Ceaseless

by Abbi Glines

  I leaned back and crossed my legs and held his discarded shirt up to my nose to smell it. I may not give it back.

  “Damn,” Dank whispered as he watched me. “I don’t think I remember the words to the song now.”

  I stuck out my bottom lip in a pout, “But I want to hear it.”

  Dank closed his eyes and adjusted his guitar on his bent knee. “Your wish is my command,” he replied with a grin with his eyes closed. His tongue darted out and licked his lips. Suddenly, hearing the song wasn’t that important. I wanted to lick his lips too. Then he began to play. I lifted my eyes from his lips as he opened his mouth. Our eyes met and he held me completely as his words joined the music.

  “Daylight fades away as I watch you from a distance.

  Darkness claims the sky and I wish you could only know.

  We’re supposed to be miles away but something draws me closer.

  We’re supposed to be far away but gravity brings us closer.

  Closer than your skin, rebellion deep within, you’ve taken over me and I can’t seem to swim to the top of myself. I’m under your control.

  Wondering how we got here, wondering how we got here to the place we should go.

  Oh- oh- oh- oh, yeah

  The place we should go.

  Oh-oh-oh-oh

  Oh-oh-oh-oh, yeah

  Souls aren’t meant for things like this.

  Our worlds were never meant to collide.

  You’re better off leaving while you have something to leave behind.

  We’re supposed to be miles away but something draws me closer.

  We’re supposed to be far away but gravity brings us closer.

  Closer than your skin, rebellion deep within.

  You’ve taken over me and I can’t seem to swim.

  To the top of myself I’m under your control.

  Wondering how we got here.

  Wondering how we got here to the place we should go. We’re supposed to be far away but something draws me closer.”

  The moment his hands stopped moving, I was up and reaching for his guitar. I needed to hold him. Now. Dank understood my intentions and he slipped the guitar off and laid it down without taking his eyes off me. I hurled myself into his arms and grabbed his face and took a small lick against his lips before slipping my tongue into his mouth.

  Dank’s hand cupped my butt and he picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. I loved him. He was mine.

  “They’re at it again. Damn, Dank gets more action than I do these days.” Looses’ s voice interrupted us. Stupid drummer.

  “Go away,” Dank replied without looking back at our intruder.

  “Can’t, man. We go on in five,” Les replied. Great, we had the entire band as an audience. I glared at them over Dank’s shoulder, which only caused them all to laugh.

  “Sorry we’re breaking up your happy time, Sweetheart, but we need our singer,” Loose winked. He would have never winked if Dank’s back had not been turned.

  Rubber slapped him on the back of the head and murmured, “Dickhead.”

  Dank let me slide down his body, but kept his hands firmly on my backside. “I think I’m going to give this hobby up. You’re the only audience I want. And these idiots keep messing with my free time.”

  I looked back at the three guys that made up most of the band. They had a keyboard player, Jet, who barely managed to show up right before the band went onto the stage. He was incredibly high all the time.

  “They need you and I will always be waiting on the side of the stage when you’re finished. Don’t give this up for me.”

  Dank tucked some hair behind my ear, “As long as you’re waiting for me, I guess I can keep this up a while longer.”

  “Three minutes,” Loose announced, reminding us they were still there.

  I pressed my lips to Dank’s, and gave him one fast kiss and then pushed him toward the door. “Let’s go do this thing.”

  Dank

  “When are you going to start letting Pagan come with?” Gee asked as we stepped into the hospital.

  “I’m not. She may be immortal but asking her to deal with this isn’t something I will ever do.” Death wasn’t easy. It was a tragic thing to humans. Unlike me, Pagan had been human. She understood those emotions; she still experienced them. These emotions were a part of her. As much as I hated being away from her, I didn’t want to bring her into this world.

  “She is tough, Dankmar. The girl was able to force her memories to return through her heart. Her memories had been wiped clean, yet she

  brought them back and lived through it. Give her some credit.”

  I knew Pagan was tough. She loved me. Loving Death wasn’t something that just anyone could do. I wasn’t the bearer of good news.

  “Leave this alone, please. I want to collect these souls and get back before Pagan and Miranda are done with their girl’s night out.”

  “Well I want to get back before Loose ends up banging some random slut in a bathroom stall. We all want something.”

  She was still seeing Loose. That was all kinds of screwed up. I didn’t even want to consider what that might lead to. Gee was just a transporter. She wasn’t deity. She didn’t have the power I did to get away with breaking rules.

  “This still a fling, Gee?” I asked as we stood outside a hospital room where sobbing and heartache awaited us.

  “I like his ‘dreads okay? And all that practice he’s had screwing around has made him rather skillful in the area. He’s just for fun.”

  She didn’t sound convincing. This wasn’t good. I’d deal with that later. Maybe Loose would end up ending this and I wouldn’t have to handle it.

  “It isn’t like we see each other but a couple times a week. I know he is getting it elsewhere the rest of the week. I’m good with that. He’s human, I’m not.”

  Nothing about her tone supported her statement that it was okay. She was going to go jealous-girlfriend on him really soon. God help the boy survive that. He’d never pissed off an immortal before. This could not be good.

  When I entered the room I didn’t see the soul I’d come to collect. However, the familiar face standing in the corner holding a weeping female caught my attention. Jay stood solemnly as he tightly held the blond in his arms. I recognized her soul. It was the one he’d been unable to stay away from while he was dating Pagan. A translucent glow wrapped around their two bodies connecting their souls.

  “Well look what we have here,” Gee said as she came up beside me. Her attention captured by the bond visible between their souls.

  “I didn’t see this connection between them before,” I said studying them as Jay whispered soothing words in her ear.

  The soul we’d come to collect walked away from the body on the bed. He was young. He was also trouble. There was a darkness surrounding him. The darkness marked him as hazardous. This soul wouldn’t get another chance. He’d messed up in this lifetime.

  “Uh, oh. We got a bad egg,” Gee grumbled as I stepped forward to wrap the iron band reserved for angry souls around his wrist. It provided control for the transporter until she delivered the soul to its final resting place. Dealing with damaged souls could be tricky. Once I’d had to take them down myself but over time we figured out a better way to handle it. I didn’t like wasting my time on the trip.

  “Come on, bad boy. Let’s get this over with,” Gee told him.

  This soul had been Victoria’s mate. Now that it was damaged, the connection had transferred. Jay’s soul was now complete.

  Chapter Twenty- Four

  Pagan

  My mom was peppering Dank with a million questions. It never occurred to me until Dank brought it up on our way here that when my memory was taken away so was my mom’s. Dank’s had been wiped from the memory of everyone in my life. Miranda had forgotten about Dank and Leif just like I had. Although my memory was restored, theirs were not. In doing so it would completely mess with things. They’d know more than they should. My mom alr
eady had known more than she should. Now, Dank was the new guy I’d met at college. He was also the singer in a rock band.

  Mom hadn’t been pleased when I introduced her, but Dank and his charisma were quickly winning her over.

  I brought him a glass of sweet tea before sinking down on the couch beside him. This was the way it was supposed to be. My mom would love him soon enough.

  “So, you sing rock music? Do you do drugs?” my mom asked, watching his face for any sign of a lie.

  I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.

  “No I don’t take any drugs and I don’t drink either. I never have. It’s not something I’m interested in.”

  Mom nodded and cut her eyes at me. She was not amused with my obvious amusement. “And you’ve been dating for how long? Because I thought you were seeing Jay again.”

  Dank tensed beside me and I patted his leg. “Jay is in love with a girl named Victoria. He thought he wanted to rekindle things with me but it didn’t work out. He and I don’t go well together. We bored each other. It was during a brief time that Dank and I had a misunderstanding and I refused to talk to him.”

  Mom narrowed her eyes at me, “You do know to use protection don’t you?”

  This time Dank had to cover his mouth with his fist to keep from laughing.

  “MOM! Don’t ask me things like that. I promise IF we were doing anything that required it that, yes I’d use protection.”

  My mother shrugged, “A mother can’t be too careful. I needed to make sure you were thinking straight.”

  “I got this mom,” I assured her.

  “Well, that’s good. Now, tell me about this guy Miranda is seeing. I hear he is a sweetheart.”

  I reached over and grabbed Dank’s hand and threaded my fingers through his. He had handled my mom’s interrogation with flying colors.

  “Well, I think it is very possible that Miranda may have found the one,” I told her knowing good and well she had. Maybe not this year or the next but one day they’d end up married. In this lifetime and every one after it. Just knowing that I’d get to watch them find each other and fall in love in every life made me smile.

  Later that night I was curled up in my bed. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed my room until I’d pulled my quilt over me and the smell of home hit me. I no longer required sleep but I liked lying in bed at night. Dank said it was something I’d trained myself to do and I shouldn’t let go of anything that made me happy.

  “This never gets old,” Dank’s voice said in the darkness.

  I turned around to see him sitting in the chair he used to sit in to sing to me at night.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked sitting up. He was supposed to be out collecting souls.

  “I’m about to go. I just couldn’t resist coming in here and seeing you tucked into that bed one more time. I realized you owned me one night in this room. I was singing to you and you were sleeping. You made a little sound in your sleep like you were distressed and I panicked and ran to your side. You grabbed my arm in your sleep and pulled it up against your face and went back to sleep. I didn’t want to ever move.” He stood up and walked over to me. “I knew then that I had never understood what humans called love. But that if it was anything close to the power you held over me, then no wonder they searched for it so passionately.”

  I reached out and pulled him onto the bed with me. “You’re going to be late,” I told him as I pushed back the covers and reached for the hem of his shirt.

  “Why?” Dank asked lifting his arms willingly so I could pull his shirt off.

  “Because after hearing that I can’t let you leave until I’ve had my fill. Get naked, Dankmar.”

  The End

  Acknowledgments

  I have to start by thanking Keith, my husband, who tolerated the dirty house, lack of clean clothes, and my mood swings, while I wrote this book (and all my other books).

  My three precious kiddos who ate a lot of corn dogs, pizza, and Frosted Flakes because I was locked away writing. I promise, I cooked them many good hot meals once I finished.

  My FP girls. I’m choosing not to share what FP stands for because my mother may read this and it will give her heart failure. Kidding... maybe. You girls make me laugh, listen to me vent, and always manage to give me some eye candy to make my day brighter. You are truly my posse. What happens in New York City, stays in New York City... eh girls?

  Stephanie Mooney who is the best cover artist ever. She is brilliant and I shout it to the rooftops on a regular basis.

  Stephanie T. Lott who is the best editor a writer could ask for. I didn’t exactly have this book finished until one week before its release. Stephanie couldn’t get to it but she put me in contact with Judy Lott who could. Judy lost a lot of sleep working on this one for me. Thank you both, ladies!

  About the Author

  Abbi Glines can be found hanging out with rock stars, taking out her yacht on weekends for a party cruise, sky diving, or surfing in Maui. Okay maybe she needs to keep her imagination focused on her writing only. In the real world, Abbi can be found hauling kids (several who seem to show up that don’t belong to her) to all their social events, hiding under the covers with her MacBook in hopes her husband won’t catch her watching Buffy on Netflix again, and sneaking off to Barnes and Noble to spend hours lost in the yummy goodness of books. If you want to find her then check Twitter first, because she has a severe addiction to tweeting @abbiglines. She also blogs regularly but rarely about anything life changing. She also really enjoys talking about herself in third person. www.abbiglines.com

  Representation:

  All questions regarding subsidiary rights for any of my books, inquiries regarding foreign translation and film rights should be directed to Jane Dystel of Dystel & Goderich.

  Coming October 23, 2012

  JUST FOR NOW

  Official SNEAK PEEK

  *Warning this is a contemporary new adult romance. The scenes get very hot and descriptive.

  Part one of the Prologue

  “Well if it ain’t lil’ Manda all dressed up and coming out to play.”

  The water I’d been sipping chose this moment to strangle me. Covering my mouth to muffle my hacking cough, I turned away from the warm breath against my ear. I had shown up here tonight for one reason: to see Preston Drake. Wasn’t it just my luck that when he finally decided to notice I’m alive, I started coughing up a freaking lung.

  Preston’s amused chuckle as he patted my back didn’t help my humiliation any. “Sorry Manda, I didn’t know my presence would get you all choked up.”

  Once I was able to speak again, I turned around to face the guy that had been making a grand appearance in my late night fantasies for a couple years now. All the primping I’d suffered through so that I looked irresistible was pointless. Preston was grinning at me like he always did. I amused him. He didn’t see me as anything more than the innocent little sister of his best friend, Marcus Hardy. It was cliché. How many bad romance novels had I read about the girl falling helplessly in love with her brother’s best friend? Countless.

  “You startled me,” I wanted to explain my sudden burst of coughing.

  Preston tipped a bottle of beer against his lips and took a drink while keeping his eyes cut toward me. “Are you sure it wasn’t my sexy-as-hell voice whispering in your ear that caused your momentary lack of oxygen?”

  Yes that was probably it. But the guy knew he was beautiful I wasn’t going to add to his ego. Crossing my arms over my stomach, I took a defensive pose. I never knew how to talk to Preston or what to say to him. I was so afraid he’d look me in the eyes and know that I closed my eyes at night and imagined doing very bad things to his body.

  “Damn, Manda,” he said in a low husky voice as his eyes lowered to my breasts. I’d worn a low cut white blouse tonight and a really good push up bra in hopes of at least getting Preston to see that my body was all grown up. Besides, I knew he had a thing for boobs. It was obvious by the
girls he dated… well he didn’t really date. He just screwed them. My boobs were not big but a good push up bra and the right position and they weren’t too bad.

  “That’s a real nice shirt you got on.”

  He was really looking at me. Or at them but they were a part of me so it was the same thing. “Thank you,” I replied in a normal voice that betrayed the fact I was breathing a little faster now.

  Preston took another step toward me closing in the small area that had separated us. His eyes were still directed at the cleavage I had pushing up in full view. “Maybe wearing a shirt like that ain’t real smart, Manda.” His deep voice caused me to shiver. “Aw, hell girl don’t do that. No shivering.”

  One large hand touched my waist. His thumb brushed against my stomach and gently pushed the hem of my shirt up. “I’ve been drinkin’ since four, sweetheart. You need to push me away and send me packing ‘cause I don’t think I can stop this on my own.”

  Small whimper. Oh, yes. Should I start begging now?

  Preston lifted his eyes to meet mine. His long pale blond hair that girls everywhere wanted to get their hands in, fell forward over one of his eyes. I couldn’t help it. I reached up and tucked the loose strands behind his ear. He closed his eyes and made a small, pleased sound in his throat.

  “Manda, you’re real sweet. Real fucking sweet and I’m not the kind of guy you’re supposed to let get this close.” His voice was almost a whisper now as his eyes bore into mine. I could see the slight glassy look that confirmed he’d had too much to drink.

  “I’m a big girl. I can decided who I let get close,” I replied shifting my hips so that he had a better view directly down my shirt if he wanted it.