Hotblood (34 page)

I stared at him, trying to figure out why that bothered him. “I’m grown up. I can be left home by myself.”

He quirked a dark eyebrow and shook his head. “Suppose demons attacked you here and you burned too much fury and no one found your limp body broken at the bottom of the stairs until it was too late?”

“
Why would I be at the bottom of the stairs?” I asked crossing my arms across my chest trying to sound annoyed. The truth is I wanted to lean against him and have his arms wrap around me.

“
Because…” Lewis said and then scowled at me. “It makes a fine poetical statement that’s why. If you keep standing there looking cold and obstinate, I am going to carry you somewhere and hold you as close to me as possible, and then when your mother comes home, she’ll probably give me another lecture about why we aren’t soul mates. Frankly I’m not sure I can bear that,” he said taking a step towards me.

“
If you stand there scowling, I’m going to put my cold feet on your legs until they’re warm.” I took a step towards him.

“
All right, all right,” Satan’s voice boomed across the hall. “Now that you’ve made your positions clear, Lewis, get home. Dariana, to bed. I don’t care if you feel fine. Unless you want to stay home from school again tomorrow, you’ll go climb into your blankets like a good little Hotblood and stay there until Snowy comes for you.”

“
She’ll need dinner,” Lewis said, for some reason still staring at me.

“
We’ll take care of it Lewis. Helen’s been spending all her time learning about how to raise a Hotblood. After that scare she’ll overdo it. Home now, before I have to smash your scowling face in.”

“
Satan,” I said protesting as I turned to him. “Lewis gave me a ride.”

“
He’s right. I’ll see you at school,” Lewis said and leaning forward, brushed my cheek with his lips. I gasped and blinked but the door shut and he was gone. I stared at the door with my hand on my cheek wondering how to cool down this sudden burning in my chest.

15 My Scarred Psyche

School was stressful with piles of homework to catch up on in every class. I couldn’t see how missing two days would require so much paperwork. When I saw Smoke during gym, I was glad to see someone I could relax around as we practiced at the far side of the gym, but he was actually serious about dancing. I’d never seen him focused like that. He never asked where I’d been.

Snowy was completely wrapped up in her plans for Homecoming, and during lunch she didn’t notice me for the stream of people who kept coming to the table to talk to her about final plans. It was awkward to sit between her and Lewis. He seemed cheerful, like I hadn’t spent two days in his bed, and he hadn’t kissed my cheek, and that I didn’t feel better the minute he sat beside me, breathing the same air as I did. I relaxed a little when Osmond came in until he started joking about Homecoming. Going on a group date with Osmond, Lewis and Snowy was something I didn’t want to think about since it would be strange and uncomfortable any way you looked at it.

The next day, Friday, was only a half-day, because of the big football game, so I didn’t have to spend lunch with Snowy. I sat with her and the rest of the dance team on the bleachers with our black suits over the skimpy dance uniforms I still didn’t feel comfortable wearing. The wind was biting, and I reluctantly pulled off my suit to go out on the field and strut my stuff, or to freeze my knees anyway. I only stumbled once when I looked up and saw Lewis standing in an aisle of the bleachers, leaning against the banister as he watched me. I heard Valerie snicker beside me and felt heat rush to my cheeks. On the way off the field I was ready for her when she ‘accidently’ jostled me in a way that would have brought me flat on my face if I hadn’t been watching for it. Instead I twisted and it was her that went down awkwardly on the grass.

“
Oh, wow, Valerie, I’m so sorry about that,” I said offering her a hand. She looked up at me and I was bewildered by her feral smile.

“
Oh, don’t worry about it, honey,” she said ignoring my hand and getting smoothly to her feet. “It’s better to fall in the field than at the feet of a man.” She sashayed off, and I stared at her back wondering if that was a quote I was supposed to recognize. I didn’t. Everything about her was so alien to Sanders.

After the game, I got a ride home with Snowy.

“
Do you know what the guys have planned for dinner? It’s weird that I’m not sure which of us is with whom, I mean for the sake of corsages, and Osmond never asked about my dress, and if we’re going to have a group photo we should have coordinated. I can’t believe I haven’t even seen your dress yet, but with you getting strep and everything else going on I’ve barely had time to get a manicure. I saw you and Valerie on the field; it looked very chummy,” she said.

“
She is so strange. It was like she was glad that I’d tripped her. Maybe she’s crazy.”

“
That would explain her taste in shoes,” Snowy said airily. “After we swing by my house to get my dress your mother is going to help us get ready for the dance. Your mother has the most incredible makeup.”

“
Yeah. I need that,” I said and hated how grouchy I sounded.

“
No, you look really good. I was going to say something but with everything that’s been going on… anyway, I’ll be right back,” she said and ran into her house.

When we got to my house, she, my mother and I all went into my mother’s room where Snowy pulled out her frothy pink gown and my mother and I ooohed and aahed over it appropriately. She pulled it on with her most effective push up bra, and I had to admit she looked as pretty as a doll ever could. She twisted this way and that way in my mother’s full-length mirror while I stared worriedly at the box on my lap. It was ridiculous that I hadn’t even checked if it fit. I didn’t really care about matching dresses. I just wanted it to be over. I reluctantly pulled one end of the string and took off the lid. I reached in, pulling out the tissue paper, and then wrapped my hand around silky fabric that clung to my arm. I pulled the dress half out of the box then stared at it in horror mixed with admiration. The bodice was completely strapless more of a bustier-type undergarment than my idea of an actual dress. The filmy layers were the color of autumn leaves, gold with flecks of burnt orange and dark purple. I held it up wordlessly for my mother and Snowy to see.

“
You picked this out?” Snowy asked sounding impressed.

“
No, I was too sick to go in the shop. Satan got it for me. I think this would look better on him than on me. He’s got more in his chest to hold it up.” It was so soft and beautiful, but on me it probably wouldn’t even stay on.

“
Nonsense. I’m sure we can make it work,” my mother said sounding amused.

“
Snowy, maybe I can wear something of yours, something your Aunt sent you or something…” I trailed off as I got a look at her face. She looked almost envious.

“
That dress is going to be perfect for you,” she said matter-of-factly.

“
Perfect. Hmm, well a show dance should have an exciting, dangerous element to it, but I was thinking along the lines of a daring lift, not my dress falling off, but whatever.”

They looked at me, then at each other, and my mother said, “Well, I agree with Snowy. You can always wear a wrap over it. Let’s try it out with hair and makeup so you can judge it on you instead of in a box. You have to admit the color is just right.”

I rolled my eyes and let them fuss over me for way too long. After I was fixed to my mother’s exacting standard, Snowy held up the dress gleefully and helped me pull it over my head without spoiling my hair. The layers settled around me silkily, and the sensation was marvelous. My mother tightened the bodice top with the strings from behind until I was almost convinced it wasn’t going anywhere without me.

She turned me towards the mirror saying, “So what do you think?” Snowy stood on my other side and I stared at the girl in the mirror. She was absolutely beautiful. My mother had outdone herself with the makeup, my hair curled around my shoulders where it wasn’t twisted up on my head, and the dress fit me perfectly. It didn’t show off curves I didn’t have, instead it seemed to proclaim that the body in this dress was the ideal.

I scowled, shaking my head. “Unbelievable. You guys did a great job. It doesn’t really look like me does it?” I put a hand on my shoulder, feeling the skin—there was too much skin.

“
You’re gorgeous,” Snowy acknowledged. “You’re every bit as gorgeous as I am. We are completely different, but no one in their right mind would say you weren’t as gorgeous as I am, aren’t I right, Mrs. Sanders?”

My mother just smiled. The doorbell rang and my mother gave me a delicate hug, careful not to spoil the perfect gown then went downstairs.

“
I have to put something on over this,” I said as soon as my mother left.

“
Why?” Snowy demanded.

“
Because…” I couldn’t explain it to her. I was too beautiful, too delicate and feminine, to be going on a group date with some friends. I looked like a romance heroine waiting for someone dashing to sweep her off into the darkness, like the Nether. I swallowed when I thought of him. “It’s too much skin. You go downstairs; I’ll be there in a minute.”

She gave me an exasperated sigh and left me alone with the gorgeous girl in the mirror. I went to my room to grab the black Edwardian jacket I’d gotten from Mr. Slider. I checked it out in the mirror, the dress wasn’t quite as attention grabbing, but the look was still pretty nice. It looked like the jacket was an intentional statement, not a cover up for someone who was too scared to bare that much skin. I walked down the stairs not meeting anyone’s eyes, but someone started whistling and hooting. I looked up to see Satan really overdoing it.

“
Are you okay?” I asked him but Lewis stepped forward and for a second everything else in the room faded away. Snowy’s laugh brought everything else into focus and I got my strangely erratic breathing under control as Lewis handed me a clear box. I took it slowly, feeling less and less comfortable as I tried to figure out what the dark russet bouquet meant. “Thank you,” I mumbled staring at it.

“
It’s a corsage and it matches your dress,” he said cheerfully.

“
I can see that. The thing is, you didn’t have to get me a corsage. This isn’t a date.”

He smiled at me and shook his head. “It’s a group date. At the flower shop Osmond and I picked out two corsages with the idea that whoever’s flowers match will escort that girl. Otherwise we’ll all be tripping over each other. Let me put it on,” he said taking the box back, holding onto my hand while he attached the bouquet to my wrist. “Perfect,” he said and left a quick kiss beneath the bouquet before he straightened up. It left me feeling slightly sick with a tightness in my chest that had very little to do with my mother’s lacing.

“
Pictures,” my mother called and we gathered together so she could flash the camera a dozen times.

I wasn’t sure if I remembered to smile, I was too disoriented. Everyone else seemed so happy and cheerful, like we were all normal people and we did this kind of thing all the time. Osmond nudged me and I frowned at him.

“
Come on, Dari, lighten up a little. Either you’re getting sick again, or you aren’t overjoyed to be dating the two most attractive guys in Sanders at the same time.”

I looked at Osmond and couldn’t help smiling. “I’m overwhelmed with my luck. You owe me some dancing.”

“
Oh yeah?” He raised his eyebrows. “I thought Smoke was going to wear you out.”

“
Naw, I’ll save some energy to groove with you. I remember how well you danced with Snowy in days past. Dancing is what one must do at a dance, with as many handsome men as possible.”

“
I’ll keep that in mind,” Lewis said. I grinned at him, feeling more relaxed every minute.

“
You can dance with Osmond too if you’d like,” I offered generously.

“
Thanks for volunteering me,” Osmond said nudging me again.

“
Well from my gym class it is apparent that the handsome gentleman doesn’t dance, and my shoes, I am sad to say, are not for the uninitiated. I wouldn’t want to spoil my hose with boot prints.”

“
Lewis can dance,” Snowy said. “I’m sure no one who fights as well as he does can’t pull off something on the dance floor.”

“
Yes, I’m sure he can do that jumping around thing, but this is Sanders,” I said and felt almost proud of my backwards town. “Here we dance the hard way.”

Lewis started laughing, and I smiled at him, liking the way he sounded, the way he looked. I blinked as a flash burst in my eyes. I looked at my mother who gave me a tense smile and turned to snap a picture of Snowy with Satan lurking in the background. It made everything fake suddenly, like we were all paper cut outs that could be blown over in a moment. I blinked again and everything was normal. I kept a smile on my face and let Lewis tuck my arm in his as we walked outside. He opened the door of his car, and I climbed in while Osmond helped Snowy into his truck.

I shifted, feeling nervous, trying to think of something to talk about besides how much I wished I were Osmond’s date. “Without a four seat car it’s a good thing you eliminated the confusion with the corsages. Where are we going?” I asked smoothing down my skirt while Lewis buckled his seatbelt. There were only a few places in town to eat, none of them very fancy.

“
It’s a surprise,” Lewis said smiling mysteriously.