by J. L. Weil
“Better now.”
I dropped my gaze. The heightened sense of his emotions was a bit of a struggle for me. I noticed since the night I renounced my engagement to Zander, the link between Zane and I was sharper. “You didn’t have to come back, you know. Your hounds are doing a superb job following me.”
“Good. But I wanted to see you.” He twined our fingers, bringing our joined hands to his chest. “Being here with you is the only time the pain is bearable.”
My heart wobbled. Hearing him admit how much he needed to see me did funny things to my innards. I pressed a soft kiss to his sad, soft lips. “I wish I could have done more.”
His hand squeezed mine, and for a moment neither of us moved. It had been a casual gesture, just a kiss meant to comfort, but static crackled in the air between us. Unable to pull my gaze from his, I felt myself drowning in his darkness. He was a temptation, and even in that moment, I deconstructed the way he made me feel: the way his body leaned into mine, making my skin shudder, his wild scent teasing my senses, and my heart thudding in my chest.
His mouth hit mine again in a cool wave of twilight. And this time, it was a very different kind of kiss. It was three months worth of kissing. My lips came alive under his, tasting his desire mixed with mine. My mind shut off, precisely what I wanted, to feel and not think. For once, there was nothing standing in our way.
And I was free.
I opened my eyes, pressing my lips together to savor the tingling feel. He had ended the kiss far too soon for me.
This was the second time I’d waken up with Zane in my bed and nothing had happened.
He must have read my thoughts. “The next time I get you in bed, I promise we won’t be sleeping.”
Familiar tingles skated down my neck and my blood began to sing. “That is a promise I am going to hold you to, Zaney.”
“I know what you did last night,” he murmured.
My fingers ran through his hair, linking around his neck. “What do you mean?” I replied, my mind still floating on his kiss.
“No one’s ever manipulated my emotions before.” He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “And truth be told, I haven’t been in control of them since you stepped foot on this island.”
I swallowed hard. Right. That. “I only wanted to help.”
“I know.” He tucked his arm behind his head and smiled. “It’s going to take some adjustment, letting you in.”
I didn’t want to assume anything about our relationship and get all goofy. I wouldn’t press him yet, but we were going to have to talk. There was no doubt in my mind what I wanted, and the lengths I would go to love him, but I could still feel his reservations. Even now, he was holding back.
“Try having someone shadow your every move. Not something I want to get used to,” I mumbled.
“It’s only until we figure out how to restore the veil,” he reasoned.
I sighed. “That could be never.”
He rotated his head, staring up at the ceiling. “Don’t say that. We’ll find a way to stop them. It’s what we do.”
It was what he did. Zane was a death reaper. He destroyed souls and absorbed them. If he killed you, there was no coming back, no afterlife. You were pretty much nonexistent at that point. Not all reapers were the same. There were others who harvested a soul and brought them to the other side, and those who marked humans for death.
We all had our part to play in keeping the balance of life, except someone had gone and screwed it all up. I chewed on the inside of my lip. “How much time do you think we have until things go haywire?”
His jaw worked from side to side, and his entire face darkened. “I don’t know, but when they do, they’ll come with everything they’ve got, and we’re going to annihilate them all.”
I wished I had his confidence. It wasn’t only the hallows I was worried about, but the reaper or reapers who were assisting them. “When do we start? Where do we start?”
He rolled over, snaking an arm over my waist. “Tomorrow. Crash is first on the list.”
I rolled my eyes. “Zaaaane.”
“Piper Longstocking,” he replied, tugging at the ends of my braids. “I don’t trust him. He’s threatened you. That alone in my book makes him a dead man.”
“He and his family have reasons to hate me.” I had killed Crash’s sister, even though it had been self-defense. Dead was dead. “But we don’t know that Crash is the one who released the hallows,” I argued. “He’s had plenty of opportunities to hurt me, yet he never has.” I just wasn’t ready to write Crash off as the traitor.
Zane growled. “Maybe, but I’m not taking the chance. He’s never played by the rules, and has been more an interference than an asset. I can’t ignore the fact that he wasn’t at the ceremony. We don’t know where he was or what he was doing.”
“I saw Heath slinking off just as shit went sideways. It could easily have been him.”
“Even more reason to suspect Crash. He’s probably conspiring with his father.”
“What could they gain by dropping the veil?”
“Your death,” he stated flatly.
I picked a loose string on the bed. “Nowadays, it feels more people want me dead than alive.”
Zane played with my hair, twisting strands around his finger as we talked. “Not true. I definitely don’t want you dead.”
I shoved him on the shoulder. “You might be the exception. What do we do now that everyone knows our secret?”
“First, we’re done hiding. Second, we use it. Together we’re more powerful. We might not have the element of surprise, but they don’t know what we can do.”
And that posed a question. “Do you know what we can do?”
His lips twitched. “Not fully. I know we have the ability to share our powers and our souls naturally align when we’re near each other, which has some interesting benefits.”
My eyes narrowed. I knew about the weird emotion-altering thing. “Interesting how?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out.”
“When? Now?” I asked, unable to keep the enthusiasm from my voice.
“Uh, I was thinking of some place more structured to handle explosions, unless you want to destroy another room in this historic joint.”
Oh crap. I’d completely forgotten about the mess left behind from my train wreck coronation. “ That reminds me, I need to do something about the cathedral room. I’ll be screwed if it decides to rain. That hole in the ceiling is like an open window.”
“We’ll get the guys from the club to come down and help.”
It felt good, making plans to restore what the hallows had destroyed. “So, back to our soul symmetry. Are you scared what we might discover?”
He frowned, and somehow managed to look ridiculously sexy doing so. “No. Neither should you. If you haven’t figured it out yet, there’s nothing you can’t handle, princess.”
I wasn’t afraid of the link between us, but I wanted him to talk to me, tell me what was going on in that head of his. “You’re not afraid of anything.”
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Not true.”
“What could you be afraid of?”
“There’s only one thing that petrifies me.” His blue eyes hit mine. “Losing you.”
My heart toppled over and then squeezed as his face pained with real fear. Zane knew better than anyone what we were up against, and after just losing his brother, it was a fear we both felt. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Swear you won’t do anything reckless. And you won’t make Oliver and Declan’s job difficult. I don’t know what I would do if—”
I affixed my lips to his. “I promise,” I said. “I don’t want to die. I want to get rid of those who would upset the balance. I understand what my purpose is. I’m not going to run.”
Judging by the fading of the harsh lines around his eyes, he believed me. “Good, because I would only come after you.”
His cool breath washed ov
er my face, making my pulse flutter as emotions swirled between us. “I’ve had plenty of practice being invisible.”
“I think we’ve established you can’t hide from me,” he murmured, all seriousness as one hand gently framed my cheek.
I leaned into his touch, and—
“Piper!” My name bellowed from outside my bedroom door, echoing over the expansive house.
Zane’s eyes collided with mine. “Expecting company?”
It sounded again. “Piper!”
This time I recognized the voice and jumped up. “TJ,” I muttered.
The dark lines around Zane’s eyes softened as I withdrew myself from his arms and clumsily jumped out of bed. And by jump, I mean I rolled off the side and landed on my butt. Scrambling to my feet, I reached the hallway in seconds, racing toward the stairs. “TJ,” I blurted.
He rounded the top step, and I flung my arms around his neck. “You’re okay,” I exhaled.
He glanced down at me like I’d grown devil horns. “Of course, I’m okay. What is Parker doing in my room?”
“What are you doing here?” I countered, dodging the question. The sanctity of his room was the least of my concerns.
“Don’t be mad. I know you don’t want me here—”
“TJ, that’s not true,” I interjected. “I was so worried about you. I must have called you a gazillion times.”
“Chill. My phone broke.”
If I weren’t so happy to see him, I would punch him for making me worry sick about him. It wasn’t a good feeling. “You didn’t think to borrow a phone?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know your number,” he admitted sheepishly. “And I didn’t know what else to do, so I came back. You’re not mad?”
A million and one questions raced through my mind. Where did he get the money to make the trip? Please tell me he hadn’t hitchhiked. Did he know Dad was dead? My face paled. “No, I’m not mad. I never should have made you leave to begin with.” Hindsight was twenty-twenty. It was clear; the safest place for TJ was with me, where Zane and I could protect him. And seeing him in the flesh, it hit me. TJ was all the family I had left.
“What is Parker doing here?”
“Um, he showed up the same day you left.”
“That’s bullshit.”
Judging by his usual teenage angst, I was going to assume he didn’t know about Dad. “Language,” I scolded.
He looked frazzled and tired. “I’ve had a helluva week. Dad took off on one of his disappearing acts and basically fell off the Earth.”
I choked.
He crossed his lanky arms. “Parker’s got ten minutes to gather his shit and find himself a new place to crash.”
“It might be fun to have a roommate,” I suggested, thinking the two of them could keep an eye on one another.
“What are we, ten? There are four other unused bedrooms,” he so obviously pointed out.
“Fine,” I agreed. It wasn’t worth fighting over. We did have ample space for all of us and then some.
Satisfied, he hiked his bag over his shoulder and turned to leave, but something else was on his mind. “Hey Piper?”
“Yeah,” I answered.
He shuffled his feet, glancing at the ground. “Something weird is going on.”
My hand tightened on the banister. “What do you mean?”
He gave kind of a half shrug, unsure of himself. “I don’t know. You’re going to laugh at me.”
I wanted to snort. “If anyone understands weird, it’s me. I promise I won’t laugh.”
“I’ve been seeing things,” he announced.
“What kind of things?” I asked, but I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.
There was a long pause as if he was deciding if I could be trusted. “I don’t know … ghosts, I guess,” he said, voice wavering.
I closed my eyes. Damn. I was going to have to tell TJ the truth…soon. Before he saw me in all my banshee glory. Something must have triggered the ability for him to see the dead, maybe the death of our father.
“I told you it was crazy.” There was a pinch of fear in his gaze.
Our eyes met. “It’s not crazy. I believe you, TJ.”
I watched as the strain he’d been holding left his shoulders. “You do?”
I smiled. “Yeah. I’m your sister. I know when you’re lying.”
TJ ran his palms over his thighs. When he was troubled, he got fidgety. “The things I’ve been seeing, if I didn’t know better, I’d think I was on drugs. It doesn’t make sense.”
I ruffled his hair, a habit that annoyed the crapola out of him. “It’s going to be okay. You’re home now. Get some sleep, and tell Parker to pick a room, any room. We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Sure, as long as it’s not about me going back to Chicago.”
“Pinky swear.” I held out my little finger.
His lips twitched as he looped his pinky around mine. “You’re still lame.”
Some things never changed.
Zane choose that moment to lean against the open doorway. He did one of those guy nods of hello to TJ, who reciprocated.
TJ shook his head, snickering. “Now I know why it took you so long to come out of your room. I’m giving Parker ten minutes to get all his crap out. I just want to crash and forget the last ten hours,” he said as he and his duffle bag trotted down the hall.
I could relate. I suddenly wasn’t feeling too spiffy.
“That was unexpected,” Zane said.
My back was pressed into the wall. “You’re telling me.”
Chapter 4
I let myself into the Black Crow’s “secret” room with Declan on my heels, and found Aspyn beating the pulp out of a dummy. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with issues to work out. Three days had come and gone and nothing had happened. Nada. Zilch. Diddly-squat. But each day I grew more fretful.
Not only because there hadn’t been any hallow attacks, but also because I needed to have a discussion with my little brother I never thought I would have to have. And no it wasn’t the sex talk. Unfortunately, I wished it were as basic as the birds and the bees.
Things were awkward between TJ and me. He knew I was hiding something. That I knew more about the ghosts he’d been seeing than I was revealing. Procrastination was one of my biggest flaws. Along with about twenty other things I could think of off the top of my head.
Perfect?…not even close.
But when I was stressed to the max, I tended to be more introverted, at least until I worked through the problem. Without a single hallow or spirit sighting, I started to doubt the veil had been fractured. If it was really gone, why weren’t being overrun by hallows? Why weren’t they extracting their vengeance? It didn’t make any sense. I wasn’t the only one who was concerned, either.
The entire island was on red alert.
Then there was Zane. Every day we’d practice aligning our souls, stretching our abilities. We could do some really amazing things together, but I didn’t know how any of it was going to help us.
Aspyn spun around as the door to the training swung shut with a clack. I tackled the stairs, aware that her eyes followed me. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her arm as I approached. “I see you got a new accessory.” Her eyes lifted to a frowning Declan behind me.
Tension flittered through the air. I got the vibe there was some history between them, and it didn’t end well. Awkward. “A gift from Zane.”
“Aspyn,” Declan said flatly, his arms crossed, sunglasses shielding his eyes.
She was wearing a crop top and boy shorts, owning it. “Declan, glad to see your sparkling personality hasn’t dulled.”
My lips cracked. In the short time I’d spent with Declan, there hadn’t been a whole lot of banter. He was a pretty closed-lipped kind of dude, took his job seriously, unlike Oliver who had more of a sense of humor.
Declan stood in his bodyguard stance, peering down at Aspyn behind his shades. “Just don’t ca
use any trouble.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she cooed.
I rolled my eyes. Seriously, how much trouble could two girls cause in a secured training room? “I’ll be fine, Declan. You want to take advantage of the gym and work on beefing up those pythons you call arms?”
I swear his mouth twitched. It was hard to tell. “No funny business.”
“Cross my heart and hope to—”
“Don’t say it, princess,” Declan warned.
Aspyn laughed. “Epic.”
Declan walked over to the weights, shaking his head.
Gathering my hair on top of my head, I secured it into a messy bun. “Mind if I take the dummy for a few spins?”
Even with her skin glistening with perspiration, Aspyn was beautiful. If she worked out like this daily, no wonder she had a banging body. “He’s all yours. Actually, I’m surprised to see you here.”
I stepped up to the armless and legless dummy. “I needed to get out of the manor. I hate being boxed in. What about you?” I extended my leg, and gave the poor a guy a kick to the gut.
“That restlessness you feel, it’s a reaper thing.” The earlier mischief in her eyes wasn’t present. “I’ve got some baggage I’m trying to unleash.”
“Don’t we all,” I mumbled.
A strand of hair clung to her damp, pale cheek. “I still can’t believe he’s gone.”
Word of Zander’s death had spread over the island like wildfire. Everyone had a million questions, including my merger with the crows and who would be Death’s heir. I was supposed to unite the White Raven lineage with the Black Crows. It was my duty to make sure that I had a successor. The sudden pressure to marry and have a child was prickling at my neck. I was only eighteen, yet I felt like I was thirty. I pressed my back to the dummy, facing Aspyn. “Neither can I. Every morning I wake up and for a few seconds, I’ve forgotten, blissfully unaware. Then I remember what happened.” And the agony plunges inside me, so forcefully it robs me of air, I added silently.
“It sucks.” She swiped the corner of her eyes. “There’s a pit in my stomach and no matter how hard I punch that dummy, it doesn’t dull the ache.”