The Third Kiss

by Kat Colmer

  Almost lost her.

  “Dude, can we make a move?” Leo stood on the driver’s side of the car, throwing nervous glances down the road. “This isn’t the best time.”

  The best time? He had the nerve to talk to me about the best fricking time? I let go of Cora, grabbed Leo by his shirt, and rammed him against the side of the car. His eyes widened.

  “Don’t talk to me about timing. What the fuck happened back there?” I slammed him again, pushing his shoulder blades hard against the metal frame of the car. “She needed your help, and you did nothing. Nothing!”

  Leo grabbed my wrists but didn’t push back. “I’m sorry, dude. I really am. I just… I froze.” He looked over my shoulder at Cora. “I’m so sorry, Cora.” The remorse in his voice sounded genuine, but it wasn’t enough to rid me of the urge to hit him. Damn, I wanted him to give me a reason to sink my fist into his face, but he avoided my eyes. Fucking coward.

  “Stop.” Beth tugged on my arm. “We’re out now. Leave him alone.”

  “Jonas.” Cora put both her hands on my fists, urging me to let go of Leo’s shirt. “Jonas, I’m okay.”

  “No thanks to him.” With a final shove, I let Leo go and climbed back into the car.

  No one spoke the rest of the way to the professor’s place.

  Professor Scholler must have been waiting for us, watching out the front window, because the moment we pulled up outside his bungalow the front door swung open.

  “Get inside, quick.” He slammed and bolted the door behind us. His mouth compressed into a thin line as soon as he swept a cursory glance over Cora and me. I didn’t need a mirror to know we weren’t about to win any beauty pageants. “In the kitchen, all of you.”

  On the kitchen table sat a large first aid kit. The lid was open and several items had been taken out: a bottle of disinfectant, some rolled up bandages. The professor was well prepared. When I spotted surgical thread and a needle amongst the stuff, I shuddered. I wasn’t a fan of needles. At least having the kit out meant he’d expected us to return. Nice to know his faith in our ability had grown since yesterday. He reached for the disinfectant and turned to Cora.

  “It seems you and Jonas suffered the worst of it.” He motioned for her to sit, then dabbed at the cut on Cora’s temple, making her wince.

  I glanced at Leo sitting across the table and ground my teeth, sending a fresh wave of pain slicing through my jaw. Pointing out exactly how limp-dicked Leo’s involvement had been would have come across as petty, so I kept my mouth shut. He looked back at me, corners of his mouth turned down and eyes lowered, a picture of remorse. I hoped rancid guilt roiled in his gut.

  The prof glanced at the blood-covered khopesh leaning against the table next to my chair. “Did you find the book?”

  “We found it,” Cora said through another wince.

  The professor looked up at me expectantly. I gave a shake of my head. “I didn’t manage to tear my page out.”

  His gaze flicked to Cora before returning to mine, astute understanding in his eyes: the nightmare wasn’t over. If anything, we had enraged Elymas and made things worse.

  “I see.” He placed a bandage over Cora’s temple and turned his attention to me. “Tell me everything.”

  So we did.

  By the time we were finished, he’d cleaned up my face to the best of his ability. The needle and thread had stayed on the table. No need for it, he’d said. The Protection Charm would do a better job anyway. Small mercies and all that.

  We were silent as the professor washed his hands at the sink. No one asked the question, but we all waited for him to tell us what he thought we should do next. The way I saw it, there was only one answer, and seconds later the prof confirmed it.

  “You’ll have to return to the mansion.” He turned, wiping his hands on a dishrag. By the expression on his face, he wasn’t happy about the prospect of us going back. That made two of us. “You have his sword. Now things are personal. But being in possession of the Sword of Absolom is also to your advantage.”

  “How is it to our advantage when we can’t get close enough to him to use it? The demon bastard slammed me against a wall with the flick of his little finger.” My back tensed at the memory, and I pressed my thumb along my jawline, testing the level of pain. Five out of ten—Protection Charm was doing its thing.

  “The only reason Cora managed to cut him in the first place was because she had surprise and a well-positioned chair on her side. He won’t let that happen again.” If I was certain of anything, it was that Elymas wouldn’t underestimate us a second time.

  Daniel Scholler pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and considered me. “Yes, as things stand, it is highly unlikely you’ll get anywhere near striking distance of Elymas or the Book of Threads. However, that’s not the advantage I’m speaking of.”

  All four of us sat up straighter as we pinned the prof with our stares. What did the man have up his polo shirt sleeve this time?

  “The only way to strip Elymas of his supernatural power is to relinquish your Protection Charm.”

  My mouth slackened. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

  “You couldn’t before.” The professor pushed away from the sink and walked across to where I sat. “But with this”—he picked up the Sword of Absolom and pointed the blade at me—“you can.”

  There was complete silence in the kitchen as we waited for his explanation.

  “According to the notebooks, the moment you cut yourself with the Sword of Absolom, you relinquish your Protection Charm, and at the same time, render Elymas mortal. For as long as your self-inflicted wound bleeds, his veins will flow with mortal blood, making him vulnerable, making him—”

  “Yes,” Cora cut in. “I vaguely remember reading something about it, but you can’t be suggesting Jonas goes head-to-head with Elymas without his Protection Charm.” She paused. “That’s insane.”

  “It’s no different to what you did today,” I reminded her.

  She turned my way and pinned me with her glare. “You only let me go after we tried to cover me with the Charm, remember?”

  Not something I was likely to forget. “It didn’t work.”

  She threw her hands up in the air. “We didn’t know it wouldn’t work. This is different; you know you’d be going in completely unprotected. That’s insane!” Her voice hitched on her last word, and warmth unfurled deep in my chest—she was worried about me. But that didn’t change what had to be done. I cast Beth a help-me glance. She gave a quick nod.

  “It’s the only way, Cora. Besides, we’ll have his back.”

  What? I snapped to attention, realizing what Beth meant. “No, you won’t. I’m going in alone, like I should have this morning.” After what almost happened at the mansion, there was no way any of them were coming with me. Not Beth, not Leo—he was useless anyway—and definitely not Cora.

  “Jonas, I think in this case your sister is right,” the professor said. “Going back alone, as well as unprotected, is unwise.” He leaned the sword back against the table. “And didn’t you say Cora was the better fighter?”

  Better fighter or not, she almost died!

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not taking her back there.” It wasn’t an option. Hell no!

  Cora leaned toward me across the table. “Jonas, for once in your life stop being a stubborn dick. Yes, it was a close call back at the mansion, but the only reason we managed to get out was because we’d gone in together. You can’t go in alone, not without the Protection Charm. I’m going with you. No discussion.”

  And she called me stubborn? The edge in her voice slammed the door on any argument I could have made. I didn’t respond, too afraid the panic welling up inside me would spill out as soon as I opened my mouth.

  “Jonas.” She grabbed my arm, her fingers digging into my skin. “Don’t you see? We’re st
ronger together, stronger as a team. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid and go in alone?”

  Eyes wide, a silent plea in the hazel, she waited for my answer. I glanced down to where her hand gripped my bicep. That previous warmth spread further until it pooled, thick and heavy like molten toffee, in my stomach. I loved the desperate way her fingers clutched at me, like she couldn’t bear the thought of seeing me hurt.

  There’s another way out of this. One where no one has to go in.

  Yeah, there was. And could be it was time I thought seriously about it.

  Her grip on my arm tightened. “Dammit, Jonas, promise me.” She might as well have held a gun to my head, that was how lethal her look was. She knew me too well, knew I’d never break a promise to her.

  My reluctant response came through clenched teeth. “Fine, I promise.”

  The professor nodded and started packing up the first aid kit. “You’ve bought yourself some time. Elymas will need longer to heal from a wound caused by the Sword of Absolom. Confronting him while he’s recovering could play into your hands. Give Cora a day or so to rest, then you can try again. Just be assured of one thing.” Professor Scholler peered at me over the rim of his glasses. “They will be expecting you.”

  One by one, I scanned the four grim faces looking back at me from around the kitchen table, my gaze landing on Cora’s face last. Something had shifted in her after this morning’s bloodbath at the mansion. My admission that I’d lay down my life for her had been a surprise.

  For her.

  Not so for me.

  There’d been—and still was—no doubt in my mind: I’d die for her. Which, I knew, meant only one thing. Did it leave me empowered like Aunt Helena had said? On that, the jury was still out. All I knew was that I’d do anything to keep Cora safe.

  I sucked in a shaky breath; it was time to face a whole different fear.

  Grabbing the Sword of Absolom from where it leaned against the table, I stood, chair legs screeching along the floorboards. “Let’s go home. Get some rest.”

  And—I can’t believe I’m about to do this—lay our hearts out on the table.

  I breathed a sigh of relief when we found the house silent and empty. The last thing I wanted to do was explain our blood-smeared state to Aunt Helena. What I did want was a shower. I was covered in Groth Maar filth. Not a good look for what I was planning to do. Beside me, Cora tugged at her bloodied T-shirt. She’d want a wash, too. And maybe some food…

  I brushed blood-caked hair from her brow. “Go have a shower. I’ll make us something to eat.” I rubbed gently at a smear near her temple.

  “Thanks,” she murmured, and glanced up at me. Something like hope stirred within that four-chambered space inside my chest because, I swear, I glimpsed a soft promise in the hazel.

  “Whatever you’re making, I’ll have two,” Beth said, closing the front door behind Leo. “I’m starving.”

  Reluctantly, I let my hand drop from Cora’s face. When the girls headed upstairs, I started down the hallway, my destination the laundry shower.

  “Dude, can we talk?”

  Leo’s voice slowed my stride, but I didn’t stop. “I have nothing to say to you.”

  “You can’t go ahead with it.”

  I stopped but didn’t turn. I still couldn’t stomach looking at him. “Go ahead with what?”

  He took a step toward me but decided against taking any more when I turned and he registered the stay-the-hell-away-from-me look on my face.

  “Cora,” he said. “You trying to convince her to accept you.”

  Not a question—a statement. He’d guessed my intent.

  “After today, I have no other choice. I’m not taking her back there. Not when there’s another way to keep her safe.”

  Leo’s mouth twisted into a wry smile. “Keep her safe? Don’t you think it’s time you had the guts to admit this is now about way more than just keeping her safe?”

  Guts? He had the hide to talk to me about fricking guts? It took everything in me not to cross the space between us and rearrange his features.

  My lip curled over my teeth. “Get to the point.”

  Leo stiffened. “They got to me before I made it back to my car. Shoved me face-first into the dirt and gave me this message for you.” He turned, reached an arm over his head, and pulled his T-shirt up to reveal his back.

  What the hell?

  Letters and numbers, raw and painful, were carved into his skin: C4RL1N

  “I don’t know what it means,” he said over his shoulder, “but the moment Cora accepts you, this will be Beth’s fate.”

  C4RL1N. I widened my stance, trying to stop the floor from swaying. Couldn’t do much about the hallway walls closing in, though. “Why didn’t you say something before?”

  He let his T-shirt drop back over the cuts and turned. “Didn’t want Beth to freak out. I mean, whatever it is, it can’t be good, right?”

  I shook my head.

  “So what is it? Some code or something?”

  “It’s a license plate number.”

  Leo’s brow knotted. Not the answer he was expecting.

  “It belonged to my mother’s totaled Honda.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Cora

  In the bathroom, I undressed and kicked my filthy shirt and shorts into the corner of the room. They were heading for the bin. No amount of washing could remove the memory of where those clothes had been.

  Once in the shower, I scrubbed myself raw until I was positive all traces of Groth Maar were gone. Then, eyes closed, forehead pressed against the cool shower tile, I let the scalding water sluice down my back. I tried to empty my mind of what had happened this morning. Impossible. I now had a face to put to Elymas’s name. A face that held the promise of pain, that smiled at the thought of me bleeding—of me dead. I shuddered despite the heat of the water, then tensed.

  Jonas is willing to die for me.

  The shock that had rocked me at his admission was still there. It sat uncomfortably just below my skin, next to the guilt that had surfaced when I couldn’t find it in me to say I’d do the same for him. He’d die for me. That was… God, what on earth did that mean? My heart nudged me with the obvious answer, and I fought for breath. No, it couldn’t be. While reading the journals at the professor’s place, he’d made it clear he’d never go near anything resembling deeper emotion. It simply meant he was taking his sense of responsibility for my involvement in Love’s Mortal Coil too seriously.

  Or maybe not.

  We had a solid friendship, one that had survived a whole year of being apart. Then there was Jonas’s Book of Threads’ page…all those bonds tying us together.

  And he would die for you. Die for you!

  Okay, so based on available evidence, I really needed to consider giving him a chance, giving us a chance. Especially if it meant this nightmare would be over. Maybe even as soon as tonight.

  I stood under the scalding water for a few minutes longer. All the Groth Maar blood was gone. Now I hoped the steady stream infused some courage. Once my skin stopped registering the heat of the shower, I knew it was time to get out.

  In the kitchen, Jonas was bent over the stove frying up ham and eggs. He’d changed into clean clothes, and his freshly washed hair curled invitingly at his nape.

  I forced my eyes away.

  “That smells amazing.” I reached to pull plates from the cupboard and realized we were alone in the kitchen. “Where’s Leo?” Beth was upstairs in the shower, but I didn’t hear any water running in the laundry shower.

  Jonas slid an omelet onto a plate and handed it to me. “He’s around somewhere.” He turned back to the stove and poured more egg mixture into the pan. “Said he wasn’t hungry.”

  He probably didn’t have a taste for any of Jonas’s foul attitude. The guy must have felt awful ab
out what had happened at the mansion. By the set of his jaw at the mention of Leo’s name, Jonas wasn’t going to let him forget his screw-up in a hurry. I’d have to go talk to Leo, tell him it was okay.

  Later. My conversation with Jonas took first priority.

  I looked around; something else was missing. “What did you do with the swords?”

  “Hid them under my bed,” Jonas said over his shoulder. “Not a place Aunt Helena is likely to look.”

  Jonas sat down beside me at the kitchen table. We ate quietly until the uneasy silence grew too heavy to bear.

  Time to get this over with.

  “Did you mean what you said?” I glanced up at him, then back down at my barely touched plate, too much of a coward to hold his gaze while he answered.

  But he remained quiet.

  He has to know what I’m talking about. “Back at the mansion, when you—”

  “Yes.”

  I looked up then. The right side of his face was a patchwork of green and purple. I hardly saw the bruises; I was transfixed by the gray and blue truth in his eyes.

  “Yes, I meant it. This is my fault. If one of us has to pay for it, it’ll be me.”

  Sense of responsibility, then. A dead weight pressed in on my chest. But something stubborn inside me shoved back at it, refusing to give up so easily. It was then I realized… I want this. I swallowed. I want…us.

  I pushed away my uneaten omelet and turned to him. “But…it doesn’t have to come to that.”

  This time it was his gaze that slipped away. He toyed with some egg on his plate. “Meaning?”

  I filled my lungs with air. This is it. “We could…you know…the two of us could—”

  His head snapped up, and instantly my face flamed, the rest of my words reduced to smoke by the smolder in his eyes.

  That was all the confirmation I needed. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. Not so much a kiss as a promise of one. Too soft. Too tentative.

  Too still. He’s too still.