A Hollow Cry (After Life Book 1)

by Bee Douglas

  “It counts to me.”

  “Why?”

  A few traitorous tears stream down my cheeks. My breath shudders as he wipes them away. “Because this? Right now?” I swallow hard to push down the lump rising in my throat. “This is my life. And you are in my life. I didn’t realize what a big part you’ve become, but I need you.”

  He sighs. “You shoul-”

  “Damn it, Kane! Stop telling me what I should or shouldn’t want!” I holler, using my hands to push against him. “In case you’ve forgotten, there’s plenty in my life I haven’t had a say in. I sure as hell didn’t pick to be a Banshee. Just like I didn’t wake up one day and decide to have feelings for you. But here we are!”

  I take a moment to try and calm myself. The adrenaline building up has my heart racing harder than it was before. I dig the balls of my feet into the carpet, trying to ground myself, all while taking calm, slow breaths.

  “You can tell me up and down that I shouldn’t have feelings for you, but I do,” I say a bit calmer. “You can tell me over and over again that you’re wrong for me. Hell, you just might be. But this is one thing - one rare thing - that I have control over. If you don’t want me, then tell me. If you do, then take hold of that. Be in control of what you do with those feelings. And for fuck’s sake, stop trying to convince me that my feelings aren’t valid.”

  Kane stares at me with wild eyes and a hardened expression. The only sound in the bedroom is our breathing. Both of which are erratic. My nails dig into the palms of my hands as I try my damndest not to let him see how my heart crumbles in my chest.

  Taking his lack of response as my answer, I nod. I don’t know if I did so that he knew I got his message loud and clear, or for my own acceptance. Turning away, I go for the door once more. Kane’s hand wraps around my arm, pulling me close to him.

  “You shouldn’t want me,” he whispers. “And I shouldn’t need you this badly.” His lips brush against mine, causing goosebumps to rise across my skin. “But I do - I need you. I fucking need you, Nora.”

  Kane’s lips crash against mine, kissing me like I was his life line. Running my fingers through his hair, I want him closer - need him closer. His fingers slide down my sides, reaching down and grasping the backs of my thighs. He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. The length of him straining behind the zipper of his jeans makes me shudder as it rubs against my core. I kiss him fervently, pulling at his shirt until I’m able to lift it over his head. My teeth scrape along his bottom lip.

  “Please?” I beg. With a gentle tug, the towel falls. He leans his head down, taking a hardened nipple in his mouth. “Kane!” A gasping moan escapes past my lip.

  My skin burns. The blood in my vein boils with my lust for him - my need. Between the primal kisses and my hands yearning to touch every inch of him, I barely feel him sneak a hand to unbutton his pants and push them lower.

  “If you don’t stop touching me like that, this isn’t going to last very long,” he grunts, his voice thick.

  His words force a wicked smile to play on my lips. Kane lets out a husky laugh and heat pools in my core. He doesn’t prepare. There aren’t any sweet nothings whispered. Just need, both his and mine. I take in a sharp breath the moment he enters me. He feels so good, so sinful. I need more. I cry out his name as he thrusts, placing claim over my body. It’s not gentle; the wall a much harder surface than a bed. But it’s Kane. And it’s me. It’s us. Our demons entangling with one another - playing along in the Devil’s waltz.

  30

  Kane

  With our bodies tangled in the sheets and Nora’s head lying on my chest, I wouldn’t want to change this moment for anything. As selfish as it was to own my feelings and claim her as mine, I feel this odd sense of relief. And it’s mutual. As strong as my feelings are, hers matched them throw and throw.

  “Hey,” she whispers. Those sparkling green eyes stare up at me, “what’s going through your head?”

  “You.”

  She lets out a soft chuckle. “What do you mean ‘you’?”

  “How I ever met someone as stubborn as you.” I run my fingers through her hair, teasing the gentle waves. Her eyes squint into a glare and she sticks her tongue out at me. Smiling down, I kiss the top of her head. “I’m curious as to what you went through from the time you left the apartment and then arrived here. Willow told me about the Changelings, but she didn’t say what happened after.”

  She lets out a deep breath. Her fingers run along my skin, leaving a whispered trail of her touch. “I ran,” she said. The yelling match we got into didn’t help with the hoarseness of her voice. “I ran for a while. My legs and lungs hated me. But when I went to get lost in the crowd, images kept flashing from the people I’d bump into. Kind of like with that lady from the warehouse.” I can feel how hard she swallows. “Things that they’ve done. And with each flash, a horrible pain kept spreading through my head. Like I kept getting struck with lightning over and over again. It was horrible.”

  I kiss the top of her head again. “You’re safe now.”

  With her lying on her stomach, I’m able to make out the way her body has healed. The darkest spots have faded to greens and yellows. Several of the scratches and cuts have closed. Running my hands down the length of her back, her soft skin rises and dips. She’s perfection.

  “What threw me though was seeing Yvette in my mind.”

  “How so?”

  She sits up on her elbow. Red hair cascades down her shoulders. “Like I said before, I was digging for shards of glass that kept breaking over and over again. I looked up and she was standing there. Her mouth was moving, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying.” I know full well what that was like. “I walked over, wanting to know if she was real or just a figment of my imagination. She jumped to life when I touched her. Next things I knew, I was waking up on the floor of Royce’s living room.”

  “Once she was under, it took several hours for you both to come to.” I bring her hand to my lips, kissing the bandaged cut along her palm. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

  She smiles, laying her head back down.

  My fingers continue brushing through to the ends of her hair. “I have a question.” Nora’s body tenses up. “Do you want to get away from here?”

  “Hmmm,” she muses, “I think Royce’s is safer than your place right now.”

  “That’s not what I mean.”

  Her fingers dance along my skin. “Until I get his figured out, I should stay close to Yvette. I can feel bits and pieces of power, but I still don’t have a full grasp on it.”

  “And when you do?”

  “Well, I might be scarier and meaner than even you at that point. We might just have to run away.” A laugh sneaks out of me, causing her body to shake a little. “Once I figure out exactly what this whole Banshee thing means for me, I will go anywhere.” She kisses the patch of skin covering my ribs. “As long as you tag along, we can go wherever.”

  It’s not long before her breathing slows and sleep overtakes her. I didn’t know if she’d sleep tonight. Part of me wanted to keep her up for days in fear that she wouldn’t wake up. I tighten my hold around her, not letting her slip out of my grasp. It’s not long when sleep comes for me too.

  ...

  A knock at the door startles the both of us. Nora gives me a confused looked as my racing heart settles. Her hair is mused and there are imprint lines on her cheek. But she’s awake. She’s here.

  I move out from under her, sliding on the jeans I had on the floor. Morning light streams in even though I could’ve sworn we just fell asleep. When I open the door, I come face to face with Royce.

  “What is it?”

  He tries peaking in the room, but I step out and pull the door shut, glaring the entire time.

  “Is Yvette in there with you?”

  I gesture to the lack of clothes I have on. “Does it look like she’d be in there with us?”

  “Fuck,” he mutters. />
  Royce starts pacing the distance of the small hallway. His hands run over his face as he keeps saying “fuck” over and over again, sounding like an insane person.

  “Did you check her room?” He looks at me like I asked the dumbest question in the world. I hold up my hands in defense. “The back patio?”

  “I’ve looked everywhere. The only place I didn’t look was in there, but apparently you’re not having some twisted threesome,” he says. A sigh deflates him. “She’s gone, Kane. All of her stuff is missing. She didn’t stop up here to tell you she was leaving, did she?”

  His words wash over me like a downpour of freezing water. “You let her leave?”

  “No. I didn’t fucking let her leave,” he snaps at me. Anger isn’t something associated with Royce. He’s usually calm and collected; perfect person to call when you need a laugh. “I woke up and she wasn’t here. She took all of her shit and didn’t leave a note. No note. No anything.”

  “Fuck.”

  The bedroom door opens with a creak. Nora steps out wearing the shirt I had on the night before. I shoot Royce a look, daring him to let his eyes wander. “What’s going on?”

  “Did Yvette saying anything to you?”

  Nora shakes her head. “I’ve been with Kane ever since I woke up.”

  He lets out a groan. “What about in that mind voodoo thing?” His hand flutters around her red head of hair.

  Her brow creases and she wraps her arms around herself. “No. Why? What’s wrong?”

  Royce picks up his pacing again. “The witch left.”

  “She left?”

  “Yes! She left!” he bellows. “She’s gone!” I give him a warning glare the more frantic he becomes. “Sorry,” he mutters sheepishly.

  She shrugs. “Don’t apologize. Did anything happen while I was out? It’s not like she knew a lot of people in the area. I mean, that we know of.”

  I place a hand on her lower back. “She kept her nose in that book most of the time.”

  “Honestly,” Royce stops his pacing, “she didn’t seem like herself when she came to last night. We were more concerned about you.” I nod my head, thinking back to how she quietly cleaned up the little mess she made, and then excused herself to the bedroom. That moment was overwhelming. I don’t remember much from when Nora opened her eyes until I got her in the tub. “Nothing happened in that spell?”

  “She said no.” Irritation starts climbing its way up. Nora’s hand grips my arm, applying the slightest pressure. She looks up at me those emerald eyes. Sighing, I pull back on my unraveling patience. “But then again, she was out for hours. Nora said once Yvette showed up, they were both pulled out of their sleep.”

  “Why don’t Kane and I get dressed,” Nora suggests, “and we can try and track her down?”

  Before I can shut the whole scenario down, Royce exclaims, “Perfect! I’ll meet you downstairs.”

  For as fast as he bounds down the stairs, I’m surprised he doesn’t stumble and fall. Once we’re out of earshot, I look down at her. The damn minx has the nerve to paint an innocent expression on her face.

  “You’re not going.”

  She rolls her eyes, stepping back inside the bedroom. “I’m sorry to break this to you, but you’re going to need to accept the fact that I’m not always going to do what you say. And one of those moments is now.”

  I shut the door harder than I mean to, making her jump. “You’re staying here, Nora.”

  “She could be in trouble.” She crosses her arm over her chest. “I’m not going to sit here and wait while she’s out there.”

  The way her hip pops out only makes me wants to reach out and pull it close to me. The whole intimidating stance doesn’t work on me, but I’d be damned if her stern looks doesn’t turn me on.

  “It’s not safe. What are you going to do if we run into trouble?”

  She sighs. The waves of her hair sway as she shakes her head. “If we bump into any big, bad monsters, I’ll run the other way and let you guys handle them.”

  “Big, bad monsters, huh?” I step closer. I run my thumb along her pouty bottom lip. “What about things that go bump in the night? Things that like to eat up sweet little girls for breakfast?”

  I lean down, capturing her bottom lip in my teeth. She lets out a whisper of a moan as her fingers dig into my sides. The pressure of her fist snapping into my stomach takes me by surprise.

  Nora laughs a victorious, sexy little giggle. “I’m not as weak as I look.” She kisses me as she rubs the area she punched. “You can’t leave me locked away forever. I have to get back out in the world eventually and I need Yvette to be able to do that.”

  I let out a defeated sigh, already regretting the words that fight to break loose. “If something feels even remotely off, you're out of there. Do you understand?”

  I wish she would try to hide her satisfaction. Her lips break into a smile and she nods, accepting my terms.

  By the time we head downstairs, Royce is back to pacing. His eyes squint as I hit the bottom step. “Took you long enough. I’ve already called Singh.”

  Nora’s cheeks pinked. Not that she has anything to be embarrassed of. As much as I tried to convince her to stay, nothing worked. Not even the promise of orgasms.

  “Where do you think we should try look first?” I ask, pulling the attention back to the issue at hand.

  “That’s the thing,” Royce says, “she isn’t from around here. Aside from a handful of places, we didn’t go anywhere.”

  He has a valid point.

  “What about the little shop on Fifth?” Both Royce and I stare her down. That doesn’t help the color of her cheeks. “She, uhhh... she said something before about this place on Fifth Avenue. They sell herbs and different occult things. Crystals.”

  I glance at Royce and he shrugs. “Better than nothing.”

  Nora and I follow him to the door. The moment he opens it though, he stops in his tracks. Centered in the door frame is Griffin. He looks at us with a stone cold expression. I instinctively reach out, pushing Nora behind me.

  “Heading somewhere?” he asks. A snake-like smile spreads across his lips as he glances between us all.

  “Something like that,” I say. The words come out harsh and guarded.

  He gives an odd shrug. “You’ll have to put that on hold. You’ve been summoned.”

  “They can wait. We have something to take care of.”

  “Tell them we’ll be there as soon as we can.” Royce tries covering up my remark - always the mediator.

  Griffin’s face falls. “You’re wanted. They won’t wait.”

  I take a step closer, sizing him up. “It’s not like they can step out and force their hand. They can wait.”

  Royce shoots me a look.

  “They know about the witch.” Griffin speaks the words slowly. He eyes light up with amusement as his words hit the three of us. “As I said, you’re wanted.” A silence takes over the foyer. Nora’s hand gently grazes my lower back. “I see you’ve already called upon Singh. I’ll be in the car.”

  I don’t move from where I stand until Griffin is walking across the street to the parked car. Once he’s far enough away, I turn to Royce. Panic creeps over his face.

  “Call Willow,” I tell him. “I’m not leaving Nora alone. Not if he’s involved.”

  He nods and disappears into the kitchen. A moment later, his voice can be heard as he calls her on the phone. Nora looks at me; a sheen of worry has overtaken her face as well.

  “This isn't good, is it?”

  I shake my head. “Not at all.”

  31

  Kane

  The entire ride to the boardroom, I don’t say a word to Griffin. Royce keeps up the small talk. He asks how he likes the increase of souls he’s had to reap. With me being out of commission and Royce only being assigned a handful of souls, the weasel has had his pick of the litter. Raina’s even stepped up to intervene in different locations. Apparently, her reaping skills have improv
ed tremendously.

  “I have a feeling she won’t be too happy when Kane and I get back at it,” Royce jokes. Griffin doesn’t reply, but I do catch his stare from the side view mirror.

  I can care less about their conversation. My mind is miles away in a little brownstone. I refused to leave until Willow arrived. It took about twenty minutes until the sound of her knocking at the back down echoed throughout the downstairs. She was just as confused and flustered as us. I gave them both strict instructions not to open the door for anybody. It takes everything I had to convince Nora to stay, that it was for the best. And even though I promised her that I’d return shortly, she still kissed me like it was for the last time. Her worrisome goodbye had been extremely heartfelt, and thinking about it brings a smile to my face. Only the most beautiful soul would love someone as damned as me.

  There’s no more second guessing or pushing her away. Nora’s mine. She’s captured me, both mind and body. Her pretty little fingers are wrapped tightly around my heart. I plan on returning to her as quickly as possible to show her just how much she’s mine.

  Even in midday, the buildings surrounding the boardroom cast shadows along the sidewalk. They are dark, reminding me of abyss-like portals destined straight for Hell. The last time I stepped foot in boardroom was weeks ago. Royce had found the witch and brought her to our aid. And the time before that? It was I that sought out Death. I had grown restless. Days were passing and we hadn’t made any progress. I was prepared to hand her over to them if it meant freeing me from the confines of my own apartment. And now? I want nothing more than to steer her as far away from them as I can.

  We follow Griffin in the building. Every fiber in me begins screaming for me to run, to get back to Nora. I can’t turn back though. All that would do is put a larger target on her back. I tucker down, keeping my jaw clamped tight and my comments locked inside my head. The quicker we get this bullshit over with, the quicker I’ll be able to get back. I’ve already decided that I’m taking Nora and putting as much distance between us and this town. Tonight.