We didn't have any cat food, of course, so I opened a can of tuna. Who knew how long it had been since the kitten had had a good meal? She was more than sleek, she was skinny. I would take her to the vet as soon as I could, but in the meantime I needed to run to the store for cat food and a litter box, maybe even a few cat toys, but I didn't want to leave my new friend alone.
The phone rang while I was watching the cat eat. I checked the caller ID but didn't recognize the number.
"Hello?" I said. I was hoping it was Ryan. It wasn't.
"May I speak to Daizee?"
It was Duke Sherrad. I could tell by the way he kind of stretched out my name when he said it.
"Hi, Duke."
"You recognized me." He sounded pleased.
It didn't take a detective to figure it out. No one else in Nightshade had that accent. "What's up?"
"What is up?" Now he sounded puzzled. He had to be playing, right?
I'd forgotten Duke might not be familiar with some slang. Where exactly was he from, anyway?
I tried again. "I was just asking why you were calling." I was waiting for him to get to the point, but he seemed to be taking his time.
"I was calling to ask you if you would do me the honor of accompanying me to the upcoming ball?" He sounded really nervous now, and I took pity on him.
"The ball? You mean prom?"
"Yes, yes. This is it. The prom. Penny Edwards indicated that I would require formal wear. I have a tuxedo already."
Somehow I doubted that Penny was encouraging Duke to ask me out. "Does Penny know you are asking me to prom?"
"Why, no. Should I have informed her of this?"
"No, of course not. I was just curious." Penny was definitely interested in Duke. If she thought I was competition, there's no telling what she was capable of doing.
"You will go with me, yes?"
I'd never been in the position of letting someone down, gently or otherwise. Where was Poppy when I needed her? I gave the cat an entreating look, but she just licked a bit of tuna off her face. "You're no help," I whispered.
"I am afraid I did not hear what you said," Duke responded.
"It wasn't important," I said. I took a deep breath. "Duke, I'm flattered, and under other circumstances, I'd be delighted to go with you, but I'm already seeing someone."
" This Ryan you introduced to me?"
"Yes."
"And he has already asked you to this prom?"
"Not yet," I said. My mind flashed to a picture of Ryan and Elise huddled together on the park bench. "But he will," I said, with more confidence than I was feeling.
"If he does not extend an invitation, I would be happy to escort you," Duke said.
"Thank you, Duke, but that won't be necessary." At least I hoped it wouldn't.
After a few more fulsome compliments, Duke finally hung up. I caught myself smiling at the phone. I have to admit my ego was soothed by his obvious interest.
My family still wasn't home, so I scrounged leftovers for dinner, then remembered I still needed cat supplies. Poppy had the car, so I'd have to ask her to stop on her way home.
I dialed her cell, but it went right to voice mail. "Hey, where are you?" I said. "Can you stop at the store and pick up a litter box and some cat litter? I'll explain later."
After I hung up the phone, I grabbed Mom's old copy of The Big Book of Fortune-Telling and curled up on the couch. The kitten jumped up and purred approvingly before settling in next to me.
I became engrossed in my reading and lost track of the time. I raised my head only when I heard a car pulling into the driveway.
Poppy rushed in with a huge smile on her face. "Daisy? Where are you?" She was carrying a huge bag of cat litter, so I knew she'd gotten my message.
"Thanks for stopping at the store," I said. I gestured toward the kitten. "Look who I found tonight. Think Mom will let us keep her?"
"Oh, she's adorable, how could Mom refuse?" Poppy said. "There's another bag of stuff in the car."
"I'll get it."
I left Poppy and the kitten playing happily.
I was half in and half out of the car, rummaging around in the back seat for the bag Poppy had mentioned, when I got the feeling someone was watching me.
"Is someone there?"
There wasn't an answer, but I could hear someone breathing.
I grabbed the bag, slammed the car door, and headed for my front porch. A figure stepped out of the shadows.
"I didn't mean to scare you. It's me."
I recognized the voice and stopped in my tracks. "Ryan, you scared me half to death. What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry," he said. "I just wanted to talk to you. Here, let me carry that." I handed him the litter box.
He stared at it, puzzled. "I didn't know you had a cat."
"Well, a lot can happen in a few days." My voice was arctic in its chilliness. I stomped up the steps.
He trailed after me uncertainly. I opened the door and he hesitated.
"You may as well come in." I didn't look behind me to see if he was coming.
"Hi, Ryan," Poppy said.
He put down the cat box and sat on the couch. The kitten, traitor that she was, immediately jumped into his lap and began to purr.
I didn't meet his eyes, but instead spent a few minutes checking out everything Poppy had bought. Cat food, litter, a couple of toys, even an adorable cat bed. She'd thought of everything.
"Where'd you get her?" Ryan said. At least, that's what he said out loud. But I heard his thoughts, which were jumbled and chaotic. I can't tell her the truth.
My powers seemed to always tune in at the worst possible time. I glared at him.
Poppy yawned widely and unconvincingly. "Time for me and the kitten to head for bed." She stood, and the kitten jumped down from Ryan's lap.
I didn't say anything after she left the room. I was still trying to process what I'd heard.
I tried to focus on his thoughts again, but all I got was a jumbled mess.
"The cat? Where'd you get her?" Ryan repeated.
"I found her in the park tonight," I said, watching him closely to see if he squirmed.
He did. Deeply.
Chapter Thirteen
We sat staring at each other for a moment. I cleared my throat. "Where were you tonight?" I tried to sound casual, but it came out like an accusation.
"Why do you want to know?" Ryan asked. He stared at his hands.
I was sick of the games. "Where were you last weekend? And why have you been avoiding me?"
He didn't know what to say, what lies to tell me.
"Ryan, just tell me the truth. I can take it."
His thought jumped into my mind. No, you can't.
It was as bad as I had anticipated. He was going to dump me for that girl. I braced myself for the breakup, but it never came.
"I can't tell you right now, Daisy. It's ... complicated." His hands were shaking.
"Then tell me what's going on between you and Elise Wilder," I said.
"I can't tell you that, either," he replied. "Daisy, you have to trust me, I—"
"I don't have to do anything," I snapped. "It's late. I think it's time you went home."
Ryan didn't argue, which, although it was completely illogical, upset me even more.
I walked him to the door. He didn't try to kiss me.
After he left, I leaned back against the door and tried to still my whirling thoughts. What was going on in Nightshade? Why would anyone want to hurt Mr. Davis? And most importantly, what was going on with Ryan?
Poppy came galloping down the stairs seconds later. "What was that all about?" she asked.
From her tone of voice, it was clear that she had probably been perched at the top of the stairs, listening the whole time.
"Nothing," I muttered. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV with the volume up loud to avoid any further conversation with my busybody sister. Poppy shrugged and flopped down on the couch next to me.
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Our eyes were glued to the tube when Mom came home. Time to break the news about my new pet. There were deep lines on her face, and she was frowning. Maybe not the best time to introduce the topic.
"Mom, I found a kitten tonight. Can I keep her?"
Her expression softened. "A pet is a lot of responsibility," she said. "You can't just go haring off whenever it pleases you. A kitten needs attention and care. And what's going to happen to it when you leave for college?"
Poppy and I exchanged looks. "We're sorry, Mom," she said.
"Yeah, but I just couldn't leave her in the park," I said.
"I'm not changing the litter box, and you girls have to feed her in the morning before school."
"Does that mean we can keep her?" I asked.
As if on cue, the kitten strolled into the room, looking completely adorable.
"Mom, please?" Poppy said. "She's so cute!"
"We'll take care of her," I said. "I promise."
"Well, okay," Mom said. "Since your birthday is coming up, I suppose you can keep her. Consider this an early birthday present."
"Thanks, Mom!" I reached down and picked up the kitten, thrilled that she would be staying with us after all.
"You've got to give her a name, Daisy," Poppy said. "We can't keep calling her 'kitten' forever."
I studied the cat for a moment. "I'll call her Midnight." I cradled my kitten in my arms, glad to have a new little friend to comfort me, especially since things seemed to be going down the tubes with me and Ryan. But something Mom had said gave me a faint glimmer of hope. My birthday was only days away. Maybe Ryan would surprise me. Maybe things could be turned around after all. Seventeen was a brand new year.
Chapter Fourteen
When the big day arrived, I was greeted at my locker by Samantha, who held a big balloon bouquet. I was touched that she had remembered.
"Thanks, Sam!" I said. "You're the first one to wish me a happy birthday."
"That's just sad," she said. "What about your sisters? Your mom?"
"Oh, besides them," I said. "We all went out for a birthday breakfast at Slim's. And we're celebrating with Grandma Giordano this weekend."
And Ryan?"
I looked away. "I haven't talked to him."
Sam didn't say anything, but we were both thinking the same thing. What kind of boyfriend doesn't even remember his own girlfriend's birthday?
"How about if we celebrate tonight?" Sam suggested. "We can check out the restaurant in the Wilder mansion."
I gave her a look of disgust. "Going to Elise Wilder's house isn't exactly my idea of a happy birthday."
"Oh, I'm sure she'll be holed up in her private quarters," Sam said. "She's not very social, in case you haven't noticed."
She seemed plenty sociable with Ryan.
"Come on," Sam pleaded, "I've got to go up there to approve the final menu for prom, anyway. I stretched the entertainment budget to include a few munchies. We're going there to sample the food."
I finally agreed. Maybe I could find out more about my rival.
Sean walked up as we were talking and wrapped his arms around Samantha. "Can I come with?"
"You can tag along as long as you remember your manners," Sam said.
Sean waved at Ryan, who was walking down the hall. "Hey, bro, wait up. Wanna go to dinner with our ladies?"
Inwardly, I wanted to kill Sean. It was clear that Ryan couldn't stand to be in the same room with me. I certainly wasn't his "lady" now, if I'd ever been.
Ryan skulked back to where we stood. "Where are you going?" Still no eye contact. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he hadn't had a shower in the last few days. He didn't seem to notice the balloons I held.
"That Wilder place," Sean replied.
"I'll meet you there," Ryan said, and walked away.
Samantha looked me up and down. I had to present a class project that morning, so I was more dressed up than normal, which meant instead of my usual jeans, I was actually wearing a skirt. Which meant I passed (judging from her expression, barely) Sam's standards of appropriate dinner attire.
After school, Sam drove us to Sean's, and the two of us waited in the car while Sean went inside to change.
"Have you decided yet?" she asked me the second Sean was inside his house.
"Decided what?"
"If you're going to keep waiting for Ryan to ask you to prom or if you're going to take Duke up on his offer."
"Like Duke's hanging around waiting for me." I didn't want to admit that I was still over the moon for Ryan, even though lately he was acting like he'd forgotten I existed.
Samantha raised an eyebrow and gave me a look.
I finally understood her unspoken message. "He can't be," I said. "Girls are lining up for the chance to date Duke Sherrad, gypsy fortune-teller and hottie."
"He hasn't asked anybody else," she said. "Plenty of private readings with the competition, though."
Somehow, I didn't like the idea of Duke alone with someone else. "What about Ryan?" I protested.
"What about him?" she said. "He has to know by now that prom is coming up. You need to remind him that you have options, too."
The conversation ended when Sean returned, but it lingered in my mind on the ride over. What did Sam mean by her "options, too" comment? Was Ryan exploring other options? It certainly looked like it. Was it truly over for Ryan and me? Should I give Duke a chance?
When the mansion came into view, I held back a gasp. It was gorgeous. It looked like a medieval castle, complete with creeping ivy and stone walls.
The inside of the Wilder mansion was also breathtaking, positively dripping Old World elegance. Great, the competition was not only gorgeous; she was loaded. Not that money and power mattered to Ryan, but I did feel slightly intimidated.
We waited in the lobby until a dark-haired woman in a severely cut black dress led us to our table. It wasn't until we sat down that I realized she was the woman I'd noticed with the Paxtons at Mr. Davis's memorial service.
She smiled at me. "Enjoy your meal, Daisy." I checked her name tag. It read BIANCA. The mystery shifter's name was Bianca.
We were seated at a lovely table overlooking the garden. Faded pink roses climbed the wallpaper, and real crystal shone on the crisp linens covering the table. I noticed that all the utensils were made of gold. Werewolves hated silver. Silver bullets and all that.
Samantha stared at Sean until he pulled out a chair for her.
He started to take his seat but then remembered to pull my chair out, too, since Ryan still hadn't shown.
We waited almost half an hour, but he didn't appear.
"He's not coming," I said glumly. "We may as well order." I was trying not to cry, but despite everything, I didn't think Ryan would forget my birthday.
Sean motioned to the discreetly hovering server and we ordered.
The service was excellent, the food delicious, but I could have been eating my English lit essay for all I tasted it.
Ryan's not showing on my birthday was a sign that our relationship was ending. I never thought of myself as the kind of girl who sat around waiting for some guy to ask her to prom—heck, a few months ago, prom and Ryan Mendez both seemed out of reach—but here I was, waiting.
And I was sick of it.
"I'm going to take a walk," I said as the server cleared our plates. "I won't be long."
Bianca said, "There's a hedge maze at the rear of the garden. It's one of our most popular attractions and dates back over a hundred years." She pointed to the French doors. "It's right through there."
I noticed there was a pamphlet display case full of maps of the maze, but I ignored it. I was too angry to stop.
I went through the double doors and spotted the maze at the far end of the garden. The Wilder house's gardens were extensive, and any other time I might have stopped to enjoy the smell of jasmine and honeysuckle. I also noticed bushes covered with pink flowers, but I didn't know what they were called. They were t
he same kind that grew around Mr. Davis's cottage.
The longer I walked, the madder I got about Ryan's no-show. By the time I entered the hedge maze, I was steamed. What was going on with him? And how much longer did he expect me to put up with it without an explanation?
The night air cooled my overheated skin. The moon illuminated the path through the high, manicured hedges but concealed as much as it revealed.
A dog barked in the distance and was answered by a low growling sound. The noise sent a shiver through me. Why had I come out here alone? Why hadn't I taken a map of the maze? I didn't have the greatest sense of direction, something I'd neglected to consider when I set out.
Something rustled in the bushes and I jumped, but it was only a harmless rabbit. It was as scared of me as I had been of it, and it scurried off down the opposite path. I walked on, determined to make my way out of the maze.
I turned left and then left again, pausing when I thought I heard something. A minute later, I heard a low growling and I froze, straining to hear it again, but the only sound was the mournful sigh of the wind.
I made a right turn and came to a dead end. There was someone behind me, breathing softly, but I didn't want to turn around. I was trapped. After an agonizing minute, I whirled around and saw a huge, slavering beast. I had seen a creature like this once before, at a Nightshade City Council meeting. There was no mistaking it for a normal wolf. My mind processed that I was looking at a werewolf, and this time, not from a safe distance. It put its head down and made a whimpering sound before turning and trotting off down the path to the left.
Panic overtaking me, I ran down the opposite path, mindlessly following the twists and turns of the maze. When I finally reached the exit, winded and sweating, the beast had vanished.
Chapter Fifteen
When I got home, the house was quiet. I called to Midnight, but she was nowhere to be found. She was probably sulking in a corner somewhere because I hadn't been home to give her her kibble. I felt a little guilty.
I jumped when I saw Nicholas Bone sitting at our kitchen counter.
"Hi, Nicholas," I said cautiously. "Where's Rose?" I tried not to make it obvious that I was inching toward the spot where the calendar hung. I wanted to check the moon's cycle, as he tended to turn rather furry during a full moon, and I wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance of my encounter in the maze.