Unraveled

Yes. King. The title was his and— Aden shook his head, disrupting that line of thought. He wasn’t king, didn’t want to be king. The end.

When the barn was clean, the other boys trudged inside the bunkhouse to shower, change and prepare for dinner with the new tutor. Seth lagged behind, calling over his shoulder, “Yo, Ad. You coming or what?”

Never ceased to amaze him, how different things now were. Only a few weeks ago, this boy had treated him like a leper. “In a minute,” he returned. There was only one shower stall, so there’d be a wait. He’d rather spend the time out here. Besides, he kind of liked the thought of going to therapy covered in horse shit.

Seth paused. He braced his arms against the sides of the barn door, keeping his back to Aden. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” he said, dread leaking into his voice. He pushed his rake into the ground and leaned against the long, thin handle. “Ask.”

“I heard Shannon tell Ryder that you’ve got girls coming into your room at all hours of the night.”

Okay. Not too terrible a topic. “Only two girls, and yes.”

Seth swung around, one corner of his lip curved up. “You dating both?”

“Just one, but the other is taken, too.” And Riley will gut you if you go near her.

“Oh.” Seth’s shoulders sagged. “Maybe you could invite others and, I don’t know, introduce us?”

Aden almost grinned. “Next week, maybe.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I know a girl. Stephanie. Very pretty. And she has four friends who I’m sure are pretty, too.” No better way to get rid of his unwanted dates than to foist them off on other guys. “I haven’t met them yet, but I know you’ll love them.”

“That’d be great.” Seth tossed him a parting grin and loped off.

“Finally. We are alone,” a female voice said from behind him.

Aden whipped around as one of the horses whinnied. An unfamiliar girl stood at the end of the barn. She wore a red tank top and a pair of black jeans that molded to her legs. Girls at Crossroads High wore similar attire every day, but on her it looked odd, out of place and uncomfortable.

He studied the rest of her. She had shoulder-length brown hair and dark eyes that slanted up at the corners. Her skin was pale, and she was smiling. That smile wasn’t a happy one. Two sharp fangs poked into her bottom lip, revealing the predator she was.

Please tell me this is your next date, Caleb said, finally deigning to speak to Aden.

His next date? Aden tried not to groan.

She appeared older than Victoria by at least ten years, but he supposed that made her young by vampire standards. Vampires aged much, much slower than humans, and the older the vampire, the less their skin could tolerate the bright rays of the sun without blistering. Victoria was “only” eighty-something—that still made him chuckle, since he’d once teased her about being his grandma Vicky—and she could still roam freely.

“I see you’re looking at my clothes. Stephanie told us colors were now acceptable, and that you actually preferred them. What do you think?” This new vampire twirled, dark gaze remaining on him as long as possible.

“You look beautiful,” he said, which was true. She did. She just wasn’t his type.

“What’s your name?”

“Draven.”

An unusual and pretty name. “I’m Aden Stone.”

“I know.” She moved toward him. Floated, really, so graceful were her movements. As she passed, the horses bucked, but she paid them no heed. “We’ve met. You do not remember?” A pout curved her bright red lips. “I was there the night you met each of my—your people. You told me you were so happy to make my acquaintance.”

Oops. “Uh, now I remember,” he lied. Too many faces, too many names. No one stood out. And really, he’d said the same thing to everyone.

Tell her she’s hot and you could never forget someone like her, Caleb instructed.

We aren’t prowling for babes, Julian admonished. We do have a girlfriend.

Actually, I have a girlfriend, Aden thought, but they couldn’t hear him.

“I’m here because every king requires a queen, and you are in need of one. And I’ll be honest. I resisted the thought of being bound to a human at first, but I now think we would be a perfect fit.” Her voice dipped huskily, her gaze on the pulse at the base of his neck. “I still feel the pull of you, and I find it…delicious.”

He liked when Victoria told him that. Draven? Not so much.

Lucky, Caleb said. She’s hot and she wants you.

“Actually—”

Draven reached him and traced a white-hot fingertip along his jawline. “You will discover that I’m much better suited for you than Victoria. I,” she added, leaning all the way into him and sniffing, “will do anything you ask. Anything.”

He wasn’t dumb. He knew what she was implying, and so did the souls.

I’ll take her! Caleb said.

You’ll also get us stabbed and killed sooner rather than later, Elijah grumbled. She’s power-hungry. A man-eater.

Even better.

Dude. Julian tsked. Were you a pervert in your other life? Like I already said, we’ve got Victoria. We don’t need this one harshing our mellow. Do you remember those trees Victoria battered? We flirt with this girl, and that’ll be our head.

We? Aden had Victoria, and they needed to start remembering that. “That’s sweet of you to offer,” he told Draven, then coughed again. So uncomfortable. “To do anything, I mean, but, uh, nothing like that will be necessary.”

I think I hate you right now, Caleb grumbled.

You should be thanking him, Elijah said with a sigh.

Draven’s eyes narrowed, her lashes fusing together. “Well, if you change your mind…the offer has no time limit. Now, what shall we do for our date, hmm?” Hot breath trekked over his face, and he stepped back. “I know humans enjoy having dinner together. We could eat.” Her attention returned to his pulse and she laughed. “Or I could.”

“I’d prefer not to be the main course, thanks. Or dessert,” he added before she could.

She shrugged a delicate shoulder. “Then let’s get to know each other better.” The words were purred. “That’s why I’m here, after all.”

She couldn’t be more obvious. Elijah’s disgust was clear. She wants to be queen, nothing more. If you marry her, you’ll be in pieces by the time she’s finished with you.

“Yeah, I kind of figured that out on my own,” he muttered. First, Aden wasn’t marrying anyone. Not even Victoria. Not yet. He was only sixteen. Well, almost seventeen. Second…he realized he didn’t have a second point.

“Figured what out?” Draven asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

He had that effect on everyone. “Oh, uh. Nothing. Listen.” He backed up a few more steps, placing himself out of striking distance. “For our date, we can sit there, in the hay—” he pointed to one of the empty stalls “—and talk about any laws you’d like to see changed.” Easy. Innocent.

The grind of her teeth echoed from the wooden walls. “Sitting in hay and talking about laws isn’t romantic.”

“I never promised romance.” God, he wanted this to end. Did Victoria know Draven was here? If so, was she currently bottling her feelings? Part of him certainly hoped so. Unbottling her was fun.

“You studied the stars with Stephanie.” Irritation radiated from Draven. “When she met with your councilmen, she extolled the virtues of such a pastime. Now, I would like to study the stars.”

The candidates really were reporting their “dates” with him. Talk about embarrassing! “Sky’s clear right now. If you want to look at the stars, you’ll have to come back tonight,” he said, knowing full well he wouldn’t be available. First, therapy. Then dinner. Then he’d be in town with his friends, hunting. “You aren’t allowed to drink from any of the humans here, though, and that’s an…order. From your king.”

Embracing the role of sovereign? Elijah asked.

No. Yes. Crap. Desperate times and all that. He’d only said what was necessary.

Draven popped her jaw, even as she bowed her head in acknowledgment of his command. “I will not harm your friends, Majesty. You have my word.”

“Thank you.”

“However, I cannot visit tonight. You may not know this, but guards are posted around our home at all times. We all take turns protecting what’s ours. Tonight, from midnight until six, I must patrol the grounds. Unless you relieve me of my duties…” She reached out and drew a fingertip across his collarbone. She was close enough to touch again, yet he’d never seen her move.

He had to arch his back to avoid further contact. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. That wouldn’t be fair to the others.” Impartiality, yeah, that’s what he was all about.

Her hand fell heavily to her side. “Very well,” she said stiffly. “We will postpone our date, then.”

Not if he could help it. “Great. Can’t wait.” Except that I can. Forever.

“Until then.” Draven turned and floated from the barn, leaving him alone with a sudden sense of doom.

EIGHTEEN

A few hours earlier…

THE DAY PASSED in a haze for Mary Ann, classes and tests and friends mere blips in her mind. Riley had ignored her, even though they shared the same schedule. That was more than a blip, but not the cause of her upset.

There were only two more days until the witches’ death curse took effect. If it did. Health-wise, she still felt fine. And yet, she’d never felt so helpless. Or more desperate. “What if” was a constant refrain inside her head. What if she went to sleep in two days and never woke up? What if her heart simply stopped beating? What if a car plowed into her?

If she had to round up every witch in the area and call a meeting to order herself, she would. And she would—hey. Wait. Her eyes widened as her mind whirled. Maybe she could do that. What if she used her…aptitude for sensing magic to find the witches, kinda like following her very own yellow brick road, and forced them into the same location?