Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel) (50 page)

Chapter 42

A
soft glow illuminated the room. The small ball of energy in Rome’s palm was
swirling as he tried desperately to conjure a daffodil. This was maybe the fiftieth
time he’d tried. Every attempt had ended with pedals, or some goopy substance. He
wasn’t sure he even wanted to know what it was.

“Son
of a bitch!” he cursed, shaking the yellow glob off of his hand and onto the
floor. A loud knock came at his door a moment later, and he jumped off the
mattress. Was he being too loud? he wondered, cringing as he looked over at the
clock. It was two in the morning. He was definitely being too loud.

“Kaleb?”
Rome said, opening the door wide. “God, you knock like you’re the police.” He
gestured for him to come in, looking around the empty hall before closing the
door. “Sorry, was I keeping you up?”

“No, just making me curious. You’ve been shooting off
some
colorful
expletives for the last hour and a half,” he smiled. “What is that?” he asked,
frowning at the gunk on Rome’s floor.

“It’s
anyone’s guess.” Rome jumped back onto his bed and nodded for Kaleb to follow.
Once he sat down, he held his palm out and started concentrating on conjuring a
flower. He’d been working diligently on this as an apology for Aria, but in
this moment, he really just wanted to impress Kaleb. That, and his competitive
side wanted to show him up a little.

Kaleb
shifted uncomfortably away from Rome, staring at the ball of energy in open
unease. “Can you not do that around me?”

He
glanced up at him, losing his concentration, and when he looked back down,
there was a wilted daffodil in his palm. Rome couldn’t help but grin at it. It
was dead, but at least it was actually a flower.

“What’s
wrong? Worried I’m going to blow us up?”

“I
just don’t want to see it,” Kaleb said offhandedly.

The
comment took Rome by surprise. “Why?” he asked. “I thought you’d be as excited
about this stuff as I am.”

Kaleb
was silent.

“I
don’t get it. I’ve seen you do magic before.”

He
scowled at him. “No, you have not.”

“Yeah,
I have,” Rome said. “You kamikazed my hospital room.”

“Can
we not talk about this?”

“Or
maybe talking about it is exactly what we should do.”

Kaleb
slapped his hands down on his knees, standing slowly and marching back towards
the door. “You should get some rest.”

Rome
followed after him in bewilderment. “Talk to me. Is it because
of your father? I know you said magic is forbidden
where you come from,
but it sounds like you were sent here to learn.”

“I
was sent here so that I would be out of the way,” Kaleb snapped, turning to
face him. “If you think my father is thrilled about having a little witch for a
son—”

“What,
and you think mine is happy about me liking you? Who cares what everyone else
thinks? I’m not meaning to overstep here, but you have magic. It’s in your blood
and it’s a part of who you are. Maybe it’s the only reason you and I have been
able to find some common ground and not kill each other. I’ll admit, this is
all a little new to me, and I’m not telling you what to do or how to feel. I’m
just asking you to confide in me. If you can’t do that, then me telling Aria
how I feel about you today may have been a complete and total waste.”

Kaleb
went quiet in contemplation.

“How
do you feel about me?” he asked. He shook his head. The truth was, he was
afraid to know the answer. Rome wanted him to talk, he wanted him to trust.
That just wasn’t something that came naturally to him. He licked his lips,
still deciding what he was going to say.

“My
mother never wanted me,” he whispered. The words felt like glass in his mouth.
Kaleb rarely spoke of the woman, and he tried to think of her even less. “She
left after I was born. She’s the reason I am what I am – weak, unnatural,
unwanted by everyone.” He locked eyes with Rome, feeling his own glisten with
anger and some other emotion he refused to acknowledge. “I shouldn’t have a
heartbeat,” he said, pressing a hand to his chest. “I shouldn’t have to eat
food. I shouldn’t be able to walk in the sunlight without getting sick. I
should be faster, and stronger. And you and I, we’re supposed to be enemies.
The reason we haven’t killed each other yet, the only reason, is that I’m less
than I should be. As the only true son of the King, I should command respect
without a word. Instead, I’m starting fires and terrifying people. Being liked
and being feared are not the same, and I’d rather have one over the other. They
don’t respect me, and they never have.
I’m
nothing but a curiosity, just like that stupid bitch that gave birth to me
and then took off. Everything I am, I am because of her. I don’t want to have
magic—I don’t want to run around casting spells. I just want to be normal.”

“...I’m sorry,” Rome said slowly. “But I want you to know
that you’re wrong.
You’re more than a curiosity.
I
want you, and
I
respect you. I’m
not going to pretend to know what you’ve gone through, but if there is anyone
who could understand, I think it would be me. This
entire town has
treated me with nothing but disdain my whole life. But
the thing I’ve learned is that at the end
of
the day, they don’t matter. Do you know who does? You,” he said,
pressing a finger to Kaleb’s chest. “Personally, I think you are better than
any of them will ever be. So what if you’re different? So what if your heart
beats in your
chest, or you get to enjoy both
food and blood? Who cares if they’re faster, or
stronger? Who cares? The
fact of the matter is neither of us will ever be normal. And personally, I
think that’s a good thing. Only those who live
outside the norm can really make a difference. Instead of fighting what
you are,
maybe you should fight for
who
you are. Because you
happen to be in a real position of power; maybe one day you can use that power
to incite change. And by the way, I feel strongly about you, I feel protective.
And I want this to mean something. I want this to be something real.” Rome was
standing directly in front of Kaleb, staring
intently into his eyes. “I guess
what it boils down to, is that I like
you for who you are.”

Kaleb
looked away, trying to hide how flattered he really felt. “Oh, is that all?” he
said sarcastically. He couldn’t stop the smile playing at the corner of his
mouth. “…Good to know.”

He
opened the door, stepping out into the hall and shutting it behind him. And
thanks to Rome, he hated himself just a little bit less. In fact, for the first
time in his life, he was wondering if being different wasn’t a blessing
instead of a curse. Even though it had come from
her
,
even though at times he
wished he could get rid of it, his magic had
brought him here.

Without
it, he would have never met Rome.

Chapter 43

Being woken from a good dream by the sound of excited
knocking
was not
Christian’s idea of a nice morning. Realizing Aria was still lying in his
bed helped,
but only until he remembered he wasn’t supposed to have a girl in his room. “Fuck,”
he groaned, shaking her shoulder gently. “Aria, you have
to hide.” She
rolled over, curling up against his chest, and Christian wanted to
shoot
whoever was standing on the other side of that door just a little.

“It’s
Adam, open up!”

Now
he wanted to shoot them a lot. Christian glared at the door in annoyance.
“Aria, come on,” he whispered.

“No,
no,” she murmured.

“Go
away,” Christian yelled.

“You’re gonna miss it,” Adam replied enthusiastically.
“The cops are here. They’re dragging Mr. Richmond off the property!”

“I
don’t fucking care,” he shouted back.

“What
do you mean, you don’t care? You got one minute before I’m busting this door
down and dragging
you
out in cuffs.”

Aria
sighed sleepily. “It’s never this loud in my room.”

“You
have to hide,” he repeated. She seemed to be waking up, and Adam’s voice on the
other side of the door startled her into motion. She jumped out of bed so quick
all Christian could do was follow her, tripping over his pants in the
confusion. The door to his closet slid closed just as he cracked his bedroom door
open. “I told you to go away. I don’t give a shit about the counselor. I’d
rather be sleeping than looking at his fucking face.”

“Do
you think he really did it?” Adam smiled, inviting himself into Christian’s
room. Christian stood beside the door, staring between Adam and the empty hall.

“Maybe
I just don’t give a shit.”

“You
don’t give a shit if people are being molested? I know we’re kind of heartless
sometimes, but damn.”

“That’s
not what I meant,” he said tightly. His closet door creaked and he clenched his
jaw. “I’m kind of mad at you right now anyways.”

“Me?
What the hell did I do?”

“You
really have to ask that question?”

“Oh
no, you’re not going to do the girl mind-reader thing, are you?” Adam said,
squinting at him. “You’re going to have to tell me what I did to piss you off.
I suck at this game.”

Christian
slammed his door closed.

“I
told one person that I slept with Aria, and now the whole damn school knows. So
tell me, what do you think I’m mad about?”

“Oh,
that? Dude, I did you a favor.”

“Are
you serious? How in the hell was that a favor? I’m lucky she’s even speaking to
me still. People have been tormenting her
ever
since
, thanks
to your ‘favor’. And now
I think Logan might be
targeting her too. You already know he stole
something personal of hers the other day, and last night, he and Trent trashed
her room.”

“Yeah,
about that,” Adam said quietly. “I tried to stop them.”

Christian’s expression melted away, leaving only a blank,
disbelieving stare behind. “You were there?” he said, his tone deceptively
calm.

“Hey,
I said I tried to stop them, but you know those two. If you’re not with them,
you’re against them. And psycho one and two are not high on my list of people
to cross.”

“I’m
not someone you want to cross, either.”

“She’s
just some chick, man,” Adam said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “God, was her
pussy made of gold?”

“I’m
going to kill you,” Christian said.

“Do
you know that girl does not own a single thong?”

“How
could you—” He sighed.

“Hey,
I may not have slept with her, but I wasn’t passing up the chance to snag a
pair of panties. Besides, that seemed to distract Logan and Trent from their
reign of destruction for a while.”

“You’re
giving those back.”

“I
don’t think she’d want ‘em back,” Adam laughed.

Christian
heard Aria breathe the word,
Gross
. He’d almost forgotten she was in the
room with them. “I can’t believe you,” he said, shaking his head. Adam frowned.

“I
got the idea from you. Isn’t that why you take them?”

“No!”

“Huh.
That’s almost creepier. You’re like… collecting trophies. That’s serial killer behavior,
you know.” He laughed suddenly. “You’re the virgin killer!”

Christian
sucked in a sudden breath and what came out was sharp, unexpected laughter. “…Can
you just shut up?” he said, trying to sound
annoyed.
It was difficult to sound pissed through a blatant smile. This was
one
reason why it was hard to stay mad at Adam.

“No,
I can’t. I’ve tried.” Adam flopped down on Christian’s bed, feeling quite
pleased with himself. That was, until, he spotted a pair of shoes
sitting beside his feet.
Girl shoes
. The
stack of neatly folded clothes resting
on Christian’s desk caught his
eye like a flare going off in his face.

“Oh
my god,” he said. “She’s in here right now, isn’t she?” Adam bent over, peering
under Christian’s bed and looking for the girl he had stashed somewhere. A
moment later he was ripping the closet open and blinking down at her head of
messy curls. “You dog,” he laughed, glancing back at Christian. “How in the
hell did you get her to sleep with you again?”

Aria
shoved Adam furiously, sending a jolt of magic into his body where her hands
collided with his chest. He stumbled backwards with a yelp. “I didn’t sleep
with him, you creep.”

Adam
was laughing despite the pain. “Feisty,” he said. His eyes swept down her small
frame, admiring the way the oversized shirt fell over the curve of her breasts,
her hips. “That’s pretty cute,” he remarked, indicating her wardrobe. “But do
you know what would look even better on you? Nothin’ at all. And what would
look the absolute best is if you were sprawled out naked across my bed. But
hey, I’m not picky. I’m pretty shameless, in fact. I’d take his bed, or even
the floor in a pinch.”

“You’re
a pig.”

“And
you’re a slut. Some kind of pair we make.”

Christian
surged forward, tackling Adam to the ground like a linebacker. His fist
collided with Adam’s jaw with a thunderous cracking sound. “Fucking apologize, now!”

Adam squinted at Christian through one eye. His face was
throbbing like something
straight out of a cartoon. “Ow,” he complained. “Dude, I thought it was bros
before—”

“Choose
your words carefully.”

“Before
redheaded hoes,” Adam finished.

Christian
swung back again, hitting Adam with full force.

“Fuck,”
he breathed. “Your left’s worse than your right.”

“I’m ambidextrous.” Christian’s head spun around as his
door banged
open.
Shawn stood shirtless and barefoot in the doorway, hair disheveled and eyes
barely open. He looked from Christian and Adam on the floor to Ariahna,
blinking and rubbing at his face as she took a step back into the closet and
closed the door.

“What
in the name of all that is good is going on here?”

Frederick
rubbed up against Shawn’s leg, purring happily.

“You’re
dreaming,” Christian said. “Go back to bed.”

Shawn
spared him a glare, walking up to the closet and sliding it open. Sure enough,
Aria was standing just inside. She jumped in surprise and a large pile of boxes
went tumbling into the room around them.

“My
shoes,” Christian sighed.

That
was really the least of his problems.

“Hi,”
she squeaked.

“I
can explain…” Christian said.

“And
I’m sure the Dean is going to love to hear that explanation. I want all of you
to get up, get dressed, and meet me in front of his office in fifteen minutes.”

Christian
got to his feet, helping Adam up despite his current dislike for him. “Shawn,”
he said, “this isn’t what it looks like.”

“Oh,
so you weren’t just fighting with your friend, there isn’t a kitten in your
room, and that isn’t Ariahna in your closet?”

“Nope,”
Adam supplied helpfully.

“Adam,”
Christian said, “tell him what they did.”

Adam
shook his head fervently no.

“If
you want me to forgive you, then speak up.”

He
made a desperate sound. “I don’t want you pissed at me, but I’d rather be on
your bad side than theirs. I like you, man, but I can’t die yet.”

“Logan
and Trent trashed her room,” Christian said. “I had her stay with me last night
just in case they decided to come back. Nothing happened, okay? Go see for
yourself. Her room is a wreck.”

Shawn
took a deep breath.

“That
doesn’t explain the fighting, or the kitten.”

“He
deserved it,” Christian replied. Shawn shrugged. Apparently he didn’t doubt that
that was the case. “And the kitten… um, it’s Adam’s.”

“What?”
Adam said. Christian gave him a hard glare. “I mean, yeah. I’ve always wanted a
cat.” He picked Frederick up, shaking him happily in front of his face. “I’ll
take her to my parent’s house. I’d probably lose her in my room anyways,” he
laughed.

Ariahna
was fighting not to snatch Frederick out of his dirty, grubby little hands. The
cat did not look pleased with being treated like a toy, either. “Be gentle with
him
,” she said softly, stepping up to his side and elbowing him in the
ribs.

“Aria,”
Shawn sighed, “take your kitten.” He couldn’t watch this any longer. That poor
cat was going to be traumatized. It would probably be dead within the day if he
let Adam take it. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to decide what he
was doing with them.

“Can you just leave Aria out of it?” Christian said. “I
don’t care if I
get
in trouble, but she didn’t do anything wrong. If that’s what I get for trying
to do the right thing for once, then so be it.”
Shawn was giving him a look
that managed to be both bewildered and
skeptical.

“Oh
my god,” Adam said suddenly, turning to Christian with wide eyes as Aria
wrestled the cat from his hands. “You have a girl in your room. In
your
room. You’re breaking a cardinal rule.”

“The
rule only matters if you want to get rid of the girl.”

Adam’s
jaw tried to run away from him. “You need help.”

“No,
I don’t.”

“Yes
you do.”

“No,
I don’t!”

“Yes—”

“I’m
in love with her,” Christian shouted.

Adam
spun in a frantic circle, trying to pretend he hadn’t just heard Christian, of
all people, say those words. “No. No, no, no, no, no,” he mumbled. “I—I need
reinforcements,” he said, striding quickly out the door. The sound of his
footfall echoed down the hall.

“Okay,” Shawn drawled.
Sure you are
, he thought. “Put
some
clothes on you
two.” He glanced down at his own attire. “I’m going to do the same. After that,
I want to see her room.”

They
nodded and got ready before meeting him down the hall.

Shawn
didn’t know what he was going to find when he opened the door to Ariahna’s dorm.
He almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He stepped carefully inside,
doing his best to avoid the broken debris scattered across the hardwood.

“Logan
and Trent did this?”

“Yeah,”
Christian said, closing the door behind them.

“Did
you see them?”

“No,
but this is Trent’s knife.” He yanked the thing out of the back of her door,
grabbing the picture that had been pinned there. He gazed at it for a moment,
noticing a crease in the middle of the photo where she’d folded her father out.
He rubbed his thumb over the hole, using magic to repair her mother’s face. “She’s
beautiful,” he whispered, folding it in half again so it was just her and her
mother smiling warmly back at them.