Of Darkness (Supernatural Mates Book One)

|04| Persistence Isn't Futile

|Persistence Isn't Futile|

     Aspen wasn't lying when he said he didn't give up easily. Even after I was nothing but a jerk to him in Fairfold Forest he continued to be persistent in his pursuit. Even when I would blatantly ignore him, he would continue to talk to me. Other than the fact that he seemed to be trying to prove he never gave up, I didn't know why he was still trying to talk to me. He looked like a crazy person trying to carry on a conversation with someone that clearly didn't want to be conversed with. It looked like he was talking to himself.

     Not that I'm one to judge; I always look like I'm talking to myself. But in self-defense I was actually talking to Dean, just, no one could see him.

     It's not like Aspen's pursuit went unnoticed either. Rory had been a royal ass to me by cornering me in the hall between periods and telling me, "Stay away from my friend you freak. I don't need your body finder germs rubbing off on him.

     "Body finder germs? I have to give it to you Becker, that's a new one. Bravo." There was a special place in my heart reserved for Rory, and that was the utter most bitchiest part of me.

     He had me constrained against a locker in the deserted hallway, his forearm pressed against my neck, but not enough to leave a bruise; just enough to be threatening. "Death follows you everywhere." He spat out cruelly. "I don't need it following him either; he's had to deal with that enough in his life."

     For once in his life, Rory had stunned me. For one thing Rory—Rory fucking Becker—was concerned about someone other than himself, and what did he even mean by that? What did it mean that Aspen had had enough of that in his life? I didn't want to dwell on it too much because something else bothered me about his words. It wasn't the part about Death following me everywhere because that was the honest to God truth—it did. But it was the part about Death following Aspen. The shadowy ring that wrapped around his neck flashed in my mind immediately.

     I shoved Rory away with two hands, seeing as I was physically weaker than he is. My signature glare encompassed my expression too. Luce had always told me that my face would get stuck that way if I kept it up. I didn't care though. "Too late Becker."

     He raised his arm to trap me again, but I slapped his hand away. He glowered at me, his blue eyes turning into a cool gray. He took a step away from me like he had been burned by fire. "What does that mean?"

     I sucked in a sharp breath, my cheeks puffing out in frustration. I always said the wrong thing at the wrong time. When would I ever learn to stop doing that?

     I looked into Rory's eyes, my glare just as fierce as his. I hated to admit it, but I saw something human in him that shook me to the core. Rory had always gave off an I-don't-give-a-shit and fuck-the-world attitude all the time that it was hard to believe he cared about anyone except for himself. But here he was looking angry and scared as hell about what I had just told him.

     "Nothing."

     "No, not nothing." He gripped my shoulders tightly in his hands and shook me. "Look at me Raven," My eyes snapped up to his. It was the first time he had ever called me by my name. For the last 14 years that I had been going to school with him it had always been munchkin (since he thought I was so puny like the munchkins in The Wizard of Oz), Arring, freak; never my actual name. "Tell me what's going on or so help me God I will tear you a part limb from bloody fucking limb. If something is wrong I want you to tell me."

     I bit my lip nervously and looked away from him. The intensity of his fear stricken expression was scaring me. What was I supposed to tell him? He wouldn't understand. He was the last person to understand. "Um..."