The Rising
Page 62
“Veggie. Trust me, you always pick veggie.”
I shook my head. “Even if I did feel something, I wouldn’t do anything about it now, would I? Under the circumstances? Kinda more worried about the rest of my life.”
When he said nothing, I headed for the door. “I’ll call him back in.”
Corey shot forward and grabbed my arm. “I’ll keep my mouth shut on one condition.”
I looked back at him.
“Don’t punish Daniel over this,” he said.
“Punish . . . ?”
“Maybe that’s not the right word, but you know what I mean. Don’t shut him out. Don’t run away from him. Don’t make things weird.”
“They are weird.”
“But they’ve been that way for years. Daniel’s felt like this forever and he hasn’t let it change your friendship. He hasn’t interfered with you and other guys. He’s been cool about it. You need to be cool about it. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know that.”
“Then act like it, okay?”
I nodded. I opened the door and leaned out.
“Daniel?”
He stepped from a room at the end of the hall. “All clear?”
I said yes and started to withdraw, but he motioned me into the hall. I hesitated, then came out. He walked over.
“Everything okay?” he whispered.
“Sure.” I started backing up, but he stopped me.
He moved closer and as he did, I stiffened. Exactly what Corey asked me not to do. Damn you, Rafe. Damn you, too, Corey, for starting this.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered.
I looked up at him and when I did, I saw worry. Worry and concern. Corey was right—if Daniel did feel something for me, then it wasn’t new. It was just this—Daniel, as he always had been.
I leaned against his shoulder, resting my cheek on it. His arms went around me in a hug. Nothing weird. Nothing new. Just a reassuring squeeze.
“Rough day, huh?” he whispered.
I nodded as I pulled back. “Can we grab pizza and talk about it?”
“Sure. I don’t think anyone’s getting much sleep tonight.”
We went into the kitchen. At first it seemed empty and I frowned as I looked at the half-eaten slice on the table.
“Corey was right here—”
At a noise to my left, I turned to see Corey on the floor.
FORTY-TWO
DANIEL AND I RACED over as Corey rose, rubbing his shoulder and wincing. “Okay,” he said. “How did I end up—?”
He convulsed and retched, spewing the cupboards with half-digested pizza.
“Really not a cool power,” he mumbled as he tried to push up.
He went down again, crouching, hands to his head. We took him, one at each arm, and moved him to a cleaner spot in front of the fridge. He sat with his back against it, heaving deep breaths as he winced in pain.
“Where are your pills?” Daniel asked.
“Hell if I know,” Corey said. “My bag. Maybe.” He swore and doubled over. “Just hold on. I’ll remember as soon as I can think—”
He let out a yowl, hands to his head.
“Breathe,” I said. “Just breathe.”
He scowled at me for echoing his words from before, but took deep breaths, chest heaving. When the door banged open, we all jumped. It was Derek, with Chloe right behind him.
Derek’s gaze shot to Corey, sitting on the floor, us crouched on either side. “What—?” His nose wrinkled and he looked over at the vomit.
“He’s having a vision,” I said. “That’s what happens.”
“Attractive, I know,” Corey said between gritted teeth. “And now I get new witnesses to my humiliation. Wonderful.”
“We’re used to it,” Chloe said. “Derek used to do that when he Changed. Only worse.”
“Thank you for sharing,” Derek muttered.
She grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Chloe grabbed paper towels from the counter. When I realized she was going to clean up, I hurried over, saying, “No, I’ll get that.”
“You look after your friend,” she said as Derek went to help her.
I was going to protest again, but Corey doubled over, groaning, and I returned to him.
He had his eyes squeezed shut. “Trees,” he said. “I’m seeing trees. Which better not mean we’re going to end up in another forest, because I am so damned sick—” He gasped as if hit by another wave of pain. “Yep, it’s a forest. Trees, trees, and more trees.”
“Deciduous or coniferous?” I asked.
He opened one eye. “English?”
“Leaves or needles?”
He closed his eyes but didn’t flinch or gasp this time, just leaned back against the fridge, as if he was seeing the vision play out behind his eyelids.
“Mostly leaves. Changing color, like they are here.” A pause. “I think it is here. I see a mark on one of the big trees. Blue paint. I saw some with that.”
Chloe nodded, walking back with Derek. “It’s a woodlot behind us. The owner marked trees for cutting.”
Corey winced and jerked forward again, eyes squeezed shut. “People,” he gasped. “I see people. In black and camo. There are two women. They’re doing something. Casting spells, I think.”
I described the two witches we’d seen—the St. Cloud one and the Nasts’. Corey was seeing both. When I realized that, my stomach plummeted.
“You led the Nasts here?” Derek said.
“No,” Daniel said. “Obviously the St. Clouds did. Somehow they knew we were coming here—”
“Somehow?” Derek turned on me. “Your father told them. He set this whole thing up.”
“What for?” I said. “If he wanted the Nasts to know, he’d have told them without sending us here.”
“Let’s not do this,” Chloe said. “If Corey’s telling us these people are in our back woods, we can’t sit around flinging blame.”
“No, he’s saying they will be there,” I said. “It’s a vision.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Daniel murmured. “When you were taken, he had a vision of that and, according to Ash, the timing was pretty much dead-on. It was happening simultaneously.”
I shook my head. “Even if I did feel something, I wouldn’t do anything about it now, would I? Under the circumstances? Kinda more worried about the rest of my life.”
When he said nothing, I headed for the door. “I’ll call him back in.”
Corey shot forward and grabbed my arm. “I’ll keep my mouth shut on one condition.”
I looked back at him.
“Don’t punish Daniel over this,” he said.
“Punish . . . ?”
“Maybe that’s not the right word, but you know what I mean. Don’t shut him out. Don’t run away from him. Don’t make things weird.”
“They are weird.”
“But they’ve been that way for years. Daniel’s felt like this forever and he hasn’t let it change your friendship. He hasn’t interfered with you and other guys. He’s been cool about it. You need to be cool about it. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I know that.”
“Then act like it, okay?”
I nodded. I opened the door and leaned out.
“Daniel?”
He stepped from a room at the end of the hall. “All clear?”
I said yes and started to withdraw, but he motioned me into the hall. I hesitated, then came out. He walked over.
“Everything okay?” he whispered.
“Sure.” I started backing up, but he stopped me.
He moved closer and as he did, I stiffened. Exactly what Corey asked me not to do. Damn you, Rafe. Damn you, too, Corey, for starting this.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered.
I looked up at him and when I did, I saw worry. Worry and concern. Corey was right—if Daniel did feel something for me, then it wasn’t new. It was just this—Daniel, as he always had been.
I leaned against his shoulder, resting my cheek on it. His arms went around me in a hug. Nothing weird. Nothing new. Just a reassuring squeeze.
“Rough day, huh?” he whispered.
I nodded as I pulled back. “Can we grab pizza and talk about it?”
“Sure. I don’t think anyone’s getting much sleep tonight.”
We went into the kitchen. At first it seemed empty and I frowned as I looked at the half-eaten slice on the table.
“Corey was right here—”
At a noise to my left, I turned to see Corey on the floor.
FORTY-TWO
DANIEL AND I RACED over as Corey rose, rubbing his shoulder and wincing. “Okay,” he said. “How did I end up—?”
He convulsed and retched, spewing the cupboards with half-digested pizza.
“Really not a cool power,” he mumbled as he tried to push up.
He went down again, crouching, hands to his head. We took him, one at each arm, and moved him to a cleaner spot in front of the fridge. He sat with his back against it, heaving deep breaths as he winced in pain.
“Where are your pills?” Daniel asked.
“Hell if I know,” Corey said. “My bag. Maybe.” He swore and doubled over. “Just hold on. I’ll remember as soon as I can think—”
He let out a yowl, hands to his head.
“Breathe,” I said. “Just breathe.”
He scowled at me for echoing his words from before, but took deep breaths, chest heaving. When the door banged open, we all jumped. It was Derek, with Chloe right behind him.
Derek’s gaze shot to Corey, sitting on the floor, us crouched on either side. “What—?” His nose wrinkled and he looked over at the vomit.
“He’s having a vision,” I said. “That’s what happens.”
“Attractive, I know,” Corey said between gritted teeth. “And now I get new witnesses to my humiliation. Wonderful.”
“We’re used to it,” Chloe said. “Derek used to do that when he Changed. Only worse.”
“Thank you for sharing,” Derek muttered.
She grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Chloe grabbed paper towels from the counter. When I realized she was going to clean up, I hurried over, saying, “No, I’ll get that.”
“You look after your friend,” she said as Derek went to help her.
I was going to protest again, but Corey doubled over, groaning, and I returned to him.
He had his eyes squeezed shut. “Trees,” he said. “I’m seeing trees. Which better not mean we’re going to end up in another forest, because I am so damned sick—” He gasped as if hit by another wave of pain. “Yep, it’s a forest. Trees, trees, and more trees.”
“Deciduous or coniferous?” I asked.
He opened one eye. “English?”
“Leaves or needles?”
He closed his eyes but didn’t flinch or gasp this time, just leaned back against the fridge, as if he was seeing the vision play out behind his eyelids.
“Mostly leaves. Changing color, like they are here.” A pause. “I think it is here. I see a mark on one of the big trees. Blue paint. I saw some with that.”
Chloe nodded, walking back with Derek. “It’s a woodlot behind us. The owner marked trees for cutting.”
Corey winced and jerked forward again, eyes squeezed shut. “People,” he gasped. “I see people. In black and camo. There are two women. They’re doing something. Casting spells, I think.”
I described the two witches we’d seen—the St. Cloud one and the Nasts’. Corey was seeing both. When I realized that, my stomach plummeted.
“You led the Nasts here?” Derek said.
“No,” Daniel said. “Obviously the St. Clouds did. Somehow they knew we were coming here—”
“Somehow?” Derek turned on me. “Your father told them. He set this whole thing up.”
“What for?” I said. “If he wanted the Nasts to know, he’d have told them without sending us here.”
“Let’s not do this,” Chloe said. “If Corey’s telling us these people are in our back woods, we can’t sit around flinging blame.”
“No, he’s saying they will be there,” I said. “It’s a vision.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Daniel murmured. “When you were taken, he had a vision of that and, according to Ash, the timing was pretty much dead-on. It was happening simultaneously.”
