back.
My arms went around his shoulders. He was broader than he’d been before, but also a little thinner. I delighted in touching him.
Always, I supposed.
Chapter Ten
The next morning I had to talk to Ricky. The sunlight sparkled into my room through the open curtains, but the brightness wasn’t enough to warm me. I was dreading the conversation and for good reason. My nerves felt like they’d been hit by lightning. My body jangled like strung up keys in the wind.
I slipped out before Sip woke up, knowing she needed her rest. As I closed the door and made to turn around I skidded to a halt, surprise making me blink several times.
My little brother was waiting for me outside the door. He sat on the floor, but when he saw me he lifted his gray eyes and glared.
Ricky stared me down, his gray eyes never blinking behind the dark lashes that accented his pale face. He was furious at me for leaving him behind when I went to Locke, and now he was furious at me all over again for nearly getting killed, not telling him anything, you name it. We Rollinses were never very good at hiding our feelings. Given what we both knew the day would bring, I was already resigned to the fact that he would be even angrier later. I sighed.
“Morning,” I said carefully. I slid down the wall across from him. He just continued to stare.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I knew one “sorry” was inadequate for so many failings, but on the other hand, the word lost its effectiveness when it was used too often. I twisted my hands in front of my shins, curling an invisible wire into knots to mimic how my stomach felt now. “But I have to go.”
I searched his face for understanding, but all I saw was pain.
“What about me?” he asked quietly. “What am I supposed to do? Stay here with strangers? With vampire strangers?”
It was still hard for me to wrap my head around how new all of this was to Ricky.
“It’s safer here,” I said. “The roads aren’t safe. Neither is the Circle. All those paranormals in one place is just asking for trouble. You need to be protected, at least until you show powers, and even then you need to be trained. I don’t want you fighting demons.”
“I don’t want you fighting demons either, but you don’t care what I want,” he said. I could see the hurt in his eyes and it nearly killed me. I finished twisting the invisible wire. Now the knots couldn’t be undone.
“You’re too young to show your powers,” I argued. How had I been so blind as to think this would be easy? Or had I merely foolishly hoped? But now was not the time to think of hope as foolish, so I plowed on. “Once you do, and once I have an elemental ring for you, it’ll be different. You’ll be safer.”
“Am I safe here with Lanca?” he countered. “Under the nose of the demons? With vampires?”
“We got Lanca her crown,” I said. “They’ll be hard pressed to overrun her on her own ground. Besides, these vampires are on our side. If they weren’t they would have killed us already.”
Ricky shook his head. “Wow, how comforting. Not. So I’m just supposed to be okay with you risking your life to assert your elemental powers while I sit here and do nothing?”
“Ricky,” I said impatiently, for the first time growing annoyed, “you told me yourself you hadn’t shown any powers. For all we know you don’t even have magic.”
I wasn’t sure that was possible for someone with two paranormal parents, but I didn’t say that.
Ricky looked like he
My arms went around his shoulders. He was broader than he’d been before, but also a little thinner. I delighted in touching him.
Always, I supposed.
Chapter Ten
The next morning I had to talk to Ricky. The sunlight sparkled into my room through the open curtains, but the brightness wasn’t enough to warm me. I was dreading the conversation and for good reason. My nerves felt like they’d been hit by lightning. My body jangled like strung up keys in the wind.
I slipped out before Sip woke up, knowing she needed her rest. As I closed the door and made to turn around I skidded to a halt, surprise making me blink several times.
My little brother was waiting for me outside the door. He sat on the floor, but when he saw me he lifted his gray eyes and glared.
Ricky stared me down, his gray eyes never blinking behind the dark lashes that accented his pale face. He was furious at me for leaving him behind when I went to Locke, and now he was furious at me all over again for nearly getting killed, not telling him anything, you name it. We Rollinses were never very good at hiding our feelings. Given what we both knew the day would bring, I was already resigned to the fact that he would be even angrier later. I sighed.
“Morning,” I said carefully. I slid down the wall across from him. He just continued to stare.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I knew one “sorry” was inadequate for so many failings, but on the other hand, the word lost its effectiveness when it was used too often. I twisted my hands in front of my shins, curling an invisible wire into knots to mimic how my stomach felt now. “But I have to go.”
I searched his face for understanding, but all I saw was pain.
“What about me?” he asked quietly. “What am I supposed to do? Stay here with strangers? With vampire strangers?”
It was still hard for me to wrap my head around how new all of this was to Ricky.
“It’s safer here,” I said. “The roads aren’t safe. Neither is the Circle. All those paranormals in one place is just asking for trouble. You need to be protected, at least until you show powers, and even then you need to be trained. I don’t want you fighting demons.”
“I don’t want you fighting demons either, but you don’t care what I want,” he said. I could see the hurt in his eyes and it nearly killed me. I finished twisting the invisible wire. Now the knots couldn’t be undone.
“You’re too young to show your powers,” I argued. How had I been so blind as to think this would be easy? Or had I merely foolishly hoped? But now was not the time to think of hope as foolish, so I plowed on. “Once you do, and once I have an elemental ring for you, it’ll be different. You’ll be safer.”
“Am I safe here with Lanca?” he countered. “Under the nose of the demons? With vampires?”
“We got Lanca her crown,” I said. “They’ll be hard pressed to overrun her on her own ground. Besides, these vampires are on our side. If they weren’t they would have killed us already.”
Ricky shook his head. “Wow, how comforting. Not. So I’m just supposed to be okay with you risking your life to assert your elemental powers while I sit here and do nothing?”
“Ricky,” I said impatiently, for the first time growing annoyed, “you told me yourself you hadn’t shown any powers. For all we know you don’t even have magic.”
I wasn’t sure that was possible for someone with two paranormal parents, but I didn’t say that.
Ricky looked like he
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