Parahuman (Parahuman Series) (12 page)

    
Devan’s brow creased. “Arguments are exciting?” 

     Laney
looked at him askance. “Stimulating, exciting, they get your blood pumping.
Hali and I will argue for the heck of it sometimes when things are going just a
little too blandly.”

     “And
this doesn’t cause contention in your relationship.”

     The
solemnity of Devan’s question made Laney wonder if Devan had ever had a true
friendship with anyone. He had a very aloof personality so it wasn’t hard to
imagine that he had difficulty opening up to others. It was a sad thought, the
idea that he had no true friends.  

     Laney
gave him a smile and couldn’t help hoping that he would let down some of his
defenses and open up with her. “No, our friendship is tight and we would never
say anything to purposely hurt each other. It’s all done in fun.”

     The
frown on Devan’s face smoothed faintly and he nodded as though Laney had
imparted something significant.  

     A
loud bellow from inside the house had Devan’s gaze swinging in that direction.   

     “Come
on, let’s go in.” Laney said waving him forward.

     Not
bothering to knock Laney walked right in through the front door. No one was in
the atrium but the noise level coming from all the other rooms in the house was
substantial. Devan hesitated in the doorway with a pained expression contorting
his face. She wondered if he was nervous about meeting new people.

     “Come
on, don’t be a scardy cat.” Laney chided, back tracking toward him.

     The
look he threw her could only be called affronted. Men and their pride.

     “Is
this the same guy who faced down a mountain lion yesterday?” Laney asked,
raising one eyebrow mockingly.  

     “I
don’t do well in social settings.” Devan’s head cocked to the right and then to
the left and his head tilted back and he actually seemed to sniff the air. His
body stiffened and shifted to the right facing the living room access. Huh?

    
“Laney, there you are, what are you…?”

     Laney
automatically turned to face Jarrod as he called her name and stepped into the
hallway from the…living room. Laney’s head swung Devan’s way in suspicious
revelation; it had almost appeared as if Devan had known Jarrod was coming
their way. 

     “What
are you doing here?”

    
Laney’s attention moved summarily back to Jarrod at his angry tone, and immediately
took note of his balled fists and aggressive stance as he faced Devan with an
expression of extreme dislike. What in the heck was Jarrod’s problem? 

     Stepping
in front of Devan so Jarrod’s gaze settled on her Laney set her hand on her
hips and glared at Jarrod. “I invited him. Why, is that a problem?”

    
Jarrod’s face scrunched in confusion for a second as though he wasn’t sure how
to respond to her announcement. “You invited him?”

     “Yes,
I invited him.” Laney repeated heatedly.

    
Jarrod’s confusion switched to belligerence as his eyes strayed over her head
to glare at Devan. “What did you invite him for?”

     “What
do you mean, ‘what I’d invite him for’? He’s new and I thought it would be a
nice thing to do; that’s what most people would do.” She stated in irritation
not understanding Jarrod hostility toward Devan. The two of them had only
talked briefly this morning, and while Jarrod had been a ‘tool’ he hadn’t
displayed anywhere near this level of antagonism. What was his deal?

     “Listen,
if this is going to be an issue I’ll just go.” Devan spoke from behind her.

     Laney’s
twisted back toward Devan. “No!” she cried.

    
“Great,” Jarrod crowed.

     Laney
threw him a lethal look, but he was smirking at Devan and didn’t catch it. 

     “I
don’t want to cause any problems.” Devan turned and walked out the door.

    
Distress washed through Laney at Devan’s departure and she turned to Jarrod
angrily. “I don’t know why you’re acting this way, but you’re being a jackass.”
Spinning away from a shocked Jarrod who called after her, and whom she ignored,
Laney raced after Devan.

    
Pee-ode didn’t even come close to her emotions at the moment. The next time she
saw Jarrod he was going to get a hefty piece of her mind along with a kick in
his sagging pants.

     Devan
was already at his jeep and opening the door, but must have heard her running
after him because he turned as she raced down the steps.

    
“Devan, wait!” Laney jogged around the back of his jeep to stand in front of him.
His face was expressionless and Laney wondered what he was thinking. “You don’t
have to go. I don’t know what’s going on with Jarrod right now, but this isn’t
his house and he doesn’t have a say on who’s invited.”

     Devan
looked toward the house and Laney followed his gaze to see Jarrod standing on
the porch with a rather nasty expression on his face. Laney remained stumped at
his behavior.

     “I
don’t want to be the cause for any upheaval tonight. It’s better if I just
leave.” Devan pushed a hand through his already disarrayed hair and this at
least gave her some hint to his agitated emotions.

     Laney
relaxed her face into a smile. “You know what, why don’t we go do something
else tonight? Just you, me, and mother nature.”

     One
of Devan’s brows twitched above his lenses. “Just you and me?”

    
Laney’s dad would kill her if he found out she went off alone with Devan;
mostly because he didn’t know anything about him, but Laney felt completely
comfortable with Devan. Many people would call her foolish after only a couple
hours of acquaintance, but the feeling was strong that she had nothing to fear
from him.

    
“There’s something I’d like to show you. I think you’d like it.”

    
Devan’s other brow twitched. “Uh…okay.”

     Laney
couldn’t hold back her smile. “Well, okay. Let’s go than.” She skipped around
to the other side. The idea of having him all to herself held way more appeal
than sharing him with a house full of people.

    
“Laney, where the hell are you going?” Jarrod moved down the steps toward her.

     Devan
had climbed in and was starting the jeep as Laney opened the passenger door and
jumped in hurriedly closing the door. The window was already opened so she
stuck her head out and yelled...with more restraint this time in her language. “Since
your being such a jackhole, Jarrod, Devan and I are going to hang out somewhere
else.” Raising the window cutting off any other replies Jarrod might say she
turned to Devan. “Let’s go.”

CHAPTER NINE

     Devan
obeyed Laney’s command without thought at first; her tone was authoritative and
even after six years it was hard to break that part of him that followed
directions without question. He switched to his own control a second later as he
swung the jeep in reverse, a furious looking Jarrod materializing in the review
mirror.   

     At
the end of the driveway Devan wasn’t sure in which direction to go. 

    “The
place I want to show you is about twenty minutes from here.” She gave Devan
that sweet, gut wrenching smile of hers. He was starting to realize he would go
anywhere or do anything for that smile.

    
“Okay.”

    
“Okay,” she echoed, her smiling getting bigger, “turn left then.” 

      He
obeyed.

     “I’m
just to text Hali and tell her what I’m doing.” She pulled her phone from her
pocket and typed something before setting it her lap.

     Devan
noted that she pulled her coat tighter around her and realized that his window
was down. The cool air didn’t bother him, but it would her. He raised the
window feeling stupid for not realizing it sooner. She threw him a smile and it
lightened the feeling somewhat. 

     “I’m
really sorry for the way Jarrod behaved back there. I don’t know where it was
coming from.” The expression on her face became apologetic.  

    
Devan, of course, knew where it came from, he had been told in no uncertain
terms that Laney was Jarrod’s, and Jarrod didn’t want Devan anywhere near her. 

     “He
seems to be threatened by me.” Devan stated. He didn’t want her thinking it was
because of something he did.

     “He’s
always been competitive, but I can’t see him getting that hostile with you over
our climb this afternoon.”

     She didn’t
seem to understand what Devan was trying to convey.

     “The
job isn’t all he is competitive over.”

     Her
head swiveled so fast in his direction Devan was afraid she might have gave
herself whiplash. 

     “What
do you mean?” Her expression was completely stupefied. “What exactly did he
tell you,” she muttered in a threatening tone. 

     Devan
recognized that the ire wasn’t directed at him, but it still sent a buzz down
his spine. Aggression of any kind raised his hackles.

     “He
implied that you two were together and that I should keep my distance.” Devan
gave her a quick glance, wanting to observe her reaction to those words. 

     Her
mouth opened in disbelief. “He said that?”

     Her stunned
reaction attested to the falseness of Jarrod’s words.  

     It
was silent in the jeep as she appeared to process his words.

     Devan
was processing how he felt about the two of them
not
being a couple;
ecstatic, jubilant, serene. Why did he care so much?

     After
a while Laney spoke. “Jarrod and I have been friends forever, most of us have
been around here, but I don’t understand where he got the idea that we’re
together. And even if we
were
together he no right to act that way; he
was completely tyrannical.” She frowned and gave him a quizzical look. “I
wonder why he thought you were a threat?”

     Devan
shrugged. “Maybe just being the new guy makes me a threat.” It couldn’t
possibly be the way he stared at her as Jarrod implied.

    
“There’s a hidden road up here on the right, it’s kind of hard to see so go a
little slow so you don’t pass it.”

     Laney
was pointing straight ahead, and Devan saw immediately where she was indicating.
The road was a small, hidden one lane two track. He made the turn, keeping the
jeep at a minimum speed to cut down on the speed bump effect.

     “Have
you been here before?” Laney asked, surprise in her tone.

     “No.”

    
“Really,” she mused, “it seemed like you knew exactly where to turn. I’ve been
to this spot a bazillion times and I still miss it sometimes, especially in the
dark.”

     Devan
realized that he hadn’t displayed any hesitation in his turn; any other person
would have had difficulty finding the road because it was well hidden with
brush and trees.

    
"I’ve been told I have better than average eyesight.” Devan said, giving
her an innocuous smile.

     “Your
disorder to light doesn’t affect your vision at all?” She asked curiously.

     “No,
it’s just an extreme case of photophobia.”

     “Is
the condition related to the color of your eyes?”

     Devan
was surprised it had taken this long to come up. “Yes,” he conveyed briefly.      

    “How
can you see so well in the dark with your dark tinted glasses?”

     This
was another question he was accustomed to answering. “The dark tint is actually
one way. When I look through them I can probably see more clearly than you.” 

     He
could feel her gaze studying him thoughtfully; she even had one eyebrow raised
in a quirky sort of way. Devan’s neck and cheeks began to warm from her
scrutiny.

     “The
tracks stop up ahead. Just park at the end; we’re going to have to walk the
rest of the way.” She said, finally looking away from him. Devan breathed
easier with her gaze off of him.

     Devan
parked and turned off the jeep at the end of the man-made tracks. They climbed
out and he walked around to her side while investigating the surroundings. To
her it would look as if he was just looking around, but he was actually taking
a deeper survey into the forest. Night was the time many animals woke and
started to hunt.

     The
area they were in didn’t contain an abundance of trees and the glow from the
moon gave off a sufficient amount of light for normal human eyes to see well
enough without a flashlight. As his gaze penetrated the greenery Devan
identified where Laney was leading him; it was unmistakable. One hundred and
thirty yards away beyond some trees was a waterfall with a wooden bridge built
over it; by the looks of the bridge it had been built many, many years ago. 

     “Are
we safe?”

     Devan
looked down at her. The smile on her face was beguiling; it felt like someone
reached inside him and squeezed his intestines…but in a good way if that were
possible.

    
“What?” He asked a bit dazed.

     “You
looked like you were taking an x-ray of the forest.”

     It
was disconcerting how observant she was. “We’re in the middle of the forest at
night. I was only looking around.”

     She
raised an eyebrow again and started walking in the direction of the waterfall.
Devan fell in step beside her. The path looked as if it had once been well
traveled but now hosted new growth from less wear. 

     “You
seem to be very in tune with nature.” She commented in the same kind of
innocuous tone he had used earlier. 

     “It’s
the one place I’m the most comfortable,” he stated candidly.

     “I
thought my dad had an affinity with the forest, but your connection seems to be
more.” She turned her head to look at him. “It’s like you breathe as the forest
breathes.”

     Devan
looked at her in astonishment. Even at this moment the forest hummed inside of
him; the sound of woodland mice scurrying and digging, the squirrels jumping
and scampering in the trees, the leaves that rustled in the breeze. That she
had discerned this from the short time she knew him was rather astounding. It
made him want to reveal things; things he couldn’t. But maybe he could divulge
some
things. 

     “The
first time I was able to experience the wilderness, it was like I was set
free,”
which was literally true
, “I didn’t have the restriction of walls
holding me back any longer. Anytime I have to be inside all I’m doing is
waiting for the moment I can be outside again. I’m never entirely at ease
unless I’m outdoors.” 

     Devan
thought he was able to keep the edge out of his tone, but the look Laney shot
him revealed that he might have failed.

     “What
is it about being inside that keeps you on edge?” She asked, bending down to
pick up an acorn.

     Devan
contemplated his response as he watched her thumb smooth over the nuts shell. A
small amount of truth here would be okay…and he really wanted to be sincere
with her…up to a point at least.

     “As a
child I wasn’t allowed to go outside, and when I finally was allowed out I
never wanted to go back in.” 

     Laney
stared at the acorn in her hand, but Devan sensed her attention was fixated on
him. “Why were you stuck inside?”

     The
truth could only go so far and then the lies had to come into play. “Medical
reasons.”  

     She
frowned looking up at him with a sad expression. “Your eyes?”

     He
gave her a nod instead of a lie.  

     “Is
this place you’re taking me to part of one of the tours?” Devan asked, switching
topics. Her lips twitched, and he realized that she knew what he was doing and
was amused by it. His own lip twitched at her reaction and he marveled at how
intensely he was monitoring her actions and responding to them.   

     “It
used to be when my mother was alive, but after she died neither my dad nor I
wanted to bring people here anymore.” She paused briefly before continuing with
a sad smile. “This used to be her favorite spot and it was hard to bring others
here after she was gone.”

     “Is
this your first time here since her passing?” It was sometimes difficult for
Devan to understand the depth of emotion people felt for one another. When
questioned about his parents Devan know he didn’t sound or look like Laney did
when she talked about her mom.

     “No,
I’ve been back every now and then. It was difficult at first, but now it helps
me to feel closer to her.”

     “It’s
not going to be unsettling to have me here with you?”    

     “If
anyone can appreciate this setting, it will be you. I think that’s what I’ve
been afraid of; others not cherishing it as I do.” She flicked a glance his
way.

     “Do
you imagine you’ll ever stop feeling sad?” Devan asked curiously, trying to get
some understanding on this grief condition.

    
“Eventually it will fade. I’ll always miss her, but I know I’ll see her again
someday.” She said softly.

      Devan
recognized her statement as another reference to her religion, and her God. He
had, of course, studied it as he had others, but they all seemed rather
outrageous and unsubstantiated in their claims.

     “Does
it lessen your sadness to believe that?” He asked, interested as always on what
she was thinking, how she was feeling. 

     “Yes,
I can say that it does,” she confirmed smiling.

     They
walked quietly for a moment and Devan noticed Laney biting her lip as if she
was mulling over a question. She breathed in deeply and let it out with
gusto.  

     “I
can’t believe I’m going to go there, but…can I ask about your parents?” Both
eyebrows went up as she voiced her question.

     It
was another question he was familiar with and usually had no problem answering,
but with Laney’s personal tragedy and her deep emotions on the subject it felt
very wrong telling her his customary lie. But he really had no choice.

    
“They’re both dead. It was a long time ago and I don’t remember them much. I’ve
been with Brett basically my entire life.”

     She
nodded her head but didn’t offer any apologies for his loss as others had.
Devan recognized it was because she didn’t want to say what so many people had
been saying to her.

     They’d
arrived at the waterfall, and Devan acted as though this was his first view of
it even though he had taken in the entire panorama on the walk there. It wasn’t
hard to appreciate the surroundings; the landscape was remarkable with trees
lining each side of the river and the bridge stretching across to the other
side. The river was approximately twenty-five feet wide ending at the edge of a
cliff, where water rushed over the side. The bridge had some definite wear and
tear, but it looked as if someone was trying to keep it from total collapse by
replacing damaged boards sporadically. 

    
“Isn’t it incredible?” She breathed.

     Devan
heard reverence in her voice attesting to her attachment.

     “It
is quite remarkable,” he concurred.

    They
both walked up to the edge of the cliff where the water flowed over the side
crashing about fifty feet below.

     Laney
moved to cross the bridge.

     Devan
grabbed her arm. “You’re not walking across that, are you?” Even though the
bridge had been repaired in spots it was looking rather dilapidated in other
areas, like it had been overlooked for a while.