I glanced around nervously, clutching the books tight to my chest as Todd turned his car into the lot at Reid-Pearce. My heart began to race, pounding haphazardly against my rib cage. Todd glanced over at me as he cut off the roaring engine. “You okay?” he grunted.
I nodded jerkily from the passenger seat.
“Everything will be fine. Don’t stress about it.”
“Thank you for coming with me,” I said, my small voice barely above a whisper.
“No problem,” he said, pushing up the sleeves of his black hoodie. It was too cold outside to go without an actual coat, but Todd was Todd, and he didn’t appear cold at all in just a t-shirt and worn hoodie.
I followed him into the mental hospital. The sharp squeak of the glass door startled me as it closed behind us, making my heart race even faster. Suddenly I wished I’d left my coat in the car. The lobby was warm, and my puffy down coat was suffocating me.
Despite my reassurances to Eric, I was nervous about giving the books up. Aurora was bad enough without all the spells she had forgotten, and we still didn’t have a clue of what these spells could do. What if she wanted to change the deal? It was a crummy deal, and I was counting on her getting caught up in this new love, forgetting about me and Eric in all subsequent lives. Mike too. By handing these books over, I was guaranteeing that I would see his face again. Hopefully he wouldn’t be such a creep in the future. Doubtful.
The lobby had a few holiday decorations up. A tiny Christmas tree sat on a table in the corner, and a menorah was set on the counter beside the guest log. They seemed out of place in the otherwise sterile surroundings. The nurse nodded to us and disappeared with a stack of papers into a file room behind the counter.
Todd signed into the thick guest book and handed me the pen. I took it and shakily began to write my name below his. I wondered if Ashley’s name was somewhere in this book, right along with Mike Connolly.
It was weird to think of Aurora and Mike as a couple. She had never seemed into him. In fact, she had pushed me to be with him. To hurt me, yes, but we’d still made out… a lot. She couldn’t be okay with that.
My pen paused on the paper.
Was it even Mike? He had said that it was, but Mike? And Aurora?
I flipped through the book, searching for Mike Connolly’s name, and found it written in October. I flipped back further and found Todd’s name.
My glance shot up. He was leaning casually against the wall, scrolling through his phone. I flipped to the week prior to that one. Todd Moretti was written there again. Frantic, I flipped from week to week, and just as Aurora had said, there was someone who visited once a week, sometimes more. Only one. Todd.
My heart beat wildly, and I dropped the pen. It clattered to the floor.
Todd? It was Todd? This whole time, her new love was Todd? He didn’t love her, he’d sworn to me. But he’d lied to me before. Many times. What about Amelia and how heartbroken he was over her? Was that a lie? Was it actually Aurora that he missed?
The nurse came back into the lobby. “Ready?” she asked. Todd glanced up, sliding his phone into his pocket. I nodded to the nurse, but my suspicious eyes were locked on Todd’s face. He didn’t seem to notice.
As we stepped through the door, his hand brushed my back, gently ushering me forward. A violent chill worked down my spine.
We sat at an empty table, waiting for Aurora. There were a few visitors and patients at the other tables. Todd leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms and staring at the blank table surface. I watched him, swallowing uncomfortably. I trembled to my very core. I hadn’t thought it was possible to be any more nervous, but now I was. I couldn’t even feel my fingers.
“Relax, Sandy,” he urged me. “She can’t hurt you here.”
Did he have any idea that he was Aurora’s new love? That by handing over the books, he would soon be bound to our reincarnations? Did he want that?
Of course not, Sandy. Todd would never want that. Right?
Aurora sauntered into the room wearing the required white shirt and pants, with a cream-colored duster wrapped around her. My lungs ceased to function. I tried to dissect her reaction at the sight of us, but the sound of my own pulse was deafening and I could focus on very little. I did notice the way her face lit up when she saw the books clutched in my arms. She hurried over to the table, completely giddy.
“Sandy, you did it! You found them! I knew you would!” she gushed.
“You made sure of it,” I growled, trying to calm my heart with a few careful breaths. “You sent Mike after me.”
She frowned briefly, barely able to manage it past her happy glow. “I didn’t think he would hurt your shoulder. He’s such a jerk.”
She reached for the books eagerly, and I shifted back. Her expression dropped, icy eyes narrowing in warning. “Sandy, we had a deal,” she reminded me slowly.
“Who’s your new love?” I demanded. “The guy you want to spell? I know it’s not Mike.”
Her brow twisted with disgust. “Mike? Ew, Sandy. Gross. He’s such a perv. My guy’s much better. You know I like them sweet and sensitive.”
Oh, God… It took all my willpower to keep from looking to Todd. “Then why does Mike think it’s him?” I asked.
“I may have implied. As nasty as he is, he gets things done. Well, in most cases.”
I could feel my hands begin to tremble. “You said that Eric is your destiny, but you love someone else enough to take them with us?”
Aurora smiled, giving me an “Aw, look at the naïve little girl” look. “Silly Sandy, I see no reason why I shouldn’t have my cake and eat it too.” A giddy little laugh escaped her grinning mouth. “I love that expression. Comparing men to cake. So many flavors. So delicious.” She licked her lips dramatically. She was in an excellent mood, and it all had to do with what I was about to hand over to her.
“You want them both?” I said quickly.
“Don’t seem so shocked. Men used to do it all the time. They still do. Why shouldn’t I have two husbands? I deserve it. I think it’s my…” She paused, pressing two fingers to her lips while thinking. “It’s my royal right.”
I shook my head, agitated with her. “Who is it, then?” I demanded shakily.
“That’s not important.”
“It is to me.”
“Why? You want to steal him too?” she challenged with a sly smirk.
“No.”
“Then it doesn’t matter. Why even ask?”
“Because it’s Todd.”
Todd whipped his head toward me, shock widening his eyes, then looked to Aurora. She reached for his arm, but he quickly jerked out of her reach.
“He doesn’t love you,” I said sternly, hoping that might deter her plan.
She shrugged, unaffected. “He’s better off with me,” she said, glancing sweetly at Todd for a moment. “They both are.”
My lungs forgot how to inhale. She didn’t even care? Seriously?
I slid my chair back, forcing a deep breath through my nose. “You can’t have either of them, and you certainly can’t have these books,” I declared. I stood quickly, fueled by Todd’s shocked reaction. He didn’t want this, the old Todd or the new one.
“We had a deal,” she snarled.
“I don’t care.”
“Those are my books, Sandy. They belong to me,” she growled.
“Let’s go, Todd,” I said, waiting for him to stand. He didn’t, but watched Aurora intently. There was something odd about his posture, something different in his eyes. They seemed lost. Glazed over. Drunk. “Todd?” I called.
Aurora smirked smugly. “Give me the books, Sandy.”
“Never,” I said, backing away from the table.
Aurora leaned toward Todd, brushing her fingertips gently against his jaw to lead him closer. She whispered in his ear, and his gaze slid to my face, eyes heavy and darkening like a gathering storm. Within an instant I realized… my cousin was gone.
“Aurora… Don’t…”
I uttered in a faint gasp. “Don’t you dare steal his will!”
A muscle ticked in Aurora’s jaw as her lips curled into a defiant snarl. “I don’t steal anyone’s will. They hand it to me.”
Todd’s chair slid back with a sharp squeak. I backed against the door and hit the buzzer. It opened for me and I rushed out, hustling to the car. I pulled on the door latch frantically. Dammit! Todd had the keys. He emerged from the building, steps steady and sure.
“Just hand them over, Sandy,” he called across the lot.
I spun to face him, crushing the books to my chest. “No. This is for your own good. This isn’t what you want. It can’t be. She intends to take you with her. I won’t let her have you again.”
“Give them to me,” he growled, posture shifting to one of aggression, chin lowering and muscles twitching.
He wasn’t listening, but he stepped forward quickly. He was going to take them from me.
Like a squirrel caught in the headlights, I stood there, stupidly uncertain of what to do. All I knew was that if I went back into the hospital, Aurora would get the books for sure. I couldn’t let that happen.
I broke into a run, dashing toward the trees at the edge of the parking lot. I could outrun Todd, lose him in the forest. But if he somehow caught me… I couldn’t think about that. I needed to run.
Todd bolted after me. I could hear the rush of fabric and heavy footfalls as he chased me into the trees.
Gnarled branches ripped at my coat as I flew through the forest, winding a tangled path. I whipped my head around, catching sight of Todd through the trees. He was keeping pace. Damn him. He didn’t used to be this fast!
I tripped on a root. My arms flailed, and I crashed to the sod. My whistle charm pressed hard into my cheekbone as my face struck the earth. The books scattered into the ferns.
I heard Todd’s swift approach and shoved myself up, scrambling to grab the books. Two were in my hands, but Todd was right on top of me. He dove to grab me, but I rolled away and leapt to my feet. Todd’s sneakers slipped on the frosty leaves, and he hit the ground. I ran, fear pressing hard at my back. I’d left a book behind, but I couldn’t turn around. Better to save some than none.
Todd was quick to recover. I could hear the crunching of leaves under his feet as he closed in on me. I leapt over a fallen log and turned to see where he was when he tackled me.
My face hit the dirt hard, and it felt like all the air was punched from my lungs. Todd was a heavy weight on my back, crushing me to the forest floor. Terrible, vicious memories of my deaths assaulted me.
He climbed off of me and grabbed the back of my coat, pulling me up roughly. He shoved me toward a tree. I crashed into it and spun quickly to face him. The books were still pressed to my pounding chest, my arms winding them tight to me. He reached for them, and I backed away, hitting the rough bark. It felt like the scales of a giant serpent behind me, tearing at my coat. I was cornered.
“Give them to me,” he demanded, breathing heavily from the chase. His heart hammered beneath his faded black hoodie and t-shirt, drumming against his thickly muscled chest and making his shirt quake.
“No,” I refused with a hard shake of my head.
He stepped forward, and I hid the books behind my back. “You’re pissing me off,” he warned.
He looked so different. Behind messy dark bangs, the fierce look in his pale gray eyes made everything about him more frightening. His size… his shoulders were wide-set and massive. He was a wall, blocking me in. He pushed at the sleeves of his hoodie, guiding them up his ripped forearms. His large hands curled into hard fists at his sides. They were huge rocks, threatening to break me. Thick veins snaked up his arms from his powerful hands, like the wires of a killing machine. This wasn’t a loser stoner. This wasn’t a guy I could fight or outrun. This was a monster of a man. I had no chance against him.
But he was also my cousin. He’d kept me safe from perverts, he’d mopped up my vomit and made me omelets. He’d ripped a gun from Aurora’s hands and stood in front of me like a human shield. Over the years, we’d come so far. I refused to give up now.
“You’re not getting these books. Ever!” I yelled defiantly.
Faster than I could blink, Todd rushed me. His fingers gripped my neck, the world spun, and I went down, hitting the ground with a sharp thud. The books scattered. Twisted roots dug into my back. Ache pounded in my head, and the forest swayed wildly over me. Todd’s hand closed on my throat, squeezing hard. I gasped, my airway blocked. His massive hand closed tighter, his meaty fingers practically circling my neck completely. His other arm pressed hard on my rib cage, pinning me down. My heart slammed haphazardly into my blocked throat when air refused to come. My neck felt hot, burning.
I writhed in the dirt and frosty leaves, tugging at his massive hand. It wouldn’t budge. My feet kicked out, heels scraping the dirt in vain. My fingernails dug into his wrists as I frantically pulled. His skin became slicked in my grip, slimy with his blood, but still his clamping hold wouldn’t break or bend. His pale gray eyes were cold, murderous. Anger twisted his face as he refused to yield to my panicked actions.
He was going to kill me.
He’s killing me.
For months I had feared this moment, thinking I would be looking up into Eric’s cold, dead eyes. I never thought it would be Todd in the end.
He could never live with himself after this.
TODD:
He knew something was wrong when he walked into the building. He felt off but brushed aside the warning. He wasn’t willing to leave Sandy to make the trade on her own. She would be vulnerable there. Aurora was powerful, and Ian had been on her side for months. He’d seen Ian’s car outside. He was on duty, and who knew how many others Aurora had brought under her control by now?
When he saw the evil bitch, he felt the immediate burst of her influence and looked away. Just like when she was a kid, irrationally all that he could think of was how hot she was and how badly he wanted her. Years of understanding compounded the realization that he didn’t actually want her. He hated her, and she was messing with his head.
Just as he had done for years-the way he survived-he tried not to look at her, knowing it only intensified the feeling.
He felt under control once again as she and Sandy began to talk, but then Ian entered the room. Todd’s glance cut to him, a sharp warning to stay back. He did, hovering in the corner like a soldier on guard, watching their table.
When Sandy accused Aurora of wanting him, Todd’s focus shifted. Shock rocked the solid stance of his mind, sending it reeling off-kilter. Understanding invaded his brain, and new questions popped up. Suddenly it made sense why Aurora had wanted his clothing, had snuck him inside for sex and seemed to sympathize with his situation every now and again. It was the reason she was so obsessed with getting him to come back here. Not so he would take down Sandy or force her to drink more potions. Not because she was lonely or bored like he’d assumed.
The next thing he knew, without realizing when or how it had happened, he was looking at her. He couldn’t tear his eyes away. Her face drew him in. Her skin. Her mouth. Soft… warm… He felt her toes glide under the hem of his torn jeans. Her foot rubbed softly against his calf.
The battle began and ended in seconds. Anger seeped into his veins, burning hot and pumping through his body with every beat of his heart. The emotion quickly consumed his mind-his every thought. Inside, he was nothing but combustible matter, begging for a spark. He searched for the source of that anger, for someone to direct it at, and Aurora guided his glance to Sandy.
She stood there, face boiling red with anger, clutching the books, and arguing with Aurora, but he heard nothing they said through the rush of blood in his ears. The direction of Aurora’s eyes was a blazing arrow pointing to the enemy, and he felt the overwhelming urge to attack. Aurora whispered a command in his ear, and while he could not hear it over his own rage, his body understood.
He followed Sandy out as she took
what belonged to Aurora with her. She dared to defy her, and he couldn’t allow that to happen. Aurora needed his protection, and Sandy was a lying traitor.
Sandy tried to argue with him, to bargain, but his resolved mind could not be swayed by his traitorous little cousin. When she ran, he knew just what to do. He chased. His blood pumped hot with rage as he followed her through the woods, tracking her like a hunter, watching her jerk with fear as he got closer and closer.
Once she was in his grasp and still refused to give him what belonged to Aurora, the rage snapped. A spark lit and fury exploded like a bomb within him. He was barely aware of the ferocity of his attack, barely capable of feeling the hard clamp of his fingers on her throat.
Sandy choked, and he celebrated internally, happy that he could be the one to end her pathetic life.
This was what he was made to do. And he would do it. For Aurora.
CHAPTER 25
SEVERED
My heels slid on ferns and damp dirt, kicking at Todd’s calf, the only part of him I could reach.
I choked out his name, struggling in vain. My face burned red and tears trickled from the corners of my eyes. My hand faintly reached out, loosely tugging on his hoodie where it hovered over my chest. My fingers brushed his t-shirt, and I felt his skin, hot through the fabric. His muscles wound hard and taut over his heart. His gaze intensified. Something gave way inside of him, and his eyes grew tortured.
“Sandy,” he called out. “Sandy, I can’t stop myself… I can’t let go!”
I writhed weakly, helplessly gasping hollow breaths as my sight began to dim. Gray washed over the world.
“You have to stop me!” he growled angrily, shifting to straddle me. His hands pressed me harder. “Stop me!”
I rasped, choked, and barely followed his leading glance down. Todd was leaving himself wide open to attack, his twisted loophole in Aurora’s hold on him. His crotch was inches from my knee.
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