by J. L. Weil
I hooked my arm through his. “Lead the way, fiancé.” Wow. That was weird on the tongue, and in half an hour, I would be calling him my husband. The quickest engagement in history.
As we started toward the altar, Death walked into the room.
Of course. It made perfect sense. Zane’s father was an overlord. He had the station to perform the sacred ceremony as well as the traditional one. How many people could say the Grim Reaper married them?
His white beard was trimmed neatly, and his blue eyes sparkled with mischief, a look I’d seen in his son countless times. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
“Well, he did have to carry me here,” I said.
Death let a belly-jarring laugh. “Oh Piper, welcome to the family.” He opened his wide arms.
It was a bear hug like no other, gruff and tender. That pretty much summed up Zane’s father. “Thank you,” I replied.
Roarke cleared his throat and gave me a pat on the back. “We should begin,” he encouraged, moving to stand directly in the center of a circle painted on the floorboards.
The details of the room came to my attention. I had failed to notice them before. There were glowing rune-type markings covering the raised platform and up the pillars lining the aisle. My hand tightened on Zane’s arm as we took our places in front of his father. In a few minutes, we were going to be husband and wife. Come hell or high water, this marriage was happening, and damn anyone who stood in our way, who tried to separate us.
“Tonight we celebrate,” Roark said in a booming voice.
Zane and I both burst out in laughter. It must have been the nerves, because I was having a hard time taking Death seriously as an ordained officiant.
Roarke looked at his son. “I guess we can skip the traditional ceremony and get straight to the vows. We are, after all, under a time restraint. Take her hand.”
We didn’t have any vows written, so we were winging it. Zane appeared a little nervous for the first time tonight. He took my hands, but not before he blew out a breath.
I looked into Zane’s eyes. Oh my God. This was really happening. I told myself not to cry.
In a velvety voice, Roarke began again. “You will each say the vows of commitment.”
“I, Zane Hunter, promise to stand by your side and sleep in your arms. I will risk my life for yours. I will die for you. There are only so many ways I can tell you how much I love you, but I vow to show you every day. We shall bear together whatever trouble and sorrow may lie upon us. You will never be alone. Even in death, our souls will find each other. I let you go once; I won’t do it again, Piper. I can’t lose you. Never.” His accent came across, punctuating his words, heavy and lyrical. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. “I marry you and bind my life and soul to yours.”
How was I supposed to top that? Silent tears slipped down my cheeks. These weren’t just words. He meant every one of them from the bottom of his heart. This was one of those moments I wished I had on videotape. Too bad I didn’t vlog. I wanted to capture every second, bottle these feelings inside me.
I swallowed, tightening my fingers on his. No more tears. It was my turn. “I, Piper Brennan, promise to be your partner in crime. I promise to share hopes and dreams with you as we build our lives together, assuming the world is still standing.”
A laugh escaped Zane, and Death only shook his head.
“I marry you with no hesitation and with my whole heart. My commitment to you is absolute.”
Death pulled out a slim blade. “Now we will join your bloodlines.”
I looked at the sharp tip of the knife and my stomach got a bit queasy. You are not going to faint at your own wedding. “It’s a good thing I don’t pass out at the sight of blood,” I said, right before Roarke poked the tip of my finger with the end of the blade. I jumped, but the sting was gone and forgotten when I lifted my gaze.
We pressed our fingers together, mixing our blood. There was an instant jolt of power, followed by a cool tingle. I stared mesmerized by our joined hands. I’d seen our veins glow together before, especially when our souls merged, but this…it was something truly magical. It made me dizzy with happiness.
“Together you will repeat after me,” Roarke said. “From this point, we form an eternal and sacred bond. The promises and ties made today will greatly strengthen our union, and will cross in this life and the next, bound by our souls.”
In unison, Zane and I stared into one another eyes as we recited the words of our blood oath. I had never felt closer to anyone as I did in this moment, not even when we had joined bodies. This was a different kind of intimacy.
“You are now bound eternally to each other. Do you have the ring?” Roarke asked.
Zane reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a platinum band. He slid the ring onto my not-so-steady finger and lingered. The looked on his face was almost bashful, but his voice was smooth. “With this ring, I vow from this day forward, that your love is my anchor, your trust is my strength. May my heart be your shelter, and my arms be your home.”
Tears blurred my vision. “You had this planned, didn’t you?” I whispered, unable to take my eyes off his. For a spontaneous wedding, he had all the elements.
“Let’s just say I was optimistic. It crossed my mind a time or two since the council made the foolish decision to join your bloodline with Crash. I can’t bear to see you with anyone else. You’ve turned me into a jealous maniac. We’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
I turned my hand from side to side, admiring the beautiful scroll wrapping around the ring. I had no idea what it said, but it was the most exquisite piece of jewelry I owned, and I would treasure it always. “What took you so long?” I asked, lifting my damp lashes.
He wiped a tear from my cheek. “Some things need to age, like good wine.”
I couldn’t stop smiling. “See, I knew you were drunk.”
He laughed, tucking my hair behind my ear. Zane’s gaze was locked on me as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He had kissed me a hundred times before, but none like this. Fireworks exploded inside me as his kiss reached farther than just my lips. I swore he branded my soul, and he might very well have considering our unique connection.
Death cleared his throat a second time. “I don’t think I said you could kiss your bride yet.”
“Well, hurry up and say it, old man,” Zane murmured, his lips hovering over mine.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your…”
Zane’s lips were already on mine, and I’m pretty sure my heart exploded.
“…bride,” Death sighed.
My arms were secured around him with a permanent smile on my lips. I was floating on air, never so elated in my life. I was someone’s wife— not just anyone’s— but Zane’s. With misty eyes, I gazed up at him and whispered, “I love you.” We. Actually. Got. Married. No one busted through the doors to object.
His hand lingered at the curve of my neck. “Let’s go home, Mrs. Hunter.”
I almost tripped over my feet. Home. Oh God. Zane was moving into the manor. “We need to tell TJ and Parker.”
He leaned down and pressed his cool lips to mine. “We will, after,” he murmured. “The rest of the night is about us.”
Oh man. I liked the sound of that. If only he had been right.
Chapter 21
The Red Hawk overlord stood before me, arrogant in his stance, silver eyes hard as steel. He wore a long black coat that billowed behind him, accenting his pale skin and emphasizing the crimson veins glowing under his eyes. Like the devil himself, he stalked toward me, murder shining in the depths of his treacherous gaze. Greed coiled around him like the wings of a fallen angel, spreading wide as his lips curled.
I lunged forward, thinking this was it. This was the moment I’d been waiting for, the chance to avenge the asshole that had killed my entire family. As we moved, his arms mutated, making them tentacles of sorts, like an octopus. He wrapped th
em around me, holding me off the ground.
“You came,” he crooned in a smooth voice that gave me goose bumps. “I didn’t think you had the guts.”
I frowned, tipping my chin. “I want my brother.” I also wanted to gouge his eyes out.
“He is yours for a simple trade,” he replied, running a hand through my hair in a creepy-old-dude vibe.
My feet dangled in the air, but otherwise I was motionless. “What is it you want?”
He moved closer. “I only want one thing. Power. Your power.”
I shook my pounding head, trying to fight against his binds, but the tentacles held me fast. “No! I can’t do it. This is wrong.” Something was off. I couldn’t pinpoint what, but I didn’t feel right. Beside the thumping temples, my head was fuzzy, as if I’d been drugged.
“You’ve just issued your brother’s death sentence,” Heath said.
The words go to hell were on the tip of my tongue when something pulsed in my hand. It was a blade, radiating white. With a banshee cry, I raised my arm and plunged the tip into Heath’s chest, sinking the knife into his heart.
The overlord staggered backwards, his mouth opened in shock and horror. Only…as I stared into his eyes, the satisfaction of killing him turned my blood to ice, for it wasn’t Heath’s eyes I was looking into. It was Zane’s bright starlight blue. Cloaked in darkness, the shadows surrounding him faded as he swayed on his feet.
“Christ,” I whispered. “Zane…oh God.” I repeated the phrase of sheer shock and disbelief a few too many times.
“Piper,” he murmured, his shaky hand reaching out and eyes beseeching me. Thin droplets of blood trickled from his mouth. The blade was still stuck into his chest.
I stepped back, shaking my head back and forth. No. No. No.
“Why?” he wheezed, wrapping a hand around the hilt of the knife as he fell to the ground.
I thought I was going to die, right alongside him of a broken heart. Never in a gazillion years would I have hurt him. This had to be a trick. My heart was roaring in my ears as I sunk to the ground and that was when I noticed the blood covering my hands. Zane’s blood.
“Don’t die,” I told him, running a hand over his forehead. He was cold, way colder than normal.
“Why did you…” He lay on the ground, struggling to get the words out. I felt the life leaving his body, rapidly, piece by piece each second. “…betray me?” he managed to utter before his eyes went blank.
Betray him? I would never. Tears were rapidly streaming down my cheeks. “Please, don’t leave me,” I sobbed, cupping his face with my bloody hands.
Nothing. His mouth was pale and his eyes were closed, unmoving. Damp bits of hair clung to his forehead and temples. I pressed my mouth to his blue cold lips, tasting my own salty tears. “I’m sorry,” I murmured over and over again. “I’m so very sorry.”
The depth of my despair was so overwhelming that all I could do was scream.
I jolted awake, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling with the sharp taste of fear in my mouth. My room was cold. Or maybe it was just me. The reality sunk in as I caught my breath, forcing my lungs to breath in and out. It had only been a dream, but a dream like that left a mark on my soul, nonetheless. Zane was fast asleep beside me. I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, reassured by the movements.
Quietly, I slipped out of bed and tugged on one of Zane’s hoodies, but it did little to rid the chill that had taken up residency inside me. Cold air prickled over my skin. I stood tall, searching the shadows, but I saw and felt nothing. How could I when I was still rocked to the core by the dream? Was it a premonition? Could this be my fate? To kill the one I loved?
Giving up any notion of going back to sleep, I wandered to the window seat. I hugged my knees to my chest, laying a cheek on the cool windowpane as I glanced out into the vast waters, sparkling as a bit of sun crested, casting crystals on the surface. I shivered and glanced up at the sky. A flock of dark birds fluttered in the shape of a “V”, wings glistening in the sky.
“Hey,” Zane said from behind me. “Can’t sleep?” he asked.
I lifted my head off the window. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He laid a hand on my shoulder. “Why didn’t you? What’s wrong?”
I rubbed my cheek on top of his hand. “You looked so peaceful, I didn’t have the heart to disturb you.” It didn’t make sense that both of us should lose sleep.
“That’s why I’m here. If something is wrong or something has happened, I want you to tell me. It doesn’t matter what time or what I’m doing. I’m here for you.”
I scooted forward a tad, making room for him. Without hesitation, he moved to sit behind me and drew me into his arms. I leaned my back against his chest. “I had a dream.”
“You’re freezing,” he noticed and rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “What happened in the dream?”
“I stabbed you. I killed you.”
“It was only a dream,” he murmured in my ear, making my stomach flutter.
If anyone could thaw the ice in my veins, it was Zane. “And if it wasn’t? What if I hurt you or worse?”
“It’s going to take more than a knife to do me in.”
I nudged him with my elbow. “This isn’t funny.”
“I know, but there is nothing we can do about it now,” he said softly. “Come back to bed.”
Things were tumultuously spinning out of control, but when Zane pulled me into his arms for a short time, I found peace. He played with my hair, twisting strands around his fingers. “You’re not relaxing.”
“I know,” I sighed. “I’m sorry. Every time I closed my eyes, I see your blood on my hands.”
“Maybe we can find a way to distract you.” His hands moved over the flat planes of my belly, melting my icy skin.
My lips curved. “That might work.” I need to do more than know he was alive, I needed to feel he was alive.
The first touch of his lips, fire licked in blood and roared in my belly, warmth shooting across the back of my neck. My fingers yanked him closer, digging into his hair as his arms held me close, like he wanted to merge more than our souls. Our tongues swept in a dance as old as time. This was what I needed—the quick and wild, almost desperate need. I wanted to forget the dream completely. There was no room for thought, only feeling.
Mission accomplished.
Zane was above me, pressing his body against mine, his lips suddenly at my neck, tracing a line of flames along my skin. My breath hitched. I knotted my hands into his shirt, pulling his face back to mine and bit down on his lip, making him moan. I drowned in the sound, in Zane.
My hand slid over his cool chest, feeling the hard muscles of his stomach and chest. He made my entire body tingle, senses buzzing in a rainbow of emotions.
He pulled back slightly, eyes bright in the darkness as he stared down at me. His breath was cool on my face as he murmured, “You’re beautiful, you know that?” The soft tip of his thumb brushed along the end of my chin just under my lip. “I know I don’t tell you often enough, but I want you to know. I’ve never met anyone who can stop the air in my lungs. You turn me inside out.”
My pulse fluttered. “I don’t need sweet words. I just need you.” The emotions between us swirled in the air as if almost a tangible force. I closed my eyes, and I swore I could see the colors of our souls merging together.
Afterward, I held onto him, murmuring how much I loved him. More than anything I wanted to cling to the honeymoon high, but the day seemed to be a chain of extreme ups and temperamental lows.
And the emotional roller coaster didn’t end there. The day was only beginning.
Chapter 22
The only noise that sounded was the howling of the wind and tree branches hitting the side of the house. Our first night as husband and wife was turbulent, as was the weather. August was coming to a close and fall was creeping up on us, along with a shit storm of problems.
One of those problems was Parker. H
e refused to leave the island, whether it was because of Zoe or me, it didn’t matter. I don’t know what excuse he gave his mom for not returning for the start of his senior year, but I sure he used me as an excuse. There was no other rational explanation why his mom hadn’t come here and dragged Parker back to Chicago by his ear.
His resolve however, made me take his request to become a reaper a little more serious. I wasn’t saying I would do it, only that I thought about it more. The idea had settled and wasn’t as atrocious as it had initially been.
I cuddled closer to Zane. His goal had been to keep me all night doing wicked things that had blood rushing through my body and left me breathless. I dozed off and on, but sometime around four a.m. I woke with the eerie feeling of being watched.
Using more than my eyesight, I surveyed the room, but nothing was out of the ordinary. The storm must have me on edge when there was no need. Tonight was my wedding night, yet it did nothing to quiet my racing heart. Someone was out there—a reaper. I was sure of it, and not one of my stationed guards.
Zane jerked away, sitting up so fast I almost fell out of the bed. His expression was tense. “We’re not alone,” he whispered.
I pushed the hair out of my face, clutching the covers to my chest. “What?”
“Don’t move.”
I wasn’t sure if he was talking to the intruder or me. “Zane,” I hissed, but it was a waste of breath. He was already out of bed and creeping toward the balcony. The moaning winds blew the white curtains. I sat up too quickly, rapping my elbow on the wall. The thump echoed through the room, followed by my string of curses.
“That doesn’t sound like a happy bride,” said a husky voice. “I hear congratulations are in order.” Crash stepped into the stream of dim moonlight.
Zane disappeared, cloaked in shadows. Lightning struck, illuminating the room, and that’s when I saw him. His hands were wrapped around Crash’s throat as he confined him to the wall. “We’re going to get a deadbolt for that door,” he growled.
