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That fucker! All our time together and he never once spilled any of the mysterious Jacob Edwards secrets.
“Now, I didn’t tell you that,” Max says quickly, giving me a steady look. “Okay?”
“Sure.”
“Ada,” he warns.
“Sure, big guy. I won’t say anything. I’m just…can’t Jacob, like, fix things? Like make sure no demons are following you. And couldn’t Jacob have rescued you himself?”
“Well, he was going to. Your sister mucked things up.” He shows his palms in peace. “Not that I’m complaining. Grateful, still.”
“But the demons.”
“There are limits, obviously. And before you ask me, I don’t know what they are. I know he can manipulate people. Normal people. He would probably meet your teachers somewhere, somehow, plant the suggestion in their heads. Something like that. That’s how it works with me, anyway.”
“Wait,” I hiss. “What? That’s how it works with you? What are you talking about?”
“Oh, Blondie. There’s so much you don’t know about me.”
“Apparently! So you can manipulate people too? Are you doing the same to me?”
“And making you do what, exactly?” He crosses his arms.
“I don’t know. I’m thinking about going on a road trip to New Orleans with you.”
“You’re doing that because you’re a good person. And no, I can’t manipulate you.”
“What about Perry?” I ask. “You totally manipulated her. Dex, too.”
A wash of shame comes over his face and he looks away, worrying his lip between his teeth. “I ain’t perfect, you know this better than anyone. But no. I didn’t. Because I can’t. It doesn’t work in your mind, or your sister’s, or Dex’s. It wouldn’t work on that hot blonde witchy friend of Perry’s either.”
Why, oh why, did I feel a coal of jealousy at the mention of hot blonde? Ugh, I’m so damn insecure lately. Fuck Jay to infinity.
“It only works on those that aren’t like us,” he goes on. “Normal people.”
“Would it work on my dad?” I ask hopefully. “Because he’s sure as hell not going to let me skip school for New Orleans.”
He gives me a wry smile. “You leave your father to me. Now come on.” He reaches over and grabs my wrist, turning my hand over, “It’s healing up, but you still need a little help. At the very least, Dawn will put her oversized aloe vera plant to use.”
He tugs me toward the house and I follow, his hand eventually falling away. I walk behind him, marveling at how this giant redwood tree of a man in his jeans and brown flannel (yes, I took him shopping, but now I’m pretty sure he manipulated the saleslady into feeding him nothing but plaid), is depending on me to stay alive. Like, I’m literally keeping him in this world.
I brought him to life.
And if I’m not around, he’ll fade away.
I know I probably sound awful, but I have to admit, it’s nice to be needed for once. Not needed in like a ‘nice to have around’ way, but literally needed or they’ll die.
On the other hand, this dude that needs me around him to stay alive also attracts human demon hybrids that are stalking him just out of sight, lurking and hunting on the thin other side of the Veil. Demons that will start putting me in danger if we’re not careful. And even though I managed myself well today, I didn’t quite rip the demon’s head off like Max so casually did, which means I have a lot to learn.
I sigh as we step through the back door of the Knightly’s house.
All I know is that this road trip to New Orleans is probably going to be the trip of a lifetime.
If we can survive it, of course.
Six
“Whatever you do, don’t tell anyone.”
– The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret
“Ada! Your ride is here!” my dad yells from downstairs.
I give myself one more glance in the mirror, making sure I look okay. I barely slept last night because I was so excited-slash-nervous about embarking on the road trip today. It’s only been a couple of days since Max made me fight demons in the Knightly’s backyard, and things have moved fast.
First, Jacob came back and I guess he did his thing with my teachers or who knows what, because I got emails from all of them telling me that it was okay to go on my little vacation to New Orleans and that they’d just give me A’s for the little projects I’d miss. I mean…I still don’t know if that’s a joke or what. And the fact that he didn’t even lie, he just told them the truth and they were okay with it is fucking crazy.
Then Max talked to my dad, and I don’t know what the hell he said to him, but now he’s totally cool with this road trip too. It feels like dirty dealings to be honest, the manipulation. But if my dad is fine with it, I mean, what he doesn’t really know can’t hurt him. I should have asked Max to make my dad go out with friends more, just to get him out of the damn house.
