Unraveled

SIXTEEN

SOIL THE RUG, Riley growled. As if.

Mary Ann continued to laugh until tears streamed down her cheeks. There’d been so much terror and suspicion, running and waiting, so much time spent dreading what would happen and what was to come that she felt a little weird finding humor just then, but she just couldn’t help herself. Actually, she didn’t want to help herself.

Riley didn’t help. Fleas. Mangy. Another growl. We’ll see what he thinks of me when I chew through his kneecap.

“None of that, now,” she said between giggles, “or you’ll be thrown out.”

He gave another growl, but he did relax against the mattress, against her. My fur is silky, damn it.

Finally, she calmed—yet her grin was wide and unhideable. “Very.” He sighed. Just go back to sleep. You need all the rest you can get.

She meant to protest. She really did. But as she lay there, petting him, listening to him practically purr his approval, his warmth and softness drugged her, lulling her back to the darkness as nothing else could have. Her cares melted away, leaving only a sense of bliss. She’d missed this, and knowing he would be here when she woke back up…

When she next opened her eyes, yawning, Riley was still beside her. See! Still beside her. Mary Ann lifted her cell off her nightstand and glanced at the clock. She frowned. She had fifteen minutes before she had to get up and shower for school. She wanted an hour. She and Riley hadn’t talked yet.

Oh, well. No help for it. She’d savor these fifteen minutes as if they were her last. In the stark light of the morning, however, all of her worries returned, flooding her mind, last night replaying over and over again.

We are dating, he’d said. At least I think we are.

Ouch.

One day you’ll kill everyone I love, he’d added. Hell, one day you’ll kill me.

Double ouch.

No, there would be no savoring. One day, if she was a Drainer as he suspected, she might kill him. Kill this boy who had brought her to life, tugging her from the safe world she’d created for herself, where she had never truly felt, but had only operated on autopilot. No way would she let that happen.

If she had to leave him and everyone she knew and loved, she would. But. Big but. That didn’t mean she was unwilling to do everything within her power to prove she wasn’t a Drainer—or to do whatever was necessary to revert back to her old self if she was.

Hungry? Riley asked hopefully.

His voice slipped inside her mind, as warm as his body. She took stock. Her stomach was empty, but not tight or grumbling. “No,” she admitted, though she’d wanted so badly to lie.

Sighing, he jumped from the bed and padded into her bathroom to change into his human form, as well as into the clothes he kept stashed there. This wasn’t the first time he’d stayed in her bedroom. Hopefully not the last, either. While he was up, she rushed to her door and turned the lock, then she sat at the edge of the bed to wait for him to emerge.

She didn’t have to wait long. The bathroom door creaked open a few minutes later, and Riley stepped out wearing jeans but nothing else and her breath caught at the sight of him. So tan, so lean and muscled, he was every girl’s fantasy come to startling life. Seriously, you practically needed an ID to touch that six-pack.

Maybe that was why he exuded such an undeniable bad-boy vibe.

And he’s mine, she thought proudly.

Maybe. For now.

Squaring her shoulders, refusing to slink into depression, she pushed to her feet. “I’ll just be a minute.”

“Okay.”

He strode to the bed and she made her way into the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and hair and took care of business. There were dark circles under her eyes, despite her peaceful rest last night. Plus, her cheeks were a little hollowed out.

Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she were beautiful like Victoria. Or Lauren. Mary Ann scowled. Lauren, who had dated Riley and only recently broken up with him. Lauren, who was probably a better kisser, definitely braver, utterly more confident, and wouldn’t ultimately kill him and all those he loved.

Mary Ann’s self-esteem took another hit.

Disgusted with herself, she stomped back into her room. Once again Riley reclined on the bed, and she settled in beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. He was just as warm as when he’d possessed fur. He’s mine, she thought again as his heart pounded against her temple. Not Lauren’s. Not anyone else’s.

Maybe.

She stiffened. Maybe, again. The word was like a cancer inside her brain, eating at her, destroying her. The more time she spent with him, the harder she fell for him. That was a fact. Another fact? The harder she fell for him, the harder it would be to leave him, if that’s what she ultimately had to do to save him. And she would leave him to save him.

“What’s wrong?” Riley had one arm tunneled under her, and that arm wrapped around her, fingertips smoothing over her brow.

“Just thinking,” she said.

“About?”

“If I am a Drainer. When will we know for sure? How will we know for sure?”

He sighed and, of course, he ignored her questions. “Listen, I shouldn’t have yelled at you last night. I was freaked out and worried about my family. But you’re my family, too, and I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have treated you that way.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” That was the truth, but yeah, she did like those words on his lips. “This is serious, dangerous stuff, and if something were threatening my dad—” or you “—I would react the same way.”

“Still.” He pressed a soft kiss on her cheek. “Moment I left you here to escort Victoria and Aden home, the thought of you in danger had me sweating and cursing and practically shoving those two into their rooms so I could return to you. And by the way, I will be sleeping here every night until the witches are no longer a threat to you.”

Sweet boy. “Just don’t soil the rug,” she quipped.

He gave a mock growl. “Funny.”

A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she frowned. “You usually hide when you hear my dad coming. Why didn’t you this time?”

Riley shrugged, the movement bouncing her head up and down. “I wanted him to see me. I want to be able to come and go as needed without fearing he’ll shoot me on sight.”

“Smart.”

“Genius.”

Her lips twitched. “Okay, returning to the subject at hand. I asked some questions a few minutes ago and you ignored me. I’d really like you to answer now. So. First up. When will we know if I’m for sure a Drainer?”

“Actually, let’s not return to this subject. Let’s forget the Drainer thing for now.”

“No. I can’t.” Not when he might be in danger. “Answer, please.”

He uttered another sigh, warm breath ruffling fine strands of her hair and brushing them against her brow. “Food will make you sick, because your body no longer needs or wants it. You’ll begin to crave close proximity to witches and other creatures, and you’ll know them, what they are, what they can do, before you ever even see them.”

Stomach churning… None of that helped her case. She’d already begun to sense when creatures were near. She’d known Marie was in town before she’d seen her. And yeah, she would love to experience that rush of power again. Craved it, as he’d said.

“Tell me if any of that happens.”

She would do more than tell him. She would show him. She pushed from the bed and strode to her desk.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding out.” Maybe she should have waited until she was alone, but he needed to know just as much as she did. Shaking, she pulled a candy bar from the top drawer, where bags of nuts and other candies rested. Her emergency study stash. She peeled back the wrapper, turned to Riley, who was stiff and anxious, and bit into the top.

Usually, she would close her eyes and delight in the sweetness of the chocolate. This time, the food was like ash in her mouth. Her stomach tightened up, ready to revolt, but she did it, she swallowed, and it was like swallowing a lump of coal.

Regret hit her first, then the sickness Riley had promised, strong, consuming, raking every inch of her. Bile rose, burning her throat. Any second now, she would—Eyes wide, she rushed to the bathroom, hunched over and vomited into the toilet. Over and over again.

When her stomach was finally empty, she brushed her teeth, once, twice, then swished mouthwash for several minutes, until every part of her mouth tingled from the alcohol. All the while, her shaking increased.

No. No, no, no.

“Better?” he asked when she entered the room. “Fine.”

“Could be nerves.”

“Yeah.” But she knew, deep down, she knew, and so did he. They might not want to face it, might want to deny it with every fiber of their beings, but they couldn’t. Not any longer. She was different now. She had changed.

She was a Drainer.

Almost in a trance, she walked back to the bed and reclaimed her spot at his side. She would have to leave him. If she didn’t, she would one day hurt him. Was this the last time she would ever be with him like this?

“I’m sure it’s nerves. A self-fulfilling prophecy,” he said, voice devoid of emotion now. “I told you that you would be sick, therefore you were.”

He’d always been the realist, she the dreamer. Now it seemed their roles had reversed.

“Riley,” she said softly.

“Nope,” he interrupted, as if he suspected where she was headed. “We’ve covered that topic of conversation. Now we can move on.” He pressed another kiss into her cheek. “I want you to know that when I said we were maybe dating yesterday, I was still in shock. I didn’t mean it, and I want to kick my own ass. We are dating, so don’t you dare think about seeing someone else. You’re mine, and I don’t share.”

Sweeter words had never been spoken, and she should have been flying through the clouds, lost to happiness. Except, she found herself saying, “Riley…I just don’t know. I mean—”

“Oh, no. Hell, no.” He rolled over, pinning her to the bed, his weight smashing into her. He was heavy, but it wasn’t unpleasant. She liked it, liked having him there. “Are you trying to break up with me?”

No. “Yes.” Oh, God, she couldn’t believe she’d just said that. He was her everything, and yet, she was dangerous to him. She wasn’t going to risk his life, even to keep him, which she wanted to do more than anything else in the world.

“Things are more complicated, yes, but that doesn’t mean we’re over.”

Tears burned her eyes, springing up, spilling over. “Yeah, it does.” Stop it. Stop talking. Don’t do this. “We’re…over.” If there were any other way…and maybe there was. She would find it, if so, as planned. Research, experimentation. Whatever.

But until then, no Riley. No feeding her addiction to him. No enjoying him, relying on him, expecting and needing him.

His eyes narrowed. “If that’s the case, then you won’t mind taking your self-defense lessons from me.”

And have his hands all over her? How would she resist him? “That kinda defeats the point of what I’m trying to do.” Protect you for once.

“And what are you trying—”

“Mary Ann,” her dad called from downstairs, his voice echoing from the walls and interrupting. “You up?”

“Yeah,” she called back.

“Breakfast will be ready in twenty.”

“Thanks.”

“Welcome.”

She squirmed free of Riley and stood, keeping her back to him. “You should probably go. I have to get ready.”

He sat up. “I’ll leave, but I’ll return and walk you to school. Unless you want to skip and head into town to find another witch. The more bargaining power we have, the better off we’ll be.”

He was asking for her help now, rather than trying to leave her behind to keep her safe. Powerful stuff. He had to know how much that affected her. “Can’t. I’ve got a Chem test, and I can’t miss.” Not that a perfect grade point average mattered in the afterlife, but part of her wanted to pretend this was a normal week.

“All right, I’ll—”

Victoria suddenly appeared in the center of the room, and Mary Ann yelped, hand fluttering over her heart. The vampire princess was paler than usual, her features tight with concern.

“You have to come with me,” she said to Mary Ann. “Aden’s trapped inside Shannon’s body and can’t get out.”

Mary Ann had seen Aden possess a body before—Riley’s wolf form, actually—and the sight had shocked her to her soul. Now he’d possessed Shannon? “I’ll dress and meet you at the ranch.”

“No. That will take too long. I’ll teleport you.”

She stifled a groan. “All right. I have to get past my dad, though, and convince him I’m headed to school.” No Chem test, after all. “I’ll meet you at the gate to my neighborhood.”

“I’m going with,” Riley said, standing.

Victoria shook her head, adamant. “You can’t. You prevent Mary Ann from using her muting ability. You have to stay behind.”

Stubborn, he said, “I’ll walk her to the gate, then, and you can leave me there.”

After a harried nod, Victoria vanished.

Mary Ann was silent as she tugged a sweater and jeans from her closet; she was silent as she dressed in the bathroom. When she finished, she gathered her books and backpack. Still silent. Riley had already removed his jeans—where had he stored them?—and transformed into a wolf.

Together, they raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. The scent of eggs and bacon wafted through the air. Her mouth didn’t water, but her stomach didn’t threaten to revolt again, either. An improvement.

“Dad,” she said in greeting.

He turned, spied Riley and froze, his expression both disgusted and terrified. There were lines of tension around his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept after he’d left her room. “Dear Lord. I didn’t realize how big that thing really was.”

“Sorry, Dad, but I don’t have time for breakfast. I forgot I wanted to get to school early and study for my Chem test.”

He frowned. “You’ve barely even picked at your food lately. Don’t think I haven’t noticed. At least take a piece of bacon with you. It’s brain food.”

She didn’t want to argue, so she claimed the piece he held out for her. “Thanks.”

“Want a ride?”

“Nah.” Too casual? “Oxygen to the brain, and all that.”

“Good luck, honey.”

“Thanks. Love you.” With that, she was out the door and running for the gate, Riley keeping pace at her side.

Funny thing. On the way there, she could have sworn she spotted Tucker, running with them, but Riley didn’t seem to notice him, and Riley noticed everything, so she convinced herself she was seeing things.

Besides, even if Tucker was here, even if he was following her, she didn’t have time to stop and question him. Aden needed her. She just prayed she could help him—rather than hurt him further.