Brush of Shade (30 page)

“So you’re
friends?” I asked, trying to understand the secrecy.

“I wish. But
he’s all brusque no time for the high school girl. Whoops, you and I, we’re the
same age,” she said, grinding to a halt, color rising into her cheeks again.

“That’s
different. We both work at Hattie’s shop, so he has to talk to me,” I replied,
waving off the comment while leaving out the part about him being my personal
bodyguard. Apparently not everything about my life was public record.

“You work? I
mean, not that you wouldn’t. It’s just that you don’t need to with you being
the warden’s heir and all. I figured you had more important stuff to do.”

“Well I—”

“So what’s he like?”
She asked, chewing on the end of a pen, Hattie’s order forgotten.

“Shade?
He’s been real good about helping me get acclimated
to valley life.”

“Lucky you.”

I shook open a
reusable canvas bag and said before the rumor mill picked up breaking news, “We’re
just friends. The guy can be quite bossy in an older brother sort of way.”

“That’s too bad.
I heard he broke up with his girlfriend at the end of the summer.”

“We’re lowly
high
schoolers
. Besides, that would break his
personal code or something not to mention the law.”

“A girl’s got to
look ahead. We are seniors,” she said, her eyes turning soft and dreamy.

“Boyfriend?”
I snapped my fingers in front of her face.
“Track team? Ring any bells?”

“Please, it’s
Shade
Grisland
. Becky and Amanda are going to die.”

I laughed,
pleased that at least amongst Amber and her friends, that Shade was the one
with celebrity status. Watching his reaction to teenage girls mooning over him
all the way to the mall and back was going to be amusing. The fact that I was
no different than them, I chose to ignore. After all, I had an excuse. I was
the recipient of a Soul Oath, albeit for the reason of my health and safety,
but still it was there between us, forever.

Amber was
filling me in on the best places to shop when Shade strolled over to the
counter. Unaware of our earlier conversation, he smiled at Amber before asking
me, “Are you about ready?”

“Almost,” I
said. “Did you know Amber and I are in the same class at school?”

A fifty count
box of half-inch nails slipped out of Amber’s hand, spilling all over the
counter, tinkling against the glass. Blurred hands scooped up the nails and
dropped them into the box. She stared at the box like it might sprout legs and
walk off while two, crimson splotches erupted on her cheeks. Shade shot me a
quizzical look, sighed, and dropped the box into a bag.

He jingled his
keys. “The pipe is loaded. I’ll pull the truck up around front. Are you going
to need help carrying that out?”

“I’ll help. I’m
done with my shift,” Amber volunteered, still staring down at the counter.

 “Hold up,
Shade,” I said, forestalling his retreat to a safe estrogen free zone. “I’d
like to take you up on your offer. Amber and I were thinking of hitting a few
malls over break.” I conveniently left out the part about her friends.

“A few?”
A polite mask of resignation settled over his face.
“No problem just let me know when. Nice seeing you again, Amber. Tell Owen
thanks for having the pipe stacked and ready. See you out front, Olivia.”

“See, he spoke
to you,” I said, fully aware that Shade with his excellent hearing caught every
word.

“Olivia!” Amber
hissed, her cheeks flaming again.

I picked up the
nearest canvas bag. “Please, I tease him all the time. It’s fun.”

“Wait right
there,” she shouted over her shoulder as she dashed into a side room. A minute
later she raced out, still pulling on her coat. “I’ve got the other two bags.”

 “Thanks,”
I said, not at all upset that she was helping out just on the off chance that
Shade spoke to her again.

We were waiting
in the vestibule for Shade’s truck to come in sight when Amber groaned and
tried to bury her face between the two bags.

“Something wrong?”
I asked.

“Start talking.
Don’t make eye contact,” she said in a low voice when the door opened for a
middle-aged gentleman with a narrow, pinched face and a receding hairline.
Without waiting for me to respond she asked, “Are you going to Trent’s New
Year’s Party?”

 “Are you
kidding? The party is all Trent can talk about. Is there anyone he hasn’t
invited?” I replied, trying to nudge her towards the automatic door, but she
was frozen in place.

 “You ought
to stay away from inferior stock, Miss Hastings. I’ve seen you with that human
boy.
Shameful.
There are plenty of respectable
clansmen like my son, Willis. With him you could be proud that you’ve done your
duty to preserve your blood,” the gentleman said, crowding between us, shoving
me to the side as if I wasn’t there.

“I’m not a brood
mare,” Amber retorted.

The man leaned down
close to her and spoke in a slurred voice that made her shake. “Next time
Willis calls, you better be friendly.”

“Leave her
alone,” I shouted. “Amber, let’s wait outside.”

A firm hand
closed around my arm, squeezing uncomfortably when I tried to slip past.
Startled, I stared up at churning seas and felt a twinge of unease. It just
figured something would happen the first day that I’d returned to work since
the attack had left me buried in snow. “Excuse me,” I said unable to stop my
voice from quivering.

His lips pulled
back into a snarl, revealing yellowed teeth and releasing the stench of alcohol
and cigars that permeated the confined space. I buried my mouth in my sleeve
and dragged a filtered breath. Hatred scoured across my mind. Its terribleness
rendering me paralyzed beneath its caustic touch.

“We don’t need
mongrels telling us what to do. They ought to be leashed, muzzled, and taught
to obey,” he threatened, yanking my arm over my head, forcing me to stretch up
onto my toes until my knee shook.

Amber leapt
forward, grabbing for his arm. “Let her go.” He shouldered her against a line
of carts that clanked together and rolled away. Left with nothing to hold on
to, she skidded on a wet spot on the entryway floor and ended up sprawled on
her hands and knees.

The moment the
focus of his wrath switched to Amber, my mind ceased vacuuming up his twisted
emotions. I was able to form clear thoughts that connected to my body. I swung
the canvas bag, whacking him on his hip. Metal pipe fittings clanged together.
Nails flew out of the bag, clinking against the shopping carts and spilling
across the floor. The man swore and dug vibrating fingers into the soft tissue
of my arm until I writhed on his leash, whimpering like a beaten dog. The next
thing I knew, the bulletin board was coming at my face, too fast for me to put
my burning arm out to stop the inevitable collision.

Flyers and
snowflakes fluttered into my face. Splayed fingers cradled my forehead, keeping
it from striking the wall. Nearly invisible arms scooped me up and set me on my
feet.

“Girls, wait for
me in my truck,” Shade ordered.

One look at his
face and I was motivated to do as he ordered. Icebergs had devoured seas.

“Figures Lewis
Fairdale would pick now of all times to come into the store,” Amber said as she
climbed onto the seat next to me. “He’s always so foul tempered and worse when
he’s been drinking. Owen’s the only one who can tolerate the man long enough to
wait on him.”

I barely heard
the last part.
Fairdale, as in a relation of mine?
Just
when I’d let my guard down, the valley had spat at me again. Perched on the
edge of the seat, I ran my nails up and down the cold metal teeth of the zipper
on my jacket. I wanted to go home. Too bad the home I’d just visualized was far
away and didn’t belong to me anymore.
“Why doesn’t Shade
leave?”

“The
Grisland’s
are loyalist and quite vocal in their support of
traditions. He’s probably reminding Mr. Fairdale of his obligations.”

“I don’t want a
fight,” I said, feeling a sick twist of my stomach as Lewis Fairdale’s ugly
expression of hatred pulled his lips back into a feral snarl. When he pointed
at me in the truck, I had to resist the impulse to slump down in my seat and
hide.

“Oh, Shade won’t
start a fight. Diamond level certification requires practically super human
control. Don’t worry about Fairdale. Even when he’s drunk, he’s got sense
enough not to tangle with a diamond.”

Despite Amber’s
reassuring assessment of the situation, I breathed a sigh of relief when Shade
abruptly turned. Halfway through the door, he whirled about so fast that his
movements were a blur. Fairdale skidded across the floor, slamming against the
automatic door that couldn’t react fast enough. Shade raised his palm. The door
flung open, crashing against the wall. Skidding on his rear-end, Fairdale
sailed past the checkers ringing up customers.

“Don’t worry,
they’re all Whisperers. No one saw,” Amber reassured.

I sunk back
against the seat cushion. It hadn’t occurred to me to check. But they had. It
had been engrained in them since birth. I pulled my purse to my chest and
stared straight ahead.

“My apologies,
ladies,” Shade said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Stay, Amber. I’ll
give you a lift home as soon as we drop these bags at the shop.”

“Did he attack
you?” I asked breathlessly, finding it difficult to locate my voice. Churning
seas, that were already showing signs of returning to their normal icy calm,
held my eyes for a moment before turning away to back the truck out of the
parking spot.

“Just a shove to assert his dominance.
It was out of
character. The Enforcers will put him in a cell until he sobers up. If he
bothers either of you again, call me.”

“He tried to
voice Amber,” I said.

Shade shot Amber
a concerned look. “Do you need a cleansing? I can contact my grandmother.”

“I’m alright. He
was too drunk to make a connection this—“

“Has he bothered
you before? We can stop by the bureau so you can file a report,” Shade said,
keeping his tone gentle.

“A couple of
times,” she admitted, staring down at her lap with her hair hiding her face. “I
thought about telling Mason, but then Owen stepped in to handle Mr. Fairdale’s
orders.”

“I’ll speak to
your cousin. He’ll handle the situation.”

During the
drive, my irrational fears imagined hate filled eyes glaring out at me through
every house window. I stared straight ahead, chewing on my bottom lip until we
pulled into the alley where we parked. Shade scooped up all three bags and
headed through the back entrance. I waited for Amber to say she wasn’t
interested in going to the mall or being friends. When she followed me inside,
I tried not to get my hopes up.

“Do you think
Shade could give us a ride to Gunnison tomorrow? I’ve got gift cards I could
use to buy something sparkly to wear to the party,” Amber said, bubbling with
excitement.

I spun about,
taking the last couple of steps backwards. “You still want to go after what
just happened?”

“I’m not about
to let that sour old man spoil my day. You shouldn’t either especially not at
this moment,” she answered.

Her broad grin
confused me. Maybe she didn’t know anything about the history between the
Pepperdine’s and the
Fairdales
? Why the heck was she
looking over my shoulder all excited?

I turned about,
expecting to see Hattie hunched over her work table. Instead, I ended up
blinking several times with what I’m sure had to be a dumbfounded expression on
my face. Hattie was at her unusually clean work table as was a large sheet cake
decorated with my name and a riot of butter cream pink and blue roses.

Voices shouted,
“Surprise!”

Amber laughed
and gave me a nudge towards the table. People who’d been hiding behind boxes,
shelves, or crouched together in the store window spilled out into the shop.

During the
chorus of “Happy Birthday” Trent scooped me up into a hug and kissed me once
for each year. Only when my aunt came forward to give me a hug followed by
Meadow and
Rylan
, did Trent relinquish his place at
my side.

When it was
Hattie’s turn, her eyes were dancing with amusement. She’d changed into a jean
skirt and a gold turtleneck. Beaded wire streamers stuck out of her bun like
antlers. “The look on your face was priceless,” Hattie said.
“Why
hello, Amber.
Welcome to my shop.”

I threw my arms
around Hattie’s neck and gave her a big hug. “I can’t believe you did this. I
had no idea. Thank you.”

“Now don’t you
be thinking I’ve turned into an old softly. You still have to work for your
coins.” She sniffed and muttered, “All these folks must be stirring up some
dust.”

 It wasn’t
until I turned to ask my aunt if she needed any help with the
plates, that
I noticed Shade and Shadow leaning against the
rickety spool rack with their hands in their front pockets and their thumbs
hooked through their belt loops. Neither man was speaking, or at least not out
loud. Both had veiled eyes and angry set mouths.

For Hattie’s
sake, I set the ugly incident aside and played the surprised, birthday girl. I
took Meadow and
Rylan
on a search of Hattie’s office
for a marker to sign Meadow’s cast. When we were done, Trent was scooping ice
cream into bowls while my aunt and Amber were slicing the cake. A loop from the
knot in my stomach unwound. Amber had stayed, adding to my small but growing
circle of friends in this troubled community.

When Shade and
Shadow finally joined the group at Hattie’s persistence, I made an effort to
stay in character. “You were in on it,” I accused Shade as I handed him a slice
of cake.