As she stared down at what amounted to a magical spinner ring, she never would have guessed she would end up as a glowing glitter being with a built-in dimmer dial.
Her life, her death, all of it kept getting more and more curious.
Delphi released Chloe’s hand, then ensured Nathaniel understood the trick before he stepped back. “Now, have we reached an agreement?”
Decision time had arrived. What to do, what to do. Nathaniel’s concerns were valid. Delphi’s proposition was a dangerous one. If the harvesters realized she was spying on them, they would never welcome her mental invasion. Yet, if she mastered her fear and took this massive step forward, she could save them. The magnitude of the situation was incomprehensible, but the alternative was no life, no Nathaniel, and banishment all around.
The power to ensure their future together was in her hands. All she needed was the courage to claim it. This might be a foreign existence, and her new position might frighten her, but she had Nathaniel, and it would be enough.
She gave him one last chance. “Is this what we want?”
“An eternity spent by your side?” He smiled his bone-melting smile. “I can think of nothing I want more.”
Now she turned to an expectant Delphi and kept the tremble from her voice. “We accept your offer.”
“I somehow thought you might,” he said, helping her turn so her chest met Nathaniel’s. “This will sting.”
He reached beneath her borrowed shirt and cupped her shoulder blade. Heat built between them as he seared his brand into her delicate flesh. When she hissed, he blew cooling breath across her skin to lessen the sting, earning a vicious scowl from Nathaniel.
“There,” Delphi said. “The brand will heal in a moment. In the meantime…” He placated a still slightly feral Nathaniel by lowering her shirt with a brush of his cool fingers across her hip. Then he stepped back. She turned again, wishing she could stand on her own but figuring Nathaniel wouldn’t let her even if she could. “Nathaniel will educate you on the new laws of your existence and how to control your spiritual form. As to your mental preparation, I will need time to decide how best to proceed without alerting anyone to your purpose.” His lips twitched. “I’m certain you two will find something to occupy your time until then.”
Nathaniel’s fingers kneaded her hip, a promise of what he already had in mind.
Turning on his heel, Delphi said, “I would ask one last thing of you both, and that is for you to keep in mind that my forgiveness is not inexhaustible.”
She took the warning for what it was. “I understand.”
“I hope for your sakes that you do.” He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and strolled through the high archway. A single feather floated from his wings on the stale air. A few steps later, a second downy fluff drifted in the same direction as the first.
Chloe wondered at the loss, then tilted her head back. “Is he supposed to shed like that—oomph.”
Nathaniel crushed his lips to hers and their matching smiles bumped their teeth together. “Let’s get out of here.”
She hadn’t heard a better offer all day.
Chapter Thirty
Morning settled around Chloe’s shoulders with tangible weight. As she lay in bed, glancing around her room, she felt apart from this place… the only home she had ever known.
A sigh from Nathaniel blew warm air across her nape. His arm tightened around her, tucked her closer against his body. “How are you feeling?” His voice was husky and made her skin pebble.
“Good. Alive.” Chloe studied her hand, saw the gooseflesh rising and the ring that could make that same flesh vanish with a twist. “Strange.”
“I can imagine.” His lips pressed against her neck. “Any regrets?”
“No.” She twisted in his arms until they faced each other. “Not one. You?”
“Where you’re concerned?” He leaned in, and she met his lips halfway. “Never.”
“I’m sorry about your brother,” she offered.
His expression tightened. “Saul chose his own path.”
“Still…” She traced the hard line of his jaw. “I’m sorry you were the one who—”
“It’s done.” He captured her hand and kissed her finger. “It had to be done.”
Nathaniel would need time to grieve, to cope with what he’d done and mourn the man Saul had once been. Chloe respected that and wouldn’t push. She did have to ask, “What happens now?”
He shifted so his hips fit against hers, rocked against her. “What would you like to happen?”
She slapped his shoulder. “Didn’t that happen enough last night?”
He didn’t hesitate. “It’s never enough.”
“I’m serious.” She pinched him to get his attention. “This is the first day of our new lives, and I’ve been thinking… about what Delphi said.” She forced out the words. “If I do this job for him, I’m going to make enemies. I can’t—I won’t—lead them back here. This store meant everything to my parents, to my grandparents. I can’t risk it becoming a battlefield or Neve becoming a target. When I think about the times your brother came here—saw her—I just…”
“Shhh.” Nathaniel drew her against his chest. “It’s not your fault. If anything, I should have protected you both better.”
“It’s not that. I don’t blame you for what happened.” Impossible when he had risked everything for her. “But this is my home. I’ve always lived here. I don’t know if I can live anywhere else.” Chloe withdrew from the comfort of his arms and rolled onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling and tried to gather her nerve. “I was thinking—that is, if you wanted—you and I might find a place. We could start over, together.”
“Chloe.” He palmed her cheek and turned her head toward him. “You and I are forever. If you want to make a clean break with your old life, I will support your decision.” He went quiet, but their bond hummed with words unspoken.
“What are you thinking?” She’d rather hear his thoughts out loud.
“Other harvesters don’t have shears, but they do have special knives for slicing rifts. No matter where we go, they will be attracted to you because of the mark on your soul, and they will sense me because they are my kin.” Determination hardened his gaze. “Saul had help. If he knew who you were, where you lived, and what our connection meant, he might have told others. It might be safer for Neve if we stick closer to your home. We could watch over her until this matter is settled.”
Hope blossomed in her chest. “Do you think we can?”
“It’s your decision.” The twist of his lips would have told her the turn his thoughts had taken even if his thoughts, their connection, hadn’t darkened with his mood. “If you want to stay, we can. If you wish to go, then we will.”
“But the others can find us.” Her soul was a beacon that called to them. “And they’ll always be a rift away from us, no matter where we go because of the knives you mentioned.”
“I should have thought to ask Delphi to provide you with one.” Nathaniel frowned. “I left Saul’s in Hell.”
Chloe struggled to sit upright. “I thought Delphi brought you to me.”
“He would have, probably.” Nathaniel sounded unconvinced. “I didn’t give him the chance. I used the knife I took from Saul and sliced my own rift.”
“He’s not a nice man, is he?” Delphi wore the same lethal attractiveness as Nathaniel, but his was razor sharp, his expression cruel.
“He is what he has to be.” Nathaniel set his jaw. “He seems to like you.”
She reached behind her, rubbed the symbol beneath her skin. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”
Because it wouldn’t do him any good to lie to her, Nathaniel said, “I’m not either.”
Her stomach quivered. “I didn’t think to ask, but I’m guessing the whole not-exactly-living thing means my pills are useless.”
She fisted the sheets. This was a whole new world and a whole new set of anxieties for
her to master. Going without would be hard. She wasn’t a cold-turkey kind of girl.
“As long as you’re wearing skin,” he said, “human medicine will work for you.”
“Wearing my human suit.” She flexed her fingers, watched the metal of her ring glint. “I don’t feel like I’m not human.”
“Your soul is human.” He turned to her, looking troubled. “I never was and never will be.”
“It’s too late to warn me off now.” Chloe stood and stretched. “I kind of like being a glowing glitter being with a built-in dimmer dial. Besides, I’m curious. I mean, when our bodies become insubstantial, can we still touch each other? Can we still…?”
Nathaniel’s eyes took on a predatory gleam as he rose and stalked her across the room. “I don’t know. Maybe we should find out.”
“Oh.” She tried to sound disinterested. “So you’ve never…?”
“There are no female harvesters, and I don’t know any Nephilim who can shift forms.” He tugged her against him. “Well, none that can shift between the spiritual and the physical shapes at least.”
“Shape-shifters?” Chloe patted his chest. “You know what? I don’t want to know. Not yet. Let’s save this conversation for our rainy day fund, okay?”
“All right.” He tilted her chin up. His thumb slid across her bottom lip and she became very aware that he was still naked, still aroused. “Do you need more time to make your decision?”
“I’m, um…” Chloe took a step back to clear her head. “No. This is my home. Everything else has changed. I’d like this one thing to stay the same, at least for now, until I get my legs under me. Then, who knows?”
With her new life expectancy, she was feeling more optimistic about beating her fears and embracing her new existence with hope.
Chloe headed for her dresser and fished out her usual work clothes. “Are you coming down with me? Neve will be here soon to open the store. The last time I saw her, she was convinced you were to blame for the bruises Saul gave me.”
Nathaniel’s expression darkened.
She held up a hand to ward off his anger at the memory. “Try not to take it personally. She came from a bad situation. Her kids… She just doesn’t want to see me end up where she did. Give her time to see she’s wrong. I don’t think anything either of us says now will smooth things over.”
“I can respect that.” He picked up the bloody remnants of his outfit from the previous day. “I think I’ll head home and grab a shower and a change of clothes; then I’ll meet you back here.” He scratched his scalp. “Bran’s not up to it, but maybe Reuel can help me move a few necessities.”
“Reuel?” Chloe hadn’t heard that name until now.
Nathaniel watched, maybe for her reaction. “He’s a harvester.”
Chloe shuttered her expression.
Bring a harvester here? She wanted to say I don’t think so, but the way he said it, the pulse of warmth through their bond, told her Reuel was more than just a harvester; the two men were friends. Good friends. That meant Chloe would have to befriend him, or at least try. They were all on the same team, so it made sense to learn the players. Really, that was part of her job description, wasn’t it?
“The other harvesters are my friends, my family. Several Nephilim are too.” He cupped her shoulders. “Will that be a problem? If you’d rather we live someplace else…”
“No.” Shoring up her resolve, Chloe patted his hands. “I have to learn how to interact with them if I’m going to do the job Delphi’s given me. Besides, I’d rather meet them on my own terms, and it’s not like they couldn’t find us wherever we went. No. It’s better this way. I’ll just have to put on my big girl panties and deal.”
“Before you put those panties on…” He scooped her up in his arms and tossed her back onto the bed.
A delighted squeal escaped Chloe as her back sank into the mattress. She twisted and crawled, but she didn’t make it far. Nathaniel wrapped his hand around her ankle and tugged her beneath him. She was tempted to twist the ring and make him work for it, but when his body covered hers, she found she didn’t mind being caught at all.
Chloe paused with one hand on the doorknob and took a slow breath. Neve cast a shadowy outline across the closed blinds from where she stood on the porch. A smile crept up on Chloe. Not long ago, Neve had shown up just like this on her doorstep. Life had been so different then.
“Hello? Chloe?” A concerned voice dragged Chloe from her musings.
“I’m here.” Chloe flipped the blinds open, turned the sign facing out, and opened the door.
“Morning.” Neve held a plate filled with goodies shielded by tinfoil in one hand and carried a box tucked under her other arm. Plants peeked over the box’s edges. “Look what I’ve got.”
Chloe peeled back the foil. “Are those scones?” The plate tipped when Neve tried to sidle past her into the store. “I’ll take these off your hands.”
“I bet you will,” Neve said on a snort.
“Hey, I’m helping.” Chloe bit into her breakfast with a blissful sigh. “Cranberry and orange?”
“You guessed it.” Neve set the box on the counter by the register. “I was wired when I got home last night.”
“Last night?” She let her second scone go cold in her hand. She hadn’t thought to ask Nathaniel how the eating thing worked.
“I was at the fair last night. The literacy booth?” Neve plucked the scone from her fingers and bit down. “Is that ringing any bells?”
Chloe winced. “I knew that.” Yesterday had been an eternity ago. “How did it go?”
“I think it went well. I lost my helpers about halfway through. It got hot and they were tired of working when they could see every other kid in town enjoying the fair. I ended up calling the sitter and paying her to chaperone the kids around and then take them home. Oh. And the plants were left over from another booth. The person just packed up and left them there.” She patted the box. “I couldn’t leave the poor things to wither and die.”
“The store could use some greenery.” Chloe’s mother had kept ferns, but they had been the fabric kind. Chloe had tossed them out once the sun started bleaching them and never thought to replace them.
“Well I’m glad you approve.” Neve began unboxing the plants. “They’ll be much happier here in the store than they would be where I’m staying. I don’t get this much light.”
Rubbing a leaf between her fingers, Chloe realized she hadn’t thought to ask where Neve was staying and Neve hadn’t offered her the information. “Are you happy there?”
Neve kept right on arranging the plants. “Home is where you make it.”
Chloe was beginning to realize the truth of that statement.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Time to woman up and tell Neve the truth.
“Why the serious face?” Neve braced her elbows on the box. “Is it Nathaniel? Did he come back here after I left?”
“He did.” Chloe spoke over Neve’s objection. “We needed to talk.”
Her gaze zeroed in on Chloe’s throat, where the bruises had been. Neve frowned. There were no bruises there now. “And?”
Chloe said on a rush, “Nathaniel is moving in with me.”
Neve’s eyes rounded. “What?”
“I wanted you to know because you’re my friend and because I didn’t want you to be concerned if you caught him moving around the store before or after hours.” Chloe reached for her friend, patted her hand. “I love him, Neve. I want him here with me.”
“But will he stay?” she blurted. Her eyes shut. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Or maybe I did. I still could have phrased it better. Does he realize you’re…?” She rubbed her hands down her face. “Besides the fact I saw the bruises. Chloe, please, don’t—”
“I have never laid a hand on Chloe in anger, and I never will.” Nathaniel’s voice drifted down the stairs. He took them two at a time until he reached Chloe’s side. “What happened to her is
unforgivable, but the person responsible has been punished.”
Neve’s brow wrinkled.
“What he means is”—Chloe shot him a look—“his brother, Saul, was a very violent man. He followed Nathaniel here, twice, and the second time things got out of hand.”
Eyes narrowed, Neve glanced between them. “You said he was a violent man.”
“He’s out of Nathaniel’s life.” Saul would never harm any of them again.
“I don’t know, Chloe. This is a huge step, and it’s all happening so fast.” Neve cast Nathaniel a measuring glance. “If you love her, you can wait a while, right?”
“Neve.” Chloe firmed her voice. “I appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but I’m a grown woman. I can make my own decisions. I’m not asking you for permission here. I’m telling you he’s going to be a part of my life, one I hope you, as my friend, can learn to accept.”
“I won’t hurt her or take advantage of her.” Nathaniel put an arm around Chloe’s shoulders. “I promise you that.”
“You’ve made a lot of promises today, Nathaniel,” Neve said. “Make sure that you keep them.” She turned on her heel and headed for the storeroom.
Chloe pressed her face into Nathaniel’s side. “I think that went well.”
He rubbed her back. “I don’t know which was worse, facing Delphi or facing Neve.”
“Delphi,” they said in unison.
“Okay. I have to get to work.” Chloe withdrew and gave Nathaniel a nudge toward the door. “Don’t you have a porch to stain? If we’re staying here, you’re finishing the job.”
Nathaniel grunted something about maybe moving after all was a good idea.
“Aww.” She closed the gap between them and patted his cheek. “I’ll make it worth your while.” She wiggled her ring finger. “Aren’t you even the least bit curious about souls mating?” The quickening of his breath made her grin. “Why, I bet if you stained the porch fast enough, we’d have time to conduct an experiment before sundown.”
Tonight her harvester training would begin. She’d caught that errant thought of his earlier. Nathaniel wouldn’t rest until she could protect herself from anyone looking to collect on her mark.
Soul Weaver Page 26