Hunting Shadows (Shadows 3)

“Lucky for me it does.”

I nodded jerkily as I continued to stare at the wrapper. I looked up abruptly when he spoke again, surprised by his close proximity. I hadn’t noticed him moving closer.

“Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?” he asked softly.

I shrugged. “I guess. There wasn’t really anything I wanted.”

“I’m sure Simon was a very happy man on Christmas morning.”

Embarrassment made me flush and I prayed he wasn’t implying that he had heard us make love on Christmas. At the same time, I felt anger start to rise. I didn’t know why Ryan was trying to bait me, as if this was all a big joke to him, but it made me mad. “That’s none of your business.”

I jumped when he covered my hand on the counter with his. “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re my business.”

I just gaped at him as he gazed at me for a few seconds and then walked out of the kitchen. It was then that I started to realize that my father wasn’t the only danger looming in my life. My feelings for Ryan had the ability to destroy everything as well.

Chapter Sixteen

“I had a vision last night,” I told Ryan. It was a few days into the start of classes after winter break and we were in the living room. Everyone else had gone to class, although it was still a hassle to force Simon out the door. I hadn’t told him about my latest vision because I knew he would insist on staying with me, but he couldn’t be glued to my side for the rest of my life.

“What did you see?”

“I saw a girl being drowned in a pool. Her vardoger held her under water until she died.” I shuddered a little as scenes from my vision flashed through my mind, but I kept my emotions under control.

“Did you actually see her vardoger?”

I shook my head. “Not its face. It was dark and her vardoger was kneeling by the pool with its back to me. I could barely make out the girl’s features. I recognized the pool because it’s the indoor one in the student gym. I’ve gone there a few times with Jenny because she loves to swim laps. She’s originally from Florida and she says it’s the closest thing to being on a beach, as depressing as that is.” I smiled a little as I thought about her over-the-top complaints about how Rochester was a wasteland and she didn’t know how she was supposed to survive without a beach nearby.

“Could it have been her?’ Ryan asked. “You said it was dark.”

“No, it definitely wasn’t her. The lighting was dim but I could still see the girl’s face and hair. There’s no way I could have missed Jenny’s red hair. This girl’s hair was light brown.”

Ryan nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Do you remember any other details from the vision?”

We went over my vision, detail by detail, but nothing significant was jarred from my memory.

“I guess the only thing left to do now is go swimming,” Ryan said as he rose from the couch.

“Wait, what?” I looked up at him as I remained seated on the couch.

“We should go to the pool. I think it would be a little odd if we went there fully clothed and stared at the people in the pool. We can just hang out in the water and see what happens.”

The last thing I wanted was to be in a bathing suit in front of Ryan but I couldn’t argue with his logic. The obvious next step was to go to the pool, and it would be a little conspicuous to just stand there watching people.

“Do you even have swimming trunks?” I asked.

“No, but I’m sure I can buy a pair at the store in the student center. Why don’t you go ahead and get changed and then we can stop by the student center before we hit the pool.”

I nodded but my pulse was beating erratically as I made my way to the bedroom. I steeled myself against the fluttery feeling in my stomach and gave myself a stern lecture. This was strictly part of the process of trying to destroy a vardoger and I needed to stop fixating on Ryan seeing me in a bathing suit.

I nixed my bikinis and settled on a plain black one-piece that covered me up the most. I threw on jeans and a sweater over it and went back into the living room.

“Ready?” Ryan asked and I nodded. We got our coats on and walked to the student center, not talking much. I waited near the front of the store while he bought his swim trunks, not wanting to be involved in the selection or purchase. The gym and pool were only a few buildings away so we made it there in no time.

“I’ll meet you at the pool,” Ryan said before we parted ways to our respective locker rooms.

“Sure,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant as I pushed open the door to the girls’ locker room. I quickly shed my clothes and stuffed them into a locker. I looked at myself critically in the full-length mirror before heading out to the pool. I was woefully pale and the stress of the past few weeks had affected my appetite, making me thinner than usual. I had nothing to worry about. I doubted Ryan would look at my body lasciviously since I looked more like Casper the Ghost than a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. I told myself that was a good thing as I opened the door to the pool, grateful that they kept the room heated.

There were a good amount of students already at the pool even though it was morning. There was an area roped off for laps with multiple lanes and then a separate area where students could just relax. I was scanning the room for Ryan when I saw him striding towards me. I felt my insides clench reflexively as I tried not to gawk at him. I had been able to tell that he was in good shape from the way his clothes fit him, but that had in no way prepared me for the sight of him walking towards me bare-chested. He was muscular without being overly bulky and more tanned than a person had a right to be in the middle of January. For a moment I let myself imagine what it would feel like to smooth my hands over his chest and feel his warm skin against mine.