“Like the wiccan symbol?” Her eyes sparked with a flash of interest before she pasted the wariness back on her face.
“No, that’s a pentacle. It’s a little different.” I didn’t have time to waste on a long explanation, so I tried to keep things simple. “A pentagram is a five-pointed star, each arm representing something different, yet all parts of a whole. Only with all five points do they represent a star.”
“Okay,” she said slowly. “Pentagrams, huh? I’m with you so far.”
“Each of us represents something different.” I indicated me and my friends. “Fire, shadow, water and air. Elements, physical entities. Think of us as a body, but without a soul.” I paused, mostly to make sure I’d get this part right. I only had one shot at this, and if I blew it… I went straight to the point. “You are that soul, Cat. You’re the fifth part of our pentagram, and we’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”
It took her a second, but she grinned. The grin of someone who’s being tricked, and knows it.
“This is no joke, Cat. I know you’ve been running, trying to escape your destiny. Trying to understand why you’re different, and how to deal with the fact that no one is safe around you. We’ve all been there.”
“Bullshit.” She snorted again.
“I know you had a normal childhood. Until one of your parents—maybe both—died. I know, at some point, you realized you were the cause. And I know the pain of leaving everything behind, time and time again, is killing you.” I sucked in a breath. “And I know it’s been years since you’ve touched anyone.”
I had to stop there, because I remembered the feel of her cheek as I stroked my fingers down it. I remembered my first whiff of her scent. And I prayed I was on the right track to convincing her all of this was real.
“We know all of this because we’ve lived through the same doubts, the same fears…the same unanswered questions. I can only imagine what’s running through your mind right now, but know this: we are sworn to protect you, to serve you…until the day we die.”
Her nostrils flared as she considered this, taking her time to mull it over. “That’s a long time,” she finally said.
“Not as long as you’d think,” Ambrose muttered. Titus shushed him with a hard elbow to the side.
Catherine raised her chin defiantly, even though her bottom lip trembled. “Let’s…for a moment…assume I’m buying what you’re selling. Why now? Why not ten years ago…or when I was born?”
“It’s part of the challenge,” Titus told her, scooting a little closer under the guise of hanging up his coat behind her. “The guardians cannot know where their soul is. You have to find her on your own, and she could be anywhere in the world. What Rex just said is the truth—we’ve been searching for you. For a long time.”
I was glad he’d left it there, instead of freaking her out by telling her how long.
“Once the guardians”—I used Titus’s word—“find their soul, there is a finite period of time when they can bond.”
I watched distrust and a dawning understanding cross her face.
“You might as well tell her the rest,” Jonas said. “It can hardly get any weirder, right?” He shot her one of his trademark grins, which Cat countered with a glower.
“What is bonding, and how long is this finite period of time?” she asked. “Because finite usually indicates short, and if bonding means what I think it does…” She scooted out onto the lip of her chair, poised for flight.
“The finite period of time is one day. Twenty-four hours, of which we have now wasted two. And yes.” I inclined my head. “Bonding is exactly that.”
“What you have to understand,” Jonas interjected, sounding impossibly optimistic, “is that we have waited for you our entire lives. Searched this entire world for you. We’re already head over heels in love with you…we just have to figure out how to make you love us back.”
I wanted to bury my face in my hands. “Not helping, Jonas.” It was far too early to mention the L-word. “But he has a point. We’ve spent a considerable amount of time looking for you, and truthfully, there is a certain amount of emotional currency tied up in that.”
“Can I kill you guys, like I do everyone else?”
“No, your magic would never hurt us. Since we are alike, our abilities don’t affect each other in a negative way. So that’s one thing off your list of worries.”
“What are your powers?” She didn’t seem frightened at all. She seemed genuinely curious.
“Titus is smoke and shadow–he can move anywhere without being seen. Jonas is our moral compass and our strategist, and you’ve already seen what Ambrose can do.”
“And you…what do you do?” The question was innocent, but her gaze was locked on me so tightly that I knew I’d better give her the right answer the first time, because I wouldn’t get another chance.
“I’m what the humans call the Grim Reaper.”
She relaxed a little. “The name the woman called you. Reaper.”
“Some call me that. I try not to encourage it.”
That bought me a little smile. “What about ‘angel’? You’ve been calling me that. I assume it means something?”
“Angel of Death.”
“Ah.” A shadow crossed her face. “When I thought of that old nickname on the bus, you overheard my thoughts?”
“I did. I apologize. I couldn’t help myself.”
“I wondered. You looked straight at me, and then the way you moved… I half convinced myself you were a figment of my imagination. Or a dream.” She licked her lips as her eyes brightened. “Maybe I’m still dreaming,” she added hopefully.
“I’m afraid not. I’d seen you at the diner, but I wasn’t sure until the moment I looked into your eyes.” I leaned forward, keeping my posture relaxed. “Cat, you have unique abilities. Ones you cannot explain, nor control. Think of us as friends who can help you discover who you really are. And what you’re capable of.” By now, the others had subtly shifted position until they were gathered around her like a shield.
“And Sam…all of that was true?” Her eyes grew large. “It’s just that…usually people don’t get better once I’m gone. Like the damage has already been done. I don’t get it. I was only in Amblin for three months.”
“Sam’s fine,” I reassured her. When her eyes began shining, I added, “He’ll live out the rest of his life with Marsha, and chalk this up to a miracle. You didn’t do anything wrong, Cat. You’re getting stronger. That’s why it takes less time to affect those around you.”
“Okay. Thank you. Sam’s a good guy.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Stronger, huh? That’s what I was afraid of. What happens if we don’t bond in this finite period of time?” She used air quotes on that last bit.
We looked at each other. When none of the other pussies answered, I did.
“We all die.”
Chapter Ten
Catherine
I couldn’t explain what I was feeling. Shock, maybe.
But now reality was setting in. Such as it was. Reapers and fire starters and shadows. Oh my. Who would have thought a few hours would bring such momentous change to my life? The odd thing was that I wasn’t scared. Well, not completely scared.
Because I knew without a doubt that Rex was the man from my dreams. Except he was here—in the flesh. Or whatever Grim Reapers were made from. My brain refused to accept this logically, of course. But my body knew exactly who he was and what I felt for him. After a lifetime of relying on my gut, I’d learned to trust it.
I glanced over at Jonas and Ambrose and Titus. They’d been in my recent dream as well, touching me, kissing me, treating me like I was the most precious thing in the world to them. I must have brought some of that trust with me into the real world, because right now, my body thrummed with something other than nervousness. I went taut at how delicious they’d made me feel.
I’d always thought my dreams were nothing but wicked nightly fantasies. Anticipation thro
bbed in my core at the thought they could be more than fantasies. They could be real. This could all be real.
Besides, I was tired of running. I was tired of not knowing what I was. Exhausted from having so many questions and no one to answer them. But these guys had said they could explain everything. They’d rescued me from scary-cat-monster-lady. And this place they’d brought me to felt…safe in ways I’d never experienced before. As if it was guarded by more than a flimsy door and lock.
But the rest of it… Dying was pretty high in my list of things not to do. Number one, as a matter of fact.
“Can we please go over this again?”
Rex’s dark eyes flickered for a moment, and his mouth tightened into a straight line.
“If you don’t want to, fine. Forgive me if I’m having issues accepting all of this as anything other than you trying to get me into bed.”
“It’s not that.” His voice turned sheepish as he added, “Well, it’s not all that.”
“What the hell?” I was caught between righteous indignation and laughter as I pushed to my feet. “No guy in their right mind would admit they want sex. What the hell?” I said again, my mind flashing to the feel of Rex’s hand cupping my face. His touch had been like ice, but comforting. He’d made me feel sexy. And my body had reacted accordingly.
He merely shrugged, and I dropped back into the chair, since my knees were a bit weak. “You asked for the truth, and that’s what you’re getting.” His face darkened. “Look, I don’t make the rules, and I sure as shit didn’t create the test. We have”—he made such a big show of checking the clock that I had to smile—“twenty hours left.”
“So you and I have to do the nasty before time is up?” I tried to keep my face serious, but it was impossible in this ludicrous situation. Especially when Rex gave me my answer.
“All of us.” His voice came out strangled. “You have to be with all of us in order for this to work.”
Oh. Despite my best efforts, my mind flashed again to the feel of them all over me, the way my skin burned for their touch, and I squeezed my thighs tightly together, the pressure only making me hornier. “Together or one at a time?”
Rex gaped. And, somehow, still managed to look hot. “I…don’t think… I’ve never… We’ve never done this before.” His gaze went over my shoulder, to where the rest of them were sitting. Jonas muttered something, Titus blushed again and Ambrose stroked his beard, a wide smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.
It wasn’t unthinkable. I went back to Rex cradling my face on that porch. I’d wanted him to kiss me. If I hadn’t been so shocked by everything, I might have kissed him first.
After years alone, bereft of touch, suddenly I wanted to touch all of them. And them to touch me.
“Before we get to that, let me make sure I have this straight. I’m an Angel of Death, you four are my sentinels and we’re all bound together, but only if we pass a test. If we don’t do the thing, then we’ll all die?”
A lot of murmuring now from behind me. But my eyes were fixed on Rex.
“That’s the gist of it. To be honest, I didn’t think we’d ever find you. Where we are right now… I never considered we’d have to convince you of who we are.” He waved a hand around. “I figured you’d already know everything, and this part would just…come naturally.”
I grinned at his choice of words. “I’m not entirely opposed to the idea.” His face brightened up considerably. “But there’s a slight problem.” I squirmed and kept my eyes on his face. “I don’t have a lot of experience in this department. Kind of afraid I’d kill the guy, you know.”
“Oh, Christ in heaven,” someone muttered. Rex tipped his head back and shut his eyes, as if he was praying for patience. When he finally looked at me again, I ran my tongue over my lips, remembering how he’d felt inside me. How he’d filled me up so completely that he’d blocked out the rest of the world.
“All of you, out,” Rex said, never breaking our stare. “Leave us alone.”
There was a shuffling, thudding of feet, then a swoosh of cold air as the door opened, and we were alone. “Where did they go?” I asked, then licked my lips again, Rex tracking the movement carefully.
“Does it matter?” he asked, shifting closer, until his knees were braced on the outsides of mine, and our faces were just inches apart.
“I guess not.” My answer sounded like it came from far away, down a long, empty hallway. There was fire crackling in Rex’s eyes, a flash of flickering orange-red light. “I saw your eyes glow like that on the porch. And on the bus,” I told him, mesmerized, holding his chin between my fingers. “I thought it was my imagination.”
“The glow only occurs when we’ve all found each other. Your eyes…they look like the universe is inside. So much light,” he murmured, his lips hovering inches away from mine, but then he pulled back slightly. “I wish we had more time, Cat. If I could explain everything, it might make more sense.”
Warmth burned in my belly, spreading down along the insides of my thighs. “I’ve always been different, Rex. I never knew why, or what to do about it. But the minute you touched me, I knew what I wanted. Now kiss me before I chicken out.”
Chapter Eleven
Catherine
Rex’s lips were softer than I’d thought they’d be, yet I felt impossibly clumsy kissing him back, my tongue swirling around, chasing his. But when he groaned into my mouth, I figured I was doing something right. Moving so we were even closer, I nestled in between his legs, settling my hands on his abdomen. We still hadn’t broken apart, and I didn’t want to. Rex tasted…exotic.
The wet swirl of our tongues was turning into a roar of heat between my legs, and his delicious scent intensified, like chocolate and coffee mixed together, deep and musky and rich.
My hands drifted up over his chest, along his throat, into his hair. It was rougher than it looked, coarse and slightly curly, and I threaded my fingers through it, then pulled him tighter against my mouth. I needed…more, clenching my thighs together.
Rex gave me what I wanted, sucking in my bottom lip before slanting his mouth over mine, his tongue sliding inside again. I wanted more than his tongue. I trailed my hands down his body, pausing when I reached his belt. He pulled away, searching my face. “Are you okay with this?” he asked, but I was breathless and determined and knew exactly what I wanted.
“Is there a bedroom?”
He swept me up in his arms, and I put my own around his neck as if we’d done this a thousand times. He did feel familiar, the fit on his mouth against mine, the way he’d swung me up into his embrace, as if we’d done this before. And not just in my dreams.
Maybe that was why none of this felt weird to me. Awkward, as if my body was relearning how this should feel, but not weird. Comfortable.
He set me on my feet just inside the door, and then carefully shut it, slowly, giving me an out if I wanted to take it. Instead, I slid off my jacket and grasped the bottom of my shirt. Not taking my eyes from his face, I pulled it over my head, my skin tightening the second the air hit me.
His gaze flickered over my body, his eyes finally meeting mine. And the look in them… My pussy contracted. Fuck, Rex was completely transfixed, and from the way his cock strained against his jeans, I knew he wanted me just as badly as I did him.
“Catherine.” He took a measured step toward me, that glow in his eyes sparking brighter. “If you’re a virgin…this could hurt.”
“Cat,” I said, measuring him up as my body hummed. “And I said I was inexperienced, not that I’d never had sex. I have a vibrator.” I grinned. “And I know how to use it.”
He shot me a relieved smile. “My queen does not have a nickname. I’m calling you Catherine.”
“Fine. Then I’m calling you”—my brain snagged on alternatives to his name—“Reaper. Come over here, Reaper, and kiss me again.”
He winced, then walked to me and grasped my hip. “Let’s call a truce on the names,” he murmured, trailing a finger u
p along my ribcage, leaving shivers in its wake. “You’re Cat, and I’m Rex, and right now, all I want is to touch you.”
I leaned into that practiced touch, liking the way he made me feel—the way my body was trembling—yet, at the same time, feeling stronger than I ever had. “Touch away,” I told him, my mind going blank as his hands roamed over my body, cupping my breasts, his mouth claiming mine again.
I’d fantasized about this moment my whole life. The man starring in those fantasies was always a shadowy figure, one I’d never been able to put a face to, but with my eyes closed, I knew in my heart that it had always been Rex. He released my mouth, his lips traveling down my neck until he closed them on my collarbone, biting softly.
“Tell me again how long you’ve looked for me?”
He lifted his lips from me long enough to answer, “My entire life.”
“That’s a very good answer,” I told him as the backs of my knees hit something immovable. We tilted over, and he fell on top of me, his legs straddling my hips, and sank into me, his cock pressing against me through our jeans. I wiggled until he was right where I needed him to be, and felt a flare of lust.
“Probably should have undressed first,” he whispered, his voice husky. “But I’ll make this work.”
I lost track of whether it was his lips or his hands that stripped me, since the sensations rocking my body seemed to have removed my ability to think clearly. I just wanted more. More friction, more pressure, more of his skin rubbing against me. I lost myself in a fog of lust and need, and I loved the headiness of this, the feeling of complete freedom. I never wanted it to go away.
I wasn’t worried about anything. Not killing someone or being alone or any of the uncertainties that normally plagued my life. No, I only wanted one thing, and it was right in front of me.
“Let me touch you,” I told Rex, reaching for the button on his jeans. It was a fight to the death, but I finally got the damn thing undone and slid my hand around his cock. It was soft, yet hard—velvet-covered steel—and all I thought about was what he’d feel like inside of me. It’d be nice to have someone else do the work for once.
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