“Uh … I have to go.” My eyes widened, and I scrambled to get my things together.
“Why?” Bash stood in front of his doorway. This was going to be a hard one to get out of.
I skidded to a stop in front of him. “Well … um … you see, I need to go to my apartment and um …” My gaze roamed around the room for answers I should already have as I ran my hand through my greasy hair.
“I’ll go with you—”
“You can’t!” I planted my hands on his bare chest as if I could really keep him in place.
His brows furrowed. “And why now?”
I scoffed. “Because my place is a mess. Definitely not Alpha ready.”
Bash plucked my hands away and crossed his broad arms over his chest. “Mackenzie, I’ve never seen your place clean.” He tilted his head to the side, not believing a word I was saying.
“Precisely,” I pointed out. “I’m turning over a new leaf. My New Year’s resolution—”
“Halfway through the year?” His expression told me he wasn’t buying this. Hell, my two-year-old cousin wouldn’t. “You’re not making any sense. Look, I know you’re hiding something. I’m not stupid.”
“No, I’m not—”
“Yes, you are.” He stepped forward, forcing me to take a step back. “I’ve been waiting for you to come clean for days, and you haven’t, so now I’m going to push. Tell me, Mackenzie. What are you hiding in your apartment? Or who?”
“What?” I slammed a hand to my chest. “I’m not hiding anyone in my apartment. “I resent that!”
“You told me Amy was staying with you because she needed space from Jackson and all things Lycan. For one, that sounded a little too familiar.” He glared at me. I’d once told him that for myself. “But Jackson has told me he’s been repairing his relationship with Amy, so that was a bald-faced lie, Mackenzie.”
I was between a rock and a hard place. I couldn’t tell Bash what I’d done to Jonah. He’d never forgive me. There were lines that should never be crossed, and that was one of them. I wasn’t sure whether he’d tell Jackson or not, but I didn’t want to put him in that compromising position. I had done that with Amy and instantly regretted it.
“I’m entitled to my secrets. Just like you,” I said, standing straighter.
“We’re keeping things from each other now,” he whispered. “That’s how it’s going to be?”
“Don’t you dare turn this on me. I’m not the only one,” I gritted between my teeth.
Sebastian didn’t say another word. He sidestepped me and opened the door, letting me exit the room.
“I’ll be back in time for the meeting,” I mumbled. With my head down, I left.
I hurried home and called to leave a message on the answering machine telling Jonah I was on my way. I hadn’t been home in days due to the explosion, and I hadn’t called to tell him anything. He must have been worried sick not knowing where I was. And bored. Mainly bored.
“Jonah!” I called into the apartment, my eyes wildly scanning the small living room.
“Finally.” His head popped up from the sofa. He laid back down and stared at the ceiling. “I thought you were never gonna come back.”
“Why didn’t you come looking for me?” I sat on his legs that were splayed on the couch.
“I did. I went to the warehouse, but you weren’t there. I went to the cathedral, the SIU, everywhere I thought you might be, but I couldn’t find you, and I obviously can’t call you.” He ran his hands through the coffee table as if trying to grab the TV remote.
“There was an accident,” I said and proceeded to tell him what happened.
“You should have come to me first, Kenz,” Jonah said. “I could have told you that was Bash’s childhood home and it was a trap from the beginning.”
“I see that now.” I rolled my eyes. “Everything just happened so fast.”
“I know.” Jonah went to touch my hand, but it only went through me. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“No …” I shook my head, “I’m sorry. I’ve neglected you these past few days, and I—”
“Kenz, stop. You’re not my babysitter. I’m not a child who needs to be constantly watched. Maybe it’s time …”
We were quiet for a few minutes. Processing what he’d almost said.
“Sebastian thinks I’m hiding something in my apartment … someone. He confronted me before I left today,” I said, adding more proof that maybe it really was time to say goodbye.
“Bash is like a dog with a bone. He won’t stop until he finds out what you’re hiding, Kenz. It’s only a matter of time,” Jonah argued. “Amy didn’t freak out when you told her. Have you thought about maybe telling—”
“No!” I shouted. “He’ll be furious. The ceremony is sacrilege, and I desecrated your ashes. He won’t forgive me, he’ll hate me forever. The best I can do is bury your ashes during the next full moon when we go to the estate.”
The door to my apartment burst open, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I shrieked and hopped off the sofa, standing in front of Jonah as if someone could see him.
The Alpha of the Brooklyn Pack stood in my doorway, overbearing and taking up every inch of space.
“Sebastian,” I said, startled, “what are you doing here?” In my haste to get inside, I’d forgotten to lock the door. I wanted to facepalm myself for being so stupid, but honestly, he could have broken it down if he wanted to.
“I’m done with the secrets, Mackenzie,” he said. “You know mine. Now, enough with the games. What are you hiding from me?”
“Tell him, Kenz,” Jonah said behind me.
“You have no right to barge into my apartment like this, Sebastian Steel!” I yelled, pointing a finger in his direction. “I have nothing in my apartment but junk food under the bed. How dare you!”
“How dare I?” he scoffed. “I’m your—your something, and you’re keeping someone hidden in your apartment. Do you know how suspicious that is?!”
“Kenzie, just tell him!” Jonah shouted as he floated beside me and waved a hand in my face. “Tell him already!”
“Shut up!” I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Excuse me?” Bash said.
“Not you.” I shook my head. With the two of them talking at the same time, I thought my head was going to explode.
“Is someone else here? Who are you talking to?” Bash’s gaze traveled around my tiny apartment.
“Tell him you’re talking to me.” Jonah’s eyes drilled into me. “Kenz …”
“Who’s here, Mackenzie?” Bash insisted again.
“Kenz,” Jonah said one last time.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I shook my head, squeezing my eyes as if I could make them all disappear.
“Jonah is here!” I screamed, throwing my hands in the air and opening my eyes. I felt the veins in my neck when I yelled, and I exhaled in relief, finally getting to spill the beans. I’d had enough. I couldn’t take the back and forth anymore. I looked into the eyes of Jonah Cadwell and saw the dip of his dimple when he smiled. It’d be okay.
“What?” Bash stumbled backward. “What do you mean?”
My shoulders slumped. “I never told you because I thought it was a fluke, but after the massacre of the Lunas, I learned I could see the dead. Not only could I see them but I could talk to them.”
“So … you’re a medium?”
I shook my head. “Once their ashes are buried in the ground, they’ve gone through the ceremony and passed on, I can’t see them anymore. It’s only when they’re in the transitional phase.”
“This is an oracle ability?”
I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. I never bothered to ask Ophelia because it never happened again after I saw Blu. Not until Jonah.”
Bash’s jaw ticked. “But you still see him. How?”
That was the question I dreaded answering.
I bowed my head in shame. “I … uh … I took some of Jonah’s ashes.” I walked to the bookcase near the TV wh
ere there was a small urn that could have easily been mistaken for a jewelry box or something else. “He’s in here.”
Sebastian’s eyes glowed sapphire and widened with anger.
“How could you, Mackenzie? How could you do something like that to our friend?” he barked, his hands fisted at his sides.
“Tell him it wasn’t just you, Kenz,” Jonah said.
“He wasn’t ready, Bash. He told me so himself. Jonah wanted to stay,” I argued.
“And that makes it okay? You aren’t God!” he shouted, and I winced. “I can’t stand to even look at you right now.” He frowned, and the disappointment in his eyes tore a hole in my heart.
“Kenzie, don’t let him leave upset.”
“I can’t stop him,” I whispered.
“He’s here?!” Bash shouted. “Just perfect.” He ran his hands through his hair. “What am I going to tell his father? Jackson?”
“You’re not going to tell them anything,” I countered.
Jonah whispered something in my ear.
“He wants me to tell you about a time when you were children. Back when you were around ten years old and Charles first brought you to the estate. You didn’t want to be there. You were still mourning your mother’s death and didn’t like rules, much less Charles.” I did a double-take and looked at Jonah.
“Just keep telling him,” he prodded.
I cleared my throat and continued. “One night, you told Jonah you’d had enough of pack life and were going to go live with the humans,” I smirked. “Jonah, being the loyal one, didn’t agree, but he helped you pack. He even went so far as to make you peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cut the crusts off because he knew how much you hated them. Both of you were caught, and Charles beat the two of you for disobeying him, but Jonah knew you weren’t ready to say goodbye to your mom and maybe being near humans might help. It’s why he helped you try to escape.”
I wished at that moment Jonah wasn’t an apparition. That I could feel him. I wanted to give him a big hug because, no matter how crazy he was, he always had a heart of gold. Even as a young boy.
“I never told you that,” Bash whispered. “I never told anyone.”
“He just did. Jonah wants to remind you that sometimes people just aren’t ready, Bash … and he wasn’t.”
The Alpha stumbled backward but caught his footing. “What does he plan to do? Live in limbo for the rest of his life?”
I shook my head. “Before you arrived, we came to the conclusion it was his time. He’s ready.”
Bash’s wild eyes roamed the living room as if he could see Jonah. “Not yet.”
In a twist, it was now Bash who wasn’t ready to let his friend go. We ended the conversation abruptly. We had the meeting with the captains soon, and Bash needed time to process what I’d told him. He did promise not to tell Jackson, which was the most important part. It seemed unfair, but we all knew how he’d take it, and it wouldn’t be good. Jackson would have us driving up to the estate to bury Jonah’s ashes no matter who was chasing after us.
When we made it back to the warehouse, things between Bash and me were tense, and it was painfully obvious. The pack started giving us a hard time about last night and our extracurricular activities, but one look at their Alpha had them swallowing whatever jokes were on the tips of their tongues.
“Hey, Duke.” I sat beside the Alpha of the Nashville Pack, avoiding everyone else.
“Hey there, darlin’.” He tipped his hat to me. “What’s with you two?”
“Don’t ask.” I rolled my eyes.
“Yikes,” he said. “Makes ya think. Had you joined my pack many moons ago …” he smirked.
I elbowed him in the ribs. “In your dreams, cowboy. I belong to no one.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he rubbed at his side, “keep telling yourself that.”
“You wouldn’t have even known how to handle me. I’d have been too much for you, Duke.” I winked at him and tapped his hat.
“Oh please,” he threw his head back and laughed. “No one can resist this Southern charm.”
We continued our friendly banter until someone cleared their throat. Sebastian. He stood in front of the table, waiting to get the attention of the captains so he could proceed.
“There have been some new developments,” he started and continued to fill the team in on what we’d learned about Enzo. “We’ve underestimated the threat level. He is reckless and has no one to live for. He’s to be killed on sight.”
His last declaration made me sit a little straighter as the team took his command without flinching. I, on the other hand, did a double-take. Kill on sight? Was that really necessary? We should at least take him in for questioning. There were a lot of unanswered questions, and furthermore …
“You can’t do that,” I blurted out. The word vomit was a crowd favorite. “We don’t even know what Enzo looks like. We’ll be killing innocent humans who are pretending to be him.”
“They made that choice—”
“No, they didn’t,” I cut him off as I stood. It took every ounce of my being not to establish dominance. “They’re being compelled. Where is the choice in that?”
“What about our choice?” Mohammad turned around to look at me. “Are we to just sit around and wait until our Alpha is killed?”
“I’m not saying that.”
“Not in so many words.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’ve seen war, and you know there are no easy decisions. This is one of them. I stand by my Alpha.” Mohammad turned back to face Bash, and they nodded to one another in agreement. I wanted to hurl something at their heads.
“It’s because I’ve seen war that I know this isn’t the only answer,” I said, not backing down. “These humans have all been bitten, which means they’ll be wolves by the next full moon. They’re one of us now. And they’re being used by someone who is using his wit instead of his might. What will you use?”
Instead of staring Bash down, I pleaded with my eyes for him to listen to me. Enzo was cunning and always five steps ahead of us. We needed to match his pace, not out-punch him. Because surely, we would lose; I was positive of that.
“My command is final, Mackenzie. You’re either with us or …” He let the last bit hang as he looked away, not able to look me in the eyes, and the meaning was clear: he was drawing a line in the sand.
I fisted my hands at my sides, and I could feel Jackson's warmth as he tried to get me to sit down, but I wouldn’t. The anger rose within me to an uncontrollable level. This wasn’t just about Enzo and his revenge. It was about Jonah hiding in my apartment and the secrets I’d been keeping. He no longer trusted me. We promised each other months ago we’d never draw lines across the sand, and he broke it today. We’d broken a lot of promises to each other.
“Or I’m against you,” I said in a low voice but clear enough for the team to hear. “Guess what I choose.” I spun around on my heels and walked out.
“That son of a bitch! That crazy fucking son of a bitch!” I screamed in the middle of the street. New Yorkers ignored me, but the non-natives were easy to point out as they gave me side-eye glances. I didn’t care though. I couldn’t believe Sebastian Steel. He let me walk out of the warehouse. He really let me go. Were we enemies? Frenemies?
“What the hell? He’s my boyfriend!” I shrieked to no one in particular.
I sounded like a woman scorned. I was scorned all right. By a goddamn Alpha who was letting a serial wolf biter, or whatever, get between us. We were supposed to be a damn team, for fuck's sake.
I stomped all the way home, proverbial steam blowing out of my ears. I kicked in my door to find Jonah watching Hulu.
“You were right, Kenz. They do have better TV shows,” he murmured, enthralled in an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale.
“Whatever,” I grumbled.
“Whatever?” he repeated as he did a double-take. “Uh … what have you done to Mackenzie Grey?”
“What have I done?” I scoffed. “Oh no, sir, no
t me!” I pointed an accusatory finger his way. “Sebastian Steel is dead to me.” I marched into my room and slammed the door.
Unfortunately, I failed to remember Jonah was a damn ghost.
“Are you okay?” Jonah literally walked through my door, and his apparition flickered. “You look like you’re about to pop a blood vessel.”
“Bash is absolutely infuriating!” I shouted. “He’s pissed because of this secret, so now he wants to go off half-cocked on a killing spree. Well, you know what?” I fumbled as I reached for my police badge and shoved it in Jonah’s face. “I’m a cop!” I pointed to the shield. “I can stop him anytime I want!”
“Uh … Kenz …” Jonah raised a brow.
“What?!”
“You’re showing me your Costco membership.”
“What?” I exhaled. I forgot I had stuffed it in there the other day as a reminder to buy more toilet paper. Shit.
“I still got the effect though,” Jonah said hurriedly.
“Gah!” I screamed and threw myself on my bed, face first.
Jonah sighed, and I could feel his cold presence filter closer to me. “He’s angry too, Kenz. Remember that.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t be,” I mumbled into my pillow.
“I know. But it’ll make you more understanding. He thought he put his best friend to rest months ago just to be told otherwise. It’s a huge deal. Give him a second to process.”
“One second,” I counted and raised my pointer finger.
“Mackenzie,” he said with a straight face.
“Fine,” I sat up and grumbled, “but I’m not letting him kill innocents. Over my dead body.”
Jonah grimaced. “Uh … let’s use another analogy, shall we?”
Amy came within minutes once I called her. Now, all we had to do was put our heads together and make a plan. Bash was right about one thing—I couldn’t rely on Bobby Wu and his shady magic anymore. I needed to rely on my own instincts.
“We know his hunting grounds,” I said as we set up shop in my living room—a wolf, a vampire, and a ghost. This sounded like a TV show I’d already seen. “It’s the best place to lay a trap.”
From the Grave Page 11
