“Today, tomorrow. Makes no difference to me.” My mouth drew to the side as I thought through my answer.
“Tell me what you’re thinking. I know when you’re holding yourself back. Be honest.”
I shrugged, looking down as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. He made me feel precious, even when I knew I was bumbling one of our few good moments. “If I get a say in it, then I’d want Allie to stand up with me. I’d want Ollie to walk me down the aisle.” I cleared my throat. “I’d want Ezra and Mason there. And Levi. Is it okay to want Ollie to walk me down the aisle if Levi’s there? Or should I just...” I crossed my arms over my chest and chewed on the inside of my lip. “It doesn’t matter to me. Let’s just go to city hall and be done with it. We can do it on the way to bringing Danny home. A couple of signatures, and blammo. Eternal bliss.”
Von tsked me, tracing my lower lip with his thumb. “You little liar. You want a wedding. You want Ollie to walk you down the aisle and all your family to be there.”
“Oh, hush. It’s fine. Like I said, whatever’s easiest. I just don’t want any blowback from Ollie if I get married without him there to see it.”
Von’s teasing smile toyed with me. “You want to wear a white dress, and have everyone adore you for the virginal beauty you are.”
I bent my head down, my arms banded around my stomach. “I don’t feel virginal. I feel dirty. My body’s different now. Let’s just sign the marriage certificate and be done with it. I don’t need the charade.”
Von drew my hair back into his fist, tugging my head up so I couldn’t stare at my shoes anymore. “Don’t talk about my bride like that. Now tell me what you want.”
“Just you. Everything else is whipped cream. Nice, but I don’t need it.”
He shook his head at me, an impish smile playing on his lips. “What do you want? In twenty years, after life’s been positively boring for two decades for us, you’ll be sitting in a nail salon and talking to our daughter. She’ll ask you what our wedding was like, and you’ll say... You’ll say you went with whatever’s easiest? What are you going to tell our daughter about our wedding day?” He brought his cheek to mine, letting my hair fall down over my shoulders. He slid my hand into his and coiled his other arm around my waist, slowly turning us to a melody only he heard. “Close your eyes, Peach.”
I humored him, grateful he was willing to clear the gap between us, and that he wanted me near him. We turned slowly, his hips leading me in uncomplicated steps. My feet trusted him, so my heart started to let go of its fear, too. I’d been married to my worry, and I knew that if I truly wanted to marry Von, I’d have to divorce myself from my first obsession.
“Close your eyes and tell me what you see on our wedding day. Tell me what you’ll say to our daughter.”
Insecurity threatened to overtake me, but I ventured on, trusting that Von wouldn’t leave if I asked for too much. My admission came out in a whisper I prayed he wouldn’t make me repeat. “There’s lilies. White lilies tied with a blue ribbon.”
I could feel his cheek lifting to smile against mine. “I like lilies. Tell me more. Who’s there?”
“Ollie’s friends. Darius. Terence. Brenden. The warden. The council. Mariang. My family. Your family. Levi giving me fatherly advice before the vows. Ollie walking me down the aisle, but not a big aisle. Just a small church.” I dug deep for the things I really wanted, but didn’t want to say to anyone. “Ezra marries us.” I swallowed hard. “I’d want Judge there. I’d want him to see me walk down the aisle and be proud of me.” I squeezed Von’s hand through the painful admission that after all these years, I still had a little sister complex that made me seek out Judge’s approval. “But that wouldn’t happen. Judge thinks falling in love is stupid. He would never come to a wedding, least of all mine.”
“Go on. I’m listening.” Von was gentle with me when I was fragile, stepping out on a limb I was unsure could hold all my hopes and dreams.
“Penny and Anastasia wearing matching dresses. Allie in a gorgeous yellow dress that she’ll make herself, because she’s just that good. Maybe she could make my wedding dress.” My eyes opened on that last note, and I dropped Von’s hands, stepping back to break us from our dance. “But it’s not real, Von. I can’t have those things.”
“Says who? I can find you white lilies easy enough.”
“Kabayo can’t pal around with Ollie’s friends, for one. He looks like a horse. They’d freak out. Ollie’s only known Levi for a week? Week and a half? And he’s barely able to look at him. He’s got some man of the house thing he’s holding over Levi, and I get it, but the two of them working together for a whole day? I don’t see that happening any time soon.” I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to hold myself together. “And Allie’s in a coma. No matter what kind of wedding we have, my sister won’t be there for it. Neither of my sisters can be there. I’d finally be in a dress, and Mariang wouldn’t get to see it.”
“Then we’ll wait,” Von replied, as if this was a simple fix. “Sure, we can’t bring people back from the dead, but we can get most of those people there. Penny and Anastasia would look smashing in matching dresses. I didn’t even think about that. Ollie and Levi will sort things out. It’s not even been two weeks, remember. Ollie doesn’t trust easily, so it’ll just take him some time. And as for Judge? Well, he might intimidate with guns, but he doesn’t know how truly terrifying fangs can be. I think it’s time he gets to know my true nature.”
I let out an incredulous chuckle at the thought of introducing Judge to Terraway. “What about the other stuff?”
“Easy. We’ll throw a blond wig on Kabayo. No one will ever be able to tell he’s not human.”
I snorted at the mental image. “Wow, you totally solved it.” I cupped his face and kissed his lips, taking a chance on tenderness since he was being so sweet. “Thanks for making a joke.”
“I’m serious about the blond wig.” Von leaned his forehead to mine, resuming our slow dance. “As for Allie, I say we wait until she wakes up. You’re right; Allie deserves to see you get married, and you deserve to be able to have as much family there as you can get.”
We turned a few more beats before I rested my head against his chest. “Von?”
“November?”
“I stinking love you, you know.”
He grinned, and the light in his eyes was genuine, giving me hope that one day the world wouldn’t be filled with such dark limitations. “And right you are to love me. I’m only standing here in my nickers, promising you the wedding of your dreams.”
“You and your sexy British words. You know how that gets me all hot and bothered. Say it again.”
I meant it as a joke, but Von yanked me closer and whispered in my ear, “Nickers.” Then he lowered me to the bed and climbed atop me, kissing his way up my torso until his lips made themselves at home in my neck. My eyes rolled back in my head when he whispered, “Bangers and mash.”
I snorted, but was quickly brought back to the moment with when his lips sucked on my neck again, harder this time. He waited for my back to arch before saying in a seductive voice, “Let’s take a ride on the tube and watch the telly.”
“Oh, shut up and kiss me, you dork!”
Von sat up, his knees on either side of my thighs as he looked down at me with a smirk that had too much smug seduction laced into the edges. He lifted my left hand and kissed the ring he’d given me. “Cheers, Mrs. Vandershot.”
That was about all I could take. I reached up and yanked him down by the front of his t-shirt, tearing it over his head and throwing it across the room as if the material offended me. My hands were magnets to his warm skin, and though he wanted to make light of the sweetness blooming between us, I wanted to make a mess of the sheets, which is exactly what we did until checkout.
Thirty-Eight.
Danny’s Crack House
Von was far more chipper on the rest of the drive to the mystery destination only he knew. “If I told you, you migh
t sneak off to find Danny without me. Then we’d be right back at square one, and I honestly can’t handle another serious conversation.” He lifted his right hand off the steering wheel and pointed to his lips. “This face is far better put to use with the levity.”
“Would it help if I whined and asked how many minutes until we get there?”
“Only if you take your top off.”
“Man, you’re charming. You got a girlfriend, smoothy?”
“If I told you yes, would it change anything?”
“Probably not. I’m pretty slutty.”
Von laughed loudly, throwing his head back and smacking the steering wheel. “You win. That was brilliant. Can you write that into your wedding vows?”
“Sure, I think Ollie could use a heart attack on my wedding day.”
“We’ll be there in five minutes, love.”
“Oh, that’s not bad.”
“It’s not, but five minutes is code for two more hours.”
I settled into the seat as Von drove, giving me full control of the radio and the flow of the banter until he pulled onto a dead-end street with only dilapidated houses I didn’t want to go searching through. “Danny’s not here. He’s used to the mansion. He wouldn’t stay in any of these. They’re completely falling apart. I mean, look at that one. The windows are all busted out and boarded up. He’s not in there.”
Von took out his cell phone and tapped the screen a few times. “Courtesy of your fairy godfather.”
“Huh?”
“Judge gave me the idea. I put a tracker in Danny’s cell phone after Mariang died. I was worried he’d take off, and we wouldn’t be able to find him. Of course, I didn’t imagine he’d bring a Woman in White along for the ride, but to each his own.”
“You’ve had a tracker on Danny this entire time? Why are we only just now looking for him?”
“It only works if his phone’s turned on. I suggested the road trip the very day I saw it. Sure, we had to wait for the clean bill of health from your doctors, but we left right after that.”
I gaped at him. “I can’t believe you’ve been sitting on information like that this entire time! Seriously?”
“You want I should say something adorably British to charm my way out of your wrath?”
“Maybe after we get Danny in the car.”
“Okay. Now remember, I’m dealing with Mariang, and you’re to get Danny out of there. Get him to give you her finger, if you can. Then I’ll burn the finger, and she’ll be able to rest.”
“Why can’t I just burn the finger if I’m the one getting it from Danny?” I grimaced. “I hope that’s the most terrible sentence I’ve ever had to say.”
Von stared ahead at the once-green house that was half burned to black on the outside. “Because Danny already hates me. There’s no point in you taking Mariang away from him. Then he’d blame you for all of eternity. You saw what happened when I made sure our dad never came back. He never forgave me for that. Danny adores you. I don’t want to take you away from him. You’re good for my surly brother. He needs someone he trusts. I’ve seen it; Danny loves you – and he doesn’t indulge in that emotion often.”
“You’re too good to him.”
Von cast me half a smile. “That’s the thing about being the older brother. You take the blame if it’ll make things easier on your family. Remember that and be patient with Ollie the next time you two have a row.” He took a steadying breath and placed his hand on the car door. “Find the finger as quick as you can. I don’t fancy stabbing sweet Mariang through the heart.”
“Huh?”
He punched his fist to his chest. “Silver blade through the heart. That’s the only way to kill a Woman in White without burning the piece of flesh she’s tied to. So best find the finger quick. Are you ready?”
“I’m not sure that really matters, does it?”
“That’s the spirit. Hold tight to me for now. I’ve got this.”
Von and I both drew our knives, holding them to our sides as we trotted down the sidewalk that had no doubt seen its fair share of illegal weaponry. Von’s eyebrows rose when he tried the knob to the busted up front door, and it actually opened for us. “Danny? Danny boy, it’s me. November and I’ve come to take you home. Miss your cheery smile, we do.”
I heard a weak groan that made my heart race. Without waiting for Von, I bolted over the creaky floorboards, ignoring the spider webs and the holes in the walls and the ceilings as I ran through the house. “Danny?”
I turned the corner and gasped at the sight I didn’t expect to smack me in the face with its brutality. Danny was lying on the warped wooden floor, his naked torso covered in bloody slashes. He had a black eye, bruises peppering his ribs, and looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. “Danny!” I ran to him, falling to my knees as my fingers flitted over his body to assess the damage. “We’ve got to get you out of here. Did you get jumped? What happened?”
His left eye was swollen shut, but his right one took in my form in the room that was lit only by the sunlight filtering through a smashed-out window. “October? What are you doing here?”
“I’m freaking out, is what I’m doing here! Can I sit you up? Do you think anything’s broken?”
“You have to go,” Danny choked out, holding his side in pain when he tried to budge enough to sit up. “She’ll see you and come after you.”
“Mariang? Oh, honey. We’ve got to take you home.”
“Just leave me. It’s too late for me.”
I pressed on a few points to check his organs for signs of internal distress, assessing his pallor and heartrate that was surprisingly steady. “You’ll heal from this beating. I don’t think anything vital’s been hit. But we need to get you to a hospital.”
“I don’t want to go home,” he admitted. “Life. All of it. It’s too late for me. I did everything I could, and I still failed. She still died.”
My heart broke for the solid man who truly had sacrificed his life so Mariang could have one. “Sweetheart, I’m taking you home now. You aren’t going to die in here like this, all alone. You’ve got a daughter back home waiting for you. You’ve got a whole family who loves you and needs looking after. You’re not done guarding the things you love. We’re still here, and we need you.” I managed to find an unbeaten part of his face and dragged my thumb across it to remind him that the world still had gentle parts to it; not everything would be war and loss. I think we both needed that little reminder. “I need you, Danny. You’re my big brother. Aren’t you going to come home and look after me? Let me look after you?”
Danny sucked in a panicked breath when he took in my face more fully as I shifted into the sliver of light. “You have to go! You can’t be here. If she sees, she’ll come after you.”
“Where’s the finger, Danny?”
He slowly shook his head, still lying on his side holding his ribs. “I can’t give it to you. It’s fixable. She’s fixable. I know her, and she’d never hurt me. Just give me some time. She’s in there, I know it.”
“This can’t be how your life turns out. Mariang wouldn’t want this for you. She loved you, honey. She wouldn’t want you bleeding on the floor of an abandoned crack house, trying to put together a puzzle that’s only half there. She’s gone, and you have to let her go.”
“You don’t understand! No one understands!” He lifted a hand with dried blood caking the knuckles and pushed it to his chest. “It hurts too much. Being so tied to someone and then have them ripped away from you? I had to bring her back! Everyone was just giving up. I would never give up on her! She’s my w-wife.” His voice quavered on the last note, but then stopped with a loud gasp. “Run!”
I didn’t have time to turn around. The next thing I knew, I was being launched through the air toward a wall with an aged blood splatter. My shoulder broke through the wood and separated me from Finn’s balisong blade before I smacked to the ground.
Thirty-Nine.
Giving Me the Finger
“Don’t take what’s mine!” Mariang screeched.
I thought I was prepared for freaky. I mean, I’ve seen every episode of the X-Files at least once – twice if the Smoking Man made an appearance. But nothing Bruce Campbell or David Duchovny tried to prepare me for compared to the translucent shape of Mariang. Her once serene face was twisted in malice that looked unnatural on the beautiful ballerina. She had holes in her blue-white skin now that looked like leprosy, and her eyes were glaring at me with boiling rage.
I held up shaking hands to show her I wasn’t about to take anything that belonged to her.
Except her finger. She got me there.
“Hey, Mariang. You look great. You and Danny decide to move out on your own?” I tried to be conversational to hide my terror, but I knew it was a bad act. My hands were shaking as I sat up and leaned against the wall she’d thrown me into.
Mariang was levitating five inches off the ground, which made her rage seem all the more terrifying. “This is our house, not yours! You’re trying to steal Danny away from me!”
“No!” Danny shouted, somehow crawling towards me through his haze of pain, and collapsing twice on his face along the way. “Don’t hurt her. October just came to visit. I thought you’d be happy to see her again.”
The force of Mariang’s shrill screams shook my insides, reverberating agony of all sorts through my chest. “I don’t want to see her! Did I ask you to bring her here? When were you making phone calls without me? Who else have you been calling?”
This wasn’t Mariang. This was a woman possessed. The real Mariang would be horrified to hear such cruel and possessive words coming out of her mouth. I fumbled around in the dim light for my knife, but it was too far away.
“Then she’ll leave right now. I thought you’d like to see your family, but if you don’t, they can go. Go on, October.” He jerked his head toward the door and lowered his voice. “This is my fight. I won’t see you die like this.”
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