I looked out the window and leaned my head against the glass. Theodore was sprawled across one of the full-sized beds snoring lightly.
I wished I could go to sleep that easily but instead I felt close to a panic. My whole life had been built on a mountain of lies. My dad, whom I loved, wasn’t even my dad. My mom was some kind of powerful witch, enchanter, whatever you wanted to call it. In two weeks, I was going to come into my powers. The ever-infuriating Theo was supposedly my protector. Nothing was apparently what it seemed to be, and it was making me angry.
The glass I was leaning against began to vibrate.
Startled, I jerked back.
It stopped.
What was happening to me?
I glanced at Theo, but he hadn’t moved. He was oblivious to the window shaking.
I sighed and grabbed my duffel bag before heading into the small bathroom, closing and locking the door. I set my bag down on the counter and took a deep breath.
I stared in the mirror and poked at my face. I guess I was expecting some big change that screamed you’re a witch, but there was no difference—I was still plain, pale-skinned, hazel-eyed, blonde haired, freckled, gap-toothed Mara.
I stripped my clothes off and climbed in the shower. For a hotel, it was pretty clean. I scrubbed my scalp with some of the shampoo from the small travel-sized bottle. I stayed in the shower so long that my skin turned pale pink and the water began to run cold. I climbed out and towel dried my hair before slipping into a pair of sweats and a shirt.
I found Theo just as I had left him. The only difference was he was snoring louder.
I climbed under the covers of the other bed, the one nearest the window. Theo had taken the one by the door.
I didn’t think I could sleep but, as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.
Sleep was certainly a reprieve from the chaos of my thoughts.
Chapter 5
I JOLTED AWAKE, MY HEART racing as I took in my strange surroundings.
Where am I?
How’d I get here?
Oh. Right.
The bed beside me was empty but I could hear the shower running. Figuring Theo was occupied, I climbed out of the bed and pulled on some clothes. I didn’t have much in my bag, so I slipped on a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. I brushed my hair out and fingered the stubborn curl on the ends and then sat back on the end of the bed.
Theo opened the bathroom door and a cloud of steam billowed out.
I tried to keep my jaw from dropping open. After all, I didn’t really like the guy. But he was … Damn.
His black jeans hung low on his hips and I got a shot of his naked chest as he pulled on a white shirt. He was tan and muscular, but not in a bulky way, boasting rock hard abs that ended in in a perfect v along with a light dusting of hair down into his jeans. The tattoos only seemed to add to his perfection. I could see the script along his right side and the large, intricate, black cross on the right side of his chest. His dark hair was still damp and was beginning to curl on the ends.
His gray eyes flashed to mine. I thought he was going to call me out on my gawking but, instead, he warned, “We need to go.”
I looked out the hotel window and saw that the sun was beginning to set.
“We’ll get something to eat once we get started on the road.” He slung my duffel bag across his shoulder. He didn’t have any bags with him and I wondered if he could magically make clothes appear. That would certainly come in handy. I pulled on my Converse. “Come on.” He opened the hotel room door. I followed behind him to the car and climbed in.
“Don’t you need to return the room key?” I asked.
He laughed. “You didn’t think I was really going to pay for a room, did you?”
“Uh yeah. I did.”
He laughed, and his hand began to glow. He put it against the dashboard. The car started.
“If I can start a car with a touch of my hand, do you really think I need to pay for a hotel room? I knew it was empty, that’s all that matters.”
I shook my head. “You shouldn’t use your magic like that. It seems wrong,” I said as he sped out of the parking lot and onto the highway, cutting off several angry drivers who honked their horns and flashed rude hand signals.
“Things are different for me; I’m your protector. I can use my magic in different ways if it’s to help you.” He winked.
“How is stealing a Porsche helping me?” I sputtered.
“We needed to get away and we needed a fast car to do that. I wonder if they’ll let me keep it.” He rubbed the steering wheel and grinned wickedly.
“Who?” I asked.
“The Committee,” he answered. “Each safe house has a committee that’s a group of elected enchanters in charge. Although, Victor Antonescu seems to forget that.”
“Who’s he?”
“Victor’s on The Committee. The Committee was created so that one person wasn’t in charge, but Victor has other ideas. I don’t really trust him,” said Theo and he squirmed a bit in his seat.
“You seem nervous,” I noted.
“It’s not my place to question The Committee. I’m a novice and a child in their eyes. But try to stay away from him, okay?”
“Uh, okay,” I agreed, even though I didn’t really understand why he viewed this Victor guy as such a threat. More than likely he was just a guy that had let power go to his head.
Theodore pulled into a Burger King and ordered a bunch of food.
“Get me a Dr. Pepper!” I cried before he pulled away from the speaker.
“And a Dr. Pepper,” he sighed.
He pulled up to the window, and I expected him to pull out a wallet but, instead, he stared at the oily-skinned teenage boy until he handed us our food.
“Have a nice day!” cackled Theo.
“That wasn’t very nice,” I groaned.
“You’re still eating it.” He nodded at me.
I stared guiltily at the half-eaten chicken nugget that I had pulled out of the bag before we were out of the parking lot.
“I’m hungry,” I defended.
He laughed. “Me too.” He shoved his hand into the bag and grabbed a handful of fries to stuff in his mouth.
We ate in silence as Theo drove.
I jumped as a thought occurred to me.
“What? What is it?” asked Theodore, checking the mirrors like he thought I’d seen something he’d missed.
“Dani,” I cried.
“Who’s Dani?” he asked.
“And you call yourself my protector? Dani’s my best friend. She’ll get worried if she doesn’t hear from me.”
He rolled his eyes. “I guess you can call her.” He handed over a phone. “That’s untraceable but still make it quick.”
“But what do I say?” I asked him and bit my lip. “It’s not like I’m home and I guess I’m never going back.”
He shrugged. “I guess you tell her you’re gone for the summer and you won’t be coming back. Tell her your dad got a new job and it was a take it or leave it situation.”
“I don’t even want to know how you became such a good liar,” I mumbled.
He smirked. “Doll face, I think you know.”
I rolled my eyes at him and he chuckled.
I dialed Dani’s number and listened to it ring and ring.
“Hello? Who is this? Hello?”