“What about Liam?” I asked through numb lips.

Talleyʼs focus shifted to the right of my head again. “What about him?”

“Heʼs capable of ki...hurting me, isnʼt he?”

“I donʼt know.”

I did. He was more than capable, he was willing.

I grabbed a bottle from the lotion fort. “I need to get dressed,” I said. “Iʼll be out in a minute.” Talley nodded and got up to leave. She paused with one hand on the door. “Iʼm not a Future Seer, Scout. No one is going to hurt you.”

I forced up the corners of my mouth. “I know. Itʼs no big,” I said, grateful that I was capable of lying convincingly.

Chapter 17

Finding out that Liam Cole might kill me was disturbing to say the least, but I had been aware of the possibility since August. Sure, I lost some sleep those first few nights after Talleyʼs revelation, but eventually I was able to stop obsessing to the point of distraction. That didnʼt mean, however, I had forgotten.

“You know, having my guts ripped out by a werewolf is starting to sound not so bad,” I said as Talley jabbed me in the skull with a bobby pin.

“Must we resort to gallows humor?” Talley used unnecessary force as she situated another long strand of hair onto the back of my head.

“Well, itʼs bound to hurt less. What on earth are you doing back there?”

“Trying to get this to stay in place. I swear, even your hair is stubborn.”

“You donʼt really have to go to the trouble. Whatʼs the point? Itʼs not like I have an actual prom date.”

“Alex will be there. Donʼt you want to look nice for him?” When Alex found out I was being forced into attending prom, he decided to go too. I suggested that he ask Joi, since she had recently been dumped by John Davis. I knew better than to be jealous, and I wasnʼt, but I did feel like a loser.

“Okay, thatʼs it.” Talley doused my head with half a can of industrial strength, only-for-Southern-women hairspray. “Go look,” she said, pointing to the full length mirror mounted on the wall.

I didnʼt recognize the girl staring back at me. The dress Mrs. Matthews constructed looked like something out of an edgy fairy tale. She had attached layers upon layers of sheer gossamer material in a range of soft metallic shades to the crazy corset/bodice. The cut gave the illusion of a tiny waist and sizable chest, while the colors make my skin, hair, and eyes look more ethereal than freakish. Oddly enough, the messy up-do Talley had arranged on top of my head looked elegant and sexy.

“I thought you guys were Seers, not witches.”

“Witches?”

“Yeah, witches. Only witches are capable of magical transformations of this degree. Well, witches and fairies. Are you and your mom fairies?”

Talley laughed and came to stand beside me. “So, you like it? Do you feel pretty, oh so pretty?”

“I did until I saw myself next to you.” Talleyʼs dress was the more glamorous of Mrs.

Matthewsʼs prom creations. It was cut to make Talley look like a voluptuous sex goddess and was dyed the exact same shade of blue as her eyes. Her hair hung in perfect, shiny spiral curls. “Poor James. Heʼs not going to know what hit him.” A hint of red colored her creamy cheeks. “Itʼs not like that. Iʼm not trying to seduce him or anything. I just want him to have one nice night, one night to feel like he belongs, in his entire high school career.”

“Saint Talley,” I teased.

A knock on the door prevented Talley from shrugging off the comment in her trademark modesty or delivering a speech on how we should always do the right thing, whichever she was preparing. It was okay; I had heard them both before.

Mrs. Matthews stuck her head in the door, giving us a rare look of approval. “Well, you girls look just as pretty as a picture,” she said, her Appalachian accent becoming more pronounced in her obvious cheerful state. “I canʼt believe how grown up youʼre getting.” He eyes glistened in the light and I feared that she was going to shed an actual tear.

“Thank you, Mrs. Matthews. This dress is amazing. Youʼve really outdone yourself,” I said, remembering my manners.

Mrs. Matthews eyes critically trailed over me. “I shouldʼve put a bit more material up top.

Your mama ainʼt going to be proud that youʼre showing off your breasts to God and everybody.” Okay, now I was blushing. Mrs. Matthews shouldnʼt talk about my boobs and who could see them. Ever. And she really shouldnʼt try to readjust the top of my dress so they were better concealed, but I was too mortified to mention that to her.

“I reckon that will have to do,” she said, sighing at my bosom. “Your dates are getting tired of waiting on you two out there.”

“Dates?”

“What? Is that not the right thing to call them nowadays? Are they hooker-uppers?”

“Hooker-uppers?” I didnʼt know what that was supposed to be, but it sounded dirty.

“Scout is going stag, Mom. That means that she doesnʼt have a date.” It also meant I was pathetic, but whatever.

“Well, someone should have told that poor boy sitting in my living room.” Talley and I exchanged a look of confusion before rushing down the hall. Mrs. Matthews wasnʼt kidding. There were, indeed, dates. James sat on the edge of the loud floral print sofa like he was prepared to bolt out the door at a momentʼs notice. He looked...well, not good, but better. His hair had been washed and brushed, and he wore a tux as opposed to his normal too-short Wal-Mart jeans and Nintendo T-Shirt. Of course, the tux looked two sizes too big and the angry red marks on his face were more obvious without a curtain of greasy hair to hide them, but it was an improvement.

In contrast, the other guy looked like a GQ model perched on the arm of the sofa.

“Charlie?”

“Itʼs Hagan. Charles Hagan,” he said in a rather remarkable Sean Connery impersonation.

“What are you doing here?”

He stood up and straightened his jacket. “I am here to escort you to the dance, mʼ lady.”

“Since when?”

“Dammit. I knew I forgot something. Okay, here we go.” He took a deep breath and affected a look that reeked of fake sincerity. “Scout, will you please go to prom with me?”

“Nope.”

“Too bad. Iʼm taking you anyway.”

“Listen, I know Jase put you up to this--”

Charlie executed a snort-chuckle hybrid and shook his head. “Jase didnʼt put me up to anything. I drove four hours, rented this stupid monkey suit, and bought some rather attractive flowers because I wanted to take you to the prom. Now, say youʼll go with me.” I felt certain there were other reasons bringing Charlie to Timber this particular weekend, but I let it slide. “Let me see those flowers.”