by K. D. Worth
I hated keeping secrets from Max again, but I didn’t really see any other options. Not like I could ask Slade for tips on how to talk to living relatives either. He would forbid me from contacting Britany and probably remove my ability to take human form the way he’d done when Max disobeyed.
So I kept it all to myself.
And in moments like these, while I contemplated the meaning of a water stain, I couldn’t seem to escape any of it. Slade always warned me that keeping things bottled up had caused me a lot of problems in the past, and that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, but I had no one to talk to about it.
I was completely alone.
No, that wasn’t true….
God,
What am I supposed to do? I prayed, hoping maybe He could help.
When I’d died, Slade had offered me the chance to talk directly to God, but I hadn’t been ready to go to the next level of existence. Though at moments like this, I wished I’d taken him up on the offer, because I was starting to understand Max’s annoyance with Slade and all his secrets.
I would really like some answers.
Starting with the water stain on my ceiling.
I know I should be patient and have faith, God, but everything is a mess, and there’s nothing I can do about it unless I break the rules. I wanna be good, be obedient, but I wanna help Britany too. I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing. And don’t even get me started on what the shades want with me—I sniffed in amusement. Some of Max’s casualness when he talked to God had rubbed off on me.
Please just help me figure this all out. Help me find a solution….
“Amen,” I said aloud, feeling marginally better but not enough to bother getting out of my bed.
A soft thump at the foot of the mattress startled me. I glanced down to find a big orange tabby staring at me.
Smiling, I held out my hand and he padded up. “Hey, kitty.” I gave his back a long slow caress the way he liked, and he purred, pressing into my touch. “You got life all figured out, eh? Eat, sleep, and back scratches. I wish I could figure stuff out,” I said rolling onto my back.
Herman moved closer and stared at me expectantly until I obeyed his silent demand for more caresses. “Maybe I’m just overthinking it all.” I laughed. “I’m always overthinking.”
That was my whole problem, wasn’t it?
But just because I knew that, didn’t mean I knew what to do about it.
Herman made himself at home beside me, and I petted him, my gaze returning to that bothersome stain on the ceiling.
What the heck was it there for?
Though the cat’s company improved my mood, I hated being alone with my thoughts. I needed a distraction. Maybe I should go downstairs and see if Dan or Sarah wanted to play video games. Or I could go make blueberry muffins. Those were Heather and Kelli’s favorites. Slade had given us a fully stocked fridge and pantry for when the mood struck us to eat. We drank a lot of hot beverages—mostly to feel warm—but I enjoyed making treats on Saturday mornings for the gang. It had almost become expected. But getting out of bed and being around people seemed like a lot of effort. And Herman looked so comfortable, I didn’t want to disturb him.
I didn’t think I was depressed, but I was exhausted.
Especially after Max and I had taken the atheist doctor to heaven this morning. The raw energy the spirits drained from me on every crossover was getting more and more intense, regardless of how hard they resisted. Max never seemed to be tired afterward, and I hadn’t found anything in the library about that side effect.
“Maybe something’s wrong with me,” I whispered to the cat. “Maybe I’m just a lousy reaper.”
His response was to stretch out and push his front paws into my side, kneading his claws into my sweatshirt.
“Ow,” I cried, extracting him and ignoring his meows of protest. “I’m not your scratching post.”
With an affronted swish of his tail, he leapt over my head and landed lightly on the top of my pillow, narrowly missing me.
“You crazy cat, what are you doing?” I shifted to look back at him, which must’ve been exactly what he wanted because he quickly lay across the space on the pillow my head had vacated.
Shifting so we both could share, I asked, “Is that what you wanted?”
His contented meow made me smile. With a yawn, I closed my eyes, feeling weary but too mentally wound up to attempt sleep.
“Hey, what are you doing in bed?”
I jumped in surprise when Max materialized in my room, startling Herman. “Thank God you’re here,” I said in a rush. “I was bored to death.”
With an angry hiss, the cat jumped from my pillow to the nightstand, knocking the Eiffel Tower to the floor.
Grinning, Max picked it up and replaced it. “Well, I have a solution for that.” He held out his hand. “Come with me.”
I groaned. “Max, I don’t wanna go anywhere.”
“Trust me, you wanna come with me.”
“Where?”
“It’s a surprise,” he told me with an impish grin.
While I did love a good surprise, I couldn’t get up, like the weight of everything had glued me to my mattress. “I think I’ll pass.”
The water stain above me drew my attention once more.
“No,” Max declared. “No more moping.”
“I’m not moping,” I lied, and before I saw it coming, Max took hold of my hand and teleported us out of my room.
“Hey, what’s the big idea?” I growled when I landed on my butt.
On the ground. Outside. In human form.
Max yanked me to my feet, ignoring my protests. “I said I have a surprise for you, and it’s not polite to say no to a surprise.”
“Says who?” I brushed off the grass and pebbles clinging to my jeans.
“Says everybody.”
“Max, take me back to my room.”
“Why?” he said, making a face. “So you can lie around with that dumb cat? Look, I know you’re upset about your sister, so I wanted to do something nice for you. Can you please just come see it? If you don’t like it, we’ll go back. Deal?”
Though the last thing I wanted to do was go on an adventure, the hopeful, eager look on Max’s face made it difficult to say “no.” Whether just my usual habit of not wanting to disappoint anyone or a desperate need for a distraction from my own thoughts, I relented.
“Okay, I’ll go see whatever it is you wanna show me.”
Max’s huge grin brought a small but genuine one out of me. “Great!”
He took my hand and led me toward a stony path.
“Does Slade know where we’re going?” I asked, surveying the starry night. Off in the distance, I heard the crash and fold of the ocean. The scent of sage and something licoricey lingered in the air. Ahead of us loomed a hill, the terrain sparse and rocky. Mostly patches of old grass and clover between stones and… was that snow?
“Of course he does,” he said dismissively.
I knew he lied, but if Max wanted to cheer me up, maybe I was in the mood to let him try.
He led the way up the hill, and when we got near the top, I drew up short.
On the other side of the hill, and overlooking the ocean, sat a marble pavilion with large column supports. Big, breezy white curtains draped from the corners, creating a private space outdoors. A tiled patio extended from inside to a staircase leading down to a small stretch of sandy beach. It looked like something out of ancient Greece.
The full moon cast a bluish glow over everything, and I sucked in my breath. “Whoa.”
“Do you like it?”
Out to sea I could see the water spouts of a pod of whales and ice floating on the waves. “What is this place?”
“It’s ours.”
I stared back at him. “Ours? What do you mean?”
“You know Meegan has some crazy voodoo skills. She made this place for us so we can have a real h
onest-to-goodness date.” Max nearly jumped out of his skin with excitement. “It’s shielded from humans. But I don’t think we have to worry too much about being seen because we’re on an abandoned island in Alaska.”
“Alaska? I guess that explains the snow and the whales.”
“Yeah,” he said with a laugh.
A shiver of trepidation snaked down my back. “But what about the shades? We’re in the human realm and—”
Max pressed a finger to my lips. “Meegan put up wards to keep this place safe from more than just people. There are veins of obsidian in the marble, plus different herbs and plants she put in all around here. And if anything shows up, I’ll protect you. I’m getting really good at the whole lightning blast thing, if I do say so myself.”
“Is that so?” I raised a teasing brow.
“Yup. Besides, the risk is totally minimal because we can always just teleport home.”
“And confess to Slade where we were,” I added with a frown. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea….
Max squeezed my hand. “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, ’kay? Besides, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, right?”
I let out a tired sigh, sorely tempted by the awesome location. Moments ago I’d been lamenting we would never get another Paris. Would it really hurt to stay for a little while? I could just as easily wallow here as in my own bed.
“Babe,” he began, “so much has happened since the day we met. There’s hardly ever a chance to just be us. I wanted to take you on a romantic date. We’ve never had that, ya know? Sure, we got ice cream once and then coffee before you….” His voice trailed off, but he quickly became chipper again. “And that morning in Paris. I wanted to find a place that we could go to that was just ours. No training, no shades, no wraiths, no family, and no drama. Just us.”
How could a guy say no to that?
Holding hands and feeling glad he’d forced me to come here, I followed Max to the pavilion. Large glistening black urns sat inside the four corners, overflowing with marigolds, savory scented herbs, and little white flowers. In the center of the patio, there was a tiered water fountain and a table laden with champagne, food, and candles. The flicker of light caught on the glass ornaments hanging here and there inside the pavilion. More candles graced the fountain’s edge and a waterfall trickled from one side and down a winding channel beside the stairs and out to the ocean.
It was the most romantic place I’d ever seen.
Tucked inside and shielded from view by the white curtains, very ominously, was a large fluffy four-poster bed.
I arched my eyebrow. “So when Meegan made this place, she assumed we’re going to be…?” I couldn’t even finish the thought as a flush of mortification worked over me. I pointed at the bed, my cheeks hot. I didn’t know how I felt about anyone knowing when and what Max and I did together. That was private.
“Um, yeah, that was all her doing.” Max studied his hands and turned a little pink in the cheeks. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t wanna do. It’s just a place we can chill out and talk and”—he gestured at the candlelit table—“have champagne. I never had champagne before, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Like the perfect gentleman, Max pulled out a chair. “Please, have a seat. I will be your garçon for the evening.”
Smiling and feeling a little silly, I sat down.
He tossed a towel over his forearm and pulled the champagne from the ice bucket. “May I interest you in the—” He studied the label. “—2012 Brut, sir?”
“That would be quite lovely, my good man,” I said in an affected British accent, then laughed.
Yeah, this was way better than staring at the ceiling.
Appearing quite the expert, he unscrewed the wire thingy on the bottle and then wrapped a towel over the cork. Chewing on his lower lip in concentration, he tried to maneuver the cork out. When he braced it on his leg, it finally popped. “Ah-ha!”
White foam poured down the side and all over his pant leg. “You’re a pro,” I teased.
Tossing the wet towel on the table, he filled my glass first, then handed it over. He topped off the second flute and took a seat across from me.
“A toast,” he said, and we held up our champagne. “The afterlife isn’t always what you expect, but every day that I have you by my side, it’s perfect.”
“Aww,” I said, feeling teary-eyed as we clinked glasses. Max was always so complimentary, and as much as it embarrassed me, I felt my heart swell with happiness every time.
And I loved it when he called me babe.
Never in a million years had I expected to have a date. Sure I’d been on dates with girls in order to fool my parents, but this? I took in the wildly romantic setting. It was unlike anything I’d ever dreamed possible: the stars and the moonlight, a gentle breeze fluttering the gauzy curtains, the flowers, the myriad of candles casting their golden glow and glistening across the veins in the marble pillars.
It was all so… magical.
My knee bounced under the table with giddiness. Smiling at each other we both took a sip.
I choked on the sour beverage. “Yuck!”
“This is so disgusting!” Max’s face scrunched up. “How can people drink this?”
Laughing, we placed our glasses down and went for the water goblets. I swished some around my mouth to wash away the taste. “Note to self: no champagne.”
Max frowned. “Sorry, I thought it would be romantic.”
I reached across the table and took his hand. “Don’t be sorry. This is perfect.”
We held hands, smiling at each other. After a moment, I popped a candied grape into my mouth, pleased by the surprising crunch of the sugary coating. “Now these are delicious.”
“Toss me one.” Max opened his mouth like a baby bird.
Laughing, I aimed and whacked him in the nose with the grape.
“Try again.”
I lined up the shot, and this time he moved and caught it. “Yummy,” he said, chewing.
We took turns tossing grapes back and forth, but when half of them ended up on the floor, I called a truce. “We’re making a mess,” I laughed.
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to lose our deposit, eh?”
“Thank you,” I said seriously. “I needed this.”
“I know.” He squeezed my hand.
It was on the tip of my tongue to unload everything I’d been thinking about, but Max had worked so hard to make this place for us. I didn’t want to be a downer, per my usual. However, the way his loving brown eyes studied me, I had a sense that he understood—as much as he could anyway. He’d brought me here to cheer me up, and though I appreciated it and I wasn’t sure it would work, I was glad to be here.
It didn’t make much sense, even to me, but there it was.
Max pointed at the steps leading to the beach. “So… do you wanna go swimming?”
“We’re gonna go swimming in Alaska?” Off in the distance I noticed a few blue glaciers, and I chuckled, my breath frosting because Max had heated me so much. “This is crazy.”
“Perks of being a reaper, no hypothermia. Plus the water isn’t that deep and it’s sandy. Perfect for swimming.” Max stood and held out his hand.
“Aren’t you clever,” I teased, following him, the grape mess forgotten.
“I am.”
“But I don’t have a swimsuit.”
He gave me a sideways smirk. “Haven’t you ever skinny-dipped before?”
“Uh-um,” I spluttered, blushing at the thought of what he suggested. “No, have you?”
“Once at summer camp. I got a boner watching this boy named Brent. I had to stay underwater forever because it wouldn’t go down. I never went skinny-dipping again.”
“Don’t blame ya.” I laughed, loving how we could share those sorts of stories so easily. “But what if you get a boner this time?”
Grinning, he winked at me. “What if you do?”
Wonderin
g and hoping I knew the answer, I stopped on the bottom step while Max walked out onto the beach. The closer we got to the water, the more the moonlight became our only source of illumination. The candlelight faded, and my reaper vision took over. I could see Max as clear as day, but the shadows created a blueish hue on his face and hair.
“C’mon,” he teased, burying his toes in the sand. With an impish smile, he quickly shed his clothing.
KODY—Chapter 13
I WAS totally nervous—we’d never seen each other naked before. Quick glimpses when a private moment lasted long enough to get our hands in each other’s pants, yes. But those little teasers had been so brief, barely registering as a flash of skin, flesh similar to my own. Something about the innocent suggestion of swimming in the semiprivacy of night made it a lot easier to remove my clothes. Even though our reaper vision would make it like broad daylight, it felt easier, less exposed somehow.
I can’t believe we’re doing this….
We didn’t turn our backs, each of us with our eyes on the other, studying the similarities and differences of our bodies, but not touching. We’d touched almost everything already, but to be able to caress his body with my eyes, commit his every detail to memory, was surreal. I knew Max had muscles, but seeing him completely bare, his white skin glowing in the moonlight, made my heart race. I could feel his eyes studying me. Rather than be embarrassed, I was excited, hoping he enjoyed the view as much as I did.
After a few awkward heartbeats, Max turned away and smiled bashfully. “So are we… um, gonna go swimming, or what?”
“Or what?” I teased, anxious, scared, and eager all at once. Wanting to hide my nudity as fast as I could, I hurried into the water, splashing in my haste. There were little stones and rocks in the sand, but it was mostly soft. Once the water reached my waist, I couldn’t resist making a big scoop to douse Max still on the shore.
“Hey!” He ran into the water after me.
Overcome with giggles when his wiener flopped around from running, I buckled over, clutching at my stomach. But any humor died on my lips when he tackled me, dunking me.
