Mystically Bound (Frostbite, Book Three)

by Stacey Kennedy

  I nibbled my lip and hated to doubt him, but needed to be clear. “You checked there?”

  “Wayde is staying in my room now.” He dipped his head with a measured expression. “But yes, I checked.”

  While that annoyed me since I hoped Alexander would’ve been able to help more, it also horrified me to imagine if Caley had gotten caught by someone, especially by Wayde. “How exactly did you do that?”

  He resumed his pacing in front of the bed. “I exited her body.”

  I blinked. “You did what?”

  Gretchen chuckled, but Alexander went on, “I discovered last night I can absorb Caley’s energy even while I’m in ghost form because we are now joined.”

  I gazed over my best friend as he continued to move impatiently through the room, not noticing her looking overly tired, which eased some of my guilt. The last thing I wanted was for Alexander to drain her completely and she ended up being ill or something. “So, what did you do with her…err…body?”

  He had made it to the far wall and spun on his heels, heading back my way. “I went down to the living room on the couch and left her there.”

  Trying to imagine that, I totally failed. “Sleeping, you mean?”

  Once in front of the bed again, he inclined his head, and Caley’s long blonde hair fell over her shoulder. “It completely drains her because I am, in essence, piggybacking her energy, so while she slept, I searched the bedroom. Then, once I was done, I joined with her again and here we are.”

  “That is weird.” At his eyebrows rose, I snorted. “Yes, weirder than you taking over her body in the first place.” I blinked in total disbelief, shifting uneasily against the mattress. “But okay, so you found nothing?”

  A slow smile reached his face. “I didn’t say I found nothing, only that I didn’t find the Lux.”

  My mouth parted to demand an answer when suddenly, an icy coldness washed over my skin. On a gasp, I scanned around the room and maybe now, more connected with the Netherworld, it heighted my gifts. I’d never been so aware a ghost approached before. “Hold that thought. Someone is coming.”

  Gretchen jumped off the mattress, rushing in front of the bed next to Alexander, looking around frantically. “Who?”

  My first instinct was to get my hackles up because if a ghostly stranger came into this room, I would lose it. Still, the sensation seemed stronger now and I knew, without a doubt, a ghost would soon arrive. The goose bumps trailing over my skin and the hitch of my breath had always been a sure indicator.

  With my lungs crying out for air, I released my breath on a loud rush when the ghost winked into existence. It didn’t shock me a spirit had arrived in the room since I had totally expected it, but the who standing at the end of the bed sure-as-shit stunned me stupid.

  I finally found my voice. “Err…Kipp?”

  Chapter Twenty

  Standing at the end of the bed, Kipp surveyed the room in a slow sweep before he glanced at me with a dazed look. “Where are we right now?”

  I peered over the room again, then looked at Gretchen, who stared at me perplexed. I even glimpsed Alexander, who stared at Kipp in surprise. “Am I dreaming?” I asked. When Alexander shook his head, I turned to Kipp. “In the real world.”

  He seemed genuinely surprised with wide eyes. “How am I here?”

  “I have no idea,” I snipped.

  “What’s going on?” Gretchen demanded.

  Alexander finally snapped out of his apparent shock, blinking rapidly and looking Kipp over from head-to-toe. “Who are you?”

  My hunky ghost studied Alexander with a suspicious glance for a long moment, and then his eyebrow arched at me over top of his icy blue eye. “What have you done to Caley?”

  Without a doubt, ghosts could see ghosts even if they possessed a body since those two acknowledged each other. For the moment, I remained stuck on Kipp’s appearance, and repeated, “What are you doing here?” Not that I wasn’t happy to see him and the little flickers of pleasure dancing like butterflies in my belly declared that well enough, but what the hell?

  “Tess, what’s going on?” Gretchen pressed, more earnest now.

  I gestured toward Kipp, who had folded his arms, giving his cautious-cop-look. “Kipp is standing at the end of the bed next to Alexander.”

  “He’s back?” Her eyebrows practically hit her hairline. She left her spot on the other side of Alexander, coming closer to where Kipp stood and staring at what I assumed to be a shift in the energy only she could see. “Why are you back?”

  “Yes, exactly.” I happened to wonder the same thing myself. When Kipp looked away from Caley and settled his gaze on me, my breath hitched. My heart clenched and I wanted desperately to run into his arms, but knew in this world, I couldn’t. I gripped the duvet beneath me to stay put. “Why are you back?”

  “I don’t know.” He shook his head, slow and measured. “I didn’t want to be here.” At my obvious scowl, he winked, giving me that sexy smile that could drop my heart into my stomach. “Not like that, beautiful. Of course, I wanted to be here with you. But I’ve been waiting for you to come back and tell me it’s safe to return.”

  “Is this your ghost?” Alexander asked.

  I nodded, my chest tightening with the need to go to Kipp overwhelming me. He must have seen it because he took a step toward me before he stopped, his expression taut as he clenched his fists, then he stretched his fingers out.

  Right now, the distance between us was more painful than anything I’d ever experienced in my life. I had a taste of how it felt to be in his arms and I craved for him to protect me from it all. But the reality was we remained in the same position—torn in a fate we couldn’t control.

  Kipp drew in a long breath, glancing at the hardwood floors. When he raised his head, the heartache had vanished from his eyes and he slid back into all-business mode. “Now then, who is that?” He pointed at Alexander. “Because I know that’s not Caley.”

  Taking his lead, I released the blanket from my fingers and forced myself to hold it together. We needed me strong, not breaking to pieces. Besides, I tried to picture what Kipp saw now. Did he see Alexander or Caley? Instead of mulling it over, I got right to it. “How do you know it’s not her?”

  He cocked his head and he examined Caley in a slow sweep. “Her…energy. It’s not the same.”

  Peculiar! “Yes, well, it’s Alexander, the ghost I’m helping. Caley agreed to let him possess her so we could talk to him because he had this weird condition going on.”

  At Kipp’s further arch of his brow, I moved along since we had more pressing matters than his surprise over what I’d done to my best friend. “But more importantly, you have no idea why you came back?”

  He strode around the foot of the bed, taking the few steps to reach me, settling in beside me. Warmth slid all around me, pooling down low in my body, remembering what happened the last time I saw him, regardless of the seriousness of the moment. “Did you call me back here?”

  “No,” I responded, forcing those thoughts out of my head. They had no place divulging into now. Last night, I had wanted to see him, but I had found resolve in why I couldn’t and had even thought of it after I had woken up. “Did you not bring yourself back?”

  “I. Did. Not,” was his reply.

  How did that make any sense at all? Not that I wasn’t glad to see Kipp, but he had left me…for whatever reason that I still intended to find out, but first…“Why would that be?” I asked Gretchen.

  When she stared blankly at me since, of course, she couldn’t hear Kipp, I huffed. “Oh, right. Sorry ‘bout that. How would Kipp come back here if he didn’t want it and we didn’t bring him?”

  With a furrow to her brow, she scanned over the spot where Kipp stood next to me. “I haven’t a clue.” She took a seat on the edge of the bed and shrugged. “Honestly, I’m stumped.”

  Looking back at Kipp, he stared at me with his sexy little smile, and I allowed myself to relish in his reappearance…just a bit
. The way he looked at me, so heated and loved, brought a smile to my face regardless we didn’t know the reason. “Okay, so, you’re back.”

  He winked. “Appears so.”

  I remained staring at him, wondering if he would poof out of existence on me again, and maybe still in shock he stood here now. He’d left so quick before and clearly, it’d done some irreparable damage. My pulse increased with my slight panic and my palms grew clammy.

  My pause must’ve been long enough since his eyebrows raised and he said in a low whisper, “Something on your mind, sexy?”

  I swallowed past the emotion rising in my chest, wondering if I really wanted to know the answer or not. “Well, are you staying, like forever?”

  He frowned. “You don’t want me to?”

  “No, it’s not that,” I countered with a flick of my hand and knelt on the mattress, coming closer toward him. I relished the icy coldness his body exuded. “Of course, I want you to stay, but you said it wasn’t safe here. Maybe you should go back. Maybe I did something that brought you here. Like really wanted it or something. With my connection grown in the Netherworld, perhaps I made it happen.”

  He leaned down, coming closer to my face, and the frostiness of him washed over my flesh, making me shiver and stealing the heat he’d put there. “Now you want me to go back?”

  How ridiculous was that statement? All I’d wanted was for him to come back to me and now I was telling him to go away. But an ugly truth hung over my head. “You said it’s safer to stay away. And by the way, what in the hell did you mean by that?”

  Before Kipp could answer, and without any warning, my bedroom door slammed open. Dane rushed in, looking ready to kill. His dark eyes were intent and a serious scowl marred his face. “I told you to not come back.”

  I gasped and Gretchen let out a little scream at Dane’s sudden appearance. He stormed toward the bed, settling in next to Alexander, and his eyes narrowed into slits. Hot rage filled me. Perhaps because with Kipp in the room, my protective instincts rose and I bit off, “You sure as hell didn’t tell me that!”

  Dane crossed his arms over his chest, widening his stance, as if he was ready to unleash the Devil I knew lived inside of him. “I told Kipp that.” He glared at the spot where Kipp stood since apparently, he took notice of where I’d been looking. “I warned him back in Memphis not to come anywhere near you. It’s not safe. And you didn’t listen.”

  While I had it in me to beat on his chest since it seemed he implied he’d ordered Kipp away, I knew my Kipp and he’d never allow such an order. I had seriously been thinking Dane had done some crazy-ass spell, but right now, I was entirely lost in this conversation. “Wait. What? ”

  “You think I’ve been out to get you, but you’re wrong.” Dane blew out a loud breath, uncrossing his arms. “I’ve been trying to help you.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The bedroom somersaulted around me and I stared at Dane, searching for any deception in his gaze. What he said had been the most absurd thing I had ever heard in my life, considering he’d been the bane of my existence. “You’re helping me?”

  He gave a firm nod, the flickers of rage dimming in his eyes as his posture became lax. “I left the note for you the other night.” He shook his head in frustration. “A warning that you paid no attention to.”

  No, this made no sense at all. Dane was my archenemy, the villain, the Devil. All he’d done had been to ruin my life, not improve it. I glared at him and snapped, “I don’t believe you.”

  “Believe it or not, it’s the truth.” Dropping onto the bed near Alexander, he gave him a seriously hard look before he turned to me. “Before we get into that—care to explain why Alexander is in Caley’s body?”

  I looked at Gretchen at that statement and nearly snorted at myself for not trusting my instincts. “See, told you he knew.”

  Her eyes widened. “How?”

  I really couldn’t blame her for looking a bit lost. In the last seconds, shocked wasn’t an accurate description of my current emotional state for all the shit that went down in what, minutes?

  Dane stared at Alexander for a minute longer before he shrugged at Gretchen. “Because when I sensed him at the swamp, I did a spell to tap into his energy, which is how I knew he’d entered Caley. And I’d done the same spell with Kipp in Memphis and that’s how I knew he returned now.” He gave me a hard look. “Tell me why?”

  “Simple—someone cast a spell that weakened him. Caley let him possess her so we could talk to him and figure this mess out.” Dane appeared relatively stunned Caley had allowed such a thing, and I still hadn’t fully accepted it either. But I wouldn’t let him dodge the subject any more than he had. “Now, you tell me what in the hell you’re talking about. Explain why you’ve been trying to help me, in the most fucked up way ever, I might add.”

  He sighed, yet gave Alexander’s shoulder a squeeze and sadness filled his eyes. When he looked at me again, I didn’t even recognize him—softness rested in his features. Not the Dane I had known. “What you thought and believed wasn’t true. I didn’t come to trick you to solve Alexander’s murder. I came to force you to stay away.”

  My mouth dropped open, but he continued, “The kiss at the airport was to create the hatred you have for me and to give me time to solve Alexander’s murder before you arrived.”

  I picked up my mouth off the floor. “You were an ass to me on purpose?” At his nod, I gawked at him. “You’re not really an asshole?”

  His mouth curved. “I try not to be on most occasions.” The twinkle in his eyes vanished as he glanced at every face in the room, even to the spot where Kipp stood. “When you went looking for Kipp after he vanished, I found him at your condo after I’d picked your lock.”

  My eyes went huge at the horror he’d actually done that. First thing I would do when I got home was put in a better deadbolt. But I kept that thought to myself as Dane went on, “I didn’t know if he heard me or agreed when I told him he needed to go away, but clearly he did, since he left.”

  Turning my head to the side, I glimpsed at Kipp and he nodded, crossing his arms. “He’s telling the truth.”

  I couldn’t wrap my head around this, but now realized what Kipp had meant—Dane was the one. Dane had been the reason Kipp had left. Clearly, though, not for the reasons I suspected. I might have questioned this more. That was, if Kipp hadn’t confirmed it. I trusted Kipp wholeheartedly.

  Turning to Dane, I stared at him as he rested on the edge of the bed, closer to me than he had been in some time. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because the day after Alexander took notice of you, he was murdered.” He stood from the bed and now paced the room as Alexander had done—maybe he learned the move from his father-in-law. “The more I’ve thought over this, the more I believe it has something to do with you. It can’t be a coincidence.”

  Pity reached Alexander’s face. Pity for me. Oh God, this couldn’t be true. “Are you suggesting someone killed him because of me?”

  “Impossible,” Gretchen interjected. “Why would anyone kill him because of Tess? No one had even met her.”

  Normally, Dane would’ve offered a scowl and a snide remark at someone doubting him, but only gentleness reached his features. “Why someone didn’t want you to come to White Castle is beyond me, but I figure it has something to do with your gifts.”

  “Why?” Was that seriously the only thing that could come from my mouth? Apparently so, since I would’ve repeated the same line if he didn’t answer me.

  Luckily, he did. “Truth is, I suspect whoever didn’t want you here thought Alexander’s death would be the end of it. But I took matters into my own hands.”

  Once again, he resumed his pacing, looking at the floor. “When I came to you at first, it was under total secrecy. I wanted you and Kipp to stay away because I thought it was safer for the both of you.”

  He lifted his head and looked at Alexander. “While these are only suspicions, I truly don’t know w
hy someone killed you.” There, in his eyes, was a world of love and pain when he closed in on Alexander. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t there to stop them.”

  Alexander cupped Dane’s shoulder. “What’s done is done.” He smiled, dropping his hand and taking a step back to come closer toward me. “The plan is to make this right.”

  “Okay, wait,” I blurted, unable to hold back. The world did flip-flops around me. Kipp’s expression was stony, telling me none of this was new to him, only confirming Dane had told him this story already.

  Focusing back on Dane, I rubbed my temples. “I’m so confused.” I doubted the throb in my head was from my trip to the Netherworld, but from this crazy shit I couldn’t process. “If you knew I was in danger and that this might be about me, which by the way is so unbelievable, why wouldn’t you tell me to stay away?”

  “Because when I first came to Memphis, it was all suspicions.” He took a step toward me, giving me a knowing look. “What would I say, ‘My father-in-law has been murdered and it might have something to do with your gifts, but I don’t know that for sure yet or have any proof.’”

  I understood his point—I would have thought he was insane and told Max to make him go home. I remained silent, taking all this insanity in, as he continued, “But it concerned me enough to ensure you didn’t come anywhere near here.” He ran his hands over his face, then he frowned. “Which apparently, also didn’t work.”

  While some of his motivation made sense, another part didn’t. “Why didn’t you avoid Memphis? If you didn’t want me to know about you and come here, and if I had never met you, things would’ve been fine.”

  “Our community is small,” Alexander interjected, “and Max was quite eager to get your help. I suspect whoever is behind this would have found you anyway because Max would’ve continued asking for help.”

  Dane agreed, and with a nod, turned toward me. “At first, my intention was to simply give you the help that Alexander planned to offer you and I would have left without a single worry, but then the demon incident happened.” His eyes darkened, clearly at the memory of that evil. “I had no choice but to introduce you to Gretchen since she held the magic to banish the demon. But I knew by that introduction, she would bring you to the Animus to help save Kipp.”