He sighed. “Humans aren’t supposed to have contact with the dead. It disrupts their peace. I was hoping you would agree to leave before they reach the lake.”
“But …” I tried estimating the time it would take them to get there. “That’s only five, maybe six minutes.”
He rested his hand on my back again. “I know, darling, but think about it this way: at least you got to see them. You know they are all right. You know they are together. Isn’t that enough for now?”
Tommy poked Teddie and then raced around Mom and Dad. Nicole seemed annoyed, but when Teddie poked her too, she smiled and chased after them. All the while, my father grinned at them, and my mother made baby faces at Troy.
A small smile took over my lips. “Yes. For now.”
Micah sat down beside me, and I rested my head on his shoulder. Being here, watching my family with him, it was like paradise.
We observed my family for a minute more before he broke the silence.
“Nadine. About what Omi said, about me betraying everyone, I—”
“You don’t need to explain it.”
“I want to explain. To you.” He took my hand in his. “I was never a saint. Far from it, actually, but I wasn’t entirely evil. I argued with and contradicted everyone in my life, but I never betrayed them. At least, not all of them.” Like he betrayed Victor—a mistake I knew he regretted. “But … I’ve changed now. I don’t know how to explain it. I guess being human for over twenty years and actually living like them, understanding them, changed me.”
I knew it had changed him. I remembered the vision I had seen, of those men attacking his family and him at the open market, and the men killing his parents. I remembered his pain, his ache. I knew he would never forget that.
I squeezed his hand. “I believe you.”
Letting out a long breath, he kissed my temple before rising, gently tugging my elbow. I let him guide me upward.
I tried to etch the image of my family in my mind. During the tough times ahead of us, I had to hang on to one good thing. And my family was the best thing. Followed closely by Micah, who, among all this mess, was stealing my heart. I glanced at him. He already had stolen my heart with his rough face, his bad boy act, his caring side, his sweet touches, his hot kisses, and everything in between. My heart was his, even if he would never accept it.
I sighed. Even if he wanted to accept it, I knew there was no future for us. In a couple of months, I would die and he would forget I had ever existed. But for now, I wanted to enjoy these perfect moments.
With that in mind, I turned to Micah, stood on my tiptoes, and kissed him. A quick peck on his soft lips. “Thanks,” I whispered, pulling back.
Shock flashed on his face, before being replaced by that cocky smile of his. “Anything for you, darling.”
He entwined his fingers with mine, and we walked back through the portal.
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Cup of Life
Chapter One
Thirty or forty years ago, I wouldn’t have stared at the girl in front of me for more than five seconds before charming her into going to bed with me.
But this girl ... this girl was different.
“I think that’s everything,” Nadine said, stepping out of the cottage as Rok flew from the roof.
It was early January. The lights around the cottage reflected off the three feet of snow and illuminated Nadine’s long brown hair, tinting some strands bronze. Her hair, her dark green eyes, and her red lips contrasted with her fair skin; the only thought on my mind was that I had never seen a more beautiful girl in my entire life. And I had been alive for quite some time.
Nadine approached me, and as it was every time she looked at me, I fought the urge to reach to her, to pull her against me, to kiss her, to—
“It is everything, isn’t it?” She glanced at the bag slung across my shoulder and the box in my arms. She held her sister’s stuffed bunny in one hand and a duffel bag in another.
We had been moving to our new location all day, making several trips to and from, and now we were the last ones here.
“I think so,” I replied, quickly glancing to Rok hovering above our heads. “Ready?”
She walked down the porch steps, into the snow, and turned to the cottage. Her eyes scanned it, as if she wanted to take every little detail with her.
She slung the duffel bag over her shoulder and flipped the collar of her jacket up. “It’s odd. I feel like I should feel bad for leaving this place after fleeing so many others, after losing so many people.” She sighed. “But I don’t, and I totally should, especially after seeing the new place Ceris got us.”
I nodded, knowing too well that the new place brought her depressing memories.
No matter. It was a new place, a new path on our journey, a new beginning. We were on the right track.
I offered my arm to her. “Let’s go, darling.”
With a half-smile that made my heart skip a beat, Nadine sauntered to me and hooked her arm with mine.
I scooted closer to her, closer than necessary because I could and because I wanted to, and then I transported us out of there.
New freaking York fucking City. That was where Ceris found a couple of intact buildings and apartments, one of the few Omi and the demons hadn’t completely destroyed when they invaded the city over a month ago. She had found many bodies in them though. Levi, Izaera, and I helped her clean the large third floor, four bedroom apartment she had chosen before she brought the others to the city.
“They will never look for us here,” Ceris said, using her powers to scrub the walls clean of blood.
She was probably right, but I knew Nadine wouldn’t be okay with it.
When we brought the others, Nadine didn’t disguise her disgust, but made no other objections. She understood why Ceris had chosen this place, and she agreed with the goddess’s reasons. Still, it wasn’t easy for her.
“Are you all right?” I asked as we walked among the debris, rumble, and flipped cars that lined the area around the apartment.
Ceris, Levi, Izaera, and I had united our powers to build a strong ward around the place with a radius of three blocks. Then we cleaned paths that led to the building while moving bodies, cars, and broken glass out of the way.
“I’m fine,” she answered, pointing the flashlight to our improvised trail. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of the decay and avoided looking around too much.
We arrived at the building, crossed through the front doors, walked up three flights of stairs—the elevator was destroyed—and opened the door to the apartment.
It wasn’t bad. A large living room with a fireplace, two sofas and four armchairs, a coffee table, lamps, and other decorative stuff, though most we had to throw away. Vases, pictures, paintings, rugs, pillows—all broken or tainted by blood—were now in the trash. Then there was a dining room for ten and a fully equipped kitchen. There was an office and half-bath in the front. Next to them was a corridor that led to four bedrooms, one being a suite, and two separate bathrooms.
We had to replace most beds, comforters, and pillows, since those had also been destroyed during the invasion. We had to find generators and fuel for the electricity, and we had gone to a grocery store in Australia—so not to leave a trace around here—for food and drinks.
We took all the furniture from the front office and transformed it into a gym. It was half the size of the gym we had in northern Greenland, but it was a place to burn some energy and stay sharp.
Ceris and Levi had chosen the suite. Apparently, they were mending things between them. Ze
len and I were sharing one of the bedrooms, while Izaera shared another one with Keisha. Nadine had picked the spare room all for herself. Lucky girl.
I dropped the box in the living room as Nadine walked to the door of her bedroom and stared at the inside.
“What is it, darling?” I followed her gaze. The furniture we had found was simple. A brown wooden queen bed and matching nightstand, thin mattress, and a dark blue comforter. Nothing else. No curtains, no rugs, no decorations, no drawer, no dresser—the same as the other bedrooms.
“It’s so lifeless,” she muttered. “If the bed was made of metal, I would think we were in a prison.”
A prison. That was what this was for her. This situation, this place, this war, the Soul Oath. Her prison.
I leaned closer to her and kissed the top of her head, not sure what to say. She turned to me, with suspicion in her pretty eyes, as if she doubted my intentions. I guess she had no reason not to suspect my intentions. She once said she was tired of my mixed signals. I was too, but I couldn’t help myself. I tried with all my might to stay away from her, to not touch her, not hug her, not kiss her. So far, I was failing.
“Come on, darling. You love it when I kiss you.” Teasing came naturally to me, and she actually reacted the way she always should react with me: her brows knotted and she dismissed me. I should have stopped there. I should have walked away and left her be. Instead I nudged her arm with my elbow. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said, her tone indicating it wasn’t really nothing. She sighed and stepped into her bedroom. “I guess I better ...” She gestured around the room, and I had no idea what she meant.
Nevertheless, I went along with it. “Sure. Yeah.”
She closed the door in my face.
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About the Author
While USA Today Bestselling Author Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life as a wife, a mother, and an author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in North Carolina and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
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For more information:
www.julianahaygert.com
Also by Juliana Haygert:
Free
Into the Darkest Fire
Tested
Secret Santa
The Everlast Series
Destiny Gift (Book 1)
Soul Oath (Book 2)
Cup of Life (Book 3)
The Everlasting Circle (Book 4)
Willow Harbor Series
Hunter’s Revenge (Book 3)
Siren’s Song (Book 5)
The Breaking Series
Breaking Free (Book 1)
Breaking Away (Book 2)
Breaking Through (Book 3)
Standalones
Playing Pretend
Captured Love
Dazzle Me
Soul Oath Page 28
