Page 50 of The 13th Daughter

"Are those for me?" I asked him.

"What? Oh, yeah, daisies." He handed me the flowers. "You told me they were your favorite." He sounded distracted.

"Here, CJ, I'll get a vase and then put them in your room." Mom smiled and took the flower.

"What are you doing here?" I turned to him after she'd gone into the kitchen.

"I just wanted to see you." He gave me a smile that made my insides melt. Why did he have to have dimples? They drove me to distraction. "Let's go for a walk."

He grabbed my coat and bundled me up. It was cold out, but he wore only a long sleeved shirt. Come to think of it, I'd never seen him wear a coat. Did he not get cold? Ghost boy. The phrase popped into my head without warning. Don't be ridiculous, I scolded myself. He is not a ghost. He was alive and warm. Dead people were cold. His hand around mine felt solid and warm. Definitely alive.

We ended up in the park under the same tree where we'd had our first date. He sat there, staring out into the distance, not saying a word. It worried me. He had the strangest look on his face.

"Is something wrong, Ethan?"

"Hmm?"

"You look like something's bothering you."

His frown deepened.

"Where were you this morning, Cassie?" He finally looked at me, his gray eyes cold. I felt a shiver run down my spine at the frost in them.

"I was online most of the morning." I shoved my hands into my coat pockets. I didn't want him to see them fisted. I needed to be careful. He could always tell when I lied to him.

"Earlier, Cassie Jayne." His eyes hardened. "Before the Coven meeting."

Shit. He had to go and ask me that now didn't he?

"I was at the library." There, that was the truth.

"Cassie. Jayne. Bishop."

I sighed. "Alright, I was at the library with Jeff."

"Why?"

"He needed help with his math."

"Try again, Cassie."

"He's helping me with something," I admitted.

"What?" he demanded in a hard, clipped tone.

"It's none of your business."

"The hell it isn't!"

My eyes widened. "Are you jealous?" Ohmygosh – he was! I saw it in his eyes and couldn't have stopped the smile from spreading across my face if I'd wanted to.

"No, I most certainly am not," he denied with an angry shake of his head.

"Oh, but you are," I grinned. He was so totally jealous.

He glared. "There's more to it, Cassie. Something was stolen this morning from the Hall."

"What?" Ohh, this could be good. Ethan might tell me what I needed to know without ever realizing it.