Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) (13 page)

               
Damien smirks as he unlocks the car.  “I like that.  Most girls can’t
see past the money.”

               
“If you didn’t drive a half a million dollar car, you may not have that
problem,” Kayla quips as she gets in.

               
With a whimsical smirk, Damien says, “Yeah, but this car is so much fun, and it
only cost four hundred thousand dollars.”

               
“Men,” Kayla groans.

               
“What do you want to listen to?”

               
Kayla shrugs. “What’s the most absurd thing you have?”

               
“Oh, that’s easy,” Damien replies, starting the music.

               
“
Baby Got Back
”
starts playing, and Kayla nearly dies
from laughter.  She bends over, grabbing her stomach.  “What…why
would you even have this!”

               
“Because the nineties were hilarious and awesome.  How could you be upset
listening to this?”

               
“You just earned a whole lot of cool points,” Kayla says.  She starts
singing along with the music, knowing all the words and staying on key with the
artist.  Damien raises his eyebrows and laughs, while Kayla continues
rapping with the song.

               
Damien keeps smiling and starts the car.  “You just won a million cool
points in my book too,” he states, backing the car out of the driveway.

               
When the song ends, Kayla leans over to the touchscreen of his stereo “What
else do you have?”

               
“Flip through it.”

               
She sifts through his music and finally exclaims, “Oh! Oh!  This is
it!”  She hits the song and then waits.  When it starts playing, she
starts dancing to
“
Gettin’
Jiggy Wit It,” by Will Smith.

               
Laughing, Damien adds, “Another million cool points.”

               
“Don’t you dance?” Kayla asks with excitement.

               
“Yeah, of course, freakishly well, but not when I’m driving a car that’s worth
more than most houses.”

               
“Touché,” Kayla retorts.  Damien smiles back at her.  “What, no witty
comment about French?”

               
He glances at her. “What do you mean?”

               
“Jackson started talking to me in French when I said touché and then proceeded
to pick on me because I don’t speak a foreign language.”

               
“Why don’t you speak anything besides English?” Damien asks, his tone free of
mocking.

               
Frowning, Kayla answers, “I’m horrible at it.  Jackson says he’s going to
teach me Russian.  Do you speak any foreign languages?”

               
“Yes, Italian, Spanish and…well…a language of someplace you wouldn’t even know
about,” Damien replies.  “Jackson does supersede me there.  He is the
linguist of the family.”

               
“He has lived everywhere.  I think that’s awesome.  Where have you
lived?”

               
Damien smirks and says, “Well, we own homes throughout the U.S., and then we
have homes in England, Rome, Tokyo, and Barcelona.”

               
“What?  We need to go on vacation!  I’ll rob a bank, and then we can
go on spring break.”

               
“If you want to go on vacation, you don’t need to rob a bank.  We own
several private jets.”

               
Kayla’s eyes bulge in surprise.  “That’s unbelievable.  What does
your family do?  I know Jackson’s parents are scientists.”

               
“Both my parents are surgeons, but we have family money and a long family
history.”

               
“I see.  My parents are botanists, not very exciting, and my
grandparents…well, I actually don’t know what they did.”

               
With an amused look, Damien says, “I bet it was something spectacular.”

               
“I guess.”

               
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

               
Shrugging, Kayla sighs. “I don’t know yet.  I figure I have a little more
time to think about it.”

“Whatever it is, you’ll
rock at it.”

               
That makes Kayla smile.  She carefully looks at Damien and has to admit
that he is hot and…nice.  She looks out the window and then furrows her
eyebrows.  “How do you know how to get to my house?”

               
“I visited your family this morning.  You were already at school.”

               
“You know my parents?”

               
Damien nods. “Yes.  I was going to introduce myself to you, but your
parents said you left before they even got up.”

               
“Jackson practically dragged me out of bed.” Kayla laughs.  “He wanted
breakfast.”

               
“Well then, I get to drag you out of bed sometime soon and take you out for
breakfast, and then we can spend the day together,” Damien says as he stops at
a light.  “Unless you want breakfast in bed.”

               
Kayla’s jaw drops, and then she wants to die, because she never realized the
song playing was
“
I Want
to Sex You Up.
”
Her cheeks
burn with humility.

               
“You do embarrass easily.” Damien laughs.  “So no breakfast in bed?”

               
“No!  What is it with you and Jackson?  Do I have slut tattooed on my
forehead?  If you’re looking for a one-night stand, you should pursue
someone else.”

               
Chuckling, Damien reaches over and changes the song.  “Relax, I was only
kidding…or was I?”

               
“Perv.”

               
“Oh, I will admit to that.  Yes, yes I am, but I am a nice perv, and I can
be super romantic.  Those counteract each other.”

               
Kayla giggles. “Oh, really?”

               
“Yes, I’ll buy you flowers and take you on dates…then try to get into your
pants,” Damien declares with a grin.

               
“Spoken like a true shmuck!”

               
“Not if I care about you.”

               
Kayla narrows her eyes at him. “Are you, like, a male slut?”

               
Damien snorts. “Depends on what you consider a slut.  Am I virgin? No, not
even close.  But that’s largely due to the fact that I haven’t found the
right person.”

               
“Not sure how I feel about that,” Kayla whispers, staring at him.

               
“I have been on the search for the right person for a while.”

               
Raising her eyebrow, Kayla says, “We’re seventeen.  It couldn’t have been
that long of a search. You’re not secretly a vampire are you?”

               
“No, I’m not a vampire. And no, I don’t sparkle,” Damien quips.  “My
family is particular, and whomever I’m romantically involved with has to be a
very…special...girl.  I’ve had flings and a girlfriend, but not anything
too serious.  My family is just really…picky.”

               
“Jackson said the same thing about his family.  He keeps saying I’m the
only one they would approve of.  I don’t get that.  Why me?”

               
Taking a deep breath, Damien answers, “It’s your family line.”

               
“What?  There’s nothing special about my family.  We are so beyond
ordinary, it’s ridiculous.”

               
Damien clicks his tongue.  “Our families have known each other for
generations.  Trust me, your bloodline is special.”

               
“Why?”

               
“Good genetics,” Damien coughs out.  “Do you want coffee?  I want
some coffee.”

               
Without removing her gaze from him, Kayla says, “Sure.”  He pulls into the
parking lot of the coffee shop.  Kayla reaches into her backpack for her
wallet, and when she looks back up, Damien is opening her door.  “Thanks,”
she says.

               
He nods. “My pleasure.”  When he sees her wallet, his smile turns into a
frown.  “You don’t need money.”

               
“Um, yes, I do.  I want tea.  Tea costs money.”

               
“I have boatloads of money.  Feel free to spend it however you please.”

               
Kayla shakes her head vigorously. “No, I have money.  I can pay for it
myself.  You want to buy me something, get me a car.”

               
“Okay,” Damien replies, putting his hand on her back.  “What kind of car
would you like?”

               
“Ha, ha, very funny.  Anyway, I’m not into flashy things.  Well,
they’re not terrible, but I’d rather invest in saving the environment or
feeding people.”  Pointing back at his car, Kayla says, “That does nothing
for our world but pollute it.”

               
Damien chuckles.  “An eco-friendly vehicle. Got it.”

               
“Yeah right, I wish.  I’ve wanted a car for a while, but my parents say I
can’t have one until I graduate.  It doesn’t need to be anything fancy,
but it would be nice to be able to pick up and go somewhere. I’m tired of
waiting for a car, but I don’t have any other options.”

               
“Mmhmm,” Damien replies.  He opens the door of the coffee shop for her,
and they walk in.  All the girls in the coffee shop stop what they’re
doing and stare at Damien.

               
Looking at him, Kayla says, “Has anyone ever told you that you could be a
model?  Like one of those guys who pierce you with their eyes.”

               
“I have something I’d like to pierce,” Damien teases as he winks at her.

               
 A disgusted look passes over Kayla’s face.  “What is with you and
Jackson?  Is that all you think about?”

               
“We are seventeen-year-old guys. Are you really that surprised?” Damien asks.
He gestures to the counter and the person ready to take their order. 
“What do you want to drink?”

               
“Jasmine,” Kayla murmurs.

               
Walking up to the counter, Damien says, “Large coffee, black, and a jasmine
tea.”  The barista gives him the biggest grin possible. Kayla is surprised
because he only gives her a polite smile in return.  His lack of attention
to the flirty barista makes Kayla happy.  Damien spins around. “Do you
want to sit down?”

               
“Sure,” Kayla replies.  She walks over to a table by the window. 
Damien slides into the chair opposite her.  “So what brings you to our
city?”

               
Looking straight at her, he answers, “An impassible opportunity.”

               
“Ah, I see,” Kayla whispers.  She looks off to the side just as her phone
rings.  She looks at the caller and sighs before hitting the talk button.
“Yeah.”

               
“Listen, I’m sorry,” Jackson mutters.  “I didn’t mean to run you off.”

               
Kayla clicks her tongue.  “That is quite all right. Your cousin and I are
hanging out at a coffee shop.  He was nice enough to give me a ride home.”

               
“Just…I don’t know what to say.  He isn’t a bad guy.”

               
“He says the same thing about you.  So why don’t you get along?”

               
Jackson groans. “It’s not that we don’t get along.  We just have different
views on family matters…and you.  I’m…nervous.”

               
Looking at Damien, Kayla asks him nicely, “Are you going to be cruel or
sacrifice me to some foreign deity?”

               
Damien snorts. “Not at the moment.  Maybe after the caffeine kicks in.”

               
“Ha-ha,” Kayla deadpans.  “Damien has already promised to wine, dine, and
seduce me.  I told him he better buy me diamonds and multiple houses
first.”  Damien bursts into laughter, and Kayla smiles in return.

               
“Well, that’s good to hear,” Jackson says sarcastically.  “I just wish you
would listen to me.  I do know what’s best for you.”

               
“What!  Seriously?  Who do you think you are?”

               
With a heavy sigh, Jackson replies, “Your friend.”

               
“Well, you’re acting like a jealous boyfriend, not a friend, and we’ve had this
conversation already.  I’m hanging up the phone.  When you pull your
head out of your ass, you can call me back.”

               
“Kayla, wait!” Jackson exclaims, his tone bordering on desperation.

               
She hangs up and glares out the window.  Damien exhales loudly. “Give
Jackson a break.  He’s trying to look out for you by his standards. 
Please understand that I will be respectful of you and whatever boundaries you
wish to enforce.”

               
“For some reason, I feel like I can trust you.  Plus, I do have to admit,
you are pretty to look at.”