Page 83 of Demon Kissed
I turn to see him smoldering. What’s wrong? Did something happen to Adam? I can’t imagine what else might put such a furious look on his face.
I quickly stand, grabbing my lunch, and hurry over to him, very aware that William’s eyes are currently trailing over the back of my legs and my very short skirt.
“What is it?” I whisper between my teeth, heart thudding with fear.
“Did you forget your lunch detention!” Raz booms loudly, for the benefit of the other students.
My fear transforms into fury. I want to strangle him. How dare he embarrass me like that!
But then Molly calls out from the popular table. “You got detention for P.E.! Lucky! Mr. D, what do I gotta do to eat lunch with you?” This sets off a series of catcalls and snickers as Raz leads me out of the cafeteria’s double doors and into the hall.
“I suppose you’re officially one of the cool kids,” Raz says as he leads me towards the gym.
I shrug. “I guess.” I don’t feel like one. “I think this means your time with me is almost done.”
Raz’s dark eyes find mine, and the hallway fills with emotion until it feels like I’m treading water.
“William asked me to sit by him in the van.” I give a single-shoulder shrug and a smile, but it feels empty. I should be thrilled about this, ecstatic even. It’s all I’ve wanted for years.
But as soon as William is a sure thing, the demons will go away. My summons will end, and they’ll be onto the next one. And it will become me and Adam against the world once more. That used to be the way it was. And I was fine with it. But now…
I blink away the stupid tears that form in my eyes. I have lectured myself endlessly to not get attached. Even my dreams warned me away from the demons.
But how do you stay aloof? How can you not get attached, when people swoop into your life and make it better than you could have possibly imagined? Maybe even better than your dreams?
“Better than dreams?” Raz’s voice is husky, and he steps closer to me, peering down into my eyes.
“Shit. I said that out loud?” I whisper, as his face edges closer to mine.
“Yup.” I feel his whisper against my lips, and it’s soft and warm.
I close my eyes…
“Mr. Dämon, what is happening!?” Van’s voice snaps like a whip.
My eyes fly open, and then I turn and flee down the hall, not looking at Van, who’s practically vibrating in fury.
Oh God.
I shove open the door to the girls’ bathroom and hide in a stall. I put the lid down and perch on top of it, drawing my knees up to my chest.
What the hell just happened?
28
I climbinto the decathlon van with more than a little trepidation. I’m not only scared about sitting next to William for hours on end, I’m also nervous because I agreed to leave Adam with the rest of the demons while I’m gone. And even though this past week has proven that they are capable of so much kindness and I’m not worried about Adam’s safety, it’s still the first time I’ve left him since I was in that car accident and stuck in a hospital bed for a week. My heart isn’t thrilled by the prospect.
Kastros stands outside the van with a checklist, looking dark and intimidating and not at all excited about the prospect of a six-hour drive with a van full of teenagers. I give him a hesitant grin before putting the duffel I packed this morning into the vehicle and going to the doors and climbing in.
I make my way to the back of the van, since I am one of the first to arrive. I’m eternally grateful that it’s Kastros who’s chaperoning our little trip, not Raz. I don’t know how to face him right now. I have no idea what to say, other than I’m a total idiot.
Alanna has taken up two seats in front of me, stretching her legs out as she quickly cycles through flashcards. When I get settled, she turns to me with a smile that seems a little weirder than usual. Then again, I’ve always gotten strange vibes from her. She’s got this intense bossy thing going on, and before I partnered up with Tim (out of self-preservation) she was constantly trying to get me to study with her. And while I like learning stupid facts, I seriously think it’s all she does. She’s a history buff, and I don’t think that I’ve seen her get more than one question wrong.
And the day she did…I swore I thought Mr. Penn was gonna end up dead behind the school bleachers or something. They argued for almost forty minutes over the answer.
“Hey, pretty girl.” Alanna flashes me a smile.
“Hi,” I awkwardly return.
