Joy was gone. I’d searched for her using the balance, but I couldn’t find even a hint of her soul anywhere but in me. Fate was still gone, so I couldn’t ask her, either. From what I could tell, Joy’s consciousness was been freed when her cairn broke—she’d been using as much energy as she could to stay conscious long enough for us to escape. When Lakvas surprised us, she’d lost her hold and fled to the only place she knew. I missed her.
I sighed and leaned back on my hands, catching sight of myself in Jana’s vanity. I jumped, still not used to the brilliant silver-blond hair or the violet eyes.
“I thought I’d find you here.” Chester’s said from the doorway, and I looked up at him.
“I needed to get away from their bickering,” I said, gesturing toward the stairs. Rakshina and Drekvic had been arguing non-stop about whose fault it was that Lokina had escaped. Rakshina blamed Drekvic’s shoddy sleep spell. Drekvic just blamed Chester.
“Me too.” He walked into the room, his bare feet silent on Jana’s pink rug. “Are you okay about work?” he asked. I didn’t know how to explain the changes in my aura or appearance, so I’d just called and apologized profusely when I quit my teaching job. I said I’d wanted to take my life in a different direction.
“Wondering more what I’m going to tell my mother,” I breathed, allowing myself to laugh. I wondered if she’d even recognize me. I felt completely different.
“Just make sure you call her and break it to her gently,” Chester teased, sitting down next to me. His shoulder brushed my arm, and I pulled away.
“I’ll do that,” I said, giving him a small smile. It felt fake even to me, and I looked around Jana’s room to avoid the worry on his face.
I reached to twine a lock of hair around my fingers. When I’d unlocked the balance, it had grown down to the middle of my back. If it was a spell, I could make a lot of money selling it, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
Unconsciously, I reached out to touch the balance. Seeing the difference between the light and dark made the connection come naturally. Drekvic’s mind turned to me as he sensed I was there with him, and I quickly let go.
My new connection with him was disconcerting. It reminded me too much of what we’d done to Lakvas.
“Ellie?” Chester asked. I hadn’t heard a word.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I said you look tired,” he replied. “I wanted to know if you’d been sleeping well.”
I wanted to tell him I was fine, but when I met his steady brown eyes I couldn’t lie.
“I’ve been having nightmares,” I whispered, pulling my feet on to the bed. “When I sleep, I dream about Joy. She’s always just out of my reach, screaming for me. I can’t reach her.”
A crease appeared between Chester’s eyebrows, and I wondered if he was thinking about his son. Chester hadn’t been able to reach his son’s soul for years, and I’d brought him to the Beyond not that long ago.
“I see Lakvas, too, trapped in that cairn.” I couldn’t stop the shudder. Those dreams bothered me the most. I’d forced Lakvas’ soul into slavery.
“Samuel would tell you not to worry about it,” Chester said soothingly. “Lakvas’ soul will calm down in a few hundred years. You can take him to the Beyond then. Think of it more as a time out.”
“What if I don’t have a couple hundred years?” I demanded, my voice rising. “If I can’t figure out how to reset the balance, we could all be living in one reality with no rules!”
I stood up and started pacing, panic rising in my chest.
“I’ve accepted what I am, but what’s the point? Fate up and abandoned us. We’re left alone like children.”
“You know how to set the balance,” Chester said softly, his voice interrupting my rant.
I turned to him, frowning.
“We’ll have to find a way to break the bond between us, so your link to Drekvic will have no competition.” His voice was matter-of-fact, but his eyes looked haunted.
“You know?” I asked, the blood drain from my face.
He laughed turning his eyes toward the ceiling. When he looked back, his face was completely serious.
“I’ve known since the moment I met you. That’s why I was so mad at Fate. I thought she was playing with me. Drekvic filled me in on the rest yesterday.” He shrugged.
“How’d you know it was me?” I asked, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“I’d recognize your soul anywhere. I’ve loved you since the day I first met you in this life and every other life.”
I blinked to keep from crying.
He stood up and closed the distance between us, his hand on my cheek.
“You didn’t remember, and why would you? You were reborn to make new memories and think new thoughts. My soul wasn’t supposed to find you again. You were supposed to be happy.”
I didn’t know what to say. My chest felt like it was caving in on itself as my vision was blurred with tears.
“And I think that’s still true. My soul isn’t supposed to be here. If we’re no longer soulmates, you and Drekvic can fix the balance. The world is saved, right?”
He dropped his hand and turned away, looking out Jana’s small windows.
“No.” My voice was strained as I tried to clear my throat.
He turned back, confused.
“I won’t.” I shook my head and reached out to grab him. His rough and calloused hands so familiar that it hurt.
“Don’t be silly.” His words said one thing, but he didn’t pull his hands away.
“I won’t lose you. I can’t.”
He moved his hands from mine to cup my face and press his forehead against me, standing so close I could feel the heat radiating off him. I closed my eyes but the tears kept falling.
“I would never leave you. Don’t be stupid,” he whispered, his breath tickling my cheek. “I doubt my feelings for you will ever fade.”
“I love you,” I said, echoing his earlier words.
I opened my eyes to find his mouth ajar, quietly stunned and reached up to cover his hands with my own. I stood on my toes and kissed him.
I could taste the salt from my tears, but it only made the feel of him against me even sweeter. His breath caught in his throat and he stepped closer, deepening our kiss as I tucked my arms between his to wrap myself around his neck. His hands fell to my waist and he pulled me against him. I lost my balance and practically fell into his chest.
My nerves were on fire, desire building in my veins until all rational thought fell away. His hands found the exposed spot of skin where my shirt had ridden up and his fingers burned as they slid along my back. I tangled my fingers in his hair, the dark strands silky and strong.
His lips moved to my jaw and then to my neck, making me gasp for air. My knees were weak. I wasn’t sure I could ever stand again.
There was a noise in the hall as a picture frame hit the floor and my brain reconnected to my body. Chester didn’t let me go, but I dropped my hands to his chest as we turned to face sound.
“I’m…leaving,” Rakshina said, her eyes glued to the floor as her face grew several shades redder.
“You wanted me to tell her,” Chester teased as she tried to hang the picture back on the wall. The frame was broken, but I wasn’t sure she had noticed.
“Yeah, well…” she muttered.
“Hey!” Drekvic’s voice rose from downstairs. “You guys might want to see this.”
My blood slowly cooling, I linked my fingers in Chester’s and pulled him after me. Rakshina went first, practically flying to get away from us. Before we descended the stairs Chester stopped me and pulled back to him.
“I love you too, Ellie,” he said softly and kissed me again. I leaned into his touch, not wanting to worry about whatever had Drekvic worked up.
“You guys might want to come down, now,” Rakshina called up, her voice unsteady.
Sighing, I pulled away from Chester, unable to hide my smile.
We reached
the bottom of the stairs, hands still linked together, to find the front door thrown open. Rakshina and Drekvic stood on the edge of the porch, looking up at the sky with wide eyes.
The smile fell away as I stepped onto the porch and into a nightmare. The spirit world, fully visible, but not quite within reach, floated ominously above us, bright as the moon and wide as a thundercloud.
“I guess we have a lot to do,” Drekvic whispered, looking at me. He saw my hand clasped around Chester’s and frowned. “I don’t know how we’re going to make this work.”
I looked back at him, tightening my grip on Chester’s hand. “I don’t, either.”
Thank you!
Thank you, so much, for reading Wayward Hope, Book Two of The Wayward Gods Trilogy. I’m grateful that you made it this far.
Wayward Gods, the final book in the Wayward Gods Trilogy is coming out in August of 2019. If you want to get early chapter previews, sign up for my mailing list at http://ldgreenwood.com. You’ll get emails from me twice a month with sneak peeks, book reviews, and, of course, more information on releases. It’s a lot of fun and I love it when my readers interact with me.
You would be my hero if you could review this book on Amazon or Goodreads! The importance of reviews for independent authors cannot be overstated, as it allows us to get exposure and make a living doing what we love. It takes only a couple minutes, and it makes a HUGE difference.
Love,
L.D.
Acknowledgments
This section of the book is always hardest to write, because I could list a thousand names and still worry that I’ve missed someone. Still, it takes a village to write a book, and this one was no exception.
Thank you to my partner, Phil. I’ve been obsessed with becoming an author for the entire time he’s known me, and he’s only told me it was a crazy idea once. Mostly, he tries to remind me that there’s a life outside of writing, and I don’t know where I’d be without him.
A big thanks to my editor, Andrew. His insight, as always, made this book better. As I worked through his edits, I see “YOU ARE BANNED FROM FURROWED EYEBROWS.” I am so grateful to have a friend that yells at me with such caps lock.
My best friend and beta reader, Leslie has always believed in me. We used to write fanfiction on the floor of her living room, trading hand-written pages as we went along. She’s my first fan, and I’d be lost without her support.
Warren Designs created this amazing cover. I’m so lucky to have someone so talented working with me.
And finally, thank you to all my readers. I appreciate your support so much. I wouldn’t be able to keep doing this if you didn’t keep reading my books. You’re the best.
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