by Becca Andre
“You don’t care for horror movies?”
“Not so much.”
“What if it scared me and I snuggled closer?”
He smiled. “In that case, a horror movie marathon it is.”
She laughed and rolled up on her toes to kiss him. He pulled her closer, and the kiss quickly became more than the light brush she intended.
Several minutes later, she slumped against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He returned the hug, lifting a hand to stroke her hair.
“Why did you like the idea of me adopting the baby?” she asked. She felt him go still, though his arms remained around her.
He took a silent breath and released it. “Because I knew I couldn’t give you one.”
That wasn’t what she had expected.
“And before you say it,” he continued, “I know I shouldn’t be thinking about things like that now, but I do. I am what I am, and even if it’s not a concern for us now, it will be someday.”
She smiled against his shirt, pleased that he was thinking along those lines.
“Why are you smiling?” he asked.
How had he known? She leaned back to look up at him. “What is it you have in mind for us?”
He held her gaze with his own. “I want to marry you.”
She stared at him. “Are you asking?”
“I…” He stumbled over the word, his expression a little alarmed. Okay, maybe he was just speaking about future possibilities.
“I’m teasing.” She smiled to hide the disappointment. “I get what you’re saying. I know this plagues you and that you’re just thinking ahead.”
“Ely.”
“Hey, it’s cool. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.” She patted his stomach. “Come on. Let’s go see if Addie’s managed to blow up anything in the kitchen.” She stepped past him, needing to put this conversation behind her.
“Elysia.”
The bond tightened. She stopped and looked back. He stood where she left him, the forest mural on the wall behind him. With the way he watched her, he looked like he belonged in that forest. Or maybe a darker one.
“What?” she asked when he didn’t speak.
He took a breath, his eyes holding hers. “Marry me.”
Chapter 14
James had to remind himself to breathe as he watched Elysia’s face. She hid her emotions well, and he had no idea what she was thinking. A moment ago, he had thought he saw disappointment when he failed to ask. Now, he wondered if he had been seeing things.
“Now?” she asked.
“Not this minute now.” He smiled, still not sure what she was thinking. And more importantly, what the hell he had been thinking? He had only just gotten her back. This would scare her away for certain.
“I mean, this isn’t a hypothetical, considering the future thing. You’re really asking me. Now.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
She blinked. “This is so… sudden.”
“Is it?” He walked over to her. “I’ve felt it from the start. At first, I thought it was the bond, but I gradually began to suspect that it was more than that. But it wasn’t until Doug told me that you asked him to take the bond that I truly understood.”
“Doug told you?”
“Yes.”
“And what did that help you understand?”
“That I was willing to follow you into the light.”
“The light?”
He smiled. “Apparently, you weren’t that close to death.”
“Oh, that light. It exists?”
“Yes. And with each death I witness, it calls to me a little louder.”
Elysia’s eyes widened. “When Addie was dying, you told her not to go into the light. You saw it then?”
“She came so close to crossing over,” he whispered, remembering the horror of those moments.
“I know. I healed her, and I can only heal the dead,” Elysia whispered. Her gaze held his and her brow wrinkled. “You would have followed me into it?”
“In a heartbeat—if I had one.” He smiled. “So, just now, it occurred to me that it’s a bit silly to wait to ask you to marry me. What exactly was I waiting for? I couldn’t possibly love you any more than I do now.” There, he had said it. He was terrified, yet saying the words was strangely liberating.
“I’m still mortal,” she whispered. “I’m still a soul reaper.”
“And I don’t have a pulse.”
She smiled. “You know that has never bothered me. Twisted necromancer, remember?”
“True.”
She stepped closer, and her hands came to rest against his stomach. “You’re right. I’ve felt drawn to you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I figured it had to be the magic. There’s no such thing as love at first sight.”
He waited, but when she didn’t continue, he spoke. “And now?”
“Now, I wonder if I haven’t been in love with you the whole time.”
Relief made his knees weak, and he pulled her to him. In the momentary silence, he heard soft footfalls in the carpeted hall. A moment later, Addie stepped into the room.
“One mishap in the kitchen, and you’re forever branded a hazard.” She eyed them. “I was sent to ask what you’d like on your pizza.”
Elysia stepped out of his arms, but her eyes never left his. “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Addie’s mouth fall open.
“You will?” James asked Elysia.
“Sure.” She smiled. “Like you said, what are we waiting for?”
He kissed her.
“I’ll get you both your usuals,” Addie announced and left the room.
Elysia broke the kiss, and giving him a smile, hurried into the hall after Addie. When James caught up with them, they were hugging.
Addie gave him a grin over Elysia’s shoulder, and he smiled back, pleased by her approval.
The two women separated, and Addie cleared her throat, her gaze on Elysia. “Now you’ll have to quit flirting with me.” The pair had a running joke ever since Addie had been forced to dig a ghost’s talisman out of Elysia’s bra.
“Why?” Elysia asked. “Maybe James would like a threesome.”
“Last time I was in a threesome with him, he was furry.” Addie managed to deliver the line with a straight face, but her cheeks colored.
“Oh really?” Elysia arched a brow at him, her eyes twinkling with restrained laughter.
“She had hypothermia,” he explained. “My other form has a higher internal temperature.”
“I see.” She turned back to Addie. “And was the other person Rowan?”
“Of course.”
“Kinky.” Elysia grinned.
Addie rolled her eyes. “Shall we go tell the others your good news?”
“Absolutely.” Elysia looked back at him with a warm smile.
James stumbled forward from the force of Donovan’s congratulatory clap on the shoulder.
“Easy,” Rowan admonished his brother Element. “Don’t damage him or Elysia will Make us all.”
Donovan grinned in response.
After an enthusiastic series of hugs when James had announced his upcoming nuptials, the group seemed to divide by gender as the girls drew Elysia away. James figured Era was begging for a wedding—or at least, an elaborate reception she could organize. He smiled at the notion.
Rowan cleared his throat. “So, our little James is getting married.”
“You’ll have to drop the little,” Donovan said. “He’ll be a man.”
James returned his attention to the guys, catching the wink Donovan gave Rowan. “So which of you will win the bet?” Donovan and Rowan had a bet going on how long James could resist sleeping with Elysia.
“How did you know about our wager?�
�� Rowan asked James.
“I heard you.”
Rowan sighed. “Donovan won. He has a greater respect for your will power.”
“As I told Rowan, our little brother wouldn’t have remained a virgin this long without some serious strength of will.”
James’s cheeks heated—both from the pleasure of hearing them call him brother, as well as the rest of it. “What makes you think I was a—” He stopped, glancing at the girls, but they were deep in their own conversation.
“Was?” Donovan asked, a grin poking through his beard.
Rowan returned his smile. “I’ve noticed that he’s much less uptight this evening.”
“I noticed that, too.” Donovan’s gaze shifted to James, his brows lifting.
James crossed his arms. “How old are you guys?”
“Hey, I’ve got two hundred bucks riding on this,” Donovan complained.
“Fine.” James gave them each a frown, then continued in a whisper. “Today.”
“Damn.” Rowan reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
Donovan turned back to James. “But it’s good that you’ve mounted that obstacle.”
Rowan coughed as he choked back a laugh. “I believe the word you want in surmounted.”
“No, it’s not,” Donovan answered, his tone solemn.
Rowan pressed a hand to his mouth, still struggling not to lose it. A faint ring of fire encircled his pupils as the emotion momentarily got the better of him.
“You need to stop before we lose another coffee table,” James told Donovan. The last coffee table had been the victim of the previous time Rowan had lost control.
Rowan waved away his concern. “I’m good.”
James shook his head, but he couldn’t hide the smile. Why couldn’t he have had real brothers like this?
“James?” Elysia called to him.
He gave Rowan and Donovan what he hoped was a disapproving look and walked over to join her.
“Tell him,” Elysia said to Cora.
“I contacted Judge Harvey and promised to send over your file,” Cora said to him.
James recognized the name of the judge who had been over the adoption process, but he didn’t follow the rest of Cora’s statement. “My file?”
Cora’s expression was smug. “Did you think the Elemental Offices would hire someone without a thorough background check?”
“I should have guessed their legal representation would,” he said with a smile. “Though I suspect the parts that concerned you most wouldn’t be found in a civilian check.”
“True. But the main benefit now is that it will speed up the process considerably since the paperwork has already been completed. I also vouched for your address, which is this house. You need to get your driver’s license updated.”
“Okay.” James glanced between her and Elysia. “Where are you going with this?”
“As soon as Judge Harvey has your marriage license in hand, he’ll sign the adoption papers.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that,” Cora agreed.
“Can you believe it?” Elysia asked.
“No, I can’t.” He smiled.
“You fixed this, too.” Elysia threw her arms around his neck. “You really are on a roll today,” she whispered. A quick embrace, and she turned back to Cora. “How long does it take a marriage license to process? If we went tomorrow, would everything be finalized by the time the baby is released from the hospital?”
James blinked. “Tomorrow?”
Cora gave him an amused glance. “It’s very possible.”
Elysia squealed and hugged him again. It had been so long since he’d seen her this excited.
Abruptly, she stepped back, a worried frown on her face. “Is that okay? You asked, I said yes, but we never set a date.”
“It’s fine,” he answered, honestly.
“You’re cool with going to the courthouse? No big church wedding?”
He laughed. “I’m cool with it all. Besides, it’s not like I have any family to invite. But what about Grams? And Livie?”
“I’m the black sheep of the family. I never do what they expect. They’re used to it.”
Cora was watching the exchange with an amused smile. “I’ll leave the logistics to the two of you. I’m going to go email that file.”
Elysia exchanged a hug with her. “Thank you for everything.”
“Glad to do it.” Cora hugged her back.
Elysia broke the embrace, her expression concerned. “You’re really okay with this? I took him from you.”
“I decided to adopt him out of a sense of duty, not because I desired motherhood. I’m perfectly content to be his aunt.”
“That’s such a relief. Aunt Cora, I like that.” She looked up at James and grinned. “Your New Magic family.”
“Yes.” He marveled, as he frequently did, at how much that meant to him.
“And speaking of family, this is your home, James. You are welcome to join him, Elysia. It would break Era’s heart if that nursery wasn’t put to use.”
“Thank you,” Elysia said, though she didn’t commit one way or the other.
A nod, and Cora left them.
“Would you take me back to Grams’s?” Elysia asked him. “This is something I have to tell her in person.”
“Of course.”
“Then call me?” Era asked, as the others joined them. “I’ve got a few locations in mind.”
Elysia laughed. “I would tell you not to trouble yourself, but I think you’d be more disappointed if I refused to let you throw us a reception.”
“Absolutely,” Addie agreed. A frown creased her brow as she turned to Era. “Will I have to dress up?”
“No,” Elysia said before Era could. “I won’t have anyone uncomfortable. Informal. And just James’s adoptive family and mine.”
“Okay.” Era nodded. “I’d better get busy. Tomorrow it is.” She hurried from the room.
Elysia looked up at James and smiled. He hoped his smile hid his flurry of nerves.
James gripped the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it off over his head.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Elysia sat on the side of her bed, watching him.
He smiled. “Of course I want to stay. But a certain someone can’t keep her magic to herself. Grams and Livie will feel that.”
Elysia grinned, then got to her feet and walked over to him. “You’re such a prude.” She slid her arms around his neck.
“Naughty necromancer.” He brushed her lips with his. “Besides, it’s almost midnight. I’m not supposed to see the bride until the wedding.”
“I’m not so sure those superstitions apply when we’re just going to the courthouse.”
“I’m sure Era will make up for that at the reception.”
Elysia laughed. “True.” She stepped back. “Fine. I’ll humor you tonight. But tomorrow night—and every night thereafter—you’re mine.”
“Always,” he swore, holding her gaze.
She didn’t look away. “You’re giving me that try-to-run-and-I’ll-chase-you stare.” She shivered, but continued to hold his gaze.
“Most people do run.”
“Weenies.”
He laughed. “Absolutely. But to be fair, very few people have the courage to go toe to toe with Death.”
She blew a raspberry. “Like I said. Weenies.”
He kissed her forehead. “Until tomorrow.” He shucked off his sweatpants, then stepped away from her and shifted form.
“James?”
He glanced back.
“Where are you really going?”
She didn’t miss much. If he could have grinned, he would have. She must have realized that he would have a good reason for turning down a
night in her bed.
“If you’re thinking about tracking down George and testing your theory, please don’t. We need to learn more about that.”
He swished his tail, acknowledging that he had heard her, and jumped into the veil.
“I’m going to interpret that as agreement.”
He sighed. She might not have commanded him, but his honor bound him to her request just the same.
Chapter 15
James ghosted through the trees not far from the Athens cemetery where he and Elysia had encountered George earlier today—or was it yesterday. It was probably after midnight.
He lowered his nose to the ground, not needing to work too hard to pick up George’s scent. His brother had made no effort to hide it when he fled from him. Damn, that had been satisfying. Unfortunately, it also meant that George was now actively avoiding him.
James was able to follow his brother’s trail through the trees to a narrow road. He found fresh ruts in the grass verge where George had spun the tires in his effort to get out of there quickly. The scent of the freshly turned earth was still the dominant smell, stronger than the tar and oil odor rising from the old asphalt.
That’s where the trail ended. James couldn’t differentiate one car from another once they were on the road. And since George didn’t live in, or even frequent the area, he had no idea where he might have gone. Probably another seedy motel.
James squelched the urge to howl his frustration at the night sky. Maybe it was for the best. He couldn’t have done much with George if he had found him. He wouldn’t break his word to Elysia. Besides, she was right that they needed to learn more about all of this. Specifically, the bonds that soul reapers made.
Pulling open a portal, he traveled the land of the dead, stepping out into Elysia’s room in Addie’s apartment. He pulled on a pair of sweatpants, then stepped out into the hall, calling the hound to search for other souls in the building. Ian was downstairs, but James found no sign of Addie. She must still be at the manor.
Smiling, James headed down the stairs to Ian’s room. He found him sitting at the small table against the wall, a wooden box open before him. It wasn’t the box they had found at the old gun shop. This one was smaller with some elaborate scrollwork on the lid. James couldn’t see the contents from his line of sight.