Bloodlines

I stifled a yawn and nodded wearily. "That's great."

She paused from where she'd been searching her dresser for pajamas. "I'm sorry, by the way."

I froze. I didn't want an apology for the magic. I didn't even want to remember it had happened.

"For yelling at you the other night," she continued. "You didn't set me up with Lee. I should never have accused you of interfering. He really has liked me all along, and, well... he's really great."

I let out the breath I'd been holding and attempted a weak smile. "I'm glad you're happy."

She returned cheerfully to her tasks and to talking about Lee until I left to go down to the bathroom. Before brushing my teeth, I stood in front of the sink and washed my hands and arms over and over, scrubbing as hard as I could to wash away the magical drops of water I swore I could still feel on my skin.

Chapter Thirteen

MY CELL PHONE RANG at the crack of dawn the next morning. I was already up, being an early riser, but Jill rolled over in bed and put her pillow over her head.

"Make it stop," she groaned.

I answered and found Eddie on the other end of the line.

"I'm downstairs," he said. "Ready to practice some self-defense before it gets too hot."

"You're going to have to do it without me," I said. I had a feeling Eddie was taking his promise to Clarence about training us very seriously. I felt no such obligation. "I've got a ton of homework to do. That, and I'm sure Ms. Terwilliger's going to make me do a coffee run today."

"Well, then send Jill down," said Eddie.

I glanced over to the cocoon of blankets on her bed. "That might be easier said than done."

Surprisingly, she managed to rouse herself enough to brush her teeth, take aspirin for a headache, and throw on some workout clothes. She bid me farewell, and I promised to check on them later. Not long after that, Ms. Terwilliger called with her coffee demand, and I prepared myself for another day of trying to fit in my own work with hers.

I drove over to Spencer's and didn't even notice Trey until I was standing right in front of him.

"Ms. Terwilliger's?" he asked, pointing to the caramel sauce cappuccino.

"Huh?" I looked up. Trey was my cashier. "You work here?"

He nodded. "Gotta make spending money somehow."

I handed him some cash, noting that he'd charged me half price. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so great," I told him. He looked tired and worn out around the edges. Closer inspection showed bruises and cuts as well.

"Yeah, well, I had kind of a rough day yesterday."

I hesitated. That was a leading comment, but there was no one in line behind me. "What happened?" I asked, knowing it was expected. Trey scowled. "That ass**le Greg Slade wreaked havoc in football tryouts yesterday. I mean, the results aren't up yet, but it's pretty obvious he's going to get quarterback. He was like a machine, just plowing guys over." He extended his left hand, which had some bandage-wrapped fingers. "He stepped on my hand too."

I winced, remembering Slade's out-of-control athleticism in PE. The politics of high school football and who was quarterback weren't that important to me. True, I felt sorry for Trey, but it was the source behind the tattoos that intrigued me. Keith's warnings about not causing trouble rang back to me, but I was unable to stop myself.

"I know about the tattoos," I said. "Julia and Kristin told me about them. And I get now why you were suspicious of mine - but it's not what you think. Really."

"That's not what I've heard. Most people think you're just saying that because you don't want to tell where you got it."

I was a little taken aback by that. I was pretty sure Julia and Kristin had believed me. Were they actually spreading around the opposite? "I had no idea." He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. "Don't worry. I believe you. There's something kind of naively charming about you. You don't seem like the cheating type."

"Hey," I scolded. "I'm not naive."

"It was a compliment."

"How long have these tattoos been around?" I asked, deciding it was best to move in. "I heard since last year."

He handed me my coffee, thinking. "Yeah, but it was the end of last year. School year, I mean."

"And they come from a placed called Nevermore?"

"As far as I know." Trey eyed me suspiciously. "Why?"

"Just curious," I said sweetly.

A couple of college kids dressed like rich hobos got in line behind me and regarded us impatiently. "Can we get some service here?" Trey gave them a stiff smile and then rolled his eyes at me as I moved away. "See you around, Melbourne."

I headed back to Amberwood and delivered Ms. Terwilliger's coffee. I wasn't in the mood to stay leashed to her all day, so I asked if I could go elsewhere if I kept my cell phone handy. She agreed. The library had too much activity and - ironically - noise for me today. I wanted the solitude of my room.

As I was cutting across the lawn to catch the shuttle, I spotted some familiar figures behind a cluster of trees. I changed direction and found Jill and Eddie squaring off in a small clearing. Micah sat cross-legged on the ground, watching avidly. He waved at me as I approached.

"I didn't realize your brother was a kung-fu master," he remarked.

"It's not kung fu," said Eddie gruffly, never taking his eyes off Jill.

"Same difference," said Micah. "It's still pretty badass."

Eddie feinted, like he was going to strike at Jill's side. She responded fairly quickly with a block, though not quite fast enough to match him. Had he been serious, he would have hit her. Still, he seemed pleased with her response time.

"Good. That would deflect part of a hit, though you'd still feel it. Best is if you can duck and dodge altogether, but that takes a little more work." Jill nodded obediently. "When can we work on that?"

Eddie regarded her with pride. That expression softened after a few moments of study. "Not today. Too much sun."

Jill started to protest and then stopped herself. She had that worn-out-from-the-light look again and was sweating heavily. She glanced up at the sky for a moment, as though begging it to give us some cloud cover. It remained unresponsive, so she nodded at Eddie.

"All right. But we're doing this tomorrow at the same time? Or earlier maybe. Or maybe tonight! Could we do both? Practice tonight when the sun's going down and then again in the morning? Would you mind?"