Authors: Ciara Knight
Alexander pushed from the table.
“Where are you going?” Sammy’s words
penetrated his daze.
“To find a scout demon, and send him back to
Hell.”
****
Gaby ran her hand down the antique-white
Satin dress Alexander gave her for Homecoming. The mirror revealed
a different girl. One she didn’t even recognize. A smile crossed
her lips at the memory of Sammy telling her about Alexander
dragging her and Grace to every antique and thrift store on the
west coast. He wanted to make her first school dance perfect.
Pale blonde hair rested in spiral curls at
the top of her head, cascading down around her cheeks, with pearl
studs and a white pearl choker—a gift from Grace.
She’d never worn her hair up, it made her
look older, more sophisticated. The ringlet curls reminded her of
her mother. She traced the mark on her shoulder from the night of
the car accident. The Mitsubishi symbol permanently burned into her
skin.
“Don’t know if you can see me from up there,
but I wish you were here.” She wrapped her arms around her middle
and imagined her mother’s embrace.
The house stood quiet. She’d insisted on
going home to change for the dance but now missed the noise at
Grace’s house. If she’d told her father about Homecoming, he’d be
home right now. But she’d never tell him. One day less in rehab
could make a difference in sobriety.
Tomorrow she’d move her stuff back home and
clean the house so he wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Maybe
she’d even get a part-time job to help out with the bills. He’d
beat it. Two months in rehab showed his dedication. This time it
would stick.
The doorbell rang. She placed the drawings
that she’d been working on all afternoon into her portfolio and
then grabbed her heels off the bed. The one’s she’d undoubtedly
trip over at some point in the night. Sammy tried to teach her the
proper way to walk in them, but her ankles still twisted when she
didn’t focus.
Alexander waited at the bottom of the
rickety old stairs that creaked with each step she took.
“Hope you don’t mind. I let myself in.” He
looked up and his mouth hung open.
Great, she looked ridiculous. Sammy talked
her into the whole hair and make-up thing.
“I’ll go take my hair down. It’ll only take
a second.”
“Wow,” Alexander’s gaze lingered on her face
then drifted downward, pausing at her hips. “Wow.”
“Is that a good wow? Or—”
“It’s a sensational wow. There’s just one
problem.”
“What’s that?”
“My thoughts are not of the purest, angelic
kind. You’re gonna have to sit on the other side of the room.” His
smile grew from mischievous to a broad ear-to-ear grin, yet there
was still a sadness in his eyes. “But I promised your father I’d
behave, so I shall. There’s one thing missing though.”
Alexander pulled a pearl studded tiara from
his jacket pocket. “You need a crown if you’re going to be a
princess.” With gentle hands he placed the tiara on her head,
careful not to mess up her hair.
Her heart fluttered at his touch.
As she walked to the living room, she could
feel his eyes still roaming her body. She’d never felt so
desirable. Loved, yes…desirable, no. Her body warmed at the
thought. She reached down and slid on her sandals.
“You look like an old Hollywood star. I’m
going to be insanely jealous tonight.” Strong lips pressed against
her neck. Heat radiated through her body again. The musky scent of
his cologne drew her closer.
“I don’t even care about the dance. Just
looking forward to being alone with you. Our plans for the beach
still on?”
“Yes, apparently Boon and Sammy have
something to tell us and want to meet up for the bonfire. After
that, we’ll be alone. Although I’m not sure that’s such a good
idea.”
“I think it’s a great idea.” Gaby turned
around and pulled him in for a kiss.
“I’m in so much trouble.” Alexander laughed
as they headed out to the Mustang.
“Thanks again for the dress. It’s
perfect.”
“No, you in the dress is perfect.”
They drove the short distance to the one
hotel in Kemp that could house a dance besides the school gym. She
focused on not fidgeting. Every time she played with her skirt, she
imagined Sammy scolding her.
They parked and entered the ballroom. A
magical glistening from tea lights on white tablecloths invited
them in. Silver and white ribbons hung from the ceiling along the
edge of the room.
Slow music played in the background while
they lined up for pictures.
“Oh, Gaby. You look sensational!” Sammy
jumped up and down, her short hair bounced with each hop.
“That dress should be outlawed,” Boon
teased. “But I’m sorry. No one’s more breathtaking than my
Sammy.”
“Please, I haven’t eaten yet.” Alexander
slugged Boon in the shoulder.
“Hey, let’s all get our picture together.”
Gaby offered.
“That’s a great idea.” Sammy echoed.
They made it through with a few goofy shots
and even one of the two couples alone. This is what she needed,
time with friends to joke around. Her nerves settled, and for the
first time in a few days she relaxed.
“Gaby, Sammy!” Avery yelled over the
music.
“Great.” Gaby clutched Alexander’s hand
tight.
He squeezed hers in response. “I think Boon
and I’ll go grab some drinks. Let the cheerleaders chat for a
bit.”
Gaby didn’t have time to argue, Alexander
split so fast she swore he’d used angelic powers to flee. Someday
she’d have wings of her own. Well, she could dream.
“Sammy, you look amazing.” Avery kissed each
of her cheeks and turned to Gaby. “Well, um…you know, I’m sure big
bucks over there could’ve bought you a new dress.” Avery leaned in
closer and lowered her voice. “I know you can’t afford it, but you
should at least not embarrass Alexander with hand-me-downs.”
Gaby clenched her fists tight, arms stiff at
her side. One punch could knock her on her high-and-mighty
butt.
“I gave Gaby the dress, and she’s the most
beautiful girl in the room.” Alexander stood directly behind Avery,
soothing the stir of animosity churning Gaby’s insides.
“Um…how’d you…um…you were over there a
second ago.” Avery stammered.
Busted
. Gaby stifled an I-told-you-so
grin.
“Gaby, may I have this dance?” Alexander
offered his arm and led her to the dance floor.
Avery huffed from behind them.
The edge of hatred receded as Alexander
wrapped his arms around Gaby’s waist.
“You didn’t have to—”
Alexander’s thumb stroked her back lovingly.
“I know Avery can be annoying and a little pushy—”
Gaby cupped her hands together behind
Alexander’s neck, and they swayed back and forth on the dance
floor.
“Okay, very annoying. But she’s just a
confused kid who has a crush. I’m not making excuses for her, but
try not to let her get in your head. You’re the only one I want now
and forever.” He kissed her, a sweet nibbling kind of kiss, before
a chaperone came by and tapped them on the shoulder.
“Can you try? For me?”
She couldn’t say no when he looked into her
eyes that way. “I’ll try.”
The song ended and the DJ announced, “Can
our King and Queen join us on the dance floor please?”
Gaby’s heart pounded inside her chest, and
she focused on staying calm by inhaling long cleansing breaths like
Grace had taught her.
Avery glided over from beside the DJ, with
crowns in hand. “Here Alexander, this makes it more official.”
Sharp zaps of electricity echoed up Gaby’s
spine as if jumper cables connected each of her vertebrae. Glasses
clinked on the tables, and the microphone whaled. Gaby clutched
Avery’s arm before she could place the crown on his head. The black
shadow of hatred washed over Gaby’s soul despite her fight for
control.
The room fell silent except for a voice in
the far back, “Cat fight!”
****
Alexander placed his hand over Gaby’s.
“Remember your promise.” Opening his heart, he thrust every thought
and feeling of love for Gaby and concentrated on calming and
reassuring her. He just hoped none of it spilled over to Avery, or
she’d be a real mess. There wasn’t a choice though. If Gaby lost it
and her powers were surfacing, their cover would be blown and
they’d all be at risk.
Sammy grasped Gaby’s arm, “Come on, let’s
powder our noses. Remember, we want to look our best for our plans
after Homecoming.” Sammy leaned in and whispered. “When you two can
be alone.”
Alexander could feel his aura touch Sammy’s,
as if both of them merged together to calm Gaby.
Gaby released Avery and they moved away.
Why was she so hostile? This wasn’t the Gaby
he knew and loved. Something triggered her episodes. He scanned the
area. Could a scout demon hide amongst a bunch of high school
students?
“Man, I thought we’d get some real
entertainment.” A male voice rang out from the crowd. Alexander
studied him for a moment, but saw no sign of demonic possession.
Only dilated pupils from whatever he’d consumed prior to the
dance.
The music started, and Alexander kept Avery
at arm’s length through the dance. She tried to bridge the gap
between them, but each time she moved too close Alexander was hit
with a wall of depression and longing.
This rich Barbie doll cheerleader, that
seemed to have everything, was nothing more than a broken child. He
sent a wave of soothing aura through her while they danced. Her
soul grabbed hold and sucked him in. He gasped and pulled away.
Something dark was close by, but he couldn’t be too obvious that he
suspected.
Thankful when the song ended, he put
distance between them and drug in air, sharp pain ran through his
body with each heartbeat.
Boon came out, slapped him on the back, and
led him from the dance floor. Avery still stood there in a trance
for a second before she stomped away.
“Boon, I don’t know what happened.
She…she—”
“Not now, we’ll talk later. Too many ears to
hear, and you don’t want to upset Gaby.”
Alexander shuddered and pushed the raw
feeling of loss from his body. He walked out to find Principal
Mastema, better known as The Prim, talking with Gaby in the foyer
outside the bathrooms. Was Gaby in trouble?
People flooded out of the ballroom in
flowing, colorful dresses and dark suits. “Man, let’s go find a
real party.”
“We are the party.” The guys fist bumped and
walked out the front door taking a swig from a metal flask they
probably stole from their old man. The Prim watched them put away
the flask and walk out. Why didn’t she stop them? Wasn’t she
supposed to be the alcohol patrol for the evening?
As if on cue, she marched across the tile
floor and flung the glass doors open.
Gaby swaggered over to him. Hips, hugged by
satin material, swayed with each step. “Are we ready to go?”
A lump caught in Alexander’s throat. “W-we
just got here.”
Her eyebrows rose, and she bit down on her
luscious bottom lip. “Sammy and Boon just left. They’re excited to
share some sort of news with us.”
Bass beat from the ballroom in cadence with
his heart. She ran a finger down his cheek and pushed against him.
Fire raged from deep inside. Breath caught in his throat. “Are you
okay, Gaby?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’ve never been
better.” A devious smile grew, and she leaned in for a kiss.
Something had changed in the last ten
minutes. This wasn’t Gaby. Not any Gaby he’d ever experienced. Not
that he was complaining, but something happened.
“What did The Prim want?”
“Nothing, really. Just wanted me to know
that she was there if I needed anything.”
Alexander stepped away from her inviting
mouth. “Come on, we don’t want to keep Sammy and Boon waiting.” He
paused at the door and took a quick glance around. Should he tell
her about the demon and what was going on? No, they’d all agreed to
protect her.
They passed Prim on their way out. “Remember
what I said, Gaby.”
“I will.”
Hair rose on his arms. Something about the
principal didn’t sit right. He led Gaby quickly to the car.
“You sure that’s all The Prim said to
you?”
“Mostly, yeah.” She slid into the
passenger’s seat and gathered her skirt around her legs for him to
shut the door.
He bolted around the car and jumped into the
driver’s seat, cranking the engine. “What else did she say?”
“Doesn’t matter. Right now I want to focus
on us.” Gaby ran her hand down his leg and rested it on his
knee.
“God help me. I had to fall in love with the
daughter of a hunter.” He had to be strong for them both. Gaby
didn’t know what she was doing.
“My father adores you.”
“It doesn’t mean he won’t kill me.”
Chapter Three
Alexander gripped the steering wheel,
maneuvering around holes and debris. The car soared over a tree
limb, thrusting Gaby forward. Alexander shot his arm out in front
of her chest to keep her pinned to the seat. The car jostled down
the dirt road until the thoroughfare narrowed to a small path
jetting between two tall pine trees. Alexander turned the
headlights off, and a flicker of orange danced in the distance.
Sammy and Boon had already started a fire on the beach at their
private alcove.
For the first time since he met Gaby,
Alexander was nervous to be alone with her. If what Grace said was
true, the effects of the demon could go on for hours as some sort
of aftershocks. Well, that was the theory.
Alexander took Gaby’s hand and led her
toward the shore. The heel of her shoe caught in the sand, and she
clutched his hand to keep from toppling over. Why did she wear
heels? Sammy tried to explain why girls did these kinds of things,
but he just didn’t get it. He scooped her into his arms and carried
her the short distance through the trees and brush.