Hades was taking a leak on the mailbox before I could say something.
“Wow. Ash,” I said, impressed. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked back at the house.
“I’ve just… had it, Ally.” he sighed. “She’s been acting like a stranger for years. I’m tired of trying to find the sister I remember in that person.” I reached over and took his hand. He took a calming breath and let it out. He squeezed my hand before tugging me toward his red truck. “Come on, we’ve got to grab groceries for brunch.”
I let Hades jump into the back of the cab before climbing into the front seat. Asher was quiet all the way to the grocery store. I rolled down my window a bit so Hades would be comfortable before getting out. It didn’t seem to matter, he was on his back asleep anyway.
We headed into the store and grabbed a cart. I pushed while Asher checked out the cantaloupe in the produce section. He was so thorough, making sure everything was ripe that it made me smile. He noticed.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I shrugged. “I just didn’t know you did brunch every week.” We headed into the bakery section.
“It’s cheaper than ordering it in,” he hedged.
I smiled. “You like doing it.” His cheeks tinged pink as he focused on picking out fresh croissants from the bakery. He pointed out which ones he’d like then turned back to me, his eyes full of shadows. “Ash? Is something wrong?” I asked gently. He sighed.
“My dad’s been giving me a hard time lately,” he said as he took the box from the woman. He thanked her and put them into the basket before continuing. “He’s on my case about Jessica’s grades. Apparently, she’s been ditching a lot.”
I scowled. “That’s not your fault. You’re her brother, not her father,” I reminded him.
He started looking at some oranges. “I know. But he won’t deal with it and she’ll keep doing what she’s doing.” His ocean eyes met mine. “And my sister might end up in some trouble she can’t get out of.”
“Those are her decisions, Ash. She decides what she’s going to do. Not you,” I pointed out. “Your dad’s the one who should deal with it.” he nodded, his gaze unfocused.
“I know,” he said softly, his eyes focused before they met mine. “Which is what I’m going to tell him next time I talk to him.” I went still. Asher was going to stand up to his dad. That’s…
“You surprise me, Superman,” I told him, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
He grinned, then it started to fade. “That’s not our biggest worry right now. I’m dreading talking to the twins,” he admitted.
My smile dimmed. “I don’t know how it’s going to go, but they need to talk to her.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” he said quietly. With that thought lodged in our minds we got back to shopping.
* * *
I was sitting in Miles’ kitchen at the breakfast counter. Asher was making eggs and bacon while Miles was getting the coffee ready as Zeke arrived. The front door slammed.
“Here!” Zeke barked.
“Kitchen!” Asher answered. Zeke came in with scruff covering his face and his eyes half open. Miles immediately handed him a cup of coffee. He grunted his thanks before coming to sit on the stool next to me.
“Why the hell am I up so early?” Zeke grumbled before taking a drink of his coffee.
I waited until he finished drinking before answering. “Because, on Friday Sophie told me she was going to be ready to cross soon.”
Zeke grew still, then slowly set down his coffee. “When does she want to cross?” Zeke asked, his gaze on the counter.
“She was willing to wait until their cousins left, so, tomorrow maybe. She’ll let me know by breaking a guitar,” I explained. “But I still haven’t told the twins.”
Zeke let out a deep sigh, braced his elbow on the table and rubbed his eyes with that hand. “Fuck.”
“One of the reasons we’re here is to figure out the best way to tell them,” Miles said as he brought his own coffee mug to the breakfast counter.
Zeke dropped his arm to the counter and shot Miles a look. “There is no ‘best way’ to tell them,” he growled. He pointed toward the front door. “That’s their little sister who has been stuck here because one of them pulled her back.”
“And we all knew about it.” Asher took the skillet off the burner and moved across from me at the breakfast counter.
“And we didn’t tell them,” Miles added. The silence grew thick.
“That day is going to suck,” Zeke growled. The others nodded in agreement. “What we need to do is figure out who’s watching who?”
Miles turned to Zeke. “Do you think that you and Asher can handle Isaac while I take Ethan? Ethan will be angry, but he is less likely to do something dangerous.”
Zeke nodded, his eyes full of shadows. “Yeah, we can handle him. I’ll sit on him if I have to.”
“Call me if you need a hand,” Miles added. Zeke nodded.
“So, that’s the plan?” I asked. All eyes turned to me. “Tell them, and you guys stop them from flipping out?” They all nodded. “Okay. That’s not scaring the crap out of me.” I said sarcastically.
“Who is going to tell them?” Asher asked, looking over at Miles.
“I am,” I said immediately. The guys all opened their mouths to protest, I cut them off. “I’m the one who can see her. It’s my responsibility to tell them.”
“Fine,” Zeke bit out. “But make it clear we all knew about it too. Don’t even think about taking all the blame yourself.” I shot him a look, mostly because the guy had read my mind. His piercing ice-blue eyes stayed on mine until I had to give in.
“Fine,” I grumbled.
Asher lifted his head. “They’re coming up the drive.”
We all waited until the front door opened.
“We’re here!” Isaac shouted.
“Kitchen!” we called back in unison. The twins came in, still half asleep and in their jammies. I smiled at the monster slippers on Isaac’s feet.
Everything grew busy as everyone dished up their plates. Once we were in the living room and eating, we were able to talk.
“What are everyone’s plans for the week?” Asher asked before taking a drink of coffee.
“Ethan and I have that trip down to Missoula Art Museum tomorrow,” I reminded them. “That should be fun.”
Zeke’s head snapped up, his gaze went to both of us. “Take a kit.”
“As if we’d forget,” Ethan huffed. Months ago, Miles had created an emergency kit for if I ever got jumped around them again. It was really only salt and salted holy water but everyone had a stockpile of them everywhere. It had saved my ass in December, so I didn’t mind the reminder.
“I’ve got one in my hoodie and two in my bag,” I reassured him. Zeke nodded. Appeased, he went back to his breakfast.
“You guys are coming to the barbecue Rory is doing tonight, right?” I asked. Everyone agreed.
“Yeah, even Aunt Ana and the monsters will be there,” Ethan offered.
“Other than the Championship and practice, I have nothing planned.” Miles announced. I smiled.
“How’s training going?” I asked before I took a bite of melon.
“It’s going well. We’re keeping it a bit lighter since the meet is on Friday,” Miles said.
“That’ll be fun,” I said.
“Then we can have a victory party,” Isaac pointed out.
Miles shook his head. “I haven’t even won yet.”
“You will,” Ethan said confidently. His phone vibrated on the table. Ethan picked it up and checked it.
“We could have a Miles party,” I suggested. “Game marathon and snacks.” Miles sent me a grateful smile.
“Or we can hit a big party and Miles could actually meet someone.” Isaac countered.
Miles picked at his plate, his ears turning pink. “I’d rather have a night with my friends.”
“That decides it,” Asher declare
d. “Video game party Friday night.”
“Hey guys, Joslyn Clark just texted me that her whole neighborhood had a power surge. It blew the transformer. It’s the fourth time in a month.” Ethan announced. He looked up from his phone.
“Now that you mention it, there have been more electric company trucks in town lately.” Miles said. “More transformers are breaking around town.”
“I saw four yesterday alone,” Asher added.
“Are they just old and breaking?” Isaac asked before biting into a slice of bacon.
“I don’t think so, the electric company came through three years ago and updated the entire system,” Miles said. I had a hunch.
“Where does she live?” I asked them.
“Over on Walnut,” Ethan answered.
“And Walnut is right by the cemetery,” I thought out loud. “Where an ever growing group of ghosts get together almost every day.”
“You think the energy from the souls are affecting the transformers?” Miles asked.
I nodded. “With all the extra energy floating around out there… yeah, it seems likely.”
My phone rang on the table. I set my coffee down, leaned forward and picked it up. It was Serena. “I need to take this, guys.” I got up and moved into the long hallway before answering.
“Hey.”
“Tell me again what you saw?” Serena demanded. I moved further down the hall so I could have some privacy.
“These human shaped figures. They were completely black, as in, you can’t see through them black,” I told her softly. “One of my friends looked them up and said he thought they were shadow men.”
“How did they feel to you? Sad? Confused?” she asked.
I licked my lips before answering. “Evil. And hungry.” There were several heartbeats of silence.
“What you’re describing is a Shadow Man,” Serena finally said. “How many did you see?”
I ran through my memories again. “Four, I think.”
“Where?” she asked, her voice cold. Her attitude was starting to irk me.
“The old abandoned hospital off the freeway. Thirty minutes east from Spring Mountain,” I answered, my voice growing hard.
“Well, they were Shadow Men. There’s nothing you can really do about them,” Serena said in a lecturing tone. “I need to go-”
“Hold on!” I snapped. “What the hell are they?”
“Lexie, haven’t you been doing research?” she chided me.
“Yeah, and I still don’t know what they are or what they can do,” I shot back. She sighed in my ear.
“They are parasites. No one knows where they come from. They latch on to a place or sometimes even a person and slowly kill them. Just stay away from the building and you should be fine,” she said in an irritated voice. “You really need to do more research.”
That’s it. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve just been busy getting the dead to cross over and trying to fix the Veil,” I snapped.
“Lexie, that’s not my area. It’s yours.” she reminded me.
“Except it affects the entire world and you know how to do more than you’re telling me.” I countered.
The silence on the line was thick.
“I answered your question, next time figure it out yourself. Good-bye.” Serena hung up.
I resisted the urge to throw the phone into the wall. Ever since I learned Serena had lied to me about how much she really knew about working with the dead, our relationship had been on the downslide. I kept getting the run around and I was sick of it. I took several deep breaths before heading back into the living room.
Asher was just finishing a story as I sat down and picked up my coffee mug.
“Who was on the phone?” Asher asked.
“Serena,” I said, keeping my voice light. “She was just answering some questions for me.” More like dodging them but I couldn’t tell them that. They had enough to worry about with the twins right now. Asher looked like he wanted to ask more but Isaac jumped in.
“So, Red,” Isaac turned to me, “are you still coming to the skate park with me?”
“Yep.” I thought about telling them I was getting my hair cut then quickly decided against it. They were guys, it’s not like they were going to care about my hair anyway. “I just have some girl time scheduled with Riley first.”
“What do you girls do anyway?” Ethan asked. “Gossip and get manicures?”
I smiled sweetly at him. “If that was the case, you’d be there right along with us.” The guys chuckled.
“That’s true...” Ethan admitted.
The rest of brunch went on as usual, though I was quieter than normal. Serena’s attitude and rush to get off the phone was still in the back of my mind. Why was she so reluctant to give me the answers I needed? One day soon, I was going to have to have a long talk with her. And it wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. Everything was starting to feel like it was on a timer and when time was up, all hell was going to break loose.
I pushed away the feeling of time slipping away and focused on enjoying my time with the guys. Tic tic tic…
Chapter 6
Sunday Afternoon
Riley, Hades and I were sitting in the waiting area of the salon looking through magazines when I remembered I needed to tell Zeke where I was. I pulled out my phone and opened our usual group chat.
Alexis: Zeke, I’m at a salon getting my hair cut. Just so you’re aware.
I was about to put my phone away when it blew up.
Isaac: What salon?
Asher: You’re cutting your hair? How short?
Ethan: Awesome! Get an undercut!
Zeke: Why are you cutting your hair?
Miles: You never mentioned wanting to change your hair.
Surprised, it took me a few seconds before I could reply.
Alexis: Because I want to. I’m over at Torren’s Salon, Riley’s aunt runs it, I’m still looking at styles. I’m doing it because if I roll over and yank my hair one more time, I’ll start screaming.
My phone blew up again.
Isaac: We’re on our way, we want to see what you pick!
Oh God. No. They wouldn’t… “Shit.”
“What?” Riley asked putting her magazine in her lap.
“The guys,” I said absently as I read the incoming messages.
Asher: Me too, don’t get in the chair until I get there.
Zeke: I don’t think you need to cut your hair.
Miles: I suppose I’ll join you guys. I’m in town already.
I raised an eyebrow. Seriously?
“What are they doing?” Riley asked.
“I made the mistake of saying I was getting my hair cut,” I told her. “Now they all have an opinion.” Riley started laughing.
Alexis: Don’t you dare.
Ethan: Too late, we’re in the car. LOL.
Oh great. I looked to the stylist. She was just finishing cleaning the hair up from her last client. I grabbed a magazine and looked through it as fast as I could.
“Quick, help me find a style before they get here,” I hissed. Riley instantly started searching.
“Why do they think they get to have an opinion?” she asked, smiling.
“I don’t know,” I admitted as I looked up at the stylist who was fixing her station.
I mentally urged the leggy blond to hurry up. I didn’t know what the guys were thinking. The stylist came towards the sitting area.
“Lexie, right?” she said. I nodded and rushed to my feet. “My name’s Mira.” She led me to her station. I sat down so fast Riley began snickering. “So, what are we looking to do today?”
I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and let it fall down my back. Mira gently lifted it over the chair. “Oh my, when was the last time you had a trim?”
I thought it over. “A couple years ago?” I offered. “I know I want to take some length off. I was thinking just about the middle of my shoulder blades.” I watched Mira nod in the mirror as she began to pull my ha
ir into a braid.
“With your curls, I’ll have to cut longer than that or your hair will be up to your shoulders,” she explained.
“Works for me.” I resisted the urge to tell her to hurry up and cut.
“You know, your hair is very healthy. It’d be perfect for Locks of Love.” Mira wrapped a band around the end of my braid. “They make wigs for kids with cancer, women suffering from hair loss.”
“Might want to hurry,” Riley warned. Shit!
“Sounds good to me, it’s not doing me any favors,” I stated. Mira chuckled as she reached for her scissors. Come on, come on! The door to the salon opened. Oh no.
“Stop!” Isaac shouted dramatically. Both Mira and I spun around. Riley was in the waiting area shaking her head. Isaac was standing in the doorway still in his PJ’s. “Don’t cut that wench’s hair!” He puffed up his chest. Ethan gave him a shove from behind so he could come inside. Ethan was also still in his pajamas. I bit back a smile as they came over.
“Uh, what’s going on?” Mira asked.
“Incoming,” Riley warned. Before I could explain, Asher strode through the door.
“You’re not buzzing your head, are you Ally?” Asher asked, a grin on his face.
I began to answer.
“Screw that, she should buzz half her hair off,” Ethan announced, smirking.
Isaac shook his head. “What about a pixie cut? I heard some girls talking about it at school, they said they were in trend or something.” Riley fell into a fit of giggles, all but falling out of her seat.
“Do you know what a pixie cut is?” I asked. They shook their heads. I smiled as I looked to Ethan. “It’s what your ex had.”
Ethan’s face cringed. “No pixie cut! No way!” he announced dramatically.
The door to the salon opened again. Zeke strode over to the group now surrounding me and Mira.
“What are you doing, Lexie?” he asked.
“Cutting my hair,” I said clearly.
Zeke gave a slight cringe “How about just a trim?”
“It’s heavy and it’s down to my butt,” I pointed out. “I need more than a trim.” Riley started laughing harder. The bell over the door rang as Miles walked in. His gaze went to me.
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