Storm Born Page 0,91

away as I stared off at the road ahead of us.

"Eugenie? You all right?"

"No. Not really." I sighed. "That poor girl."

"Starts to make more sense, though, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Isolated from the real world, she starts living in a fantasy one. Then suddenly Aeson gives her the chance to actually live in that one."

He nodded his agreement. "Of course, abduction and rape probably weren't the ways she envisioned escaping off to fairyland."

I stared off again for a while. "She reminds me of me."

The glance he gave me was wry. "You dissociated into a make-believe world that you hoped would become real?"

"No. But I was kind of a loner too. I think I had more friends than her, admittedly, but I always had trouble relating to others. It got worse once Roland made me his apprentice. Hard to get excited about boy bands when you're learning to exorcise ghosts."

"I don't think you missed anything there."

I rewarded him with a smile as I continued thinking. "Even though I didn't have many friends, I always wanted them, wanted to be noticed. If Jasmine's the same, then she probably likes being Aeson's mistress, as sickening as it is. He probably showers her with attention."

"You're right...though I wonder if there's more to it."

"How so?"

"I think a lot of teens feel disconnected sometimes, like no one understands them. I mean, I felt that way lots of times. Not sure I would have welcomed what happened to her as some sort of salvation."

"Me either. But I suppose everyone copes in different ways. I took up solitary things. Running. Swimming."

"Puzzles?"

"Hey," I said. "How'd you know about that?"

"Because you have about a hundred of them in your closet."

I laughed, then reconsidered something he'd just said. "What was it like for you, growing up? You knew from the beginning what you were, right?"

"Yeah. My parents never made that a secret. They accepted that they were from different worlds - literally - and didn't fight that. Growing up with that duality sort of became second nature. Like I said before, I like both worlds, which is why I certainly don't want to see some conquest of this one. Of course, I had plenty of times in my life, particularly when I was young and moody, when I'd get mad at one of my parents. Then I'd swear I'd be all kitsune or all human, depending on who'd pissed me off."

"Your teenage angst must have been a terrible thing," I teased.

"You have no idea."

"Are your parents still together?"

"No. Still amicable. My mom finally stayed in the Otherworld for good once I got older. I see her from time to time. It broke my dad's heart - he was crazy about her - but he remarried and seems to be better off."

I leaned back against the seat. "Now that I know what I am...I kind of wish I'd known sooner. I would have liked to get a head start on my magic and go blow Aeson's castle apart and get Jasmine back."

"You don't know that you can actually do that," he warned. "You're half-human. You may not have gotten all his power."

"Did you get everything your mom has?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

"I can't leave Jasmine there. Not knowing what I know. But I don't know how to get her back."

Kiyo reached over and squeezed my hand. "We'll think of something. Don't worry."

It was a little comforting, but I think we both knew it was the sort of empty, kind statement you say to make someone feel better. I doubted he had any better ideas than I had on how to get Jasmine back.

Kiyo didn't have to work until the next morning, so we decided to go hiking at Sabino Canyon. Physical exertion seemed like a good way to forget about abducted girls, and it was. The temperature pushed into triple digits, and we were exhausted and sweaty as we finally made the return trip down, both of us greedily drinking from water bottles.

I saw him watching me at one point while we stopped to take a break. There was a content and admiring expression on his face, not purely sexual, for a change.

"What?" I asked.

"Your hair. I never realized how red it is. The sun lights it up like a flame."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Very good."

The comfortable look on his face shifted, and I saw the familiar glint of need surface. We didn't say much after that. The rest of our hike and subsequent ride home proceeded in silence, but the air burned between us, hotter