by Becca Andre
James stilled. “Why?”
“For Elysia, of course.”
He opened his mouth then closed it, unable to come up with a response to her unexpected request.
“I know Ian has advised you to stay away, and to this point, you’ve done as he asked. I appreciate that.” She opened the dryer and began to remove some towels. “I understand what he’s doing, what you’re doing, but sometimes, you have to follow your heart.”
“My heart?”
“She loves you, and I suspect you love her as well.” She smiled before turning back to her towels.
James didn’t know what to say. Had she overheard his conversation with Doug a few minutes ago?
Grams glanced over at him before continuing. “Ian has been dead—and I don’t mean physically dead—for a very long time. I believe he’s gradually relearning the value of love, but he’s forgotten the importance of it.”
James shifted his weight from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the topic, yet needing to talk about it. “I can’t bear the thought of being responsible for her death.” His voice dropped to a whisper by the end of the sentence.
“But you staying away won’t save her, either. Like you, I don’t want to admit it, but we both know she’s not going to last much longer.”
James swallowed. It hurt to hear it stated so bluntly, but he couldn’t refute it.
“Our only hope is that Addie can find an alchemical solution. Our job is to keep Ely alive until then.” Grams reached up and touched his cheek. “You’re the key to that.”
“I…” He wasn’t sure how to respond.
“She needs you by her side to see her through this. To give her a reason to keep fighting. Come stay in the guest room. I promise to keep you well fed.”
“You don’t need to bribe me.”
Grams laughed and transferred the towels to a laundry basket. “I raised three boys. I miss cooking for someone with a hearty appetite.”
He smiled, then grew serious once more. “I’ll speak to her when she wakes, but she’s made it clear that she doesn’t want me around.”
“She’s pushing you away to spare you. Sometimes you have to go against a loved one’s wishes to help them. Be strong for her.”
He nodded, hoping Grams was right.
Chapter 10
Elysia stopped at the base of the stairs and snugged her ponytail, suddenly wishing she had taken a little more time with her appearance. Dressed in her faded flannel pajamas and having done little more than comb her hair and brush her teeth, she had come downstairs expecting to find only Grams and Livie. She hadn’t expected James to be here. She probably should have noticed, but her head was thumping too hard to bother with her magic.
“I had a lot of training,” James was saying. His voice echoed out of the kitchen.
“Training to be an alchemist?” Livie asked.
“Yes.”
Elysia’s curiosity won out, and she stepped into the kitchen to see what was going on.
Livie and James stood at the counter, Livie leaning over to look into a bowl he was stirring. He wore his typical sweatpants and T-shirt, his bare feet giving further proof that he had traveled here through the land of the dead. That surprised her. He kept his clothes in her room, and she didn’t remember his arrival. Though to be honest, she didn’t remember a whole lot after finding an old bottle of her grandfather’s whiskey.
James lifted his head, glancing over his shoulder though she hadn’t made a sound.
“Ely, you’re up,” Livie said following his gaze.
“More or less.” Elysia walked into the room, trying not to cringe at what the movement did to her head. “What are you two doing?”
“I’m teaching James how to bake a cake,” Livie answered. “He never has. Isn’t that crazy?”
“For a guy raised by Neanderthals? That is crazy.”
His gaze met hers, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Rubbing her forehead, she crossed the room to the cabinet by the sink. “Does Grams still have some ibuprofen in here?”
“How about this?” James pulled a vial from the pocket of his sweatpants. “I sent Livie to the lab for it.”
“Oh my God,” Elysia whispered. “Is that—”
“Addie’s pain relief formula? Yes.” He removed the cap and offered it to her.
She didn’t hesitate to take the vial and downed the contents in a single swallow. A tingle started at the base of her skull and spread outward, taking the pain with it. Tipping back her head, she closed her eyes and smiled.
“Better?” James asked.
She straightened and grinned. “I need to call Addie and once again profess my undying love.” She offered him the empty vial.
He smiled, recapping the vial before he returned it to his pants pocket. “I’ll be sure to relay your appreciation.”
“Thank you.” She leaned over to peer in his bowl. “Icing?”
“Yes. Want to try some?” He held out the whisk to her.
“Look how smooth it is,” Livie said. “He mixed it by hand.”
“I’m impressed.” Elysia ran a finger through the icing and brought it to her mouth. “Mmm.” She looked up and found those vibrant green eyes on her. The intensity of his stare made her want to squirm. “That’s really good.”
“The recipe was Livie’s.” He nodded at her cousin.
“Actually, it’s Grams’s recipe,” Livie said.
“Did I hear my name?” Grams asked from the doorway.
“Just giving you credit for the icing recipe,” Livie said.
“The buttercream frosting? That was my grandmother’s.” She gave James a smile before turning to Elysia. “How are you?”
“Much better—after James brought me some of Addie’s hangover relief potion.” She gave her grandmother a guilty glance.
“Good.” Grams reached up and cupped her cheek.
“I’m sorry,” Elysia said. Yeah, she was an adult, but it still felt wrong to get shitfaced under Grams’s roof.
“It’s okay, but next time you get into the whiskey, don’t wander off. I had to have James find you.”
“Oh.” She looked up at him. “That’s why you’re here.”
“Originally. At the moment, I’m getting cooking lessons.” He gave Livie a smile.
“In the interest of furthering your education,” Grams spoke up, “I’m going to make lasagna.”
“Are you challenging me to up my game?” James asked.
Grams laughed. “That’s one way to look at it, though Elysia’s lasagna is much better.”
“Oh?” James lifted a brow and his gaze shifted to her.
Elysia laughed and rolled her eyes, feeling too good to be annoyed at Grams’s machinations. “Fine. I’ll make the lasagna.”
“I wasn’t asking you to,” Grams hurried to add. “If you feel—”
“I’m well enough to make lasagna.”
“And we’ll help you,” Livie said. She turned to James. “Have you ever made pasta?”
“Does mac and cheese count?”
“Not if it’s out of a box. I’m talking about fresh pasta, not that dried crap.”
“I didn’t realize there was a difference.”
“Oh, Ely,” Livie turned to her. “We have so much to teach him.”
Elysia met his equally amused gaze and smiled. “Yes, we do.”
With everyone’s help, the lasagna was constructed and in the oven in record time. Grams left them to make the garlic knots when she got a phone call, but it was no problem since she already had a pan of fresh bread rising on the back of the stove. Grams made bread almost everyday. It was one of the things Elysia missed most when she moved away.
Carrying a saucepan of melted butter to the table, she sat it down next to the cutting board where James was making short work of mi
ncing some fresh garlic and parsley. The guy was wicked talented with a knife—no surprise.
“That was amazing,” Livie said, staring at the cutting board.
James looked up. “I’m good with knives. It’s part of my skill set.”
“Is it true you can’t miss?” Livie dusted the table with flour and began to divide the bread dough.
“Only if I choose to.” James moved over to help her shape the bread into sticks they would later fold into knots.
“I find that really hard to believe,” Livie said. “You’re messing with me, right?”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
Elysia turned back to her garlic butter, smiling at their banter. Livie thought a lot of James, and it was easy to see why. He always gave her his full attention and treated her like her opinion mattered, even though she was just a kid.
Without warning, the butter Elysia was stirring exploded in her face, sending a cascade of the garlic-scented mixture across her cheeks and down the front of her pajamas. It took her a second to realize something had fallen into the butter. A small ball of bread dough.
“Oops.” James had his back to her, giving her a sheepish grin over his shoulder.
“You hit it!” Livie said. “Without even looking.” She suddenly noticed Elysia frowning at them. “Oh, sorry.” She snickered.
Elysia fished the bread dough out of the butter with her fingers. “You think this is funny?”
“I should have thrown a smaller piece,” James said, stepping up to the table across from her. A smile twisted his lips as he watched a drop of butter fall from her chin. “Sorry.”
“I’ll give you sorry.” Elysia threw the dough at him.
He ducked, avoiding the projectile easily, and the ball of butter-soaked dough smacked into Livie’s powder blue T-shirt, leaving a smear of oily butter down one shoulder.
“Oh no you didn’t!” Livie cried.
“That’s what you get for encouraging him.”
Livie grabbed a handful of flour and slung it across the table at Elysia. Fortunately, the flour didn’t carry far, but the egg Elysia threw back did.
Livie cried out when it struck her full in the chest, and an all-out battle ensued. After peppering each other with various foodstuffs, they turned their attention to James, who had miraculously avoided any splatters. Even with their combined efforts, they couldn’t seem to hit him.
“Ugh,” Livie complained when the garlic clove she had hurled at his head went wide. “Not only does he not miss, he can’t be hit.”
“Truce?” he offered, though he hadn’t really participated in the food fight.
Elysia glanced over at her cousin and gave her a wink. “Do you apologize for slinging butter all over me?” she asked James.
“Hardly all over, and that wasn’t my intent.” He took a step back as she took a step closer.
“Are you sorry you did it?” she asked.
He eyed the gooey mess that covered the front of her, a smile on his lips. “You smell interesting.” His back bumped against the counter behind him, and he could go no further.
“That’s not an apology.” She took another step closer.
His hand shot out and caught her shoulder. “I see what you’re up to.”
“Maybe I want to hug and make up.”
He grinned.
“Hades’ blood, what happened here?” Grams exclaimed from the doorway.
Livie turned with a gasp, and James released Elysia’s shoulder, his wide eyes going to their grandmother. Elysia took advantage of his distraction and wrapped him in a hug.
“Ely!” he cried.
Laughing, she squeezed him tighter, and he surprised her by hugging her in turn. When she stepped back, the front of his shirt was now as slime-covered as hers. “Now you smell interesting, too.”
His eyes twinkled with restrained laughter.
She turned to face Grams, expecting a reprimand, but to her surprise, Grams was laughing, too.
“We’ll clean it up, Grams,” Livie said. She gave Elysia an uncertain look. A strand of leftover pasta hung from her hair, and her face was pebbled with little globs of vegetable shortening.
Elysia pressed a hand to her mouth to keep in the hysteria that wanted to escape.
Grams shook her head. “You three go get cleaned up. I’ll get the garlic knots in the oven.” Somehow, the bread had survived the food fight unscathed.
“I can just wipe off,” James said, plucking at his T-shirt. “I’ll help you clean up.”
Grams nodded, rubbing a tear from her eye. “You two, go.” She made a shooing gesture toward Elysia and Livie.
“We’ll be quick,” Livie promised, “and come right back to help.” She hurried over to Elysia, but slipped on a busted egg.
Elysia caught her and pulled her against her in an effort to keep her upright. They managed to smear even more goo all over each other. Livie started laughing and Elysia joined her. Together, they left the kitchen, arms still wrapped around each other.
“Nice job sliming James.”
“Thanks.” Elysia grinned.
“It feels good to laugh again,” Livie said, sobering a little once they reached the stairs.
“Yeah, it does,” Elysia agreed.
After dinner, Elysia joined James and Livie in the living room to watch some TV and enjoy the cake James had helped make. It surprised her that James had stayed. Had her disappearance frightened him that much? What did he think had happened to her? She wanted to ask, but felt foolish about her actions now. She knew better than to drown her troubles in a bottle, but after James’s healing attempt last night, she had been unable to resist losing her regrets in oblivion.
The heavy meal, comfortable couch, and unengaging teen-angst show Livie had selected were having the expected effect. Elysia was finding it almost impossible to keep her eyes open. When James wrapped an arm around her and guided her head to his shoulder, she didn’t resist. After a lonely night in the cemetery with only a bottle for company, it was nice to be surrounded by people who cared.
James’s familiar scent relaxed her and made her feel safe. Content, she wrapped an arm around his waist and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
She wasn’t certain how long she had dozed before she felt James’s arms slip under her and lift her from the couch. She tried to ask where they were going, but the words came out a slurred mumble.
“I’m taking you to bed,” he answered.
“I wish,” she muttered, sliding an arm around his neck.
He chuckled, but didn’t comment.
She must have dozed off again, because the next thing she knew, she was falling. A small cry escaped, and she tightened the arm she had wrapped around his neck.
“Shh,” James whispered. “It’s just your bed.” He set her down and began to pull away from her. Was he leaving?
She held him tighter. “Don’t go. I’ve been alone so long.” That wasn’t exactly what she had intended to say, but her groggy mind wasn’t cooperating.
James hesitated, then glanced at the open door of her bedroom. Light filtered in from the hall, allowing her a glimpse of his face and his wrinkled brow. Was he longing to leave?
Before she could ask, he straightened, then pulled the covers up over her. Without a word, he turned away, but he didn’t head to the door. Her heart hammered a quicker beat as he circled the end of her bed and climbed up on the other side.
“I’ll leave the door open.” He lay down beside her, atop the covers. Perhaps his concerned expression and hesitation had been about the impropriety of crawling into her bed with her grandmother just down the hall.
Smiling to herself, Elysia rolled over to lay her head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around him. She wanted to tease him, but sleep was claiming her once more. She managed a muttered thank you, then relaxed against him.
He drew a quick breath, and she realized she had relaxed a little too much, allowing her soul to fill him. She would apologize later.
Elysia woke to sunlight and the scent of bacon and coffee. Her room at Grams’s house. When she was at her apartment with Addie, bacon and coffee only replaced the chemical odors when she was the one behind it. Not that she begrudged Addie. Elysia liked to cook—as did Grams.
She stretched her arms above her head and sighed. She didn’t remember the specifics, but her dreams had been nice—which meant they’d been about James. Her subconscious liked to torment her.
Actually, as her sleep-hazed mind began to clear, she realized just how good she did feel. Damn, she hadn’t slept that well in forever. The ever-present pain from her swollen soul was, maybe not absent, but manageable. It was almost as if—
She sat up with a gasp. The memory was hazy and dreamlike, but she remembered sharing her soul with James, and dozing off that way. Had he left? She sent her senses outward and felt him not far away. A guest room. He really had spent the night.
She left the bed to splash some water on her face in an effort to wake up. Blotting the water from her cheeks, she studied her reflection. Her eyes were still white, but she felt much better. Why had sharing her soul with James been different this time?
Curious, she sent her soul out to him once more. A moment, then she released him. Her soul snapped back and she grunted, though it didn’t double her over. It was more like getting flicked with a rubber band than crushed by a sledgehammer.
A knock at her bedroom door made her jump.
“Ely?” James called.
Oh damn. Of course he had felt that. Had she awakened him?
“Are you okay?” he asked the moment she opened the door.
“Yes. Sorry about that.” Unable to help herself, her gaze roamed over him. He wore only a pair of sweatpants, the waistband below his navel. Something about that fascinated her, and as she had noticed countless times before, he had a great body. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, nor any excess muscle for that matter. He was all lithe power, a predator in human skin. Belatedly, she noticed his wet hair. Had he gone to his room for a shower?
