"I'm not going to let him tag me," I say on the way to Gabriel's house.
"I wish you would. That'd be the surest way. But there are other things that might be almost as good."
"Like what?"
"Being a Dominion, he's privy to information I'm not. He's also got power I can only dream of."
I think about our kiss-how it made me feel-and raise my hand to my lips and sigh.
"What's going on with you two?" Luc's voice is soft, but with an edge.
"Nothing." I think.
"You're a terrible liar."
"I'm not-" lying, I start to say. But I am. 'Cause there is something going on. I just have no idea what it is. "I kissed him."
Luc slams on the brakes, skidding to the side of the road. "You what?"
"I kissed him."
He just stares at me, rage storming in his eyes. "When?"
"Before us-mostly," I say.
"Mostly? What's mostly?"
And his rage triggers my own. "You know what? It's none of your business. At least he wasn't nearly naked in my goddamn bed! And I'm still not convinced you weren't doing Avaira!"
His jaw clenches and his eyes narrow. "Did he kiss you back?"
I slide down in the seat and cross my arms tight across my chest to keep from hitting him. "I told you, it's none of your business."
"Well this is just rich," he says, his voice acid, "not only are you bringing down demons, but Dominions too." He pulls back up onto the road and stares blindly out the windshield. "So, do you want him? Because whatever you want, you can pretty much have, what with the whole Sway thing."
I glare at him. "Just take me home."
I keep my arms wrapped tightly around me. The ache in my chest threatens to dissolve into angry tears, but I force myself not to cry. I won't give him the satisfaction.
He pulls over on the side of the road again and just sits there, staring straight ahead-forever.
"I can walk from here," I finally say, reaching for the door handle.
"Stop." His hand darts out and grasps my wrist.
I jerk my arm away. "Let go!" But when I turn to look at him, his face is soft and his eyes are deep.
"Frannie, please try to remember that I'm new at this. I've still got feelings-emotions-raging through me that I can't even begin to identify. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with them. I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry."
I fight against the tears again. I really want to be mad at him. I want to hate him, 'cause it feels safer than loving him.
I tug on the door handle. "Too late." I step out of the car, but before I get ten feet, he's there, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
"Let go of me!"
A passing car slows and pulls onto the shoulder just as I pull Luc's arm off me and throw him over my shoulder onto the ground. A tall, skinny man about my dad's age gets out and looks at me with wide eyes. "Do you need help, miss?"
I look down at Luc, and, for a second, I'm madder, 'cause he's laughing.
"You think it's funny?" I sneer. But then I realize how ridiculous we must look, and there's no stopping the stupid smile that pulls at my lips.
"Miss?" the guy says, taking a cautious step toward us.
Luc pulls himself off the ground as I break into an uncontrollable giggle. He looks at the guy. "We're fine…" his gaze shifts back to me, "I think."
I can't stop laughing, but I nod.
The guy doesn't look sure, so I work really hard to stop giggling. "Thank you, but I'm okay."
He eyes Luc warily. "If you're sure."
I clear my throat and try to look serious. "I'm sure."
As he climbs back in his car and pulls away, I feel Luc's arms snake around my waist and pull my body into his. "Are you done beating me up?" Luc says into my hair, and I can hear the smile in his voice.
"Maybe." I spin in his arms and wipe a smudge of dirt off his cheek. "Are you done pissing me off?"
He grins. "Maybe."
He grabs my hand and tows me back to the car. But as we pull away, something he said hits me hard, like a fist to the gut, and I feel suddenly sick.
"Do you think I cheated?"
He loops his arm over my shoulders. "What?"
"You just said I could pretty much have whatever I wanted. Did I make you love me?"
He turns and looks into my eyes, a bemused smile on his perfect lips. "You did."
"No, I mean did I make you love me. Like, you didn't really want to but my… influence-this Sway thing or whatever it is that Gabe thinks I can do-like, made you."
"That's irrelevant."
"Not to me."
"Frannie, what matters is that what I feel is real and genuine. I wouldn't want to go back to what I was. How I got here doesn't matter, just that I'm here."
"That's just stupid. That's like saying I beat you in poker 'cause I stacked the deck, but you're glad I have all your money."
"If you took my money and bought me paradise with it, I would be glad you had it. And that's what you've done." He reaches for me and draws me to his shoulder. I shove him away and look out the window as he pulls back out into the road. I feel his eyes on me, but I can't look at him, knowing what I've done. I've given a whole new meaning to the term "mind games." But more, in some selfish little corner of my mind, I hate that he didn't fall in love with me. He was pushed. He doesn't love me for me. He loves me 'cause he had no choice.