Beautiful Darkness
Page 127
"And?" I could feel my blood rising.
"He was really strong, and he had some kind of weird magnetism that drove girls crazy everywhere we went."
"Girls like you?" I couldn't help myself.
"Shut up." She nudged me with her shoulder.
"This is startin' to sound better already." Link cracked a smile, in spite of himself.
Lena was going down the list of John's attributes in her mind, a list I was hoping wasn't too long. "He could see and hear and smell things I couldn't."
Link inhaled deeply, then coughed. "Dude, you really need a shower."
"You've got superpowers now, and that's the best you can do?" I shoved him. He shoved me back, and I flew off the bed onto the floor.
"What the hell?" I was used to being the one throwing him on the ground.
Link looked at his hands, nodding with satisfaction. "That's right, fists a fury. Like I always said."
Lena picked up Lucille, who had backed herself into a corner. "And you should be able to Travel. You know, materialize wherever you want. You won't need to use the window, even though Uncle Macon says it's more civilized."
"I can walk through walls, like a superhero?" Link was cheering up considerably.
"You'll probably have a great time, except ..." Lena took a breath and tried to act casual. "You won't really eat anymore. And assuming you plan to be more like Uncle Macon than Hunting, you'll have to feed off people's dreams and memories to sustain yourself. Uncle Macon called it eavesdropping. But you'll have plenty of time because you won't sleep anymore."
"I can't eat? What am I gonna tell my mom?"
Lena shrugged. "Tell her you've become a vegetarian."
"A vegetarian? Are you insane? That's worse than bein' a quarter Demon!" Link stopped pacing. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
He walked over to the open window and leaned out. "Seriously?" There were a few banging sounds on the side of the house, and Link hoisted Ridley through my window. I looked away dutifully, since most of Ridley's underwear showed at one point or another during the climb over the windowsill. It wasn't the most graceful entrance.
Apparently, Ridley had cleaned up and gone back to looking like a Siren, whether she was actually one or not. She pulled her skirt down and shook out her blond and pink streaked hair. "Let me get this straight. The party's here, but I'm supposed to stay in my cell with the dog?"
Lena sighed. "You mean my bedroom?"
"Whatever. I don't need the three of you hanging out together, talking about me. I have enough problems as it is. Uncle Macon and my mom have decided I should go back to school, since apparently I'm not a danger to anyone anymore." It looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"But you're not." Link pulled out my desk chair for her.
"I'm plenty dangerous." She ignored him, flopping down on my bed. "You'll see." Link grinned. He hoped so, that much was clear. "They can't make me go to that backwoods dump you call a school."
"Nobody was talking about you, Ridley." Lena sat down on the bed, next to her cousin.
Link went back to pacing. "We were talkin' about me."
"What about you?" He looked away, but Ridley must have already seen something because she was across the room in a second. She grabbed the side of Link's face. "Look at me."
"What for?"
Ridley zeroed in on him like a Sybil. "Look at me."
As Link turned, his pale, sweaty skin caught what little light the moon cast into the room. But it was enough light to see the puncture marks.
Ridley was still holding his face, but her hand was shaking. Link put his hand on her wrist. "Rid --"
"Did he do this to you?" Her eyes narrowed. Even though they were blue now, instead of gold, and she couldn't convince anyone to jump off a cliff, she looked like she could throw someone off one. It was easy to imagine her sticking up for Lena at school when they were kids.
Link took her hand and pulled her toward him, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "It's no biggie. Maybe I'll get some homework done once in a while, now that I don't need any sleep." Link cracked a smile, but Ridley didn't.
"This isn't a joke. John is probably the most powerful Incubus in the Caster world, aside from Abraham himself. If Abraham was looking for him, there's a reason." I could see her biting her lip, staring out into the trees outside my window.
"You worry too much, Babe."
Ridley shrugged off Link's arm. "Don't call me Babe."
I leaned back against my headboard, watching the two of them. Now that Ridley was a Mortal and Link was an Incubus, she would still be the one girl he couldn't have -- and probably the only one he wanted. Junior year was going to be interesting.
An Incubus at Jackson High.
Link, the strongest guy in school, driving Savannah Snow crazy every time he walked into the room without a single lick from one of Ridley's lollipops. And Ridley, the ex-Siren, who I was pretty sure would find her way back to trouble, with or without the lollipops. Two months until September, and for the first time in my life, I could hardly wait for the first day of school.
Link wasn't the only one of us who couldn't sleep that night.
6.28
Sunrise
Can't you dig any faster?"
"He was really strong, and he had some kind of weird magnetism that drove girls crazy everywhere we went."
"Girls like you?" I couldn't help myself.
"Shut up." She nudged me with her shoulder.
"This is startin' to sound better already." Link cracked a smile, in spite of himself.
Lena was going down the list of John's attributes in her mind, a list I was hoping wasn't too long. "He could see and hear and smell things I couldn't."
Link inhaled deeply, then coughed. "Dude, you really need a shower."
"You've got superpowers now, and that's the best you can do?" I shoved him. He shoved me back, and I flew off the bed onto the floor.
"What the hell?" I was used to being the one throwing him on the ground.
Link looked at his hands, nodding with satisfaction. "That's right, fists a fury. Like I always said."
Lena picked up Lucille, who had backed herself into a corner. "And you should be able to Travel. You know, materialize wherever you want. You won't need to use the window, even though Uncle Macon says it's more civilized."
"I can walk through walls, like a superhero?" Link was cheering up considerably.
"You'll probably have a great time, except ..." Lena took a breath and tried to act casual. "You won't really eat anymore. And assuming you plan to be more like Uncle Macon than Hunting, you'll have to feed off people's dreams and memories to sustain yourself. Uncle Macon called it eavesdropping. But you'll have plenty of time because you won't sleep anymore."
"I can't eat? What am I gonna tell my mom?"
Lena shrugged. "Tell her you've become a vegetarian."
"A vegetarian? Are you insane? That's worse than bein' a quarter Demon!" Link stopped pacing. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
He walked over to the open window and leaned out. "Seriously?" There were a few banging sounds on the side of the house, and Link hoisted Ridley through my window. I looked away dutifully, since most of Ridley's underwear showed at one point or another during the climb over the windowsill. It wasn't the most graceful entrance.
Apparently, Ridley had cleaned up and gone back to looking like a Siren, whether she was actually one or not. She pulled her skirt down and shook out her blond and pink streaked hair. "Let me get this straight. The party's here, but I'm supposed to stay in my cell with the dog?"
Lena sighed. "You mean my bedroom?"
"Whatever. I don't need the three of you hanging out together, talking about me. I have enough problems as it is. Uncle Macon and my mom have decided I should go back to school, since apparently I'm not a danger to anyone anymore." It looked like she was about to burst into tears.
"But you're not." Link pulled out my desk chair for her.
"I'm plenty dangerous." She ignored him, flopping down on my bed. "You'll see." Link grinned. He hoped so, that much was clear. "They can't make me go to that backwoods dump you call a school."
"Nobody was talking about you, Ridley." Lena sat down on the bed, next to her cousin.
Link went back to pacing. "We were talkin' about me."
"What about you?" He looked away, but Ridley must have already seen something because she was across the room in a second. She grabbed the side of Link's face. "Look at me."
"What for?"
Ridley zeroed in on him like a Sybil. "Look at me."
As Link turned, his pale, sweaty skin caught what little light the moon cast into the room. But it was enough light to see the puncture marks.
Ridley was still holding his face, but her hand was shaking. Link put his hand on her wrist. "Rid --"
"Did he do this to you?" Her eyes narrowed. Even though they were blue now, instead of gold, and she couldn't convince anyone to jump off a cliff, she looked like she could throw someone off one. It was easy to imagine her sticking up for Lena at school when they were kids.
Link took her hand and pulled her toward him, slinging his arm around her shoulders. "It's no biggie. Maybe I'll get some homework done once in a while, now that I don't need any sleep." Link cracked a smile, but Ridley didn't.
"This isn't a joke. John is probably the most powerful Incubus in the Caster world, aside from Abraham himself. If Abraham was looking for him, there's a reason." I could see her biting her lip, staring out into the trees outside my window.
"You worry too much, Babe."
Ridley shrugged off Link's arm. "Don't call me Babe."
I leaned back against my headboard, watching the two of them. Now that Ridley was a Mortal and Link was an Incubus, she would still be the one girl he couldn't have -- and probably the only one he wanted. Junior year was going to be interesting.
An Incubus at Jackson High.
Link, the strongest guy in school, driving Savannah Snow crazy every time he walked into the room without a single lick from one of Ridley's lollipops. And Ridley, the ex-Siren, who I was pretty sure would find her way back to trouble, with or without the lollipops. Two months until September, and for the first time in my life, I could hardly wait for the first day of school.
Link wasn't the only one of us who couldn't sleep that night.
6.28
Sunrise
Can't you dig any faster?"
