Crave (Harlequin Teen)

could you do a spell to keep him away from me? I know it’s my fault, but it would be such a big help. Thanks so much!’” I shook my head. “Yeah, that would go over so well.”
    She sighed and put the truck back into gear. “Well, you can always go with plan B. See how long it really takes for the effects to wear off without help.”
    The only problem was…that evil side deep within me didn’t want the effects to wear off Tristan. Ever. “Or there’s plan C.”
    “Which is?”
    “Do what my father wants, switch schools and move in with him.”
    “Oh, you will not move in with your dad! Coleman can just get over it naturally. I’m not losing my best friend just because some player finally got hit with a dose of karma.”
    I sighed, my shoulders slumping in defeat. No matter what I did, someone was going to be hurt. And it would be all my fault. Again.
     
    That night as I climbed into bed, I wondered…what if I really had dream connected with Tristan last night? Would he try to connect with me again tonight? And if he did, should I try to end the dream? If he didn’t see me anymore, at least romantically, maybe the effects would wear off faster. It seemed almost cruel to encourage his feelings for me when, as Anne had clearly pointed out, they obviously were just a product of the gaze daze.
    Which meant nothing about our date had been real, either. The dancing, the kisses, his asking to see me again… He was just acting from a vampire effect I’d put on him.
    And I was a horrible, selfish person for even partly wanting him to stay under that spell.
    Reluctantly, I took off my gold locket. If we dream connected again tonight, I would do the right thing and tell him I couldn’t date him anymore.
    The next morning, I didn’t know whether to be grateful or depressed that I hadn’t dreamed about him at all.
    What I did know was that it was time to learn how to control this awful gaze of mine. Unfortunately, the only person who knew how to control vampire abilities without magic wasn’t answering his stupid cell phone, because apparently my father was still too busy with his precious council. I thought about leaving him a message then decided against it. A panicked plea for help would only make this into a huge deal the council would want to get involved in, and who knew what would happen then. Better just to wait until he called me again. Then I could casually ask about the gaze daze’s cure in general as a hypothetical situation.
    He’d said he would be out of contact for a while. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too long, though. Because in the meantime, it looked like I would be on my own to clean up the mess I’d made.
     
    And what a gorgeous mess he was as he leaned against the foyer doors of the sports and art building Monday morning.
    I gulped and steeled myself even as the familiar ache slammed into me. The pain wasn’t too bad today. Maybe my body had gotten its fill of his kisses for a while.
    I also felt something else, though…a strange tingling at the back of my neck, as if I were being watched. I shook it off. Of course I was being watched. Tristan was staring straight at me.
    How in the world would I work beside him today without everyone knowing how I felt?
    “Good morning, Savannah,” he said, taking my tea from me just like always while I unlocked the doors.
    “Good morning, Tristan.”
    He didn’t say anything as we crossed the entrance hall. When we started up the stairs, I dared to breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe Anne was wrong and he wasn’t gaze dazed, after all. It was going to be okay. I would just have to be sure to see him only at school and nowhere else.
    So why did I still feel so miserable?
    Sighing again, I led the way into the dim hall.
    And shrieked when he grabbed me from behind, spun me around and kissed me. My blood began to sing through my veins, humming in my ears like the dull roar of a far-off ocean.
    “Now that’s the proper way to say good-morning,” he mumbled against my lips. I had to cling to his shoulders so I could stay standing.
    Oh, crap. I couldn’t think straight. He stepped away from me and leaned back against the wall. There was something I’d wanted to talk to him about. Some reason kissing him was a really bad idea. But with my blood whooshing through my head so loudly, I couldn’t remember why feeling this pumped with energy would ever be a bad thing.
    He definitely knew how to kiss.
    I stumbled over to the dance room to begin my