Mortal Kiss (23 page)

He was pleased to see a faint blush tint her cheeks again and had to stop himself from reaching out to brush her hair out of her eyes. There was just something about her.…

“Do you want to stay here tonight?”

He blinked. “Uh …” He was surprised, and hesitated—not because he didn’t want to stay, but because he was suddenly afraid of what his mother would do when she found out where he was.

“There’s a couch downstairs,” Faye added in a rush, her blush deepening. “It’s really old, but it’s comfortable. Then tomorrow we can figure out what to do. You should probably meet Joe and the others.”

Lucas recovered quickly. “Right. Got it. Yes—thanks. The couch will be great.”

He rinsed out their mugs as quietly as possible while Faye got the spare bedding together. She showed him where the couch was, anxious about making him as comfortable as possible. Lucas smiled as she bustled around. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt … cared for. It was a good feeling.

“Thanks,” he said again when Faye finally stopped fussing. “For everything, Faye. I mean it. Without you …”

They were standing quite close together. She shook her head. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry … well, about everything, really.”

Lucas nodded, not really knowing what to say. They stared at each other for another minute, until he couldn’t help but reach forward and push a strand of hair out of her eyes, running his fingertips over her forehead and down her cheek. Her skin was warm.…

Faye jumped at his touch, catching her breath. “I … I’ll say good night, then.” He smiled. “Good night, then.”

He watched as she fled to the door. Just before she went up the stairs, she glanced back at him.

#

It was dark outside McCarron’s Bookstore, the street full of deep shadows. Standing on the sidewalk across the street, Mercy Morrow watched through the lit window as her son pulled down the shop’s blinds. Her face was creased in fury, her eyes full of anger. Stretching out her hand, she found the porch railing of the house behind her. Her knuckles burned white with cold as her fingers gripped it, harder and harder, tighter and tighter.…

There was the sound of screaming metal and a loud crack as the railing turned to ice
.

Finn made his way back to the camp, kicking himself. His dad was right—he shouldn’t be alone with Faye. When he was, she was all he could see and all he wanted. But it wasn’t that easy—for him, it was never going to be that easy, and spending time with her just made everything worse. His heart beat a fast, painful rhythm as he remembered how close they’d been and how warm her breath had felt as it floated across his cheek. And despite his best intentions, he kept hearing a small, insistent voice in the back of his head.

She knows
, it whispered as he tried to silence it.
She knows what you are, and yet she still …

Finn shook his head, pushing the thought away.

The other bikers were out on patrol when he got back to camp. They’d called in to report that there was no sign of Ballard anywhere—he must have gone back to the mansion before they’d had a chance to catch him. They thought there was a good chance there would be another hunt, though, so they were staying on alert.

“I’m going to go out and join them,” his dad said as they chatted quietly beside the still-burning fire. “I was just waiting for you to get back. I don’t want to leave these two here alone.”

Finn looked over his dad’s shoulder, to the tent where Jimmy still lay. Beside him, curled up under a thick blanket, was Liz. They were both fast asleep, Liz with one arm flung out across Jimmy’s chest.

“How’s he doing?” Finn asked softly. “Do you think we managed to stop it in time?”

Joe shrugged. “I’m hopeful. He’s a stronger kid than he looks. There might be some lasting side effects, but I don’t think a full wolf will rise in him.”

Finn found himself relieved. He’d known none of these people long, but he cared about all of them. They hadn’t asked for any of this, and he was determined to do everything he could to keep as many of them as safe as possible.

“Will you be all right here?” Joe asked, pulling on his jacket as he prepared to go out on patrol.

Finn nodded. “I’ll be fine. You go.”

In truth, Finn was happy to see his father leave. He wanted some time alone after his ride with Faye. He watched Joe roll out on his bike and then pulled over one of the old camp chairs they’d brought with them. Pouring himself a mug of coffee from the pot the bikers always kept brewing, he sat and stared into the fire, trying to calm his scattered emotions, trying to figure out what he should do. He prided himself on always doing the right thing—or at least, trying to. He’d seen what harm powerful people could do if they used their power in the wrong way. He never wanted to be like that. He never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not someone like Faye.

He rubbed a hand over his face. The thing of it was that trying never to hurt anyone else usually ended up with him being the one who got hurt. And right now, not being with Faye, even if it was the right thing to do—well, that hurt him more than anything had for a long, long time.

“Are you thinking about Faye?”

The quiet voice made him jump. Finn looked up to see Jimmy standing over him, looking more than a little shaky.

“Hey!” Finn said, standing. “You shouldn’t be up!”

Jimmy waved his concern away. “I’m fine. Feeling better all the time.”

Finn pulled up another chair, and Jimmy sank into it gratefully. “I’ve seen the way you look at her,” Jimmy said quietly as Finn sat back down. “Have you told her?”

Finn shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Told her what?”

Jimmy raised a knowing eyebrow. “You know what I mean.”

Finn drank some coffee and shrugged. “It’s not that simple,” he muttered.

Jimmy nodded. “The centuries-old werewolf thing is a bummer.”

Finn laughed under his breath. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“I’ve known Faye my whole life,” Jimmy said. “And she’s been through a lot—her mom dying, her dad being away most of the time. And she’s always managed to deal with it. She’ll deal with all this, too. And what you are.”

Finn finished his coffee and put his mug on the ground, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Maybe,” he said softly. “But she deserves better.”

He watched Jimmy glance back toward Liz, who was still fast asleep. “Funny,” Jimmy muttered. “I was thinking the same thing earlier.”

“You know what?” Finn said, realizing something. “You haven’t stuttered for the whole of this conversation.”

Jimmy looked back at him, surprised. “You’re right. I don’t even feel like I’m
going
to stutter.”

“How do you feel otherwise?”

“OK.” Jimmy shrugged. “Kind of weak.”

Finn picked up his tin mug and played with it for a second. Then, without warning, he flicked it toward Jimmy, aiming straight for the boy’s face. Quick as a flash, Jimmy brought his hand up, punching into the mug so hard that it almost plunged into the fire. Finn reached out, catching it before it reached the flames. He
looked at the mug and grinned, holding it up for Jimmy to see. There was a shape in the metal, an imprint of Jimmy’s knuckle.

“Let me see your leg,” Finn said, already knowing what he would find. Jimmy unwrapped his bandage to show the wound, which seemed to be healing. The black infection was beginning to disappear, replaced by new, healthy pink flesh. Finn smiled. “I think you’re going to be OK. Looks like you got the good parts of the wolf.”

Jimmy wrapped his leg up again, grinning briefly before a serious expression settled on his face. “And what about you?”

Finn looked away into the fire. “I’m fine,” he said. “I’m always fine.”

Faye walked to school on Monday morning. She’d talked to Liz on her cell phone, and Liz had said she was going to go home to get a change of clothes and would meet Faye at Winter Mill High. Faye had heard the tremor in Liz’s voice as she talked about going home, but Liz had been adamant that she’d been fine going alone.

“It’ll be quicker if it’s just me,” Liz had said. “I’ll be in and out. Hopefully they won’t even notice. As far as Mom’s concerned, I’ve been at your place all night.”

Still, Faye was relieved when she turned into the school grounds and saw Liz across the busy parking lot. Liz started walking toward her but then stopped dead in her tracks. Faye wondered what had made her hesitate and then realized that it was probably the fact that Lucas Morrow was walking beside her, bold as brass.

“Faye!” Liz hissed, shooting a horrified glance at Lucas. “What on earth are you doing with him?”

Faye looked at Lucas, whose face fell. She’d been worried about him the night before. He had been anxious and troubled, even though he’d promised to help them. This morning, he had seemed a little better—not happier, exactly, but more composed. He seemed more worried about having to borrow some of her dad’s clothes—he really hadn’t been impressed by the tweed slacks Aunt Pam had thoughtfully picked out for him. Liz’s reaction wasn’t what he needed right now.

“Don’t worry, Liz,” Faye said as Liz reached them.

Liz grabbed her sleeve, pulling her to one side. “What do you mean, don’t worry? Don’t you remember what we’ve just found out? Lucas … he’s … he’s …”

“Got nothing to do with what his mother’s up to,” said Faye firmly, finishing Liz’s sentence.

“And how do you know that?” Liz asked. “Oh, let me guess. He told you so?”

“Liz, don’t.”

“Don’t what? Have you gone completely crazy? After everything we saw yesterday, everything we learned?”

Faye sighed. “Liz. Liz, just listen to me. Please? Just for a minute.”

Liz shook her head and crossed her arms. But she set her lips in a straight line, raising an eyebrow as she waited for Faye to speak.

“Do you trust me?” Faye asked, looking her friend in the eye.

“What?”

“Come on, Liz. We’ve known each other since we were small. Do you trust me?”

Liz sighed. “You know I do.”

“Then trust me, right now. I’m telling you, Liz, Lucas is OK. All right?”

They stared at each other for a moment before Liz rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Fine. But—”

“Look, we’ll explain, I promise,” Faye interrupted. “But it’ll have to wait until our free period or we’ll be late for school. We can’t do anything out of the ordinary right now.”

Liz shook her head. “Forget school, Faye. Look around you. What do you see?”

Faye looked at the students in the parking lot and saw what Liz meant. No one was talking. They were all just moving around silently. It looked as if they were sleepwalking, except everyone’s eyes were open. It was distinctly creepy, and it made Faye think of that weird moment in the
Miller
office with Ms. Finch. It was also freezing, even colder than it had been just a few days before. She shuddered.

“What’s going on?” she asked. The school bell rang and all the students instantly turned toward the main doors.

“They look as if they’re hypnotized or something,” said Lucas in a whisper.

“I think they are,” Liz whispered back. “My dad’s like that. I mean, he’s talking, but it’s not normal. And my mom—my mom’s just sitting there, staring at the mirror. It’s just like Joe said. Faye, I’m scared. What are we going to do?”

Faye watched as the last of the students disappeared into the school, leaving them alone in the yard. “We can’t stay here,” she decided. “Come on, we’ve got to go.”

#

Lucas looked around as the three of them walked the streets of Winter Mill. It obviously wasn’t just the schoolkids who were affected. Everyone they passed seemed to be acting exactly the same.

“This is horrible,” Lucas muttered as he watched a young woman mechanically wheeling a stroller along the snowy street. “What’s happened to them?”

“Your mom, that’s what,” Liz told him shortly.

“Are you sure?” Lucas asked, upset. “I mean, look at them. It’s the whole town! How can she have done this?”

“She controls people through mirrors,” Faye told him quietly.

“Mirrors?” Lucas repeated faintly, thinking about the image of Ballard, trapped inside his mother’s favorite mirror.

“Yes. Joe says there’s a really old one that she contacts Annwn through. The Black Mirror.”

Lucas stopped so suddenly that the two girls kept walking for a few steps before they realized he wasn’t with them.

Faye turned around with a frown. “Lucas? What is it?”

“The Black Mirror?”

“Yes. That’s what it’s called. It’s hundreds of years old.”

Lucas nodded. “I’ve seen it. I think so, anyway. It’s at the mansion. It’s really weird. But I didn’t … I didn’t know …” He shook his head. “Last night—I believed you, but I was still hoping. You know? And now …” He pointed at another one of Winter Mill’s residents, walking past them, oblivious. “Now it just seems … I don’t know … real. And I don’t want it to be.”

Faye walked to him and rested one hand on his arm. “I know, Lucas. I know.”

Liz walked over too, looking at him seriously. “You really didn’t know anything about this? About what your mom really is?”

Lucas shook his head. “I swear I didn’t.”

“And you’re going to help us? No matter what?”

Lucas nodded. “I promise.”

Liz took a deep breath. “OK. Then you’re going to help us get into my dad’s home office.”

#

Liz’s house looked exactly as it had when she’d left it that morning. The windows were dark, the curtains still pulled. When she pushed the front door open, everything was quiet. She glanced at the spot where her dad’s boots usually stood, but they weren’t there. Good. That meant he wasn’t home.

There was no sign of Liz’s mom, either. Liz checked the house from top to bottom, but her mother was nowhere to be found.

“She must have gone to work after all,” Liz whispered as she waved Faye and Lucas in. “Come on. We’d better be really quick.”

“How are we going to get in?” Faye asked once they stood outside the solid office door. “We can’t just force the door open—he’ll know right away.”