Unraveled

Aden was almost disappointed in the lack of combat. Just two more days until the death curse affected his friends. Two was too close for comfort. A year was too close. He had to do something.

Victoria walked him home and left him at the ranch, as silent and distracted as he was. In his room, he found another note from Dan, telling him not to forget to do his chores or his therapy. Like he could. Aden headed to the barn to muck the stables and feed the horses. He loved the horses and hated that he hadn’t spent much time with them this past week. Sometimes, as a special treat for good behavior, Dan let him and the others go for a ride.

The souls loved the horses, too, and cooed at the beautiful animals while Aden worked. And yeah, it felt weird doing normal things. Acting normal, the other boys working alongside him. Redheaded RJ, punked-out Seth. Shannon, Ryder, Terry and Brian. RJ was due to turn eighteen next week, and Terry soon after that. Aden had heard them talking about getting a place of their own. Dan had asked them both to stay, to continue their studies, but the two were determined to get their GEDs and be “free.”

What was freedom, really? Once, Aden had thought he knew the answer: to be alone, without the souls, to be able to do anything he wanted, damn the consequences. Now he had friends, a girlfriend, and everything he did affected them. Consequences mattered.

No one could ever truly be free as long as they loved, and life wasn’t worth living without love. So freedom? Overrated. He’d much rather have Victoria, Mary Ann and Riley, even the souls.

So how are you going to save them from the witches? The thought was his own, the souls still baby-talking at the horses—and maybe the horses could hear them, because they were calmer than usual, even with all the activity in the barn—and he wished he could blank his mind. He couldn’t.

Aden sighed. Once issued, spells took on a life of their own, he knew. So he couldn’t stop the magic that had already been unleashed, even by threatening the witch they had locked up.

Hell, maybe they should release her as a gesture of goodwill. Riley would throw a fit, of course, but he would do what Aden told him to do. Aden was vampire king, after all.

Yes. King. The title was his and— Aden shook his head, disrupting that line of thought. He wasn’t king, didn’t want to be king. The end.

When the barn was clean, the other boys trudged inside the bunkhouse to shower, change and prepare for dinner with the new tutor. Seth lagged behind, calling over his shoulder, “Yo, Ad. You coming or what?”

Never ceased to amaze him, how different things now were. Only a few weeks ago, this boy had treated him like a leper. “In a minute,” he returned. There was only one shower stall, so there’d be a wait. He’d rather spend the time out here. Besides, he kind of liked the thought of going to therapy covered in horse shit.

Seth paused. He braced his arms against the sides of the barn door, keeping his back to Aden. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” he said, dread leaking into his voice. He pushed his rake into the ground and leaned against the long, thin handle. “Ask.”

“I heard Shannon tell Ryder that you’ve got girls coming into your room at all hours of the night.”

Okay. Not too terrible a topic. “Only two girls, and yes.”

Seth swung around, one corner of his lip curved up. “You dating both?”

“Just one, but the other is taken, too.” And Riley will gut you if you go near her.

“Oh.” Seth’s shoulders sagged. “Maybe you could invite others and, I don’t know, introduce us?”

Aden almost grinned. “Next week, maybe.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I know a girl. Stephanie. Very pretty. And she has four friends who I’m sure are pretty, too.” No better way to get rid of his unwanted dates than to foist them off on other guys. “I haven’t met them yet, but I know you’ll love them.”

“That’d be great.” Seth tossed him a parting grin and loped off.

“Finally. We are alone,” a female voice said from behind him.

Aden whipped around as one of the horses whinnied. An unfamiliar girl stood at the end of the barn. She wore a red tank top and a pair of black jeans that molded to her legs. Girls at Crossroads High wore similar attire every day, but on her it looked odd, out of place and uncomfortable.

He studied the rest of her. She had shoulder-length brown hair and dark eyes that slanted up at the corners. Her skin was pale, and she was smiling. That smile wasn’t a happy one. Two sharp fangs poked into her bottom lip, revealing the predator she was.

Please tell me this is your next date, Caleb said, finally deigning to speak to Aden.

His next date? Aden tried not to groan.

She appeared older than Victoria by at least ten years, but he supposed that made her young by vampire standards. Vampires aged much, much slower than humans, and the older the vampire, the less their skin could tolerate the bright rays of the sun without blistering. Victoria was “only” eighty-something—that still made him chuckle, since he’d once teased her about being his grandma Vicky—and she could still roam freely.

“I see you’re looking at my clothes. Stephanie told us colors were now acceptable, and that you actually preferred them. What do you think?” This new vampire twirled, dark gaze remaining on him as long as possible.

“You look beautiful,” he said, which was true. She did. She just wasn’t his type.

“What’s your name?”

“Draven.”

An unusual and pretty name. “I’m Aden Stone.”

“I know.” She moved toward him. Floated, really, so graceful were her movements. As she passed, the horses bucked, but she paid them no heed. “We’ve met. You do not remember?” A pout curved her bright red lips. “I was there the night you met each of my—your people. You told me you were so happy to make my acquaintance.”

Oops. “Uh, now I remember,” he lied. Too many faces, too many names. No one stood out. And really, he’d said the same thing to everyone.

Tell her she’s hot and you could never forget someone like her, Caleb instructed.

We aren’t prowling for babes, Julian admonished. We do have a girlfriend.

Actually, I have a girlfriend, Aden thought, but they couldn’t hear him.

“I’m here because every king requires a queen, and you are in need of one. And I’ll be honest. I resisted the thought of being bound to a human at first, but I now think we would be a perfect fit.” Her voice dipped huskily, her gaze on the pulse at the base of his neck. “I still feel the pull of you, and I find it…delicious.”

He liked when Victoria told him that. Draven? Not so much.

Lucky, Caleb said. She’s hot and she wants you.

“Actually—”

Draven reached him and traced a white-hot fingertip along his jawline. “You will discover that I’m much better suited for you than Victoria. I,” she added, leaning all the way into him and sniffing, “will do anything you ask. Anything.”

He wasn’t dumb. He knew what she was implying, and so did the souls.

I’ll take her! Caleb said.

You’ll also get us stabbed and killed sooner rather than later, Elijah grumbled. She’s power-hungry. A man-eater.

Even better.

Dude. Julian tsked. Were you a pervert in your other life? Like I already said, we’ve got Victoria. We don’t need this one harshing our mellow. Do you remember those trees Victoria battered? We flirt with this girl, and that’ll be our head.

We? Aden had Victoria, and they needed to start remembering that. “That’s sweet