“I think I’m staying here with them. We can’t leave them with no one here again. Look at what happened.”
“Your face is jacked. You’re not at one hundred percent, so how do you think you’re going to be able to take care of them if something does show up?” My words were pointless. He was where he wanted to be, and from the looks of how close Shiloh was sitting, the feeling was mutual.
“I could still try.”
“I’m going to hate not having you with me, but I get it.”
Ryker had feelings for Shiloh. I wasn’t in any place to stand between that.
He stood, giving me a grin before pulling me into a tight hug.
I would see him again.
Eighteen
I didn’t like the idea of leaving Ryker. He wasn’t properly trained in case other Reapers showed up. And to be honest with myself, he was my best friend, and I didn’t want to see him hurt. My throat tightened, and I had to think of something else before I marched back into the country home and forced him into the car. He had been with me through everything, and now I couldn’t imagine him not being there. When everyone else abandoned me like an unimportant used piece of trash, he was there. I stood with the passenger side door open, my arm resting across the top of it, staring at the house.
“They’ll be fine. We need to get going, Cade.” Izzy’s voice was soft and reassuring. The next part of this crazy ass rollercoaster would just be the two of us. I couldn’t say that didn’t make me nervous. I wasn’t sure how to act. Sure, we had a few hours alone in her apartment, but Ryker was in the next room.
I gave her a slight nod and ducked into the old Buick. The engine roared to life, accompanied by a constant faint rattling from under the hood. “You sure this thing will make it?” She studied the dash as if it would suddenly give her a sign indicating not to chance a trip to another state. Elizabethtown was about nine hours from us—if we were in a stable car. This old clunker would probably drag the trip out at least another hour, if not more.
“It’s the only thing we got since the other car messed up.” I pushed back against the worn leather, melting into the warm material, and closed my eyes, as we started moving. I flinched from the sudden static from the radio. Forcing my heavy lids open, I peeked at Izzy.
Her cheeks turned a gentle hue of pink as she smiled. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was going to be so loud,” she said as turned the volume down. “Is the music going to bother you?”
All I wanted was to catch a few minutes of uninterrupted sleep. I was still exhausted from the fight, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her no. I wasn’t going to be much entertainment, so why shouldn’t she have music? “Nah. You can play it.” She searched through the stations. A song came through after a few seconds, and she stopped, finally turning her full attention back to the road. I leaned back once again, this time keeping my eyes open just enough to watch her without her knowing. She bounced up and down to the beat, peeking at me every now and then to make sure my eyes were closed. She must have been satisfied because she bounced up and down even harder while her midsection went from side to side, getting into the music.
I tried to fight it. I wanted to so badly. Watching her act like this was the greatest entertainment I’d ever encountered. But it wouldn’t stay down. I doubled over in the seat, laughing so hard my face hurt. When I leaned back, her lips were scrunched while her eyebrows were drawn in so tight it looked as though they might actually disappear into her eyes. I needed to stop because as the seconds ticked by her face became redder and redder.
She slapped my arm, which made me laugh even harder. “What?” I finally choked out.
“You know what,” she said through gritted teeth, eyes staring straight ahead. “You let me think you were asleep. That was embarrassing!”
I ran a hand across my mouth as if wiping away any traces of my previous laughter. Something else surprised me. Tears. I had actually laughed so hard tears ran down my face. She was right, it would happen one day. “It was…cute.” I wasn’t sure what word I needed to use. I didn’t want her to get any more hostile than she already was.
“Cute? That makes it even worse.” Her head dropped back, with a long groan. I glanced out the window, trying to figure out what she meant. I thought cute was a good word. Why wouldn’t she like that? Her dancing wasn’t bad. Sure, it made me laugh, but not in a bad way.
After a few moments, I turned back to her. “Why was it so bad for me to see that?”
Her hand dropped from the steering wheel, hitting her thigh with a dramatic smack. “You really don’t get it, do you?”
Didn’t I just ask a question indicating I didn’t understand? Were my words confusing to her? “No, I don’t get it.” Obviously I didn’t get anything when it came to human girls. Women from Nekroun Earth were less emotional, leaving them no room for attachment. They were only out for a good time and didn’t care about anyone but themselves.
“That’s not something I do in front of just anyone. Hell, most of the time I only do it with just me in a car or my apartment.”
Her words kind of stung. “Sorry. Didn’t know I was just anyone.”
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, it is, but, I guess what I’m trying to say is I don’t do it in front of guys, especially hot ones.”
Warmth radiated through my insides. Wow. Never expected that. And from the way she wouldn’t look in my direction, I guess she never wanted to say it out loud. Best thing for me to do was change the subject and act as if the words were never shared.
“Are you hungry? Maybe we should stop and get something to eat.”
She nodded, and we let the music drown out the uncomfortable silence. It was very bubbly. A girl singing about a guy she broke up with, and now he wanted her back. I could easily see how this beat could make a human want to move. I bounced up and down and started rolling around like she did.
“I like this music.”
She stared at me for a few minutes, her mouth hanging wide. She shook her head, before laughing. She joined in a few moments later, surprising me when she busted out the lyrics. She was a little off key from the girl on the radio, but I liked Izzy’s voice better any day.
“I shouldn’t have laughed at you,” I said once the song went off and we were both out of breath.
“Don’t worry about it.” She winked at me as she guided the car off the road to an exit.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Really. You’re still trying to find fun with everything that’s going on around us. I shouldn’t be the one who ruins that for you.”
She smiled. “What do you want to eat? Looks like this exit has a Wendy’s and Burger King. Either is fine to me.” She cast a glance in the rearview mirror before maneuvering into the right lane.
I really didn’t know the difference between either of the things she said, so I picked the first option. After arriving at Wendy’s, we grabbed our food and headed to a booth in the back.
“So we have, what, probably another six hours or so?” She pulled out a device and answered her own question. “Actually about six and a half, that car’s moving slower than I thought.”
“It’ll be getting dark soon.” The sun was resting behind a patch of fluffy clouds, causing a gray shadowing against the afternoon sky.
“You afraid to ride in the dark?” she asked.
I gave her an aggravated eye roll. “Really?” I balled up my food wrapper and tossed it at her.
She laughed. “You’re right. We probably need to head out.” Silently, we walked back to the car and climbed in.
Before starting the car, Izzy pulled her hair in a ball on the top of her head, leaving a few stands down. “It was really hot in there, don’t you think?”
I didn’t, but nodded anyway. It was hard to take my eyes off her as she wrinkled her nose, messing with the hair in the mirror.
A female on Nekroun Earth never made me want a relationship, only sex when I needed it. Once I got out, I immediately started sear
ching for Izzy. So it had been a while since I had been with a woman. Not that I was thinking of having sex with Izzy. My intentions with her were purely genuine, and I wanted nothing more than to help her get out of this. She’s had a hard enough life. I glanced at her flushed cheeks as she looked behind her, backing the car from the parking spot, and I couldn’t help but smile.
What is wrong with me? I shook my head, trying to regain control of my thoughts. To help take my mind in a different direction, I asked about her life. She told me about moving from place to place. The people she’d met and things she’d seen. It was nice, getting to see a different part of her.
“Shit! This isn’t good,” Izzy exclaimed after we’d been back on the road for an hour or so. We’d put several miles behind us.
“What?” I asked, sitting up from my slouched position.
“The headlights don’t work. We’re going to have to pull over somewhere for the night, and I mean like immediately. I can hardly see, and if we pass a cop, they’ll pull us over.”
“Get off on this exit, and we can find somewhere,” I said, pointing to the veering road.
“There’s nothing here. Not even a gas station. Uh!” She looked around frantically, slapping the steering wheel a few times before cupping her forehead. “I knew this car was going to screw us some way or another.”
“It’ll be okay. Look, there’s a road over there.” I pointed over at a little dirt road to our right. “We can pull down there and sleep in the car. If you want, I can stay up all night to make sure no one messes with you.” A drawn out sigh escaped her lips as she turned the car down the dirt road.
The road was bumpy, only big enough for our car. After passing some trees, we ended up in an open field with only the light from the moon shining down. She shut the car off and lay back against the seat. “Try to get some sleep.” I got out of the car, leaving her alone.
There was a tree a little ways in the distance. It was a safe place to sit and watch the car. I dropped down against the trunk and brought my knees into my chest, wrapping my arms around them. The air gusted across my face, carrying the sweet scent of flowers. I stuck my hand out, greeting it, and letting the air rush through my fingers.
I could practically hear Ryker beside me rattling off some stupid conversation. If he were here I would be half listening to him, but now that I was alone I craved to listen to every word. Anything to fill my head with something other than my thoughts. The more I got to know Izzy, the more I fell for her. Reapers weren’t made to love. We were made to carry out death. But she made me feel everything that I shouldn’t.
After a few moments, I was determined to get my mind on something else, so I dusted my clothes off and started looking for the source of the flowery smell. I walked about ten minutes, still within eyesight of the car. A patch of purple flowers, accented with a few yellow ones, sprinkled throughout caught my eye. I started picking, pausing to make sure the car was still unharmed every few minutes, until I had a handful and headed back to the tree. I sat down and started playing with the flowers.
“What you got there?” Her voice made me jump. Shows how good I was at protecting her. Someone could have probably dragged her out of the car, screaming bloody murder, and I wouldn’t have noticed until it was too late. She giggled at my surprise. Her blond curls were a mess, half hanging out of the tie in the back now.
“Nothing. Just trying to pass the time.” I pushed my work of art behind my back, trying to hide it.
“That doesn’t look like nothing. Let me see,” she said, reaching around me. I grabbed her hand, causing her to lose her balance and topple into me. I caught her in my lap before she could hit the tree behind me.
“Sorry,” I said, letting go of her arms.
“For what? You only put me in a better spot to get what you shoved back there.” Before I could stop her, she threw her legs around my waist, straddling me, and snatched it. She shifted back onto her heels as she held it up to see. “Cade…” she choked, her voice thick with raw emotion.
I took the headpiece from her, careful not to mess up any of the delicate intertwines from the flower stems, and placed it on her head. “Princess Isabelle, nice to meet you.” Mine wasn’t as pretty and well put together like I had seen her and Sophia do all those years ago, but I was proud of it.
After a few moments of nothing but crickets around us, I wasn’t sure letting her see it was such a good idea. “You can take it off if you don’t want to wear it. I was just messi—”
She threw her arms around me. Her shoulders bounced as wails reached my ears.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” I snaked my arms around her midsection, pulling her close to my body.
“You didn’t upset me. It’s just that…well, I haven’t seen one of these in years. You don’t know what this means to me. I love it.”
She turned toward my neck, her lips brushing my skin with her hot breath. Chills crept up my spine. She pulled back slightly, gazing into my eyes, her mouth slightly parted. I wanted to kiss her. The way the moon made her features glow angelically—she was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on. Nothing else mattered. Not the dangers we faced. Not Reapers. Not the fact we were from two different worlds. It was just the two of us here and now, holding each other. If I kissed her, it would make everything different. I wondered if she had the same reservations running through her mind. I touched her face, running my fingertips over the contour of her cheek until I reached those pouty lips I wanted to taste.
“We should get some sleep,” I said, dropping my hand. Clearing my throat, I tried to control my voice.
She pulled away, staring blankly at the ground.
Instantly, my arms felt cold and ached for her touch again. But this was the way it had to be. I couldn’t be involved with a human, no matter how much I wanted her. It just wasn’t possible. How could a relationship work between us? Me visit when I came to Earth to claim a soul? And that was IF I didn’t end up dead or back in prison from all this.
“There’s a really soft patch of grass on the other side of the tree if you want to lie out here,” I continued, standing to put distance between us. If I didn’t, I would explode. I raked my fingers through my hair; beads of perspiration trickled at my temples. When did it get so damn hot out here? I glanced down at Izzy and knew my answer. The strap on her shirt hung down her arm, exposing the top of her left breast, just enough to send my imagination running wild.
“Will you lay with me?”
I wasn’t prepared to answer that question. I wanted to, but would I be able to control my actions? At the same time, I didn’t want her to feel rejected. She was alone in this world, and she was reaching out to me.
Despite my mind and body screaming at me not to do this, I agreed. “Yeah. Sure.”
She followed me around to the other side of the tree. We dropped to the ground, both lying on our backs, our heads propped on our arms for a cushion. Best thing for me to do was once she went to sleep, sneak away. I stared up at the stars, a few tinkling. It felt as though all of them were watching, waiting to see if something was going to happen. They were almost mocking me. Absently, I shifted, putting a few inches between us.
“Well, if we were going to be stuck outside, we couldn’t have asked for a prettier night.”
“True.” She rolled over, closing the small gap, and draped her arm across my chest while her head rested on my shoulder.
So much for trying to keep my distance. My heart rate increased, feeling as though it was going to burst out of my chest at any moment. I curled my arm around her, toying with the hem of her shirt. Strands of her curls tickled my face as the breeze pushed them in my direction. Moments later, her breaths became deep—she was asleep. Now was the time I needed to get up. Only my legs didn’t want to work. Neither did my arms. I turned toward her, dug my nose in her hair, and kissed her forehead.
What was I going to do? All those years ago, this girl and her sister stole my heart for one reason, and now her
e she was, stealing it for herself. How did this get so complicated? All I wanted to do was save her, the same thing I’d tried to do back then. And now… well now, I wanted her to be mine in a way that wasn’t possible.
Nineteen
The early morning sun was already high, touching the earth with red and golden rays when I woke with a nagging ache in my shoulder.
Somewhere in the middle of the night we’d shifted toward the tree. The old mattress in my cell actually looked good compared to sleeping on the ground. Our legs were wrapped together, impossible to tell where one person started the next ended. I tried to move my arm, but it was pinned down. Izzy was still curled into me, her face looked so peaceful. Curls fell over her brow in messy wisps. I pushed them away, feeling her warm skin beneath my fingertips, and stared at her.
“Izzy,” I said softly by her ear while gently pushing her hip against mine.
“Hmmmm?” She didn’t open her eyes, but the corners of her mouth turned up before she snuggled deeper into me.
I closed my eyes and silently counted to ten, trying to think of anything other than her being this close. The last thing I wanted was a rock-hard morning visitor from the man downstairs.
“Just a little longer,” she purred against my chest.
Too late. Yep, there he was. I rolled over on my back so she wouldn’t realize my hormones had officially taken over.
Her head popped up. “What’s wrong?”
I would rather be slowly ripped to shreds than tell her the truth. “Nothing. Just stretching.” As if taking a hint, she shifted off me, allowing me to stand. I shimmied around just a bit, attempting to get everything adjusted so it wouldn’t be as noticeable in case she saw.
“I know I need some food and to use the restroom somewhere. You ready?” She stood, taking the time to stretch again, her shirt lifting to expose the tan skin around her abdomen.
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