Obsidian

“Whatever,” I said, ignoring the looks we were starting to get from everyone. Over his shoulder, I saw Mr. Garrison watching us, which worked to my benefit. “You’re the one who’s going to cause a scene carrying me out of here.” Daemon made a noise that really sounded like a growl.

Anyone in their right mind would’ve been terrified, and I should’ve been, considering I knew what he was capable of. I wasn’t. “Because you’re local alien teacher is watching us as we speak. What do you think he’s going to believe when you toss me over your shoulder, buddy?” Every inch of him stiffened.

I smiled like the cat that ate an entire aquarium full of fish. “Thought so.”

Surprisingly, he returned the smile. “I keep underestimating you, Kitten.”

Stealth-mode Simon appeared before I had a chance to gloat over that major win. “You ready?” Simon asked, glancing between Daemon and me. “Everyone is leaving for the party.”

Damon’s look dared me to not listen to him, and that’s pretty much why I agreed. He didn’t control my life. I did.

Chapter 23

The Field was about two miles outside of Petersburg, heading in the opposite direction of my house. It was literally a gargantuan harvested cornfield. Enormous bales of hay covered the landscape as far as I could see, lit in orange and red. I couldn’t help but think the combination of dried hay and fire wouldn’t end well.

Someone tapped a keg.

Correction: the combination of hay, fire, and cheap beer couldn’t end well.

Simon had kept his hands to himself the whole way here, so I was feeling pretty good about my decision with the exception of the above foreseeable problem. He led me through the trampled cornstalks toward the fire.

“The girls are over there.” He pointed to the other side of the fire where several girls were clustered together, sharing red plastic cups. “You should go say hi. Mingle a little.”

I nodded, having no intention of going there.

“I’ll get us a drink.” He leaned in, squeezing my shoulders before heading off. The moment he reached the keg, he gave some other burly dude a high five and let out a loud, “Hoo-ray!”

Quite a crowd was gathering around the fire, pushing back to the surrounding woods. Someone had pulled a truck up, turned on the radio, and left the doors open, making it nearly impossible to hear anything. Clutching the shawl around my shoulders, I moved along the edges, looking for a familiar face. Relieved, I saw Dee standing with the Thompson triplets. Beside them, Carissa and Lesa shared a blanket. Daemon was nowhere to be seen.

“Dee!” I called, weaving out of the way of a girl teetering in high heels. “Dee!”

She turned, and then seconds later, she waved her hand wildly. I took a step in her direction, and Simon appeared out of nowhere, two cups in hand.

“Oh my God,” I said, stepping back. “You scared me.”

Simon laughed, handing me a cup. “I don’t see how. I was calling your name.”

“Sorry.” I took the drink, wrinkling my nose at the distinct smell. Taking a sip, I learned it didn’t taste much better than it smelled. “It’s kind of hard to hear with all the noise.”

“I know. And we haven’t had a chance to talk at all.” Simon draped his arm over my shoulder, stumbling a little. “And that sucks. I’ve wanted to talk to you all night. Did you like the corsage?”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you again.” It was pretty, a combination of pink and red roses. “Did you get it in town?”

He nodded and then downed the contents of his cup as we moved away from the truck. “My mom works at a local florist shop. She made it.”

“Wow. That’s pretty cool.” I plucked at it, careful not to spill any beer on it. “Does your dad work in town?”

“Nope, he commutes into Virginia.” He tossed the cup to the side and pulled out the flask. “He’s a lawyer,” he boasted, unscrewing the lid with one hand. “Handles personal injury claims. His brother is a doctor in town, though.”

“My mom — she’s a nurse and works in Virginia, too.” All of his movements were pulling on the shawl. It was halfway off my shoulders. “Do you know where you’re going to college yet?” I asked, struggling for something to say. Friendly hands aside, he was sort of nice.

“Going to WVU with the buds.” He frowned at my own untouched drink. “You don’t drink?”

“Oh, no, I do.” I took a sip to prove it. He smiled and looked off, talking about which of his friends were planning on going to Marshall instead of WVU. When he wasn’t looking, I dumped half the cup out.

Simon kept on asking questions, interrupted every few minutes when one of his friends would swing by. I dumped most of my drink out, which earned me several refills. Simon told me to stand wherever we were as he hustled back and forth between the keg. By my third pretend cup, Simon was probably thinking I was a lush but at least he was getting a great workout.

Before I knew it, we were a good distance away from the bonfire, among the first cropping of trees. Each step became more difficult. Partly due to the uneven ground and my heels, and even the slightest bit of Simon’s weight was hard to support.

Simon straightened and pulled his arm off my shoulders, taking the shawl along with him. It fluttered somewhere behind me, quickly blending in with the shadowy ground and thick undergrowth.

“Crap,” I said, turning around, squinting.

“What?” he slurred a little.

“My shawl — I dropped it.” I took a couple steps back toward the fire.

“Mmm, you look better without,” he said. “That dress — dayum.”

I shot him an annoyed look over my shoulder before returning to staring at…everything that looked black. “Yeah, well, it belongs to my mom, and she’ll kill me if I lose it.”

“We’ll find it. Don’t worry about it now.”

Suddenly, his arm was around my waist, pulling me back. Startled, I dropped the cup of beer and let out a nervous laugh as I twisted out of his grasp. “I think I need to find it now.”

“Can’t it wait?” Simon took a step closer to me, and I took one back. He was standing in front of me, and I realized I was trapped between him and a tree. “We were talking, and there’s this thing I’d wanted to do.” I glanced over at the bonfire. It seemed too far away now. “What?”

He placed a massive hand on my shoulder, and his grip was tight. The feeling that crept over me was more than just the ick factor. It was something else. It was more powerful, leaving a strange taste on the roof of my mouth, like when the Arum had spoken to me outside the library. He leaned in, pulling me forward at the same time, dipping his head.

I froze for a second, and that was all it took. His mouth was on mine, tasting of beer and breath mints. He made a sound and pushed forward. My back was against a tree before I could shove him back, and he still kept pushing forward, kissing my tightly sealed lips. I couldn’t breathe. Placing my hands on his chest, I pushed until I was able to wrench my mouth free.

“Whoa there, Simon, that’s too much,” I said, dragging in air. I tried to wiggle myself free, but he was unmovable.

“Aw come on, it’s not too much.” His hand worked its way between me and the tree, until it was against my back, holding me in place.

I pushed again against his chest, angry. “I didn’t come here for this!”

Simon laughed. “Everyone comes here for this. Look, we’re both drinking, both having fun. There’s nothing wrong with that. I won’t even tell anyone if you don’t want me to. Everybody knows you did it with Daemon over the summer.”

“What?” I screeched. “Simon, let me—”

His sloppy, wet lips cut off my words. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and I wanted to puke. My heart rate tripled, and in an instant, I wished I’d listened to Daemon, that I had taken him up on his offer to go home, because this was out of my league.

I managed to get my head free. “Simon, stop!”