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  Satisfied, she smiled at him.

  Looking a bit off his game, he blinked, midnight-blue eyes swimming with questions.

  Oh, this was fuuuun. She winked and heard the snickers around the room, but she didn’t care. Once again, she’d bested the enemy.

  “Uh,” Dr. Richmond interrupted. “Okay, that’s a good explanation for lightning, but it doesn’t really have anything to do with what I asked.”

  She batted innocent eyes at the teacher. What on earth had just happened to her? She wasn’t this forward, this brazen. This … Krissyish. “Oh, I’m sorry. I must have misunderstood. Could you repeat the question?”

  When class ended, Krissy barreled toward her. “Excuse me,” she said in a stage whisper. “What was that?”

  “What?” Nikki asked, all innocent and sweet, but in no mood to try to explain to Krissy. How could she put it into words?

  “That little exchange between you and the Greek god over there.” Krissy followed Nikki to the back of the room, where she dropped her textbook on the shelf.

  Nikki rolled her eyes. “Nothing. I didn’t even talk to him.” Inside she was celebrating, reveling in a victory she had no hope of comprehending.

  “Look.” She poked a peach-polished fingernail into Nikki’s shoulder, backing her into a corner. “I saw it. You were like blah, blah, blah ionized electricity. And you knew he was going to look at you. And he did.” Krissy shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. “And you winked at him. Don’t even try to deny it, Ni — Ah!” Krissy hollered as powerful arms draped her shoulders.

  “Nice off-the-cuff answer,” Raven said.

  Krissy’s mouth gaped and she seemed to be frozen in place. Raven’s arms hung on her like a letterman’s jacket, his head tilted over her shoulder though a good foot above. Nikki marveled at his lack of respect for personal space. Head that close to Krissy’s, they had to be breathing each other’s exhales. Not that Krissy seemed to mind. In fact, she’d gone a lovely shade of russet, one that clashed with her soft peach lips and nails.

  “Breathe, Krissy,” Nikki whispered.

  One giant breath in, and Krissy was off. “So, um, your name is Raven, right? That’s cool. Seems like your hair would be black. You know, ‘cause ravens are black.” She tossed blonde curls and angled her head to look at him without moving an inch of the rest of her body. “I’ve never known anyone named Raven before. And I guess you have brothers? It’s not like I was trying to find out or anything, I mean, it’s a fairly small school so, when someone new comes … But we’re not like totally backward or anything. It’s pretty cool here. So, your brothers, are they as, um, tall as you are?”

  Raven’s eyes fanned to Nikki. “Does she ever shut up?”

  Nikki smiled. “She hasn’t yet, but we’re still hoping.”

  “Oh.” Krissy flashed white teeth. “That’s funny. I bet you guys play football. I didn’t see any of your names on the list, but you have to, right? You’re totally built for it.”

  His eyes widened.

  “Did I just say you’re totally built? I meant for football. Anyway, what’re your brothers like? Now that I think of it, maybe you’d be more suited to baseball or something. You know, long and lean. Do you play baseball?”

  Again, he directed the question to Nikki. “Which question should I answer first?”

  “How about mine?” Nikki said.

  Raven stiffened. “You never asked a question.”

  “Sure I did. You just weren’t paying attention to how it was asked. What else besides electricity causes ionized particles to fill the air?”

  He blanched, tensed, and any hint of a smile faded from his features.

  Krissy panicked. “We should all have lunch together. That way Nikki and I can fill you in about the school and town and stuff. Lots of people are planning to go bowling. It’s sort of a beginning-of-the-year tradition. You’re going, right, Nikki?”

  “No,” Nikki said.

  Krissy gasped. “Well, I’m sure Raven’s going to go, right?”

  He dropped his hands. “Whatever.”

  Krissy stood between Raven and Nikki, and Nikki was sure her friend could sense the sparks that flew freely. She could certainly sense them.

  But this time she wouldn’t get weak and wind up a gelatinous pool on the floor. Nikki’d thrown him off base with the ionized air comment, so she took the advantage and really examined the boy before her. Like with Mace, Raven’s gaze drew her focus. His eyes were an unusual shade and tinged with trouble. They were eyes that hid secrets and maybe a fair portion of pain.

  Just as Nikki was about to ask Raven to walk them to their next class, something flashed in the depths of those midnight eyes, distracting him from the banter. Though he didn’t stir a muscle, she could tell his attention shifted elsewhere.

  A strange sensation swept Nikki as she watched him. Time seemed to freeze as his body reacted to whatever had drawn his concentration. Moments later, she heard heated voices drifting from the teacher’s desk. The words grew in intensity, but her focus remained on Raven, who remained statue still — he didn’t even breathe. The thought predator suddenly careened into her mind. He looked like an animal getting ready to make a kill.

  Nikki swallowed hard while prickly gooseflesh spread across her arms.

  He wasn’t human. And she wanted to get away.

  Tearing her gaze from him, she glanced at Krissy, who’d quieted but didn’t seem to notice any change in Raven.

  Finally, Nikki turned to see what had caused him to react. Two guys were arguing by the desk at the front of the class: one was dressed in camouflage and looked like he’d just come in from deer hunting. Nikki remembered him from last year. Joey-something. As she tried to recall his last name, he reached under his jacket to the small of his back.

  Nikki knew that posture. Her heart dropped. “No!” she screamed, flying to the front of the room as Dr. Richmond’s face turned to horror and he stepped between the two boys. Joey shoved the portly teacher and Dr. Richmond tumbled backward, teetering beside the second boy.

  The rest was a flash. First, the glint of steel passing camouflage clothing, a scream from somewhere, blade jutting forth, then Raven. He blocked her vision, moving in long, deft swift motions more graceful than any dancer she’d ever seen.

  Nikki tried to close the distance to the knife-wielding Joey, but couldn’t reach him in time to stop the blade’s trajectory. That’s when everything slowed. Almost to a halt.

  Chapter

  7

  Raven shoved Joey down so hard his head cracked against the desk. He then turned and grabbed the blade in midair, and with his free hand snagged a falling Dr. Richmond. He leveled Richmond on his feet, let him go, and reached for the other fighter, who’d bolted for the door.

  In six years of karate, numerous fighting tournaments, and watching martial arts documentaries with her father, Nikki’d never seen anyone move so quickly. It wasn’t humanly possible to do what Raven had just done. Just like it wasn’t humanly possible for Mace to appear on the back of a moving sport bike.

  The entire time Raven repeatedly glanced over his shoulder at her — as if specifically making sure she was safe — and that both thrilled and terrified her.

  Fear crept along her spine and settled in her neck, tightening the muscles and causing them to throb. Her fingers trembled. She raised them to eye level. When she mustered the nerve to look, she found what she’d feared: tiny sparks of electricity shot from one finger to the next. She clamped her hands into fists and prayed she wasn’t losing her mind.

  “So,” Principal Schmidt said, directing her attention to Raven. She was using her perch on the corner of her desk to its full advantage. “You were right there but didn’t see exactly what happened?”

  Nikki’s eyes narrowed. She liked Principal Schmidt … usually. But the administrator had raked the boy over as soon as he entered the office. She supposed she could see why the principal had made such a quick judgment call about Raven. He definitely
looked dangerous in his dark T-shirt, faded jeans that hung low on his narrow hips, and black boots only someone like him could carry off. But no matter his look, he’d quite possibly saved someone’s life, maybe even that of Nikki’s favorite teacher. She risked a peek at Dr. Richmond, who still looked as pale as the wall behind him.

  She had to admit Raven carried himself with a little too much confidence, held his mouth in a slightly too crooked way, and stared you down in a bit too intimating a fashion. Even now, he was slumped in the chair as if the whole incident and follow-up were boring him to tears.

  Schmidt’s high-heeled foot tapped in frustration against her mahogany desk. Nikki understood authority and its importance in life, and tried her best to make up for Raven’s deficiency. Right now, his only chance was if Dr. Richmond came to Raven’s defense and let Schmidt know he was innocent. Nikki planned to stay out of it.

  But as she watched the principal do her best to break him down, Nikki found it impossible to keep her mouth shut. “Raven wasn’t involved, if that’s where you’re headed. He was at the back of the room talking to me and Krissy. You can ask her if you like.” Her tone matched her attitude, both drifting toward the defensive.

  “I’ll do that.” Principal Schmidt’s attention stayed on Nikki for a long time.

  Nikki drew a deep breath and tried to explain again. But from the corner of her vision, she felt Raven’s eyes on her, and a sense of appreciation — miniscule as it may be — seemed to drift from him to her. It was no big deal, but she had to wonder if he often found himself on the wrong end of the proverbial gun. And if it was a rare occasion for someone, anyone, to come to his defense. She cleared her throat. “We heard angry voices and turned. Both of us tried to get up there, but Raven’s legs are longer than mine — I barely made it halfway. He shoved Joey and grabbed the knife as Joey went down.” Nikki waited while the words sank in. But the principal’s gaze traveled to Raven.

  He lifted his hands, as if to say, “Told ya.”

  Schmidt shot a questioning glance to Dr. Richmond.

  “It’s true,” he added, rising from his chair. “If Raven hadn’t been there, who knows how this might have concluded.” The apparent anguish over the entire situation showed on Richmond’s face, deepening a frown in his forehead usually caused by intense thought. “Could have been bad.” He shook his head. “Tragic, in fact.”

  Schmidt’s posture relaxed as she spoke with the science teacher. “I’d appreciate your discretion in discussing this with anyone, Dr. Richmond. We don’t want to cause a panic. I’ll be making a complete statement at noon.” She turned to Nikki. “As for you, Miss Youngblood, you’ve never been in trouble of any kind.”

  Nikki expelled a sharp breath. “I didn’t have anything to do with this,” she said, mindful being in the wrong place at the wrong time could create a guilty verdict, no matter the truth.

  Richmond offered an apologetic smile to Nikki. On some deep level, she wondered if the geeky science teacher understood her. She was such a freak to most of the kids, and Krissy had unintentionally done a great job of reminding her of that before science class. Here we are, a room full of freaks: the new good/bad boy, the black-belt artist, and the geekster science teacher. What a trio of misfits. No wonder Schmidt was thrown off.

  Schmidt stood. “I appreciate your cooperation,” she said in Nikki and Richmond’s direction, ignoring the large blond before her. “Still, I get the feeling you aren’t telling me everything.” And that’s when her eyes fell to Raven.

  Nikki fought the urge to look at him. But her heart was pounding. Did Schmidt know she was leaving vast holes in the story, like the fact that Raven had suddenly morphed into a predator with moves to rival Jason Bourne? And that her body had been sparking during the whole thing?

  Schmidt tromped to the door. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you,” she said.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” both Nikki and Raven answered. Raven rolled his eyes.

  “Both of you. If there’s more to this story, I intend to find out.”

  If she only knew. As far as Nikki could tell, Raven and Mace — both clearly nonhuman beings — had protected her twice, Dr. Richmond once, and saved the guy ready to fight Joey from a knife wound. At the same time, she’d never had any trouble like this until they showed up. Since their uninvited arrival in her life, she’d been nearly killed twice. Were the new hotties good guys or bad guys? Too soon to tell, but she hoped she’d live long enough to learn the truth.

  Schmidt called Richmond back into her office just as the trio exited.

  Nikki cast a glance over her shoulder and watched Schmidt close the door. When she turned, midnight eyes were burning holes through her.

  “I didn’t need your help in there,” he spat.

  “You’re welcome,” she snapped back, her gaze locked with his.

  Around them, the hall quieted as kids rushed into classrooms in the last seconds before the bell rang for third hour.

  He clenched his teeth. “That wasn’t a thank you.”

  She’d never actually seen anyone speak through gritted teeth before. It was fascinating. And if he was trying to intimidate her, the attempt failed miserably. His body radiated white hot, but Nikki found him more intriguing than terrifying. “Again, you’re welcome.”

  Storms began to brew in that dark gaze, and she wasn’t sure why she didn’t find it scary. Blond spikes covered portions of his face, but though his teeth were clenched and his eyes had hardened to dark marbles, his lips remained soft. Maybe something only an artist would notice, but his full mouth was loose, no hint of tension. And that was even more interesting than his eyes.

  He drew a long, slow breath, shoulders rising.

  Nikki fought the urge to smile.

  “I didn’t need any backup in there, that’s all I’m trying to say.”

  Get over yourself. “Oh, you didn’t?”

  He jerked his head forward. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Well, I think you did. Schmidt was about to call the cops back and have them come and haul you away with Joey and the other guy, so whether you want to admit it or not — and from your know-it-all posture and self-serving attitude, I’m guessing not — I did you a favor. So you’re welcome.”

  He loudly exhaled all the air he’d sucked into his lungs. “Fine.”

  “Fine,” Nikki echoed, but found herself still fighting a goofy grin.

  He must have noticed, because he cocked his head. “What now?”

  “Sorry, it’s just that you were so busy puffing out your man chest, I was afraid you might burst.”

  If it was possible, his eyes darkened even more and thinned to slits.

  She swallowed.

  Behind her, Dr. Richmond left the principal’s office. He patted Nikki’s shoulder as he walked by. “Don’t worry. Everything is back to normal, now.”

  Normal? Not likely.

  “Nikki, I want you to meet someone.” Her dad stuck his head through the kitchen doorway and waved to her as she opened the front door.

  She stepped in the house, dropped her backpack onto the couch, and ran a hand through a tangle of windblown hair. She pointed to the powder room — what her mom insisted on calling their downstairs bathroom. “Can I freshen up?”

  Her dad shooed her. “Go on, but make it quick.”

  Before she reached the bathroom, a rumble of hearty laughter drifted to her. She paused, shrugged, and went to the mirror to inspect her wasp’s nest of a mess. As she dragged a brush through the knots, laughter erupted from the kitchen again. As well as a deep male voice she didn’t recognize. She cracked the door open and peered out. From her vantage point, the wall blocked all but a sliver of the dining room. Someone breezed past. Tall, dark hair, and jeans. A crisp white shirt, maybe expensive. And he called her mom Mary like he knew her — no, like he knew her really well.

  Was this some distant cousin she’d never met? Not likely. The Youngbloods didn’t have any family. The three musketeers. Or the three little pigs, dependi
ng on the day. Intrigue forced her to hurry and pull the brush one last time with such force, her head ached.

  “There you are,” her dad said.

  She’d been right about the shirt. Linen, a material she recognized thanks to her mom corrupting her mind. Expensively cut and hugging his chest and shoulders. On closer inspection, his pants were what Krissy would call rock-star jeans: faded lines at the front pockets and calves, but dark everywhere else. He wore pointed leather shoes, or maybe boots, a kind she’d seen in Sax Fifth Avenue when her mom and dad took her shopping on a rare trip to New York. She kept thinking they might be called pixie boots, but what guy would wear something with the word pixie in it? Some kind of scaly animal-skin belt encircled his waist. He sported a deep tan, perfect brown-black hair, and a mega smile. And when she stepped up to meet him, sparkling black-diamond eyes locked on her. “So, this is Nikki.”

  Wow. Men like this lived in LA or New York or something. Not in the middle of nowhere Missouri. And there was something else about him, something that set her on edge, but his flashy smile, strong-but-yummy cologne, and the gold chain at his neck kept distracting her.

  She reached her hand to shake his. “I’m at a disadvantage here,” she said. “You know my name, but you haven’t told me yours.”

  “Aren’t you charming, Nicole? My name is Damon Vessler. I’m an old friend of your mom and dad. In fact, we work together.”

  Nikki frowned. Work together? Her mom and dad’s deal was all their own.

  “Sort of,” her dad corrected. “Mr. Vessler purchases a lot of weapons from us. When we have surplus, he sails in and saves the day.” He cleared his throat.

  Nikki’s gaze skated to her mom, who was struggling to portray absolute happiness about the unexpected company. “So, you sell antique weapons?” Nikki asked him.

  Vessler smiled. “Some. But that’s just one of my many interests. And I’m a hopeless romantic. I keep most of the weapons for myself. Once I fall in love with a piece, I’m incapable of turning it loose.” Something protective flashed in the depths of his obsidian gaze, causing a tiny ripple across Nikki’s stomach.