Fire and Beauty

  "Oh, by the way, Jayden?"

  "Y-yes?"

  "We have arranged for you to meet Ruelle next month."

  "Ruelle?" he asked.

  "It's French. They're French. Her father is our Alpha. She is the girl you're going to marry."

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Jayden waited in his room till he heard the front door slam shut and his brother come home from the gym. He held his breath and listened by the door as he heard him walk into the kitchen and open the refrigerator. Then he heard their mother approach Logan and tell him: We need to talk. She then ordered him to sit down.

  Jayden went into the hallway and stood at the top of the stairs and listened in as their mother placed the necklace in front of Logan on the dining room table, followed by a deep sigh.

  "What's this?" she asked.

  "A necklace," his brother answered, sounding indifferent.

  "But whose necklace is it?" their dad asked.

  "I don't know," Logan said.

  Jayden moved closer, walking a few steps down the stairs so he could better hear what they said.

  "You don't know?" their mother said.

  "No. I don't know."

  "But…" their mother exhaled. It made Jayden cringe. There was nothing worse than the sound of a disappointed mother. "Logan, you need to explain to us. Where did you get this necklace?"

  "Why?" he asked.

  "Because we're asking you about it," their dad said, slamming his fist on the table.

  "Calm down, will you? It's not like I stole it or anything. I…I found it," he said.

  "You found it?" their mother asked. "Where?"

  "In our front yard. This morning, when I got back from…running in the mountains."

  Jayden couldn't believe him. That had to be the worst lie he had ever heard. There was no way his parents would believe that.

  "So, you're telling me you found it in the front yard this morning?" their mother said, sounding relieved.

  What was going on here? Did they believe this lie? How? How? Couldn't they see how lame it was?

  "Why?" Logan asked. "Why is this necklace so important?"

  "It belonged to the woman who was murdered last night. Mrs. Sharpe," their dad said, also sounding very relieved.

  Jayden's mom sighed, happily. "I am so glad to hear this."

  "Wait…you guys thought that…?"

  "Well, when Jayden showed it to me, I have to admit, I thought…"

  "Jayden?" Logan asked. He rose to his feet. Jayden could hear the chair screech across the tiles. "Jayden is behind this?"

  "No, no, son," their dad said. "He was merely concerned, that's all. We all were."

  "You all thought I was some killer, huh? That's nice."

  "Logan, please, sit back down," their mother said. "We know how hard it is to control yourself in the beginning. It's only natural. Slip ups happen."

  Logan sighed. "But I am fully in control and you know that. I would never…I mean, come on…"

  "Oh, we know, son. We know you'd never hurt anyone. Of course, you wouldn't," their dad said.

  "I’m just glad we got to talk about this," their mother said.

  Jayden couldn't believe his own ears, and as Logan once again pushed the chair across the tiles, Jayden hurried back upstairs. He didn't make it very far before his brother was right behind him.

  "Eavesdropping much, huh?" he asked.

  Jayden turned around. There was a fire in Logan's eyes that Jayden had never seen before. He approached him, pointing his finger at him.

  "You have no business going behind my back like that. Don't think I don’t have you figured out, okay? You might be destined to be my leader one day, but to me, you're just my dorky baby brother, who may or may not live to see the day when he becomes the Alpha of the pack. 'Cause guess who is next in line if he doesn't? That's right, baby brother. You better watch where you're going. Or you might trip and fall. You mortals are so darn fragile."

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  So, Logan was the killer, huh? It made sense but was still hard to comprehend. I had known Logan all my life.

  I was sitting in my room, staring at Jayden's house, wondering how things were going over there, if he had been able to talk to his mother yet and if so, what they were going to do. How had she reacted? I had never liked Jayden's brother much while growing up and the killings did start once he had turned eighteen. It made perfect sense that he was the one.

  But it still scared me like crazy.

  I kept looking at my phone, hoping to see a Snapchat from Jayden, but so far, there had been nothing. He had promised he would send something to all of us, just so we would know how it went. I was worried sick, naturally. Who wouldn't be?

  Finally, my phone vibrated, and I looked at it, but it wasn't from Jayden. This was a text from Duncan.

  HAD A GREAT TIME TODAY

  It made me smile. I felt bad for suddenly cutting the picnic short and wanted to make it up to him.

  IT WAS FUN. MAYBE WE COULD GET THAT ICE CREAM TOMORROW?

  I added a smiling emoji, then sent it. The reply came fast.

  I KNOW THE RIGHT PLACE.

  "Of course, you do," I mumbled and replied: DO THEY HAVE COOKIES AND CREAM?

  YES. AND SPRINKLES.

  SOUNDS LIKE THE RIGHT PLACE THEN.

  PICK YOU UP AT THREE.

  I chuckled and put the phone down, then went back to worrying about Jayden. His house across the street seemed so quiet. I could hardly stand it. I grabbed my phone and sent a Snap to everyone with the caption ANY NEWS?

  Amy replied with a Snap of her freshly made lasagna. My mouth watered. I loved Amy's lasagna. Her caption read:

  HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING. SO WORRIED I HAVE MADE FOOD ENOUGH FOR AN ARMY.

  The Snap made me chuckle. Jazmine hadn't answered yet and I wondered what she was up to, if she was all right after what happened this morning. She had been very pale still when we met by the lake. She had told us she believed the weakness and dizziness had come because she had used magic and because she wasn't used to it. I didn't know how any of that worked, but I guessed it made sense.

  I stared at Jayden's house and the window to his room, when finally, my phone buzzed again, and this time it was from him.

  With a sigh of relief, I opened the app. But it wasn't a picture, just a message in the chat, saying:

  IT DIDN'T WORK. I AM A DEAD MAN.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Sunday mornings were usually very quiet in Jayden's neighborhood. And so it started out this Sunday, even though the house down the street where Mrs. Sharpe used to live was still blocked off by police tape. But that was all that was left to remind them of what had happened. The street was eerily quiet as he decided to go for an early morning run. He needed to get out of the house to think and to get away from his brother's constant pecking at him every time he saw him.

  Jayden ran across the cul-de-sac and in between the houses, passing Jazmine's house on his left as he ran to the park behind their neighborhood.

  Jayden had a lot on his mind and a lot of anger he didn't know where to place, so he sprinted faster than ever, watching the park and the lake approaching in the distance, thinking of all the stuff that had been going on in his life lately. Most of all, he thought about Robyn and how he worried that they would never get to be together. His parents had planned for him to meet this girl, Ruelle, next month and they were making a big deal out of it. When was he going to tell them he wouldn't marry her? After they met? Or would he wait till he turned eighteen? That would hardly be fair to Ruelle or to her family for that matter. On the other hand, he couldn’t tell his parents now. It would make the next two years completely miserable and he had no idea how they would react. They might even kick him out. Then what would he do?

  Jayden sighed and sped up. He couldn't remember a time in his life when he had felt this frustrated. Was this part of growing up?

  There were days when he wished he was back to being just a kid again and di
dn't have to deal with all these big questions and act so adult when he still wasn't really one. And he missed the times when he and Robyn could hang out all day, talking about movies or books they had read or how stupid someone from their class was, or even just jumping on his trampoline and singing loudly.

  When did it all become so complicated?

  Jayden ran around the lake, thinking about the day they had pulled out the body of Natalie Jamieson and how scared he had been seeing her in the murky water, bobbing up and down. Then he thought about his brother and wondered if he had killed her and maybe the other two as well, and if he had, how on earth could Jayden stop him?

  He'll screw up at some point. He's not that smart.

  But how many bodies would it take before he did? Before their parents finally realized what was going on? Could Jayden live with himself if Logan even killed one more human?

  He shook his head and sped up. He had been gone for almost an hour and he decided he had to get back. He ran down the trail leading to Shadow Hills, then in between the houses, when he spotted Jazmine coming out her front door.

  "Jayden," she said and approached him, walking into the cul-de-sac.

  Jayden stopped and pulled his ear buds out. "Hey."

  "How are you?"

  He shrugged. "Been better, I guess."

  "What happened?"

  "They believed his lie," he said. "I think it’s probably just too hard for them to realize that their own son could do such a terrible thing."

  "You shouldn't have to make excuses for them," she said.

  Jazmine crossed her arms in front of her chest. She was cold. "So, have you talked to any of the others?" she asked.

  He shook his head. "I’ve had a lot on my mind."

  She scoffed. "I bet."

  "So, what are you up to today?" he asked.

  "My dad and I are going to the mall. To watch a movie," she said.

  Jayden scoffed, thinking about back in the day when he used to enjoy hanging out with his family. Was it ever going to be that way again?

  "What are you going to see…?"

  While he spoke, Jayden noticed Jazmine's eyes growing wide.

  "Jayden! Watch out!" she screamed, and Jayden turned his head just in time to see the car approaching him at full speed. Behind the wheel inside the car sat his brother, grinning from ear to ear.

  Chapter Fifty

  JAYDEN!"

  I was watching everything from my window. At first, I had seen Jayden come running back from the park and enjoyed watching him move, especially since he had taken his shirt off. Then Jazmine had come out of her house and they started to talk. I had been slightly jealous, not because I believed Jayden was into her anymore, but because she could just walk out of her house and talk to him just like that when I had to sneak out and risk everything just to see him.

  I spotted the car before Jazmine did. I saw it coming up the street and heading directly for them, speeding up, accelerating as it came closer. Then I started to scream and grabbed the window to try and open it, but it was locked and took too long. Luckily, Jazmine saw it and screamed, so Jayden turned around and saw it as it rushed toward them. And then something incredible happened. Just as I was certain the car was going to hit Jayden and kill him, ripping the only guy I have ever loved away from me, Jazmine pushed him aside, so he flew into the grass and landed on his back, while the car continued, now heading for Jazmine.

  My eyes were wide open as I prepared for it to crash directly into her, when she was somehow lifted into the air and hovered above the car as it continued underneath her and landed in the bushes behind her. Mouth gaping, I turned my head slightly and spotted Jazmine's dad. He was standing in their driveway, arms stretched out in front of him, holding his daughter in the air.

  I literally didn't breathe.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  All eyes in the street were on them. All eyes hiding behind curtains, fingers clenched around the edges of them, shakily pulling them aside just enough to peek out and see what was going on in their usually so quiet street. Everyone was watching them and had seen what Jazmine's father had done.

  "D-daaad?"

  Jazmine was still hanging in the air, and he slowly put her back onto the ground. Jayden's older brother, Logan, got out of the car, holding his bleeding forehead.

  "What the heck?" he grunted.

  Then Jayden got on his feet and sprang for his brother, growling loudly, and seconds later, they were in a fight on the pavement, each of them groaning and throwing punches.

  Jazmine stared at them, then up at her father. Her mother had come outside too and now she was running toward her.

  "Are you all right? Baby?"

  Jazmine looked down at her body. "I…I guess. Mom. Dad…how did he…?"

  "We'll talk about it another time," she said, then turned to face her father. "That was very risky," she said.

  Her father swallowed hard. "I had no choice. What would you have me do? Let her get killed?"

  Jazmine's mother shook her head. "Of course not."

  She grabbed her daughter and pulled her into a warm embrace, while Jayden and Logan were still at it on the pavement.

  "I hate you!" Logan yelled and hit Jayden in the face. He was sitting on top of him, holding Jayden down, punching him in the face. "I hate your pretty face and I hate that you always get everything you want. I hate you!"

  Jazmine's dad hurried to them. He grabbed Logan by the collar and pulled him up. Jayden was quite bruised and not getting up from the pavement. He was groaning in pain. He was no match for his much bigger brother.

  Jazmine knelt next to him.

  "Jayden, are you all right?" she asked.

  The Smiths were rushing out of their house and approaching them.

  "It was an accident!" Logan yelled. "I lost control of the car. It was an accident!"

  Jayden couldn't speak. Jazmine helped him roll onto his back so he could catch his breath. She put a hand on his chest.

  "Are you okay?" she asked again.

  He nodded, still panting. "Thanks," he said, his voice hoarse and feeble. "You saved my life."

  Jazmine stared at her father, then sighed. "I only did what anyone would have."

  "Not everyone I know," Jayden said and sat up. His dad was yelling at Logan to go back to the house where they would deal with him later.

  Jazmine stared at her parents, while Mrs. Smith attended to Jayden. Jazmine approached her mother, who once again grabbed her in a warm embrace. Her hands were shaking as she put them on Jazmine's shoulders.

  "Let's get back inside," she said, and they started to walk. Just as Jazmine was about to walk inside, she turned her head—without knowing why—and spotted Mr. Aran standing in the street, staring at them, petting his tarantula, a mischievous grin on his face.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Oh, dear Lord, what are we going to do?"

  Jazmine's mom looked terrified at her dad. Jazmine didn't quite understand at first what she was talking about.

  "I don't know, Briana," he answered, biting his nails.

  Jazmine's mom walked to the window, then pulled the curtain. "He saw you. He saw you use your powers, Norman."

  "We don't know that he did," her dad replied.

  "We can't take that chance," she said, turning around quickly to look at him. Never had Jazmine seen such a horrified look on her mother's face. Were they talking about Mr. Aran?

  Jazmine's mother swallowed, hard. "You must run, Norman. You have to get out of here."

  His nostrils were flaring. He stared at his wife.

  "Dad?" Jazmine said.

  "Your mother is right," he said.

  "But…Dad?"

  Jazmine's mother rushed up the stairs, packed a suitcase for her husband, then hurried down, holding it between her hands.

  "Here, Norman. I packed the most essential things. Now, you take the car and go as far away from here as you can."

  Jazmine could hardly breathe. She stared at her parents, w
ho looked into each other's eyes. Her dad grabbed her mother's face between his hands and removed a tear that had escaped the corner of her eye.

  "As soon as I’ve found somewhere safe, I'll send for you. We'll be together again."

  Jazmine's mother couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She sniffled and wiped tears away with the back of her hand. Jazmine's dad then kissed her, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath like he wanted to remember her smell.

  Jazmine couldn't stop crying. It felt like everything inside of her was ripped apart, like the entire world fell apart. How…why…? She didn't understand, and she wasn't sure she could bear this.

  "Mom?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Where is Dad going?"

  Jazmine's father approached her, then smiled. "You take good care of your mother, now. You promise me that? She's gonna need you to help out around the house."

  Tears were streaming across his cheeks as he spoke. Jazmine could hardly see anything for hers. She didn't even bother to wipe them away.

  "Why, Dad? Why do you have to leave?"

  He grabbed her in a hug, then kissed her forehead. "One day, you'll understand, sweet child."

  "You must go now, and hurry," Jazmine's mother said.

  Her dad sighed and caressed her cheek one last time, then turned around with a loud sniffle and walked to the front door. He stepped outside, and Jazmine followed him, wanting to get every little bit of him as long as she could, take in everything about him before he was gone.

  Outside stood Mr. Aran, leaning up against their car. He wasn't alone. He had brought two other men who looked just like him.

  Jazmine froze to ice. Her mother gasped and pulled her close to protect her.

  Jazmine's dad dropped the suitcase when he saw him. In his hand, Mr. Aran was holding a device, one that looked like a handheld vacuum cleaner of some sort. It was black.

  "M-Mr. Aran?" her dad said.