Incubus by Jennifer Quintenz Read Free Book Online

powerful
    demon.
    “When Gretchen and I first discovered the Guard, we hooked up with this unit. Their oldest soldier
    was this guy Anders. He must have been 60. Tough.” Lucas smiled faintly at some memory. “He had
    this saying; ‘don’t go looking for tomorrow’s trouble, it’ll come find you. Just be ready when it
    does.’”
    “That’s supposed to be comforting?”
    Lucas laughed softly. “Right. Yeah, it sounds pretty terrible, doesn’t it? But I think what he meant
    was worrying about what might happen doesn’t help.” The bell rang, and Lucas sighed. “When trouble
    comes, I’ll be standing right by your side.” He leaned his forehead against mine and we stood there for
    a long moment, drawing strength from one another. Then he turned and walked down the hallway.
    With a leaden stomach, I walked into first period. I spotted Cassie and dropped my books onto the
    empty desk beside her. She looked up, startled, then smiled.
    “Hey, rock star.”
    “Huh?” I saw Cassie’s grin deepen and she pointed down to the school newspaper on her desk.
    “You’re kind of a big deal,” she said. Her eyes flicked lightly around the room.
    I turned and noticed most of the class staring at me with varying degrees of interest. More than
    one guy straightened when my gaze passed over him. I groaned under my breath and snatched the
    paper up off Cassie’s desk. Someone had snapped a picture in the mission. It must have been just after
    the Thrall had attacked Lucas, but neither of them were in the shot. I was standing in the middle of the
    sanctuary, hair streaming back from my face, my eyes shining with furious power.
    Someone slid into the desk on my other side. I braced myself, expecting to find a dreamy-eyed boy
    giving me a watery smile. I’d learned from experience that the best thing to do in these situations was
    to end the crush before it had a chance to grow. But as I turned, my prepared speech died on my lips.
    It was Amber. She gave me a cool glance, then turned her attention to the front of class where Mr.
    Landon was writing today’s lesson on the board.
    At 8:05, morning announcements began as they always did. Headmaster Fiedler read through the
    day’s notes with his usual cheerful efficiency, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was trying to figure out
    why Amber was sitting next to me, ignoring me. There were other seats available, including one by
    her friend Missy.
    Headmaster Fiedler finished with the day’s announcements and his voice brightened. “Okay, last
    but not least, we’ve got a special announcement from the drama department for you this morning.”
    A tinny recording filled the room.
    “ I’m ready, ” came a girl’s hushed voice.
    “ Are you sure? ” a boy asked. Something prickled on the back of my neck.
    “ I think I love you, Parker, ” came the sweet reply.
    Cassie gripped the desk beside me, her body going rigid with shock.
    The muffled sounds of kissing, the rustle of sheets, then a pause.
    “ Cassie? ” Parker’s voice sounded exasperated. “ I thought you wanted this. ”
    “ It’s just— I’ve never done this before, ” the recorded Cassie breathed. Students started giggling, a
    few glanced at Cassie. Cassie’s face could have been carved from stone. Her eyes found mine with
    silent, desperate pleading. “ Can we go slow? ”
    Titters spread throughout the classroom.
    “Um,” Mr. Landon realized at last that this was not the drama department’s special announcement.
    “Okay, clearly there’s been—” he rushed to the speaker, trying to locate an off-switch he’d never
    needed before. The recorded sounds of movement grew louder. Cassie leapt to her feet, knocking over
    her chair in her haste to escape. She fled the classroom, horrified. I stood to follow her.
    “No, just— Stay in your seats,” Mr. Landon said, racing out the door after Cassie.
    I grabbed Cassie’s and my bags, ready to drive her away from this place, my heart