Hunting Shadows (Shadow Series #3) (19 page)

I nodded jerkily as I
continued to stare at the wrapper
. I looked up abruptly when he spoke again, surprised
by his
close
proximity
.
I hadn’t noticed him moving closer.

“Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?” he asked softly.

I shrugged. “I guess. There wasn’t really anything I wanted.”

“I’m sure Simon was a very happy man on Christmas morning.”

Embarrassment made me flush and I prayed he wasn’t
implying that he had
heard us make love on Christmas. At the same time, I felt anger start to rise. I
didn’t know why Ryan was trying to bait me,
as
if this was all a big joke to him, but it made me mad. “That’s none of your business.”

I jumped when he covered my hand on the counter with his. “That’s where you’re wrong.
You’re my business.”

I just gaped at him as he gazed at me for a few seconds and then walked out of the
kitchen. It was then that I started to realize that my father wasn’t the only danger
looming in my life.
My feelings for Ryan had the ability to destroy everything as well.

Chapter
Six
teen

“I had a vision last night,” I told Ryan. It was a few days
into the start of classes
after
winter break and we were in the living room.
Everyone else had gone to class, although it was still a hassle to force Simon out
the door.
I hadn’t told him about my latest vision because I knew he would insist on staying
with me, but he couldn’t be glued to my side for the rest of my life.

“What did you see?”

“I saw a girl being drowned in a pool. Her vardoger h
eld her under
water
until she died
.” I shuddered a little as scenes from my vision flashed through my mind, but I kept
my emotions under control.

“Did you actually see her vardoger?”

I shook my head.
“Not its face. It was dark and her vardoger was kneeling b
y the pool with its back to me. I could barely make out the girl’s features. I recognized
the pool because it’s the indoor one in the student gym. I’ve gone there a few times
with Jenny because she loves to swim laps. She’s originally from Florida and she says
it’s the closest thing to being on a beach, as depressing as that is.” I smiled a
little as I thought about her over-the-top complaints about how Rochester was a wasteland
and she didn’t know how she was supposed to survive without a beach nearby.

“Could it have been her?’ Ryan asked. “You said it was dark.”

“No, it definitely wasn’t her. The lighting was dim but I could still see the girl’s
face and hair. There’s no way I could have missed Jenny’s red hair. This girl’s hair
was light brown.”

Ryan nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Do you remember any other details from the
vision?”

We went over my vision, detail by detail
, but nothing
significant was jarred from my memory.

“I guess the only thing left to do now is go swimming,” Ryan said as he rose from
the couch.

“Wait, what?” I looked up at him as I remained seated on the couch.

“We should go to the pool. I think it would be a little odd if we went there fully
clothed and stared at the people in the pool. We can just hang out in the water and
see what happens.”

The last thing I wanted was to be in a bathing suit in front of Ryan but I couldn’t
argue with his logic.
The obvious next step was to go to the pool
, and it would be a little conspicuous to just stand there watching people.

“Do you even have swimming trunks?” I asked.

“No, but I’m sure I can buy a pair at the store in the student center. Why don’t you
go ahead and get
changed and then we can stop by
the student center before we hit the pool.”

I nodded
but my pulse was beating erratically as I made my way to the bedroom. I steeled myself
against the fluttery feeling in my stomach and gave myself a stern lecture. This was
strictly part of
the process of
trying to destroy a vardoger and I needed to stop fixating on Ryan seeing me in a
bathing suit.

I nixed my bikinis and settled on a plain black one-piece that covered me up the most.
I threw
on jeans and a sweater over
it and went back into the living room.

“Ready?” Ryan asked and I nodded. We got our coats on and walked to the student center,
not talking much. I waited near the front of the store while he bought his swim trunks,
not wanting to be involved in the selection or purchase. The gym and pool were only
a few buildings away so we made it there in no time.

“I’ll meet you at the pool,” Ryan said before we parted ways to our respective locker
rooms.

“Sure,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant as I pushed open the door to the girls’
locker room. I quickly shed my c
lothes and stuffed them into a
locker. I looked a
t myself critically in the full-
length mirror before heading out to the pool. I was woefully pale and the stress of
the past few weeks had affected my appetite, making me thinner than usual. I had nothing
to worry about. I doubted Ryan would look at my body lasciviously since I looked more
like Casper the Ghost than a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. I told myself that
was a good thing as I opened the door to the pool, grateful that they kept the room
heated.

There were a good amount of students already at the pool even though it was morning.
There was an area roped off for laps with multiple lanes and then a separate area
where
students could just
relax.
I was scanning the room for Ryan when I saw him striding towards me. I felt my insides
clench reflexively as I tried not to gawk at him. I had been able to tell that he
was in good shape from the way his clothes fit him, but that had in no way prepared
me for the sight of him walking towards me bare-chested. He was muscular without being
overly bulky and more tanned than a person had a right to be in the middle of January.
For a moment I let myself imagine what it would feel like to smooth my hands over
his chest and feel his warm skin against mine.

I forced my mind away from my lurid thoughts and strove to keep a blank expression
on my face. My skin felt heated from the way his eyes studied me, roving up and down
my
body in a way that made me believe
he didn’t think I was as lacking as I thought I was.

When his eyes finally met mine, he smiled at me faintly but his words were wholly
appropriate. “Want
to swim some l
aps?”

I nodded my head although I wasn’t that strong of a swimmer. Maybe it would help take
my mind off inappropriate things.

We walked to the end of the pool where there were two empty lanes. Ryan far outpaced
me but I tried to ignore him as I concentrated on my strokes. I swam for a while until
I felt myself start to tire and then pushed myself up to sit on th
e edge of the pool with my legs
still in the water. I watched Ryan as he continued to swim, his strong arms and legs
propelling him in the water like he was born to swim. After a few more laps, he stopped
in front of me.

“Do you see her?”

I started guiltily, realizing tha
t I had been concentrating
on him
rather
than
looking for
the girl from my vision.
I needed to get my head on straight and my priorities in order.
I studied the students in the pool and then shook my head. “No, I don’t see her.
What if she doesn’t come to the pool that often? Then we’re screwed.”

“It’s the only thing we have to go on,” Ryan said as he lifted himself out of the
water. I gulped as I watched rivulets of water running down his body until I finally
forced myself to look away.

“I feel like we spend so much of our time just waiting,” I said, staring down at the
water. “It’s so frustrating.”

“I guess it comes with the territory of being a seer. It can be tiring, but
it’s
worth it when you’re finally able to eliminate a vardoger.”

I nodded but didn’t look at him. Instead I kept my ga
ze on
the entrance
in case the girl from my vision appeared.
After we
grew
tired of the water, w
e walked over to
a cluster of
chairs that were set up
in an area next to the pool.
I kept my eyes on all
the students entering the pool room
but I still had no luck after a couple of hours.
My flagging spirits were lifted when I saw Jenny enter and I waved her over.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in surprise. I gestured to Ryan before speaking.

“Ryan felt like a swim so I came with him since you have to be a guest of a student
to use the pool.”

“It’s a sad substitute for the ocean, but it’s the closest thing we have around here,”
Jenny said to Ryan. Her expression brightened as she spoke. “Have you ever been to
Florida?”

Ryan smiled. “I have. I can see why it’s hard to get used to Rochester after having
lived in Florida.”

I rolled my eyes as I groaned. “She’s had four years to get used to it. You’d think
she hadn’t been through four winters here.”

Jenny sighed. “
You never get used to seeing gra
y dreary skies instead of blue.” She shook herself out of her reverie. “Anyone want
to join me for a swim?”

Ryan took her up on her offer but I declined, preferring to just watch them swim laps.
They were both strong swimmers
al
though Ryan was much quicker due to his size advantage. I
alternated between
watching them swim and
studying every pe
rson who came in
. Unfortunately, I still had no success.

Time passed, Jenny left after a while, and students came in and out
of the pool but I still hadn’t
see
n
the girl from my vision.

“Why don’t we come back after lunch?” Ryan suggested. “There’s no point in starving.”

I reluctantly agreed and we went to the student center after changing back into our
clothes.
We ate quickly and then went back to the pool bu
t it was for
naught.
By the time the pool closed at six, I still hadn’t seen her and I felt dejected when
we left.

Back at the apartment, Simon was waiting for me impatiently. I had called him and
told him about my vision and where I was, and while he hadn’t been happy
that
I hadn’t told him earlier, he hadn’t gotten upset which I was relieved about. Still,
he looked worried when he saw me.

“I was about to go looking for you.”

“I told you where I was,” I said, giving him a quick kiss. “There was no need to worry.”

His lips thinned but he didn’t argue. He practically lived in our apartment now, only
going back to his place when he need
ed more clothes. I
had apologized to Sarah
since she had to put up with extra people always being underfoot,
but she had waved off it off
,
telling me not to
worry. She and Grant often spent the night at his apartment,
but I still felt guilty about Simon’s constant presence
. But not guilty
enough to tell him to stay at his own place. I was still comforted by him
being around
and it was hard to fall asleep without him next to me.

Sarah was going out to dinner with Grant and sleeping at his place tonight so it was
just the three of us in our apartment. Even though Simon and Ryan had gotten used
to being around each other, there was always a palpable tension between them and it
was a relief when it was time to go to bed.

“I’m disappointed you didn’t tell me about your vision earlier,” Simon said once we
had settled into bed. I sighed, hearing the hurt in his voice.

“It was early when you left for class and I was still processing it.” I decided he
deserved the truth. “I know you just want to protect me, Simon, but I’m a seer. This
is what I’m supposed to do. As much as I appreciate you always wanting to be there,
you can’t be. And I have to learn to do things on my own.”

“But you weren’t on your own,” Simon said bitterly. “
He
was with you.”

“There’ll be a time when he won’t be. Right now he’s helping me, but afte
r I defeat my father, there’ll
be no reason to see him again. But you and me…
we have to figure out how to live our lives together. And I can’t live it with you
always hovering over me.”

M
y answer seemed to mollify him
and I was relieved when he didn’t push the discussion.
I feel asleep with the safety of his arms around me,
hoping that
this part of my life
would never change.