I gripped the edge of the island. “I didn’t eat this morning and I got sick.”
“Are you feeling okay now?” he pressed.
I glanced at him. Concern touched his expression. “Yeah, I’m all better.”
He glanced over at my forgotten glass of orange juice. A strange look flickered over his face. Without saying a word, he dropped his arm and headed around the island.
“I told this Mrs. Cleo that I was sure you had a good reason for leaving class,” Abbot continued. “She agreed such behavior was out of character and has decided to let you make up your exam after school on Friday.”
Typically I would have whined about having to spend extra time in school, but I wisely kept my mouth shut. “I’m really sorry.”
Abbot’s eyes softened. “Next time make sure you let the teacher know you’re sick. And call Morris so that you can come home and rest.”
Now I really felt bad. I shifted my weight back and forth. “Okay.”
Zayne returned to my side, OJ in hand. There was a drawn, brooding pull to his features. He handed me the glass, watching until I finished it off. I felt even worse.
Abbot rested his arms against the counter. “Have you been spending time with Danika, Zayne?”
“Hmm?” Zayne’s eyes were still on me.
“You know,” I said, setting the glass down, “the girl who was almost standing on top of you in the library.”
Zayne’s full lips thinned.
Abbot chuckled. “Good to see you two getting along. You know she’s of mating age, Zayne, and it’s time you think about settling down.”
I tried to keep my expression blank as I stared at the empty glass. Zayne settling down? I wanted to hurl.
Zayne groaned. “Father, I just turned twenty-one. Give it a rest.”
Abbot arched a brow. “I mated with your mother when I was your age. It’s hardly out of the question.”
I made a face. “Can’t we say ‘marry’? Saying ‘mate’ out loud just sounds gross.”
“This isn’t your world, Layla. I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
Ouch. I flinched back.
Zayne exhaled roughly. “Father, this is her world. She’s a Warden, too.”
Abbot moved from the counter, brushing his hair back. “If she did understand, the use of the word mating would not disturb her. The bonds of marriage are breakable. Mating is for life. Something you—” he looked at Zayne pointedly “—need to start taking seriously. Our clan is dwindling.”
Zayne tipped his head back and sighed. “What are you suggesting? That I should go out there right now and devote my life to Danika? Does she have a say in this?”
“I doubt Danika would be displeased.” Abbot smiled knowingly. “And yes, I’m suggesting you mate very soon. You aren’t getting any younger, and neither am I. You may not love her now, but you’ll grow to.”
“What?” Zayne laughed.
“I felt...a fondness for your mother when I first mated with her.” He rubbed his beard-covered chin thoughtfully. “I did grow to love her. If only we’d had more time together...”
Zayne seemed unaffected by the whole exchange, but I felt close to tears. I murmured something about homework before leaving the kitchen. I didn’t need to wait around to see how the conversation wrapped up. Whatever Zayne thought or wanted didn’t matter. It hadn’t mattered for Abbot or Zayne’s mother.
And it sure as Hell didn’t matter what I wanted.
* * *
The application to Columbia University stared at me from the floor. Scattered beside it were more college applications. Money wasn’t an issue. Neither were my grades. Since I couldn’t serve the clan by producing more Wardens, my future was my own. Those applications should’ve filled me with excitement and joy. But the idea of moving away, of becoming someone new and different, was as frightening as it was enthralling.
And now, when I finally had the chance to leave, I didn’t want to.
It didn’t make any sense. I tucked my hair back and stood. My schoolwork lay on the bed forgotten. If I was honest with myself for two seconds, I’d admit I knew why I didn’t want to leave. It was Zayne, and that was stupid. Abbot had been right earlier. It didn’t matter how much Warden blood I shared, this wasn’t my world. I was kind of like a guest who never left.
I looked around my room. It had everything a girl could want. My own desktop computer and laptop, TV and stereo system, more clothes than I’d ever wear and enough books to lose myself in.
But it was all just stuff...empty.
Unable to stay in my bedroom, I left with no real plan in mind. I just needed to get out of the room—out of the house. Downstairs, I could hear Jasmine and Danika in the kitchen making dinner. The scent of roasted potatoes and the sound of laughter filled the air. Was Zayne with them, cooking alongside Danika?
How sweet.
I passed Morris on the front porch. He glanced up from his newspaper with a questioning look, but that was all. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and inhaled the scent of decayed leaves and the faint trace of the city’s smog.
I cut across the manicured yard, past the stone wall that separated Abbot’s property from the woods surrounding the compound. Zayne and I had made this trip so many times as kids that a path had been carved through the grass and rocky soil. We’d escaped here together—me running from the loneliness and Zayne avoiding the rigorous trainings and all the expectations.
When we were younger, the fifteen-minute hike felt like we’d managed to disappear into a different world full of thick cherry trees and maples. It had been our place. Back then, I couldn’t imagine a life that didn’t include him.
I stopped under the tree house Abbot had built for Zayne long before I came along. There wasn’t anything special about it. Kind of like a hut in the trees, but it had this cool eight-by-eight observation deck. Climbing a tree was a Hell of a lot easier when I was a little kid. It took several tries to get into the main part. From there, I crawled through a door roughed into the treated wood. I inched across the platform gingerly, hoping it didn’t cave in.
Death by tree house didn’t sound like an exciting way to go.
Lying down, I wondered why I’d come here. Was it some twisted way of wanting to be close to Zayne, or did I just want to be a kid again? To go back to a time when I didn’t know that seeing colors shimmering around people meant that I wasn’t like other Wardens...before I learned that I had tainted blood. Things were easier then. I didn’t think about Zayne the way I did now or spend my evenings touching random strangers. I also didn’t have an Upper Level demon in my bio class.
A cool breeze picked up a few strands of my hair, tossing them across my face. I shivered and hunkered down in my sweater. For
