Parahuman (Parahuman Series) Page 12

  For some reason Devan’s throat felt tight. He coughed to loosen it up.

  “You think one act of goodness can give you an adequate knowledge of a person’s character?” He was curious as to how she viewed him.

  “Not always,” she paused, circling her arms in the air around him in an encompassing way, “but there’s just something about you that screams protector of the small, defender of the weak.”

  “Are you not so subtly referring to my height?” He asked drily.

  She looked down and her eyes inched their way up his body. “You are tall.”

  “It’s freakish, I know.” The way people stared at him confirmed that.

  “No it’s not. You were made that way for a reason,” she declared heatedly. Her tone switched to teasing. “Like for rescuing kittens from trees or helping us shorter people get things from the high shelves.”

  Devan’s lip twitched at her comment, but he couldn’t help thinking that she was ‘right on the mark’ about him being made that way.

  “Yeah, I can’t tell you how many kittens I’ve rescued.” He replied drily.

  “You never know; the day may come when you get that call, or see that cat symbol in the sky, asking for your help.” Laney voiced, theatrically looking up at the sky. “You’ll come rushing to the rescue in your jeep-mobile and spandex. Really tight spandex.” Laney threw him a lecherous grin and an eyebrow wiggle.

  A laugh rumbled from Devan’s throat, startling him. He’d half-heartedly chuckled before, and even mildly snorted, but a real laugh was something never before experienced. He felt all of a sudden lighter.

  “Do you have to wear those sunglasses all the time?” Laney asked unexpectedly.

  The lightness evaporated at the continuation of lies. “Any sort of light causes damage to the iris.”

  “They’re very striking; it’s too bad you have to cover them up.”

  Her comment had Devan swiveling his head toward her in amazement. His eyes were inhuman, not striking.

  “You mean unnatural,” he corrected her.

  “Nooo, I mean dazzling, dramatic, remarkable” she reiterated firmly.

  Devan could only stare at her. They were standing about three feet apart from each other and her scent combined with the river and the forest mingled in the air. The mist in the air cast a glow around her that was ethereal; it was hard to look away. Thoughts began to drift through his mind that had no basis in reality and it jolted him out of his irrational state. He gave his head a shake to expel the images, but they were tenacious so he banished them to the lower recesses of his brain and built a wall around them.

  “I should probably get you home.” He voiced quietly.

  “I guess; we do have school tomorrow.” She said, sounding sensible but glum at the same time.

  The thought of school never put Devan in a good mood, but for some reason knowing he would be seeing Laney there made it seem not so bad.

  They headed back up the slippery incline, Laney going first with him following. Devan wanted to hustle her over the bridge but he remained silent having already voiced his feelings about the bridge. The groans and creaks emanating from the structure were not reassuring, and then alas, she paused in the middle to look over the railing at the river below. He waited in an uneasy tolerance.

  Laney reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out two stones. “Want to see who can throw the farthest?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Are you being funny, or serious?”

  She frowned. “I’m being serious. Why?”

  “Well, because, I’m me and you’re you.” Devan explained. It was pretty self explanatory.

  Both brows rose. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

  Devan was good at clarifying. “I’m larger, stronger, and have a longer arm reach, so of course I would throw it the farthest.”

  Laney laughed. “Any other male would have said it was because they were a guy, but no, you just list everything that constitutes being male.”

  “Not all my examples necessarily constitute a male. I could have been a female that was larger, stronger, and had a longer arm reach, and she would have succeeded in throwing it farther than you also.”

  “This girl, or boy, could be larger, stronger, and have a longer arm reach, but know butka about throwing. In fact, maybe they throw like a sissy girl.” Laney argued.

  Butka? Sissy girl? “Do you mean they might not be proficient in the mechanical means of arm propulsion?” Devan asked for clarification.

  Laney laughed and the sound tickled his chest. “Exactly.” She said in between chuckles.

  Devan frowned. “The action of drawing back one’s arm and then extending forward is a rather simple operation. How could anyone have difficulty in accomplishing that?”

  “Let me tell you, there are some people who just cannot throw. It’s like watching somebody fling a limp noodle around.” Laney rotated her arm in an arc and letting it flop forward in a feeble gesture.

  Devan grinned at her demonstration. “A muscle deficiency would explain that problem.”

  “I know this guy who is two hundred pounds of muscle…okay, and some fat. He definitely doesn’t have a muscle deficiency, but he throws like a sissy girl.” Laney related.

  “So he’s been unable to master the mechanical aspect of throwing.” It was inexplicable at times to comprehend how some people could have difficulty doing, what seemed to him, simple motorized, anatomical actions.

  “Correct.” The twinkle in Laney’s eye contradicted her staid tone. “So, back to my original question; would you like to see which one of us can throw the farthest?” Laney held out the stones again.

  “I’ve already demonstrated one type of throwing proficiency, and prevailed, but if you would like further demonstration I will comply.” Devan was somewhat certain that Laney was holding back laughter behind her stoic expression. He wasn’t always intuitive to what was going on inside a person’s head, and he could have mistaken her amusement as mockery, but he knew she wasn’t like that. She just seemed to be enjoying the moment.

  Devan took one of the stones. “You are going to take the chance that I have not mastered the mechanical aspect of an over hand throw.” Devan copied one of her eyebrow lifts, a grin tugging at his lip. There was no way she could win.

  “You can’t be good at everything, and I’m competitive enough that I have to find out what it is I can beat you at.” Laney took a step back, drew her arm back, and then wiped her arm forward.

  Devan watched her feeling lighter and more carefree then he had…ever. It was amazing, the myriad emotions he felt around her.

  Unfortunately, the discussion and his emotions distracted Devan from the hazards of the unstable bridge—which was entirely unlike him. Laney flung her arm and let loose the stone in her hand grabbing the railing with her other hand to halt her frontward momentum. The railing, however, was unable to halt her momentum.

  It gave away.

  Everything happened in slow motion as Laney broke through that railing hovering in mid-air over that fifty foot drop. A loud agonizing ‘NO’ reverberating through Devan’s head and his breath froze in his throat.

  Laney’s expression exhibited the early stages of alarm as she comprehended her predicament and Devan reacted instinctively. His hand shot out gripping Laney’s shirt, giving it a hard yank he reversed her direction sending her tumbling back into his body rather than plunging to the watery, rocky depths below. A small squeak erupted from her lips as she thudded against him.

  Unwilling to take the chance that the remaining structure wasn’t going to fall apart around them Devan curled his arm around Laney’s waist to secure her tightly to his frame; lifting her up slightly so her feet wouldn’t interfere he swiftly conveyed her off the bridge. Once on solid ground Devan lowered Laney’s feet back down setting her away from him. Something within him cried out at the separation but he ignored it. Grasping her shoulders he spun her around.

  “Are you alright?” Devan asked
, attempting to calm his sporadic heart rate; a heart rate that he’d trained for years to remain steady.

  Laney stared up him with a dazed expression, her hands gripping his forearms. “I didn’t even have to use the cat symbol.”

  Devan frowned in concern. Was she in shock? He then remembered her comment earlier about cat signs in the sky and rescuing felines. “You were not a cat in a tree,” he informed her. His voice was gruff and he realized he was quite shaken by the incident; he who’d remained calm and in control under more arduous circumstances than this.

  She snorted softly. She gave a soft squeeze to his arms before releasing them to turn and look back at the bridge. A deep yearning washed over him as her hands fell away. Ignoring it he did the same.

  “I can’t believe it just gave away like that.” Turning back to him she took a deep breath. “I guess you were right about the bridge. It might need just a teeny tiny bit of an overhaul.”

  Teeny and tiny weren’t the adjectives Devan would have utilized. “Maybe a little,” he agreed nevertheless. It was hard to argue with those green eyes of hers staring up at him only a foot and a half away.

  She turned back toward the bridge again, a large sigh bursting from her lips. “My dad is going to freak out, and then he’s going to forbid me to step on this bridge again. I should probably tell him I found it this way rather than informing him I almost took a swan dive while throwing a stone; at least that way I would still be able to come here.” Laney appeared to ponder this for a moment before nodding her head. “Yeah, that would probably be best.”

  Devan wasn’t concerned with the idea of her lying to her father—he lied all the time—but he was alarmed at the thought of her stepping on that bridge again; at least not before an inspection had been conducted on it from top to bottom.

  “Your father will conduct a complete inspection…” realizing he was stating a command when it should probably be an inquiry, Devan added…“Won’t he?”

  “He’s done a really good job of keeping this bridge well maintained. I’m sure the railing only broke because it’s been a while since he’s been out here to check on it. It was probably just a bad spot. ” Laney reasoned.

  Devan noticed Laney’s tone was getting insistent again in defense of her father. From an anthropological standpoint Devan was able to understand why she felt so defensive on behalf of Nick. He was her father, and studies revealed families were supposed to be protective of one another. However, Devan couldn’t, wouldn’t let her delude herself about this particular point.

  “The bridge needs a complete overhaul.” Devan stated bluntly.

  Laney lips pressed together tightly, her green eyes narrowed in indignation. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

  Devan took a deep breath to tell her just how bad it really was, from the supports down to the last screw loose, when suddenly he became aware of a particular scent in the air. Every individual has a particular, individualized scent; their own fingerprint smell, and Devan had smelled this one before.

  Jarrod!

  The heavy cologne smell was also a dead giveaway. Devan’s muscles tensed instinctively and he looked around quickly scanning the area. Had Jarrod followed them from the social gathering? Devan couldn’t see any sign of him anywhere, but he had been here recently.

  Devan’s perimeter check drifted past his jeep and he noticed a slight tilt to the vehicle. Looking down Devan noted that his passenger back tire was flat.

  It appeared Jarrod had been busy.

  “What is it? What do you see?”

  Devan swiveled his gaze back to Laney. She was staring intently into the forest in the same direction his gaze had been focused. She wouldn’t be able to see the jeep from this distance in the dark with the brush, but she appeared to be trying her hardest.

  “I thought I saw something, but it was nothing.” Devan explained attempting to appear unconcerned.

  Laney turned to look at him, her eyes shadowed with skepticism. “Are you sure, because your expression was quite fierce?”

  Devan’s eyes moved over Laney’s face. A deep desire to linger on each aspect of her features was almost a compulsion, one he forcibly controlled.

  "I’m sure,” he assured her, doing his best to keep his tone level when the emotions rolling through him were anything but. “We should probably get going.”

  Devan headed for the jeep without waiting for a response. This incident with the tire put things in a new perspective. Jarrod’s behavior had just been an annoyance before, but now that it had escalated to property damage it was much more serious. If Jarrod continued it would bring too much attention upon Devan, especially if his actions did something that involved the authorities…that was something that needed to be avoided at all cost.

  A re-evaluation of the situation was required…and the thought of it bit deeply.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Laney raised her eyebrows at Devan’s back and followed after him, trying to keep up with his long strides. He was the moodiest person she’d ever come across; worse than a girl on her period without access to chocolate. That didn’t alter her feelings about him though. He was a walking conundrum, and what teenage girl could turn away from that.

  However, it wasn’t just the mystery surrounding him like a mantle that was holding her attention. That wasn’t what was causing her heart to race whenever she saw him, or the warmth that suffused her body whenever he was close. And when they had touched...WOW! That was just Devan all by himself.

  Laney was having a hard time reading him though. He was so expressionless at times, and with those glasses it was doubly difficult. Sometimes it would seem like he was feeling something for her, but then he would throw up this wall. Laney kept reminding herself that it was too soon to be feeling the intense emotions she was experiencing toward Devan, but you couldn’t really control feelings. They didn’t work on the same wavelengths as reasoning.

  They walked up to the jeep and Devan halted in front of the passenger door. She thought he was going to be the gentlemen and open the door for her, but instead he stood there looking down at the tire.

  “I have a flat tire.”

  Laney stepped up beside him. “You sure do.” And not just a little flat; this was sitting on the rim.

  Looking up at Devan she saw that he was expressionless again. His tone when stating he had a flat had been as flat as the tire they were standing in front of. He didn’t seem surprised, frustrated, or even angry. Laney thoughts flashed briefly to his concentration on this area just minutes ago, but nooo…they had been too far away for him to see a flat tire.

  Her thoughts then flashed back to Johnny’s disappearance, the mountain lion, his certainty on the bridges unstableness, and his oh-so-fast reflexes. Was she reading too much into these incidents?

  Devan moved around to the hatch of the jeep.

  “I am so sorry, Devan.” Laney apologized walking around with him.

  Devan’s head whipped her way. Was that surprise on his face?

  “What are you sorry for?” He asked.

  “Well, I’m the one that dragged you out here. You most likely ran over something on the way here that caused it.”

  “If my tire couldn’t handle a ride down a dirt road than it probably wouldn’t have lasted very long on my road.” Devan stated matter-of-factly. Opening the back he took out the jack and tire iron, and then had the spare tire detached from the back door in seconds.

  “Do you need help with anything?” Laney offered, sidling up next to him as he knelt down by the passenger tire. He had the jack under the jeep and had jacked it up several inches already. He then went to work on the lug nuts, spinning the tire iron like it was greased and on speed. It made an almost invisible blur through the air.

  Devan switched his attention to her, a frown pleating his forehead. “Uhh...”

  “How about I hold the lug nuts for you?” Laney offered, holding out her hand for the first one, since he had it off already. He could get a job on a NASCAR pit crew wi
th how fast he’d jacked up the jeep and started on that tire.

  He looked at the lug nut then at her hand. “Uh…sure. Thanks,” he said, dropping the lug nut in her palm. Four more followed in record time. Laney reevaluated her view; those NASCAR pit crews had nothing on Devan.

  Devan lifted the tire off the hub like it weighed nothing, set it aside, and moved the spare in its place.

  “Just how many tires have you changed in your life?” Laney asked, holding out one of the nuts. She couldn’t help admiring the muscle definition standing out on his bicep and forearm as he worked. Her fingers itched to touch.

  Devan gave a small shrug. “A few.” The nut she had given him was already on. Laney held out two more. He used both hands to affix them. Ambidextrous much. She plopped the last two nuts in his palms.

  “A few…hundred?...thousand?” Laney quipped.

  The tire iron spun again through the air making a small breeze that ruffled his hair. “No, just a few.”

  Laney smirked at his mater-of-fact response; it was just so adorable.

  Devan abruptly shot to his feet holding the damaged tire in one hand and the jack and tire iron in the other. Laney involuntarily took a step back because he was just so dang large and imposing.

  He set everything in the back of the jeep, and Laney took note that not too many people could lug around a jeep tire one handed that high, especially a teenager, with so little effort. Not a grunt or a grimace.

  Devan glance up at the sky. “Do you want me to take you back to the party, or take you home?”

  Laney frowned at Devan’s stilted tone. “If you could take me home that would be great. I’m on the way to your house so it’s not out of the way.”