by Box Set
My eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? You came all the way up there looking for me?"
He chuckled softly. "I told you I never got over you. Sometimes I'd miss you so much I did crazy things."
Yeah. That I understood.
I still love you. After all this time. I could tell him...
"I only had a couple of weeks, though. I had to get back home. Responsibilities." His voice dropped so I had to strain to hear him. "It killed me leaving there without you."
"When?" I asked, leaning up so I could see him. "When did you come?"
He watched his hand as it trailed over the tattoo on my wrist. "Two years ago."
Two years ago. If he'd actually found me two years ago, that would have been two years less of the torture I'd been going through trying so desperately to forget him. The waste of time made me feel a little sick. "What did you do after that?"
His smile turned rueful. "Don't hate me."
"I couldn't possibly."
"I dated. A lot. Went through a lot of girls trying to forget you." His fingers stilled against my wrist and I wondered if he could feel the way he made my pulse jump. "Jealous?" His dark blue eyes danced as a grin played around his lips. He pulled me back down onto his chest, so our faces were only an inch apart.
"Maybe a little," I whispered.
"I'm yours now, Navi. Just say the word."
Behind me, beyond the bed of the truck, someone cleared her throat.
With a strangled screech, I sat up and whirled around. "Elizabeth," I gasped.
"Who?" Alec frowned, also sitting up, but more slowly, which was wise on his part. I was still slightly light-headed from moving so quickly.
"They come, Navi."
As much as I was loathe to leave Alec, I had a job to do. People to protect. Souls to save. I nodded and dug my phone out of my pocket, pretending to check a text message. "I have to go to work."
"Now?" Alec asked, squinting up at the sky.
Yes, it was probably close to midnight. It couldn't be helped.
I nodded. I could run faster than his truck could drive, but leaping out and taking off would be a little hard to explain. Instead, I pulled him out of the bed, wadding up the quilt and tossing it in the back before he could even get his bearings. "I'll be there as soon as I can," I said to Elizabeth when he went to open my door. She nodded, regret in her eyes. Elizabeth, more than anyone, knew how hard I’d fought to get over Alec. And so she would understand how much I wanted to stay with him. Her regret was for me, and I loved her for it.
"If you could just drop me off at Vine and Center Street, that would be great." I clambered up into the truck and gave him my sweetest smile.
"Drop you off alone on the edge of town? Are you serious? What about when you want to get home?"
Oh shoot. I hadn't thought of that. Life would be so much easier if I could just tell him—except for, you know, the mortal danger I'd be putting him in and everything. I really didn't like to lie, but desperate times and all that. "I'll catch a ride home with one of my friends. It's fine."
He gave me an odd look before shutting my door and going around to his side. He swung smoothly into the cab. "You're sure about this? Do you even have a weapon?"
Oh yes. I couldn't tell him that, though. "It will be fine, I promise." I danced around the truth. "I do this all the time."
He sighed. "Is it going to get any easier having a probation officer for a girlfriend?" The lopsided grin he gave me sent my heart spiraling through my rib cage.
"Hey now," I teased as I slid closer to him. "I don't think you even asked me. What's with the assuming, Alec?"
He turned wide innocent eyes on me before reaching across with his free hand to buckle my seat belt. "We have to keep you safe." He looked back to the road and cleared his throat and if I didn't know better, I'd say he was nervous. "Navi, about that girlfriend thing... what do you think? Just me? No other guys?"
Did he really think there was anything to worry about? Like any other guy had ever come even close to comparing to him? I leaned my head against his shoulder. "Yeah, Alec. I'll be your girlfriend." Raising my head to peek at him in the darkness, I said, "Now what? Do I wear your letterman jacket or something?"
He lifted my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles in what I decided was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done. And he'd done it twice now. If I was the swooning type, I'd have crumpled at his feet long ago. "I might have to dig it out of storage."
Today had been heaven. But we weren’t in high school. Who entered into an exclusive relationship after such a short amount of time? I mean, in high school, yeah. All the time. I’d agreed to be Alec’s girlfriend when I’d spoken to him maybe three times.
He was watching me with those hooded eyes. "You look worried."
"It's just a little fast. That's all," I finally whispered.
He nodded, dragging in a deep, deep breath. "Yeah. I forget... I'm sorry. I forget it's only been two days. It feels like more."
Struggling to lighten the very intense atmosphere in the truck, I said, "Wait... if time flies when you're having fun and two days feels like enough to talk about being exclusive, what are you saying about time with me?" I regarded him suspiciously. "Are you calling me boring?"
He laughed, pulling me against him to kiss my temple. "Not a chance in hell, Angel."
Alec dropped me off at the intersection and I could only brush my lips against his before I jumped out. I barely had time to feel the heat shoot all the way to my toes before I turned to see what waited for me... and I realized I'd left heaven behind and walked right into hell.
Chapter 17
"Quickly, Navi. Sing to them. We don't have much time." Elizabeth was the only ghost there, standing on the outside of Devil’s Gate, pacing back and forth and tripping over her own skirts—which she rarely did and which I’d never been able to figure out. How did a ghost trip over something ghostly?
I glanced at Elizabeth and nodded. The asuwangs were already clawing their way up the beach and some were even climbing the walls of Devil's Gate. If they reached the row of houses, they'd be hard to track with too many places to hide. If I lost even one of them, they could shift and turn themselves into anyone when the sun came up. I'd never find them.
Well, not until they started killing people.
And eating them.
Then I'd find them pretty quickly.
But, if it was at all possible, I'd like for no one to die first. That seemed like a way better option. So I opened my mouth, letting the ancient words flow off my tongue. The asuwangs, realizing what it meant, screeched and tried to claw faster, but they were still struggling to make their flippers work like legs. Give them five minutes, and they'd be freakishly fast.
My voice was familiar—the same tone as when I sang on stage, but at the same time hauntingly different, even though I'd used it to call my ghosts a thousand times, it still sent shivers of foreboding up and down my spine. I had no idea what the words meant, only that they were ancient and super powerful.
My ghosts appeared, rising from their cells on the outskirts of hell. Elizabeth alone was free to roam our world—she’d been given the chance to move on, and had refused. She wanted to stay and fight with me, for some inexplicable reason. The rest, they lived in holding cells, only allowed freedom at night to watch for incoming demons and fight.
Luckily for me, Elizabeth acted as our first response, alerting me and freeing my ghosts. Otherwise, my life would be way more complicated.
Elizabeth ran down the beach alone, swords blazing in the moonlight. One by one as the rest of my army arrived; they went after her, diving furiously into battle.
Jesse, however, lagged behind. I rolled my eyes and unsheathed my swords. "I saw some make it further down the beach. Go stop them—take someone with you," I yelled as I ran by her. She muttered but I didn't have time to listen.
I sprinted down the beach, already swinging Kali through the air. I sliced through the claw dug deep into Don's soul, one o
f my newer ghosts. The asuwang screamed and jerked back as I whirled, gaining momentum. I came around and lopped its ugly half-human head right off. "Are you okay?" I panted, dancing away from the head as it rolled down the beach.
Don nodded, holding a transparent hand to his wounded soul. Without a word, he raised his sword with his other hand and dashed back into the fight, swinging it like a club. I hid a smile. Very brave of him. I'd have to mention this to Death when I saw him next.
But more of my ghosts were in trouble. I followed Don, wading through destruction, trying to save them. Yes, they were ghosts. Yes, they had all done things to land them on the brink of eternal fire and brimstone. But they were here. They'd chosen to fight for their redemption.
That meant a lot to me and I wasn't going to give up on them.
Humans can't hurt ghosts. But demons? Demons can. I heard Elizabeth scream and swung around to see an asuwang holding her by the throat, its claws slowly digging into her soul, cutting off the life force. The thing about dying by the hand of a demon is if they take your soul, you don't get to go straight to the afterlife. Best scenario is they wear you like a shield against the sun. Next best case was you get taken to their sea-witch, and she uses you to make a giant, impenetrable shell for herself, and if we’re fast enough, we can cut you free before the sun hits you and melts you into an impenetrable shield—but not until she decides to leave her lair and attack the surface. Worst case is you're kept in a cage until the sea witch wanted to invade land and kill everything, and then you're worn as a shell on her back until the sun melts you into an impenetrable shield. It isn't until she dies that you finally get to go to hell. No more chances at redemption. And for Elizabeth, who had been offered redemption but turned it down to stay and fight for something she believed in—that just wasn't fair.
Hell didn't look so bad compared to that.
I leaped over the crumbling, bloody body before me, jamming my sword into its back and jerking the blade out as I landed hard on the other side. I used my swords as scissors on the next demon blocking my way, slicing through its neck. But I didn't have time to watch it fall. I spun around it like a football running back and fought my way closer to Elizabeth. The demons seemed determined to keep me away, blocking my path every step of the way. I screamed, the sound reverberating through the deserted beach. The asuwangs trembled and collapsed, writhing on the ground. My throat was hoarse, so much that it felt like it was on fire. I only had one scream like that in every moon cycle, so I tried to save them for emergencies.
Elizabeth was in trouble. This was an emergency.
I whirled through the collapsed bodies as my ghosts fell on them with their swords, tearing them to bits. I got to Elizabeth and chopped at the hand still somehow tangled in her throat until the arm fell away alone. Sheathing my swords, I dug the claws out of her neck, wincing at the rubbery scaliness of them.
Ick. Ick. Ick.
She gasped as I finally pulled them free, like she was gasping for air but I knew she didn't breathe. Behind me, the asuwangs were pulling themselves to their feet, moving in stunned slowness. I jerked back toward her. "Are you okay? Should I call Death?"
Her eyes widened and she shook her head vehemently. "I am fine, Navi."
I scanned her wounds, but I could hear the asuwangs howling. There wasn't time to baby her. "Okay. Just stay away from them, okay? Heal first." Thankfully, when the moon was up, they healed as fast as I did.
"Navi!" One of my army yelled and I spun on my heel, already unsheathing Kali and Golly as I turned. I thrust them out and into the face of a demon just rising from its crouch. The moon was setting. If they have a soul to shield them, they could shift into other forms when the moon set.
And my ghosts would get sent back to their cages when the moon set.
And I would lose my powers when the moon set.
"Hurry!" I cried. I spied Elizabeth running down the beach, so at least she was out of harm's way. My ghosts redoubled their efforts, racing against the moon. I swung my blades down, felt them slice through the rubbery skin, and jerked them free before spinning on the next demon threatening to impale me with its claws.
Because if that happened, it would eat me.
That would be unpleasant.
Faster. I had to move faster. I flew through the motions, dancing out of danger, whirling back in, jabbing, thrusting. Trying to save the souls in danger. It would be so awesome if someone could figure out how to make our blades start on fire. Then we could blaze right through these stupid monsters. But my mom didn't know how to do anything like that and I'd never met another Agent besides her. Someone should start a chat room for Agents. That would be super helpful.
"Navi!"
Crap. I'd gone too far into my own head, and the asuwang knocked me flying, pouncing on top of me as I hit the sand on my back. I squealed as its teeth reached for my face, hot drool scalding my skin.
And then it screamed and arched away enough that I could get my blades up and into its skin. I could see Robert, one of my ghosts, over its shoulder, jerking his own swords free.
The thing collapsed on me, its last breath rattling in its chest. "Get off, get off, get off!" I screeched, shoving it hard until I could wriggle out from under it.
The rest of the demons were dead, except for two that wouldn't last more than a couple of seconds, given that my entire army had focused their attention on them.
"That was close. I guess they wanted to remind us that this isn't supposed to be so easy," I panted.
Robert nodded solemnly, watching the fight. "If this keeps up, we're going to need a bigger army. We lost three tonight."
"Oh no," I murmured. "Who?"
"Don. Serena. Christopher."
The last two I could understand. They weren't my most enthusiastic fighters. But Don had been. My heart ached.
"Navi!" Elizabeth screamed, racing down the beach, nothing more than a white blur. "They've made it through. They're past the city streets and already shifting!"
"Oh no, indeed," Robert said. He took off toward Elizabeth. I risked a glanced at the moon, already fading in the early morning light. I had only a few minutes with my powers before they were gone, too. If we could keep the escaped demons from making it back to their sea witch, we could kill them and save the souls.
"Don't let them past!" I yelled to my army. Not a problem, since the remaining demons they were fighting were already dead. Pulling off my heels, I left them in the sand and sprinted after Robert.
Chapter 18
Alec
I didn't have to work the next day. Which was good because I'd spent the night staring at my ceiling, re-living every single second of the day before. Every kiss. Every word. Navi was mine again.
All was right with the world.
I heard Bryson come in, stumble around, crash into things, and maybe fall over a few times. Drunk, again. Although this time, I didn't blame him. I'd be drunk, too, if I'd just lost Navi.
I'd fallen hard and fast. It was terrifying—so terrifying—but nothing in me seemed to care. I would gladly face that fear. Josh would tell me I was stupid. He'd tell me we didn't know each other and he'd tell me I couldn't possibly fall in love with her after one day.
And then I'd tell him I could if I'd never fallen out of love with her.
And he would tell me it wasn't possible. He'd tell me we had hated each other in high school. He'd tell me I'd hated her after high school. He'd tell me I'd dated thirty different girls since her. But he didn't know about my trip to Alaska. He didn't know about Navi's picture in my nightstand drawer. He didn't know she was only one thought away, day or night, always.
And he never would. Because I was a guy, and guys don't think like that. Or at least, we aren't supposed to.
It didn't stop me, though.
I wasn't sleeping anyway, so I rolled over and grabbed my phone. "Text me when you're home, k?"
She didn't respond, so I lay there worrying for the next couple of hours. I was finally drifting off to s
leep when my phone beeped. "I'm home. This better not wake you up or I'll feel bad."
Maybe a little, but I wasn't gonna tell her that. "Not asleep. Need you here."
My heart pounded. She'd say no. I knew she would. Or she just wouldn't respond, like the night before. But then she did respond. "I'm exhausted. And messy. Sleep is calling me."
I swallowed. If sleep was all she wanted, I could do that. If it meant having her head on my chest again, I'd take it. "Come here. We'll just sleep. I promise."
The way my palms were sweating, you'd think I was asking for a lot more than her lying next to me all night. I had to attempt to breathe about fifteen times before I actually succeeded. And she still didn't respond.
I gave up, hating the acid of disappointment in my stomach. I wanted her here. I wanted her with me. I dropped my phone on the table and rolled onto my back to resume staring at the ceiling. She must have fallen asleep.
There was a knock at the door.
It was timid and so quiet I barely heard it. Bryson snorted from the other room. It couldn't be her, could it? She'd just barely told me she was home, and I hadn't heard a car pull up. But who else would be here at four-thirty in the morning? I leaped out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts, nearly killed myself in my rush out of my room, and tripped over an unconscious roommate in the middle of the hallway. "Dammit, Bryson!" I muttered as I hopped to the door and swung it open.
"Hi." She waved and bit her lip. Her hair was a tangled mess, like she'd been fighting with the wind. Her cheeks were bright pink and her clothes were covered in sand. I didn't care.
I pulled her inside and shut the door behind her. "Hi." I tugged her closer to me, sliding one hand up her neck as I lowered my mouth to hers. Heat seared me as our lips met and I could feel my entire body react instantly. She sucked in a breath, her hands clutching into fists against my chest. "Alec," she whispered.