by Nia Arthurs
“After that, Pavel stepped through the portal,” Kaz says.
Surprise slams into my chest. “He did?”
“He and McCarthy were keeping it open for as long as they could, but it was losing power. He risked his life to find you.”
“I wouldn’t say it like that,” Pavel’s voice echoes from the door.
I shift up. “Pavel.”
“You’re very heavy when you’re unconscious and dying,” he says.
I smirk. “Thank you.”
“It was nothing.” He lifts one shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “And I got to meet the boy.”
“Who was it?”
“Hawk.” His lips curl up in a lopsided smile. “The boy grew up very well.”
I laugh. “Hawk was the boy you met? The one who first crossed the worlds?”
Pavel dips his chin.
“Wow.”
Kaz grins. “Pavel helped us get home and I directed him here. Doc and Monique rushed over to do the surgery.” She points to the bandages around my stomach. “You’ve been out for almost a day.”
“A day?”
Pavel sets a fruit basket on the table. “My mother sent those.”
“Looks like my wife had the same idea!” McCarthy barges in a second later, carrying an even bigger basket. “Morgan! How are you feeling?” He hefts the basket on the table, his dreads swinging. “Glad you pulled through, man.”
“Thank you. Both of you. I know I wouldn’t be here if not for you.” Meeting both their eyes, I dip my head.
“I second that.” Kaz squeezes my hand.
“It was nothing,” McCarthy waves away my words. “Besides, Pavel’s on cloud nine because he got to see the boy all grown up.”
Pavel grunts in agreement.
“But I’ve been thinking…” McCarthy rubs his fingers together. “This is all getting kind of intense for me. Evil doppelgängers invading with tech that we can’t understand?” He shudders. “It’s bad enough that anyone can come through that door. No offense, Kaz.”
“None taken.”
“I think I’d like to press pause on the alternate dimension traveling,” McCarthy adds.
Pavel sighs. “I agree.”
“You too?”
“It’s too dangerous. What if that Conroy had figured out a way to invade our earth? He would have taken over.”
“We would have stopped him,” Morgan says.
“Or not.” McCarthy shrugs. “Is that a risk you want to take?”
I glance at Kaz. “What do you think?”
“Close the door.” She jerks her chin down.
“But if you ever change your mind and want to go back—”
“I won’t.” She smiles softly. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”
“Aw, he’s blushing,” McCarthy teases.
I clear my throat. “Destroy it.”
“Are you sure? You invested the most money into that research.”
I meet Pavel’s eyes. “Do it.”
He nods and gestures to McCarthy. They both leave quietly and, once again, Kaz and I are left alone in the hospital room.
“So…” She scoots on the narrow cot and fits herself into my side, “I’ve been thinking.”
I playfully tap one of her curls. “Yes?”
“That I love you.” Her eyes gleam with sincerity. “I said it back to you, but you were too busy fainting and all…”
“I did not faint.”
“You just went down. Sank like a rock.”
“I was unconscious,” I argue.
“That’s the same thing as fainting!”
“There’s a difference.”
She laughs. I marvel at the sound of it. Drink in the beauty of her voice and the vibrations of her body against mine. This is everything I could have ever dreamed of and I was stupid enough to let it go.
Never again.
I curve my fingers around Kaz’s shoulders and draw her into me, making sure that I don’t press against the slit where Doc cut me open to do surgery. Kaz’s fragrance fills the air, soothing me like a song I want to hear over and over again.
She rubs her legs against mine. “Morgan?”
“Hm.”
“You make me stronger.” She presses her palm against my chest. “And when I was out there, it wasn’t my mom’s voice in my head.” She lifts her chin to meet my eyes. “It was yours. I’m happy I got sucked into this new world. I would do it all over again to meet you.”
I lean down and kiss her sweetly. “And I would cross the worlds to meet you.”
Her sigh of satisfaction is music to my ears.
I pull back and look at her. Admire her. Feel the love in my heart overwhelm me. “Now that you’re stuck here on this earth, what’s the first thing that you want to do?”
“Get a job.”
I smirk. “At the Roley Poley Moley?”
“Maybe.”
Shocked, I ease away from her.
“I’m just kidding.” She chuckles. “I want to do everything I couldn’t before. Everything I was too afraid to try or aim for.” Her eyes sparkle. “I know I’m capable now. There’s nothing I can’t do. Nothing I can’t change. Even if I don’t succeed, at least I tried.”
I kiss her forehead, pressing my lips against her skin. “Talking like that, you’re getting me excited.”
“I can tell.” She reaches up and kisses me deeply. I drown in her. Willingly lose myself in her and find all the happiness, the joy and the light that I’ve been missing.
Kaz came to me from another world and fit into my life like a puzzle piece that was missing. Now, with her in my arms, I’m completely at ease.
39
Kaz
“Are you sure you want to wear that tonight?” Ashley asks, shoving her face with chips as she lounges in my living room sofa. She’s wearing a pair of sloppy pajamas, one leg up, blonde hair pulled in a messy bun.
I ignore her look of judgement as I spray a moisturizing blend into my curls. “What’s wrong with this?”
“Morgan said dress nice.”
“It was a suggestion.”
“Has he ever asked you to dress nice before?”
I scrunch my nose. She has a point.
“See?” Ashley smirks.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I picked up this chic wrap-around dress at the local mall. It was on sale—which suited my newfound penny-pinching sensibilities while still serving my desire for style.
“It’s not the dress for tonight.”
I laugh. “Ash, we’re just going to dinner.”
“It’s more than that.” She points to her chest. “I can feel it in here.”
“In your left boob?” I tease.
“You’re hilarious.” She jumps out of the couch and grabs my hand. Dragging me to my room, she sits me on the bed. “As someone who’s extremely grateful to be crashing on your couch until I can get a new job…”
“You don’t have to keep bringing that up. I love having a roommate. Especially since I’m working again and going to school.”
“Roommate? Where? You spend almost every night at Morgan’s.”
I roll my eyes.
“I’m just saying, you should pay special attention tonight.” Ashley licks her fingers and then wipes them off on her pajama pants. Throwing open my closet, she shifts through the dresses until she lands on a sleek red number.
It was a gift from Morgan for our six-month anniversary. I saw it in a store we were passing and he made note of my interest.
The next day, the dress got delivered to my doorstep. What amazed me more than his thoughtfulness was the fact that it fit me like a glove.
“I’m saving that dress,” I say, shaking my head.
She hauls it out and shoves it at me. “Trust me. Wear it.”
I ponder Ashley’s strange behavior as I head downstairs to meet Morgan in the parking lot. He’s already out of the car and walking toward the front door when he spots me.
H
is eyes widen and a low whistle slips out.
I smile, striding confidently toward him. I’ve changed a lot over the course of our year together. I no longer shuffle around, my head tucked to my chest and my eyes on the ground.
I no longer see myself as small and insignificant.
Beneath Morgan’s patient love, I flourished.
Now, when I walk in a room heads turn. And I don’t shy away from it.
Not anymore.
“How did I get so lucky?” Morgan whispers, greeting me with a kiss to my forehead.
I close my eyes, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and linking them behind his neck. His cologne reaches my nose and makes me swoon. He’s so tall that he has to bend down to touch me, but I wore high heels to balance things out.
“You look amazing in that dress, Kaz,” Morgan growls.
I step back and look him over. “You look nice too.”
Beyond nice. He’s too handsome for words. His hair is styled to perfection. The stubble on his face adds a roguish appeal. Piercing green eyes take me in with thinly disguised desire.
He’s wearing a dark button-down shirt and pressed slacks.
Fancy.
I’m glad Ashley convinced me to go with the red dress tonight.
Morgan opens the door for me. “How am I going to keep my hands off you tonight?”
“Find a way.” I give him a sultry look. “You're not allowed to tear this dress to shreds like all the others, okay?”
His dark smile sends a delicious shiver down my spine. “Yes, ma’am.”
I can’t resist him. Instead of ducking into the car, I step on the running board so I can get an added boost and lean in.
Morgan meets my lips in a passionate kiss. His fingers curve over my jaw, careful to stay away from my curls so he doesn’t mess up my hair. He inhales me, taking me so fully into himself that I lose track of time.
His touch is addictive and, once again, I’m blown away by how treasured I feel in his arms. Here, with Morgan, nothing can touch me. Nothing would dare.
In the distance, the sound of a window sliding up tears through the quiet night. A moment later, Ashley’s voice rings out, “Hey, lovebirds? Don’t you have a reservation?”
Morgan breaks the kiss, an amused smile on his now-shiny, pink lips. He winks at me before turning and acknowledging Ashley with a wave.
I duck into the car, smiling hard and licking my lips.
On the way to the restaurant, I chat about my day at the accounting firm and Morgan tells me about helping Pavel publish his research thesis in a science feature.
It’s a project they’ve been working hard on for the past few months, so I’m glad to hear that it’s almost at its end and that Pavel can get the recognition he deserves.
Morgan slows the car in front of a gate. We head past the gate and towards a giant dome sitting in the middle of a field. Made of metal panels, it resembles a robot’s brain.
“Why are we at the observatory?” I ask, glancing at Morgan. “Did you forget something at the lab?”
“No.” He wipes his palms on his pants and gets out of the car.
Intrigued, I follow him inside.
A gasp of surprise hollows my chest when I walk into the lab. A path of roses litter the floor and lead to the centre of the room where a huge telescope is pointed at the sky.
My heart starts beating fast. “M-Morgan?”
He licks his lips nervously and takes my hand. Leading me to the telescope, he wraps his arms around me from behind and presses the button on a remote.
At once, the roof whirs apart and gives us a stunning view of the sky. Stars twinkle overhead, dazzling our eyes.
“A year ago, the stars aligned and the impossible happened. And then I met you and nothing has been the same.” His breath caresses my ear and his fingers are a delicious pressure against my belly. “I love you, Kaz. And I hope I’ve shown you that you mean more to me than anything else.”
I turn around as his hold on me loosens. “Morgan…”
He pulls something out of his pocket and goes down on one knee. A thrill drums through my veins and makes me dizzy with happiness.
“Kaz, will you be mine forever?”
“Yes!” Tears burst from my eyes. Happiness, joy and exhilaration all roll into one, filling my chest to the brim.
Morgan slips the ring on my finger and kisses me. I hold him tight, trying to etch this moment into my mind forever.
His life changed when we met, but so did mine. My heart flutters with excitement. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
His green eyes darken and, as he leans in to kiss me deeper, I anchor myself in him, in his love, and in the crazy, fantastical circumstances that brought us together.
Epilogue
Raven
A burly man dressed all in black approaches my prison. There’s no way he’s a scientist. His giant muscles, the scowl on his face and the fact that he’s not wearing a lab coat tip me off.
I eye his broad shoulders with rising dread. This WWE reject could rip my head open with one twist of his big fingers and wipe the floor with my blood.
Horror sweeps through me when he opens the door and roughly jerks me out. I struggle, trying to yank my arm out of his solid grip. He tightens his hold and drags me out of my prison.
The air outside is even colder. Fear makes my body shiver. Whatever these maniacs are about to do, I know it won’t be safe or legal.
My pathetic life flashes before my eyes.
I didn’t fight this hard to survive to end it all like this.
“Get off!” I push at my human restraints. Jerking my eyes from one scientist to the next, I beg. “Please! Someone, help!”
From the corner of my eye, I see a fist coming at me, but it’s not the security guard’s. A second later, pain flashes through every fibre of my being. I spit out blood, adrenaline spiking so hard it feels like I’m about to explode.
The clip of heels echoes in the silence and a woman walks in front of me. She’s got olive-toned skin, slick black hair and the coldest set of eyes I’ve ever seen. Her chin lifts and she jerks two fingers down. The guard shoves me so I land on my knees at the woman’s feet.
My nose hits the floor. My eyes fall on her shoes. Her pumps are designer. Probably cost about what I make on my best days. They inch closer until they’re right under me, as if she wants me to kiss them.
I spit on them instead.
She jerks back, a curse slipping past her pink lips.
I lift my head, blazing her with my stare. “Who the hell are you?”
She bends down to one knee and slowly lifts her leg. I expect her to kick me and brace myself for the flash of pain, but it never comes.
Instead, the woman wipes the spit on her shoe on my arm like I’m garbage. “Do you know why you’re here?”
“Because you and Conroy are both bastards?”
She chuckles. “You’re here because no one cares about you.”
My nostrils flare. Indignation swells in my chest, roaring like a lion desperate to consume its prey. Except this lion is toothless. On the floor. Being used as a wet wipe.
“And,” she whispers, grabbing my weave, “you have nothing.”
I snarl. “You don’t know me.”
“I know that you offer nothing to society,” she smiles sweetly, almost as if we’re having a chat about our favorite brand of tea, “and that no one will miss you when you’re gone. Absolutely,” she whispers in my ear, “no one.”
Her words pierce my heart, but I won’t let her see me crumple. “Screw you.”
“You should be thanking me.”
I scowl.
“Because of me, because of my life’s work, Conroy is giving you a second chance.”
At Conroy’s name, I stiffen. If he’s involved in this, I’m really screwed. That maniac is not known for being merciful. Something I knew when I borrowed money from him.
The moment he set me on this path, it was for
his own gain. This punishment, whatever the hell it is, will be worse than death.
My bravado slips away, leaving nothing but my mewling, ugly fear. Still, I hold in my pleas. I’d rather be torn apart limb by limb than to beg this woman for mercy.
Something tells me it wouldn’t work anyway. Her eyes are too cold. Her sneer too unyielding. She’s already killed me off in her mind. I’m already dead to her.
“You are going to do something great, young lady.” She gestures to the guard. “Send her in.”
I resist the arms that grab me and drag me up the stairs to the platform holding the doorway. Blood pumps hard through my veins and my survival instincts scream at me to do everything I can not to walk through that thing.
Yvette lifts her hand sharply. “Start it now.”
An underling presses a button and immediately the platform I’m standing on begins to shake. The only thing holding me up is the guard, but even he seems unprepared for the severity of the earthquake and his grip loosens.
I snatch the opportunity. Hurling my elbow back, I slam him hard in the groin. He goes down like a sack of potatoes, freeing me to run.
Heart crashing in my ears, I dart down the steps. I’ve only taken two of the three when a hard grip on the back of my neck lurches me off my feet. I scream in pain as the guard’s fingers dig into my flesh.
“Enough of this! Do it now!” Yvette screams, her eyes on a computer monitor.
My gaze swerves to the doorway that’s no longer empty.
It’s filled with a purple and black pulsing vortex. A monster about to eat me alive. Crush my bones. Turn me into nothing.
Without an ounce of pity, the guard lifts me up and shoves me in.
Keep reading to find out my inspiration behind Kaz’s story—maybe you might be surprised?
Also, Raven and Braxton’s story is coming soon… read on to meet the alternate-dimension lovebirds in BOUND IN YOU (coming soon).
This idea has been so close to my heart for such a long time. I’m so happy to finally have it written and out in front of the world. And I hope you enjoyed Kaz and Morgan’s love story too. If you liked this book please leave a review now.
