The Power
Page 35
“Oh my gosh,” Josie murmured.
Colin was quiet for only a damn moment. “When she got pregnant with my older brother, things changed. My father ended up moving in with us. For a couple of years, I guess we were like normal mortal families. At least it felt that way to me.”
Now Josie was staring at him and I could see the sympathy all but pouring out of her. Fuck me. “What happened?”
Colin glanced up at the sky. “I was young. Daimons tracked my father home one night. They got hold of my mom and killed her just for sport. My father was able to stop them from getting to us, but my mom . . . she died defending my brother and me. She wasn’t trained or anything. She knew what they were, and she went down fighting. Because of her actions, it gave my father a chance to fight.”
“Sounds very brave.”
“She was brave.” He smiled faintly.
Josie looked like she was seconds away from pulling him into a bear hug. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” He turned to her. “Anyway, that’s some depressing shit right there and you look like that’s the last thing you need right now.”
Oh, like he knew what she needed right now? The hand at my side closed into a fist. I was going to rip out Colin’s tongue and shove it up his ass. Possibly an excessive reaction, but what the fuck ever, it was going to make me feel real good.
Her hands stilled. “Is it that obvious?”
Colin tipped his head back. “Ah, you just look . . . like you could use a friend.”
Josie pressed her lips together and didn’t respond. I tensed, preparing myself for her to agree. She did need friends. Luke and Deacon were great, but the more the merrier or some shit. Though, couldn’t she find another chick? I was moving before I realized what I was doing. Stepping back from the vines and onto the walkway, there was a moment when I could’ve done the right thing, but nope. Apparently I could only half-ass one right thing. I was stalking right toward them.
“I haven’t seen you with the . . . with Seth.” The words were quietly spoken, but oh, I heard them. “It’s weird. Usually, I don’t see you without him and—”
“And I’m right here.”
Josie squeaked as her head swung toward me. Her eyes, those endless eyes, widened in surprise. “Seth?”
I stopped in front of them, eyeballing the little punk bitch on the bench. “You say my name, Josie, like you aren’t sure who I am, but considering how you normally scream my name, I’m a bit surprised.”
“What?” she gasped, and I could tell she was locking up. “What did you just say?”
“I think you heard me,” I replied, my attention focused solely on the tool. “This is the second time I’ve found you like this. Third time’s not going to be a charm.”
Josie’s chest—that remarkable, lovely chest—rose sharply. “This is not really happening,” she said. “This is not seriously happening right now.”
“Whoa.” Colin raised his hands. “I don’t know what you think is going on here, but it’s not.”
“It’s not?” I laughed, the sound biting and harsh as I told myself to stop and walk away.
“Colin, you don’t need to respond to any of that,” Josie said, cheeks pink. “Seth can be delusional—”
“Look, delusional or not, I don’t have a death wish,” Colin said, shaking his head. “I’m not trying to get with what’s yours.”
“Yours?” Josie repeated slowly. “His?”
“Good to hear,” I said smugly.
Colin lowered his hands to his knees. “I think she’s a pretty cool girl, and I like talking to her.” He looked over at her. “I like talking with you and this has been great—”
“Oh my God.” Josie squeezed her eyes shut. “This really cannot be happening.”
“I mean, I want to hang out with you and—”
“You should’ve stopped talking while you were ahead,” I advised, stepping toward him. The toes of my boots brushed his. “Because, you see, I don’t like—”
“Colin doesn’t care what you like.” Josie shot to her feet, dumping the sweater to the ground. “And I don’t even know what you’re doing here. Did you follow me in here?”
Well . . .
I turned to her. Our eyes locked, and damn, it was like a punch right through my chest wall.
Colin rose and stepped aside. “Obviously, you two need to talk.” He paused. “I’ll see you later, Josie.”
Much to my amusement, she barely acknowledged the guy with a nod. Her gaze was on me, and while she was angry, pissed really, she couldn’t look away. Neither could I.
“Did you follow me in here?” she repeated, and when I didn’t answer, she slowly shook her head. “You did, didn’t you? Have you been following me since—?”
“It’s not what you think.” I stepped back.
Josie blinked rapidly. “You don’t know what I think! I just want you to answer—”
“You need to be more careful,” I interrupted.
“More careful of what?”
I gestured to where Colin had walked off. “Of trusting random people. You were telling him about Apollo.” Okay. My reasoning sounded lame to my own ears, but in for a penny . . . “And you were talking about your mother—”
Colin was quiet for only a damn moment. “When she got pregnant with my older brother, things changed. My father ended up moving in with us. For a couple of years, I guess we were like normal mortal families. At least it felt that way to me.”
Now Josie was staring at him and I could see the sympathy all but pouring out of her. Fuck me. “What happened?”
Colin glanced up at the sky. “I was young. Daimons tracked my father home one night. They got hold of my mom and killed her just for sport. My father was able to stop them from getting to us, but my mom . . . she died defending my brother and me. She wasn’t trained or anything. She knew what they were, and she went down fighting. Because of her actions, it gave my father a chance to fight.”
“Sounds very brave.”
“She was brave.” He smiled faintly.
Josie looked like she was seconds away from pulling him into a bear hug. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” He turned to her. “Anyway, that’s some depressing shit right there and you look like that’s the last thing you need right now.”
Oh, like he knew what she needed right now? The hand at my side closed into a fist. I was going to rip out Colin’s tongue and shove it up his ass. Possibly an excessive reaction, but what the fuck ever, it was going to make me feel real good.
Her hands stilled. “Is it that obvious?”
Colin tipped his head back. “Ah, you just look . . . like you could use a friend.”
Josie pressed her lips together and didn’t respond. I tensed, preparing myself for her to agree. She did need friends. Luke and Deacon were great, but the more the merrier or some shit. Though, couldn’t she find another chick? I was moving before I realized what I was doing. Stepping back from the vines and onto the walkway, there was a moment when I could’ve done the right thing, but nope. Apparently I could only half-ass one right thing. I was stalking right toward them.
“I haven’t seen you with the . . . with Seth.” The words were quietly spoken, but oh, I heard them. “It’s weird. Usually, I don’t see you without him and—”
“And I’m right here.”
Josie squeaked as her head swung toward me. Her eyes, those endless eyes, widened in surprise. “Seth?”
I stopped in front of them, eyeballing the little punk bitch on the bench. “You say my name, Josie, like you aren’t sure who I am, but considering how you normally scream my name, I’m a bit surprised.”
“What?” she gasped, and I could tell she was locking up. “What did you just say?”
“I think you heard me,” I replied, my attention focused solely on the tool. “This is the second time I’ve found you like this. Third time’s not going to be a charm.”
Josie’s chest—that remarkable, lovely chest—rose sharply. “This is not really happening,” she said. “This is not seriously happening right now.”
“Whoa.” Colin raised his hands. “I don’t know what you think is going on here, but it’s not.”
“It’s not?” I laughed, the sound biting and harsh as I told myself to stop and walk away.
“Colin, you don’t need to respond to any of that,” Josie said, cheeks pink. “Seth can be delusional—”
“Look, delusional or not, I don’t have a death wish,” Colin said, shaking his head. “I’m not trying to get with what’s yours.”
“Yours?” Josie repeated slowly. “His?”
“Good to hear,” I said smugly.
Colin lowered his hands to his knees. “I think she’s a pretty cool girl, and I like talking to her.” He looked over at her. “I like talking with you and this has been great—”
“Oh my God.” Josie squeezed her eyes shut. “This really cannot be happening.”
“I mean, I want to hang out with you and—”
“You should’ve stopped talking while you were ahead,” I advised, stepping toward him. The toes of my boots brushed his. “Because, you see, I don’t like—”
“Colin doesn’t care what you like.” Josie shot to her feet, dumping the sweater to the ground. “And I don’t even know what you’re doing here. Did you follow me in here?”
Well . . .
I turned to her. Our eyes locked, and damn, it was like a punch right through my chest wall.
Colin rose and stepped aside. “Obviously, you two need to talk.” He paused. “I’ll see you later, Josie.”
Much to my amusement, she barely acknowledged the guy with a nod. Her gaze was on me, and while she was angry, pissed really, she couldn’t look away. Neither could I.
“Did you follow me in here?” she repeated, and when I didn’t answer, she slowly shook her head. “You did, didn’t you? Have you been following me since—?”
“It’s not what you think.” I stepped back.
Josie blinked rapidly. “You don’t know what I think! I just want you to answer—”
“You need to be more careful,” I interrupted.
“More careful of what?”
I gestured to where Colin had walked off. “Of trusting random people. You were telling him about Apollo.” Okay. My reasoning sounded lame to my own ears, but in for a penny . . . “And you were talking about your mother—”
