“This is a waste of time,” Gabriel grunts, shoving a dusty book across the table. It teeters on the edge before spilling to the floor, crumpling the pages of the ancient text.
“Easy,” Roseline hisses as she leaps to the book’s rescue. She unfolds the pages and gently sets the book on the pile beside her. “These are really rare.”
It has been nearly a week since Gabriel’s confession of love and Roseline has yet to acknowledge it. Thankfully, Gabriel’s mystery tattoos have kept them busy with research. However, coming across century-old books on spells and myths is not the easiest thing to do in secret. There are only so many antique bookstores in Chicago and Gabriel’s anxiety is mounting.
“I don’t know,” Roseline sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. The changes she sees in Gabriel not only worries her, they downright frighten her. She is almost getting desperate enough to try calling Fane again, but logically she knows that will only end up with him swooping in to save the day. Seeing him is the last thing she needs right now. “I told you not to get your hopes up. I wasn’t exactly joking around when I said those markings are forbidden. Apparently I’m not the only one who isn’t allowed to know about it.”
She stretches her arms high over her head, working out the kinks in her lower back. They have been at this far too long.
“We are looking through spell books, mythology, and ancient histories. I’m sorry, but I find this a bit hard to swallow. I think it’s time you start coughing up the truth, Rose. What do these books have in common with you?”
Roseline bites her tongue until she can taste blood. “You know I can’t say.”
“Oh, come on!” He throws up his hands in the air. His voice rises high enough to attract attention from other students in the school library. Roseline glares at him and he has the decency to lower his voice. “Obviously, you’ve seen some pretty wacky stuff while in Romania and I want to know about it.”
“Those things are not meant to be known,” she snaps. She sucks in a steadying breath as she fights against her anger. Her fingernails dig deep into the flesh of the wooden table. She smudges the indents out with the palm of her hand while Gabriel isn’t looking. “Trust me. There are some things you really don’t want to know about.”
“You know,” he presses. His eyes are cold as he turns to look at her again.
“Yes and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish I could forget it all,” she says, reaching out to pull his hand into hers. He flinches but allows her to twine her fingers through his. “I just can’t do that to you. There is too much at risk…” she trails off. “I don’t want that for you. You deserve a normal life.”
She is beginning to wonder if that is even possible for him anymore. How can he hope to live the life he is leading when he is so obviously more than human?
“Whatever,” Gabriel huffs, pulling his hand away.
Roseline sinks back into her chair. Fear whispers to her mind. Something is wrong. “What is with you today? You seem really on edge.”
She sees the flicker of emotion cross his face before he clamps down on it. “It’s nothing,” he grunts as he leaps to his feet. His chair flies backward into a bookcase—it rocks, unsettling books. He scowls at the scattered pile and snatches his bag from the table. “I’ll see you around.”
“But…” Roseline begins but Gabriel flees through the front door of the library. “Great.”
She grabs an armful of books and stashes them behind a row of outdated textbooks with an inch of dust coating them like a second skin. No one will ever find them there. As she slips out of the library and heads to class, she can feel eyes watching her every movement. No doubt, she has just birthed another rumor. Lovely.
A few hours later, Roseline slides into her seat next to Sadie. Her friend’s welcome falls flat in the sight of Roseline’s somber expression. “Wow, don’t you look glum. What’s up?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugs, letting her bag fall to the floor. She stares at her empty tray, only now realizing that she failed to enter the food line. “Gabriel’s been acting really off with me the past couple days.”
Sadie frowns. “Is it about the dance?”
“He hasn’t even asked me.” She knows it’s a silly thing to care about a school dance, but Roseline can’t help it. Going anywhere with Gabriel should have been a treat, but with his increasing mood swings, she’s not so sure now.
“Are you kidding?” Sadie cries. “It’s this Saturday night and that scumbag hasn’t even asked you?
“Hey,” Roseline says, whirling on her friend. “I thought after the State finals you would have started to cut the guy some slack.”
Sadie shifts in her chair. “A girl’s got a right to be jealous, doesn’t she?”
“Jealous?” Roseline snorts. “I didn’t peg you for the sort.”
“Oh, please! I’m the one that’s lived next to the guy most of my life, remember? I was pining over him long before you ever showed up.”
“Do I hear a small amount of bitterness in there somewhere?” Roseline asks, leaning in to poke her friend in the side.
“Maybe.” Sadie shrugs. “But I don’t hold it against you. I’m just ticked that I got stuck taking the loser to the dance.”
Oh yeah, she had forgotten about that. Sadie and Nicolae together at a dance? That is a nightmare in the making! “I get that you’re bummed, I really do, but you can’t let your mom or Nicolae ruin your night. Besides the dance will be the least of your worries. Just think about all of the pictures.”
“Oh, gee, thanks,” Sadie grumbles, puckering her lips into a pout. “That makes me feel so much better.”
“Are things any better between you two?”
Sadie snorts. “Are you kidding? The guy still follows me around all the time. Last night he even tried to sit next to me on the couch while I watched some old re-runs of Friends. He popped a whole bag of popcorn and doused it in my favorite cheese sauce to share. The guy is totally lactose intolerant so what was up with that?” She ducks in low. “You know, if the guy wasn’t such a dweeb he’d actually be really sweet, in an annoyingly idiotic way.”
Roseline laughs. “So there’s still hope for you two.”
“Whatever.”
Silence falls between them as Sadie attacks the lid of her strawberry yogurt, which seems to be getting the best of her at the moment. The weight of Gabriel’s clipped words hangs heavily over her once again. “Maybe I should just assume we are going to the dance together. Isn’t that what couples do?”
“Forget that,” Sadie shakes her spoon at Roseline. “If he can’t ask you properly, then he doesn’t deserve you.”
Roseline lets her head fall to the table. “Why does this have to be so complicated?”
Sadie grins. “Welcome to high school.”
Twenty-Eight