Wild Fire (Wardens Series Book 3) Read online

  “Your fathers isn’t bad; I mean it’s quite lovely. I would have loved to see that man when he was your boyfriend’s age.” She grabbed my hand, led me out of the elevator, and then the front door to the awaiting limo.

  “Oh, God, Mona. I could have gone my whole life without hearing that.” I felt the bile rising from my stomach.

  She looked at me and smiled wickedly. For a second, I saw what my father was talking about. This woman did have skeletons in her closet. I felt a chill cross over me.

  “So how long have the two of you been together?” she asked as she pushed me into the back of the limo. Taking her seat, she crossed her legs, and told the driver where to go.

  “We aren’t together,” I answered, trying not to sound like I was lying. I wasn’t exactly in the middle of a lie, it was the truth, but I found myself longing to be just his.

  “Seriously? By the way you two look at each other, I would assume you have been together for some time.” She shrugged. “I guess I’ve just been out of the game for too long.”

  “I suppose.” I crossed my arms across my chest and looked out the window.

  “My goodness, your hair has got so long.” She reached across the gap, grabbed the bottom part of my hair, and pulled it lightly toward her. “No worries; we will get all these split ends taken care of. Why did you dye your hair this color anyway? You were always beautiful with your blonde hair.”

  How was I supposed to tell her it wasn’t colored?

  “Well, actually my hair darkened over the years. One morning I woke up and my hair was black.”

  “Well, that’s just bad luck for you. It was beautiful. But we deal with what we get. I was a redhead until I married your father and then suddenly, I turned blonde.” So, she did understand better than I thought.

  We rode in silence the rest of the way to the salon. When we got there, a gentleman opened the door and helped us out. He smiled brightly at Mona and gawked at me. I suppose when you have the gorgeous Mona followed by a dark-haired pauper, it is a pretty big shock. We walked inside the elegant salon, everyone saying hello to my stepmother by name.

  “Nina, this is Dawn.” Mona introduced me to the lady behind the counter. She looked at me and forced a smile, but I could tell she was appalled by my appearance. If this is how Julia Roberts felt in Pretty Woman, I was going to have a pretty exhausting day.

  “Oh, Damien’s daughter,” Nina remarked, offering her hand. I reached for it like I would anyone else, but it went limp in mine and became more of a shaking of the fingers.

  “Yes. We need a miracle on this hair of hers. Is Paulo available?”

  What the hell was that supposed to mean? Who the Hell was Paulo?

  “Of course, he always has an opening for you. Let me get him.” Nina smiled as she turned.

  Nina walked away in her six-inch spikes and perfect hair to find a tall skinny Italian man with a huge smile. He sashayed toward us, grabbed Mona by the shoulders, and kissed both her cheeks.

  “Mona!” he squealed, and they made kissy faces in the air. I just stared in shock. I had seen this on TV but never face-to-face.

  “Paulo. This is Dawn, my stepdaughter.” She motioned to me again, and instead of putting my hand out, I politely nodded; I couldn’t stand another fish handshake.

  “Oh my.” He looked shocked as he started to mess with my hair. “Have you been living in a cave your whole life, darling?” I felt insulted, and it took everything in me not to reach up and burn him with my fingers.

  “No,” I said slowly.

  “It’s ok, come with me. Paulo make you beautiful.” He dramatically threw his hands in the air and winked at me.

  Dread consumed me. What was Mona about to have him do to me?

  He led us back to a private booth and shut the door. Walking around me, he bit his bottom lip, pinched the brim of his nose, and tapped his foot. “I got it!” he exclaimed, grabbing a brush and scissors, and started to work on my hair. I sat there and took it. I had to remind myself I owed it to Mona for doing everything for me.

  By the time he finished, I had no clue who I was anymore. My hair was cut just below my shoulders, I had long wisps of bangs that were styled against my forehead, and he had managed to straighten my hair. I looked from side to side. I was going to smack myself for telling Adam not to do anything stupid when I ran off and did this.

  Chapter 10

  Reminders of the Girl I Was

  “You look so beautiful,” Mona mentioned as she sipped on her afternoon cocktail.

  We were sitting on the patio of her favorite bistro, having what I suppose you could call a meal. There wasn’t enough food on my plate to fill me up. I was going to be hungry again in half an hour.

  “Thanks. It’s going to take some getting used to.” I reached up and ran my fingers down my shortened tresses.

  “It’s very fitting for a beautiful young woman.” She took another sip and motioned to the waitress for one more. I guess when you don’t have to drive, and you have the money, it’s perfectly ok to be lit by the end of lunch.

  “If you say so,” I laughed.

  “So, tomorrow night I’m having a party at the house. I have invited all your old friends,” she said with a smile.

  I knew that I should have been excited to see the girls from middle school, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel it. I had left that normal girl behind the moment I ran away at fourteen. I nodded in response, unsure what the right answer would be.

  “We need to get you a nice dress to wear. Does your boyfriend have a suitable suit and tie?”

  I rolled my eyes. No matter how many times I told her Adam and I weren’t together, it went in one ear and out the other. “What color?”

  “Oh, most definitely red.” The waitress had brought Mona another drink, and she had already consumed half of it.

  “I can deal with red,” I said, taking a sip of my soda. She had offered to buy me a real drink, but I had refused. I didn’t want to get back to the apartment drunk. What was acceptable for Mona was not acceptable for me.

  “Perfect,” she cooed. “All right, so after I finish this drink, we will head to the department store and pick you out a new dress.”

  Great — more shopping. I felt dread again. I hated shopping. I also hated the fact that I had to get another dress. Why had I left my formal hanging in my old bedroom? That was one thing that I never asked Shawn to bring to me; I thought I wouldn’t need it.

  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. I didn’t have to try anything on unless I wanted to. They had girls dressed in the clothing beforehand, and they took turns parading down a catwalk. If I wanted to try something on, I just had to tell them which one. There was only one that struck Mona’s attention, and she demanded that I put it on.

  It was a simple red, straight-skirted, strapless number with no embellishments. It looked surprisingly good with the hair, and for a moment, I could see the little girl who had walked away from all this staring back at me.

  “Oh, it’s perfect,” Mona clapped, having me spin. She had yet another cocktail in her hand. The woman either had a drinking problem, or the way I looked beforehand was horrendous.

  “You think?” I reached for the price tag, and she stopped me.

  “Honey, don’t look at that. No price is too much for my little girl. Think of this as a graduation present.” She put the champagne flute down and stood up. “Now I saw a black one around here that was similar.” She waved over the sales lady and asked her to find the same dress in black, plus a pair of size eight stilettos; preferably black with no straps.

  Twenty minutes later, I walked out of the store in the black cocktail dress and six-inch black stilettos. My white and red dresses hung neatly in a bag on my arm. I felt like a whole new woman, and not the kind I liked. I would wear this dress once or twice, and then it would sit in the back of my closet for the rest of time.

  Mona looked at her designer watch and frowned. “I forgot I have tea with Mrs. Helm this a
fternoon. Do you mind if I drop you off at your place? I will have a car come around for you and Adam tomorrow at three.”

  “I understand,” I said as she began to pick up the pace.

  “You never told me if the boy has a suit.” We were back in the limo, and she was pointing the driver toward the apartment.

  “I don’t think so, but we can go get one tonight,” I said, crossing my ankles. I wasn’t as dainty as her; I couldn’t get away with crossing my legs.

  “No, no, I will have Mitch drop one by tonight. If you two are out, he has a key; he can leave it in the bedroom. You both took the master bedroom, I assume.” She winked at me.

  “No. I took the master; he insisted,” I choked.

  “Oh, honey, don’t lie to me. I looked in the other room. That bed was untouched.” She winked again. I wanted to smack her, but I let it slide. Nothing was going to change her mind. I hadn’t seen her in years, and I knew there was no point in trying to sway her another direction.

  She let me out in front of the building; the driver retrieved my dresses and other bags. She had spent a fortune on me. I carried everything upstairs and opened the apartment door. Adam was getting dressed in the living room while watching old episodes of Three’s Company.

  “Holy sweet mother of merciful Jesus,” he said the moment I walked in. “Dawn, is that you?”

  “Oh, don’t patronize me, Adam, I’m in no mood.” I put the bags down on the floor and straightened my skirt. “My feet hurt, my back hurts, and I’m scared to death my boob is going to pop out and say hello.” I moved around uncomfortably.

  “You look amazing!” His eyes were about to pop out of his head, and his mouth wouldn’t shut.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, taking the heels off and rubbing the bottom of my feet. I walked into the bedroom and hung the two dresses up in the closet. I had only worn the white dress for a few hours, so it was still clean.

  “I’m meeting Rose downstairs in half an hour. She is going to show me around town.” He buttoned up his blue shirt and smiled. He had no idea what he was doing. His lack of understanding of the female brain was evident. Even I knew what it meant when a woman offered to give you a tour.

  “Oh. So, you have a date.” I tried to hide my pained expression behind a fake smile.

  I was going to be alone for the night, not exactly the evening I had planned.

  “No, we are going to walk around for a bit. It doesn’t mean anything.” He picked up his shoes and sat down on the couch. “You want to go with us? If you do, you will have to change. I can’t pretend to be into her if you look like that.”

  He had no idea about the repercussions of his actions. He was going into the plan blind, and I couldn’t be there when it unraveled in his face.

  “No, I think you need to do this on your own. I will just sit here, order Chinese, and watch chick flicks.” I put my feet up on the coffee table.

  “You sure? Because I have never seen you watch a chick flick.” He stood up and looked at his watch.

  “Yeah, just text me and let me know how it’s going.” I threw my head back and sighed.

  “All right,” he said, slowly checking his phone. “She’s here.”

  “Have fun,” I muttered.

  He bent down and kissed me briefly on the lips. “Don’t wait up,” he teased.

  ****

  After Adam left, I got up and changed into my comfortable yoga pants and a tank top. I pulled my hair up into a tight ponytail and grabbed my laptop. I sat down on the couch, flipped open the lid, grabbed the TV remote, and turned it to an old horror film. The WiFi password was on the bar, so I got up briefly to retrieve it and sat back down on the couch. My email loaded, and I glanced through the lines of junk, deleting what I was obviously not interested in. About halfway down the page, I came across an email from Krista; I read it first before opening the picture she had attached.

  We had some new allies show up today. One of them looked familiar. I thought that I would enclose a picture, only because he said he knows you. - Krista

  I opened the attachment and felt tears in my eyes; it was Aaron! He was standing in my back yard, looking toward the trees with a serious expression on his face. His hair was longer, and his eyes seemed even bluer than before. There was an odd beauty to him due to the camera angle. I felt my heart twitch. It was as if it was trying to remember that it once had Claimed him.

  Why was he there? He had said that he was busy with training and other unimportant affairs. What made him show up at my house? Why would he have come with allies? Who were they?

  What does he know? Why is he there? Is he staying or just visiting? - Dawn

  I knew I was asking a list of questions, but I wanted to see whether he would be there when we got home. She got back to me quickly, which meant she was sitting in the living room, swiping through her new phone, and listening to music. She wasn’t sure what she thought of the technology, but she was impressed by the ability to connect with anyone.

  They came to speak to your parents. He only knows that your grandfather was a ruse. He doesn’t know what or where you are. Your mother said he is different, more dignified. He is quite a catch; I can understand why you had to have him. - Krista

  If I understood Krista’s cryptic email, he wouldn’t be there when we returned. However, if he knew that my grandfather didn’t exist, then he knew who my mother and father were. He also now knew that they were celestial. I gulped down the large lump that had formed in my throat. This was not the way that I had planned him finding out.

  Is he mad? Does he feel deceived? Have you spoken to him? - Dawn

  I took to biting my lip, as I awaited her response. I couldn’t believe Aaron was there. However, my biggest concern was how he felt finding out that I was hiding something from him. I was becoming increasingly impatient waiting on Krista’s response, that when it popped up, I nearly threw my laptop to the floor.

  Only for a moment, he was quite understanding. He said he had a feeling there was something more to you, that the fire was real. Whatever that was supposed to mean. He also said he would call you when they return to their home. I don’t know what he is if that’s what you are getting at. He’s not a vampire, but he’s as dignified as one. - Krista

  Damn it!

  I was hoping I would at least learn something about the mystery. Why wouldn’t he call me now? Why did he think that there was more to me? Oh, so many questions were running through my head, and I was unsure of any of the answers.

  I’m home alone now, he can call me tonight. - Dawn

  I sounded needy, but I didn’t care. I had to know he was ok. Well, I knew he was fine. I just wanted to hear his voice.

  I will try and tell him. The others tend to keep him quite busy. - Krista

  I slammed both fists down hard on the cushion of the couch. It was always worth a shot.

  Thank you, Krista. You have no idea how much it means to me that you are there. - Dawn

  I looked up at the TV as the main female character went running up the stairs, the villain hot on her heels. I shook my head. Why do they always run up the stairs and not out the open front door?

  I will do what I can, Dawn. And thank you, it means a lot to me that you are happy I am here. Let me know if he takes the time to call you. - Krista

  There was no need for a response; she knew that it was the first thing I would do. The most significant accomplishment of my life was assisting in raising Krista from the dead. She was an amazing girl. I put the laptop down with no need to finish going through my emails. I didn’t want any more news. All I wanted was for my damned phone to ring.

  I fell asleep on the couch at around nine and was woken by the buzzing of my phone on the end table. I grabbed it and rubbed my eyes. It was a text from Adam. Good Lord, was it really midnight?

  Adam: Having a lot of fun wish you were here. I shouldn’t be much longer. Hope you aren’t waiting up for me.

  Me: Actually, no, I apparently was knocked out till you
messaged. Glad you are having fun. See you when you get here.

  I put my phone down before I stood up and stretched. As if on some invisible cue, my phone began to ring, and when I looked down, I saw Krista’s smiling face on the screen. Either she was calling me, or Aaron was using her phone. I picked it up and hastily hit the ‘talk’ button.

  “Hello,” I said, crossing my fingers.

  “Hello,” the male voice replied on the other end. It was Aaron.

  “Oh good, it’s you,” I whispered, my heart racing. Even with the Claim broken, I still cared deeply for the boy.

  “Who else would it be?” Then he paused. “Oh, right, your friend.”

  “Why are you at my house?” I asked, sitting down clumsily on the couch. I reached for the remote to turn the TV off.

  “I came with the heads of the house to discuss an alliance with your group.” He did sound different; his choice of words was not something my Aaron would have used.

  “I wish I was there to see you,” I whispered.

  “It would have been a shock. I wasn’t expecting the head of the allied forces to be your mother and father. I also wasn’t expecting them to be celestial. So, you are the daughter of an angel and a demon. I guess the whole fire bit makes more sense now.” There was a bit of curiosity in his voice tinged with what I could only assume was anger.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”

  “I know. I am not mad at you. Maybe if I were still the old me, but the new me isn’t so easy to anger.” He breathed into the phone.

  “That is good to hear. It does suck that you won’t be there when I get back.” I felt like I was falling through the voids of time, what I wouldn’t give now to be back in Midvale away from the city and the fourth. To be with Aaron and Adam as if there was nothing other than us in the world.