me.”
“I’m not,” I promised.
“I’m going to call
the cops,” Sierra said, her shaking hand reaching into her pocket.
“It’s best if you
don’t do that, Ms. Sierra,” Mac grimaced. It was weird, seeing him in this
context. I hadn’t known him as anything more than Trent’s landlord, who I only
saw in passing when something was broken in the house. Here he was now, with
his bicep muscles flexed and his jaw taut, watching the struggle with a
piercing gaze.
“Why not?” Sierra
was clearly panicked. Nick put his hand on hers, pushing the cell phone down,
and I saw something strange flicker on her face.
“Ok, what are you
up to, Lark?” Brandon snarled, suspended over her body with his hands pinning
hers to the ground above her head, his long nails embedded into the earth.
Allison was crouched down, holding down her legs. The woman named Lark stopped
writhing and just smiled. She had a look of pure venom in her eyes.
“I was just warning
your friend here, little Miss Bailey, to stay in line.”
“What the hell
does that mean?” Brandon snarled.
“I’m just acting
on orders, chief,” she laughed.
“Whose orders? Who
are you working for now you sleazy creep?!” Brandon yelled into her face. I had
never seen him that angry before, his face was wild and livid with rage.
“Wouldn’t you like
to know?” she snickered.
“Brandon,” Nick
warned, looking around. There was no one else to be seen and the trees did a
pretty good job of shrouding us, but it looked more and more like Brandon was
transforming, hair now covering the front of his face.
“Listen here, Brandon. I’m not going to give you
all the details of my life. I’m just going to let you know that Bailey better
watch herself, and know better than to use any magic that doesn’t belong to
her.”
“Get out of here!”
Brandon hissed, his face bunching up into an unrecognizable anger. She laughed
once more before disappearing beneath me. Sierra screamed and I took a few
steps back, as something black and small flew away from us up into the air and
vanished.
“What the
hell—” Sierra gasped, her jaw hanging open as her wide eyes followed the
fluttering dot in the sky.
“I think we should
go for a walk, Sierra,” Nick said quietly, offering her his arm. She looked at
him for a minute, confused by his extended elbow. She finally nodded solemnly,
as if there was some sort of unspoken communication she understood, and slipped
her arm through his, keeping a comfortable distance.
“When will you be
coming back?” I gave Nick an apprehensive look. I was already concerned for
Sierra’s safety, and while I trusted Nick, I still felt a familiar knot of
dread as they trudged towards the iron gates.
“I’ll have her
back at the apartment in a few hours, I promise,” Nick gave me a small smile,
as if trying to put me at ease.
Sierra gave me a
perplexed look. I just nodded at her as they walked away, wondering if Nick was
going to catch her up on all the things he wiped from her mind.
“Who was that?” I
asked, quickly turning around to face Trent and Mac. Trent took my hand into
his and squeezed, and I couldn’t help that my heart skipped a beat at his
protective touch.
“That was Lark
Reed,” Brandon said from behind me. I turned to see he and Allison, approaching
us with a nasty scowl on his face.
“Sorry,” he said,
clearly aware of his sour disposition. “She puts me in an awful mood.” He
groaned a little as his nails shrunk and his hair pulled itself back into his
skin. It was kind of a morbid thing to watch.
“We should go to
the house,” Mac said. “Do you need a lift, Ms. Bailey?” he asked, his perpetually
sad face turning towards the road beyond the iron-gate fence.
“I’ll meet you
there, I have my moped,” I said. “Thanks though.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Trent held my hand tighter. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Thanks.” I gave
him a wry grin, hoping to ease
“I’m not,” I promised.
“I’m going to call
the cops,” Sierra said, her shaking hand reaching into her pocket.
“It’s best if you
don’t do that, Ms. Sierra,” Mac grimaced. It was weird, seeing him in this
context. I hadn’t known him as anything more than Trent’s landlord, who I only
saw in passing when something was broken in the house. Here he was now, with
his bicep muscles flexed and his jaw taut, watching the struggle with a
piercing gaze.
“Why not?” Sierra
was clearly panicked. Nick put his hand on hers, pushing the cell phone down,
and I saw something strange flicker on her face.
“Ok, what are you
up to, Lark?” Brandon snarled, suspended over her body with his hands pinning
hers to the ground above her head, his long nails embedded into the earth.
Allison was crouched down, holding down her legs. The woman named Lark stopped
writhing and just smiled. She had a look of pure venom in her eyes.
“I was just warning
your friend here, little Miss Bailey, to stay in line.”
“What the hell
does that mean?” Brandon snarled.
“I’m just acting
on orders, chief,” she laughed.
“Whose orders? Who
are you working for now you sleazy creep?!” Brandon yelled into her face. I had
never seen him that angry before, his face was wild and livid with rage.
“Wouldn’t you like
to know?” she snickered.
“Brandon,” Nick
warned, looking around. There was no one else to be seen and the trees did a
pretty good job of shrouding us, but it looked more and more like Brandon was
transforming, hair now covering the front of his face.
“Listen here, Brandon. I’m not going to give you
all the details of my life. I’m just going to let you know that Bailey better
watch herself, and know better than to use any magic that doesn’t belong to
her.”
“Get out of here!”
Brandon hissed, his face bunching up into an unrecognizable anger. She laughed
once more before disappearing beneath me. Sierra screamed and I took a few
steps back, as something black and small flew away from us up into the air and
vanished.
“What the
hell—” Sierra gasped, her jaw hanging open as her wide eyes followed the
fluttering dot in the sky.
“I think we should
go for a walk, Sierra,” Nick said quietly, offering her his arm. She looked at
him for a minute, confused by his extended elbow. She finally nodded solemnly,
as if there was some sort of unspoken communication she understood, and slipped
her arm through his, keeping a comfortable distance.
“When will you be
coming back?” I gave Nick an apprehensive look. I was already concerned for
Sierra’s safety, and while I trusted Nick, I still felt a familiar knot of
dread as they trudged towards the iron gates.
“I’ll have her
back at the apartment in a few hours, I promise,” Nick gave me a small smile,
as if trying to put me at ease.
Sierra gave me a
perplexed look. I just nodded at her as they walked away, wondering if Nick was
going to catch her up on all the things he wiped from her mind.
“Who was that?” I
asked, quickly turning around to face Trent and Mac. Trent took my hand into
his and squeezed, and I couldn’t help that my heart skipped a beat at his
protective touch.
“That was Lark
Reed,” Brandon said from behind me. I turned to see he and Allison, approaching
us with a nasty scowl on his face.
“Sorry,” he said,
clearly aware of his sour disposition. “She puts me in an awful mood.” He
groaned a little as his nails shrunk and his hair pulled itself back into his
skin. It was kind of a morbid thing to watch.
“We should go to
the house,” Mac said. “Do you need a lift, Ms. Bailey?” he asked, his perpetually
sad face turning towards the road beyond the iron-gate fence.
“I’ll meet you
there, I have my moped,” I said. “Thanks though.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Trent held my hand tighter. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Thanks.” I gave
him a wry grin, hoping to ease
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