by Lynn Hagen
“Why do we need to go somewhere else?”
“Because.” Panahasi started down the street. Jaden moved to his side and walked alongside him. “I can’t help you.”
Jaden came to a stop. “We better not be talking about the same thing.”
“Saving Hilton.”
Jaden growled. “How many times have I looked the other way when you rescued a soul that should’ve been reaped?” As he spoke, his voice rose. “How many, Panahasi? Now I turn to you for the same favor and you’re turning me down?” Jaden’s anger rose, as well, and that was never good. The tree beside him wilted, the leaves turning brown and falling to the ground.
“Calm down,” Panahasi hissed.
“Fuck you, Panahasi. Do you know I can snap my fingers and instantly kill every person you’ve saved?”
“This isn’t my doing,” Panahasi argued. “After I turned those vampires back into humans, the Primal Source summoned me. She warned me that if I interfered one more time, I would spend the rest of eternity in the void. I guess you weren’t the only one pissed that I was saving souls.” He shook his head, sorrow in his eyes. “You know I would save Hilton in a heartbeat, but I can’t risk being taken from my mates.”
“So you condemn mine to die?” It was just like the Primal Source to give Jaden a dying mate. He wouldn’t put it past her to have made Hilton ill in the first place. Irony was a son of a bitch. He’d allowed his brother to save those souls, and now Jaden would pay the ultimate price.
“If it was anyone other than the Primal Source, I would go against the order,” Panahasi said. “You know what the void is like, Jaden.”
Anger rolled like a storm inside Jaden. He slashed his arms outward, the earth trembling beneath their feet as dark clouds gathered overhead. “You’re dead to me, Panahasi. If we cross paths again, I will end you.”
“That means you’ll die, as well.”
Jaden snarled. “My mate doesn’t have long to live. What do I care if the world ends?”
Chapter Nine
Hilton woke to find Jaden standing by the window. Thickness formed in his throat at the onset of tears. “Why?”
Jaden turned and looked down at him. His smile was soft, sorrowful. “Why what?”
“Why is this happening to me?” Hilton pushed the sheet aside. He was in a hospital room, but he didn’t remember how he’d gotten there. He tried to sit up, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. His limbs jerked and his legs wouldn’t go over the side of the bed like he wanted them to. “I’m a shifter. This shouldn’t be happening to me.”
Jaden sat on the side of Hilton’s bed. “It’s very rare, but I’ve seen nonhumans suffer human ailments. The reason is still lost on me.”
There was something Jaden wasn’t telling him. Hilton felt it in his gut and saw the guilt on his mate’s face. “What? What is it?”
Jaden coaxed Hilton to lie back down, then covered him with the sheet. “You should rest, my little bunny. The doctor will be in with your tests results soon.”
“He already took the tests?” Hilton tried to jog his memory, tried to recall anything past whispering Jaden’s name at the clinic, but nothing came to mind.
Jaden brushed his hand through Hilton’s hair, a soft, sad smile appearing as his eyes brimmed with tears. “You fell ill again. Dr. Sheehan asked me to bring you here since I was the quickest way. Dr. Max has already run his tests.”
Hilton curled under his sheet, wrapping his arms around his stomach. “Jaden?”
“Yes?”
Hilton fought not to cry, fought not to let the overwhelming fear take over. “I don’t want to die.”
He lost the battle and began to weep. Jaden pulled him from the bed and cradled Hilton in his strong arms. As Hilton cried, Jaden rocked him, rubbing his back in soothing circles.
Jaden cleared his throat a few times. When he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. “I…I love you, Hilton.”
The confession only made Hilton cry harder. He slung his arms around Jaden’s neck and held his mate tight. “I love you, too.”
“I wish I could save you, Hilton.” Jaden’s hold tightened slightly. “But all I know is death. I know nothing about healing anyone.”
Anger had flared in Jaden’s voice. Hilton shook his head. He leaned back, cupping Jaden’s jaw. “Don’t. I don’t want anger right now. I just want to spend time with you. I planned a picnic for us before this happened.”
“A picnic?”
Hilton smiled despite his current mood. “Yep. Across the street from the diner. Do you know where the gazebo is?”
Jaden nodded.
“Today would’ve been a perfect day. I wanted to lay a blanket out for us and get some food from the diner. I wanted to talk, laugh, and spend the rest of the evening together.”
“We can still do that.”
“How?” Hilton didn’t think he could stand, let alone go on a picnic.
Hilton gasped when the room around them disappeared. He was still seated on Jaden’s lap, but they were on a thick, bright blanket. When Hilton looked around, he saw they were next to the gazebo. There was even food laid out before them.
“Anything you want, Hilton. Anything. It’s yours.” Jaden gave him a soft kiss. Hilton tilted his head back and soaked up the sun. It felt warm and wonderful on his face, and was made even better because he was in Jaden’s arms.
“Do you have a house?”
“No.” Jaden shook his head. “I wander the earth harvesting souls. I do not rest. My work is never-ending.”
“So you’ve never had a place to hang your hat?” Hilton sighed. “We should buy a house with a pretty garden and lots of trees. We could sit in the garden in the morning while watching the sun rise. I could decorate it, because no offense, but you don’t seem the decorating type.”
Jaden chuckled. It was the first time Hilton had heard him laugh, and that deep, smoky laughter made Hilton’s heart swell with joy. “And you would be correct.”
“I kinda thought so.” Hilton didn’t want their time together dampened by sorrow. He wanted to hear Jaden laugh again. The sound made his soul feel lighter. “If I let you decorate, we might end up with a motorcycle in our living room and hubcaps hanging on the walls along with framed license plates from various states, and crates for end tables.”
“My taste isn’t that bad.” Jaden picked up a grape and fed it to Hilton.
“All I’ve ever seen you in is your leather jacket, jeans, and biker boots,” Hilton pointed out.
Before Hilton could blink, Jaden was wearing a soft, expensive-looking suit. Black fabric, white shirt, burgundy tie. His long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and damn if he didn’t look edible. “How’s this?”
“I think I just came all over my gown.” Hilton ran his hands over the material of the suit. It was as soft as butter, silky, and he wanted Jaden to fuck him right there on the bright blanket.
Hilton guided Jaden’s hand to the tent in his gown. Jaden growled and squeezed Hilton’s erection, but pulled his hand away. “Not until you are better.”
“It’s the gown, isn’t it? The gaudy blue clashes with my hazel eyes.”
Jaden chuckled again. He hugged Hilton tightly. “You are such a breath of fresh air, my little bunny.”
Hilton reached to release the rubber band from Jaden’s hair, but his arm fell limp and began to twitch.
* * * *
When Hilton closed his eyes, Jaden knew his mate had fallen asleep. The door to Hilton’s room opened, and Dr. Samuel stood there with a frown. “We’re still in the hospital, right?”
The illusion evaporated. Jaden lay Hilton down and covered him with the sheet. “Yes, we are.”
He would’ve taken Hilton to the gazebo and not simply created an illusion, but he feared taking Hilton from his room.
“The results are back.”
Jaden stood there and listened to the doctor explain things to him. The tumor was growing at a rapid rate, but Jaden already knew that. He cou
ld see the blackness inside Hilton’s head, robbing him of his life.
“I’m sorry, Jaden. I’d give Hilton a week at most.”
* * * *
Jaden stared at the vacant white cottage with green shutters. The place was for sale, the yard choked with weeds, the house in disrepair. It was perfect for Hilton.
If only he could grow a garden for his mate. Suddenly, the grass was trimmed, a healthy green, and flowers began to sprout in an array of vibrant colors along the front of the house.
Jaden growled. “I don’t need your help, Panahasi. My mate is dying and all you can give me is parlor tricks?”
Jaden snapped his fingers and he was back at the hospital. When he appeared in Hilton’s room, he saw Jonathan Stone sitting next to Hilton’s bed, tears flowing freely as he held Hilton’s hand. His mate was still asleep.
“Do something!” Johnny said when he saw Jaden. “You can’t just let him die!”
If Jaden knew how to save his mate, he would’ve done it by now. “I am Death, Jonathan. I don’t have the power to heal.”
Those words tore at Jaden. Never in his existence had he felt so helpless. Jaden couldn’t do this. He couldn’t stand by and watch Hilton die. He couldn’t watch as Hilton withered away, taking with him his smile, laughter, and the reason for Jaden’s beating heart.
He vanished from the room and appeared outside Panahasi’s apartment building. Jaden was about to do something he’d never done before.
He was about to beg Panahasi to save Hilton.
Panahasi was beside him in a flash. He held up his hand when Jaden opened his mouth. “I’ve already spoken with my mates.”
Which meant what exactly? “You’ll help?”
“We’ll do this together,” Panahasi said. “If we’re sucked into the void, we can at least plead our case.”
What his brother was prepared to sacrifice was not lost on Jaden. In truth, he wouldn’t have blamed Panahasi if he’d turned Jaden down again. After all, Jaden had tried to kill Panahasi more than once, had endangered his mates, and had been an all-around jackass to Panahasi.
“Why are you helping me?”
“Even Death should have a little slice of happiness.” Panahasi looked as though he was deep in thought. “We should go before I change my mind.”
“Your mates.”
Panahasi shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about them, think about them right now. If I do, I’ll walk away from this.”
They both flashed into Hilton’s room. Johnny jumped up from his chair, eyes wide. “Does this mean he’ll live?”
Panahasi approached the bed. “Do you smell that?”
It was the sickness festering inside Hilton. Jaden had smelled it when he appeared moments before. “It’s the smell of death.”
“What smell?” Johnny looked down at Hilton, then back at Jaden. “I don’t smell anything but that weird odor hospitals always have.”
Panahasi started to place his hand on Hilton’s chest, but Jaden grabbed it. He looked his brother in his whiskey-brown eyes. “I just…”
“We should have never been enemies in the first place,” Panahasi said. “I just wish we would’ve mended fences eons ago.”
That wasn’t what Jaden had been about to say. But since Panahasi was about to sacrifice himself to save Hilton, Jaden could extend an olive branch, as well. “I just wanted to thank you for this.”
With a nod, Panahasi pulled his arm free. He hovered his hand over Hilton’s chest. Jaden waited for the blue, luminescent light. Nothing.
“I don’t understand.” Panahasi frowned. “Why isn’t this working?”
Jaden’s heart sank when he felt Hilton’s soul calling for him. The doctor had said a week, yet he felt the pull to harvest his mate’s soul.
Another reaper flashed into the room. Her eyes widened when she spotted Jaden. She immediately dropped to one knee, bowing her head. “I didn’t realize you were already here, Master.”
Jaden growled. “Just go, and warn the others they are not to touch this one.”
Bellona rose and flashed from the room.
Jaden could force Hilton’s soul to remain, but that was the cruelest punishment imaginable. Hilton would stay alive, but his body would continue to decay. He would literally become a walking corpse. Jaden wouldn’t wish that fate on his worst enemy.
“Nothing,” Panahasi said in frustration.
Jaden felt a ripple in the air seconds before a demon appeared. He looked at Hilton, then at Jaden. An evil smile surfaced. He threw his head back and laughed. The sound was so deep that it sounded like a bottomless echo.
Jaden had no idea who the demon was.
Jaden and Panahasi threw their arms out simultaneously. Their powers combined made the entire hospital shake to its very foundation. Cracks raced down the walls, alarms blared, and the sky outside turned from sunny to dark.
The demon snarled. He advanced toward Jaden, his claws at the ready. Panahasi’s blue light, as well as Jaden’s red, struck the demon in his chest. The creature’s eyes widened as he stood there flickering, disappearing and appearing so quickly that it looked as though Jaden were merely blinking his eyes rapidly as he looked at him.
“What the popsicles is happening?” Johnny asked.
Jaden had completely forgotten about the human. He snapped his fingers and sent Johnny home.
Their powers built, but Jaden was unable to pull away. The red, crackling electricity just kept shooting from his palms. “I can’t break the connection,” he shouted to his brother.
“Neither can I,” Panahasi shouted right back.
Hail the size of tennis balls rained down outside the window. Lightning zapped every surface Jaden could see. The wind howled outside as the windows started to crack.
The demon howled as his skin began to peel away, pieces dissolving as they detached from his body. The earth shuddered and the dead started to rise. Jaden felt his powers growing. Soon, the fabric of time would tear and the world as they knew it would end.
Jaden’s heart hammered as he looked over at Hilton. His mate was still asleep—or unconscious—and his body began to levitate above his bed.
This was really bad.
“I got an idea,” Panahasi shouted at him. The noise in the room was deafening. The howl of the wind. The cracking of the hospital’s foundation, the screams of sirens, and the wail of car alarms.
“What?” Jaden shouted.
“Turn toward me.”
With concentrated effort, Jaden forced his body to turn toward Panahasi. Once they were fulling facing each other, their blue and red streams clashed.
Jaden was blown backward, but he didn’t slam into a wall. He kept going until there was nothing.
He was in the void.
Chapter Ten
All Jaden could do was levitate. There was no one there to take his anger out on, no one to strike or kill. There was only darkness. He didn’t feel anything solid beneath or around him.
Total silence.
Total nothingness.
“You were both warned about your powers.” It was the Primal Source. Jaden couldn’t see her, but he knew the voice was female from the soft lilt. “You have allowed Life to interfere one too many times with no consequences, and now you try to turn the tables and use Life’s powers for your own gain.”
“We’ve had this goddamn argument before,” Panahasi snarled.
Jaden looked around but couldn’t see his brother. Then again, he couldn’t even see his own hand in front of him.
“We have,” the Primal Source agreed.
“Why give me the power to save lives if I’m punished for doing just that?” Panahasi asked.
“Saving lives is not your duty,” she countered. “You are charged with the sun rising, the flowers blossoming, and the birth of a new life. It is not you who decides who lives and who dies.”
“You know,” Jaden said into the darkness, “I really hate a bitch who keeps changing the rules. Either give us full reign
or take the powers back. I personally wouldn’t mind you taking my powers. It’s time for a career change.”
“If you are not Death, then you are nothing!” Her voice ripped through the darkness.
Jaden started to argue that her decision to end him was perfectly fine with him, but then he thought of Hilton and felt as though his heart was being squeezed. He didn’t want to give his little bunny up. Jaden wanted eternity with Hilton—more smiles, more laughter, more lovemaking, but most of all, more hugging.
“You made him sick, didn’t you?” Jaden asked. “You put that tumor in his head.”
“If I wanted him dead, I would simply wipe him from existence,” she said. “His illness was not my doing.”
Jaden didn’t understand. If she hadn’t made Hilton ill, then who had? Nonhumans almost never had tumors. Something darker was going on, but the only way for Jaden to find out who was behind this was to get the fuck out of the void.
Holding his arm out, Jaden was shocked when he felt his scythe in his hand. “I’m sorry, brother, but there’s no other way.”
“What are you doing?” Panahasi asked.
Jaden pulled his arm outward, then sliced through the fabric of time. Wind whipped violently around them, and lightning veined out in every direction.
“What have you done?” the Primal Source screamed.
Supernovas exploded in the distance, so many that the darkness was lit by the most destructive power in the universe. The multiple shockwaves would annihilate the earth, ending all life. It would more than likely take out the galaxy, as well. Maybe Jaden should’ve thought this through a little better, but it was too late now, and his anger at the Primal Source rode him hard and made him think irrationally.
“You forced my hand!” Jaden had to shout above the deafening noises, but even then he wasn’t sure if she could hear him. “You cannot give us the power of Life and Death and then shackle us with all your rules!”
“I really hope you know what you’re doing,” Panahasi said from somewhere close to him.
Yeah, he was kinda hoping the same thing.