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The words whispered through the space between us, and I felt myself drift away, exhaustion finally taking over. Amon’s form seemed to dissolve into the shadows as I settled back into my pillows. ‘Sweet dreams, Raven.’ He whispered into my mind. Then there was nothing but the warm scent of cinnamon in the air and the soft brush of velvet on my skin.
29
I woke up the next morning feeling terrible, with the taste of cinnamon in my mouth. My head was pounding and the rash on my neck had spread. Happily, the bruises were nearly gone. Amon’s face swam before my vision, and I struggled to remember the details of my dream the night before. I could barely remember what had been said. I was just left with a heavy sense of foreboding, which added to my miserable state. Pulling on an oversized knit black sweater and leggings, I headed down the stairs, my hair sitting on top of my head in a messy bun.
Jeremy was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper while sipping on his coffee in his O.P.P mug. My shoulders tensed, and I braced myself. I was unsure about the terms we were on. However, I needn’t have worried as Jeremy tipped his head at me and lowered his paper.
“Morning.” He said as I made my daily beeline toward the coffee machine.
“Morning,” I responded coarsely as I poured myself some coffee. I took a long deep sip, completely foregoing the milk. My headache receded slightly, and I turned to face Jeremy.
“How was your sleep?” He asked carefully, and I shrugged.
“Shitty. How was yours?”
“Mine was shitty too.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Listen, Raven, I know I lost my temper yesterday. I don’t want to coop you up, and I’m sorry that I kept what has been going on from you.” I waited, watching him from over the rim of my coffee cup. “I’m just worried about you. I don’t want you to get hurt. I tend to assume the worst when I don’t know where you are. I thought I had lost you last night.” He looked up at me, dropping his hands to the table. My throat tightened at the fear and love in his eyes.
“I understand, dad. I’m sorry too.” I said. He smiled at me.
“So, can you just humor me then? Can you stay indoors until I can put this case to bed or until your suspension is up?” My heart sank. Right. I hadn’t told him about my expulsion.
“Umm. Sure, dad. Just, there’s something you should know.” My heart was pounding, and my face flushed red.
“What is it?” He asked.
“Um, apparently, Neil’s parents threatened to sue the school board if they allowed me to return to St. Bernadette's.” It felt like Mr. Abbey had broken the news to me weeks ago. It was hard to believe it had just happened yesterday.
“What?” Jeremy exclaimed, his face blanching.
“Mr. Abbey had no choice but to expel me.” I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. Guilt welled up in my chest. I had just been a couple of months away from graduating. Jeremy shook his head; his eyes were furious.
“I will talk to Neil’s father. I knew him in high school, I’m sure we can work something out.” I frowned. The way Jeremy said ‘talk’ made it sound like there wouldn’t be much ‘talking.’ The last thing I needed was the added guilt of Jeremy losing his job because of something I had done.
“Don’t worry about it dad I can get the rest of my credits online. It sucks, but it’s not the end of the world. I don’t care about graduating with any of those kids anyway. It’s probably better this way.” Jeremy didn’t look like he was going to be so easily convinced. I watched him battle with himself internally when Rycon appeared in the window behind him. My eyes widened, and I tried to control my expression to keep Jeremy from turning around.
‘What are you doing here!?’ I snapped into the shifter’s mind. He grinned at me mischievously, his exaggerated canines pressing slightly into his bottom lip. The shifter shrugged and pretended to knock on the window, as if he were going to get Jeremy’s attention intentionally.
‘Don’t you dare.’ I growled telepathically. His laugh floated through my mind in response.
“Dad, it’s nine o’clock; you’re going to be late for work,” I said suddenly. Jeremy glanced at the clock and nodded, getting heavily up to his feet. I glared over his shoulder at Rycon, who was making stupid faces through the window at the back of Jeremy’s head. I pushed up from the counter and went to meet my adoptive father as he made his way to the front foyer. He rested his hands on my shoulders, leaned forward to kiss my forehead, then pulled away to look me in the eyes.
“We will figure something out, Raven, don’t worry. In the meantime, please stay in the house and spare me from an early grave.” He smiled at me. “I’m too young to die from a heart attack.” I smiled up at him as sincerely as I could.
“I promise.”
“Good,” he said, patting my arm before brushing past me. “Your mother will be home around six. I’ll be a bit later.” He called over his shoulder before slipping out the door. I waved after him before spinning around to find that Rycon had already let himself in through the back door.
“Morning Kitten,” The shifter said with a mischievous grin before heading for the coffee machine. He poured himself a cup and dug through the fridge for the milk as if he had lived here his whole life. “Got any sugar?” He asked with his head still in the fridge. I tried to slam the door shut on him, but he pulled out of the way too quickly for me to do any real damage.
He was out of the fridge and leaning against the counter faster than I could blink and had somehow managed to keep from spilling a drop of coffee. Not only should it not have been possible, but it sure as hell shouldn’t have looked easy. He smiled at me lazily and poured some milk into his cup. He watched me the whole time with those eerie yellow eyes, slit pupils dilating with mirth.
“What are you doing here?” I asked again, this time out loud. He shrugged and crossed his jean-clad legs in front of him as he took a sip from his mug sans sugar. The jade hilt to his knife winked up at me from where the blade disappeared into his scuffed motorcycle boots. It was carved into the shape of a panther. I hadn’t noticed the night before how ornate the handle had been. Though I supposed that was understandable, considering I had been more concerned with keeping him from gutting me with it than the dainty details.
“I’m here to see you, Kitten. You didn’t think I would just disappear, did you?” He raised an eyebrow, that infuriating smirk still on his face.
“I suppose that would be too much to ask,” I grumbled. He ignored me.
