My Heart be Damned (11 page)

“I’m not getting on that.”

“You’ll ride a horse, but you won’t get on a motorbike? I didn’t peg you as a baby.”

Biting down on my lip, I stormed over to him and grabbed the helmet. If this was what it took to get answers...

My heart hammered in my chest as I slid the helmet on my head. It was too big, but then Marshall was in front of me, adjusting the straps, and tightening it around my face. He was close – too close. His touch was intimate, and his gaze, intense. Before things could get too heated, he had patted my head and hopped on the bike, indicating that I should do the same.

“Jump on, sunshine.”

“Don’t call me that.” I climbed on behind him, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. What the hell was I doing? There was even more to Marshall than I’d ever imagined, and I was getting on a death trap with him without so much as an explanation.

“You’ll wanna hold on tight,” he said, kick starting the bike.

I lurched forward, and my arms wrapped around his chest, holding on for dear life. I ignored his laugh and squeezed my eyes shut as he flung the bike around and took off at a high speed out of the school car park.

I didn’t dare open my eyes. My face pressed against Marshall’s back as we hurtled down country lanes towards the main city. I feared that if I opened my mouth to talk to him, the rush of air would choke me. It didn’t occur to me that I wasn’t going to get any answers until the loud hustle and bustle of the city drowned out the deafening roar of the engine in my ears. There was no way we could talk when I couldn’t even hear myself think! Marshall had tricked me.

I couldn’t find it in me to be too angry, when I was surrounded by his essence, his smell....

And he smelled amazing, like expensive aftershave and soap mixed with another scent I couldn’t work out. Lavender maybe?

Suddenly, the motorbike swerved to a stop. Shakily, I inched back, looking up at where we were − outside of my building. I hopped off the bike, ignoring how shaky my legs were, and threw the helmet at him. He caught it with one hand.

“How do you know where I live?”

“Are you impressed or annoyed?”

“Freaked out, actually. Marshall, you have a lot of explaining to do.”

He nodded once. “Yeah, I do. But now is not the time.”

I glared at him, anger bubbling up in the pit of my stomach. “You’re unbelievable. You tricked me.”

Marshall propped his bike on its stand before slowly walking over to me. I held my ground until we were inches apart.

“I didn’t trick you. I had to make sure you got home safely. Everything is different now,
Amerie
. You can’t go around hiding in your make believe little world anymore. The things that go bump in the night are very real, and they want you. They want you bad. You need to be ready, or you’ll die trying. Am I making sense to you?”

The hair on my arms and the back of my neck rose. It was as if nothing and everything, he had just said made sense. How did he know so much? Why was he being cryptic?

I only had one question – for now. “Are you Damned?” I whispered.

He shook his head slowly and surely. “No. No, I’m not.”

“Okay,” I said, knowing the Damned can’t lie. “As long as you’re not Damned, I can deal with this. When will you explain it then? Soon?”

“At your shift tomorrow.” Suddenly, the cocky Marshall was back. “Wear something nice for me. Yeah?”

“Go to hell.”

“I hear it’s not a nice place.” He reached forward to play with a strand of my hair, but I slapped his hand. With a chuckle, he waved and climbed back onto the bike. “I better return this to its rightful owner. I
kinda
borrowed it for the night.”

“Sicko.”

“Sweet dreams!” he called, and then he was gone.

Chapter Ten

Destruction

I barely slept a wink that night. I tossed and turned, thrashed around in my sheets, feeling that the soft cotton was suffocating me, strangling me. Though I knew that Marshall had sent the Damned back to Hell, I had the strongest sense that it wasn’t over.

As for Marshall and his cryptic words? They repeated through my mind, often playing out in my dreams one way or another.

You’re sloppy. Untrained.

The things that go bump in the night are very real, and they want you.

When my alarm finally buzzed in the morning, I got up, showered, and then dressed without really focusing. On the Tube and bus, I replayed the fight with the Damned repeatedly, thinking about ways I could have done better. It was only once the bus pulled up outside school that I
realized
I was embarrassed. Embarrassed that I couldn’t even deal with two Damned on my own. Marshall had to save me. He was right. I was sloppy. Rusty.

The school corridors were alive with the sound of bustling students. I watched them with envy, doubting any of them was worrying about being hunted and killed.

“Hey,” Mercy shouted, waving her arms over the heads of the crowd. She was pretty much taller than most of the people standing in her way, but she still jumped up and down, making sure I saw her. “Wait up!”

I stopped, mentally taking a deep breath. Act normal. Nothing happened last night.

“Hey, Mercy,” I said as she approached. “How was your night?”

“Don’t ask me about that.” Mercy’s eyes were wide. “Tell me you heard about what happened here, last night.”

A cold chill ran through my body. “No. What?”

“Well, I’m not completely sure, but word is that kids from St Thomas High broke in and smashed up reception. No one’s allowed around there.” Mercy folded her arms and leaned back against someone’s locker. “I got a quick look, though. One of the windows is entirely destroyed. They’re boarding it up now.”

I pretended to look surprised by the information. I wasn’t sure exactly how great of an actress I was, though. In all of the drama, I’d totally forgotten about the state in which we’d left the school.

“Wow – that’s weird.”

“I know,” Mercy agreed. “A couple of the guys are planning payback.”

“You talking about the St. Thomas break in?” Chuck asked, appearing beside us with Sam in tow.

Mercy nodded. “Yup. I was telling
Amerie
that some of us are planning a little payback.”

“Damn right we are. They don’t get to come up here and destroy things for no reason. They’re gonna learn they messed with the wrong school,” Chuck said, crackling his knuckles. I winced at the sound.

“An eye for an eye,” I muttered.

I didn’t think anyone heard but then Sam gently touched my arm. “Yeah, I don’t agree with it either.”

Mercy looked outraged. “What? How can you not agree? We have to show them who they’re messing with.”

“Are you going to show them?” Sam retaliated.

Mercy remained quiet.

“Exactly. Those guys are getting themselves into a bunch of shit for no reason. It’s juvenile. So what if reception got trashed? It’s not like the school is lacking money to fix it.”

Chuck and Mercy exchanged looks of disbelief.

“I’ve been trying to explain the concept of school spirit all morning,” Chuck said with a dramatic sigh. “But the poor boy just doesn’t get it.”

“Obviously I don’t either,” I snapped. “How do you even know it was St. Thomas kids? A bunch of idiots from in the city could have driven past, drunk out of their minds, and decided to have a bit of fun by trashing our posh school. It could have been anyone.”

Anyone... like me.

Mercy shrugged. “It’s most likely them.”

Just as I opened my mouth to change the subject, a loud voice echoed over the school intercom, announcing that due to the destruction the school had suffered, the police had been called to investigate, and the students were being sent home. The school would reopen Thursday morning once all the damage had been repaired.

“Freedom!” Mercy shouted, running around us despite the bustling hallway. “What should we do? I’m completely hyped now. I can’t believe this!”

“I wonder why they’re investigating it,” Chuck mused. I nodded, wondering the same thing. So a few windows got smashed. Big deal. Why involve the police?

“So, what should we do?” Mercy asked, not interested in our side conversation. “I’m thinking a fast food trip. I’m feeling for a Big Mac.”

“What happened to your diet?” Chuck asked.

Mercy gasped. “Are you saying I’m fat?”

“No!” Chuck held up his hands and took a step back. “No, I never said that.”

“Good,” Mercy said, folding her arms. “So, McDonalds, then?”

“Not for me. I’m just gonna go straight to work.”

“What why?” Mercy stared at me incredulously. I played with the straps on my bag to avoid staring into her face.

“I need the money. The sooner I pay off the window at the Hut, the sooner I can get cash in my pocket and be able to actually buy myself nice things.” I grabbed at my hair and shoved the ends into her face. “I’ve got my eye on this conditioner I saw on TV. Supposed to make your hair bouncy, shiny, and split-end free.”

Mercy scoffed. “Those things never work. But whatever. We’ll come down later, but I wanna go home and change first.” She turned to Sam. “Can I catch a lift with you?”

“Sure,” he said, still staring at me. “Unless you want me to take you to work,
Amerie
?”

I shook my head a little too quickly. “No, no, that’s fine, Sam. I need the air.”

Chuck laughed under his breath and muttered something about sap. Then he spotted a girl from my French class and chased down the hall after her. Using this as my cue to leave, I waved goodbye to Mercy and Sam then took off to the bus stop.

I was not missing this bus today. Missing that bus might lead to missing my chance to get my answers from Marshall. Though I didn’t want to admit it, the thought of just seeing him wasn’t so bad either.

I worked from midday to ten that evening. I pushed myself, making sure I got to as many tables as possible, and delivered food speedily. At the end of my shift, I had a pocket full of tip money. The Hut had been swarming with kids from my school, all displaced, with nowhere to go, so they spent a whole lot of their time and money hanging out, eating, and playing pool.

Though I made sure to distract myself with work, it didn’t mean I wasn’t constantly looking out for Marshall, who was nowhere to be found. The slimy prick was avoiding me. If only I could get my hands on him.... I made an excuse to stay behind after my shift for an extra twenty minutes, pretending I was brushing up on my waitressing skills, when truly I was giving Marshall extra time to show. When it became apparent he wasn’t coming, I threw in the towel and stormed home.

I hurled open my front door, wincing when it slammed against the wall behind it. To think that I’d been tempted to take up Marshall on his offer. I mean, if The Damned were after me, I should be prepared, and I did need to get back into my training.

I stomped up the stairs, cursing under my breath. He could shove his offer where the sun doesn’t shine. There was no way I could train with someone I knew nothing about, and he wasn’t being terribly forthcoming.

As soon as I opened my bedroom door, I made a beeline straight for the wooden chest hidden under my bed. The top layer was filled with keepsakes from my old life. Photos, receipts, empty expensive perfume bottles, broken watches, and
jewelry
I couldn’t afford to get fixed. Memories tried to break through the block I’d put up in my mind, but now was not the time to let them. . I lifted the shelf and carefully set it aside on the floor.

The bottom of the wooden chest was full of weapons. I stared down at them, my heart pumping dully in my chest. Hadn’t I sworn I would never need these? However, if Marshall was right - and I had a feeling that he was - then I would need some skills to protect myself.

Hesitantly and laced with guilt, I reached into the chest, past the crossbow, past the axe, past the swords and truncheons. My fingers closed around the cold hilt of a Blessed dagger my mother had bought for me from a specialist dealer when I turned fifteen. I’d never used it, but I’d vowed to her that I’d carry it with me everywhere. Obviously, I’d broken that vow.

It had an intricate pattern embedded into the black hilt, and the silver blade was long with a sharp, deadly point. It felt heavy in my hand, powerful. With my other hand, I slid the shelf back into the chest and closed the lid. Then I walked over to the bed and shoved the dagger under my pillow.