Incubus by Jennifer Quintenz Read Free Book Online Page B

head, the promise sounded hollow.

    Cassie refused to leave school, and so when lunch rolled around we took our seats at our usual table.
    Cassie sat with her back to the wall, facing out into the dining room.
    “Let them all get it out of their system,” she murmured, facing the gawking student body
    fearlessly. But I saw her hand shaking as she reached for a roll, and she couldn’t keep herself from
    jumping a little each time someone laughed in the dining hall. “Butter?” She said, forcing a cheerful
    note into her voice.
    I grabbed the butter dish and handed it to Cassie, leaning past Lucas. I’d overestimated my reach,
    and had to brush against him to pass the dish to Cassie. I felt his intake of breath as I pressed against
    him. I sat back quickly. Lucas’s fingers twitched on the table, and I could practically feel his desire to
    touch me. In the dream we might spend an entire night entwined. But the sensations of the most
    intimate embrace in a dream were dwarfed by the sensations of the simplest touch in reality.
    “Sorry,” I whispered.
    “Don’t be,” Lucas answered, forcing a smile. “I knew what I was getting into. Besides, as hard as
    this is right now, think how great it’s going to be when we can be together for real.” He reached under
    the table to give my hand the briefest squeeze. I squeezed back.

    “Shut up! Just shut up!” Parker’s voice cut across the din of the dining hall.
    Lucas and I turned to see Parker standing beside Amber’s table, furious. Ally said something to
    Parker that we couldn’t hear, but Amber and her friends snickered. Parker brushed Ally’s arm off his
    shoulder and strode away from her. Ally stared after him, pissed. Parker shot an agonized look at
    Cassie.
    I looked back at Cassie, but she was steadfastly ignoring Parker. Devastated, Parker walked out of
    the dining hall. Lucas looked at me again, worried. I shook my head. There’d be time to talk about
    Parker—and how he might be resisting the power of the call —later.
    Royal cleared his throat as though nothing had happened. “So,” he said. “Chuck Norris marathon at
    my house this weekend. Who’s in?”
    “Depends. Who’s Chuck Norris?” I asked.
    “Chuck Norris,” Lucas said, looking at me like I was an alien. “Chuck Norris.”
    “Repeating his name isn’t actually helping,” I said.
    “Cassie? Chuck Norris.” Lucas turned to Cassie for backup.
    She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m with Braedyn on this one.”
    “How do you not know—?” Lucas turned back to Royal.
    “I find it’s best not to ask that question,” Royal sighed. “The gaps in their education are really
    quite shocking.” Royal turned to us, steepling his hands like a professor addressing two errant school
    kids. “Ladies, prepare yourselves. After this weekend, Chuck Norris will be a permanent fixture in
    your minds. You’re welcome in advance.”
    Cassie and I traded a smile, and I felt a wave of relief wash through me. Maybe she really was
    going to be okay.
    Suddenly, a rich, masculine voice cut through the dining hall chatter.
    “Hello, Coronado Prep!” We turned, along with the rest of the school, to see a handsome man
    stepping up onto a chair at the front of the dining room. “For those of you who don’t yet know me, my
    name is Mr. Hart, and I’m the new drama teacher for this august institution.” Someone whistled and
    the room filled with giggles. Mr. Hart waved in the direction of the whistle, unperturbed. “Listen up,
    you talented masses. If any tiny particle of you yearns for the spotlight, come audition for our fall
    production of Camelot. I can guarantee passion, heartbreak, and everlasting love. Maybe even a little
    hero-worship. Will it be corny? Yeah, maybe, but in that fuzzy-no-one-gets-hurt kind of way that
    reaffirms your faith in humanity.”
    Laughter swelled throughout the dining hall again. Mr. Hart evidently knew how to make an
    impression.
    “Recap: Audition! You know you