by Box Set
Except the guy with the dark blue eyes watching me with a quiet intensity that made my knees weak.
"Are you okay driving to the hospital?" I asked Alec because he stood there with his keys in his hand, looking like he couldn't decide whether to make a break for it or humor the little girl who couldn't possibly be tough enough to defend him. "I'll call my mom and see if she's ever encountered this before."
"Holy hell." Alec groaned, shaking his head. "Your mom. She's the same thing you are. There's no probation officer. That's why she couldn't ever talk about it."
"Now wait." I grabbed my jacket and my purse, sliding my feet into shoes. In all the times I'd hoped to run into Alec, I'd always looked really good, so he'd see me and think about how stupid he was for letting me go, and I would, of course, be prettier than his new girlfriend. It was disappointing that he saw me now, wet and tangled and battered and bruised in Bryson's sweat shirt and yoga pants. But it was a little late and not really appropriate to yell, "Wait! I need to put makeup on!"
So instead I followed him outside. "We are probation officers. Just... probation officers for lost souls. We give them a chance at redemption if they fight alongside us." I paused in the doorway, looking for Elizabeth. Ghost Bryson stayed so close I could feel the coldness emanating from him. He loomed nervously, watching every movement like an overly observant hawk. I didn't blame him, though.
I, also, watched every movement like an overly observant hawk. It was my job, but I’m ashamed to say that I was only watching Alec’s movements. I was hyper aware of everything he did, and my heart felt like it was trying to leap through my chest to him.
But I had one secret weapon. Pain. I hurt so much and I'd cried so much that going anywhere near Alec was too painful to even consider. It was like chocolate. If you ate so much that it made you sick every time you had a bite, you eventually stayed away from it—no matter how much you loved it.
"Where is your army?" Alec asked, inching out the door, looking around warily. "And their weapons?"
"They're only released from their cells when the moon rises. My powers and my soul blades also appear when the moon rises."
"Then how do you fight demons during the day?"
I snuck glances at him through my eyelashes while he wasn't looking, so desperate to memorize every detail before he was gone again that I'd resorted to ninja-like tactics. I was pathetic.
And he was so beautiful.
His black t-shirt hugged his biceps and his chest. He had a hat on, pulled low over his eyes like it could protect him, but it didn't. I could still see that being with me hurt him as much as it hurt me.
"Navi?" he asked, and I realized belatedly that he had asked me a question.
"Oh. Yeah, demons can't come out during the day, either. The sea witch can, but only if she's taken enough souls to make a shell for herself. And her doorway only opens by moonlight."
"Sea witch?" Alec sounded slightly strangled.
I nodded gravely as he opened the door to his truck for me and I tried not to remember the last time he'd opened the door to his truck for me. "She's bad. She killed my grandmother."
"I have so many questions," he murmured as he slammed the door and went to his side. Bryson appeared, mostly sitting on top of me, but I couldn't feel anything but cold.
"If the ghosts go away during the day, how is Bryson here? Or the one inside?"
"Bryson is in limbo. He doesn't belong to Death, so he can come and go as he pleases, except that he's tied to a certain area. That’s why places are haunted, you know? Like cemeteries or homes or hotels."
"Well he showed up at his home. So..."
"Oh." Bryson looked up as I frowned. "We thought you were out of town this weekend." I hurried to change the subject because thinking of Alec with his new girlfriend sent shards of pain through my stomach. "Elizabeth was a lost soul. She fought with me and earned her freedom, but she chose to stay instead of moving on. So she can come and go as she pleases like Bryson can, but she isn’t tied to anywhere."
Alec shook his head, but I didn't miss the glare he threw at Bryson. And I wasn't exactly in a position to ask about it. What fun.
But of everything, Bryson's lies were the least of my worries. I rolled down the window as Alec backed out of the parking stall. "Elizabeth. Be wary. We have twelve hours before the sun goes down. If the asuwangs show up... we'll just have to be ready to run.
Chapter 43
Alec
I wanted to know where they thought I went every weekend. The look they’d shared… surprised, maybe hopeful, on Navi’s part. Or I could be reading in the hopeful thing. I don’t know, and it wasn’t something I could ask about now. We were sort of in a crisis, and besides that, she was on the phone. So I glared at Bryson until he looked away, and then I focused on the road.
"Hey mama. I need your help."
Navi's voice slid over my senses, soothing and tearing all at once. I was still in love with her. All this time, all the work, all the alcohol, all my mama’s cooking—everything I'd done to get over her. And I was still in love with her.
There was hope, though. She wasn’t with Bryson like I’d assumed.
Wow, Konstanz and Bryson. Crazy.
Oh, and back at her apartment, I'd seen the look on her face when she'd realized I was in trouble. She might not want to, but she still cared. And she was stuck with me for who knew how long. Maybe she would forgive me.
But I remembered what Konstanz said. We were too intense. I caused her too much pain, even when I was trying to love her. And I didn't want to hurt her anymore. Stay away from her, Alec.
"No, he's not dead but his soul..." she paused, listening. Bryson leaned closer, his head almost against hers, and she twisted toward him, just a bit, so he could hear better. And it killed me.
"No, I haven't ever seen something like this." She sat quietly. I could hear her mom's voice, this woman who I thought was a tiny probation officer her entire life and she was really a demon hunter who recruited ghosts to help her. But I couldn't make out any words.
"I killed it. But two got away." She bit her lip, drawing my eyes to that mouth I'd been dreaming about every waking moment for two months, "No, or it would have freed him." She nodded. "Is that possible?"
She tipped the phone away from her ear. "Did they take any part of your soul?"
Bryson’s eyes widened in horror. "I don’t know. How do I tell?"
"Because you feel like part of you is missing. Like... like when you lose someone you love."
And her eyes landed on me.
She flushed and looked away. "It feels like that."
"Oh." Bryson examined his arms and chest. "I don’t see anything missing. I don’t... I don’t think I feel anything wrong. Besides the fact that I’m, ya know, a freaking ghost."
Navi’s eyes that had the power to scald my very blood with just one glance my way, now went up and down Bryson’s body, taking in every inch. And I had the sudden, overwhelming desire to shove him out of my truck. If I could figure out how. Was it even possible to shove a ghost?
All in all, I think I was taking the sudden knowledge that not only do ghosts exist, but also that my roommate was one, rather well.
She went back to her phone. "I don’t think I see anything missing but it’s hard to see… Okay. I just thought I'd check with you. Umm, no. Alec? He's here right now. Yeah, Bryson opened his eyes." She glanced at me again, worry creasing her forehead. "Yeah, I'll protect him."
Awesome. She was half my size and pretending she hated me—and she was supposed to protect me from demonic hunters.
I'd feel better if she didn't look so resigned about the whole thing.
Chapter 44
Bryson's body looked exactly the same as it did when I left a lifetime ago. Still alive. Still unconscious. Konstanz sat by his bed, holding his hand and barely glanced at us when we came in. She looked worried sick.
"Oh, hello again," Jasmyn the nurse said as she breezed out just as we came in. "We haven't ha
d a change in condition, but we're bringing in a specialist in the morning." She looked at Navi, standing close behind me. "Are you his sister?"
I wasn't sure which "his" she was referring to, but I spoke before she could. "This is his girlfriend’s roommate." The words felt like heaven leaping from my lips.
"Ask her why I can't wake up," Bryson said, hovering over his body like any stereotypical ghost might do.
"She won't know," Navi hissed under her breath.
Jasmyn gave her an odd look before patting her cheek. "Don't worry, hon. I'm sure he'll be fine. We've got some of the greatest minds in the world collaborating on this."
Navi turned wide eyes on me, as if playing along hadn't even occurred to her. I came to the rescue, because I'm cool like that. "I'm sure you do. We appreciate it."
"You are such a sweet friends to be here for him right now." Jasmyn motioned between Navi and I with that same sympathetic sparkle in her eye. Turning to Konstanz, she said, "And what a supportive little girlfriend. This must be so hard on you."
I shrugged, because I wouldn't be here at all if it wasn't for Navi. "He's my roommate."
The nurse smiled. "Of course." And then she was gone, bustling out, shoving notes in her pocket.
"While you’re here I’m gonna run grab a drink. I’ll be right back." Konstanz edged past us, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Bryson," Navi moved closer to his body, away from me like I didn't have ten thousand questions suddenly berating my brain. "Put your hand here. See if the strength of your heart will pull you in." She leaned low over him, so close I could imagine the heat of her body against his. This, this being with her constantly while she was with him, it hurt. A lot.
Bryson's hand past through her shoulder to his heart, and I held my breath. But nothing happened. Bryson didn't get sucked back in or whatever I'd been expecting. His ghost face fell in defeat. "I really thought you’d be able to save me," he said quietly.
Navi watched him. "I’m sorry, Bryson. But I’m not giving up. We’ll figure out how to save you." There wasn’t much hope in Bryson’s eyes. Navi swallowed hard, like maybe she was fighting tears. "Hey. On the bright side, you're very powerful for a new spirit. It took Elizabeth months before she could manipulate air currents. And you're still here in the daylight. That takes strength, too."
Awesome. Not only did he get to spend all his alive time with her, but he was impressive when he was mostly dead, too. Any hope I had of changing her mind about me was slipping through my fingers. No. No, we're staying away from her, remember? We can't hurt her again. And... I seemed to be talking to my heart. Perfect.
"There's nothing left for us to do here. I need to get some rest so I can go see Death tonight. Can you take us back to your house?" She finally looked at me. I'd noticed she didn't unless she absolutely had to.
"Should we try again? Maybe try something else? I don’t want to just leave me here. Or maybe we should go to your house? Isn’t it safer there?" Bryson paced around his body, sometimes walking, sometimes floating. It was creepy, really. Navi, however, didn't seem to notice. Maybe because she hung out with ghosts on a regular basis. "What about Konstanz?"
"You can't be at my house, Bryson, or stay here. We run the risk of you opening Konstanz’s eyes, and I will not make anyone else a target. We'll have to stay at your house until we get this figured out." Navi slung her purse over her shoulder and marched out. Apparently I didn't have a say in the matter. Not that I'd protest. Navi in my house for an indefinite amount of time?
Yeah, no complaints here.
I did wish I could get rid of Bryson so I could talk to her, though. I had some things I wanted clarification on. And, if it was as I suspected, I had some serious apologizing to do.
"I won't open their eyes. I'll stay in your room."
"I share that room with Konstanz, Bryson." Navi hurried down the hall, eyes constantly scanning everything around us. I stayed close by so she didn't look like she was talking to herself. "You know that."
Damn. I hated it when she reminded him that he'd been in her room. I wondered what exactly had happened between them before Bryson realized it was actually her roommate he was in love with.
The wondering hurt.
"Anyway, if you're in the house, they'll sense you. And I doubt very much you'd be happy hanging around outside with Elizabeth."
Bryson scowled. Without another word, he faded away.
"Where'd he go?" I asked, turning in a circle without slowing because Navi didn't even pause.
"He's upset. It’s a lot to deal with. He'll be back."
"Okay well while he's gone, I have questions." Suddenly my palms were sweaty and my throat convulsed. I felt like when we were freshman and I'd been trying to work up the courage to ask her out.
"Of course you do." She sighed and glanced over at me, slowing her pace. "This is a lot to take in for you, too. I'm so sorry it's been thrust on you like this. I tried... I tried to protect you."
I nodded, overeager, like a puppy. How pathetic was I? "I know. I know you did. I just need to know." I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a stop. She slid closer to me, almost as if her body had a will of its own. Then her chin came up and she pulled away. "Those times I thought you were with someone else...?" I didn't know how to finish that sentence.
Luckily, she didn't make me. "I was killing demons." Jerking her wrist free, she spun on her heel and stalked away. I watched her go, feeling like I'd just been shattered under the weight of my own stupidity.
Chapter 45
Navi
Being so close to him was going to kill me. It absolutely, positively was going to kill me dead. My nerves were frayed. I couldn't think straight. Every single cell of my body screamed to be closer to him, and sometimes my brain lost control and let them. He'd hurt me.
Remember, heart? Remember how we've been completely demolished the past two months without him? Remember how we tried for four freaking years to forget him and failed? Remember how after two days he had the power to crush us?
Yes, let's remember that.
But he was in a ton of danger and no matter how much it hurt me and my heart, I had to protect him. Because losing him completely would hurt me so much more. At least now, I couldn't have him but he was still here. In this world. And the world wasn't quite so dark because he was in it.
But dang it! I was tired of hurting! I wanted the pain in my chest to stop for a while. Was that really too much to ask? Couldn't someone just invent a potion so I could forget he ever existed?
Well no. No, that wouldn't work. If I forgot he existed, I'd probably fail at keeping him alive, wouldn't I?
As we got in the truck, Bryson settled on my lap, I tried for a conversational tone—at least as conversational as one could get when discussing demons coming after one's soul. "So, you're in more danger today than you would be most days."
Bad start, clearly, by the way Alec's face whitened and his eyes widened in horror. I thought I should probably drive, given his current mental state. "No, listen, it's okay. See, the asuwangs—the demons that will hunt you—they only come out at night. That's when I have, like, super powers and big tough swords and an army and I can kill them." I nodded, trying to look encouraging.
He didn't buy it. "Then why am I in trouble today?"
I bit my lip, twisting my fingers in my hands. "Well... they've been super aggressive lately, and last night three of them got away from me. Once they make it up the beach, they hide from me until daylight, when they shift into human form or animal form or, ya know, something normal. Which, of course, makes them even harder to find, until the moon rises and they're forced back into their natural form."
"So there are three of these things out there that are after me?" He glanced at me as he drove, somewhat erratically, through the streets to his apartment.
"No, only two. One—the one I'm thinking got Bryson" — I glanced apologetically at the ghost on my lap—"I caught that one and killed it just as it was shifting. And I'll catch the
other two tonight." Unless there was another attack. I couldn't be in two places at once and my army was stretched thin. Even with my new recruits, we were going down fast.
Chapter 46
"You can sleep in my bed," Bryson said, appearing in front of me as I followed Alec into the apartment.
I glanced uncomfortably at Alec. This might be awkward. "I have to sleep where he sleeps."
Alec stopped so suddenly I ran into the back of him. "What?" he gasped.
I stumbled backward and tried not to notice the way every inch of skin that had just touched him felt like it was on fire. "I can't... I can't protect you if they find you and I'm in Bryson's room. I probably wouldn't even hear them."
Alec turned slowly, running a hand over his face. He had stubble along his jaw and he looked rough and... dang it. He looked sexy. That was all there was to it. Especially as he peered at me through his fingers. "You have to sleep in the same room as me?"
"Are you sure that’s a good idea, Navi? What about… everything?" Bryson whispered, as if Alec, who was standing right next to me, could somehow not hear him. "I don’t think it’s a good idea at all."
I ignored him. I had to. If I didn’t, I’d be forced to admit he was right—me and Alec in that same room—it had memories. And intimacy. But I had to keep them safe.
"I'm sorry, Alec."
"Navi, no offense, but you're, like, half my size. You said you don't have super powers until the moon rises, so what, exactly, are you going to do to protect me?"
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "I might be half your size and weigh less than you do, but I've been fighting demons for over ten freaking years, Alec. If one attacks, I can fight it off, super powers or no."
