Destiny's Fire - By Trisha Wolfe Page 0,16

a rabbit or deer move. Nothing. There was nothing there. Maybe just a squirrel or another small animal. But for a moment, I had the strangest feeling that something was watching me.

I took a sip and walked back to the clearing, joining the others. But the eerie feeling stayed with me.

Chapter Five

I FOLLOWED LANA UP the stairs to her room. “I really need to bathe,” I said, sniffing her tank. “I’m pretty ripe.”

Lana glanced over her shoulder as she opened the door. “Yeah, but it’s totally worth it. You got Jace good today.”

I beamed. Even if I had won by an “unfair advantage” according to Jace, I was stoked.

Lana pulled the chain next to her bed, and the gas lamps brightened, slowly revealing her black walls and chrome furniture. She had very eclectic taste. I loved her room. I spent more time here than I did in my own house.

I fell against her soft down comforter, burying my face in the cool material. I wanted to enjoy the feel of everything around me as much as I could. In a couple of days, my birthday would be here, and I had no idea how long I’d go through the change. Fear crept over me, tugging at my high mood, but I pushed it away. I reveled in my victory for a moment longer before prying myself from the luxury of her bed, and headed toward the shower.

I turned the dial, and water flowed out in a wide spray from the copper fixture. I quickly tossed Lana’s clothes in the basket beside the claw-foot tub and climbed into the warmth. It was like being under a small waterfall. Another reason why I loved her house. I ran my hands through my hair, un-kinking the tangles as I lathered the liquid soap. My mind drifted, and Reese’s glowing red eyes stared at me from the backs of my lids.

My eyes shot open. I spun the dial on the tiled wall, shutting off the water, and stepped out of the tub. I closed the curtain behind me and slipped into Lana’s bathrobe. I began towel drying my hair, but paused, straining to hear the voices coming from Lana’s room.

Cracking the door, I peeked out to see Jace and Nick sitting on the floor. “What’s up?” I asked, pushing the door all the way open.

Jace glanced up, his eyes scanning my robe before he quickly looked away. “We’re talking about what to—”

“Do for your birthday!” Lana interrupted and squealed.

“Lana!” Nick scolded. “You weren’t supposed to say anything yet.” He shook his head.

My eyes grew wide. “But it’s not my birthday.” I walked across the room and grabbed my bag.

Jace cleared his throat. “Yeah, but you’ll be kind of busy on that day. So we figured tonight would be a good night to celebrate.”

“Thanks. But, I didn’t really bring anything celebrate-y to wear.” I frowned.

“Whatever,” Lana said. “You can borrow something of mine.” She bobbed her head toward her closet.

“Oh, right.” I hooked my arm through my bag. “Because I just loved my barely there ensemble earlier.”

“Jace,” Lana whined. “Tell her she looked good. You know she did.”

Jace bowed his head, pressing his lips into a hard line. I felt my face flush and headed back toward the bathroom to change into my clothes from that morning. But Lana stood and blocked my retreat.

“No,” she said, cupping my shoulders and spinning me around. “I’ll pick something out. I promise it won’t be like those little shorts. That’s just all I had with me.” She guided me to her closet.

She picked out a pair of dark brown leather pants—which I didn’t mind—and a pale pink and cream lace corset. I swear, the girl owned every corset ever made. It was the style, but she loved them more than anything. This one wasn’t as short as her others, so I didn’t argue and went to the bathroom to change.

After I was dressed, I ran my fingers through my damp hair and added some of Lana’s makeup—rimming my eyes with kohl and smearing gloss across my lips. I was relieved to see the hickey had faded and I didn’t have to cover it. Being Kythan had its advantages, I thought, as I shrugged in the mirror. I actually looked pretty good.

When I emerged, they were discussing where to go. “I think we should go to Cogs,” Lana said.

Nick craned an eyebrow. “Are you mad? You know those Narcos will be there looking for trouble. You just want to