He closed his eyes, prepared for another fight from his sister. He approached her with caution. “Tristin, we are running out of time.”
She rolled her head towards him but said nothing. Isa came in from the kitchen, expression kind but determined. She looked at Kai, smile flat, as she squatted down next to Tristin, “Come on, sweetie, let’s get you something to drink. Your hands are freezing. I think we still have that oolong tea you like.”
Tristin said nothing so Isa stood and pulled her to her feet. She didn’t resist. She looked down at Quinn one last time, his hat still clutched in her hand, and followed Isa from the room. Kai leaned down over his friend and pressed two figures against his forehead before he lost his nerve again.
There was a faint sizzling noise and Quinn’s voice filled the empty room. “Finally. Dude, I really thought she was going to leave me in there.”
Kai stood up, turning to look at his friend. A pain cut through him, jagged and raw as he fought the urge to throw his arms around him. It was surreal seeing him moving and speaking. “You know my sister, man, she’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s not ready to let you go.” He shook his head, “None of us are.”
Quinn’s mouth drooped and his eyes slid to his body still lying near the staircase. “That’s creepy, right? It seems kind of creepy to talk right here. Can we maybe talk away from my mangled corpse?”
He looked around their living room in confusion. “So, is this like purgatory? I thought it would be a big empty space or like a giant movie theatre with my greatest moments playing in the background. Why are we still at home?”
Kai smiled. Quinn always considered this place his home. “This part of your journey is wherever you decide. Usually people subconsciously choose the place they were happiest.”
They walked into the kitchen and out the back patio. “So you’re telling me I’m in the Matrix? Could I turn this place into a fighting arena or can we be at the top of a building and jump off?”
“Totally, we can go wherever you want,” Kai smiled, lungs constricted. This was it. Once Quinn crossed over, he would never see him again. What was he going to do without him? Quinn was the only one who got his awful movie references. Quinn was the only one who got his sense of humor. He knew he was being selfish but he didn’t care. Quinn was his best friend. He didn’t know how to do this. He had so many things he needed to say.
Quinn sat on the small stone step that led from the patio to the yard. He looked around, small smile on his lips. “Nah, this is good. We can stay here. I was happy here.”
Quinn didn’t look at him when he said, “Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Me too, bro.” Kai told him, sitting next to him on the step.
Quinn turned to look at him, expression more solemn than ever before. “I’m serious. I don’t know how I would have survived living with my dad if it wasn’t for you and Isa and even Rhys. This place was my sanctuary, man. Every good memory I have growing up is here with you guys.” He ran his hands through his hair. “You don’t know how much it meant to me that you never treated me like I was less important. You guys gave me a purpose. You made me part of the pack. You made me feel important.”
Kai blinked the tears from his eyes. “You were important. You are important.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Listen, you are one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. Meeting you was the best thing that happened to me, too. I was the loneliest kid in the world. You were my friend when everybody treated us like outcasts. Nothing will be the same without you. You are our planner, our mastermind. I know you think you don’t have any special powers but your brain is your superpower. Well, that and your excellent Mario Kart skills.” Kai sniffed, wiping his eyes. “Those were awesome too.”
Quinn nodded, eyes wet. “They were pretty excellent.”
They sat like that, staring out at nothing, just watching the property line. “So, how does this work? Do we just sit here and wait for my door to appear with its blinding white light. Will I have an angel escort? Is there some kind of protocol in place?”
Kai dropped his gaze to the ground between his feet, “I am the door.”
“What?”
“I am the door,” Kai said, louder. He couldn’t look at him.
“What do you mean?” Quinn stared hard at the side of his face. “Is this a riddle?”
Kai’s face turned bright red. “I’m the door.” He looked at Quinn then. “You have to go through me.”
Quinn laughed but then stopped abruptly. “Wait, are you serious? Like I have to go…inside you?” Kai cringed at the wording but Quinn didn’t stop. “How could you have never mentioned this? How could I have never asked? I’m such an idiot. This is gold star levels of blackmail material.”
Kai’s face was on fire. “Shut up. I didn’t create the process.” He chanced a look at his friend and glowered at him when he saw Quinn’s shaking shoulders. “I should just ditch you here and let your ass turn all poltergeist.” Kai pouted.
Quinn tried to come up with a comeback but he couldn’t catch his breath long enough to come up with something. He was hysterical. He waved his hand in front of his face, wiping the tears from his eyes.
After a few minutes, he looked over at Kai’s sour expression and said, “Oh, come on, man. You have to see how funny this is. Even that one time we made out in seventh grade has not prepared me for this scenario. I mean, in an unspecified number of minutes we will be inside each other, merged. For a few brief seconds, we will be one.” Laughter racked his body. “Just let it sink in. Like really marinate. There isn’t enough time for all the jokes I want to make right now.”
Then Kai laughed too. It was hilarious in a morbid and fatalistic way. “We will not be inside each other. Please stop saying that.”
“I can’t. I just can’t. I am literally unable to stop saying it. Come on, you’ve never fantasized about this? Even a little?”
Kai buried his head in his hands, still laughing. “Ugh, come on. No. Not even when we made out.”
Eventually their laughter died down. Kai knew they were both dragging out the inevitable but he didn’t care. He let it just be. Quinn would tell him when he was ready. Kai hoped it wasn’t soon. He wasn’t ready yet, either.
Quinn leaned back on his elbows. “You should try to keep that book away from your sister until she gets through this.”
Kai nodded but didn’t respond. Quinn died for that book. He would have to pry it from Tristin’s cold, dead hands. He winced at the unfortunate imagery, no longer funny. “What is it anyway?”
“It’s a book on the origin of banshees. It’s what she’s been looking for this whole time.”
Kai’s eyes widened. “Seriously? They had a book on banshees?”
“Shelby has a book on almost everything, Kai. It was amazing. She has books bound in human skin that are so old the years are documented with letters after them. Audrey said that Shelby’s related to a cat goddess. Like an actual, bonafied, deity type figure.”
Kai couldn’t wrap his brain around it. They had fought a lot of crazy things over the past few years but in the last month his life had become a constantly evolving lesson in mythological creatures.
“Audrey invited me back whenever I wanted. I think she liked having somebody to geek out with over books. That library, man.” He told him, wistfully. “I have been looking for a place like that my whole life. Figures I finally find it and-” He made a cutting motion across his neck. Kai shivered.
“I need you to tell the pack that I love them. Tell Isa and Wren that they were great pack parents.” He looked at his hands, “Tell Neoma I’ll miss our Friday night cartoon marathons.” He smiled. “Tell Rhys that he’s annoying and stupid and not nearly good enough for you but that he was an awesome big brother.” He huffed out a laugh, “Tell Donovan he can have my x-box games. Oh, and tell Ember that she has
the coolest and scariest active powers I’ve ever seen and I wish I knew her better.”
Kai bobbed his head up and down, trying to swallow the lump in his throat.
Quinn’s voice dropped, choking on his next words. “I need you to tell my sister I love her. I know she won’t believe you but promise me you’ll tell her anyway. Tell her that I’m sorry I let our father come between us and that I know deep down she’s a good person. You’ll tell her, right. Even if she won’t believe you, you’ll tell her until she does.”
“Of course, man.” Kai promised, blinking rapidly, overwhelmed at his friends desperate need to say the goodbyes he hadn’t gotten.
“Tell-Tell your sister that she was the best part of my day every day. Even when she was at her worst, I felt lucky to have her in my life.” He sniffed, ducking his head. “Tell her I said to move on. She deserves to be happy. I want her to be happy and to have kids and be a kickass mom.” Tears streamed down his face but he smiled like he was picturing Tristin with their kids. “I really did think we were soul mates but maybe I was wrong, or maybe people get more than one.”
Kai just nodded as Quinn talked, getting it all out. “Don’t let this crush her, man. I know she pretended she didn’t love me but that’s just how she deals with her feelings, you know? Tell her I knew. Okay? Tell her I knew she loved me and I understood why she never acted on it.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “Please don’t let her get herself killed. She’s too reckless. Always trying to prove she’s good enough even without an active power. She’s going to be way worse now. She’s going to bury her feelings and pretend she’s fine and she’s going to do something stupid or-”
Kai couldn’t take it. The desperation in his friend’s voice was too much. “I’ll take care of her, I promise.”
Quinn wiped his eyes, rubbing his nose on his sleeve. “This really sucks, dude. I thought I had more time.”
Kai swallowed hard but the tears came anyway. “Me too. I don’t know how to do this without you, you’re the Robin to my Batman.”
Quinn’s smile was watery, “Why am I always the sidekick?”
“Um, because you’re the brains and I’m the muscle.” Kai smiled.
Quinn looked out at the tree line, “If we are going by muscle, Tristin is Batman and you’re the joker.”
“So that would make Rhys Bane?”
“The bane of your existence.” Quinn told him, cackling at his terrible pun. “Seriously though, man. Rhys is going to come around and when he does, remember you promised to name your firstborn son after me.”
Kai rolled his eyes, “I’m almost positive you promised I would name my firstborn son after you but I’ll take it into consideration.”
Quinn stood, sniffing loudly and straightening his shirt. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
Kai stood too, stomach in knots. He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to lose his friend. It wasn’t fair. He shouldn’t have to lose everybody he loves.
“You’re my brother, man. No matter what. I love you.” Quinn told him.
“I love you too.”
Quinn reached out and pulled him into a hug. Kai sucked in a breath as he felt Quinn move through him, like the chill you get when somebody walked over your grave.
Then he was gone.
When Kai opened his eyes, he was back in their living room. Pain seared his left arm and he yanked his shirt up to look at his tattoo. He traced his finger over Quinn’s name, now forever etched into the fabric of other lives he’d crossed over.
His stomach lurched. He fumbled to get to the bathroom, managing to drop to his knees in front of the toilet before he vomited. His stomach was empty but that didn’t stop his body from trying. He didn’t know how long he stayed that way, face pressed against the seat, stomach heaving, tears and snot running down his face. He didn’t care. He couldn’t bring himself to stand, to move.
A cold washcloth moved over his face before large hands pulled him to his feet. “Come on, I’m putting you to bed.” Rhys told him.
Once in his room, Rhys helped him get his shoes off and moved for the door.
“Don’t go.” Kai said, hating the desperation in his voice, “Please? I don’t want to be alone.”
Rhys nodded once, toeing off his own shoes and laying down on his side. Kai pressed his back to Rhys’ front, needing to be the little spoon. Rhys covered them both and wrapped his arms around him, saying nothing. There was nothing left to say. His best friend was dead.
He should have made Quinn wait just a little longer. He had more to say. He had so many more things to say. Two thoughts played in his head on an endless loop. His best friend was dead. His brother was dead.
He turned and buried his face in Rhys’ chest while the wolf rubbed circles along his back. Rhys pretended not to notice as his tears started all over again.
59
MACE
It took less than forty-eight hours for Allister to remember they had unfinished business; less than two days to forget about his dead son and soldier on with his plans. It took a special kind of monster to be that twisted and that was coming from him. Allister called his phone every forty-five minutes but Mace had no way of excusing himself.
Ember clung to him more than ever. She did not know how to grieve with the rest of them. Isa cleaned and fawned over everybody. Tristin was angrier than a pit viper. Kai vacillated between inconsolable and complete denial. But Ember still felt like an outsider, as if she had no right to be upset over his loss, at least not like the rest of them. So instead, she stayed with him and focused on learning to control her magic. They’d formed an uneasy reliance on each other.
She seemed to be gaining some control over these powers of hers, no easy feat when you are channeling an enumerable number of magical creatures. He was still puzzling out exactly how her magic worked. He only had bits and pieces of knowledge he’d gathered here and there. Necromancers could restore the soul to the body, they could create hordes of revenants, they could possess or control any creature who lacked a soul, which, theoretically, meant sluagh and vampire and potentially some species of demon.
What he didn’t understand was how she was channeling the old ones. Had she always possessed this ability? Was this her fascination with the dead? Was she channeling magic or souls? The questions were driving him insane. He needed answers.
“Hey,” Ember whacked him on the arm. “You’re not concentrating.”
He looked at the side of her face as she craned her neck around to look at him. She sat in his arms, back to chest, in the pet cemetery just as they had before. It seemed the more contact they had physically; the easier it was for their magic to do its thing. The more they practiced the less painful it became. Sometimes, when they were both relaxed enough, it was even rather pleasant.
“Sorry, Luv,” he said against the shell of her ear, smiling as she quivered. “I’m distracted by your perfume.”
He wasn’t lying, whatever she was wearing smelled intoxicating. He wanted to bury his nose in her throat and live there.
She looked at him awkwardly, cheeks flushing, “I’m not wearing perfume. You supernatural creatures and your weird smelling people thing.”
“You, too, are one of those supernatural creatures.”
“Yeah, but I don’t notice smells like you do.”
It was true that she didn’t let her senses guide her like most of them but that didn’t mean she didn’t have the capability. It may be the reason that she had such a hard time controlling her powers. She hadn’t learned to trust her instincts or her senses. Somebody needed to teach her.
“No?” He held his wrist to her nose. “Close your eyes?”
“What? No.”
“Just do it.”
She sighed dramatically and made a show of closing her eyes.
“Now, smell.”
&nbs
p; She giggled. He didn’t blame her, they probably looked a bit stupid. She peaked enough to give him a suspicious look before closing her eyes again. She inhaled deeply once and then again. Her hand moved over his forearm and pulled his wrist closer. “What is that smell?”
“It’s me. Just me.” He wondered what he smelled like to her.
“Weird,” she murmured, nose grazing his wrist again.
This time he shivered. He leaned forward, smelling her hair. She smelled like coconut and something fruity. He’d never tell her, but he suspected her fascination with his scent was that he was technically dead. Her magic did love its dearly departed.
Ember leaned back against him, relaxed, her thumb rubbing back and forth across his wrist. She didn’t seem in a hurry to try using her magic again. He dropped his chin to her shoulder, listening to her heartbeat. She hadn’t yet noticed they were simply existing in the same space without any ulterior motive. Maybe she was choosing not to acknowledge it.
His phone buzzed in his pocket again and he reached between them to silence it.
“Again,” Ember mumbled, head rolling against his shoulder. “Somebody really wants to get ahold of you.”
“So it seems.”
“You could answer it.”
“Mm, I could but it’s somebody I need to talk to in private.”
“So go talk to them. I think I can keep from blowing something up for at least a few minutes.”
He looked at his phone and the four missed calls from the anonymous number he knew belonged to Allister. He shouldn’t make the call. If she overheard him, there was no way he’d be able to explain. Of course, if he didn’t talk to Allister soon he might not have any choice but to explain. There was also the added complication of Kai. He had no idea why Kai hadn’t said anything yet but the waiting felt like a sword swinging above his head. When that sword broke free, whatever tenuous relationship he and Ember created would be over. He intended to make good use of the time he had with her.
Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (Dead Things Series Book 1) Page 35