Shadowlands (Shadowlands 1)

“Those guys back there are Bea, Fisher, and Kevin,” Krista told me, slipping one arm around mine and gesturing at the redhead and her two guys. They silently lifted their drinks in greeting. Fisher was tall and linebacker-broad with dark skin and hair shaved so close to his head it was almost nonexistent. Kevin was lanky and pale, with black hair and an intricate fire tattoo cut across his right forearm. “And you know Lauren and Olive.”

Darcy shot me a confused glance.

I cleared my throat, extricating my arm from Krista’s. “Um, I met Lauren and Olive earlier,” I explained to Darcy. “They were riding their bikes past the house.”

Lauren was in the same T-shirt and shorts she’d had on that morning, but Olive had changed into a long-sleeved black sweater over baggy cargo pants. Her dark curls bounced crazily in the ocean breeze. She was the only one without a leather band on her arm, unless it was hidden under her sleeve.

“Hi, Rory,” Olive said.

“Hey,” I said. “This is my sister, Darcy.”

The girls smiled politely at Darcy but said nothing. Darcy cleared her throat and shifted her weight.

“So, Rory, how do you like Juniper Landing so far?” Joaquin asked me, stepping past Darcy and over to my side.

While the rest of the group watched me, I glanced sideways at Darcy, whose smile faltered. She wasn’t used to being ignored, especially not in favor of me. My face grew warm, and suddenly my heart seemed to be pulsating directly against my skin.

“Um, it’s…nice,” I said.

“Have you been into town yet?” Krista asked, toying with her necklace.

“The ice cream at the general store is to die for,” Olive put in.

“And you have to check out the library,” Krista added. “They have an amazing science section.”

My heart thumped. How would Krista know I was into science?

“Because you were wearing that E=mc2 sweatshirt this morning,” Krista explained, clearly reading my startled look. “At least that’s what Lauren told me.”

“Oh,” I said warily, shooting a look at Lauren, who stared straight back at me, as if it wasn’t weird that she’d reported back on my outfit. “Right.”

“She was? God,” Darcy said in an apologetic way, touching my arm. “Forgive my sister. She’s still learning how to dress herself.”

I cocked an annoyed eyebrow at my sister.

“I think she looks fine,” Tristan put in, speaking for the first time. The gravelly timbre of his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

“To each her own,” Darcy sang, tossing her hair back. But I could see the red forming on her cheeks from being contradicted. The beautiful people were supposed to be her people, not mine.

“So, Rory, let’s find someplace to sit,” Joaquin said, reaching his arm around me and giving my shoulder a familiar squeeze. “I like to get to know all our new visitors.”

I’ll bet, I thought, wondering how many girls that line had worked on in the past.

Tristan looked me dead in the eye at this, his expression pained.

“Actually, I’m kind of thirsty,” I said, dodging Joaquin’s touch.

“Fisher’ll get you something,” Joaquin said, tilting his head toward the others. “Right, Fish?”

Instantly, Fisher was by Joaquin’s side, as if ready to do his bidding. I glanced at Darcy, freaked, but she simply glared back at me.

“Um, thanks, but I can get it myself,” I said, angling so I could slide past them.

“You sure?” Joaquin asked.

“Yep! Very sure. I’ll be back,” I told Darcy.

But by the way she was looking at me, it was pretty clear she wouldn’t have minded if she never saw me again.