Layne never knew his parents had lived in Ohio. He’d been born in California, had the birth certificate to prove it, but his mother explained that too. He listened to each word she said, how she and his father graduated a year before the others, only because of their degrees. She recounted even further the details of how she almost didn’t graduate. She’d not only discovered she was pregnant with him, but the pregnancy had been high-risk. They moved to L.A. that summer, but it wasn’t the last time they saw each other. At least, not the last time she saw Delia and Nate.
Delia’s voice cut in at that moment. She explained how Nate had left for a trip to L.A. She didn’t know it was for an interview or that Layne’s parents offered him a place to stay while he was there. Had Nate not stayed an extra day, he wouldn’t have discovered their future home, the one right beside Layne’s parents.
The loathing Delia felt for her ex was detectable in her voice. She kept gritting out certain words, snorting, grumbling, overall complaining, especially about how Nate came home from his trip and informed her they were moving.
He gritted his teeth when she went on to explain how she hated separating Heaven and Dylan, but she knew it was the best way to keep them safe. Layne wondered if his mother regretted moving him away too, or did she not know his destiny?
There were times he wished he still didn’t know it.
The urge to laugh bubbled in his throat when Delia explained how everything worked out in the end, even for her. She’d found her Keeper after they moved.
Spencer chimed in. He talked about the first time he saw Delia, how he couldn’t believe they were going to be neighbors, how he’d sensed a need to keep her safe from that same moment, and followed through on his word.
Out of everyone who’d been chatting for the last hour, it was Spencer’s story that interested Layne the most. He couldn’t believe that Delia had kept her relationship with him hidden for so many years. Being part of the unfortunate pair gave her the opportunity to be happy with someone else. Layne wished he’d been a part of the unfortunate pair. Then he could end the ache that wanting his Seeker caused.
He should have known better than to think about her. The very instant she crept into his mind, her energy tugged at him. The urge he had to be near her chipped away at his resolve. He caved a second later.
Turning his eyes back to the room, he let them drift over the furniture, as well as the bodies, until he found the one he wanted most. Seeing Heaven brought no relief. She was sitting on the couch, her mother on one side, Dylan on the other, his arms wrapped about her. He had that goofy-looking smile on his face. Even so, if it meant Layne could hold Heaven the way Dylan was, he’d wear a goofier expression. Whatever it took to get her to look at him the way she was looking at Dylan. The smile on her face, the twinkle in her eye, the way their joined hands caressed her stomach.
His shoulders curled over his chest as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. Why did he have to care so much? Why couldn’t he care about her safety without caring about her? This new life he’d been given was weakening him. Never in a million years would he have wanted to be tied down with a family. Then again, never in a million years did he think he’d meet someone like Heaven. She got under his skin so deep he’d have to bleed out to remove her.
He shouldn’t think about her this way, or the way he had when he’d used his abilities to catch the torch and woods on fire. She was pregnant, about-to-deliver-in-a-month pregnant. He shouldn’t think about kissing her, much less touching her. At least she hadn’t been pregnant in the dream…
Yeah, the dream. Is that what it was? He couldn’t think of anything else it could be or how Heaven knew he’d had it. Worse than that, she knew the details, or at least some of them. The fact that she knew it involved her and the bed was bad enough.
Movement to his left drew his eyes up to the figure heading his way. His father moved toward the cushion beside him, plopping onto it a moment later. He stretched his legs, crossing them at the ankles and then his arms over his chest.
His father gave him a knowing look as he nodded his head toward Heaven. “I understand, son. She’s beautiful. Her mother was too. Still is.”
“You did not just say that,” Layne mumbled. A frown covered his face, making it feel heavy, but the thought of his father admiring Anna made him nauseous. Not because it was Anna, but because it was his dad.
His father chuckled, aware of the fact that he’d embarrassed him. The sound of his laughter lightened the air, as well as Layne’s mood. “I’m proud of what you did today. It’s a big accomplishment to start a fire with your mind.”
While he appreciated his dad’s support, he knew it wasn’t anything to be proud of. It was sloppy and weak. Had Heaven been there, he would have formed a flame in his hand. Had she been there, he would have kept control, would have only lit the torch, not the maple trees around it.
“Thanks,” he finally grumbled.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Layne. You’ll have your abilities mastered by the time you need them.”
“I needed them weeks ago. Maybe I wouldn’t have wound up with an arrow in my chest if I’d had them under control.”
Silence fell between them again. Layne moved his eyes back to Heaven, the scar on his chest a burning reminder that she wouldn’t be there had he not darted in front of her. The arrow would have hit her instead. Then she’d be dead.
He gulped down a breath, resisting the urge to rush out of the room. The thought of Heaven’s death made his stomach cramp. There was no way she could have survived the attack. He’d barely survived, wouldn’t have if it weren’t for her. At least that’s what his mother told him after he woke up.
His father cleared his throat, regaining Layne’s attention. He studied his dad’s eyes as they narrowed on him, their pale blue color sparkling with recognition. Another gaze went in Heaven’s direction and then back.
“She’s your source, isn’t she?”
The thump of Layne’s heart echoed in his ears. His face burned hotter, but not as hot as his lips when he pressed them together and swallowed hard. “What are you talking about, Dad?”
“Heaven is the source of your power, isn’t she?”
Yeah, she was, but he wasn’t sure he should be admitting to it. “Am I not entitled to privacy? My life has been an open book for years, even more so within the last year. I can’t take it much longer.”
Weary eyes gazed back at him as his father nodded. Layne couldn’t help but sense a twinge of sadness in his dad. His shoulders drooped, his eyes dulled and lowered to his folded hands. He held the position for a good twenty seconds before releasing a sigh.
“I failed you as a father, Layne. I’m sorry. I didn’t want this life for you, the life of a Keeper.”
As much as Layne hated it at times, being a Keeper gave him purpose, something he’d never had before Heaven came along. “It’s not that bad. I never thought I was cut out for the family life anyway.”
“I don’t know who you’re trying to convince, but it isn’t me. I’ve seen a Keeper’s struggle firsthand. I deal with your mom’s Keeper, Isaac.”
“Isaac? Are you talking about Isaac Snow, your neighbor?” Disbelief stung his face when his dad nodded. He couldn’t believe another of his neighbors was involved in this insane world. “What are his abilities?”
“He has nosokinesis. It’s any ability to control and create disease, bacteria, even viruses and plagues. I’ve never known him to create any, but he’s controlled many. He aids your mother in a lot of healings.”
Layne wondered how many other people he knew were involved in this secret society. He started to ask, but his dad cut him off.
“He cares a lot about your mother, but when he first came into the picture, it was a battle. His connection with your mother isn’t half of what your connection with Heaven is. Of course, they don’t share an affinity like you two either.”
“A what?” Layne had never heard that term before, and he’d heard a lot of cra
zy words since he’d found out about their unusual world.
“Affinities are the strongest bond a Keeper and Seeker can share, but they are very rare. They are confirmed through aura readings, which Anna does.” He tilted his head toward Anna, who was still seated on the couch beside her daughter. “She noticed the affinity in your aura, as well as Heaven’s. Affinities complicate things for a Seeker because the pull she feels for her Keeper is strong, damn strong, as in comparable to the one she shares with her soulmate.”
Layne didn’t believe it. There was no way Heaven could come close to feeling for him what she felt for Dylan. It just wasn’t possible. “That doesn’t make any sense, Dad. Soulmates are connected at the soul. How can anything be comparable to that?”
“You’re right, son, but all Keepers are connected to their Seeker’s soul. What makes things difficult for you is that you and Heaven are part of a Supreme Trinity. That, in itself, heightened your connection with her. The affinity shot it through space.”
No wonder he couldn’t stop thinking about Heaven, even while she was pregnant. He cared about her, not the fact that she was having a child with someone else. It didn’t give him the right to think about her the way he had, but it finally made sense.
Shifting his eyes back to his dad, he crossed his foot over his knee and began shaking it. Millions of questions ran through his mind, including two in particular. Did Heaven know about the affinity, and if not, should he tell her?
“I knew nothing about this, Dad. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“Well, I will say this. The more you care about your Seeker—the closer you get to her—the easier it will be to protect her. You have to be in sync.”
So everyone kept saying. “How do we get in sync?”
“You have to spend time with her. Talk, about anything and everything. Get to know her. Be her friend. The rest will fall into place. If you keep denying your feelings for her, your abilities will remain blocked.”
It was yet another person confirming what Heaven had said. They had to deepen their friendship. Could he do it? The mere thought made his chest squeeze. How could he get closer to her? He already cared too much.
“You’re not the first person to tell me this, but I don’t trust myself, Dad. Whenever I’m around her, hell, even when I’m not, the pull I feel is overwhelming. I have a hard time keeping my hands off her.”
A part of him regretted saying the last part, but his dad surprised him with a chuckle. “I understand, Layne. The more you fight this, the worse it will get.”
Silence reclaimed the space between them as he focused on Heaven again. Right or wrong, the feelings he had for her weren’t going away. If anything, they were gaining strength, especially since the dream.
Part of him wanted to tell his father about it, but decided against it when he noticed his dad’s mouth turn downward. His eyes glistened with the moisture increasing within them.
“I really am sorry, Layne. I should have told you about this years ago, but Delia explained how she had to keep the information a secret. And the thought of telling you about your fate was more than your mother or I could bear. So we took the silent pact with Delia and hid the truth. If I’d just told you, I could have spared you the pain ahead of you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The Keeper’s curse. Regardless of whether or not a Keeper is mated to his Seeker, he is destined to fall in love with her.”
Why did everyone keep insisting that he was in love with Heaven? He cared about her. Yeah, it was more than anyone else, but it didn’t mean it was love. “I’m not in love with Heaven.”
Blue eyes pinned him once more. Their pale color seemed to darken as much as the expression on his father’s face. His jaw tightened, eyes slanted, lips pressed in a thin line. Layne started to turn away, half expecting his father to accuse him of lying. Instead, his dad shook his head and said words Layne never imagined he’d say.
“If you aren’t in love with Heaven, you will be. You have to be, if you want to save her.”
CHAPTER 26
A ray of sun broke through the window blind and made its way straight to Dylan’s eyes. It, along with the heaviness in his lids, had him struggling to open them. He managed to do so after blinking a few times. The reward of his efforts came in the form of the beautiful angel lying beside him.
He trailed his eyes over her face. The sight of her beside him in their bed had his heart hammering in his chest. As he moved his eyes down her body, his lips tugged upward when he saw that she wore nothing but the blanket covering them.
Flashes of the night before played through his mind. How the minute he closed the bedroom door, she hadn’t left his arms. He didn’t remember much between pulling her close to the time they made it to the bed, but he remembered every detail of what happened after. The way he laid just behind her, holding her close. The way she worked her hips back to his, taking each of his thrusts deeper than the one before.
Her body had come alive for him, had made his do the same. It had him driving harder and faster, rocking her in a frantic rhythm. The pinch of her brows, the gape of her mouth, the sound of her voice, it sparked a current through their connection. That same current jolted through him and then her, burning them both before it finally exploded. Every sound, except her voice, disappeared. Her cries grew louder then softer as her body shuddered. Each pulse clenched around him, unnerving him until he couldn’t resist his release.
As the last of him spilled into her, he’d buried his head against her neck, losing himself in the love beating within their connection. She’d wanted him, needed him, just as much as he wanted and needed her. He would never get tired of that feeling because it meant one thing for sure. She would always be his, regardless of her connection with Layne.
The thought of his friend took his thoughts back to the earlier events of the evening. How Nicholas and Spencer informed him about the fire Layne started with his mind. He couldn’t deny that the news relieved him, nor could he deny the questions it stirred, like how long had Layne had been able to start fires. It would explain the reason his blanket and drumsticks caught on fire when he’d awakened from the dream in Jamaica.
Layne had avoided him as well as everyone else for the rest of the evening. He’d remained outside until the sun went down, had spoken little at dinner, even less when they went into the den after. He kept to himself, sitting by the bay window while everyone else talked and laughed.
His distant behavior puzzled Dylan, as did the fact that he hadn’t bothered to tell Heaven what he’d accomplished with the torch. Had it not been for Nicholas bringing it up at dinner, she wouldn’t have found out until later.
What he found even stranger was the way Heaven had little to say about Layne’s accomplishment. She didn’t have much to say to him at all. When they left the main house, she didn’t bother looking his way as they passed by. She’d been speaking with Hope, who ended up walking them to the door. Yet something in Dylan’s gut said it wasn’t the only reason. She didn’t want to talk to Layne.
He couldn’t say the same for his friend. The moment Heaven stood from the couch, Layne’s eyes locked onto her, following her every move. Though his gaze appeared empty, Dylan doubted the same of his mind. There were plenty of thoughts running through it.
Once Layne noticed him staring, he walked toward the kitchen where his mother went just a few minutes prior. Dylan hadn’t seen him the rest of the night, nor had he heard him return to the cottage.
The more he thought about it, the more he questioned what had happened. He could only think of one reason why Heaven and Layne would ignore each other. They’d had another argument like the one they had on the drive up from Florida. Or maybe it was something more. Maybe it was—
Buzzing filled the air. His eyes shot toward the nightstand where his phone lay. He uncurled himself from Heaven’s body and grabbed the phone, hitting the silence button. As he stared at the screen, no name showed where it normally
would. The caller’s number did, but he didn’t recognize it.
He tapped his finger against the phone, half tempted to ignore the call and go back to holding his wife. Yet the nagging sensation in his gut wouldn’t let him.
His feet hit the floor a second later. He grabbed his pants off the bedpost where he’d tossed them the night before and made quick strides toward the bathroom. The door closed behind him as he placed the phone to his ear.
“Hello?” The phone balanced on his shoulder while he slipped into his pants, waiting for the caller to answer.
Silence responded. It lasted so long that he double-checked the screen to see if he’d lost the connection. The call timer continued to tick away the seconds, proving he hadn’t. When he replaced the phone to his ear, words began to echo within it. “It’s such a comfort to hear your voice again, son.”
All the blood pulsing in Dylan’s ears felt like it drained to his feet. He pressed his back against the door to keep the room from spinning. It didn’t help, nor did the coolness of the wall relieve the erratic jolts of his energy.
“How the hell did you get my number, Dad?”
“You know I can’t reveal my sources,” his dad taunted. “You can’t hide from me, Dylan. When will you realize that? I’ll always find you.”
“What the hell do you want?”
Cynical laughter resonated through the phone. Dylan pulled it from his ear, tempted to smash it against the wall. For all he knew, his father was tracking his GPS signal at this very moment.
Yet the nagging sensation in his stomach changed his mind. It was his intuition warning him of something. He didn’t know what and wouldn’t know if he destroyed the phone.
Plastic pressed to his ear once he brought the phone back to it. His dad’s voice chimed in a moment later. “You and I need to chat, son.”
“So talk. You have my attention.”
“Do I, Dylan?” Something rattled in the background, like paper crumpling. “This picture I’m staring at says I don’t have your attention at all. I guess I should say congratulations on your marriage.”
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