Free Halflings by Heather Burch

it may be — seemed to drift from him to her. It was no big deal, but she had to wonder if he often found himself on the wrong end of the proverbial gun. And if it was a rare occasion for someone, anyone, to come to his defense. She cleared her throat. “We heard angry voices and turned. Both of us tried to get up there, but Raven’s legs are longer than mine — I barely made it halfway. He shoved Joey and grabbed the knife as Joey went down.” Nikki waited while the words sank in. But the principal’s gaze traveled to Raven.
    He lifted his hands, as if to say, “Told ya.”
    Schmidt shot a questioning glance to Dr. Richmond.
    “It’s true,” he added, rising from his chair. “If Raven hadn’t been there, who knows how this might have concluded.” The apparent anguish over the entire situation showed on Richmond’s face, deepening a frown in his forehead usually caused by intense thought. “Could have been bad.” He shook his head. “Tragic, in fact.”
    Schmidt’s posture relaxed as she spoke with the science teacher. “I’d appreciate your discretion in discussing this with anyone, Dr. Richmond. We don’t want to cause a panic. I’ll be making a complete statement at noon.” She turned to Nikki. “As for you, Miss Youngblood, you’ve never been in trouble of any kind.”
    Nikki expelled a sharp breath. “I didn’t have anything to do with this,” she said, mindful being in the wrong place at the wrong time could create a guilty verdict, no matter the truth.
    Richmond offered an apologetic smile to Nikki. On some deep level, she wondered if the geeky science teacher understood her. She was such a freak to most of the kids, and Krissy had unintentionally done a great job of reminding her of that before science class.
Here we are, a room full of freaks: the new good/bad boy, the black-belt artist, and the geekster science teacher. What a trio of misfits.
No wonder Schmidt was thrown off.
    Schmidt stood. “I appreciate your cooperation,” she said in Nikki and Richmond’s direction, ignoring the large blond before her. “Still, I get the feeling you aren’t telling me everything.” And that’s when her eyes fell to Raven.
    Nikki fought the urge to look at him. But her heart was pounding. Did Schmidt
know
she was leaving vast holes in the story, like the fact that Raven had suddenly morphed into a predator with moves to rival Jason Bourne? And that her body had been sparking during the whole thing?
    Schmidt tromped to the door. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you,” she said.
    “Yes, Ma’am,” both Nikki and Raven answered. Raven rolled his eyes.
    “
Both
of you. If there’s more to this story, I intend to find out.”
    If she only knew. As far as Nikki could tell, Raven and Mace — both clearly nonhuman beings — had protected her twice, Dr. Richmond once, and saved the guy ready to fight Joey from a knife wound. At the same time, she’d never had any trouble like this until they showed up. Since their uninvited arrival in her life, she’d been nearly killed twice. Were the newhotties good guys or bad guys? Too soon to tell, but she hoped she’d live long enough to learn the truth.
    Schmidt called Richmond back into her office just as the trio exited.
    Nikki cast a glance over her shoulder and watched Schmidt close the door. When she turned, midnight eyes were burning holes through her.
    “I didn’t need your help in there,” he spat.
    “You’re welcome,” she snapped back, her gaze locked with his.
    Around them, the hall quieted as kids rushed into classrooms in the last seconds before the bell rang for third hour.
    He clenched his teeth. “That wasn’t a thank you.”
    She’d never actually seen anyone speak through gritted teeth before. It was fascinating. And if he was trying to intimidate her, the attempt failed miserably. His body radiated white hot, but Nikki found him more intriguing than terrifying. “Again, you’re welcome.”
    Storms began to brew in that dark