by Deanna Chase
“Do you still have a strange desire to work a corporate job?” I asked and made a face.
Pyper let out a long sigh and nodded. “It’s really weird.”
“There’s a reason for that.” I met Kane’s gaze and nodded for him to continue.
But before he could say anything, Pyper said, “I’m still carrying an extra soul, aren’t I?”
Kane nodded. “Yes. And Lailah says you’re in danger if you stay here. The lesser Goddess has complete control over that soul. She thinks you should go to the angel realm until we can deal with the Goddess.”
Pyper took in a sharp breath.
“Lailah says it’s the only place you’ll be safe,” I added, trying to keep my tone neutral. I didn’t want her to go. The entire idea made me uncomfortable. But I didn’t have a better plan.
She pulled her hair out of its neatly tied ponytail and went to work on redoing it. A sure sign she was nervous. I couldn’t blame her. Then her blue eyes flashed as she met Kane’s gaze. “I’ll do it, but you have to promise to take that bitch down.”
He moved and sat next to her, pulling her to him. “That you can count on.”
I slipped off the bed, preparing to give them a few minutes alone together, but Pyper reached out and clasped my wrist. “Wait.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“I just wanted—” Her eyes widened and her face paled as she stared past me near the door.
“Pyper?” Kane asked, his voice a mix of panic and concern.
I glanced from her to the place near the door. Nothing was there. Nothing I could see, anyway. But awe and wonder, mixed with shock, burst from Pyper. Her energy took on a lightness that I usually associated with joy.
“Pyper?” Kane nudged her slightly to get her attention.
“What do you see?” I asked her quietly.
“Not what. Who.” She turned to me, tears standing in her bright eyes. Then her other hand wrapped around Kane’s as she started to tremble.
“Who is it, Pyps?” Kane whispered.
“It’s Mom.” She let go of both of us and crawled off the bed, her hand outstretched.
Kane shot me a worried glance. “Do you feel anything out of the ordinary? Any evil or dark magic or anything?”
I shook my head, transfixed by the joy on Pyper’s face. “No. Not at all. Has her mom passed?” I asked in a hushed tone.
He bent his head to mine. “Yes.”
“I think she’s here.”
We watched tears stream down Pyper’s face as she choked out, “Where have you been all this time? How come I haven’t seen you before?” Her hand squeezed as if she was holding hands with someone. Raw emotion shone in her wet eyes and then her lips curled into a small smile. She met Kane’s eyes. “Mom says she has been here the whole time, but I couldn’t see her. It appears my time spent sharing my body with a spirit has awakened my seer senses.”
“That’s wonderful,” Kane said, happiness for her radiating off him.
“Yeah.” Pyper nodded and then she laughed. “Mom also says she’s been watching you, Kane.”
Kane let out a startled groan. “Seriously? Tell her I’m profoundly sorry about anything she’s seen.”
Pyper laughed and shook her head, still appearing to be listening to her mother. “She can hear you just fine and she says she’s proud of you, that she’s thankful you’ve—” she choked back a small sob, “—been watching over me all these years.” She sniffed and nodded.
“It’s the least I can do after she created such a generous and supportive daughter,” Kane said as he rose from the bed and went to stand next to Pyper.
My heart sang with joy that Pyper was getting a moment with her mother, but I felt like an intruder. Pyper loved me and I loved her, but Kane was her family. Her best friend. And that wasn’t a relationship I wanted to get in the middle of. I pressed against the headboard and clasped my hands together, trying to fade into the background.
“Mom’s laughing at you,” Pyper said and ran a palm down her cheek. Then she sobered and straightened as she appeared to be taking something in. After a few moments she nodded and clutched Kane’s arm, leaning into him. “Oh my God.”
“Is she gone?” Kane guessed.
“Yeah…she told me to go with the angels. That they’d take care of me no matter what happens.” She glanced back at me. “And that my soul is important. They won’t want to mess with it.”
I raised a curious eyebrow. “Really? I wonder what that means.”
Pyper shook her head. “I have no idea. But she seemed pretty adamant about it.”
“Well, all souls are important to the angels. We already know that. We just need to make sure they don’t go trying to take it from you.” The physical memory of my soul being ripped from me was still enough to bring me to my knees if I let it.
Fear rippled from Pyper, and I wanted to kick myself for scaring her.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m told what happened to me was highly unusual. I’m sure it’s not anything to worry about.”
“No. Don’t be sorry. It’s important to remember they aren’t completely trustworthy.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “I feel weird.”
Kane chuckled and then pulled her into a sympathetic hug. “Don’t we all?”
She hiccupped through a small sob as she buried her face in his chest. “Stop trying to make me laugh.”
“I wasn’t. Not really.” He kissed the top of her head and met my gaze.
It was time.
Chapter 19
Kane, Pyper, and I stood together in the living room as Lailah raised her arms and called the light.
A second later, Chessandra and my father, Drake, appeared.
“Jade,” my father said. “It’s good to see you’re well.”
“Well” was relative. And I didn’t especially want to see him. I recently found out he was my father, and I barely knew him. He’d left my mom before I was even born for his mate, Chessandra. Every angel had one. It was only a matter of time before they found each other. It was a connection humans didn’t share. I forced a tight smile. “Hello.”
“What information do you have?” Chessandra asked. She never was one for niceties.
“We haven’t seen your missing angel. But we think we’re getting closer to what’s going on with the shadows.”
“And?”
“Nothing definitive yet,” I hedged. I hadn’t told anyone what I’d felt when the demon had been trying to rip through the fabric of the shadows. I needed to talk to Kane about it first. And possibly Maximus, even though going back to the Brotherhood was just about the last thing I wanted to do.
Chessandra narrowed her eyes, suspicion staring back at me.
I stifled a sigh and went for what we did know. I told her everything we’d learned about Genesis. “She eats spirits in order to maintain youth. So it’s possible she’s the one draining the angels. According to Lucien’s research, she also has to bring one angel to the demon she made her fountain of youth deal with…and as much as I don’t want to even think about it, it’s likely she has your missing angel.”
Chessandra’s fists clenched. “We need to know what’s going on with the shadows.”
“You’ll know when we know,” I said calmly.
“We’ve lost an angel.” Her tone was cold and full of judgment.
The reality of what she’d said hit me hard, gutted me even. None of us were so self-centered that we’d just leave an innocent with the Goddess— Holy shit. We had. Zoe. I had no idea who she was really, or even where she could be. But I’d taken Pyper and Kane home from the shadows without even giving her a second thought.
“We’ll find her,” I promised. Kane shifted beside me, but I didn’t dare look at him. I didn’t want to know if he disapproved.
The anger fell from Chessandra’s expression and she seemed to lean into Drake. He wrapped an arm around her in support. I couldn’t keep from staring at them. I’d never seen Chessandra sh
ow weakness before. Not even when her sister, Mati, had been stuck in the void not too long ago. The stress of not knowing how to keep her people safe must’ve been wearing on her.
“We have a request,” I said.
Chessandra looked from me to Kane and back again. “Yes?”
I placed my hands on Pyper’s shoulders and glanced at Lailah. She nodded her encouragement, and I forced the words out. “The Goddess infected Pyper with another soul. One she controls. We’re under the impression that should the Goddess call the other soul to her, Pyper will be at her mercy. We’re respectfully requesting that Pyper be given sanctuary in the angel realm until we’re able to resolve this situation with the lesser Goddess.”
Chessandra stared at me, her expression blank. Drake studied Pyper, his green eyes seeming to pierce her with his gaze.
“Is it true?” Chessandra asked Drake.
He nodded. “Yes, she’s a vessel for two souls.”
I vaguely wondered why Chessandra hadn’t been able to sense the souls for herself, but I didn’t have time to ask.
“Your request is granted.” Chessandra raised her hand, and the bright white light shone once again in our living room.
Drake held his hand out to Pyper.
She glanced back at us, fear crawling all over her.
“It’ll be fine,” Kane soothed. “You’ll be safe there. And we’ll come for you before you know it.” He stepped forward and kissed the top of her head. “See you soon.”
Pyper stared up at him and then the light vanished, taking her, Drake, and Chessandra with it.
A pang of loss hit me hard. I hated to see her go. At the same time, a weight lifted from my bruised heart. She would be safe for now.
“Jade.” Kane slipped his hand over the back of my neck.
“Yeah?” I glanced up to see his eyes just as weary as mine felt.
“Maybe we should get some rest.”
I nodded. “That sounds good.”
We found Lailah and Bea in the kitchen with Kat and Lucien. “Where’s Charlie?” I asked.
“The guest room. She’s trying to get some sleep,” Kat said.
I yawned and my eyes watered.
Bea stood abruptly. “We should go.”
“You don’t have to,” Kane said. “We’re going to try to get some sleep, but if you four are brainstorming or trying to work anything out, there’s no need to go.”
“No. It’s the middle of the night. It’s time.”
I glanced at the clock, noting the sun would rise in a couple of hours. “Actually, it’s the morning.”
“All the more reason.” Bea caught Lailah’s eye. “I’ll give you a lift.”
The angel rose, her mascara smudged under her eyes. “Thank you.”
The pair of them took off, making us promise to call with any new developments. Kat and Lucien followed.
“Take care of her,” I said, giving Lucien a hug.
“Count on it.” He shook Kane’s hand, and a moment later Kane and I were finally alone again.
He didn’t say anything as he took my hand and led me back to our room. But instead of stopping at the bed, he steered me into the bathroom and turned the shower on. I was entirely too exhausted to do anything other than let him undress me and place me under the warm stream of water.
The shower door clicked closed, and then Kane stepped up behind me, slipping his hands around my waist as we stood there, letting the water wash away the horror of the last twenty-four hours.
“Let’s not do that again, okay?” I said.
“Which part? The dreamwalking? Battling an evil Goddess? Or…”
“The part where we were dreamwalking and then we weren’t. That’s not right.”
He chuckled and nuzzled my neck. “Agreed.”
Kane took his time gently washing me. I reveled in his soft touch, blocking out all the events of the last few days. When he was done, he dried me off and carried me back to bed. And this time when we fell asleep in each other’s arms, there was only sweet oblivion.
***
We slept most of the day away and woke up early afternoon. Charlie was already in the living room, watching reruns of The Walking Dead.
“Seriously?” I gave her my you’ve-got-to-be-kidding look. “Zombies? After all that’s been going on?”
She took a sip from an oversized coffee mug. “Don’t judge me. It helps take my mind off things.”
“If you say so.” I headed to the kitchen and busied myself by baking a batch of chocolate cream cheese cupcakes. The over-the-top treats were my number one go-to comfort food. Unless cheesecake was available, but cupcakes were easier to make.
Kane appeared fresh from another shower. His hair was damp and he smelled faintly of his fresh rain soap. “Cupcakes?”
I smiled when I caught his amused look. “Yes. I know I should be researching or brainstorming or something, but none of that is going to happen until I go to my happy place. And these cupcakes are the only thing that will help.”
One of his dark brows rose in question. “The only thing?” The heat in his eyes nearly had me abandoning the rich chocolate batter.
“Maybe not the only thing.” I grabbed the front of his white button down shirt and pulled him close. Smiling up at him, I lowered my lashes and said, “Show me what you’ve got.”
He bent his head and brushed his lips over mine, his tongue lapping at mine as he let out a satisfied moan. When he pulled away, he stared at my mouth hungrily. “You taste really, really good. I think in light of my sampling, you should keep baking the cupcakes.”
“What?” I asked, breathless, not caring a damn about the baking.
He laughed and touched a finger to the corner of my lips, then pressed it against my mouth.
Rich, sweet chocolate melted on my tongue.
“You’ve been sampling as you go, and damn if tasting you just now didn’t make my mouth water.”
“Oooh.” Heat claimed my cheeks as I thought of all the alternate ways we could use the cupcake batter. Smacking my lips, I let my gaze travel the length of his body.
Kane dipped his finger into the batter and then brought his hand up to my neck. Pressing the tip of his finger against my pulse, he smeared the chocolate over my skin.
Eyes smoldering, he bent his head and his lips closed over the area, gently sucking.
I let out a little gasp and melted into him.
“Oh, jeez,” Charlie said and then cleared her throat.
I jumped backward, but Kane just straightened and smiled down at me.
“Pardon me,” she said, moving past us to the fridge. “Looks like you two didn’t quite spend enough time in bed today.” She smirked and grabbed a glass for her soda.
“Uh—”
“Jade needed cupcakes,” Kane said, laughing.
Charlie’s lips twitched. “I can see that.”
“For Pete’s sake.” I swatted Kane’s shoulder. “Y’all just give me a break or I won’t share when they’re done.”
“In that case…” Charlie quickly poured her drink and then scooted toward the dining room. “We can’t have that.” With a wink, she disappeared.
Kane just stared at me, his eyes dancing.
“What are you thinking about?”
He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and gave me the most tender look. I thought I might cry right there.
“What?” I asked softly.
“I was just thinking about how full my life has been since you came into it.”
I frowned. “But we’re always off fighting demons or ghosts, or black magic. You can’t tell me you don’t long for a little peace.”
He chuckled, but then shook his head. “Peace wasn’t part of the deal, and I knew that when I signed on with you.” Trailing his fingers lightly down the side of my face, he added, “I think you know what I long for.”
I stared at his lips, my mouth suddenly desperate for his. “Chocolate?”
“Yeah, chocolate. The melted kind. All o
ver your naked—”
The stove timer buzzed, cutting him off.
“Oops!” I pushed him back and grinned. “Cupcakes are calling.”
“Damn.” Kane gave me a mournful look, grabbed another cup of coffee, and took off to talk with Charlie.
I replaced the tray in the oven with a fresh one and then, too impatient to wait, I pulled one of the cupcakes out of the tray and cut into it. Hot cream cheese and melted chocolate chips oozed from the center of the little cakes.
Perfection.
I closed my eyes, bit into the cupcake, and pretended for just a moment that the decadent little cake was enough to make everything better.
Chapter 20
Two hours later, with Kane off supplying Maximus with an update, I stood in front of Mati’s house teetering on four-inch silver heels. They were higher than what I normally wore. Much higher, but she’d said dressy casual for girls’ night, and the shoes were doing the bulk of the work. Smoothing my black gauzy blouse, I braved her uneven sidewalk and then climbed the stairs. By the time I got to the top, my baby toe on my right foot was screaming in protest.
“Crap,” I muttered and slipped my foot out of the death contraption. I wasn’t going to make it through the next few hours if that kept up.
“Why don’t you just numb it?” Mati asked from her doorway. Her sleek, dark hair was piled effortlessly on her head and she wore a simple, short sheath dress that showed a lot of leg. A long silver necklace adorned with a tree of life pendant completed her outfit.
“With what?” I asked, wiggling my toes.
“Uh, magic?” She stepped back into her house, holding the door open. “Come in for a second before we go.”
I hobbled inside and said, “I’m not a healer. I’m better at giving boosts of energy. You know, something to wake someone up, or refresh them. Not numb anything.”
“I see.” She pursed her lips. “I’m not a healer either, but I can manipulate body parts.” Her lips formed a seductive smile.
Of course she could. She was a sex witch.
“Take a seat. Let me see what I can do.” Mati gestured to her pristine white couch.
I did as she said and placed my foot on her coffee table.