Stil human.
And what she’d sensed had been mature and ready to take lives.
“I saw the police and came to investigate,” she said.
“You shouldn’t be out here. It’s dangerous.” She frowned at him. “How do you mean?”
Nick glanced over his shoulder to where Caleb was staring at them with an odd look on his face. “There are things out here …” Don’t say zombie, moron. She’ll think you’re a loon.
“It’s just a bad scene. Ful moon and al . You should go home where it’s safe.”
“Are you …”—she narrowed her eyes as if searching for a word—“trying to protect me?”
Oh, he knew that tone. It was dangerous. “I’m not being a male chauvinist. I know a woman is just as capable of taking care of herself as a man, but there are things … I’m sure your parents are worried about you and—”
“You are trying to protect me.” A broad smile curled her lips and did the strangest thing to his stomach. “That’s so sweet.” Instead of slapping him, she actual y kissed his cheek.
Nick’s entire body erupted the moment her lips touched his flesh. Now he felt like the one in danger.
For the first time in his life, he didn’t mind being cal ed sweet. Not if it meant he got kissed with it. Of course, on the lips would have been infinitely better than the cheek, but so long as she wasn’t slapping him and cal ing him an insult, he wasn’t arguing with the location.
When she pul ed back, her eyes sparkled in the low light.
“Thank you for caring.”
“My pleasure.” Idiot. What a stupid thing to say.
But she didn’t seem to notice. “Al right. I better go. You watch yourself.”
“You too.”
He didn’t move as she withdrew, and he took a second to savor her scent that lingered around him. She smel ed al womanly and good. And al he wanted to do was fol ow her home.
Caleb snapped his fingers in front of his nose. “Dude, she’s not what you think.”
He turned his head toward Caleb. “What are you talking about?”
“You need to stay away from her, Nick. Trust me. Girls ain’t nothing but trouble.”
Yeah, but it was the only kind of trouble he wanted to launch himself into headfirst and wal ow there until he was pruny from it.
However, he wasn’t about to admit any of that to Caleb, lest he revert to kindergarten and start tel ing her that Nick had a crush on her. Oh, the humiliation of that. “She’s al right.” Caleb’s eyes flashed with deep sincerity. “No, she’s not.
You need to listen to me, kid. That girl is your death.” Nick blew off Caleb’s sinister Vincent Price tone. “You’re an idiot.” He headed back to the car where his mom was.
But as he reached it, an unbidden image went through his head. It was Nekoda …
Only she wasn’t the girl he knew who made him laugh and who kissed him on his cheek. She was something else entirely. Dressed in armor, she looked like an ancient warrior, complete with a helmet and shield.
And a sword she was driving straight through his heart.
CHAPTER 15
Madaug was alone in his room, picking up some of the mess there and crying as he realized how badly he’d screwed up. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. How could trying to protect himself have turned out so badly? How?
He’d accidental y ruined so many lives. …
I’m so worthless. Brian was going to prison … classmates had died, Scott’s arm would be permanently disfigured, and now his mom and brother were probably dead too—eaten by the very things he’d created. I should just throw myself under a bus. I’m not even worth the cost of a bullet.
Suddenly, he heard whispering.
At first, he thought it might be the police outside the door with his dad again. But it wasn’t.
It seemed to be in his ears—like it was coming from his own brain.
Lifting his head, he tried to locate the source, but he saw nothing except the police lights flashing from outside through the slats of his closed blinds.
Madaug . . . Fil ed with panic, his mother’s voice was distinct. Undeniable.
“Mom?”
She didn’t answer.
Great. I’m hallucinating. I’ve now lost even my sanity.
A light mist appeared outside his bedroom window. It dove and then formed a thin string that seeped up from his sil . In slow motion, it crawled along his desk like a creepy caterpil ar until it gathered into a clump. Twirling and dancing, that clump solidified into an old, hideous, smal woman who pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You are kil ing your mother and brother.”
An image of them screaming appeared beside the miniature ghost.
Madaug put his hands over his ears. “Shut up! Don’t hurt them!”
The old crone stepped closer to him as the image of his mother and brother faded. “Do you want to save them?” What kind of stupid question was that? “Of course I do.”
“Then you need to come to me.”