Aspen and the Dream Walkers (22 page)

Aspen didn’t speak and stared at Miriam. If
Stephan wasn’t eating, it was probably because her mother wasn’t
there to make meals, but she didn’t say a word.

“He’s a total mess and you’ve ruined my
life,” Miriam went on. “I used to enjoy going home, but now the
kitchen is filthy and the rooms are a wreck.”

Her lip trembled, and Aspen could see that
she was really upset.

“Dad keeps arguing with me and nothing I do
is right anymore. I hope you’re happy now.”

Miriam stepped so close that her breath
puffed against Aspen’s cheek, and she poked a stiff finger in her
chest. Luckily, the leather bracelet stopped Aspen from shocking
Miriam. She felt a bit sorry for her stepsister, and didn’t want to
add to her misery by electrocuting her. If Miriam needed a chance
to rant, she would let her. The long mirror pressed coldly against
her back as Miriam crowded her. The girl’s eyes were watery and
red, and her clothes were wrinkled.

“Your mother destroyed my life. I’ve got no
clean clothes to wear and I don’t get supper anymore.” Miriam
raised her voice again. “Your mom is a complete slut, running away
with another man.”

Aspen gasped. She’d felt sorry for Miriam at
first, but no one insulted her mother. “Don’t you ever speak about
my mom like that. Why don’t
you
wash the dishes and make
supper yourself? Maybe if you weren’t so lazy, you’d be okay. And
he’s my dad’s brother, by the way.”

It was as though Miriam was waiting for Aspen
to challenge her. She raised both hands and grasped Aspen’s cheeks
with a bruising force, then slammed her head against the
mirror.

Aspen’s skull hit the solid surface, and she
cried out in pain. The mirror shattered instantly from the blow,
but didn’t fall apart. She reached up to touch her head and felt a
sticky moistness in her hair.

Without warning, Miriam slammed her head back
again, and black spots appeared in Aspen’s vision. Her legs wobbled
as Miriam smashed her head back once more. This time, the mirror
broke apart and small pieces pierced her scalp as she collapsed on
the floor. No one entered the bathroom, and Aspen’s head throbbed
so badly that she couldn’t think. She opened her mouth to call for
help, but no sound came out of her throat. She was dazed and almost
lost consciousness.

Just as Miriam pulled back her foot to kick
her, Dylan shoved open the bathroom door. He grabbed Miriam’s arm
and shocked her violently, and she jerked in his grip.

“What are you doing?” he shouted.

Miriam shrank back with wild eyes and flicked
her fingers to rid herself of the pain. “I’m reporting you to the
principal. Get out of here!” Then she dashed out of the room
without a second glance at her stepsister.

Dylan knelt down next to Aspen and cradled
her head carefully in his lap, dusting pieces of mirror from her
face. Tears rimmed her eyes.

“Th-thank you,” she spluttered. Her body was
weak, and she struggled to remain conscious.

“It’s okay, baby, I’ve got you. Shh.” Turning
around, he pulled a paper towel from the dispenser on the wall and
wiped blood from her forehead. It trickled down her face in a
steady stream.

“Here, let me heal that for you.” It took a
second for him to free the dream catcher from his T-shirt and to
touch it while holding her hand. A yellow glow blanketed her, and
Aspen felt the steady charge of his energy together with the
healing properties of the necklace as it rushed through her
body.

Although she was weak, she couldn’t feel any
pain when she touched her head. The cuts were completely
healed.

With a groan, Dylan let the dream catcher go
and hugged her face against his chest. “Aspen, what did she do to
you?”

Miss Thompson rushed into the bathroom, her
eyes frantic as she took in the blood and glass that covered the
floor. “What’s going on here?”

Dylan looked up. “Aspen’s stepsister did
this. She’s got a restraining order against her stepfather, but
they didn’t get one for his daughter, Miriam.”

Miss Thompson bent down and helped Dylan as
he lifted Aspen. “You poor thing. We need to get you to the nurse
right now.”

Aspen’s voice was shaky as she said, “No, I
want to go home, please. My mom will help me. Just keep Miriam away
from me.”

“Of course. Let me help you.” Miss Thompson
held on to Aspen and dusted pieces of glass from her clothing. As
soon as she was standing, Dylan wrapped an arm over her shoulder
and pulled her back against his chest. Once she was nestled in his
embrace, he dialed a number on his phone.

“Leeman, Aspen’s been hurt. Miriam attacked
her and we need you to get over here as soon as possible
. . . Yeah, we’ll wait for you in front.”

He ended the call and slipped his hands under
Aspen’s knees. She gasped as he lifted her into his arms. Warm
fingers grasped her thighs as he shifted her and tucked the
material of her skirt under her legs.

“I’m all right, you can put me down.”
Although he’d healed her, she couldn’t say that in front of Miss
Thompson, and she wondered why he’d picked her up.

Dylan looked down at her and his face
softened as he winked. “I’ll take care of you. You’ve lost blood
and could faint again. I guess saving you in the bathroom is going
to become a habit.”

Even though he smiled, nothing could hide the
look of concern on his face, so she lifted her arms obediently
around his neck and dropped her face against his chest. He smelled
clean and earthy, and his aftershave mixed with the warmth of his
body. Students watched as he carried her down the hallway, and she
snuggled deeper into the fabric of his T-shirt to avoid their
curious stares. The teacher had already run ahead to get help.

A steady current flowed from his body into
hers and made her hum with pleasure. She felt herself growing
stronger in his arms. Dylan rubbed his thumb against the bare skin
of her thigh as he walked, and she wiggled in his arms.

“What happened?”

Aspen opened her eyes as Leeman spoke next to
her.

“Miriam slammed her against the mirror in the
bathroom.”

“What!” Leeman was so angry, his eyes flashed
from blue to silver in a steady pulse.

“Your eyes, Uncle Leeman,” she chided him
softly. “They’re silver. You need to calm down. I’m all right,
Dylan healed me already.”

Leeman looked at her for a long moment and
then glared at Dylan. “Then why are you carrying her?”

“She’s still in shock.” Without thinking,
Dylan tightened his grip on her.

“It’s okay, you can put me down now.”

Dylan shook his head. “Uh-uh. Not until
Miriam is in the principal’s office.”

A commotion up ahead made Aspen twist around
to see Miriam being escorted into the principal’s office. She
shrank back against Dylan’s broad chest as her stepsister glared at
her, but he’d already turned her away from Miriam’s stare.

“Besides, you’re as light as a feather, and I
kinda like this,” he whispered.

His words made her forget about Miriam. When
she blushed and tucked her cheek against him again, she could hear
his heart pounding in her ear.

Leeman stayed behind to talk to the principal
as Dylan carried Aspen to their car. As soon as Norma saw her
daughter, she ran to meet them.

“Aspen, are you hurt?” she cried.

“No, Mom. Dylan healed me. I told him to put
me down, but he said no.”

Norma glanced at Dylan, and he gently dropped
Aspen’s legs so she could stand on the ground. Even though she felt
better, he kept his arm around her waist, and she tried to brush
her skirt down as quickly as possible.

“Leeman said you’d heal her,” Norma said, her
eyebrows drawn together in concern, “and told me to wait at the car
so he could sort things out. I wanted to come in, but he wouldn’t
let me.”

“I’m fine, Mom. The blood looks bad, but I
don’t even have a scratch anymore.”

“Luckily the wound wasn’t too deep, otherwise
my dream catcher wouldn’t heal you that quickly,” Dylan added.

“Get in the car, honey. Your uncle will be
out in a second.”

As soon as the SUV’s door was open, Aspen
climbed into the backseat. Once inside, Dylan followed her and
closed the door behind him. He slipped his arm around her shoulder
and drew her up against him.

Leeman returned from the school building and
Norma got into the passenger seat. After checking on Aspen, he
turned the ignition and the heavy car fired up instantly.

They were about to leave the parking lot when
Stephan’s motorcycle roared past them. He raised his hand to stop
them as he recognized Norma, and then made a turn in the road. With
a brush of the throttle, he began to follow them.

Norma panicked. “Hurry, Leeman, don’t let him
catch us.”

“Relax. You’ve got a restraining order. I’ll
call the cops if he comes too close.”

Whatever Stephan wanted to say must have been
serious, and he trailed them right up to the house. Once they’d
stopped, he ripped off his helmet and flicked the bike stand down.
He looked menacing in dark chinos and a black biker’s jacket.

“Norma!” he shouted.

Leeman got out of the car first. His long
black hair flapped against his shirt as he strode toward
Stephan.

“She’s got a restraining order against you,
idiot. Now get out of here before I call the police.”

Although Leeman’s figure was imposing,
Stephan ignored him and shouted out to Aspen’s mom again. “Norma,
please. I just need to see that you’re okay.”

Both men glared at each other but when
Stephan tried to walk forward, Leeman held up his hand and jolted
Stephan with the raw energy surrounding him. Leeman was so powerful
that he didn’t even need to make contact.

“No, don’t,” Norma called from the car.
Opening the door, she climbed out.

“Mom, don’t go,” Aspen pleaded from the
back.

“Shh, Aspen. Your uncle has this under
control.” Dylan pressed her into the seat as she tried to get out
of the car.

“Norma, I need you,” Stephan cried again.

Aspen’s mom tucked a strand of hair behind
her ear and played with the dream catcher that hung from her neck.
She walked toward the two men.

“Stephan, you need to go. I’m not coming back
to you anymore.”

His face crumpled in dismay as she spoke. “I
need you, Norma,” he repeated.

She frowned at him and said sadly, “Exactly,
you don’t love me and you never have. You needed me to clean and
cook for you, nothing else.”

Instantly, Stephan’s expression hardened.
“That’s not true. I took you in when you had no one.”

“You’re right, and I repaid you over and over
for that. When you met me, I told you that my daughter was a part
of me. We’re a package deal. I’ve seen how you’ve treated Aspen,
and it’s broken my heart.”

The moment she mentioned Aspen’s name, his
mouth twisted in disgust. “That little runt has caused so much
trouble. You left me because of her, and Miriam is in the
principal’s office because she reported her. Don’t tell me that I
should like her,” he said with a sneer.

“No, you’re wrong, I’ve wanted to leave
forever, but you made sure that I had no money or possessions. You
forced me to rely on you and only gave me what was necessary to
survive, never to stand up to you. Well, I’m standing up to you
now, and I’m telling you that you’re a snake and an evil man for
treating me and my daughter the way you did. If I ever see you or
Miriam anywhere near us, I’m going to call the cops to arrest
you.”

Stephan’s cheeks flushed with anger.

Even though Aspen was tense, her heart
swelled with emotion after her mother defended her and told Stephan
how she’d truly felt. Her mother had wanted to leave after all. The
fact that she’d been mistreated had not been ignored. There was
truly nowhere else her mom could have gone.

Following the scene outside the car, Aspen
relaxed her clenched fists and smiled. Dylan had scooted over to
the far window to make sure that the situation was still under
control. His collar stood up, blocking some of her view, but she
could still see her stepfather if she looked over Dylan’s
shoulder.

Her smile dropped as Stephan saw her in the
car and glared at her.

“It’s all your fault, you little tramp!” he
yelled.

Her temper flared and before she could think,
she’d unlocked the car door and slipped outside. It took Dylan a
few seconds to realize what she’d done, and he sprang out of the
car too. Aspen marched toward Stephan.

“You’re the disgusting one. You’re just a
bully.” With a snarl, she walked right up to him.

Stephan’s eyes bulged and he raised his hand
to strike her. A ball of electricity surrounded her and crackled
along her skin, raising the hairs on her body. Power rushed from
her in a wave and struck him with a huge bang. It swept him off his
feet and dumped him into the hedge surrounding the boundary
wall.

Still shaking, she didn’t notice that Dylan
had joined her until he laid his hand on her forearm. Glancing at
him, she saw his eyes glowing with rage.

Stephan groaned from within the hedge. He
extracted himself painfully from the hard twigs and branches that
had broken his fall.

Leeman strode over to where he struggled in
the undergrowth. “If you ever speak to my niece or my sister-in-law
like that again, you won’t be let off so lightly,” he promised.
“Get up and get out of here. I don’t want to hear that you, or your
daughter, are harassing my family in any way again. If I do, I’ll
make sure you suffer so much that you’ll regret the day you met
them.”

Dylan shouted at him too. “Stay away. Don’t
come near Aspen again.” A muscle ticked in his jaw and his face was
dark with anger.

Stephan stood up unsteadily and brushed a
hand over his face. With a groan, he bent down to pick up his
helmet. Fear laced his eyes as he rushed back to his bike.
Muttering something that sounded suspiciously like
freaks
under his breath, he turned the key to start the engine. He pulled
the helmet over his head and flipped the throttle. The smell of
exhaust floated in the air as he raced off.