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my breathing to normalize, the tension to ease from my bunched muscles, the dark thoughts to fade away, dissolving until they are no longer capable of hurting anyone.
    I slide down the wall and lower my head into my shaky hands. I knew leaving behind all I’ve ever been would have its hard days, but did it have to be today? Must my struggle happen in front of the one guy who’s ever made my entire being hum with awareness and want? And, oh yeah, he’s a frickin’ hunter!
    I must learn to control my emotions and powers better, something I’ve rarely been forced to do. And unless I want to leave my new home, I have to rid myself of this dangerous attraction to the absolute worst guy in the world for me.
    Why do I have the feeling harnessing black magic will be the easier of the two?

Chapter Three
     
    I very nearly cut school, but the thought of starting over yet again is too overwhelming. I’ll make this work, even if I do have to walk the same halls as a hunter and Paris Hilton wannabes.
    After changing into track pants and a tee, I wait in the shadows beside the bleachers until I hear the P.E. class head outside. Only then do I slip into the gym and toward the back of the group. Which just happens to be where Keller is. He catches sight of me and falters for a moment before turning his attention back to his progress. Awareness arcs between us like fingers of lightning. He has to feel it, too. That kind of power can’t just be one way. Right?
    The thought nearly stops me. Despite my previous dismissal of the idea, could he be more than a hunter? Have I been wrong in what I’ve always believed about how bloodstones work? Could Keller have some sort of supernatural power, too? My heart skips a beat, almost hoping he isn’t completely human. But that’s crazy. As a rule, supernatural hunters aren’t themselves supernatural.
    As soon as I fall into step behind Keller, I feel something bubble inside him, a question. When we walk out into the bright sunshine, it showcases the golden streaks in his hair.
    Without stopping, he turns halfway toward me. “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”
    He looks at me then and stops. “You’re sure?”
    I can’t help smiling, even knowing what he is. “Yes. Just a bit of an overwhelming day.”
    “It’ll get better.” It’s such a common phrase people toss out in such situations, but he sounds so sincere that I latch onto his words as if they are a promise.
    “Any day now, people,” Coach Billings says as he motions for us, and a few other stragglers, to catch up to the group.
    As Keller and I walk side by side, I sense the stares. And this time there’s more than the jealous girls staring at me and the guys plotting their moves to be close to me. Now Keller is catching a few dagger-like glares as well. The other guys do not like that he’s walking and talking with me.
    How long before the newness wears off and people stop staring? It can’t be soon enough.
    “It looks like your popularity rating is slipping with each step,” I say, suddenly finding it easier to talk to him.
    “Oh, darn.”
    We look at each other and smile. My heart soars so high I expect it to shoot out of the top of my head.
    Hunter, hunter, hunter. Why do I have to keep reminding myself?
    Because based on our limited interactions, he seems nice. But it’s more than that. There is something solid and understated about Keller, like he’s comfortable in his own skin. If I hadn’t seen him with the bloodstone, I’d never have pegged him as a hunter. Good thing I’d seen it then. Corralling my power around everyone is important, but him even more so.
    The coach splits us into two baseball teams, much to the dismay of some of our classmates. I catch the look of triumph on Stacy’s face when she’s placed on the same team as Keller, leaving me on the opposing team with a bunch of people I don’t know. If I were still with my own kind, I could deal with a self-confident