran away. Maybe this woman left without telling anyone.”
“Right.” Dylan snorted. Something was going on. Something bad. His anger built, and it felt like the walls were closing in. Dylan headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Dad asked.
“Out,” Dylan answered, yanking open the door.
* * *
“You seem preoccupied. Is it Hanna again?” Mr. Emery asked at their weekly meeting.
Aiden sighed. “No, although I’m still worried about her.” She’d been sitting with Maggie and her friends, so at least she wasn’t all alone at lunch. Aiden regularly asked Maggie for updates on how she was doing, to the point that Maggie rolled her eyes practically every time he opened his mouth. She thought he should tell Hanna how he felt. The trouble was, he wasn’t sure how he felt about her. Except worried.
He was worried so much lately. Well, ever since he’d gotten to Shadow Valley. It had just been worse lately.
But it wasn’t fear that had him distracted today. At least, not that kind of fear. “I’m helping the new kid, Tiago. I’m just thinking about what we’re going to work on today.” And how hot he was. And that he was going to be in Aiden’s bedroom. Mr. Emery had said they could talk about anything, that his office was a safe space, but there was no way Aiden was going to talk about that.
Mr. Emery nodded. “Ah, that’s nice of you. How do you feel about him?”
Aiden thought he was going to have a heart attack. Was he reading his mind? Did Mr. Emery have some kind of psychic powers? “What?” Aiden squeaked.
“I mean, does he make you nervous? Are you afraid of his power?”
Aiden let out a breath, shoulders sagging. “Oh, no. It’s just the flashy stuff that scares me. He’s a werejaguar.”
“But you’re afraid of Conner.”
“I’m afraid of him starting a fight. I’m afraid of hurting him, or of Dylan fighting back.”
“But you’re not afraid of Tiago starting a fight?” Mr. Emery leaned back, resting his folded hands on his stomach.
Aiden shook his head. “I thought he and Dylan might get into it when they met yesterday, but they seem okay with each other.” They seemed so much alike, and Aiden hoped they could become friends. Dylan needed more friends.
“That’s good. So, how have you been doing this week?”
This was part of their routine in their meetings. “My lessons with Phoebe are good. We’re working on glamours, harder stuff. I’m still okay with it.”
“How about Major Magical Control?”
“I can watch some of the matches all the way through.” Although his heart raced the whole time. “Except for Dylan’s. I tried, but I just can’t.” All that fire whipping around. Even though he knew nothing could get through the wards, panic seized him and he had to look away.
“That’s still good progress. You can’t expect to get through something like this right away. It takes time.”
“I know.” Aiden looked at the floor. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Mr. Emery the truth, explain what had really happened. It might help if he knew all the details. Maybe some trick, some insight would be the key to Aiden getting over his fear. But no matter what, he couldn’t put Dylan in danger. Only three of them knew what really happened that night, and it had to stay that way. Well, four, counting Uncle.
No, don’t think about him. Aiden suppressed a shudder.
“How would you feel about practicing some of your more aggressive magic? I know you and Dylan used to practice with each other at the gravel pit, but since he’s the source of your fear, I wouldn’t suggest him as a partner.”
Aiden swallowed. “You mean, have matches?” Just thinking about it made his head swimmy.
Mr. Emery held up a hand. “Not quite that far. Practice with a partner, similar to what you do with the targets. Slow, easy. Not a contest.”
“I… I don’t know.” His pulse pounded in his ears.
“We can wait on that if it’s too much for you. You need to find the right balance between challenging yourself and not pushing so hard you suffer a setback.”
Challenging himself. He wasn’t going to get over this if he didn’t do at least some of the things that scared him. “I can try. I just need to find someone who isn’t too intimidating.” Which meant he couldn’t ask anyone in gym class. Maybe one of the kids who was still in the freshmen class? Riko, the yuki-onna? Or could Maggie help him with this?
“You don’t have to rush into it. Just think about it. We can talk about it again next week.”