27
" He moved into the moonlight. That was no accident. He wanted me to see his eyes burning with fever, his skin flushed, hair sweat soaked. He wanted me to say, "Oh, you're Changing," leap out of bed, and insist on going outside with him, help him through it, a I had the last two times.
I looked at him and I lay back down.
He stepped froward. "Chloe.."
"What?"
"It's...It's starting again."
"I see that."
I sat up, swung my legs out of bed, and stood. He breathed a sigh of relief. I walked to the window.
"Head down that path about thirty feet, and you'll find a clearing to the left. That should be a good place."
A spark of panic ignited in his eyes. After how he'd treated me today, I should have said "good." But i didn't. Couldn't. It took everything I had to just crawl back into bed. "
― Kelley Armstrong , The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)
30
" "Derek's a good kid, Chloe. He always has been. Responsible, mature...Kit used to joke that, some days, he'd rather have a dozen of Derek than one of Simon. But the wolf is coming out now, and he's struggling with it. I always told KIt..." He exhaled and shook his head. "The point I'm making is that I know Derek seems like a normal kid."
Normal? I could have laughed at that. I don't think anyone ever mistook Derek for a normal kid.
"But you need to remember that Derek is different. You need to be careful."
I was sick and tired of hearing how dangerous Derek was. Different, yes, but no more than a dozen guys I knew from school, guys who stood out, didn't act like everyone else, followed their own rules. He could be dangerous, with his superhuman strength. But how was he any worse than Tori, with her uncontrollable spells? Tori had a track record of trying to hurt me, but no one except the guys had ever warned me away from her.
Unlike Tori, Derek was struggling to control his powers. But no one ever recognized that. They didn't see Derek. All they saw was the werewolf. "
― Kelley Armstrong , The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)
31
" "Andrew's a nice guy, but...too nice, you know?"
"Like me?"
"You're a different kind of nice. I know Andrew's trying to help, but I really wish he had more..." She shrugged for a word.
"Backbone?" I blurted, then felt my cheeks heat. "I—I don't mean—"
"See, there's your version of 'too nice.' You don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, even behind their back. Backbone is exactly right." She reclined on her bed. "Anyway, enough of that. Simon's looking for you, as usual. Go play, Chloe. I'll keep your brooding spot warm." "
― Kelley Armstrong , The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)
34
" "Who taught you to raise the dead?"
"N-no one. I—I've never even met another necromancer before you." Not exactly true. I'd briefly met the ghost of one, but he hadn't been much help.
"Did the Edison Group give you books? Manuals?"
"J-Just a history book that I—I skimmed through a bit. Th-there wasn't anything on rituals."
A moment of silence as she studied me through the mirror. "You were trying to make a point, weren't you, Chloe?"
"Wh-what?"
"I said you couldn't raise the dead; you proved you could. You visualized returning a soul—"
"No!" my stutter fell away. "Returning a ghost to a rotting corpse to make a point? I'd never do that. I was doing exactly what you asked—trying to pull that spirit through. I was summoning. But if I do that with dead bodies around, I can raise the dead. That's what I tried to tell you."
She drove for a minute, the silence heavy. Then her gaze rose to the mirror again, meeting mine.
"You're telling me you can raise the dead simply by summoning?"
"Yes."
"My God," she whispered, staring at me. "What have they done?"
Hearing her words and seeing her expression, I knew Derek had been right last night. I'd just done something worse than raising the dead—I'd confirmed her worst fears about us. "
― Kelley Armstrong , The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)
35
" "Talk to Simon. He's the one who thinks..."
"Thinks what?"
Step. Block.
"Thinks what?"
"That there's someone else," I blurted before I could stop myself. I took a deep, shuddering breath. "He thinks there's someone else."
"Who?"
I was going to say "I don't know. Some guy from school, I guess." But Derek's expression said he already knew the answer. The look on his face...I'd been humiliated before, having Simon accuse me of liking Derek, but that was nothing compared to how I felt when I saw Derek's look. Not just surprise, but shock. Shock and horror.
"Me?" he said. "Simon said he thinks you and I are—"
"No, not that. He knows we aren't—"
"Good. So what does he think?"
"That I like you." Again, the words flew out before I could stop them. This time, I didn't care. I'd completely humiliated myself, and now I was just empty and ashamed. All I wanted was to get him out of my way, and if telling him that made him run in terror, then good.
But he didn't run. He just stared at me, and that was worse. I felt like the biggest loser at school, admitting to the coolest guy that she liked him. He stood there gaping like he must have heard me wrong. "
― Kelley Armstrong , The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)
36
" He pushed to his feet, wobbly, still adjusting to his new center of gravity. He gingerly moved one forepaw, then the next, one rear paw, then the other. He picked up the pace, but still slow as he circled the clearing. A snort, like he'd figured it out, and he broke into a lope, stumbled and plowed muzzle-first into the undergrowth.
I stifled a laugh, but not very well. and he glowered at me.
"Forget running. A nice, leisurely stroll might be more your speed."
He snorted and turned fast. When I fell back, he gave a growling chuckle.
"Still can't resist throwing your weight around, can you?"
He lunged again. This time I stood my ground and he checked his leap at the last second...and toppled sideways. I didn't hide my laugh that time. He twisted fast, grabbed my pajama leg and wrenched, and down I went.
"Bully."
He growled a chuckle. I fingered an imaginary tear in my pant leg.
"Great. I finally get some pj's and you rip them."
He walked over for a better look. I tried to grab his foreleg, but he darted out of my reach and tore across the clearing. "
― Kelley Armstrong , The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)
38
" "Derek?" I called.
No answer.
I took a few more steps, then called a little louder, "Derek? Are you out here?"
A branch snapped in the woods. I pictured Derek, in the middle of a Change, unable to respond, and hurried toward the forest's edge. The noise stopped and I paused at the end of the path leading in, peering into the dark woods, listening. Another snap. Something like a groan.
"Derek? It's me."
I stepped in. It took only a few paces for the morning light to fade and darkness to envelop me.
"Derek?"
I jumped as he rounded a corner down the path. I didn't need full daylight to see the expression on his face at all to know I was in trouble, just the set of his shoulders and he long strides as he bore down on me.
"I—" I began.
"What the hell are you doing, Chloe? I said we'd come out here later and try to contact that ghost. Key word? We. If you're here—"
I lifted my hands. "Okay, you caught me. I was sneaking out on my own, hoping no one would notice. That's why I've been calling your name." "
― Kelley Armstrong , The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)
39
" After a few moments of silence, he said, "Why don't you come over here? More comfortable than the chair. Warmer, too, closer to the radiator."
"I'm fine."
"Hard to talk to you over there, across the room."
He moved down to the end of the couch, though there'd already been plenty of room. He put his arm along the back. He tried for a smile and didn't really manage it, but my heart still did a little flip.
He’s sorry, Chloe. He really is a sweet guy. Don’t be a bitch about this. And don’t screw it up. Just go over there. Give him a chance and, in no time, you’ll forget everything else.
And that’s exactly why I stayed in my chair. I didn’t want to forget everything else, or the next thing I knew, he’d be back on that roof, putting his life in danger.
“You don’t get to do this,” I said finally.
“Do what?” He asked the question innocently enough, but his gaze dipped slightly. “I”m sorry. That’s what I’m trying to say, Chloe. That I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
He looked up, confused. “Making you mad.” "
― Kelley Armstrong , The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)