Forbidden

An arm loops through Roseline’s, pulling her around the corner. “What are you staring at?” Sadie asks, rising onto her tiptoes to see.

  “Nothing,” Roseline says, shaking her head. “It was nothing.”

  Sadie’s eyes narrow. “You sure? You look really freaking pale, right now.”

  Roseline waves off her concern. “What were you saying?”

  “Oh, I was just telling you about Oliver.” Sadie tugs on the strap of her bag. Roseline can tell she doesn’t like to talk about it. “That was before the fall.”

  “The fall of what?” she asks, blinking as she forces herself to focus on Sadie’s words. It’s hard to pull herself away from the scent. It lingers in the air. Not as fresh, nor nearly as potent, but still enough to make her throat burn with need.

  “The tragic fall of Sadie Hughes.” Sadie swings her green canvas satchel over her shoulder. It’s covered with patches, each one supporting a different cause or rock band. By the looks of it, Sadie has tried very hard to make the bag look worn. Roseline’s keen eye notices the scissor cuts and the places where she has rubbed the material with a Brillo pad. Evidence of ample washes gives it a faded look.

  “What happened?” Roseline asks, eagerly latching onto the topic—anything to help her forget the burning in her throat.

  Sadie grimaces. “It’s a long story. Basically, I was in there, right at the top of the popular crowd, but my best friend Claire Scofield decided she wanted my boyfriend.”

  “Oliver?”

  “Yep, but the stupid thing is she only wanted him because I had him. Claire figured out he was a loser pretty quick and dumped his butt on the curb. My reputation was damaged beyond repair.” Sadie sighs, ducking back into the hallway’s inner fast lane.

  Roseline sticks with her, careful to keep her head down as she moves through the crowd. She allows herself to be jostled and bounced from person to person instead of clearing a wide path. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to mask her abilities.

  She is about to question Sadie further when the girl comes to a sudden stop, forcing Roseline to put on the brakes. Only her superior reflexes save her from bowling Sadie over.

  “Will,” Sadie groans, thumping a crouched boy on the shoulder. “Not again.”

  Roseline glances around Sadie, curious to see what has caused her to sound so put out. She can’t help but giggle as the sandy-blond boy rises. His white sweater is completely stained with spaghetti sauce. “Who was it this time?”

  Will’s grin is wide and genuine, as if he could care less that he has worn the evidence of a tomato massacre since lunch. “It was just Conner and Oliver. You know how those guys are this close to a big game.”

  Sadie nods, looking less than pleased. “But do they always have to pick on you?”

  Will shrugs, stuffing his physics book into his bag. “It’s just for a laugh. You know I don’t mind.”

  “Sounds like bullying to me,” Roseline mutters. Two sets of eyes turn toward her. She blushes as one set widens in surprise.

  “You’ve been holding out on me, I see,” Will huffs, elbowing Sadie in the ribs as he sidles up to Roseline, offering his hand. “William Hughes. My friends just call me Will.”

  Roseline smiles, shaking his hand politely. “What a tragedy. William is such a lovely name. You should never shorten it.”

  Sadie rolls her eyes dramatically as William flushes with pride. “Oh, great. Now you’ve done it. The dork won’t go by Will now for a month.”

  “I assure you I meant no disrespect.” She glances between the siblings, wondering if she has just offended the only two people she has really spoken to since arriving in Chicago.

  Sadie and her brother burst into a fit of giggles. “She’s something, huh? Found her sleeping in the sixth period.”

  “Lucky you,” William says, his voice low and husky as his eyes trail over Roseline’s outfit. She blushes furiously and glances away, wishing she could find a way to stop attracting guys. She is pretty sure enticing a girl’s brother is totally off limits within the first hour of meeting her.

  Not that William isn’t cute. His brushed over hair drifts down into his eyes. A nice tan speaks of hours spent at the pool and the lines at the corners of his lips tell her all she needs to know—William likes to have a good time.

  “Oh, not you too,” Sadie groans, pulling her brother away from Roseline. “I’m starting to think I should be jealous of you, Rose. You sure do have a way with guys.”

  Her responding laugh appears innocent enough, but Roseline works hard to mask her distress. Sadie is right. She has already attracted far too much attention on her first day of school. Maybe she should let Sadie give her a makeover. No, on second thought, Sadie does everything she possibly can to stand out. Roseline needs to find a way to blend in.

  No matter how much she might try to change her appearance, it won’t be enough. Hormones naturally seep from her skin. It is a scent that draws in even the most hard-core humans, like the prey fawning over its predator. They never even know the attack is coming until it is too late.

  Roseline shivers and glances away. She refuses to think like that. Deep down she knows she is the monster Vladimir created her to be, but she fights it with every ounce of her being. Roseline refuses to allow herself to become a cold-blooded killer.

  “So, Romeo, are you gonna offer your coat to the lady or just stand there and drool all over her?” Sadie asks, tapping her foot impatiently.

  William smiles sheepishly and grabs his black wool coat from his locker. “Sorry about that,” he mutters, blushing as he offers it to Roseline.

  “For being a doofus or for slobbering all over her?” Sadie plants her hands firmly on her hips, looking just like a little kid who has been told it is bedtime during her favorite show.

  Roseline saves him from answering. “Will you not be cold?” She hates taking away William’s coat when she will be perfectly happy in the freezing afternoon air. Her skin—naturally warmer than humans—delights in cold weather. The harsh winters back in Romania are blissful for immortals.

  “I insist.” He grins. “Wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I let the beautiful lady freeze to death.”

  Sadie rolls her eyes. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

  Roseline quickly follows the siblings down the hall. Her mind fumbles through several arguments to get her out of this predicament without appearing rude but now that she’s huddled within the warm layers of William’s coat, she sees no escape.

  Once outside, she effortlessly maneuvers the icy front steps but remains close to Sadie just in case her feet decide to take a fast way down.

  Logic tells her that she should not care one way or another about Sadie and her brother. They are mortals and as such should not matter. As an immortal, Roseline ranks far above them on the power scale but, then again, she has never really been one to care about hierarchy. Sadie has touched a nerve within her and already Roseline finds her poorly constructed defenses weakening.

  Sadie is fun and bubbly, and her enthusiasm has easily drawn Roseline out of a depressed funk. Would it be so bad to have one friend? What about William? If she can keep him at bay, wouldn’t it be nice to have a guy friend again?

  Life without Fane has been a hard adjustment. She took it for granted that they could always sneak away for a private conversation among the castle grounds. She is desperate to hear his voice but refuses to give into her selfish longing, knowing that his life depends upon her actions.

  As they cross a large patch of black ice leading to the parking lot, the siblings’ laughter warms a part of her soul that she has not felt since Adela was taken from her. Sadie, with her crazy clothes and boisterous attitude, reminds Roseline so much of her rebellious younger sister that she simply cannot pull herself away.

  “Nice vehicle,” she says, nodding approvingly as they pause in front of a brand-new SUV. William grins, his lips noticeab
ly darkening against the cold. A twinge of guilt stabs at Roseline as she shifts inside his coat.

  “It was a birthday present,” he says proudly, motioning towards his blacked-out Escalade, covered with a light sheen of freezing rain. His teeth begin to clatter together. “Sadie got a Mustang.”

  Roseline does not have any clue what kind of car that is but, judging by the gleam in Sadie’s eyes, it must have been exactly what she wanted. “Your parents are very generous. I am sure they felt you have earned such an extravagant gift.”

  The automatic door lock sounds and Sadie shoves Roseline into the backseat, laughing. “There you go again. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were my parents’ age.”

  Roseline winces, making another mental note to work harder to fit in. Her appearance is that of a seventeen-year-old, so she had better start acting and speaking like one. She takes a deep breath and regurgitates some of the slang she picked up on earlier. “Sorry. It has just been Mom and me for a while. She’s rubbed off on me, I suppose.”

  Better but still needs some work, Roseline mentally groans. Fitting into the human world is much harder than she imagined it would be.

  “Tragic.” Sadie shakes her head. “Hate it when parents do that.”

  “Maybe you just need to get out for a bit. You should join us for tea and crumpets later,” William cackles, slipping into the driver seat. He rubs his hands together to warm them before slipping the key into the ignition. The engine roars to life. Freezing air bursts from the vents, eliciting a few choice words from him as he rushes to close them off.

  “She’s not British, you idiot. She’s from Romania,” Sadie says.

  William glances back over his shoulder as he backs the car out of the narrow space. The rear windshield is almost completely glazed over. “Either way, I think the way European chicks talk is hot with a capital HOT.”

  Sadie groans, shaking her head. Roseline smiles, enjoying their playful banter. If her brother, Petru, were still alive, he would have loved William. Staring out the window, Roseline secretly wipes a stray tear from her eye. Her heart aches for the brother and sister she lost so long ago. For the country she left behind. For Fane.

  “So where do you live?” William asks, glancing at her in the rearview mirror. He frowns when he notices her sullen face.

  “On Raven’s Court,” she replies absently.

  William nudges his car out into the long line of traffic. “Is that in Wildwood Estates?”

  Roseline pushes the faded memories of her family away, locking them back into her heart where she keeps them safe and untouched by Vladimir’s wickedness.

  “I believe so,” she responds, managing a somewhat genuine smile.

  The home she has rented is not extravagant by any means. It is a simple two-story bungalow in a nice, older neighborhood. She was lucky to find the daughter of a recently deceased man putting out the for rent sign in the front yard as she walked by two days ago. Although the woman was a bit hesitant about renting to a teenage girl, her fears were easily calmed when Roseline produced enough money to pay half of the year’s rent up front.

  The shoddy house and her school tuition have eaten up a great deal of the meager funds Roseline managed to smuggle out with her. She will need to be careful with her money from now on, but a new wardrobe is obviously a must, and perhaps a new bed. The lumpy mattress she has been sleeping on has got to go. A girl, immortal or not, needs her beauty sleep.

  “So, do you have plans tonight?” Sadie asks.

  “Perhaps, why?” Roseline responds warily. She glances up to find William’s eyes locked onto her in the rearview mirror. His fingers clench around the steering wheel.

  “There’s a football game tonight and it’s gonna be huge. You have to come,” Sadie says. “I hate always going by myself.”

  She reminds Roseline so much of her little sister. Same pout, same whine, and same irresistible plea. Sadie chips away another brick from her resolve.

  “Hey,” William cries, pretending to be wounded by his sister’s words. “I go with you.”

  “Yeah, but all you do is check out girls,” Sadie grumbles, looking tragically put out. “It’s so annoying to not have a girl with me.”

  Roseline shakes her head. “I am rather tired from the flight and American football is not something that I understand. Why the need for pads? Real men do not need them.”

  William scoffs and rolls his eyes. “If you knew these guys, you would totally get it. They put the lose in losers!”

  “Come on,” Sadie pleads, ignoring her brother’s comment. “It’s only a couple of hours and you said your mom isn’t in town. She won’t even know you’re gone.”

  William’s pointed stare makes Roseline laugh. “I would not want to intrude—”

  “Heck no,” William cuts in, a rakish grin brightening his face. “You’d be doing me a favor. After the game, I usually end up with a stiff neck.”

  “From what?” Roseline asks.

  “Ogling girls, of course,” Sadie snickers.

  William’s smile is infectious as he raises his eyebrows suggestively. Roseline laughs. “So what do you say?” Sadie asks.

  An internal war wages. Logic tells her that she should say no, disappear into her home and only come out for school again on Monday, but her heart yearns for more.

  Vladimir stripped away her chance at a normal life. She never got to really live, to laugh and be carefree. Isn’t this why she came to America in the first place? To try to reclaim what she missed?

  How bad can one football game really be? She could just try it once and if she hates it, which she fully expects to do, she will have a good excuse to bow out of any further adventures with Sadie and William.

  Sadness sweeps over her at the thought of spending the night in her empty home. She misses Fane, her sister Adela, and the friendship they both offered her over the years. Is it so wrong to want that again?

  “Perhaps, just this once,” Roseline concedes.

  Sadie squeals. William hoots as he brakes for a red light. “So, I guess this means you might be around from time to time. Maybe you two should have a sleepover or something.” He grins mischievously. “You can paint each other’s nails, have a pillow fight, and talk about how amazing I am.” William ducks Sadie’s slap seconds before it hits.

  Sinking back into the seat, Roseline grins, watching the siblings duke it out. She is enjoying herself so much that she is surprised moments later when she recognizes her house fly by. “Go back. We missed it. It is the one two doors back.”

  William throws his vehicle into reverse, his tires sliding on the icy road as he backs down to her house. Sadie and William exchange a confused glance. “That’s it?” William questions.

  Roseline nods, grabbing her backpack off the seat. “I assure you, it is not a permanent house. It was the only place we could rent on short notice.”

  Sadie nods, still looking troubled as she notices the peeling paint and badly sloping front steps. Faded shutters hang at an odd angle, banging loudly against the wall. Instead of commenting, she whirls around, grasping Roseline’s hand. “You’re definitely coming tonight, right?”

  “I suppose so,” Roseline laughs. She cannot help but be infected by Sadie’s excitement.

  William looks pretty darn smug in the mirror. “Pick you up at seven?”

  Roseline nods, ducking out of his coat. “Thank you for the use of your jacket,” she calls as she hops out of the backseat and runs to her front door, easily maneuvering the black ice clinging to the cracked steps. She turns back when Sadie sticks her head out through the window.

  “Make sure you wear something warm. It’s gonna be freezing tonight.”

  Four