Chameleon (Supernaturals)

  Russ set the food down and then walked off without saying another word. I turned to Gabriel and he already knew what I was going to say. “Yes. Go speak with him.”

  I ran across the warehouse before he could get out the door. “Russ, wait!”

  Russ didn’t stop walking until I followed him out onto the unprotected streets of Newark. When I was out in the open he whirled on me. “Go back inside before I have to save your life again.”

  “Damn it, Russ, I’m sorry! I know this isn’t what you expected when you came to see me, but—”

  “What I expected?” Russ let out a harsh laugh. “What I expected was for you and me to be with my dad by now and making up for lost time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Dani, you can be so dense sometimes.”

  I’d meant to be calm, but my temper flared to match his. “Why don’t you spell it out for me then since I’m so stupid.”

  A pair of headlights came around a corner a couple of blocks down the street and Russ pushed me back in the warehouse. He waited until the car was gone, then leaned his back against the wall and banged his head on it.

  “Russ?”

  He glared at me. “Swimming in the lake that day,” he said. “Sharing my magic with you, having no secrets between us anymore, and finally, finally crossing the friendship boundary, was the best moment of my entire life. For a few minutes I had everything I ever wanted.” Russ’s eyes flicked to Gabriel and his voice turned bitter. “Right now I wish I’d never had that moment. I wish I didn’t know what it was like to kiss you. When I saw the way you looked at him just now I wished I’d never even met you.”

  “How can you say that when we were never together? All the years I’ve known you, you’ve never said anything. You never even hinted.”

  “I assumed you knew.”

  “Why would I?” I asked.

  “Come on. I spent every minute I could with you. I never went out with anyone else.”

  “Neither did I.”

  “Yeah, and I thought that was because you were happy with me, too.”

  “I was happy.” I pulled Russ’s hand into mine and forced myself to look him straight in the eyes. “I love you too, Russ. Always. No matter what.”

  “You say that, but do you? Do you really?”

  “Of course I do. Things are just a lot more complicated now.” I had to look away from him. “I’m so confused, Russ. What the Supreme High Councilor did to me, it’s like my feelings aren’t my own anymore. I hate that this is hurting you, but I don’t know what to do. Gabriel—he’s a part of my life now too, whether I like it or not. I’m sorry.”

  Russ gave up for the time being. “Has he been good to you at least? If he’s laid even one finger on you he shouldn’t have, I’ll kill him Dani. I don’t care if he is the only true Seer we’ve had in two centuries.”

  Well at least Russ could be comforted in this one area. I smiled as I nodded. “Gabriel would never dream of doing anything like that. He’s too sweet. I know you don’t want to hear it, but he really cares about me. I think if you didn’t feel the need to hate him, you’d really like him. I do.”

  Russ scrunched up his face like he tasted something foul. “What is it with you and sweet guys? You said Conor Fairchild was ‘really sweet’ too.”

  “Maybe I have a thing for sweet guys.” I nudged him and added, “Maybe that’s what you’ve been doing wrong all these years.”

  Russ cracked a smile and nudged me back. “You’re not exactly a bowl of sugar yourself, you know.”

  “Maybe it’s true what they say about opposites attracting.”

  “Maybe you’ve just been completely brainwashed. That’s what Duncan obviously thought, and I’m more inclined to agree with him at the moment.”

  “Of course you are. Because you’re not a sweet guy. And because the possibility of me being attracted to anyone that isn’t you would be a major blow to your ego.”

  Russ laughed and pulled me in for a spontaneous hug. I melted immediately. I sighed into his chest. “I missed you.”

  “I’d have missed me too.”

  I laughed. “Shut up! Tell me you missed me too.”

  Russ stopped laughing and squeezed me a little tighter. “Only enough to risk my life to steal you back and lug your useless husband along because you said you wouldn’t come with me otherwise.”

  “Thank you for that. I am sorry, Russ. Really.”

  “Quit apologizing. It freaks me out.”

  I laughed again. That’s what I love best about Russ. The world could be coming to an end and he’d still be able to cheer me up.

  “Will you come back and eat now?”

  Russ sighed. “If you’ll promise to stop looking so lovesick. That really makes me lose my appetite.”

  When Russ and I joined Gabriel again he’d already finished eating and was gathering up our few belongings. He’d also, I noticed, closed the eyes of the homeless guy.

  “Is he dead?” I asked looking over at the man who’d attacked me.

  “Yes,” Gabriel said quietly.

  “It’s really better for him,” Russ assured me. “His mind was completely gone and likely had been for a while. Mind control spells are only meant for short bursts of time. I’m not even sure how someone could hold him that long.”

  “Do you know what happened?” I asked. “Why you lost the connection and went flying across the room?”

  Russ shrugged. “I wasn’t as strong as whoever was controlling him until you helped me. The minute he realized we could beat him together he hit me with a knockback spell and let go of the mind control.”

  “He?” I asked.

  Russ nodded. “Definitely a warlock. I couldn’t get a look at him though. He never came into focus before I lost the connection. Whoever he was, he really didn’t want us to find him out.”

  “It’s the Councilor,” I said. When Gabriel frowned at me I quickly added, “Or Robert.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Russ asked.

  “He knew me.”

  Russ frowned at the man lying on the ground.

  “Not him,” I said. “When he grabbed me, he said my name, but it wasn’t him. I don’t think his brain was even working. I think whoever had control of him recognized me. He was surprised enough that he almost dropped me.”

  Russ and Gabriel glanced at each other.

  “What?” I asked.

  “We’ve got to get out of here now,” Russ said to Gabriel.

  “Why?” I asked.

  Gabriel took my hand. “Danielle, if the person responsible for all of this knows you, then he knows you are the Chosen One, and he also knows exactly where we are. I am surprised he has not come for us already.”

  “He can’t,” I argued. “If he came looking for us here, then we would know for sure who it was. He won’t risk that.”

  Russ and Gabriel exchanged another measured look. Russ was the first to shake his head. “I still don’t like it.”

  “Nor I,” Gabriel agreed.

  I don’t know why, but I was annoyed by their sudden camaraderie. “We can’t just leave. What if he decides to try again with someone else? That family could still die.”

  “We’ve bought ourselves some time,” Russ said. “He has to find a new person who is strong enough physically, yet weak enough mentally to be placed under the mind control spell. Plus we have all the things he needs for whatever he was going to do here.”

  I followed the finger Russ was pointing and saw a shopping cart full of various things needed for the ritual I saw in the vision. “That couldn’t have been easy to gather.”

  “Nope. Especially not without raising suspicion, and we’re going to destroy it. Not to mention he’s going to have to find a new place to do his dark deeds now.”

  Gabriel and I frowned at each other. “You do not believe he will come back here?” Gabriel asked.

  Russ grinned. “Not after we burn it down.”

  Gabriel looked horrified by that s
uggestion but it seemed logical to me. “Fine, we have some time,” I said. “But we still have to figure out who it is and what he’s trying to do, or all we’ve done is postpone what will happen according to that vision.”

  “Obviously he’s going to cast a spell, but I don’t know what kind. I haven’t reached that level of magic in my training yet. I’ll bet my father could tell us though, if we brought him all that junk instead of destroying it.”

  “So we need to go see your father then.”

  Gabriel sighed. “How convenient for you. Again.”

  Russ gave Gabriel an innocent smile and shrug, then winked at me after Gabriel turned his back.

  I tried to stay focused on my mission and not Russ’s taunts. “How do you propose we get all that stuff to your dad? We can’t exactly drag a shopping cart onto the train, and we definitely can’t go back to Carmine. The council is probably already camped out in front of your dad’s house.”

  Russ grinned like I’d asked him a question he’d been waiting to hear all his life. “Remember last year when we found Mr. Bates passed out drunk in his front yard?”

  I snorted at the memory. “Good times. You seriously want to Bonnie and Clyde it back to Carmine?”

  “Yeah. Except not to Carmine. My dad’s not at home. The minute Duncan invited me to the consulate, and made it clear that the Councilor wouldn’t know about the visit, dad helped me plan to break you out.”

  “He did?”

  “Who do you think taught me that nifty sleep-inducing knockback spell? Dad’s at a safe house south of Trenton. It’s an easy hour and a half from here. Do you think you could hide us that long?”

  Gabriel didn’t look happy to be in the dark. “I still do not understand how you plan to get us there. Who is this Bates person?”

  “Mr. Bates was our ninth grade history teacher,” I explained.

  “Total douche bag,” Russ added.

  “One night last year Russ and I found him passed out drunk in his front yard with his car still running. We stole the car and drove it onto the front lawn of the Town Hall.”

  “Best prank ever,” Russ said. “Everyone just assumed he’d done it. Hell, he was so drunk even he thought he’d done it. He volunteered to go into rehab and all of his students were excused from the final exam and we were all given Bs just to pass the class and move on.”

  Gabriel stared at us with wide eyes.

  “In other words,” I explained. “We’re going to borrow a car and drive there.”

  Gabriel’s face paled a little. “Steal a car? Are you sure that is a wise plan?”

  “What’s the matter, Gabe?” Russ asked. “I would think you were right at home with larceny considering you already stole my girl.”

  “I—I—”

  I didn’t even bother to tell Russ to lay off Gabriel this time. There was no point. “I don’t think we have another option,” I said. “We can’t ride the train with all of this stuff, we can’t stay here, and, we can’t walk.”

  “But it could be dangerous. The humans will send their police.”

  Russ laughed. “You’re afraid of the police?”

  I was getting tired of Russ making fun of Gabriel. “He’s just looking out for me.”

  That made Russ mad. “And you think I’m not?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “It’ll only take a tiny bit more energy for Dani to hide the car with us and the stuff in the cart in it. Plus, I stole one while I was out getting burgers.”

  “And the people you took it from?” Gabriel asked. “Will they not need it?”

  Russ was so surprised it took a moment for him to start in with the laughter. “Seriously Dani, where did you find this guy?”

  “Having a conscience isn’t something to make fun of, jerk!” I took a breath and gave Gabriel a sympathetic smile. “We’ll make sure they get it back.”

  “Whatever,” Russ grumbled. “I’m packing up. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

  He wheeled the shopping cart outside and I was again aware that Gabriel and I were alone. I didn’t like being so conscious of that fact, but I still took Gabriel’s hand in mine.

  “I’m going to have to hide us again,” I said.

  “I know,” Gabriel said with a slight hitch in his voice. “I wish you did not have to.”

  I fiddled with the gold band on his finger. When I looked up he was watching me with a guarded face. “Come, Danielle, let us hurry and put our travels behind us.”

  “All ready?” Russ said when we joined him outside. I could tell it was hard for him not to comment about Gabriel and me holding hands. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Do you think you’ll be okay to hold your spell now?”

  “I guess we’ll see.”

  “Good. On to the fun part.” Russ held up a lighter to me. “If you would kindly make us disappear, I’ll let you do the honors.”

  “That’s all right.” I laughed. “I’m sure you’re dying to start it yourself.”

  Russ beamed. “You know me so well.”

  “You’re such a delinquent.”

  “Chicks dig the bad boys.”

  I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand. “Okay,” I said after a minute. “We are now invisible.”

  Russ doused the front of the warehouse with a can of gasoline and then poured a trail of it across the street to where our stolen transport was waiting for us. He lit the lighter, grinned at me, and then dropped it.

  The flame licked its way across the street like a trail of dominos falling, and then with a big whoosh of heat, the building was up in flames. Russ and I stood there a moment in awe.

  “Sweet,” Russ said.

  “Just like in the movies,” I agreed.

  “May we please get going now?” Gabriel said behind us. “Before something explodes? That building may possibly be full of old highly combustible chemicals used in most cosmetic products.”

  “Huh,” Russ said, opening the passenger door for me. “Never thought of that.” We got out of there really fast just in case.

  . . . . .

  We were all pretty quiet for a while as we drove away. Russ behind the wheel, me sitting shotgun next to him, and poor Gabriel tucked away in the back seat. I glanced back at him and was alarmed by how green he looked.

  “Do you get carsick?”

  “I am not sure. This is my first time riding in a car, but I do feel awfully unwell.”

  Russ glanced in the rearview mirror. “Do not blow chunks in here, dude. Dani got sick once when we were at the movies and threw up in the popcorn bucket on the way home. I had to pull over twice to throw up myself after seeing that. I cannot handle puke.”

  I turned on the air and pointed the vents back to Gabriel. “Maybe you should lay off the gas pedal a little.”

  “Can’t. You’re not looking much better than he is.” Russ frowned and pulled my hand into his. “We only have about a half an hour left. How are you doing?”

  I avoided answering Russ’s question. I didn’t want to admit how drained I was feeling. I was worried I wasn’t going to hold the spell all the way there.

  “Why don’t you distract me?”

  “Distract you like this?” he asked, lifting my hand to his lips. When he kissed my palm I shuddered lightly and wasn’t sure if it was because of the cravings or just because in all the years I’d known him Russ had never done something like that before.

  “Hey Gabe,” Russ said with another glance in the mirror. “Want to try your hand at driving? It usually helps with carsickness, and I could keep Dani plenty distracted in the back seat.”

  “Why don’t you tell me another story about Danielle instead?” The irritation in Gabriel’s voice was obvious. “You must have so many. The two of you were practically raised as brother and sister.”

  Russ’s hand clenched around the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, but he managed to plaster a beautiful smile on his face. “A story about Dani, huh? How about my favorite one? When I was three years old m
y mother skipped out on Dad and me. Dad was so crushed he packed up all our stuff and just started driving. The car got a flat tire in this tiny town called Carmine, Pennsylvania.

  “Dad took me to the park while we waited to have the tire fixed and there in the sandbox was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. I was so beside myself that I kicked over her sand castle, for which she hit me in the face with her shovel. She gave me a fat lip and when I started to cry she felt so bad she offered to kiss it better. I let her. It was our first kiss. Her mother has the whole thing on video.

  “After that, Dani held my hand and refused to let me leave the park. Our parents had to literally pry us apart and we both threw such fits that my dad decided just to stay. He bought a house two blocks away from that park and Dani and I have been inseparable ever since. How’s that for a story?

  “Or, I know! How about the time she cut off a chunk of Megan Fischer’s hair in the second grade because Megan said she was going to marry me. Or how we used to spend the night at each other’s houses because sometimes having to be apart all night was just too hard for us. Of course her dad nipped that one in the bud when we were about ten because he knew there was nothing brother-sisterly about our relationship even then. Oh, and this one time—”

  “I think you’ve made your point, Russ.” I glanced into the back seat. Gabriel looked much closer to throwing up than he had before.

  “What point?” Russ asked innocently. “He asked for a story about you. He’s right, I have a million. I could go on for hours.”

  I shut him up with just a look.

  Russ had to carry me out of the car. I’d already dropped the cloaking spell about ten minutes before that, but it didn’t matter. There was no one around for miles.

  “Where are we?” I asked as he carried me up the steps. The cute little farmhouse looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t place it. “I’ve been here before.”

  Russ laughed at me. “No you haven’t. This is the house I lived in when I was born. We lived here until my mom left. Dad gave me the address yesterday, but I’ve never been here since—at least not that I remember. I didn’t know we still owned this place.”