Toxic (Denazen #2)(14)

“Excellent,” Ginger said, crunching the empty plastic cup in her hand. She pulled Mom to the corner by the television, and the two spoke quietly. Normally I would have tried to eavesdrop, but my attention was on something else.

Jade flashed Kale a sympathetic smile. Oh, yeah. She was good. Guys probably went gaga for those long lashes and pouty lips. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have no human interaction. How horrible.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. “He had human interaction. He had me.”

Jade flashed a mock frown. “Had—past tense. Ginger said you were just like everyone else now.”

Jesus. Did they plan on making some kind of news bulletin? Taking out an ad in the Six Weekly? “Well, he could touch me up until an hour ago.”

The smug expression on her face nearly drove me over the edge. It had me wondering where I could bury her body and how fast. We’d met a Six over the summer with the ability to manipulate the earth. Something like that would come in handy for an impromptu grave digging…

Jade folded her arms. “But he can’t anymore, right? I mean, not without me around.”

“You can teach me how to control my ability.” Kale stepped between us. “So I can touch Dez again?”

“I can try,” Jade said. “Who you chose to touch afterward is your choice. There’s a whole living world out there besides the people in this room.”

The people in this room. She meant me! I glared from her to the coffee table. She might be impervious to harm, but she still might feel pain. Slamming her face through the furniture might ease some of the tension I felt.

No. Bad Dez.

I took a deep breath. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Beating her to a bloody pulp wouldn’t help Kale. I just needed to establish an order. Stake my claim so her place—and mine—was crystal clear. “Well, now that you’re here, he can.” I turned to him, trying to push aside the involuntary hesitation at the memory of our final moments at the top of the crane. “Right?”

He inched closer. No one else would have noticed, but I did. The slight shake of his hand as he reached for my face. Restraint. Something he’d never needed to use around me.

Pushing past the doubt, his fingers brushed my cheek and left a trail of fire in their wake. Fire—and a slight sting.

He withdrew his hand. “Does that hurt?”

I shook my head and smiled. “Not even a little.”

He let out the breath he’d been holding and fell forward. Arms circling my waist, he crushed me close and buried his face. Tiny prickles sprang to life where his face touched mine through the gaps in my hair.

He probably would have stayed like that, just hanging on, but I pulled away. Normally I couldn’t have cared less. The audience didn’t bother me, and it didn’t bother Kale. This was how he felt, and that was that. Nothing to hide.

So why let go? Standing there with Kale holding on for dear life might convey to Jade she had no shot. He was taken and obviously happy to be so. But there was a small problem. The longer he held on, the worse it got. The pain became less like pins and needles and more like sharp jabs. It was nothing compared to what I’d felt back at the construction site, but it was still there.

A small part of me wondered if it was amping faster than it should. Could I possibly have overdosed on Jade’s aura already? It didn’t seem right. She’d just gotten here, and Kale and I hadn’t had much physical contact.

I should have said something. Right then and there, I should have opened my mouth and asked how long it would take for the effect to diminish, but I couldn’t do it. Kale looked so relieved. And it wasn’t that bad.

Not really…

“And what about you?” Jade cooed. “Or—are you not a Six?”

I pointed to the delicate gold bangle on her wrist. “That’s pretty.”

She held out her arm and gave her wrist a slight shake. The bangle jiggled back and forth, catching the light from the ceiling. Beaming, she said, “It’s from France.”

I reached out and touched the cool metal, then with the other hand, touched the collection of black plastic Silly Bandz on my own wrist. Throbbing in my temples, and a wave of nausea hit hard, but it passed quickly. The more I mimicked, the easier it got. I’d been practicing over the summer. Mimicking at least two small things a day. The effects weren’t as bad, and they didn’t last nearly as long as they used to. When I looked down, the black plastic shimmered and changed until we were both wearing the same thing.

Admittedly, it didn’t look as good on me as it did her. The bright gold was out of place against my too-pale skin. “Mine’s from Target.”

She laughed. The sound was like a thousand tiny bells ringing at once. Delicate, charming—and annoying as hell. “Isn’t that cute!”

Cute? Oh, I’d give her cute…

Ginger must have glanced over at that exact moment and seen my face because she stopped whispering to Mom and stepped between us—unfortunately before I could inflict bodily harm. “I think it’s time for everyone to get some sleep. You all have a big day tomorrow.”

“Big day?” I grumbled, stepping back.

“School starts tomorrow.”

“School?” Kale said with a look of horror. “I can’t go to school.”