The White Rabbit Chronicles Read online

  We walked to the front door side by side. The moon was a mere sliver of gold now, the clouds gone and the sky dark though peppered with hundreds of pinpricks of light.

  I was surprised when I noticed that Justin was scanning the bushes, cars and trees as we approached the porch. I was doing the same thing.

  He missed a step, righted himself and snarled out, “Cole.”

  “What? Where?”

  I found him a second later. Cole was on the porch, leaning against the brick wall beside the door, a beam of light raining over him. He popped his jaw when he spotted Justin.

  He wouldn’t meet my gaze, was too busy glaring at Justin. Had he been waiting for me?

  “This is who you decided to come with?” Cole asked, his voice dripping with disgust.

  “She knows a good guy when she sees one,” Justin said stiffly.

  Lips I’d kissed pursed with irritation. “I need to talk to Ali. Alone.”

  “No way I’d ever leave her alone with you. You’re not the kind of—”

  Cole was in his face before Justin could finish that sentence. “If you don’t go inside, you’ll be eating your teeth. You know I can make you do it. I have before.”

  “Enough!” I got between them and pushed them apart. Still Cole didn’t meet my gaze. “Seriously, that’s enough.” Clearly these guys had some history, but come on. Ruining a party before it had even begun was overkill.

  “Why don’t we let Ali pick?” Justin said with a smug inflection that had me gnashing my teeth in annoyance.

  “Ali,” Cole snapped. “I waited for you for a reason. You can guess what it is.”

  “I—” might have a vision, I realized. This was the first time I’d seen Cole today.

  Neither one of us knew what would happen when our eyes met. “I’ll, uh, meet you inside,” I said to Justin.

  His gaze whipped to me, hurt falling over his expression. “You said you weren’t seeing him.”

  “I’m not.” At least, not now. “He’s my friend.” Kinda sorta.

  “His friends die.”

  Yeah, but Justin had no idea why. “Well, I won’t.”

  “Fine. Whatever,” Justin snapped, and I realized I’d probably lost his friendship sooner rather than later. “I hope you enjoy being stabbed in the back, because that’s all he’s good at.”

  He stomped inside, leaving me alone with Cole—who grabbed me by the wrist and tugged me into the shadows.

  “Do you have any idea what a snake that guy is?” he demanded, pressing me against the cold of the wall. “Are you working with him?”

  “No!” I kept my gaze down, on his boots. “I don’t even know where he works.”

  Cole mumbled something like “Are you kidding me?” under his breath. “So you’re just dating him, then.”

  “I’m not dating him.” I want to date you. “We’re just friends.” Kinda sorta.

  “Like we’re just friends?” he sneered.

  I balled my hands. “I haven’t kissed him, if that’s what you mean.”

  A pause. A sharp inhalation. “Just so you know, he’s the kind of friend who will go for your throat—while you’re sleeping.”

  Definite history there. “He basically said the same thing about you. So what happened between you guys?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  His voice had risen with every word. In a few seconds, he’d be shouting and kids would be spilling out of the house to discover who Cole was murdering. “Let’s just get this over with, okay? Look at me.”

  “Not okay. Don’t you want to know where I was this morning?” he asked, settling his hands on my waist.

  So warm, so strong. So distracting. I cleared my throat. “Will you tell me if I say yes?”

  “I was reinforcing your house. I saw the worry in your eyes when I mentioned that we draw the...you know, and not the you know you were talking about last night. I wanted to make sure your grandparents were protected.”

  That was, like, the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. “Thank you.”

  “And then I find you here with Justin Silverstone.” Anger pulsed from him, each wave slamming into me. He placed two fingers under my chin and lifted my head. “So yeah, we’ll get this over with and go our separate ways.”

  I had to purse my lips to hold in my protest. Had he meant go our separate ways permanently or just for tonight?

  The moment I met those gorgeous purple eyes, the world vanished and my mind blanked. No longer were we standing—

  —we were lying down, and he was on top of me. We were dressed, though my shirt had ridden up to just under my bra. Grass cushioned me. We were in a backyard, but it wasn’t mine. Sunlight spotlighted us, but we didn’t care. He had one hand on my stomach, and one on my face.

  “Are you sorry?” he asked.

  “No. Are you?”

  “Never. I just wish we could—”

  Someone laughed from inside the house, and the too-short vision vanished in a puff of smoke.

  I gently beat at Cole’s chest. I think we were destined to be interrupted every time.

  He accepted the abuse without comment. When I settled, I murmured an apology, unsure how many others I’d have to make tonight, and leaned my forehead against him, despite the fact that I wasn’t certain of my reception. His heart thumped wildly, a mimic of mine, and I took comfort in that.

  “What do you think I was sorry about?” I asked.

  “Your date with Justin?”

  I hit him again.

  “What? It was just a guess.” At least the anger had drained from him.

  That was, hands down, my favorite vision, even though we hadn’t really done anything. Would have been nice to know what we’d done before the conversation—and what we’d been leading up to.

  Whatever the answers, happiness began to flood me. Everything we’d seen had happened in some form or another. Therefore, Cole wasn’t done with me permanently. We would sprawl in someone’s backyard and touch and talk and...whatever else.

  “Let’s go inside before I do something I’ll regret,” he muttered, ushering me to the door.

  “Like what?”

  “Like, I can’t say. Knowing you, you’ll run.”

  Before he could open the glass, two boys I’d never met peeked out. They leered when they spotted me, even issued my mouth an invitation to the party in their pants—or tried to. Their words tapered off when they noticed Cole. They frowned and backed away, the color draining from their cheeks.

  “You weren’t lying when you said everyone’s afraid of you,” I remarked.

  “I know, and that’s the way I like it. No one asks me any questions about what I’m up to, they just expect the worst and keep their distance. You should take a lesson.”

  “Ha! I’m not afraid of you, and I never will be.” I wouldn’t mention the times I had, in fact, been afraid of him.

  “So you keep saying. But I’ll keep trying to change your mind.”

  Cole held the door open for me, and I swept inside the house, purring, “With your lethal manners? Good luck.”

  “Funny.”

  Music thumped from speakers in the ceiling, voices and laughter mingling and creating a ragged soundtrack of chaos.

  Kids meandered throughout, some drinking from plastic red cups, some chanting, “Go Tigers!” Some were more interested in talking, but a few were more interested in making out against the wall. I couldn’t locate Justin in the crowd, but can I just say that there was more T and A in here than in a bucket of the Kentucky Colonel’s best? Shirts were more bralike than anything and skirts and shorts were totally butt-tastic. I was way overdressed in my pink tank and jeans, but that hardly seemed like a good enough reason for all the girls to be looking at me with disgust.

  Surely I was mistaken. Except, equally weird, the boys couldn’t keep their eyes off me, either, most of them leering at me just like the ones at the door. Twice I checked my zipper to make sure I wasn’t flashing pantie. (I was
n’t.)

  “Be careful of snakes,” Cole said, and turned away from me. He tried to walk away.

  I grabbed his wrist, stopping him. “At least tell me what Justin did to—”

  “Nope, I’m not talking about that here.” He gazed pointedly at my hand.

  O-kay. I released him. “Who’s running now?”

  The taunt worked; he stayed put. For a long while, we simply stood there, silent. Finally, he massaged the back of his neck and growled, “Do you want to dance?”

  “With your attitude?” And after what had happened the last time we’d danced in public? No. But that was not the word that left my mouth. “Yes.”

  I should have continued my search for Justin. I shouldn’t have allowed Cole to pull me into the center of the action, but I did. Everyone else rocked out at a swift pace, but he hugged me close and swayed slowly.

  This was my night to pretend I had no troubles, and I planned to pretend my heart out.

  “What time do you have to be home?” he asked.

  “Twelve-thirty. Why?”

  “No reason.”

  For a long while I debated whether or not to rest my head on Cole’s shoulder. Debated whether or not I should lock my hands around his neck, toy with the ends of his hair, peer deep and meaningfully into his eyes. I’m not sure what I actually did while I was debating.

  “Relax. I’m not going to bite you,” he said. “Not tonight, anyway.”

  “Funny.”

  “Who’s joking?”

  He was. He had to be. In the end, I did rest my head on his shoulder, if only to hide what I’m sure was a bemused expression. Then I thought, what the heck, why not do all of it? You’re normal, remember? I locked my hands around his neck and toyed with the ends of his hair. He stroked his fingertips up and down my spine, then over my hips.

  I could have stayed like that forever, but after a few songs, we both started to press even closer, rubbing against each other, sweating from the heat of the room, struggling to breathe properly. I straightened. Our gazes connected. He leaned toward me.

  I think we realized the consequences of kissing in front of everyone at the same time because we snapped apart a split second before contact.

  “Come on,” he muttered, leading me away from the dance floor. “I don’t want to leave you alone, but I can’t stay with you, either.”

  I understood. Thankfully I spotted Kat, who looked as beautiful as always though she was even paler than she’d been on her fake sick day. “No worries, I’ll be with Kat.” I raced toward her, concerned.

  I received more disgusted looks from the girls, and a lot more leering from the boys. Dang it! Why?

  “This might get ugly,” I heard Cole say.

  Because he planned to crush every boy’s face into the carpet for daring to look at me like I was— Oh. Never mind. Because Frosty stood a few feet behind Kat, and any guy who attempted to approach her got a mouthful of threats and several F-bombs for his efforts. Kat flipped off Frosty every time he did it, but the moment his back was to her, she would grin.

  “Hey, you,” I said when I reached her. “Is something wrong?”

  “Ali!” She threw her arms around me in a bear hug that was surprisingly weak. “I’m so glad you came, and I’m great, honest. So where have you been, naughty girl? If I’m remembering correctly, and I always do, the boy you’re with isn’t the one you agreed to come with.”

  I sidestepped the question, saying, “Apparently Cole and Justin are enemies, and I can’t talk to one without infuriating the other.”

  “Of course not,” she said, blinking as if I’d just told a joke she didn’t get. “Everyone knows that.”

  “Well, no one told me!”

  “Why would they? The thing between those boys is like breathing. You don’t have to be told it’s happening, you just know.”

  “A heads-up would have been nice.”

  “And miss all the fun? Nah.” She gave me a grinning once-over. “All the boys want a piece of my Ali. And why wouldn’t they? Look at you, all decked out. Love it,” she added in a singsong voice.

  Okay, so I’d put some effort into my appearance tonight. I’d had to, considering I needed to carry some kind of weapon. Not because I’d known I would be seeing Cole. Really. Three different silver necklaces hung around my neck, each a different length, to, uh, choke the zombies if necessary. Though I’d wanted to wear sequined flip-flops, I’d worn boots and switched the plain white ties for pink lace because, uh, the pink were sturdier. You know, for choking zombies if necessary. I had a blade stashed inside the left one. I also had a knife-carrying purse looped across my middle.

  I’d covered my injured wrists and hands with gloves. Yes, gloves were out of style, but maybe I’d bring them back. After all, I was the girl responsible for fringe.

  “You look amazing, too,” I told her. A scarlet baby-doll dress clung to her curves and stopped a few inches under her butt. A pretty sweater comprised only of white lace covered her arms. She’d wound the top portion of her hair into several knots atop her head, the rest flowing in glossy dark waves.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Being this beautiful all the time is a burden, though,” she said airily.

  Poppy and Wren stalked over to us, both clearly on a mission, their serious expressions filling me with anxiety.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  The girls shared a dark glance. They were such a striking pair, the redhead and the model-perfect African-American, both dressed to kill. Poppy wore all white, like an angel, and Wren wore a bikini top and glittery shorts.

  Wren glared at me and said, “I told you something horrible would happen if you went after Cole. Now there’s a rumor floating around claiming you slept with him.”

  My wide-eyed gaze snapped to Kat.

  She glowered at me, and I knew she was offended that I’d first thought of her as the culprit. “Hey! I would never say anything.”

  “You knew?” both Poppy and Wren gasped.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to Kat, ignoring them. I should have known better. To the others, I said, “Everyone thinking I slept with Cole isn’t such a terrible thing, but for the record, we only talked.”

  “Well, that’s not all we were told,” Poppy interjected. Like Kat, she was pale, her freckles stark. “The rumor also claims that you slept with Bronx and Frosty—all in the same night!”

  Wren had nodded as her friend had spoken. “Basically people are saying you’re a huge slut and any guy who wants a piece of you only has to smile at you to get it. I told you not to go after him. I told you.”

  “I didn’t...I wouldn’t...” Dang it! The words were snagging in my throat.

  There was only one person who hated me enough to accuse me of something that skeevie. Mackenzie Love. Was she truly that vicious, though? I mean, I’d seen my social death in her eyes; I’d expected something from her end. But this, even though, according to Frosty, Cole had told his friends to be nice to me, was too much.

  Fury burning like a fistful of acid in my chest, I searched the crowd for her. I’d politely ask her if she’d done it. Then, when she smugly proclaimed that she had, I would smash her stupid face into the floor!

  Sadly, I found no sign of her.

  “Thanks for the intel, girls. Try and do a little damage control, and tell people how stupid they are.” Kat twined our fingers and led my protesting form away. “As for me, I’m going to the bathroom and I’m taking Ali with me,” she called over her shoulder.

  I glanced over at Cole. He was speaking to Frosty, but his eyes were on me. Surprise, surprise, he was glaring. He also stiffened with every step I took away from him. Had he heard the rumors, too? Would he do anything to his ex when the truth came out? If the truth came out?

  When Kat bypassed the bathroom, I frowned. “Uh, where are we going?”

  “A place Reeve showed me last night and swore me to secrecy, since even she’s not supposed to know about it,” she whispered, sounding scandalized. “But you
don’t count, since you’re one of us. Besides, you need a moment to calm down and we need someplace to talk in private. Just get ready to be weirded out!”

  She pushed her way through the crowd, snaked several corners, went down a flight of stairs, and finally, we were alone. No matter where I looked, I saw plush furniture and shiny knickknacks. The walls were papered with cherubs, and there were even alabaster columns to guide us to each new room.

  “What do Reeve’s parents do?” I asked.

  Kat gave a sad little sigh. “Well, her mom’s dead. Her dad’s a genius plastic surgeon with the hands of an angel, or so he likes to say. Every week he’s dating someone new. Oh, and don’t call him doctor. He insists we call him Mr. Ankh.”

  We worked our way down yet another flight of stairs, the fresh air turning musty, with a copper tinge to it. My nose wrinkled. I recognized the scent of blood. I wanted to hold my breath, but there was another odor infused with it, one that caught my attention. Was that...rot?

  “Kat,” I said, tugging at her hold. “I think we should stop.”

  “No way. It’s just a little farther.”

  My heart beat so hard against my ribs I feared they would crack. You’re loaded down with weapons, remember? You’ll be fine. And Cole wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t used a... What had he called it? A Blood Line. The house has to be protected.

  When we reached the end of a long, narrow hallway, Kat stopped in front of the only door. I was shocked to my soul when she pulled a lock pick out of her bra and shoved the tip inside the tumbler.

  “Do you always carry one of those?”

  “Of course. Frosty once told me I had to be prepared for anything. I said, ‘What about being kidnapped, locked inside a room and held prisoner as some weirdo’s idea of the perfect female?’ And he said, ‘Totally,’ then showed me how to free myself if that happened. He refused to tell me how he’d learned, though.” A twist of her wrist, and a click sounded. “Aha!” A little push and the door sailed open, welcoming us inside.

  I allowed her to pull me past the entrance. I’d find out what had caused the odor, make sure there was nothing nefarious going on, and then I would force Kat to bail with me.

  A few steps in, she released me, held out her arms and spun. “Well, what do you think?”