“She’d wake up in the middle of the night after having a nightmare about it and call me,” Jake added. “All of them dating has been in the works for some time.”
“Okay, you’ve put a ton of thought into this,” she conceded. “But that doesn’t mean it’s right or even okay.”
I closed my eyes as my back tensed up even more. After several deep breaths I opened my eyes. “What’s so wrong about it?”
“What?” Riley looked at me as if I’d grown a second head.
“If we all agree on rules, if everyone consents, if we trust each other enough to give this a try… why would it be wrong?” I asked carefully.
The café was oddly silent as she thought about it. The clink of dishes, the hiss of a coffee maker were the only sounds.
Eventually she sighed. “Okay, when you put it that way, it’s not. Not on paper. But using those guys like this—”
“What did you just fucking say?” I bit out through clenched teeth. The tension between us practically crackled.
Jake intervened before Riley could say something. “Deep breaths, Lexie.”
I took several deep breaths while Riley’s eyes unfocused.
When she focused on me again her face was a calm mask. “That came out wrong. But Lexie, you hide behind those guys. Ever since January.”
Everything I was went still. My heart even seemed to stop beating as she continued.
“You stick them around you like guards and hide from the world.” She shook her head. “You barely try to make new friends anymore.”
I swallowed hard. She knew about what happened at the cabin. I had told her. But right now, she was on very thin ice. “What does January have to do with that?”
“The guys make you feel safe.” She licked her lips. “And I think you’re mistaking that for being in love.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because Zeke can trigger you and you don’t want to deal with those memories. So, maybe, subconsciously, you’re reaching out to the other guys to help you heal enough to get to Zeke.”
I clenched my fist and held onto my control as emotions tore through me.
“You’ve thought about this a lot,” Jake said as he glanced at me, checking to see how I was reacting.
“Well, yeah, my aunt’s a shrink and I asked her if it was possible for someone to love more than two people.” She shrugged. “She said yes, but she said this is more likely.”
I ignored them while my mind raced. Is that what I was doing? I thought about each of the guys and how they made me feel. Yeah, I’d always had a connection with Zeke. But it wasn’t just him. It was with all of them. Each one a separate strand to my heart. I was willing to sacrifice myself for Isaac. I would have done the same for any of them. I was willing to drag somebody to the Veil and leave them there to die to find Ethan. And I’d do it again. For any one of them. I loved them all. I lifted my head and met Riley’s eyes as I felt it all the way to the center of who I was. “No. That’s not what I’m doing. I’d rather lose them all than treat them like that.” I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my thighs. “And the fact that you don’t know that about me worries me.”
“I thought I knew you.” Her voice grew harder. “But doing this to them, using the others as a stepping-stone to Zeke… that’s not the person I thought you were.”
That anger turned cold and slipped away as I held her gaze and made sure I spoke clearly. “I’m in love with them. Head over heels, way in over my head, heart pounding, crazy to try, wildly in love with each of them. As terrifying as it is to love that many people that much, to let that many people in… I’m not going to walk away from it because you can’t wrap your head around that.”
Her eyes narrowed on mine. “So, you are dating them?”
I gave her my mischievous shit-eating grin. “You bet your ass I am.” I got to my feet and headed out the door, leaving all the doubts I’d ever had at the table with Riley. They weren’t mine anymore. I was in love with my guys. That was that.
* * *
I pulled up to the house just in time to watch movers carrying a couch into the house next door. My cousin Tara was laughing with some guy around our age at the property line. Her straight blonde hair was back in a ponytail, her pretty face smiling in the fall sun.
The boy I’d never seen before. There was nothing that stood out about him at all. Though… a new family on the block? It made me jumpy.
When I opened the front door, Hades was waiting for me with his tail wagging. I scratched my baby’s ears. Hades was still my huge love of wrinkles and skin, even though he’d been drooling a lot more often than usual. The Neapolitan mastiff had finally stopped growing when he reached my hip.
“Hey, baby.” I rubbed his ears. “Did you have a good day?”
Hades gave that half woof that I took for a yes.
“Hey kid,” Rory greeted from his bedroom door as he walked out with wet hair. “Have you seen Tara? We have that dinner with my dad tonight.”
I set my bag down on the kitchen table. “She’s out front talking to someone. Our new neighbor, I think.”
He nodded as he picked up the mail off the table and started going through it.
I moved to the table and ran my fingers over the back of a chair. “So, who’s moving in?”
He lifted his head, his face patient. “I’ve already done the checks. The Greens just got to town. It’s a father and son. He’s an accountant and his son is going to be a senior this year.”
I started tapping my finger on the chair. “They’re just moving to town?”
Rory met my gaze. “Yeah.”
I started to tap faster. “There’s a lot of people moving into town lately.”
Rory nodded. “I know. But all we can do is live our lives and keep an eye out.”
I stopped tapping; he was right. “I know. It just makes me jumpy.”
“I’ve got friends on every shift, so if anything weird happens in town, I’ll know,” he reminded me.
“Yeah, I guess. Look, I’ve got some new news,” I said, hating to have to tell him. But Rory needed to know what was going on in town.
He set the mail down, giving me his full attention. I explained quickly what Ethan had told us yesterday. In the end, he was not happy.
“He should have told us sooner.” His lips were pressed tight.
“He told us when he was ready to,” I countered. “We can’t be mad at him for that. His entire life changed and he didn’t even know.”
He nodded then looked me over. His brow furrowing. “How are you doing? I know the constant hiking has been tiring you out. And the late nights aren’t helping.”
I shrugged. “Tired. But okay, I guess. I can keep this up for a couple more weeks before I start to have problems.”
His face grew hard. “I don’t want you to have problems. That Veil alarm will wake you up, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve been pulling double crossings all month just to get the Veil back to where it was when that asshole showed up. It’s finally there and… I think the walls are clearing.”
His brow drew down. “What does that mean?”
I hesitated. I could be wrong, but I didn’t think I was. “I think the Veil is getting close to opening again.”
His eyes grew wider. “That’s amazing, Lexie.”
My face warmed as I smiled slightly. “I haven’t told the others yet because I’m not a hundred percent about it, but the walls are changing a little at least.”
Rory’s face was serious as he met my gaze. “Speaking of the boys.” Rory’s face was serious as he met my gaze. “Have you talked to the others about bringing Maria, Jessica and Sylvie in on what’s been going on?”
I ran my fingers over the top of the back of the chair. “Not yet.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Don’t you think we should? With more and more supernaturals coming to town?”
“I know, I just…” I shrugged. I didn’t want Sylvie and Maria
to look at me as if I was a freak. I’d had enough of that in my life already. But with every new face in town, the risk to them got higher. “I’ll talk to them about it tomorrow.”
The front door opened; Tara poked her head inside. “Come on, Dad. We’re going to be late!” She popped back out with a smile on her face.
“She’s happy.” Rory grinned as he picked his keys up off the table.
I turned back to him. “She’s getting to meet her grandpa for the first time. She’s excited.”
His face turned serious. “Are you sure you don’t want to come today? He’s your grandfather too.”
I shook my head. “I still have research to do. Besides, it’s Tara’s turn for family time.”
He came around the table. “What do you do when I walk out that door?”
“Lock the front door with the deadbolt, set the alarm and deadbolt the back door,” I repeated robotically. “Then check all the windows to make sure they’re closed and locked.”
He clenched his jaw. “Where’s the shotgun upstairs?”
“Linen closet. Middle shelf. Fully loaded with the chamber empty.”
“Where’s your bat?”
“Next to my desk.”
“Good.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “I don’t like leaving you here alone.” Rory had good reason to be paranoid right now. Three women had been found murdered in the last month. The entire town was on edge; Rory was pulling extra shifts just like the rest of the cops in town.
“I’ll be okay. I’ve got Hades, I won’t wear headphones or blare music. And if I get scared, I’ll call one of the guys to come over,” I promised. Hell, if I didn’t have so much to do, I would love to have one of the guys over now. But our dating rules were rules.
“Good.” Satisfied, Rory picked up his phone and headed out the door.
True to my word, I locked the front door, turned on the alarm, locked the back and checked every window in the house. When I was finished, I headed into my room with Hades.
My room was tiny, and the walls were now lined with bookshelves. It was small but it was mine and it had a door. I smiled to myself as Hades got on the futon and laid down before I closed the door.
I sat down in my chair and sighed. Teachers, classes and homework, oh my. It all started again soon. Add in all the hiking… No, I wasn’t looking forward to it. I opened my laptop and brought up my research on the odd symbol we had found in the woods around Swan Lake.
After the last month, I could honestly say I knew what it wasn’t. Not a protection symbol or circle, not a summoning spell, but I still had no idea what it was. I pulled up my latest research from last night and started again. I knew I was in for another long day and night.
Miles
I continued to tap my fingers as I read the paperwork again. It was from my father. Basically, he was wanting to give Mother control of all his accounts, businesses and properties. In the event of his death, everything would transfer to me. Everything but the shipping business. My stomach knotted even more.
Mother had already signed. If I signed, I’d be agreeing to take everything when he died.
What was his game? He had to have a reason. He never did anything without a reason. Absently, I pulled out the drawer on my right and popped a stick of gum in my mouth. He knew what I would do with the shipping company if I ever got my hands on it. I’d shut it down. Create a huge problem for myself. But from what was delivered tonight… I searched the paperwork again. The shipping company wasn’t even mentioned. I was trying to figure out what he could possibly want from me when Ethan came into the office. Yips and giggles echoed up the hall from the family room.
“Hey, are we watching a movie?” Ethan asked as he came up to the desk. “’Cause those cubs aren’t going to wait much longer to watch Pixar.”
I tossed the papers back down and nodded, still lost in thought.
Ethan spotted the letter and the papers. He picked them up before I could put them away. “What’s this?”
I stayed silent as he did a quick read. When he looked up from the papers he was frowning. “He’s trying to give you everything?”
I nodded. “Except the shipping business.”
Ethan sat down in the chair across the desk from me. “The business you didn’t want?”
Still trying to calculate the odds of a trap, I nodded.
Ethan dropped the letter back onto the desk. “So, this would be exactly what you’d be willing to agree to?”
I nodded again.
Ethan scowled. “That stinks.”
“Exactly.” I began rubbing my right temple. “I’m trying to figure out his game.”
“He’s been calling, right?” he asked, leaning forward on his forearms.
I nodded.
“Then call him and ask.”
I lifted my head. “What?”
“He’s been wanting to talk to you for months now.” Ethan shrugged. “That’s leverage. You might actually be able to get an answer.”
It wasn’t a bad idea, but it meant talking with my father. “I’ll think about it.”
Ethan got to his feet. “Think about it later, man. We’ve got baby cubs to watch until their parents get home.”
Lexie
My phone rang.
“Yeah?” I answered without thinking about it.
“You’re still awake?” Zeke’s gravelly voice slipped through my ear. It jarred me back to the present. I checked the time; it was almost one a.m.
“Yeah, I was trying to find something on that triangle and lost track of time.” Again. I leaned back in my chair. “Why are you awake?”
He sighed deeply. “I can’t sleep.”
“Your head’s too noisy?” I asked, softening my voice.
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay?” I shifted in my chair to get more comfortable. “I haven’t seen you for a few days, well, before last night. I’ve been wondering what the odds of a successful raid on your house would be.”
He let out a short, breathy, barely there laugh. “Yeah, it’s…”
“It’s what?”
He let out a deep, slow breath. “A couple of weeks ago… it’s been ten years since I found my mom.”
All the air left my lungs in a rush. Zeke’s mom had been murdered by his dad, who then killed himself. Zeke had been eight when he found them. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Tough Guy.”
“You didn’t know.” His voice turned to the soft one he used with me sometimes. “It’s… I’m just going to be in and out of touch for a while. I’ve gotta work through shit, so… I just… I don’t want you to think I’m ignoring you or some bullshit.”
“Thank you.” My heart warmed. Zeke warning me ahead of time that he was going to drop out of touch? That was new. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Tell me about your day, Baby.” His voice was a dry rasp.
I frowned down at my desk, not really seeing it. His voice was so tired… “I can come over?” Rory might get mad about it, but he’d get over it.
“Not this late, I don’t want you falling asleep on the road. Just tell me what you did today.”
I dropped the subject. “Well, I woke up with a big, hairy dog butt in my face.”
“What?”
“Hades’ new sleeping habit has him climbing under the covers and leaving his butt hanging out next to my head.” I started playing with my pen. “I’m seriously rethinking letting him sleep in my bed.”
“Your nightmares would come back,” he countered, his voice growing warmer and softer.
I smiled. “I might be willing to chance it. Imagine if Tara had slipped him some broccoli and he got gassy.”
He chuckled. It was a small laugh, but a laugh all the same.
“I’m seriously scared for my health.”
“What else?”
I gave him a summary of my day, exaggerating the funny parts to make him laugh. Eventually, we came back to the reason he called.
�
��How have your dreams been?” I started to roll my pen on the desk.
“Bad.” He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t push. It was frustrating sometimes not to know why he was having bad dreams or even what he was dreaming. But it was Zeke, he’d tell me in his own time. And I refused to push.
“I’m sorry. I wish I could help.” I started to chew on my thumbnail.
“You are.” His voice grew quieter.
I smiled. He was falling asleep. “Everyone is home, Tough Guy.”
“Yeah…” His voice slurred.
“We’re all safe and sound in our beds,” I whispered. “I’ve got Hades in my room. And the house alarm is on.”
“Uh-huh…”
“It’s safe to sleep.” No matter what happened, no matter if he’d checked in with the others, he always worried about us. My heart filled with warmth as his breathing grew even and deep. “Goodnight, Tough Guy.”
When he didn’t answer I hung up the phone and stared at it. The anniversary of his mom and dad’s death… fuck. I’d need to check on him tomorrow, or go over, something.
I pushed my hair out of my face and focused on the laptop again.
I scrolled down the page and went still. Then blinked several times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
I stared at the image on the screen in disbelief. I rubbed my eyes and opened them again. No, I wasn’t hallucinating. I had found it. I hit print and leaned back in my chair, hardly daring to believe it. It wasn’t much of a victory, but it was still a step toward finding this prick.
I took off my glasses, got up and climbed into bed without even changing. I was more than ready to go to sleep. Instead, I closed my eyes and dropped.
I landed in the Veil easily, I didn’t even stagger anymore. The grass brushed the top of my thighs as I started through the trees. The Veil had changed in the last month. Crossing large groups of the dead twice a day had had a huge impact. The new area of burnt grass and burnt trees was gone. Instead a meadow of wildflowers and wheat grass stretched across the scar of the old Veil and had given new life to it. A ring of trees circled the outer edge, against the walls of the Veil. The walls.
When the Dead Come Home Page 4