Winging It Page 12

  Chapter Seven

  Monday morning seemed to be filled with complications. I knew I needed to ask Jared about the book, as well as about the Mages, but Liam had wanted me to wait for him to arrive in Chicago before I did anything. When was he going to get here? We weren’t that close to Ohio. I’d checked the site for Jared’s band and saw that they had a gig in Des Moines Tuesday night.

  So I didn’t have much time. They might even be gone already.

  I wasn’t inclined to wait on Liam but was a bit nervous about acting alone. Had Kohana followed me to Jared on Saturday night? Or had he followed the sound of Jared’s spellsinging? Would Kohana still be there, waiting on me to show? I decided he must have better things to do. Jared probably wouldn’t be spellsinging when I found him this time, so there’d be no music to draw Kohana’s attention, wherever he was.

  My mom called when Meagan and I were walking to school. Another short and sweet call – she sounded more cheerful, which could have meant anything – and I filled Meagan in on the details afterward. The call reminded me of my plan to send my mom a vision – somehow – and try to turn the tide.

  No pressure.

  I had so much on my mind that I wasn’t exactly a source of sparkling conversation.

  As usual, Jessica was waiting at the school doors. She and Meagan called to each other and hugged like long-lost sisters, then scurried off to compare notes on homework and guys with secrets.

  Derek was, as usual, loitering against the lockers, watching me and being ignored by everyone else. I hadn’t finished his drawing, so I just smiled and pulled out my messenger again, needing to do something other than talk to him. I was self-conscious, given Meagan’s theory about him having a crush on me, and thinking that I really had crap judgment when it came to guys.

  Proof of that was that I sent Jared a message, trying not to look desperate while I waited for his reply. On the upside, it came quickly. On the downside, he blew me off.

  Again.

  I don’t know why I was surprised. He said he couldn’t meet me later. He and the other band members were packing up their gear to head out after lunch.

  Then I realized that Jared was assuming that I would be in school until close to four.

  I had a sudden uncharacteristic urge to cut class.

  In the end, I didn’t have to skip. English was canceled at the last minute because Miss Ross got sick abruptly – the school nurse was muttering about flu, but Fiona was already spreading rumors that Miss Ross might be pregnant. Nice. – and we were given a free period. I had lunch right after English on Mondays, which left just enough time to get downtown and back. If I was lucky. (It also, yet again, foiled my plan to get on Meagan’s good side and have lunch with Jessica. Given the choice, I thought seeing Jared was more important. You probably saw that coming.) I fled the school like a bat out of hell and raced to the bus stop.

  There was a bus idling there. I was sorely tempted to spontaneously manifest downtown – thereby saving lots of time and two bus fares – but it was broad daylight.

  And I could hear someone loping along behind me.

  ‘Hey!’ Derek bellowed when the bus driver put the bus in gear. He was so loud that I nearly stumbled.

  But the bus driver must have heard him. He stopped the bus and opened the door.

  I halted, panting by the door, and glanced back.

  Derek was catching his breath, too, and his eyes were gleaming. He gestured for me to go first and I did.

  I wasn’t enormously surprised when he dropped into a seat near mine. ‘Going downtown?’ I asked.

  He nodded once, then averted his gaze.

  That was okay. I didn’t feel like talking, either. It was snowing again, just light flurries that swirled around the bus. There were half a dozen riders on the bus, mostly older people. I fiddled with my ring as we rode.

  I couldn’t help stealing glances at Derek. He was kind of cute. It was true that he wasn’t in Jared’s league, but apparently Jared was out of mine.

  I didn’t mind how serious Derek was. I liked that he was tall. I liked that he was focused. I had the sense that he would do whatever he said he would do, that he’d be totally straight with everyone and would not – just for example – mess with someone’s mind for inexplicable reasons or personal entertainment. Derek would be in or out, with you or against you.

  Like Nick. The first guy I’d liked who hadn’t liked me.

  I was thinking I needed to review my romantic strategies.

  That gave me something to do on the bus.

  I liked Derek’s eyes, too. That pale blue was really something.

  Derek got on the L with me, too, but didn’t sit beside me. I found myself intrigued by him and his silence, maybe because he offered a different puzzle, one that wasn’t so key to my survival. An idle mind game. I could do with a few more of those.

  Derek nodded once at me when he got off the L, two stops before my intended destination, and I felt curiously relieved.

  He hadn’t been following me, then.

  Maybe Meagan was wrong.

  The street outside the club was busier than it had been at night and even though I kept myself on guard, I felt pretty safe. I couldn’t sense any other Pyr and didn’t catch one glimpse of Kohana.

  Everything seemed perfectly normal.

  Which worked for me.

  There was music emanating from the club. Loud music. And it was a bit erratic, as if the band was rehearsing. I had to pound on the door to get anyone to answer and then Rick hauled the door open.

  His annoyance changed quickly to a grin. ‘Hey, Jared. Last chance!’ He disappeared into the darkness of the interior, leaving the door standing open.

  Jared was wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans, and my gaze fell to that salamander tattoo. He smiled when he noticed me looking, then gave me a stern look. His eyes kept twinkling. He leaned in the doorway, looking like trouble. ‘You’re not skipping school, are you, dragon girl?’ He pretended to be horrified. ‘I thought you were one to follow the rules.’

  ‘Maybe you’re a bad influence.’

  He laughed, then studied me. ‘Seriously.’

  ‘We got a free period, and I have lunch right after. I’m taking advantage of the opportunity.’

  ‘To get into trouble?’ His eyes glinted, as if he had definite ideas of what kind of trouble I could get into.

  I had to look away.

  ‘I need to ask you a couple of questions.’ It shouldn’t have surprised me that his good mood vanished. He looked wary, but didn’t say anything. I took a deep breath. ‘I want to know about the Mages.’

  Jared evaded my gaze. ‘I’m not sure there’s much I can tell you.’ His tone was neutral.

  Too neutral.

  I chose to trust my instincts and pushed him.

  That had been his advice, after all.

  ‘I need to know about them. Self-defense.’

  Jared scuffed his boot and gazed down at it, considering something. Calculating. What didn’t he want to tell me? Garrett’s suspicions swirled into my thoughts and took hold.

  ‘And the book,’ I added. ‘I need to know the truth about the book.’

  He glanced up in surprise. ‘What about it?’

  ‘How you got it. When you got it.’

  Jared looked at me hard then and I could see that he wasn’t really surprised by my question. He also didn’t look inclined to tell me more. He was studying me closely.

  I remembered that he could read my thoughts, a little bit too late to hide them. I saw his lips tighten and remembered that I had no secrets from him.

  Although he could have plenty from me. I disliked the fact that I was even thinking about the advantage of building firewalls between us – never mind that the only way I would be able to check on my own success in doing so would be by seeing him again.

  Which seemed unlikely at best.

  Jared turned away when I thought that, and made to close the door. ‘You don’t trust me.’

>   I put my hand on the door to stop it. ‘I do trust you. I’m just wondering whether that’s very smart.’

  ‘I told you …’

  ‘I’m not asking for you to check in with me all the time, like I’ve got you on some kind of leash,’ I said, interrupting him. ‘I’m starting to think that counting on you is a long shot. I’d just like to know how long the odds are.’

  ‘Against what?’

  ‘Against anything.’ I’d said more than I’d meant to say, but it was done, lying between us like a roadblock.

  Jared took a breath and pursed his lips. ‘So, you’re just like everyone else after all,’ he said softly. ‘I thought dragons were extra perceptive. I thought a dragon girl would see the truth.’

  ‘Not fair,’ I said, my anger rising. ‘Why does trusting you mean that I can’t ask you any questions? Why can’t I ask you where you got the book, since everyone is telling me that there’s only one? I’m not saying that you’re lying to me. I’m saying that people have questions and I can’t defend you without some answers. I’m saying I want to trust you, but you have to give me something to base that trust on.’

  ‘You’re all shimmery.’ His gaze danced over me.

  ‘Well, what do you expect?’ I flung out my hands. ‘I saw the Mage spells Saturday night, and they were feeding off your music. Your songs were helping them build their power. I want to know why.’

  ‘You saw what?’ he said, his face pale.

  There was no doubt that I’d shocked him.

  But I was still angry. ‘I told you. You know what I want to know. You can tell me or not. It’s not like you owe me anything, as you’ve made clear.’

  I turned to walk away. I hated arguing with him. I hated that he was hiding things from me. And I hated that his decision to do that was destroying my trust in him.

  Did everything I believed in have to turn out to be a lie?

  All in the same week?

  I got only about fifty feet before Jared fell into step beside me. He was still shrugging into his black leather biker jacket, but he threw me an irreverent look. ‘Probably would have attracted too much attention if I’d asked you to keep me warm,’ he murmured, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  ‘Don’t go there. Not now.’ I was angry, but I couldn’t keep myself from blushing, which only seemed to amuse him.

  ‘Okay, I’ll answer three questions,’ he said, indicating the alley that ran behind the club.

  ‘Why only three?’

  His smile flashed. ‘Careful, dragon girl, that’s one.’ He sobered and grabbed my hand. ‘Come this way.’

  Like an idiot, I couldn’t say no or hold my ground or even stop my stupid heart from galloping. I should have been frightened by the power this guy had over me – but in this moment, it irritated me. ‘Have I told you lately that you can be really annoying?’

  Jared laughed. ‘Trust me, Zoë, I don’t have an exclusive on that.’ My heart stopped and raced at that. He seldom called me by my name. That he did made me hope that something would change.

  That he was going to make a concession, just for me.

  He tugged me toward the alley then, his grip so warm and strong on my fingers that I couldn’t say a thing. He led me around the back of the building that housed the club.

  He pulled down the ladder on a rickety metal fire escape. I halfway thought it would break as soon as it had any weight on it. He locked his fingers together to give me a boost. I swung onto the bottom rung, glad I’d been working out as hard this summer as I had. The metal ladder shook but held.

  After I started to climb, Jared jumped and caught the bottom rung with his hands, swinging up behind me. It got colder as we ascended, the snow swirling all around us.

  Eventually we were on a broad, flat roof. There was a water tower in the middle and nothing else.

  But snow and sky and distant buildings.

  I took a steadying breath. The building was maybe six stories high, a good distance away from the cluster of tall office buildings and taller than its immediate neighbors. The wind off the lake was chilly and I could see that the water was choppy. The snowstorm would get worse soon.

  I turned to face Jared, only to find that he had been watching me. ‘I don’t think we’ll be overheard here,’ he said, zipping up his leather jacket against the wind. His hair was being tossed around. ‘Go for it.’ He held up his thumb, demanding my first question.

  I decided to start small. ‘Why did the Mages’ spells come out of the sewer grates on Saturday night?’

  ‘When?’ If nothing else, I had his complete attention.

  ‘During the concert.’ I was ready to have a nice calm conversation, but the tone was already turning.

  Jared frowned. ‘You couldn’t have seen that from inside the club. The windows are blacked out.’

  ‘Well, no. It was when I left.’

  Jared leaned closer, his eyes snapping. ‘What?’

  ‘I went outside. Alone.’

  ‘Why did you do that? Why would you leave alone?’

  ‘Why wouldn’t I do it? You weren’t exactly being friendly. I had to think.’

  ‘Outside, alone, in a crappy part of town.’ His disgust was clear.

  ‘Not quite alone. Kohana attacked me.’

  ‘What?’ He stared at me, obviously unhappy with what I was telling him. Then he shoved one hand through his hair. ‘Holy shit, Zoë, that was stupid. You could have been killed.’

  His concern might have been gratifying if he hadn’t been so sure that I’d lose a fight. ‘Thank you very much.’

  ‘I’ve seen you fight.’

  ‘Not lately.’ I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him. Our gazes locked and held, a definite sizzle in the air between us. ‘I refuse to be a damsel in distress.’

  He almost smiled, then shook his head. ‘You shouldn’t have gone outside alone.’

  ‘And you shouldn’t have been singing spells. Isn’t that what drew the Mages closer? Weren’t they using your music as fuel for their spells?’

  He eyed me, wary again. ‘I’m not sure. What exactly did you see?’

  ‘I can see spells. They’re like beams of light. I saw the ones that you and your band were making and I saw Mage spells coming out of the sewer grates and manhole covers and basement windows. As if they were responding to the sound of your songs. They were wrapping around them.’

  ‘Absorbing them and feeding on the energy.’ Jared paced, his agitation clear. ‘You probably think I was making them stronger on purpose.’

  I blinked. That possibility had never occurred to me.

  He saw that, too. I knew it because some of the tension slid out of his shoulders.

  ‘Why did they try to recruit you, anyway?’

  He winced. ‘And the implied question would be how did I decline the privilege.’

  ‘You said you took a pass on their offer.’

  ‘But you only have my word on that, don’t you?’ He spun to face me. ‘And what exactly is that worth, Zoë?’

  ‘I’m trying to trust you.’

  ‘But should you?’ His tone was challenging. I didn’t like it. ‘Isn’t it the point of a Mage spell to make someone believe something that isn’t true? Maybe I’ve enchanted you, to persuade you to trust me against your own instincts. Maybe I’m deliberately drawing you into danger. Isn’t that what you think?’

  ‘No. It’s what some of the guys think, but I trust you. That’s why I’m asking questions. You need to tell me what’s really going on.’

  His smile was more of a grimace. ‘What if I told you that I got the book by stealing it from Sara’s shop? That ripping off the book was my initiation test from the Mages, the challenge they gave me to prove myself?’ He stepped closer and raised one finger, holding my gaze with defiance. ‘What if I told you that I realized then that their plan was to recruit me, both because of my innate talent and because of my connection with the Pyr?’

  ‘Because Donovan is your uncle?’

&nbs
p; He nodded once and his voice softened. ‘What if I told you that they wanted me to be the bait to snare and destroy you?’

  I held my ground, fighting to hold on to my instinctive trust of him. In reality, everything was spinning around me, spinning like a maelstrom of falling snow. Jared had stolen the book? Jared had been courted by the Mages to trap me?

  I took a deep breath. ‘Then I would know why you declined.’

  ‘How do you know that, Zoë?’ he demanded with heat. ‘How can you be sure?’

  ‘You helped me. Last spring. You broke Adrian’s spell and helped us save the older Pyr—’

  He interrupted me. ‘That could have been a trick to gain your confidence,’ he argued, his voice rough.

  ‘Or it could have been the truth.’

  He stared at me then, and I held his gaze, letting him look into my thoughts. Because the truth was that I did trust him, and I knew in my gut that if the details seemed to condemn him, it was just because I didn’t have all of the facts.

  I wanted to believe in him.

  I wanted him to be everything that I believed him to be.

  And maybe if I believed in Jared the way no one else did, maybe if I trusted him the way no one else did, maybe that could help him be the person I thought he could be.

  The guy I yearned for.

  I stared right back, unblinking, and I let him look.

  Finally Jared sighed and closed his eyes, relief rippling through him. ‘I knew you were different,’ he murmured.

  I’d thought he might touch me, but he turned away. He walked the perimeter of the roof. He scanned the sky, thinking, his fingertips drumming on his leg.

  I gave him time to decide.

  It seemed like I’d passed the test, after all.

  ‘Okay, here’s the deal.’ Jared spoke quickly when he came back to face me. ‘Mages work with an inherent ability. Only a few people are born with the particular kind of musical talent that the Mages can twist to their own use. You can’t learn spellsinging. You either enchant with your song or your music or you don’t. They sense those people, or maybe they hear their amateur spells. Either way, they target them and try to recruit them. More Mages mean more power.’