by Wendy Knight
CHAPTER NINE
Alec
I watched her. I'd pretty much just bared my soul, and she hadn't run screaming. Instead, she ate like I'd starved her half to death. There was hope. Maybe, just maybe, she felt the same way I did.
For those fifteen minutes it'd taken to get from the Chicken Coop to here, I'd thought I had lost her. I didn't even have her yet and I thought I'd lost her. The panic in those minutes had nearly driven me over the edge. How could I be so afraid of losing something I hadn't even realized I desperately wanted until less than twenty-four hours ago?
"Whatcha thinkin', stranger?" she asked, looking up at me with those dark, dark eyes. I was caught and falling, drowning in her gaze—it was becoming a habit every time I looked at her. Her lips quirked in that teasing grin I wanted to kiss right off her mouth.
"I'm thinking…" I'm thinking I'm falling hard and fast and it scares the hell out of me. But letting you go scares me worse.
She raised an eyebrow when I didn't continue. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were as tired as I am." And she yawned.
She was the only person I knew who was adorable when she yawned. She sort of squeaked at the end, like a little mouse.
"You need to rest." I tried not to be disappointed. She had, after all, only gotten two hours of sleep but I'd been hoping I was entertaining enough that she'd forget how exhausted she was.
She shrugged. "Work takes a lot out of me."
"What happened last night?" I asked. I knew her mom had been a probation officer, but Navi was tiny and sweet. I couldn't picture her ordering around reformed criminals any more than I could picture Bryson actually working a real job.
"There was just a minor… skirmish. Nothing major but it took quite a while." She traced the seam on her yoga pants with her finger, shaking her head. "I'm worried about some of my charges. I think they're losing interest in saving their souls." She flushed and jerked her head up, like she'd said something wrong. I hadn't really ever thought about parolees as being in danger of losing their souls, but then I hadn't met a lot of them, either.
"I'm sorry." It sounded lame, but I honestly couldn't think of anything else to say.
She smiled and shook her head, scooting closer to me. My heart tried to claw its way right out of my throat. "I'm sorry I'm so tired for our first date in four years."
"Hey. Come here." I slid my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into me, sliding down and bunching up the quilt until it made a nice little pillow behind me. I hadn't gotten a whole lot of sleep the night before, either. I could nap.
She curled against me, her leg sliding up to lay across my thigh and she put her head on my chest. Yeah. There was not a chance in hell I was going to sleep at all. "Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked, tipping her head back to look up at me.
I kissed her forehead. "No. I definitely do not mind."
She sighed contentedly and burrowed against me, and I was absolutely positive my blood was humming. With her head against my chest, I knew she could hear my heart pounding. Any chance of playing it cool was completely gone. Instead I tangled my fingers in the silk of her hair, sliding it against my skin. I watched the sky above us through the thick leaves and stroked my other hand up and down her back until her breathing evened out and she relaxed against me.
This. This was heaven.
I could tell the second she woke up because in the two hours that she'd been sleeping on my chest, I'd memorized her heartbeat. I could feel it against my side, and when she woke, it sped up. Quite a bit.
I grinned triumphantly. I wasn't the only one having trouble playing it cool.
She stretched, and in those few delicious seconds I could feel every curve of her against me. "How long have I been keeping you trapped here?" she asked, pushing herself up. The absence of her warmth felt like someone attacking my soul with shards of ice. I wanted her back.
"Not long enough," "I said. I crossed my arms behind my head and raised an eyebrow at her. She flushed and bit her lip. If she had any idea just how insane I went when she did that, she'd stop doing it. Or maybe she knew already and she was tempting me.
One could only hope.
"I forgot how beautiful it is here." Clearly, an attempt to change the subject. I didn't fight it, instead following her gaze to the river. She'd always loved the water. I shoved myself up and climbed out of the back of the truck, a little stiff because lying on the rough bed for two hours, even with the comforter, was uncomfortable.
But it had been worth it.
She started after me, her shoes still in the truck. "Hop on," I said. She didn't hesitate, sliding from the truck onto my back. I carried her over to the water and slowly let her down in the soft mud. She rolled her pants up to her knees and I drank up the sight of her tan, slender legs like they alone could save me. Did the girl have no flaws?
"I like the water," she murmured, almost as if she'd forgotten I was there. She waded deeper, dancing lightly over rocks worn smooth from countless years in this current. She'd always played sports when I knew her, especially football, but she moved with the grace of a ballerina. My mom had thought she was some sort of fairy princess in another life.
"Can I ask you a question?" She paused and looked over her shoulder at me through thick lashes. Her cheeks were flushed and I could tell that whatever was coming made her uncomfortable.
"Yep." Because honestly, what else could I say?
She turned to face me, twisting her hands in front of her and nibbling on her lip. Apparently she wanted to drive me straight to the brink of insanity. "In your room last night—"
I grinned and her cheeks went even brighter. "That's not what I meant…"
"Sorry." I tried to rearrange my face into a solemn expression, but must have failed, judging by the look she gave me.
"There was a picture…"
Holy crap. She'd seen her picture? I thought—I was sure I'd put it back in the drawer. Well this was awkward. Telling her I'd never gotten over her was one thing. Having her picture in my nightstand after all these years bordered on obsessed. "I can explain."
"Is he—is he yours?"
"It's just that—what?" He? Suddenly I had no idea what we were talking about.
"The picture of the little boy in your room. Is he yours?"
Finally, it all clicked into place and I burst out laughing. "No, Angel. No."
"Oh. I just wondered. Not that I have anything against kids, but, you know, if I agree to this girlfriend stuff I need to know—" She stopped, biting her lip.
In two short strides I crossed the river to her stride. I couldn't handle it anymore, her nibbling on that pink lip, pouting, tempting me beyond all sense of reason. I slid my hand up to cup her cheek and lowered my head to hers.
It was like coming home. The soft sweetness of her mouth against mine, the gasp against my lips as her entire body tensed. Then she sighed against me and slid her arms around my neck, twining her hands behind my head and pulling me closer.
I was only too happy to do her bidding.
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this," I said against her mouth.
"I might." Navi sighed as I slid my tongue across her bottom lip, reveling in the feel of her against me. She sucked in a breath.
I wanted her. More than I'd ever wanted anyone. But I couldn't let that happen, not yet. I didn't want to ruin this—I needed her too bad. Instead I scooped her into my arms and carried her back to my truck. I laid her down and stretched out next to her, leaning up on one arm so I could brush her dark hair back away from her face while she watched me.
"Who is he?" she asked suddenly, her voice breathy and shaking just a little.
"He?" For the life of me, I could not figure out who we were talking about.
"The boy in the picture. In your room."
I reached out and traced her lips with my finger, then trailed across her jaw line and down her throat, memorizing every detail, every freckle, every scar. There were a lot of them, I realized w
ith a frown. Lots of little scars across her face, and a bigger one on her neck, usually hidden in her hair.
"Alec?" she asked, searching my eyes. Belatedly, I realized she was worried about this picture. Seriously, I needed to focus.
"He's my little brother, Jack. Remember, I told you about him last night?"
"Your brother." She let her breath out in a relieved whoosh, her eyes fluttering closed. "Of course."
"My parents were lonely. I grew up too fast or something." I leaned forward and kissed her again, gently, my fingers tangling in her hair. I could do this for the rest of the day. For the rest of my life. Just stay here with this girl under this sky.
CHAPTER TEN
Navi
The sun had set over an hour ago, and I had no desire to move out of Alec's arms. We'd covered four years worth of memories in one afternoon, and it still didn't feel like enough. I needed more, even as the little buzzing voice in the back of my head kept saying, don't let him hurt you. Don't let him hurt you.
He wouldn't hurt me. He'd said losing me was the worst mistake he'd ever made. You didn't say something like that and then turn around and break someone's heart.
Right?
I lay on his chest, listening to his heart beat while his hand slowly stroked up and down my spine, sending delicious shivers racing across my skin. "You know, I went to Alaska once. Looking for you. But I got there and had no idea where to even start searching. I came back empty handed."
My eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? You came all the way up there looking for me?"
He chuckled softly. "I told you I never got over you. Sometimes I'd miss you so much I did crazy things."
Yeah. That I understood.
I still love you. After all this time. I could tell him…
"I only had a couple of weeks, though. I had to get back home. Responsibilities." His voice dropped so I had to strain to hear him. "It killed me leaving there without you."
"When?" I asked, leaning up so I could see him. "When did you come?"
He watched his hand as it trailed over the tattoo on my wrist. "Two years ago."
Two years ago. If he'd actually found me two years ago, that would have been two years less of the torture I'd been going through trying so desperately to forget him. The waste of time made me feel a little sick. "What did you do after that?"
His smile turned rueful. "Don't hate me."
"I couldn't possibly."
"I dated. A lot. Went through a lot of girls trying to forget you." His fingers stilled against my wrist and I wondered if he could feel the way he made my pulse jump. "Jealous?" His dark blue eyes danced as a grin played around his lips. He pulled me back down onto his chest, so our faces were only an inch apart.
"Maybe a little," I whispered.
"I'm yours now, Navi. Just say the word."
Behind me, beyond the bed of the truck, someone cleared her throat.
With a strangled screech, I sat up and whirled around. "Elizabeth," I gasped.
"Who?" Alec frowned, also sitting up, but more slowly, which was wise on his part. I was still slightly light-headed from moving so quickly.
"They come, Navi."
As much as I was loathe to leave Alec, I had a job to do. People to protect. Souls to save. I nodded and dug my phone out of my pocket, pretending to check a text message. "I have to go to work."
"Now?" Alec asked, squinting up at the sky.
Yes, it was probably close to midnight. It couldn't be helped.
I nodded. I could run faster than his truck could drive, but leaping out and taking off would be a little hard to explain. Instead, I pulled him out of the bed, wadding up the quilt and tossing it in the back before he could even get his bearings. "I'll be there as soon as I can," I said to Elizabeth when he went to open my door. She nodded, regret in her eyes. Elizabeth, more than anyone, knew how hard I'd fought to get over Alec. And so she would understand how much I wanted to stay with him. Her regret was for me, and I loved her for it.
"If you could just drop me off at Vine and Center Street, that would be great." I clambered up into the truck and gave him my sweetest smile.
"Drop you off alone on the edge of town? Are you serious? What about when you want to get home?"
Oh shoot. I hadn't thought of that. Life would be so much easier if I could just tell him—except for, you know, the mortal danger I'd be putting him in and everything. I really didn't like to lie, but desperate times and all that. "I'll catch a ride home with one of my friends. It's fine."
He gave me an odd look before shutting my door and going around to his side. He swung smoothly into the cab. "You're sure about this? Do you even have a weapon?"
Oh yes. I couldn't tell him that, though. "It will be fine, I promise." I danced around the truth. "I do this all the time."
He sighed. "Is it going to get any easier having a probation officer for a girlfriend?" The lopsided grin he gave me sent my heart spiraling through my rib cage.
"Hey now," I teased as I slid closer to him. "I don't think you even asked me. What's with the assuming, Alec?"
He turned wide innocent eyes on me before reaching across with his free hand to buckle my seat belt. "We have to keep you safe." He looked back to the road and cleared his throat and if I didn't know better, I'd say he was nervous. "Navi, about that girlfriend thing… what do you think? Just me? No other guys?"
Did he really think there was anything to worry about? Like any other guy had ever come even close to comparing to him? I leaned my head against his shoulder. "Yeah, Alec. I'll be your girlfriend." Raising my head to peek at him in the darkness, I said, "Now what? Do I wear your letterman jacket or something?"
He lifted my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles in what I decided was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done. And he'd done it twice now. If I was the swooning type, I'd have crumpled at his feet long ago. "I might have to dig it out of storage."
Today had been heaven. But we weren't in high school. Who entered into an exclusive relationship after such a short amount of time? I mean, in high school, yeah. All the time. I'd agreed to be Alec's girlfriend when I'd spoken to him maybe three times.
He was watching me with those hooded eyes. ""You look worried."
"It's just a little fast. That's all," I finally whispered.
He nodded, dragging in a deep, deep breath. "Yeah. I forget—I'm sorry. I forget it's only been two days. It feels like more."
Struggling to lighten the very intense atmosphere in the truck, I said, "Wait… if time flies when you're having fun and two days feels like enough to talk about being exclusive, what are you saying about time with me?" I regarded him suspiciously. "Are you calling me boring?"
He laughed, pulling me against him to kiss my temple. "Not a chance in hell, Angel."
Alec dropped me off at the intersection and I could only brush my lips against his before I jumped out. I barely had time to feel the heat shoot all the way to my toes before I turned to see what waited for me… and I realized I'd left heaven behind and walked right into hell.
"Quickly, Navi. Sing to them. We don't have much time." Elizabeth was the only ghost there, standing on the outside of Devil's Gate, pacing back and forth and tripping over her own skirts—which she rarely did and which I'd never been able to figure out. How did a ghost trip over something ghostly?
I glanced at Elizabeth and nodded. The asuwangs were already clawing their way up the beach and some were even climbing the walls of Devil's Gate. If they reached the row of houses, they'd be hard to track with too many places to hide. If I lost even one of them, they could shift and turn themselves into anyone when the sun came up. I'd never find them.
Well, not until they started killing people.
And eating them.
Then I'd find them pretty quickly.
But, if it was at all possible, I'd like for no one to die first. That seemed like a way better option. So I opened my mouth, letting the ancient words flow off my tongue. The asuwangs, realizing what it m
eant, screeched and tried to claw faster, but they were still struggling to make their flippers work like legs. Give them five minutes, and they'd be freakishly fast.
My voice was familiar—the same tone as when I sang on stage, but at the same time hauntingly different, even though I'd used it to call my ghosts a thousand times, it still sent shivers of foreboding up and down my spine. I had no idea what the words meant, only that they were ancient and super powerful.
My ghosts appeared, rising from their cells on the outskirts of hell. Elizabeth alone was free to roam our world—she'd been given the chance to move on, and had refused. She wanted to stay and fight with me, for some inexplicable reason. The rest, they lived in holding cells, only allowed freedom at night to watch for incoming demons and fight.
Luckily for me, Elizabeth acted as our first response, alerting me and freeing my ghosts. Otherwise, my life would be way more complicated.
Elizabeth ran down the beach alone, swords blazing in the moonlight. One by one as the rest of my army arrived; they went after her, diving furiously into battle.
Jesse, however, lagged behind. I rolled my eyes and unsheathed my swords. "I saw some make it further down the beach. Go stop them—take someone with you," I yelled as I ran by her. She muttered but I didn't have time to listen.
I sprinted down the beach, already swinging Kali through the air. I sliced through the claw dug deep into Don's soul, one of my newer ghosts. The asuwang screamed and jerked back as I whirled, gaining momentum. I came around and lopped its ugly half-human head right off. "Are you okay?" I panted, dancing away from the head as it rolled down the beach.
Don nodded, holding a transparent hand to his wounded soul. Without a word, he raised his sword with his other hand and dashed back into the fight, swinging it like a club. I hid a smile. Very brave of him. I'd have to mention this to Death when I saw him next.
But more of my ghosts were in trouble. I followed Don, wading through destruction, trying to save them. Yes, they were ghosts. Yes, they had all done things to land them on the brink of eternal fire and brimstone. But they were here. They'd chosen to fight for their redemption.
