My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite)
Page 26
“We would do anything for you,” I said.
She shook her head. “You both amaze me. I don’t think I could ever be as strong and clever as the both of you. I’ll forever be in your debt.”
“Well, you can start by making those delicious brownies I always loved.” Mara winked.
“Oh, yeah.” I licked my lips. “My favorite too.”
“I guess that’s a beginning.” A small smile brightened her face for a moment, but then her expression saddened. “I want to hear all about your dear friend who passed away. I’m so sorry you lost her.”
My gaze hit the floor. “She was special. She taught us a lot.”
“Not everything though,” Mara said. “I think I’m going to still read through her collection of journals and see if I can figure everything out. I might need to pass that information on one day if I ever have daughters of my own.”
“You mean way off in the future, right?” Mom stroked our hair. “Give me a little time to have my daughters to myself. I’ve been gone way too long.”
“Yes, you have,” I said.
We squashed together in an embrace.
“Mara,” Dad called up the stairs. “Can you give me a hand?”
Mara laughed. “Be right there.” She pecked Mom on the cheek before she darted out of the room.
“What do you want to do now?” I asked.
Mom looked around the room. “I think I’ll unpack. Put my things back where they belong. Then I’ll really feel like I’m back for good.”
“You want some help?”
“You’ve already helped me more than I deserve, Zadie. Go on down and make sure your father doesn’t blow up the grill. I’ll be down later.”
I squeezed her hand. “Okay. See you in a bit. I love that I can say that now!”
As I left her room, my phone buzzed. I smiled when I saw the text message from Erina.
Hope your Mom’s move back home worked out.
I texted her back a smiley face and a thumbs-up emoticon. My phone buzzed back right away.
Cool. Diana’s driving me crazy, as usual.
I laughed, leaning against the wall outside my room as I texted her back:
If you need an escape, you can always come visit me.
I’d love that. Let’s Skype this weekend.
When we’d left the Poulters, after Lilura’s funeral, Erina and I were on really good terms and promised to keep in touch. She told me she felt guilty that Lilura sacrificed herself in Erina’s place. But I assured her that no one blamed her. That Lilura knew she didn’t have much time left, that she did the honorable thing.
The doorbell rang, and I ran down the stairs. I found Chase on the porch. The sun was shining, someone in the distance was mowing their lawn, and birds sang in nearby trees. Normally, those elements made my spirits happy and serene. So why did I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach?
I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my shorts. “Hey, Chase.”
He shocked me with a half smile. “I drove down Ivy Lane. Rudy’s got a new windmill.”
“Wow. I guess he’s fine then. Thank goodness.”
“Yeah. We were lucky.”
He meant I was lucky, but I didn’t correct him. “So what’s up?”
He looked at me for a moment, eyes flitting over my face. “I came to say goodbye.”
I forced back the lump in my throat. “So you’re really going?”
The side of his mouth inched upward. “Do you not want me to go?”
“It’s just…it’s not going to be the same without you.”
“My flight leaves early tomorrow morning. Too early for goodbyes, so this is going to have to do.”
“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t really prepared to say goodbye to him yet. But it didn’t seem like I had a choice. “What will you be doing in Europe?”
He shrugged, glancing at the sky. “I’m not really sure. Taking some time off, I guess. My dad did say something about faeries, but maybe he was just yanking my chain. He tends to do that.”
I let out a huff of a laugh. “I wouldn’t be so sure. After everything I’ve seen? I’d believe him.”
A hint of a smile touched his lips, and then faded. I took a deep breath, knowing these would be our final moments together.
“I’m just across the ocean. If you ever need anything, you’ve got my number.” He dropped his gaze.
My stomach knotted up. “Why do I get the feeling that number won’t work when I call it?”
Slowly, his eyes moved up to meet mine. “I have to get over you somehow.”
We stood there, trapped in each other’s gaze, not saying anything. As if we had too much to confess but couldn’t voice our confessions. I clenched my lips together and trained my eyes to the floor.
“If you really need to get a hold of me,” he said, “I’m sure you’ll find a way.”
My smile was small.
He pushed a strand of hair away from my cheek, his finger grazing the skin as he looked deep into my eyes. “Take care, Zadie.”
My voice was a whisper. “You too, Chase.”
He turned, hands tucked into his new potion-lined leather jacket. I watched him saunter down my front walk, and then looked past him to see Gavin leaning against his car.
Chase walked up to Gavin and stopped. I couldn’t hear what they said to each other, and a part of me almost leaped off the porch to find out. Chase extended his hand, which Gavin shook. Chase slapped Gavin on the shoulder before he headed for his car. With one solitary nod to me, Chase drove off down the street.
I tore my eyes away from his taillights and joined Gavin. He put his hands on my hips.
“You’re early,” I said to him.
“I didn’t want to intrude on your mom’s first day back, but I couldn’t stay away. How is she?”
I nodded and smiled. “She’s resting.”
“So, Chase is off to Europe?”
I looked down the empty street. “Yeah.” I bit my lip and shook my head. “And Naomi’s visiting Paxton for who knows how long. Says she’s even planning to go to his college when she graduates. Mara spends all her time with Hunter and is leaving in a couple months for college. Hunter’s going with her until she’s settled in. Lilura’s… gone. Everything is changing.”
Gavin pulled me closer by the belt loops in my shorts. “You’ve still got me.”
“Oh, God. I don’t think I could make it if you decided to pick up and go too. Not that I’m trying to be clingy or anything, I just feel safe when you’re with me. Normal. I mean, special too, of course. But normal. Which is nice.”
“If I kiss you, will you shut up?”
I smirked. “Yes. But if you stop kissing me, you’ll never hear the end of it.”
He dipped his head down, his peppermint and fresh laundry scent wafting around me. His tender lips caressed my mouth, and his hands moved up to hold the sides of my face. The kiss was slow, but I felt the hunger in his movement. It seemed to last forever, but forever was awfully short.
He inched back and caught his breath, forehead still pressed to mine. I pouted and stroked his cheek.
“Don’t worry.” He smiled and closed his eyes for a moment. “We’ve got the rest of the summer for kissing.”
“You promise?”
He leaned back, gazing at me. “Absolutely. I’m going to hear it from Danny, though, if we don’t spend any time with him. But I figure we just have to find him a boyfriend so we can double date, and he’ll be fine.”
My jaw dropped. “You know about him?”
He raised a brow and smirked. “Of course. I’ve always known. I was just waiting for him to feel comfortable enough to tell me.”
I laughed, feeling another weight lifted off my shoulder.
He smoothed down my hair, playfully tugging at the ends. “You okay?”
I looked up into his brilliant blue eyes. “Mm-hm.”
“Are you sure?”
I wrapped my arms around him. With li
ps as light as a breeze, he placed a kiss on my forehead.
Nestling into his shoulder, I took a deep breath and smiled. A year ago, I never thought I’d be enveloped in Gavin’s arms. Never thought I would have defeated evil beings or broken a centuries-old curse. But there I was, my family back together, the love of my life holding me, and the future shimmering with promise.
“Yeah, I think everything is going to be all right.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
So here I am, panicking about leaving someone important out of my acknowledgements. I know. Major crisis, right? But I’ll give it a go, and hopefully I’ll get lucky.
First of all, I have to thank Georgia McBride for taking me under her wing. Thank you, Georgia, for making my dream a reality. Also thanks to Jennifer Million for being like a guardian angel through the entire process. I also want to thank Erica Rose and the editorial team for shaping up my book. And all my fellow Month9Books authors for being awesome.
A big thank you and big hugs and kisses to Elizabeth Holloway and Sarah Howell for reading this book while it was still in its infancy, and for showing me how to make better sense of the jumble of words I would throw on a page. You’re incredible and I’m so grateful for you both!
A girl could lose her head if she didn’t have an outstanding group of friends to keep her grounded. And so I owe a big round of thanks to Bonnie Lingle, Sasha Loftus, Carol Moscarello, and Rose Rosa. I love you all!
A grateful “Meow” shout-out goes to my dear friend Rose A., who constantly reminds me to believe in myself, and who provided some inspiration for the character of Helene.
Thanks also to April, Nikki, Renee, Holly, Cassie, and Kyra, for cheering me on. You all rock!
Thank you to my marvelous colleagues at the “Villa,” especially my wonderful Monkey Team: Anna Schiffmann, Maria Mertmann, Caroline Kaufholz, and Vango Karathanasis. A special wink and a nod to Kai, Christoph, and Robbie.
A special round of grateful hugs and a batch of cupcakes to my ever-wonderful, soul-sisterly German TMs. You are all fabulous and I’m so happy to have you all in my life.
And finally, I need to thank my family: Mom, I love you so much. You taught me to be a strong, happy person. Dad, you’re always on my side; much love to you! David, you’re the coolest brother anyone could ask for. Thanks so much for your support and love. Darlene, you’re such an awesome sister-in-law. Thank you for always being there for me. Charlie and Hilde, my wonderful in-laws, thank you for believing in me. Kirsten, my amazingly phenomenal daughter, my life would not be the same without you. Thank you for reading my stories, for being proud of me, and for dreaming with me. Zachary, my cooler-than-he-thinks-he-is son, thanks for all your help and especially your love. And to my loving husband and best friend Stephan: Thank you, honey. If there’s anyone whose approval I look for, it’s yours. Please know I appreciate everything you are.
DOROTHY DREYER
Dorothy Dreyer has always believed in magic. She loves reading, writing, movies, and spending time with her family and friends. Half-American and half-Filipino, Dorothy lives in Germany with her husband and two children.
ALSO FROM MONTH9BOOKS
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Also From Month9Books