Page 7

Gemma

Reilly Argaud was getting to be a problem.

He had asked me out on Thursday, and I’d been flattered. He was cute enough with his blond-streaked brown hair styled in a wild, high wave on top. Gold flecked his light brown eyes and his high cheekbones added a chiseled look to his face.

The cruel set of his mouth and the arrogance in his eyes, however, had convinced me that he was not the guy I wanted for my first boyfriend.

“I appreciate the interest, so thank you.” My insides had squirmed with embarrassment. “But I’m not ready for a relationship so soon after having my world turned upside down.”

He’d raised his eyebrows in surprise and walked off in a snit, and I’d thought the matter would end there. That night, I’d asked Gigi about him, and she had cautioned me to keep my distance because he was a player who didn’t treat girls right.

I shuddered. Definitely not the type I wanted to associate with or encourage. And it was obvious—at least to me—that he’d only asked me because he thought the new girl would be easy prey.

On Friday, he’d cornered me in the hallway and asked me out again . This time, he insinuated that I was too stupid to realize the honor he was granting me.

Shocked, I’d given him another polite, “No, thank you.”

He’d snarled and stormed off, and I figured he wouldn’t bother me again.

My run of bad luck continued, though, when I stepped out of the gym on Monday and he backed me into a corner.

He had two friends with him. I knew their names, Travis Peale and Whit Anderson, but little else about them. As Reilly demanded my attention, they stood like soldiers, one at each shoulder. Whit had the same malevolent air as Reilly, but Travis didn’t. His head hung down, and he didn’t look at me.

“For the third time, no, thank you.” I made my voice as firm as possible while I shook inside. “As I said before, I’m still trying to sort things out in my head. I’m not ready to try a relationship. Now, I’d appreciate it if you’d give me space.”

Instead of doing as I asked, Reilly took a step closer. Whit followed him, but Travis stayed on the fringe, making a gap in our tense circle, and my eyes flashed to his face.

Is he trying to help me?

He jerked his chin up and flicked his eyes from me to the opening and back.

He is! Why is he friends with a jerk like Reilly?

While I stood there thinking that instead of fleeing, Reilly snapped his head over to glare at Travis, who instantly shuffled closer and closed the gap.

That was weird . It’s almost like Reilly—

“Good morning, everyone!” Jax Kosta chirped from behind us.

The three boys turned to look at him, and he put a hand on Whit’s shoulder. Rusty orange power coated Whit, who took a step back, and Jax grabbed my hand.

“No hogging Gemma!” he grinned. “We need her for doubles tennis.”

And he led me away from them as he chatted about his terrible serve.

I gripped his hand, my mind a blur of confusion.

“Are you okay, Gems?” Jax turned dead serious as soon as we left the gym and headed toward the outdoor tennis courts.

“He keeps finding me.” I hated that my voice trembled. “He won’t take no for an answer. Why does he think harassing me is going to make me say yes?”

Jax stopped walking and turned, putting a hand on each of my shoulders. His usually cheerful face was stern and a faint orange glow backlit his eyes.

“From now on, stick close to me in Fight Club. After you change, wait for me at the girls’ locker room door, and I’ll come get you. Or John Morgen will. You know him, right?”

I nodded. I hadn’t had much interaction with John. He was intimidating with his somber strength, extreme height, and flat black eyes. His girlfriend, Tara Moore, was friendly, though, and always talked to me, so I figured if a nice girl trusted him enough to date, then I could trust him enough to help me.

“I’ll talk to John.” Jax smiled. “He bears a grudge against Reilly and is always happy to confront him. For any reason.”

I didn’t ask for the details. It was enough that John would be on my side.

“Thank you, Jax.” I lowered my eyes.

Sometimes, I felt so weak, it shamed me.

“Look, Gigi’ll kill me if anything happens to you. I’m simply investing in my own future happiness by making her happy by keeping you safe.”

And I smiled, which was what I knew he wanted.

#

Kerry

“I’m afraid I’m not very good company today.”

The angel’s voice sounded closer than normal, so I edged over to the window to see she had plopped her red-headed self down right under it.

“There’s this guy at school who won’t leave me alone. He asked me out and I said no because I’m nowhere near ready for any kind of relationship like that, but he won’t accept it. Now, he has two of his friends bothering me. Yesterday, they cornered me during gym class.”

Son. Of. A. Whore.

“He makes me feel weak.” Her small body shook. “And I hate that.”

Red misting my vision, I clenched my hands into fists so tight, my knuckles shoulda busted through the skin.

I will kill him.

And just that quick, my rage turned to shock.

Why do I care? I don’t even know this girl!

While she sat there muttering to herself, I thought about it and realized my reaction probably came from the fact that I owed her. Because of her, I wasn’t playing host to a demon anymore.

I truly hated being in someone’s debt. I’d learned from long experience that it could turn into a real ballbuster, which is why I avoided the situation as much as I could or else squared up as soon as possible.

Well, I would love to clear my tab with this girl by playing bodyguard, but that ain’t gonna happen so long as I’m a prisoner.

“Gigi said Reilly has a reputation for not treating girls well,” the angel muttered. “There has to be official records of that, right? I’m going to say something to my warden if he keeps it up. I refuse to be harassed!”

When she trembled again, an animal-like growl tore from my chest.

“I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear this.” She got up, making me wonder if she’d heard me. “I’ll try to come back later, okay?”

She walked away, and I clenched my teeth until my jaw hurt.

#

Gemma

John Morgen was waiting for us outside the girls’ locker room later that morning, and I was glad. Tara and her sophomore friend, Maddy Cervantes, left the locker room with me, and Tara suggested tennis again.

“As long as the weather is nice, we should be out in it!”

I agreed, and we picked up racquets and a tube of balls on our way outside. We waved to Jax, who was talking to a small group in the center of the gym. When he only waved back, we went on our way without him. Maddy and Tara skipped ahead, both happy to be on the move, but John kept his pace deliberately slow, probably so I could keep up with his long legs.

“He went after Tara last year.”

His comment seemed out of the blue, and I looked up at him.

“Argaud.” He glanced down at me. “Tara was one of his targets last year. Tried to handle it on her own. He made her life miserable. I finally realized what was going on and stepped in. We weren’t together then, just friends, but I couldn’t stand to see him tormenting her.”

He watched Tara as she stood with Maddy and swung her tennis racquet to loosen up.

“Took months before she stopped jumping at her own shadow.”

“I know how to fight.” I straightened my spine. “My uncle Paul is a martial artist and made sure I could defend myself. Well, at least against one attacker. But I’m not a warrior or strong enough to take on three idiots at once.”

“Best advice, keep someone with you. If you’re alone, he’ll see you as vulnerable. Don’t make yourself vulnerable.”

I nodded. That made sense.

I had to stop thinking of myself as weak. I was strong and capable. I could deal with this, so long as I was smart about it.