Rage of Vendetta (The Vendetta Series #2)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Your eyes are flaring."

I almost give myself whiplash turning to Courtney, who is keeping pace alongside me and staring.

"Sorry?"

She wrinkles her nose like she smells an odor again. I know I certainly do: the acrid scent of musky, day-old blood.

"Your eyes," she repeats. Courtney holds two fingers by her temple and widens it in demonstration. "Flaring. On, off."

I rub my eyes vigorously, as if that will help. My fingers are too twitchy, and I end up nearly poking my pupil out.

"Ariel, calm down," Sasha says. "Your eyes going crazy isn't really anything new."

"I'm not worried about my eyes," I say.

It's a lie.

We're nearing the convenience store: the very one where I ran into a spirit, and in consequence, got hauled off to Vendetta House. They can't possibly blame me for being slightly jittery. If anything, they should be more worried I can suddenly turn cannibal. They trust me far too much.

"Ariel, are you okay?" Jesse whispers from my other side.

"Fine," I answer quickly. Maybe a teensy bit too quickly. I clear my throat. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

He winces; looks down. "You're kind of cutting off my blood circulation."

I drop his arm like it was a hot wire, having not even realized I was clutching it in a death grip.

"Sorry, sorry," I mutter. "Okay, seriously, does anyone else smell that?"

"Smell what?" Eric asks. "Coldness? I think my nostril hairs are freezing over."

Sasha slants him a strange look. "Gross. Are you sure we should keep going? Last time it was Ariel who couldn't smell something and look what happened. When your special snowflake tendencies kick in, something is about to go down."

I give her a weak glare, but her words stir worry in me nonetheless.

But then Jesse says, "Blood, you mean? I smell it."

I sigh in relief.

Vee and Courtney exchange a look. "We don't," Vee answers for the both of them.

Sasha tilts her head, inhaling deeply. "Nope. I can't smell a thing. Eric?"

"I can't," he replies shaking his head. He stops, and tilts it. His purple streaks take on a glow. "But the nearby dogs can. They're afraid."

Dogs? I open my mouth to ask, but promptly shut it as the convenience store comes into view.

"Let's... keep quiet, okay?" I whisper, speeding up. "There's something here I really don't want to see."

"Your eyes are flaring too," Courtney says to Jesse, completely ignoring my warning to keep quiet.

"Courtney!" I whisper. "Shh!"

She frowns. "If it's spirits you're worried about, you know that they can't hear, right?"

"I don't care." I hug my arms, trying to smooth down the rising goosebumps. "Just keep quiet."

As we lurk past the store, I glance in, seeing only a half-asleep cashier. The aisles are devoid of life.

Diverting my gaze forward, I can only pray this area stays sans supernatural.

I jump three feet into the air when I feel fingertips running along my arm, but it's only Sasha, making fun of the goosebumps on my skin. I whack her away, hurrying my pace.