Veined (A Guardian of the Angels Novel) (15 page)

“That’s not it,” Attic said, his shoulders slouched. It was the first time I’d seen him look vulnerable. He turned, and a strand of green hair veiled his eye.

My intuition screamed
told you so
at me and I wished I’d paid it more attention. This was the hardest hit I’d thrown Attic all morning. And it didn’t feel as good as I’d imagined it would. The sadness on his face raked me with guilt.

Cautiously, I approached him until he had no choice but to look at me. “Ah, sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” He snorted and shook his head. “
You
have no need to be sorry.” Attic straightened up and looked over my shoulder. “Alyse, planning on making your entrance known anytime soon?”

I swiveled in time to see Alyse shrug. “Albelin wants to see you,” she said. “I can take over training for a while.”

Attic looked at her, then nodded. “Teach her the basics of throwing a knife,” he said and walked out the gym.

I focused on keeping my mind shielded, and followed Alyse’s instructions carefully. She might masquerade as a bitch, but she knew her stuff and taught well. Pinching the lightweight knife she’d given me between my thumb and index finger, I held my hand stiff.

“Remember to release the knife once your arms are in line with each other,” Alyse said from behind.

I aimed it at the target on the wall, snapping my fingers as I let it go and followed through with the momentum.

“Not bad,” Alyse said, her expression schooled, “for a beginner. Try again.” She passed me another knife. “You know he’s into you, right?”

“Who?”

She blinked and her lip twitched. “
Attic
.”

I let go too soon and the knife embedded itself in the wall.
Attic?
Whatever would make her think that?

I moved to the wall and tugged at the knife. “Attic is into any girl that moves.”

“Rubbish.”

I frowned at her. I had countless examples to back me up, and she was one of them.

“He may act charming and he certainly gives a girl a good time, but that doesn’t mean he’s into them. Sure, he may like them and have fun, but you have a whole different meaning to him.”

I shook my head. Boy had she misunderstood something. Besides, you didn’t go round sleeping with other people when you liked someone.

“I thought something was going on when I tried to make out with him in the car. The night he nearly got us killed running to help you.” She patted her blonde locks. “He yanked my hair right back and told me not to try anything like that again.”

“But yesterday—”

“Yesterday, I just wanted to have a bit of fun, so I tried harder to seduce him.” Alyse threw two knives simultaneously at the target, hitting the bull’s-eye. “At first I thought it was working . . . Until he said your name.”

I dropped the knife.

“Careful. Could have sliced your toe off.” Alyse’s voice was distant, as if a wind blew her words away in the opposite direction.

It felt like raindrops splashed on my skin, a soft pitter-pattering waking me up.
Attic said my name?
My Vein buzzed. My whole body felt energized, and gigantic butterflies flapped all through me as if desperate to get out of their cage.

I breathed in slowly. Wasn’t it more likely he’d said my name to warn Alyse I was on my way? The butterflies stopped moving.

“I need to get a drink.” I wasn’t sure how loud I said it, it seemed like the volume had been turned off on everything, including myself.

I drifted into the kitchen and fidgeted with the lid on a bottle of water. This was weird. Why didn’t I know what to do with myself? Why was I even so hung up on this? The hold on my mind shield slipped.
Jeez, this is tiring.

The door swung open and Cordelia floated toward me with a smile and a curious arch to her brow. “You’ll get used to shielding. Give it a day or two.”

I smiled. “I hope so.”

She breathed in deeply and cocked her head. “You’re nervous.”

“Sorry?”

She took the bottle from me and gripped my hand, again inhaling. “I see predominately rose leaf and white chrysanthemum. Quite a few lilies and in the center
a pansy.” Cordelia let go of me. With each of her words, I felt the volume notch up. “It’s my power. I can sense certain feelings people have based on their smell. Your bouquet tells me you hope something is true, but you don’t know what that something is. It makes you nervous.”

This was weirder than weird and strangely uncomfortable. As politely as I could, I smiled and retreated to the gym.

I hope something is true?

“That’s vague.”

I jumped. Attic stood right beside me. “And you tell Alyse to make her appearance known?” Hypocrite.

“I was next to you for half the length of the gym.” He gave me a crooked grin. My heart galloped and I looked away. “It’s not my fault you were away with the fairies. Didn’t get the gist of your thoughts though. Care to clarify?”

With everything I had, I slammed a shield around my mind. This time it felt thicker, which was extremely comforting. I didn’t want Attic to be able to hack his way through it.

In the corner of my eye I saw him frown, but thankfully he didn’t push.

The next evening I had my night off. At seven, I sat with my friends in the pizza plaza across from the movie theatre.

“We’ve got to get meat-lovers,” Maddy said, running her finger down the hundred pizza options on the menu.

“Oh, cranberry and chicken, that’s what I’m ordering.” Marcus beckoned the waiter over.

I nudged Marcus under the table. “Wait, I haven’t decided what to get.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll make him come back.” He lowered his voice. “He’s just such a hottie, I want to take a closer look.”

Jason, on my other side, squeezed my hand. Since I’d come in, he hadn’t let me go. “What do you want, Sylva?”

Attic, across from me, caught my eye. I glanced away. “Yes, what
do
you want?”

What did that mean? Could he read my reluctance to be with Jason right now? I didn’t know why I felt that way, but being so close to him made me feel a little claustrophobic. Yet, I’d not gone out with him in days, and felt I should be holding his hand at the very least.
I like Jason.
And I did, but I recognized the lie in that thought. I liked Jason all right. But I wasn’t sure how much.

Dammit. I wished Alyse had never spoken to me. Things had been weird today at training. I concentrated on honing my power, avoiding any unnecessary eye and skin contact with Attic. I got used to looking at my hands and feet, or over his shoulder. Every time our gazes met, I would blush. Had Attic really said my name when he was with her? Why? Surely, he was just thinking of my training schedule or something, right?

“Sylva?” Jason asked, his voice concerned.

I snapped out of my thoughts. “Ah, I want a mushroom pizza.”

I turned towards the waiter, who was chatting away with Maddy. I raised a questioning brow to Marcus.

“Why do all the cute ones have to be straight or taken?” he complained.

“There’ll be someone for you, I’m sure.”

“Well, they better damn well be perfect. It feels like I’ve been waiting forever.” He sighed. “Nearly eighteen and never even been kissed.”

Maddy’s smile broadened, almost splitting her face.

“But it is nice to see Mads get some action,” Marcus whispered.

We grinned at each other and watched Maddy out the corner of our eyes. A healthy red brightened her cheeks. The waiter pointed to something else on the menu and they continued discussing the options that rivaled meat-lovers.

“Fine, I’ll try that one, if you say it’s so good.”

He smiled at her once more and lowered his voice. “Great choice.” I was pretty sure no one but Attic and I picked it up. This Guardian hearing thing, which I was slowly developing, certainly had its advantages. “That one also comes with my number, ah, if you’re interested.”

Maddy blushed and nodded.

After the rest of us had ordered, I disentangled my hand from Jason’s and beckoned Maddy toward the bathrooms. Inside, she jumped up and down. “Ohmygod. Did that just happen?”

“It sure did. And he’s cute!” I grinned. “So, when are you going to call him?”

She blushed. “You heard that, too? Well, I don’t know. Let’s see if he even gives it to me first. Maybe he sees the way I eat and changes his mind.”

“Hardly.”

A knock came at the bathroom door, Marcus peered into the room. “Damn, I’m missing out if you stay in there. Get back here.”

We walked out and Marcus grabbed Maddy into a hug. “I’m so jealous of you right now. I think you’ll have to buy me a soda to make up for my serious disappointment.”

She elbowed him and he grinned. Their relationship was so great I also felt a tinge of jealousy. Still, I had them both.
I’m so lucky.

After dinner, we headed to the movies. At Maddy’s request, we decided on a suspense-thriller. Jason got us a big bucket of popcorn, and we all filed into one of the back rows. Maddy, Marcus, Jason, me, and tailing us, Attic.

I leaned over to Attic, and whispered, “Don’t you want to sit on the other side of Maddy?” Other than the fact it would mean more space for me, it was closer to the center.

“No. I quite like the seat I’m in, thanks.”

I scowled. He only laughed.

Jason placed the popcorn between his legs, so he could hold my hand. He glared once at Attic and kissed my fingers, before tuning in to the previews. I shook off Jason’s grip and grabbed some popcorn, savoring it to keep my hand from becoming available.
This is probably not a good sign for me and Jason.

As much as I tried, I couldn’t concentrate on the movie. Attic and Jason laughed at some of the good one-liners and both kept their gaze glued to the screen.

I glanced at the armrest to my left. Attic’s dark glove made the outline of his hand harder to see. His fingers jerked, and as they did, I focused on the screen. Like I should have been doing this whole time.

Close to the end of the movie, I leaned over to Jason and spoke in his ear, “I’m just going to the bathroom. I’ll be back.” He pecked me on the cheek.

I stood and stepped over Attic’s foot. The lace of my shoe caught on the bottom of a chair and I stumbled. I did everything so as not to fall onto Attic, but he reached out and braced me. I jumped away from him, sidling the rest of the empty seats to the exit.

After the bathroom, I sat at a table in the candy store and café. I ground my forehead into the heel of my palm. A familiar voice interrupted me. “Right. You are going to tell me what’s going on.” I looked up. Marcus pulled out a chair and sat down. “So?”

“How did—?”

“I like to think I’m intuitive, but it’s hard not to notice your distance tonight, Sylva. Maddy would notice too, if she weren’t so excited about that Mark-waiter guy. I felt I should step up. We are friends after all. It’s kinda part of the description.”

I smiled. “I’m . . .okay.”

“Yeah, and I’m straight. Come on. What’s really up?”

I looked into his concerned eyes.
I wish I could tell you.
“I’m just . . . I don’t know, exactly.” Well, that was partly true at least. I was confused about a lot of things. This whole Guardian thing had really twisted my life around. “I guess you could say I’m going through an identity crisis at the moment.”

Marcus shuffled his chair next to mine and looped an arm around my shoulder. “You know that Maddy and I are here for you, right? And, uh, I do understand something about identity crisis.”

He gave a sad smile, and I could see his own pain—something he masked so well with light humor. I swallowed. “Thanks.”

Marcus bought us some licorice and for the next twenty minutes, while we chewed our way through it, we chatted and laughed. It felt so good to be around him, not at all suffocating. Just pleasant and friendly.

A throat clearing interrupted us. Maddy, with her hands on her hips, glared at Marcus and I before her face cracked into a massive grin. Jason strolled to my side, while Attic lurked in the background.