Chasing Shadows (18 page)

Kendra was still in the guest bedroom when I walked out into the kitchen. I wasn't surprised since it had been a late night and Kendra had been bouncing around full of energy. I made a pot of coffee and was pouring a cup when Simon walked in, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with his hair still wet.

He crowded me against the counter, one arm on each side of me so that I was trapped. He nuzzled my neck, his wet hair making my skin damp. "You look good enough to eat."

I pushed against his chest, smiling. I doubted the t-shirt I wore with Colette's emblazoned on the front was worthy of his praise, but I appreciated it. "You're going to have to settle for coffee, otherwise I'm going to be late."

Simon gave me a mock frown but then gratefully took the cup of coffee I poured for him. "If my sister ever wakes up, I thought we'd swing by Colette's for breakfast."

"Great." I took large sips of my coffee, checking my watch. "I should get going."

Simon grabbed my hand before I could walk away. "What are you doing after work?"

"I work until three and then I was going to swing by Bowery Hall."

The corners of Simon's lips turned down. "I'm coming with you."

"Simon, your sister is here visiting you. She wants to have fun. I doubt she wants to hang around a dorm hall while I wait around for someone that I don't even know will show up."

"Sarah can take her shopping or something. There's no way in hell I'm letting you wait for some guy you don't know by yourself. You have no idea whether he's been overtaken by his vardoger or not. He could be dangerous."

"I doubt it, since this is the first vision I've had of him. And he wasn't being overtaken by his vardoger in it. My aunt said that a lot of how this stuff works is hereditary, and she has a vision of a person being overtaken by their vardoger before it actually happens. I think I'm the same way because that's what happened with Claudia. Don't worry, I'll be okay on my own."

"Caitlin." Simon's voice held a warning, and I sighed, giving up. I knew he was just concerned about me and I didn't want to fight this battle.

"Fine, you win. Just meet me at work when I'm done."

Simon nodded, looking satisfied as he drank his coffee. I checked my watch again. I really was going to be late if I didn't get a move on. I convinced Simon that it was unnecessary to walk me to work, especially since his sister might wake up to an empty apartment, and for once he complied.

I was surprised when the whole gang showed up at Colette's an hour later and I hurried to put two tables together to accommodate the party of six. It was fun to have them around, even though they lingered long enough for Colleen to raise her eyebrows, although she was placated when Kendra gushed over her famous blueberry pancakes. I almost choked when I saw Jenny lean over to feed Marcus a bite of her pancakes, laughing when Sarah actually sputtered on her coffee when she witnessed it as well. Jenny blushed when she saw our gazes directed at her and I made a mental note to grill her about Marcus later.

Simon reminded me that he would be coming back to meet me after work before they left, and I spent the rest of my shift at Colette's feeling upbeat. This morning was a world of difference from most mornings after I had a vision in the past. Instead of feeling exhausted and wary, the purpose I now felt, coupled with the support of Simon, made everything possible.

"Hi, beautiful," Simon said when I rushed to meet him outside after work. He gave me a warm kiss and clasped my hand in his. He looked up at the sky as we walked to campus. "It's supposed to snow today."

It was rare to not have any snow yet in Rochester in mid-November. I loved snow and looked forward to it blanketing the campus in white.

"You should see Jenny when it snows. She acts like it's the second coming." Jenny, a native of Florida, was convinced every snowfall was a major blizzard.

"Let's just hope it doesn't start snowing while we're loitering outside of Bowery Hall."

I ignored Simon's comment, even though I wanted to remind him that he didn't have to come with me. Instead, I let him pull me close to keep me warm when we reached the steps of the dorm hall, his hands burrowing inside up the back of my coat. I looked longingly inside the dorm hall, but no one was allowed to enter unless they had a pass designating them as a resident or if they were a guest of someone.

"You should have worn gloves," Simon admonished, glancing down at my hands on his waist. He slipped them under the front of his coat and they immediately warmed from his body heat. He then slid his hands back underneath the back of my coat, holding me close.

"I could say the same for you."

Simon grinned. "Point taken."

After thirty minutes, the cold was getting to both of us. I looked up and saw that Simon's nose had gotten red. "This is pretty ridiculous, huh?"

Simon leaned down, brushing his cold cheek against mine. "I don't want to complain, but I think I'm starting to lose the feeling in my toes."

I sighed, leaning my forehead against his shoulder. "I admit this isn't the best plan. But it's the only one I have."

I looked up to tell Simon we could go home when I suddenly caught sight of a boy with thick sun-kissed blond hair, looking like he belonged on a California beach rather than the chilly east coast. I automatically looked down at his wrists, but they were covered by his coat.

"He's here."

Chapter Seventeen

I pulled away from Simon, staring at the boy as he came closer to us and started walking up the steps leading into the building. I hadn't really thought this through and had no idea what to say to him. Panic surged as he walked past us, afraid that I would lose my chance, so I stepped towards him, blocking his way.

The boy looked at me in surprise, and then glanced at Simon, who hadn't moved from his spot. Simon's frown didn't help the situation.

"Hi!" I said brightly, groaning inwardly at my forced tone.

The boy gave me a slight smile. His brown eyes looked warm but confused. "Hi."

"You're Brian, right?" I was grasping at straws, but I didn't know what else to do. What was it with me and B names? First Bob the fake boyfriend, and now Brian the fake acquaintance.

"No, I'm Neal." He was looking at me quizzically, like he didn't know what to make of me.

"Oh, that's right. Neal! I'm sorry, I'm horrible with names." I turned to Simon, pasting on a bright smile and willing him to play along. "Simon, this is Neal."

Simon nodded at Neal, still not looking pleased. "Hey."

"Nice to meet you." Neal turned back to me. "And you are..."

"Caitlin! We met the other night at the East End! Remember? When you came to see the Henchmen?"

Neal furrowed his brows and he glanced back at Simon, recognition blooming. "Hey, you're the lead singer. I've heard you guys a few times. You guys are really good."

"Thanks." I wanted to elbow Simon for his less than enthusiastic response, but it would be hard to do so without Neal noticing.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember meeting before." Neal had the grace to look embarrassed and I felt a little bad, but I didn't have the luxury of feeling guilty.

"Oh, that's okay. There were tons of people and it was dark." I bit my lip, trying to think of a way to prolong the conversation. "So, what are you up to today, Neal?"

Neal raised an eyebrow but answered blandly. "Nothing much."

"Why don't you come over to my place for dinner? A bunch of people are coming over, and I'd love to finish our conversation from the other night." I made a mental note to invite everyone over for dinner.

Neal studied me for a moment before answering. "Our conversation about what?"

I frantically tried to think of an answer. I looked at his blond hair and took note of his laidback demeanor and took a chance. "About surfing!"

Neal smiled widely at me, and I knew I had hit pay dirt. "I'm not surprised. I'm always babbling about surfing. It's my one regret for going to school on the east coast. The lack of waves."

"So, seven o'clock?" I dug into my bag and pulled out a pen and a scrap of paper, scribbling my address on it as well as my phone number. I shoved it into Neal's hand, knowing how pushy I was being, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. I had a sudden flash of blood dropping from his wrists and I quickly looked up from his hand. "Call me if you get lost but it's right off campus."

Neal looked down at the piece of paper, looked back up at me and then glanced at Simon. I didn't want to follow his gaze, because the last thing I wanted to do was see Simon's expression. I was sure he didn't approve.

Neal turned back to me, a hesitant smile on his face. "Okay, seven o'clock. Can I bring anything?"

"Oh no, don't worry about it. We'll see you then!" I grabbed Simon's arm, dragging him with me as I made my escape. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment. I had never been so forward in my whole life, practically demanding that Neal come over to my place for dinner.

Simon let me drag him for a few yards, and then came to a halt, jerking me back. I turned around to object to his lack of forward movement, but just gulped when I got a look at his face. His eyes were stormy and his jaw was hard.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"You know I have to keep an eye on him so that I can be there when his vardoger tries to overtake him. The easiest way to do that is for him to become a friend."

A muscle was twitching in Simon's jaw and his eyes narrowed. "Oh, he wants to become a
friend
, alright. You were being very
friendly
with him and he got the message loud and clear."

My mouth dropped open at Simon's insinuation. "He doesn't think that! He saw me standing there with you. Obviously we're together."

"It's not so obvious when you're fawning all over him. Regardless of what he thinks we are, he thinks he has a chance with you. And that's not okay."

I took a deep breath before answering. There was a chance that Simon was right. I had been pretty forward with Neal and he could've gotten the wrong message. I would deal with that later. The most important thing had been to get him to come over.

"I'm sorry if it seemed that way. I just had to get him to come over. Simon, this isn't about me hitting on some guy. It's a matter of life and death."

Simon stared at me as a dozen emotions passed across his face. He finally sighed, wrapping his arm around me as we started walking again. "Make it clear to him that you're not interested when he comes over tonight."

I bristled at Simon's autocratic tone. "I was going to do that anyway, but you don't have to order me around."

Simon looked down at me, his face deadly serious. "Make it clear. You belong to me."

I stopped in my tracks. "Can you not be so ridiculous? This isn't the Victorian age and I'm not some piece of chattel!"

Simon lifted my chin so that I was staring straight into his eyes. He spoke in a low, forceful voice. "Caitlin, I never said you were an object, but you do belong to me. I'm not going to have some sniveling surfer dude thinking he has a chance with you. Make it clear."

I opened my mouth to object, but Simon's mouth came crashing down on mine before I could utter a word. I tried to protest, pushing against his shoulders, but Simon was undeterred, increasing the pressure until I felt my traitorous body giving in. He plunged his tongue into my mouth, gripping my scalp so that I was held captive for his onslaught, but at that point I had no thoughts of going anywhere. Simon groaned when I slipped my tongue into his mouth, our kiss growing frenzied.

I was panting when we broke apart, aroused and confused at the same time. Simon cradled my head between his hands, his eyes piercing into me.

"Make it clear."

Chapter Eighteen

I was silent the rest of the way home, dumbstruck by Simon's attitude. I had seen this forceful side of him before, but never to this extent. An insidious thought started to grow, a seedling of doubt as to whether his vardoger was really gone. I pushed the thought away before it was able to grow any roots. Simon's vardoger wouldn't make him bossy and possessive. It would make him evil.

Sarah was still out shopping with Kendra when we got back to my apartment and, for once, Simon didn't make himself at home. He left abruptly, saying he would be back later for dinner, leaving me standing in my living room gaping.

As much as I wanted to mull over Simon's behavior, I called Grant and Marcus instead to invite them over for dinner. Grant was the only one home but he immediately agreed to come over.

I called Jenny next, hoping that she would be able to make it. I wanted Neal to believe that I already had this dinner planned and he was just a late addition.

"Hi, Caitlin!" Jenny's greeting was cheerful as usual.

"Hi, Jenny. What are you up to tonight?"

"Uh, I have dinner plans." Jenny sounded uncharacteristically nervous and I immediately got suspicious.

"Dinner with who?"

Jenny laughed, although it sounded a little forced. "Well..."

"Jenny McAllister, the jig is up. What are you hiding?"

Jenny's voice became hushed. "I'm going out to dinner with Marcus. But I'm not supposed to tell you that."

"Why? What's the big secret?"

Jenny's voice got even softer. "It's our first date. Marcus doesn't want anyone to know in case it's a bust."

I burst out laughing. "Poor Marcus. He's so afraid of rejection that he wants to keep such a momentous development a secret." I paused, pondering Jenny's hushed tone. "Is he there with you now?"

"Shh, he's back!" I heard Jenny smother a laugh and then clear her throat. She switched to her normal voice when she spoke again, clearly not wanting Marcus to realize what she was talking about. "Yes, that's correct."

"Is he listening to your side of the conversation?"

"Yes, that's the assigned reading."

I rolled my eyes at Jenny's deceptive tactics. Leave it to Jenny and Marcus to make a simple date so complicated. They were also a lost cause in coming over for dinner tonight.