Void(39)

Hyde turned and stopped, making my steps falter. He invaded my space, keeping his eyes locked on mine as he slithered forward like a snake, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. “But if you were invisible, I wouldn’t see you now,” he said quietly, making my heart skip. “And I’ve always wanted to see a Void up close.” ...And my dumb, skipping heart just face-planted on the asphalt.

I buried all of my emotions and stupid hope in the deepest hole I could find inside of myself. I needed to stop letting myself get trampled when it came to these damn paragons. “Maybe I should stay. You said yourself that the headmaster doesn’t want me to come. If the judge wants me, he can come see me. Besides, no one wants me to crash their big, fancy ball. I’m dangerous, remember?”

“Dangerous, yes. But aren’t all supers?”

I paused. “Well, technically, yes. But it’s different.”

He tilted his head. “Is it? I guess so,” he said with a shrug. “You’re a Void. I recognize death when I see it. You take, I bring back to life. I wouldn’t exist if there weren’t predators like you. Nature always has a balance. It’s no different with supers.” He laughed brightly, lips parting to let the chuckle escape. “There’s always got to be balance, Void,” he added while tapping his temple in a manic gesture before whirling around and continuing on his way. “Come on. I think you’re going to make this ball memorable.”

I followed after him, not sure if Hyde was an ally or an enemy, and something told me I wouldn’t be finding out any time soon.





Chapter 10





It was official. I hated balls.

I was standing in the shadowed corner, wishing I could just hug the wall and bury myself behind the wood paneling. No such luck.

The students of Thibault Academy were all dressed like movie stars on the red carpet. We were in the huge ballroom I hadn’t even known existed until about fifteen minutes ago when Hyde escorted me in. He’d gotten distracted by a dead moth on the windowsill and then wandered outside to the gardens, where he found a pile of dead lightning bugs that he then decided to revive. Needless to say, I was on my own.

I’d stayed in the corner, wishing my power was to turn invisible, and for the most part, it had worked so far. The students were too busy brown-nosing the council members or grinding on each other on the dance floor to notice me.

When a waitress breezed by, I snatched up two glasses of champagne. The waitress turned to me, startled, as if she hadn’t noticed that I was there. I forced a smile before guzzling them both down, one after the other. Of course, my Void didn’t allow for the alcohol to actually affect me, but it was worth a shot.

“Oh. I’m sorry,” she said with a short nod of her blonde head. Obviously, she had no idea who I was.

“No worries,” I told her.

Her eyes took in my jeans and tee, and she grimaced on my behalf. “No time to get a dress?”

“Considering I just found out about this ball seventeen minutes ago...no.”

She nodded and looked around before setting her tray down on the grand piano. “I might be able to help. Come this way.”

I opened my mouth to tell her not to bother, but she was already walking briskly away, her black pumps tapping on the parquet floor. She led me out into the hall and then pulled open a coat closet. Inside, she strode straight past all the coats hanging up, heading for an armoire at the back. “The staff kept some extra dresses in case we could get off early tonight and join in,” she explained, throwing the doors open.

“Here,” she said pulling out a light pink dress and thrusting it in my direction. “This was mine, but I won’t be able to wear it. I got scheduled until midnight.”

I shook my head and backed away. “Oh, no. I can’t take your dress.”

She smiled at me, revealing just how pretty she was. She was understated but had that adorable girl-next-door look to her. All friendly eyes and kind words, probably late twenties. I wondered what would happen when she figured out who I was.

“Really, I’m fine,” I insisted. “I probably won’t stay long.”

“Trust me, you aren’t fine,” she laughed lightly. “Just take it, will you? This dress might as well get some attention tonight. Let me live vicariously through you.”

Grudgingly, I took the dress from her and fiddled at the thin straps. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Just leave it here when you’re done. I’ve got to get back. Have fun!”

With that, she hurried out, leaving me alone. I stared at the dress, my mouth still twisted into a grimace. I didn’t want to go back out there, but at least if I had this on, I could blend in better. With a sigh, I yanked off my clothes and tugged the dress over my head. I struggled a bit to zip it up, but with some tricky maneuvers, I finally managed it without throwing my arms out of their sockets.

I looked at myself in the mirror and wrinkled my nose. Pink. I was wearing nice, blushing, rose pink. I never wore pink. My wardrobe usually matched the smoke of my Void. It was easier to hide in the shadows that way. With this thing, I was going to be like a damn pink beacon. It looked particularly unique with my black combat boots.

Oh, well. As Reed would say, get your shit together and stop hiding in the corner. At thoughts of him, a rolling wave of sadness rocked through me. I missed him and knew he was probably worried sick. I needed to get a cell phone, fast. If he were here, he’d walk through the room with me on his arm, snarling at anyone that gave me a dirty look. I had a feeling that even vamps and shifters wouldn’t intimidate him. He was fearlessly loyal, and I felt bad that I hadn’t even reached out to him since coming here. First thing tomorrow I was making finding a cell phone a priority.