Starfire Angels (Starfire Angels: Dark Angel Chronicles Book 1) by Melanie Nilles

all."
    "I am glad not to being with not free girl.
He is being not with you in school. This is good."
    "Oh, I'm free...free to choose my own
friends. He's not one of them, not like you think."
    "Then I can be enjoying time."
    "Yes, you can. Let's enjoy the time we
have." And she would take out her fury later.
    The late morning passed quickly. While Raea
would have liked to invite Pallin for lunch, she didn't want anyone
bothering him yet. She wasn't ready for him to meet her family,
especially Dave. Pallin excused himself, saying he had a lot of
work to finish before night anyway, which she could understand
since he was playing catch up while there.
    Raea walked home
alone and scowled at the yellow house next door, as if she could
burn Elis with her thoughts. It had been him. But he wouldn't get
away with this insult. Just because she needed him to teach her how
to control the Starfire didn't mean she had to like him.
    Whose white car sat out front? She'd
never…She had seen it before. Last night.
    The sticker on it displayed the logo of a
rental company. It was a borrowed car.
    Oh, no. Not now. Which house were they in?
Nina Russet would not corner her again. Raea's best bet to avoid
her lay in heading straight to Evelyn's. But that thought sparked
her anger. Elis would be there. Right now she was in no mood to be
reasonable.
    She had no choice. She hated Miss Russet
more.
    Dammit, Elis. Why did he have to go
and try to scare off Pallin? He had a lot of explaining to do.
    She marched up the steps. Before she lifted
her hand to knock, he opened the door.
    "You were watching me."
    "Get in."
    She hated the situation, but stepped inside
quickly. He shut the door behind her.
    "You bastard." The smack of her palm against
his cheek gave her some satisfaction. The bewilderment on his face
added to it. That felt good. "How dare you tell Pallin to stay away
from me!"
    "I was trying to protect you."
    "Don't." And don't give me that hurt
look.
    With his left cheek reddening, he left her
for the sitting room. He wasn't getting away from her that easily.
She wanted an explanation; and—by God—she was going to get it.
"What makes you think I need protecting?"
    "Debbie." Elis sat down on the couch in
front of the television.
    Debbie? What did she have to do with this?
Raea waited for him to explain.
    "She asked me to make sure you were all
right." He spoke in a calm voice, free of any anger.
    Why couldn't he argue with her? Damn it,
Elis. Why did he have to be calm about this? It cooled the
anger she wanted to feel. She hated that.
    "She was worried, and so was I." The look on
his face begged forgiveness. Raea fought to keep her anger. "But I
watched him and...there's something...I'm not sure yet."
    "What? What don't you like about him?"
    "I think he may be Shirukan."
    "What?" Had he landed on his head? What was
he thinking? "He's foreign, not alien."
    "You don't know that. The Shirukan have
Starfire in their genes but no Starburst marks on their hands. He
acted like he didn't know what I was saying when I spoke Inari, but
his accent is too much like mine was."
    Pallin, Shirukan? No. Elis was paranoid.
That's all it was. He had no proof.
    "And his black coat...The style is like the
uniform of the Shirukan."
    At that, she wrapped her arms around herself
and left the room. Her dreams with the black-clad figures chasing
her parents—she never had a close look at their uniforms. Pallin
had worn black, but so did Elis most of the time.
    Hell, no. Elis was totally wrong. Pallin
wasn't Shirukan. Raea couldn't believe it. It was all
coincidence— fashion coincidence. She marched back into the
sitting room to face him. "I don't want to hear any more about him.
I'll see him when I want. It's my life, Elis. Your job is to
teach me how to use the Starfire, not to run my life."
    That quiet look of concern. Was that his
answer to everything? She hated that. It made her feel
guilty. "And stop giving me that look."
    Had Miss Russet left her house yet?