by G. A. Rael
Jordan found herself returning the kiss with equal hunger, draping her arms around his neck as he lifted her onto the banister. She could feel the depth of the dropoff behind her, and even after falling from the unfathomable heights of Heaven, the thrill was electrifying.
Chase finally broke the kiss and left her breathless as he framed her face in his palms, his thumb running across her bottom lip so softly it made her shiver. His brow knit in confusion as he searched her face with such earnestness that it bordered on distress. "How did the thing that takes my breath away become my reason for breathing?"
Jordan ran her hands down his chest and her hands clutched his lapels to drawn him closer, but something seemed to catch his attention and he pulled away before she could resume the kiss. He lifted her hand and swept his fingertips over the ring. "How did you manage to hold onto this?”
“It’s important,” she said, feeling even guiltier when she realized how the news about Darren’s soul was going to affect him. She had to tell him nonetheless. It wasn’t fair otherwise. After all that she had put him through, he deserved the truth, not just half of it. "Remember when Hermes mentioned Darren's soul?"
She took his silence as an invitation to continue. “Hermes bound it to the diamond in the ring somehow. It can't go back into Darren's body since he's undead now. I kinda took possession of his soul when I brought him back. It's bound to me--and to the ring."
"You've got to be kidding me," Chase muttered, raking a hand through his hair. Jordan noticed that it had grown a bit longer than usual. He really must have been upset if he had missed his monthly haircut. "Your soulmate's soul is trapped in my engagement ring?"
She cringed. "When you say it like that, it sounds so much worse."
"That's the way it is! There's no other way to spin it," he cried, throwing up his hands. Jordan clung to the railing and watched in fascination as a thread of his tightly knit composure was snagged.
Chase finally noticed that she was watching him and frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No reason," she said carefully. "It's just that I've never seen you get angry."
"I think I'm fairly calm given the circumstances," he muttered. "You being a witch and all of that is just weird. Weird I can deal with. Hell, I spend the entire day combing through police reports for fender-benders and debating the intricacies of low-level tax evasion statutes. Weird is refreshing, it's part of your charm, but this? It's bad enough that your ex is asleep in my living room, but to hear that he's your ‘consort’? The ring just adds insult to injury. I'm sorry, but I can't just take that with a sigh and a nod."
"Don't apologize," she said quickly. "I understand why you're upset, it's just that I've never seen you so... passionate."
He looked down at her, confused. "I'm acting like a possessive Neanderthal. I'm almost as bad as him," he said with a distasteful nod in the direction of the man sleeping in the living room.
Jordan couldn't help but laugh. "You're a far cry from that, but a little possessiveness is okay with me," she admitted, pulling him back over to her.
"It is?"
"Mhm," she purred, stroking his hair. She unconsciously led him to her neck, shivering when he pressed his lips against her flesh. "It's kind of hot."
"Oh, really?" He drew an arm around her back and took her flesh into his mouth. Jordan moaned softly as his teeth grazed her neck. He slipped a hand underneath her robe and his fingers walked the inside of her thigh. The higher up he got, the further back she leaned until all that was keeping her from tumbling over the railing was his grasp.
His fingers entered her and it was all she could do to keep from crying out blissfully. His kisses grew hungrier, but what he was doing between her legs distracted her from the fact that one of his canines had broken her skin. And from the way his tongue swept the evidence away.
“Chase,” she moaned, raking her hands through his hair. He pulled her closer and reached down to unzip his slacks, all while keeping a firm grasp on her. Sometimes his dexterity was bewildering. He never left her long to process it before he was on to the next dizzying feat.
He paused to examine her neck and frowned, a troubled look passing over his features. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"It's fine," she insisted, kissing him again if only to get him back on track. Darren might have been the one to awaken her lust, but Chase had quite literally fanned it into a flame.
Jordan's legs wrapped instinctively around his waist, giving him better access to enter her. It hurt but, just like his gentle bite, there was something more pleasurable than distressing in the pain. She gasped sharply but he gathered her into his arms and shifted her so that she was mostly leaning on the railing rather than hanging off of it.
The slight change in angle yielded unexpectedly orgasmic results, but Chase was ready with a kiss to smother her cry of pleasure. Jordan thought she tasted something metallic as he explored her mouth with his tongue but, as usual, it was impossible to think about anything too deeply when she was making love to him. His touch was more than a welcome distraction, a tether to the material world that had faded into a wisp of a dream during her ethereal confinement.
With one arm wrapped around her, he slipped his free hand underneath her robe and traced the curve of her breast down to her soft stomach. She flinched as old self-conscious instincts flared up at his touch, but the lust burning in his gaze as he looked down at her was enough to quell her fears.
"I thought we'd already had a talk about your habit of doubting how incredibly sexy I find every inch of your body," he said, throwing her own words back at her as he tilted her chin toward him. He was a true testament to his profession.
"Old habits die hard, I guess," she said breathlessly.
Jordan gasped as he claimed her lips again and thrust into her sharply, eliciting another moan. While Darren had been preeminent in her thoughts throughout her time in Paradise, it was only then that she realized how much she had missed her fiancé's embrace. His kisses trailed to her wounded neck and he nicked her with his canine just enough to start the bleeding again.
Jordan shivered, but whether it was from the dizzying warmth at her neck or the growing heat between her legs, she didn't know. As long as he didn't stop, she didn't care. Suddenly, it was easy to remember why she had never quite been able to bring herself to break the engagement off, even if she knew it was the sensible thing to do.
The pain in her neck became sharper than before, but so did the pleasure. It was a good thing he had such a firm hold on her, because otherwise the surprise might have been enough to send her off the railing. The heat that joined them spread out into a fire Jordan felt herself more in danger of being consumed by than the Lake itself. She was still seeing sparks when a furious cry interrupted the hazy afterglow of pleasure.
"Get away from her," came a snarl so ragged it was barely intelligible.
"Darren?" she cried, her head spinning in confusion.
Before she could process what had just happened, he grabbed Chase and flung him across the veranda. Chase barely caught himself on the liquor cart, clearly dazed.
"I smelled blood," Darren growled, his expression of rage turning to one of humiliation as he looked Jordan up and down and seemed to realize for the first time that he had walked in--or out--on a scene of passion rather than foul play. "I thought he'd hurt you."
Jordan struggled to close her open robe but couldn't quite work out how to tie the sash in her bewildered state. The warmth was fading everywhere but her face. "N-no, I'm fine," she stammered.
Darren reached out to touch her neck. Jordan winced, but the stinging pain was nothing in comparison to the shock when he pulled away fingers that looked like they had been dipped in red paint. "Then what's this?"
Jordan looked between Darren and Chase, who seemed to have regained his footing. He struggled to zip up his slacks all the while looking like someone who’d been caught with them down. Jordan's hand closed over her bleeding neck. "What
the hell, Chase?” she asked, more confused than angry. She knew he’d gotten a bit toothy, but she hadn’t realized he’d drawn that much blood.
“I’m sorry, love," he said, stalking over to put himself between them. “I got a bit carried away. Must have happened when he startled me."
Jordan eyed him warily. Her thoughts were still hazy and racing, but something about his explanation didn't add up.
Chase’s gaze softened. “Come on inside, I'll clean you up."
"I'll take care of it," said Darren, stepping between them. "I'm not a 'real doctor,' but I think I can handle a little basic first aid."
Chase’s eyes narrowed. "Do you really think it's a good idea for you to be around human blood?"
Darren stepped forward and Jordan could tell that a fight was about to break out between the two men if she didn't stop them. "It's fine," she said quickly. "I need to talk to Darren anyway now that he's awake. About the, you know, thing." She wiggled the fingers on her left hand, hoping he would take the hint without Darren noticing.
Chase gave her a doubtful look. "I don't like the idea of leaving you alone with him, Jordan."
"I'll be fine. Promise," she said, giving him a pleading look as she adjusted her robe. "Besides, you've got an early day in the morning. You can't miss any more work because of me and I'm sure there are going to be questions since you launched a full-scale investigation in my absence."
Chase seemed to be about to back down, but he gave Darren a menacing glare. Darren held it evenly, but the stare down ended with Chase shrugging and looking away in defeat. "Fine, but I'll be right upstairs if you need anything."
"Thank you," said Jordan. Chase was understandably irritated, but at least he seemed like himself again.
Chase grabbed her suddenly to initiate another long kiss. It felt more like a display of macho ownership than affection, but she couldn't fault him on it given the circumstances.
"Goodnight, Darren," Chase said, all but smirking as he brushed past the man.
Fortunately, Darren didn't take the bait. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against the railing before springing away like it was on fire when he seemed to remember what had happened just moments earlier.
"I'm sorry you saw that," said Jordan.
He shrugged. "You're engaged. Happily, it seems."
"Yeah," Jordan murmured, walking inside. "Um, I think there's a first aid kit in the hall closet. Just let me check."
"No, I'll do it," he said, walking over to the door. "You sit down."
Jordan complied, taking a seat on the couch. She watched as Darren brought the kit over to the end table. There was a slight shuffle in his walk she hadn't noticed before. His skin seemed paler, too, but it was hard to tell if it was just all the dust.
"So you --" She hissed air out through her teeth when he pressed an alcohol swab against the puncture wounds. "Man, that stings."
"Probably not as bad as it stung when it happened."
"No, it didn't really hurt," she admitted. "I don't even remember it happening."
He frowned. "You get that that's weird, right? This is a human bite, and a good one at that. On the pain scale, it's up there with getting bitten by a horse."
"You would know," she said, cringing when he went silent. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant I'm sure you've been bitten by a lot of animals. Not that you’ve bitten anyone.“
He did have a habit of letting vipers in his bed, though.
"Sure," he said. "Of course that's what you meant. Guess it's a little early to start being sensitive about the whole zombie thing. Especially since I'm still not even sure I fully believe it."
Jordan laughed softly. "You always were a world-class skeptic."
"Thanks," he said, struggling with a gauze packet.
"Want some help?"
"No, I got it," he said, right before ripping the packet, gauze included, in half. "Goddammit."
Jordan quickly grabbed another packet and peeled it open. "You have big hands, that's all."
"You're full of shit, but thanks all the same,” he muttered, sticking the bandage to the side of her neck. His touch was even lighter than usual, like he knew that if he wasn't that careful he could easily hurt her. At least that spared them one difficult conversation. She hadn't been looking forward to the task of informing Darren that he was dangerous. She also wasn't sure she wanted to know the circumstances that had led him to figure it out on his own.
"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Darren," she said softly. "I can't imagine how confusing it all must be."
"Probably not," he agreed. "It's not your fault, though."
"If you remembered everything, you wouldn't say that."
His hand closed over hers. His skin was cold to the touch, just like Natalie's had been.
"I do remember, Jordan," he said in that low, droning done. She tried to convince herself that he’d always had a flat affectation, but it was a hollow reassurance. In truth, it wasn't much different from his usual tone. Only someone who knew him well would notice the difference. “Hermes gave my memories back. All of them."
"He what?" she cried sharply. She lowered her voice when she remembered that she didn't want to give Chase a reason to come back downstairs. "When?"
"The kiss," he replied, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe he did it to torture me, who knows? I'm glad he did it, though. Giving my memories back, I mean," he added quickly, "not the kiss. That was…odd.“
Jordan looked down at her hands, taking a moment to process that it was her Darren sitting in front of her and not the stranger he had become. "I don't know what to say, Darren. I'm so sorry."
He squeezed her hand. "So am I. I was such an asshole to you and here you sold your soul just to bring me back."
She shook her head. "I asked Hermes to make sure you wouldn't miss me. I didn't expect it to work quite as well as it did, but I thought it was for the best if you went back to hating me. If I had just left Cold Creek when you told me to the first time, none of this would have happened."
"Listen," he said, moving closer. "There are a million different ways I wish this had all played out instead, but none of them involve you leaving town. I still don't understand a lot of what's happened, but that I know for sure. I also know that I've never hated you. Not when we first met, not now, not at any point in between."
"But if I had never come here, you'd still be alive."
Darren reached out, pressing a cool hand against her cheek. "Jordan, if I've learned one thing these past--what, eight months now since I died?"
"About that," she murmured.
He sighed. "If I've learned anything, it's that going through the motions of a life without you isn't really living at all." His throat tightened visibly. "I'm just sorry I didn't figure that out sooner."
"Darren--"
"You still owe me some answers, though," he interrupted.
"Of course. Anything you want to know."
“Hermes returned my memories and then some, but there are still bits and pieces missing," he said. "If you brought me back last year, why did the angels wait so long to grab you?"
Jordan pursed her lips, pausing to think about her answer.
"Stop that."
"Stop what?"
"You always do that thing with your lips when you're trying to come up with a lie," he said. "It's just a little observation I made while enjoying the video rewind of the last year of my life. I want the truth, and I think I deserve it."
She sighed. "You're right. Do you remember that day you brought me into your clinic and I warned you that someone had been watching you?"
He frowned. "Of course I remember. That's the day I hurt your arm."
"It wasn't you, Darren. I know you'd never hurt me, not on purpose."
"You have too much faith in me," he muttered.
"I don't think so," she said, pulling her robe tighter around her. The apartment had grown chilly. When he grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and
draped it over her shoulders, she smiled. "Thanks. Anyway, the person watching you turned out to be a ghost."
"A ghost?" He groaned, burying his head in his hands. “Aren’t demons and magic enough to process at once?”
Jordan smiled apologetically. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine. You were saying, about my ghost stalker?"
"Yeah, um, she turned out to be someone who cared about you a lot."
"Just spit it out, Jordan."
“Okay… it was your mom."
He looked up sharply. "I hope that's just a tasteless joke."
"It's not. She's been watching you for a long time, but I don't know if she still is. She finally approached me and told me she knew everything, from what happened with Hank to the deal I made with Hermes. She's the one who told me what you were, and she warned me that your transformation would be complete if I didn't give your soul back by the worm moon."
"Wait, how would my mother know any of this? And what do you mean by 'give my soul back'? Are you saying it's not in me now?"
She hesitated. "When Hermes helped me bring you back, he reanimated your body with magic, but he couldn't put your soul back. He bound it to an object for safekeeping, and it became mine--technically. I swear I didn't know, Darren."
"I believe you," he said, rubbing his face. "I don't know if I believe in souls specifically, but I believe I've been missing something ever since I woke up after the festival. What I don't understand is how my mother's ghost factors into it."
"She told me that the angels would kill you before you had a chance to become a zombie," she explained. "Like Hermes said, your existence is a herald of the apocalypse. Your mother told me that if I contacted the angels first, there was a chance that they would have mercy and agree to put your soul back in your body as long as I handed it over willingly."
"But she was wrong."
"Yes. According to Samael, who's kind of the premier authority on all things undead, even an angel can't put a soul back in a human body once they’ve been separated for too long.” She hesitated. Of all the things a partial eternity had left blurry, Natalie's betrayal wasn't one of them. Even so, she just didn't have it in her to add that to the list of things Darren was dealing with. Not yet. "I guess she just didn't know what would happen if I went to him.”