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.All she needed now was some pre-adolescent bodies squirming in the seats.“Holly?” Leora stood in the doorway of the classroom.“Hey,” Holly said.“C’mon in.”Leora crossed the threshold and sat atop a student desk.Her long, purple, gypsy skirt hung over the edge of the desk and above her silver flip-flops.A shimmery silver scarf was braided into Leora’s thick, black hair, and monstrous silver hoops clung to her earlobes.Metal bangles clanged around on her wrists while a peace sign charm dangled from a leather cord around her neck.The sleeveless purple and silver tie-dyed top she wore completed the Woodstock-esque, traveling caravan, hey-I-can-play-the-guitar look Leora always had going.Holly, on the other hand, had on a flowered sheath dress with black flats and a crocheted, short-sleeved sweater.Small diamond studs were the only jewelry she’d worn.She’d tamed her wild red mane into a loose ponytail that spilled curls down her back.Leora’s persona screamed, “Be creative!Holly’s whispered, “Be organized.” And yet, the two had bonded last year over common music interests and tales of woe concerning maintaining loads of unruly hair.“You ready for tomorrow?” Leora asked.“Yep.You?”Leora nodded.“Still looking for the gun and bulletproof vest I think should be in the red safety backpacks, but I guess the school department doesn’t have enough funds for that.”“That whole thing is freaking me out a little.” Holly leaned a knee on one of the student chairs.“No doubt.I think we should have around-the-clock police protection of the tall and handsome variety.”Why did the words tall and handsome make Keane pop into Holly’s head? And hadn’t he mentioned he’d been a security guard as one of his many inconspicuous nighttime jobs? She got a wonderful image of him standing outside her classroom door, arms folded across his chest, eyes searching for shady characters.Would he protect her?“Either that or we’ll have to start taking kickboxing classes or something,” Holly said.“So we can kick some ass if we have to.”Leora shrugged.“Anyway, I have your class second period.Thought I’d start with a Native American drum circle activity.”“That sounds like fun.” Holly placed homework assignment pads on each of the student desks.“Went to one this summer.Wound up talking to the guy running it.He gave me a few tips for conducting one with children.Figure fifth graders might be able to handle it.We’ll see.”“It’s all an experiment, isn’t it? You never know what they’re going to like.” Holly circulated with pencils now, but she could feel Leora’s gaze on her.“You got my messages, right?” Leora picked at a string on her skirt.“I did, but I was super busy this summer.I didn’t have a minute to spare, and I was up at my parents’ beach house, too.” Suddenly, Holly needed a drink.Her mouth was sandpapery.She hated lying to someone who she could see herself calling a friend.“I thought maybe you were mad at me,” Leora said.“No, of course not.Just busy.I’m sorry you got the wrong idea.” Holly dropped the last pencil on the desk beside Leora.“So we could make some plans?” Leora slid off the desk.“I’ve got tickets to this hot band I checked out in July.You’re going to love them.Firecracker is their name.All males.Cute males that can wail on guitars and drums as if they were born to do so.I grew up with the drummer.We used to put on shows for our neighborhood as kids.You’ll come, right?”“Umm…” Holly stalled while her mind shuffled through plausible excuses for not going.“You don’t want to go? See, you are mad at me.How come? What did I do? I thought we were having fun hanging out.” Leora’s dark eyes showed how hurt she was.“You didn’t do anything, Leora, and I want to go.When?”Leora’s face brightened.“Really? You’re not just saying you’ll go to shut me up, are you?”“Of course I am.” Holly managed a laugh.“I can’t take how pathetic you are right now, so I’ll go if it’ll return your dignity.”“Shut up, Brimmer.” Leora gave her a little shove.“You’ll thank me when you see how gorgeous these band guys are.” She rubbed her hands together and opened her eyes wide.“The concert is next week.Want me to pick you up?”“No,” Holly said too quickly.“Umm, I’ll meet you there.You don’t want to drive all the way out to my farmhouse.” She wrinkled up her nose as if that option was so inconvenient.“I don’t mind.Got a new car this summer too, which you would know if you hadn’t completely ignored my existence.” She pointed a finger at Holly as if she were scolding her.Holly wondered if Leora knew what it was like to be completely ignored.Leora appeared to have a pretty active social life.She went out, saw people, did things.Living with Keane this summer—these past two weeks in particular—gave Holly got a first-rate education in being ignored.It sucked.Especially after that damn kiss.Chapter ThirteenAnother demon body rested at Keane’s feet in Holly’s backyard.A seventh night and the killing had been easy yet again.A drug-dealing kingpin demon this time.Single jab with a dagger to the chest, and the rogue was no more.One less supernatural jerk to dirty the streets.One more cadaver’s energy to keep Holly alive.With a glance to the shovel she had left leaning against the shed, he set the body on fire instead.Since he wasn’t talking to Holly anymore, he didn’t need to live by her rules.Forget burying the bodies.It didn’t make sense anyway.They weren’t human.As the fire died and the demon corpse was reduced to ash, Keane put the shovel away in the shed.On his way out, the door almost came off completely.After rummaging around in the few tools Holly owned, he found a screwdriver and tightened the hinge screws.A little grease in the hinge itself got rid of the lonesome squeak the door made every time it opened or closed.Enough moonlight spilled into the backyard to make this work possible, and he enjoyed feeling useful.He was good at something besides killing demons.He had learned so much in his time on the planet and could fix absolutely anything from shed doors to motorcycles.He knew his way around the globe like no one else possibly could.He’d read all the science journals he could get his hands on and loved seeing the technology man had created for himself through the ages.He wasn’t sure where it would all lead, but there was great potential in the human mind.Part of him looked forward to being around to see the next big step humans would make.Another part of him, however, just wanted to focus on Holly.He wanted to pay her back for giving him a room in her house.For taking him on that ride to the beach.For not flipping out that he’d met her parents.For kissing a warmth into his body in the water four weeks ago.That kiss replayed itself over and over in his mind.It tortured him, bringing both pleasure and pain.On the one hand, being that close to Holly—having his lips pressed against hers—had made him feel more human than he’d felt in centuries.On the other hand, the moment that dog interrupted with its barking, he knew he was far from human and not at all what she needed.When the dog had growled and snapped at him, he knew he had to forget any crazy notions of keeping Holly for himself.Keane made sure the shed door shut properly after his quick repair.He headed up the back porch stairs and went inside.The TV was still on so he paused in the kitchen for a moment.He didn’t hear Holly stirring, and when he continued on silent feet into the living room, he realized why he hadn’t heard her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]