by J. L. Weil
I fought the urge to gag and pinch my nose.
Teenage boys were so gross.
I kicked the frame his bed with the heel of my shoe and crossed my arms, waiting for him to get a clue.
His eyes popped open, big chocolate saucers. “What the hell, Piper!” he yelled. “Get out of here.”
I snorted. “I’d like to see you make me.” Okay, that was a totally childish response, but sometimes I needed to get down to his level for him to hear me.
He ripped the headphones from his ears, bolting upright on the bed. “What gives?” His voice returned to a normal volume. “Did you come to annoy me?”
“Pack your crap,” I said, glancing around the pigsty he lived in. “You’re going home.”
“We’re leaving? But I thought—”
“You thought wrong. Dad is meeting you on the main island in two days to take you home.” And better flipping be there.
“Just me?”
“Yep. For now,” I added. It was probably cruel giving him false hope, because something told me that when I said good-bye to TJ it would be for good. Our worlds were no longer parallel.
“No freaking way. No. Not happening. If you’re staying, then so am I.” His belligerence was anticipated. “Summer is not even over,” he argued.
“Under the circumstances, there’s no reason for you to stay.”
“Good thing you’re not the boss of me.”
“But Dad is,” I countered.
He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout that used to be adorable when he was four. “It’s not fair. You get to stay so you can make out and play tonsil hockey with your boyfriend, and I get sent back to live with Dad.”
Again pangs of guilt hit me. If the roles were reversed, I would be pitching a fit. “I don’t have a boyfriend,” I argued.
He gave me a look that clearly called me a liar. “What I want doesn’t matter, does it?”
I crossed my arms. “Of course it does. Believe it or not, I’m doing this for you.”
“That is such a parental cop-out. When did you become so lame?”
Ouch. He was lashing out and I couldn’t blame him. I would take it as long as it got him off this forsaken island. “Look, TJ, I’m sorry,” I murmured, genuine regret in my voice. “But I’ve got to stay and take care of a few things. Don’t you want to see your friends?” I asked, hoping to give him something to look forward to.
His puppy eyes brightened a bit. “But you’re coming home?” he asked, scooting to the end of his bed so his legs swung over.
I chewed on my lip, trying to find a clean spot to stand. This was the hard part. I had no idea when I would go home again…if ever. Loose wisps of hair tickled the back of my neck as I nodded.
Liar. Liar. Liar.
My subconscious could be such a downer.
“Whatever,” he said sarcastically. “It’s not like I ever get a say in anything about my life.” He stuck his earbuds back in, flopped down on the bed, and went back to ignoring me.
“Glad we had this talk,” I mumbled, venturing over the scattered filthy clothes, a skateboard, and empty bottles of Gatorade to make my way to the door. At least he was staying hydrated while he holed away in his room.
Two days, I told myself. He would be safe and off this island of death.
What could happen in two days?
Chapter 7
Because I had nothing better to do on a Saturday night, I flounced around my room, gathering all the discarded dirty clothes. I needed to do some monotonous work, like laundry. With my earbuds in, pumping classic eighties rock, I padded down the hall in my socks and dumped a load into the washer. Since I was already on a roll, why stop at laundry?
Why not make a night of it?
Woo-hoo. Domestic party at the manor. Come one; come all. And don’t forget to bring the disinfectant wipes. If Parker could see the club-hopping, angry-at-the-world girl now…he would think I was on drugs.
Breaking out the Windex and Endust, I started to go to work on my room, leaving no spot untouched, all the while singing completely off-key. “Love is like a bomb, baby, c’mon get it on. Livin’ like a lover with lah lah phone…”
Who actually knew all lyrics word for word? I might not, but when it came to classic rock, I fully committed. Using the bottle of glass cleaner as an imaginary mic, I slid across the floor in my best Tom Cruise Risky Business move. I killed it. “Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love. Pour some sugar on me, c’mon fire me up.”
Warmth spread down my neck. Man, it’s hot in here. Tugging my oversized T-shirt over my head, I spun around in nothing but my bra and locked eyes on Zane.
A shrieked rose up my throat and echoed over the room.
“Don’t stop on my account. You were on a roll,” he said in a deep, amused timber.
My foot slipped on the newly polished hardwood, and my butt cheeks smacked the floor. “Holy hell,” I said, clutching my shirt to my chest. “Are you trying to kill me?”
“Did you just break your butt?”
“No, but I’d like to break yours,” I growled.
Leaning a hip against the wall, his eyes twinkled. “That was quite… I’m not sure what it was, but I don’t think I will ever get it out of my head, although my ears are still ringing.”
I wished I had something else in my hand other than my T-shirt to throw at his head. “Hardy har har. Are you going to help me up or just laugh at me all day?”
He pushed off the wall and lent me a hand. Without hesitating, I placed my hand in his. Electricity shimmered down my arm. There was no denying the attraction, and when I was staring at him, I didn’t care if it was our souls or something more—the pull wasn’t going to let either of us go. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could resist, especially if he kept looking at me like that.
“Nice getup.” His eyes swept down my body. He took a step forward, putting me in the same breathing space as him.
A flush crept over my body, not missing a single part. I glanced down and hissed, completely forgetting I was standing in front of Zane half naked. Heat stained my cheeks and my head snapped up. “I hate you.”
The tips of his fingers airily trailed up my arm. “We both know that’s a lie.”
I smacked his hand away. “And if it is…what are you going to do about it?” I was challenging him. I knew it. He knew it.
Zane didn’t disappoint.
The smugness stretched across his face. He reached out, pulling me up against his chest. “Is this what you had in mind?”
We didn’t have the luxury to explore what could bloom between us—if we were even a possibility. Yes, the physical attraction was explosive, but it took a whole lot more than desire to make a relationship work. Outside the bedroom, I wasn’t sure Zane and I could function. I spent as much time thinking about ways to hurt him as I did ways to get him alone.
Fire snapped in my eyes. Visions of me leaping into his arms and Zane kissing me senseless danced in my head. “Not quite,” I murmured.
“How about this?”
I tried to ignore the cool fingers sliding over my ribs, leaving behind a blissed numbness. My eyes were drawn to his lips. “I never would have taken you for a tease.” I tried pulling back, but his hands were suddenly secured at my hips, keeping me from putting even an inch of space between us.
Wowzers. He smelled so good, like a mix of frost and the ocean breeze. My heartbeat sped, thudding in my ears.
One of his hands slid to the small of my back, and a spark ignited at the touch of skin against skin. His heartbeat quickened with mine. “What makes you think I’m teasing?”
Because he still hadn’t kissed me yet. I raised a brow, outwardly calmer than my insides. “I don’t know. Why do you keep touching me?”
“I want to, even though I shouldn’t.” His warm breath stroked my chin.
I swayed toward him, my skin trembling under his touch. Not a good sign. What I should have done for both our safety was stomp on his foot and demand he get
out. My heart and body overrode my rational mind. “What are we going to do about it?” I asked.
His head dipped and our lips met. My shirt slipped through my grasp, falling to the floor as my mind clicked off. What did I need clothes for? All the closer I could get to his mind-blowing abs.
Our chests touched, and suddenly I was kissing him as if we were going to become one soul. I no longer cared if he answered the question, only that he was making me feel all the feels. Oh God, I sank into his lips, tasting the increasing seduction that sparked raptly.
His fingers pressed against my back, pulling me closer to him and changing angles. I was lost. Floating in a space where sensation overruled, blurring the mind and enchanting the body. I surrendered to the sensations he drew inside me, giving myself absolutely to his lips conquering mine.
The softly lit bedroom transformed. Gray shadows silvered at the edges with moonlight. Every tender touch, each deep kiss reached my singing soul. I could only imagine he felt the same. His arms wrapped around me, cool and comforting—a herald of safety. I drew in a death breath, letting the dark scent of him surround me.
“We can’t do this, Piper,” he whispered, grazing his lips along my throat, lacing conviction.
“Yes, we can,” I muttered, covering my mouth with his in another kiss. “If you stop kissing me, so help me, Zane, I’ll assassinate you.” I scraped my teeth over his lower lip, in case he got any ideas, but his willpower surpassed mine.
He pulled back slightly, and I could see a war waging behind his eyes. It only took seconds to realize it was a battle neither of us would win. A range of emotions surged through me. Frustration. Shame. Need. Guilt. Anger. Yet overpowering them all was the fear he would let me go.
Zane straightened, coming to his full height. A muscle popped out at his jaw as he tried to gain control of his emotions. That made two of us. As long as we were touching, it became increasingly difficult. His hands dropped from my waist and he looked away, dragging his fingers through his hair. “This can never happen again. I can’t—”
Regret eeked inside me. As much as I wanted to hate him, I couldn’t. I understood, but it didn’t stop the swell of anger. I had to take all this hurt out on someone. “You’ve said that before.” Practically every time we’d kissed. It was getting old.
“I know. And I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you, and if we keep doing this, it will only cause you more pain.”
I hit him with a dirty look. “This connection between us sucks. I didn’t ask for this.”
“It’s not something that can be turned off, Piper.” He picked up my shirt from the ground and tossed it to me. “You should put this on.”
I caught the shirt and roughly pulled it over my head. “Whatever. We’ll pretend this never happened. I’m going to blame it on the aftereffects of Rose’s death. Obviously, I’m not in the right state of mind.” My hands became animated. “In fact, you should stop showing up in my room whenever you get an itch.”
His brows pulled together. “Look, I’m not saying we can’t be friends, because we’re going to be family whether we like it or not. And I made a vow of duty. No matter what, I’ll be in your life.”
The vow.
I’d almost forgotten about that. The sworn bond that allowed him to sense when I was in danger. How many different ways could Zane and I intertwine our lives? All but the one I actually wanted.
“And what if I don’t want you in my life? What if it’s too hard?” I started to turn around, but before I could take a step, he was in front of me. I swore he did that to get under my skin.
Zane’s eyes flashed. “You’re a terrible liar.”
“And you’re a terrible friend.”
“I deserve that. But it doesn’t change the fact that you do want me.”
Taking a deep breath, I struggled with my temper. Anger was the only outlet to release the flare-up of hormones he enticed. One minute he was telling me to stay away, and the next he was kissing my brains to mush. “Why are you here? Or did you just come to torment me?”
His blue eyes were bright as he stared at me. “You make it seem like I take sick pleasure in hurting you.”
I raised a brow. “Don’t you?”
He snorted. “Hardly. You’re not the only one who suffers. We just deal with it differently. I can admit that I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. You’re beautiful. But…your safety comes before my wants.”
My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Hearing him admit that he wanted me took my breath away. Yes, I felt it, but hearing the words had an entirely different effect on my body. I swallowed. “What about what I want? Doesn’t that count for something?”
He grinned. “I thought you didn’t want me.”
I rolled my eyes. “If we’re going to keep things in the friend zone, you have to stop doing that.”
His cool breath washed over my heated face. “What?” he replied, feigning ignorance.
It wasn’t cute. “I don’t know. Whatever this is you keep doing. Flirting with me. Giving me those looks. Touching me.”
“It’s a lot harder than it sounds,” he murmured in all seriousness.
Eventually, something was going to have to give. We were either going to have to admit what was brewing between us or stop seeing each other, because I wasn’t positive how much of the yo-yoing I could handle. Looking at him, my heart toppled and I didn’t see how we could be only friends. The feelings I had for Zane were deepening by the day—the hour—by the minute.
“You never told me why you came,” I said, changing the topic before my lips decided to go back for seconds…and thirds.
He backed up a few steps, giving us both air to breathe. “Tomorrow your training begins. I wanted you to understand what will be expected of you and how we’re going to avoid merging our souls.”
“Can’t wait,” I grumbled, walking to the double doors and stepping outside. The summer’s night air was what I needed to clear the last remnants of Zane from my head. I lifted my face, letting the silvery moonbeams wash over me. “What’s the plan, teach?”
He stood beside me on the balcony, overlooking the gardens. “We’ll be around other reapers who are training and sharpening their skills. As long as we make sure you combat against them, we should be okay.”
“But not you?” I asked, turning my head slightly toward him.
He looked dangerous under the moonlight. “No. I will be there to instruct you, guide you, but using our abilities at the same time could expose the link between our souls.”
And for reapers, it was all about the soul. It might have sounded like a piece of cake, but I learned that the easier something appeared, the more difficult it actually was. “Right. That would be disastrous. Why?”
“In the eyes of all the sectors, you’re engaged to Zander. We must not do anything to entice doubt of your commitment to him.”
I hadn’t even come to terms with it. Here was to hoping those acting skills I learned in sixth grade drama class would come in handy. “And you think we can do this?” His confidence would put my rising anxiety to rest.
“I believe in you.”
That made one of us. “Won’t people think it’s strange that I’m suddenly training?”
“Not at all. It’s expected of you. You’re the next White Raven. It’s stranger that you haven’t been training since birth.” Zane’s eyes flitted to the shadows seeping among the gardens below. “Time is essential. Like most secrets, they become exposed. It is only a matter of time before the sectors learn of Rose’s death. Already there are whispers.”
I was screwed.
“When you say combat, are you talking Jackie Chan?” I couldn’t see myself as a fist fighter. I was more a hair puller.
“You have got to learn both offensive and defensive moves if you are going to battle against hallows. They aren’t bound by the same laws of nature humans are. You need to learn to be faster, smarter, and lethal.”
“In case you haven’t no
ticed, I’m not a ninja.”
He grinned. “Not yet, Princess.”
Grand.
Like twilight, a serene silence descended between us. I have no idea how long we stood, leaning on the banisters, our arms brushed up against each other. An hour? Two? It didn’t matter, because I felt an internal harmony I’d been missing my entire life. And here it was beside me in a six foot two, darky and dreamy form. Moonbeams framed my face as I glanced over at Zane. Where I attracted light, he was all darkness. Shadows congregated around him, swathing him in midnight.
“It’s late.” His voice broke the stillness, a trickle of his accent sneaking through. “I should go.”
I nodded, because I was afraid if I opened my mouth, I would ask him to stay. And even more afraid he would say yes.
As he turned to leave, a thought occurred to me. “Hey, what is the origin of your accent? I can’t figure it out and it’s driving me bonkers.”
His poetic lips curved at the corners. “Is it now?”
I didn’t know if I liked the troublesome look that flashed in his eyes, but my blood started to resonate. Then he was gone, leaving me wondering. Damn him.
Friends my butt.
Chapter 8
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. My alarm went off announcing my day of training perdition was about to commence. After a quick change of clothes and a trip to the bathroom, I jumped into my Jeep and headed to the Black Crow. Standing outside the seaside country club, I bit my lip, contemplating going home to binge watch Netflix with TJ.
Since telling TJ he was leaving Raven Hallow, he pretty much gave me a wide berth, grunting at me if we passed in the hall. I think we were both avoiding each other. I had my reasons, and I could only assume he was still pissed at me.
I shifted on my feet, squinting at the sun as I stared at the gray, weathered boards of the barn-like building. The Black Crow sign swung with the wind, its metal links squeaking as it moved back and forth. There was a distinct scent of salt in the air, and if I inhaled deeply enough, I could get a whiff of the freshly baked muffins from the bakery.
