Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

about you, young lady,? Castor said, turning politely to Helen.

?Luke told me he had to be, well, a bit rough. Did he hurt you??

Castor inquired. On the surface, it seemed like he had extraordinarily

good manners, but Helen didn?t buy it. He was just trying to

gauge how strong she was.

?I?m fine,? she replied tartly. ?Not a scratch.?

His eyes widened ever so slightly. She didn?t know why she was

baiting a full-grown man, a very big man in the prime of his life at

that, but she simply couldn?t help herself. Usually, she hated arguments

so much she couldn?t even bear to watch those trashy daytime

talk shows where everyone screamed at each other, and here

she was for the second time in half an hour looking to mix it up

with someone much bigger and stronger than she was. Thankfully,

she wasn?t as desperate to kill Castor the way she had been with his

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son. No one had ever enraged Helen the way that Lucas had, but

she still wanted to put a few dents in Castor?s fender. That urge

confused her deeply.

?I?m glad you?re all right,? Castor said with a smile, diffusing the

situation. He turned to the principal and made it clear that he and

his family did not want Helen punished. As far as he was concerned

Helen had been ill, and the whole incident should be forgotten.

He left as abruptly as he had entered.

As soon as Castor?s footsteps faded away, the sobbing sister vanished

and the whispering stopped. Helen no longer felt angry. She

slumped down onto the cot like a balloon with a fast leak.

?You?d best take her home now, Jerry,? Mrs. Crane said with a

no-nonsense voice and a comforting smile. ?Lots of fluids, no direct

light, and get her to take a cool bath to bring her core temperature

down. All right??