by Liz Schulte
“Why not?”
She waited to answer until she was done in the washroom and could give me a disapproving look. “Because you’re carrying a life inside of you. That isn’t something everyone gets to do. I didn’t tell Cheney because it wouldn’t have changed anything. He was already worried enough, and by the time I knew, you were already there.”
Simon stabbing me in the stomach came to mind. Minos knew, but the pole healed me. It had to have healed me. Thoughts zoomed in and out of my mind so fast like white noise. My hand went to my stomach, and my eyes filled with tears. The image of Jaron holding something came back to me. Was it a baby?
“She might be fine,” Frost said.
“It’s a girl?” My voice broke, but I squared my shoulders. I couldn’t think about this because I wouldn’t be able to function. I needed a clear, baby-free head. “I’ll deal with this as soon as I can. Right now, there are more pressing issues.”
She scowled. “I really don’t think—”
“If I’m dead, the baby is doomed anyway. I have to find Corbin and get the pole to New Orleans before the spirits claim me.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. What if you hurt the child transporting or touching the pole? You have more than yourself to think about.”
I sighed loudly. Did she honestly think I didn’t know that? I was trying to keep both of us alive. I picked up my phone from the nightstand and called the only person I knew who could give me a quick answer.
“Hello?” Olivia answered, sounding rushed and a little cross, unusual for her.
“I need a second opinion.”
“Honestly, there’s a lot going on right now, Selene—” I gave her a quick rundown of what was happening and she appeared in front of me.
She smiled, lighting up the whole room. Frost inhaled sharply and backed away from Olivia, but she didn’t seem to notice. “I can only stay a minute.” She sat on the edge of my bed and hovered a hand over my stomach, closing her eyes.
Her eyebrows pulled together and her face looked serious—too serious. My heart thudded in my chest and I said a silent prayer that everything would be okay. Light went from her hand into my stomach in a bright pillar. A few seconds later, she pulled her hand back and looked at me.
“She’s fine. Your friend did a good job keeping her with you.”
“So I have nothing to worry about?”
Olivia smiled widely. “I’m afraid your worries are just starting.” She stood up. “I really do have to go. Take care of yourself.”
I nodded and Olivia disappeared.
“You didn’t tell me you knew an angel.”
“Olivia is a guardian. She’s nice.”
Frost gave me a perplexed look. I stood up. I had to find Corbin. “Thank you for your help.”
She caught my arm. “I still don’t think you should touch that pole.”
“What do you propose?”
She pressed her lips together. “I’ll come with you. If anyone is touching something from the Underworld, it should be me.”
“Fine.” I took her hand and transported us to the clearing where the girls had opened the porthole for Corbin. He wasn’t there.
“Damn it. I knew it he wouldn’t show. He double-crossed me again.”
“The sun’s still up,” she said. “Maybe he doesn’t want to be flambéed.”
“Right. Where would he go?”
Before she could answer, a young woman with board-straight brown hair came up to us. “Are you looking for Corbin?” she asked in a high voice.
Frost looked at me. “Yes,” I said.
“Come with me.” She waved over her shoulder as she turned and walked away in the fading light. She took us into an abandoned family cemetery. Most of the headstones were broken and falling over, and there was a crypt in equally poor condition. She, of course, pointed to it. “Who are you?” I asked her.
“Sam,” she said. “Corbin thought he might need a snack when he got back.”
I wrinkled my nose, and Frost shook her head. “Groupies.”
Frost and I walked to the grave. “This better not be a trap, Corbin, you son of —”
“Don’t call my mum names, pet.” Corbin stepped out of the shadows, squinting at the fading sun. I couldn’t help but smile at him. We made it through Hell—literally. He grinned back. “I told you, you can trust me.” He held out the pole as an offering of peace.
Frost reached for it and he pulled back, noticing her for the first time. “Who are you?”
“None of your business. Give me the pole.”
Corbin twirled it in his fingers, keeping it out of her reach. “Make me.”
Frost narrowed her eyes and took off her gloves, ready for a fight. “You can’t beat me, vampire. You’ll be kissing the ground I walk on when I’m done with you.”
“Is that so?” He raised a dark eyebrow, not at all threatened. “I just love you death chasers. So full of yourselves, and oh so dark and delicious.”
“No. Stop. Wait.” I stepped between them. “Corbin, Frost is the necromancer who brought me back. She doesn’t think I should touch the pole while I’m living, so she’s going with me to the cemetery to turn it in.”
Corbin looked her up and down before setting his mouth in a cold line. “No need. I’ll go with Selene. Don’t you have a corpse waiting for you at home?”
“I have it handled,” Frost said through gritted teeth. “This is more my area than yours. Isn’t there a life you need to steal?”
“Nah. I already had a snack.” He licked his lips. “The thing is, I don’t know you”—he leaned closer—“so I don’t think I’m going to let you go with Selene anywhere.”
“I hate vampires. Give me the pole, you vile Neanderthal.” She stomped her foot.
“Come. And. Get. It.”
They squared off and I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, people. There is no time for this. I want to go home. I want to see Cheney and my friends. I want to find out what the hell is happening and everything that I missed.” I looked directly at Frost. “I also have news I want to share with Cheney.”
Frost pursed her lips but looked somewhat calmer.
“We can all go if you both just shut up and stop fighting.”
Frost put her gloves back on, and Corbin stood next to me, not looking at her. They were as bad as children. Children. The thought made me smile and pat my stomach before transporting the three of us. The cemetery was still open to the public, but as I neared it, the gate slithered and shifted like the spirits knew what we had with us and couldn’t contain their excitement. It swung open as if expecting me and I led them through. The spirits and the spookiness were barely noticeable. Maybe it was worse later at night or maybe I had been through too much today to be scared of anything. I was on a mission. Antoinette waited at the familiar mausoleum. The blind woman clasped her hands in front of her, as if she could see Corbin carrying the Pole of Charon.
“You have succeeded, child.” She kissed both of my cheeks. “The spirits will be pleased.”
“I don’t really care. Let’s get this show on the road.” I was tired and ready to see Cheney.
She moved away from the entrance and the door creaked open behind her. “Take the pole inside. The vampire and the dark witch must wait out here.”
“Why?” Frost asked.
“The spirits have decreed it so.”
“If they want the pole, they can un-decree it.” Frost crossed her arms over her chest and glared at everything.
I really just wanted all of this to be over. Why did Frost care so much anyway? I’d practically had to beg her to help me in the first place.
Antoinette was quiet for long enough that I almost gave in, but then she nodded. “You both may go. The vampire stays.”
Corbin started to object, but I cut him off. “It’s fine. Let’s just finish this.”
He set his jaw and pulled me to the side. “Don’t let her touch the pole.”
“Why not?”
; “I can feel the energy, but I don’t know how to use it. A necromancer would. This kind of power is too tempting to be resisted for long.”
“What do you think she would do with it?”
He looked back at her. She was standing by herself with a sour look on her face and thin arms crossed over her chest. “I don’t think any of us want to know.”
I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Maybe we shouldn’t have brought the pole back here at all. Maybe I should have just lived the last week and left things alone. I nodded. “Toss it inside and we’ll follow.”
The three of us walked toward the mausoleum. When we were nearly to the door, I nodded and Corbin tossed the pole inside and stepped out of the way. Frost and I continued forward.
“Wait! Selene, stop!” Cheney called as he, Sy, and Sebastian came running in our direction.
“Don’t give them the pole,” Sebastian said.
I turned back to the crypt. Frost kneeled over the pole, studying it closely but not touching it. The door slammed shut.
“You are released,” a voice boomed and everything disappeared—Antoinette, the room, and Frost. I looked back at the guys. The horrified expressions on their faces told me I had once again made a terrible mistake.
The crypt, the pole, and the necromancer vanished. Part of me wanted to laugh, part of me wanted to yell, but mostly I just wanted to kiss Selene. She stared at me, wide-eyed, her lower jaw hanging open.
“I…what…where did everything go? Holy crap.”
I did laugh—and I wrapped my arms around her, lifting her off the ground as I kissed her hard and long. Her arms curled around me, fingers mussing my hair. My forehead rested against hers and she smiled lazily. I was overcome with the feeling that finally everything was going to be all right, despite losing the pole and everything disappearing.
“Miss me?” she asked.
I kissed her once more before lowering her back to her feet. “Not at all. You’re a better listener the other way.”
She laughed and slid her fingers through mine before she leaned against me. The vampire watched, his eyes darkening, but he didn’t say anything. I stepped forward and offered him my hand. He hesitated only a moment before he shook it.
“Thank you. Whatever you did to help Selene, thank you.”
“Well, actually—”
“Some things are best left unsaid,” Selene interrupted him.
Normally that would’ve bugged the hell out of me, but having her back was enough that I didn’t care. She’d opened my eyes to the world in a way no one ever had. She made me really see my father for the first time. She made me into a person I could be proud of. We would make it through whatever new challenge lay before us.
Sebastian kissed her cheek. “I’m glad you have returned,” he said, though he gave a long-suffering look at where the crypt used to be. “We have work to do.”
“Agreed,” said Sy, pointing at the void. “I know we’re ecstatic Selene—and Corbin—are back, but this is a problem. Like huge.”
Selene smiled. “There’s always a new problem, Sy. Sometimes we just have to enjoy the moment.” But then she glanced at the void too and a line of worry marred her beautiful face. “Can you guys figure out what happened here without us? We need to save Frost and steal the pole back. I think Charon is going to miss it.”
They nodded, looking shocked.
She looked at me. “Let’s go home.”
We transported back to the castle, and I was happy that the protesters had left for the day. Or maybe the protesters were the group my father had assembled. I couldn’t really be sure, and I wasn’t overly concerned about it at the moment. I didn’t have to tell Selene—not yet. The people would love her once they knew her.
She started toward our room, but I pulled her in the other direction. “Where are we going?” she asked. “We have things to talk about.”
I just grinned and led her to the archive. The coven was still there, laughing and arguing as if they hadn’t just fought in a battle. I opened the door. “There are people here who have been waiting to see you.”
Though they were still surrounded by books and manuscripts, they each had a drink in hand and were lounging in the padded chairs. They looked up as we entered. Katrina dropped her glass on the floor. It shattered but she didn’t seem to notice. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth.
Jessica set her own beer down carefully, shaking her head at Kat as she walked past her. “Dude, you’re making a mess.” She grinned at Selene. “You missed a hell of a day.”
“No. I’m pretty sure I had a hell of a day.”
Jessica and Katrina hit her about the same time, throwing their arms around her, and Leslie started crying, joining in the hug. Devin joined in last, stretching her arms around everyone in the group. Her friends had always confused me a little. After today, though, I understood all of them a little better. Selene couldn’t have surrounded herself with better people.
“So tell us what happened,” Jessica said.
Selene shook her head. “Not tonight. I’m tired. I just want to take a hot shower and sleep.”
“Sleep?” Katrina said. “You don’t ever get to sleep again.”
Selene laughed. “Are you staying tonight?” They all nodded. “Good. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
I held the door open, but Devin’s voice stopped me. “Don’t think you’re getting off that easy, Cheney.” She held her arms out.
Selene laughed again as I dutifully hugged each of her friends and thanked them again for helping today.
“I thought elves don’t hug,” Selene ribbed me as we left.
“Maybe we should more.”
Her eyes were wide with wonder. “What did I miss?”
I slung an arm around her. “Nothing much. A curse on my bloodline, my sister’s ghost, my dad’s death…” My voice broke a little, and she stopped walking.
“Oh, Cheney, I’m so sorry. What happened?”
I shook my head. I would tell her everything, just not right now. “It was for the best.”
Her eyes glistened with tears he would have never cried for her. “That doesn’t make it any easier.” She hugged me hard.
I ran my hand down her silky hair. “What about you? What happened?”
Her face hardened into an expression I never wanted to see on her again—a mixture of pain, despair, and determination. “I learned a lot about myself.”
I cupped her cheek in my hand. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
She slowly relaxed. “You were there. I carry you everywhere with me.” She put a hand over my heart. “I do have good news though.”
“Excellent. I think we both could use some.”
She glanced around to make sure we were alone. “You’re going to be a father.”
My battered heart filled with joy that couldn’t be contained. I picked her up and twirled her around, making her glorious laugh ring out. As soon as I set her down, questions started flowing through my mind so fast I couldn’t finish a sentence. “How do you…Are you sure…What about…”
She burrowed into my chest. “Frost told me. She said she knew as soon as she touched me, and she had to keep a tight hold on both of us while I was gone. She couldn’t even go pee.”
Now I understood why she wouldn’t leave Selene’s room. We owed a lot to Frost. Whatever happened to her in the cemetery, we would find her and bring her back. “But you’re sure everything is okay now?”
She nodded. “I called Olivia and she popped by. She said she’s fine.”
“She’s? We’re having a daughter?”
Selene smiled and nodded. I pressed my hand to her stomach and knew a love and fear like I had never known before.
Continue on to read a sneak peek of,
Something soft fluttered across my face, and a glow I had come to know as homemade colors swirl behind my closed eyes. I couldn’t have been asleep more than twenty minutes. I stifled a tired groan and didn’t open my eyes.
“W
hat are you doing?” My voice sounded thick with sleep even to my own ears.
“Counting your freckles,” Olivia said with an amused lilt.
I cracked one eye so I could see her. “I don’t have freckles.”
Her laughter was better than any cup of coffee in the world. “You do. Fourteen of them to be precise.” She kissed me softly, and I wrapped my arms around her—there were worse ways to wake up.
“I missed you last night,” I said. She nuzzled her cheek to mine, but a moment later, she squirmed away and wiggled off the bed. I tried to catch her, but she was too quick.
“No time for that.” She wagged her finger at me with a wide smile. “I have to go to work.” She sounded entirely too cheerful and alert. “Breakfast.” She nodded her head toward the kitchen.
“Tease,” I called after her as she disappeared into a ball of light that rivaled the moon. I sighed happily then closed my eyes again, but I was awake and worry was always quick on the heels of any happiness I ever felt. I had lived too long to not know that joy was almost always followed by disaster. Life had been too good for too long. We were due.
On that cheerful thought, I gave up pretending I’d get any more sleep. My eyes popped open. There was no rest for the wicked and I definitely qualified. I flipped back the covers and pulled on a pair of pants. I was two steps from the bathroom when I felt Liv’s panic.
“Holden,” her voice, struggling to sound calm, rang through the apartment and my head.
I ran for the door, cursing myself for not relocating. It was stupid to have stayed here, no matter what she wanted. She was struggling to hold someone upright.
“Help,” she said.
My run slowed to a walk as I peered around her, taking in the situation now that I knew she wasn’t in immediate danger. It took me a moment to put together that the bloody lump in her arms was Baker. His face was swollen past recognition and thick streams of crimson flowed off him in violent rivers. His left eye bulged and the skin around it was purple and black. His cheek bone glistened from the gash across his check and his clothes were soaked through with sweat and blood.