© 2024 Layla Frost

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.’

FROM THE PERVY MIND OF THE AUTHOR

This book has been a long time coming. A looooong time. I am so happy to be here.

At the end.

I know, I know. Parting is such sweet blah, blah, blah. And, yes, I also know you’ll miss Levi and his giant…

Heart.

But the end is finally here. I hope you’ve loved this fun and twisty and steamy series like I have.

Thank you to Covers by Combs for the amazing art that I’m able to wrap around my words.

Thank you to Editing4Indies for making those words make any sort of sense.

Thank you to Ashley/Geeky Girl Author Services for being there for me when I’m a needy author. And for trusting me enough to go on this journey to begin with.

Thank you to Beth for catching all my little missing words that I swear disappear by magicks.

And thank you to M, as always. My own bearded man who loves me tenderly, roughly, and everywhere in between. Who supports me and lifts me up. Who buys me flowers every week, enough to fill all the random vases I buy. Who fixes my coffee exactly how I love it. Who hits on me even in his sleep.

I love you whole bunches.

Check CW on the author’s website: https://laylafrostwrites.com/

Listen to the Bones playlist here: https://geni.us/BonesMusic

To you. The reader. May there be cotton candy in your near future.

Thank you for being here.

PROLOGUE

DUBHLOACH

1690S

Death lurks near.

And I do not mean my brother.

Unease rippled down my spine to twist in my stomach. The crusty bread and potted meat that had just filled my belly suddenly vanished, and an intense hunger stole my breath until my strides stumbled on the cobblestone.

With my own steps halted, I heard the softer ones that followed me before pausing soon after.

Keeping my back to my mystery shadow, I moved toward the stacked crates at the side of the path and paused to dig in my leather satchel. I pulled free the remainder of my bread and meat before adding the dried, salted cheese I packed for my evening meal.

The senses in the back of my mind said that I would not need it anyway.

A dreaded thought that I did not allow myself to focus on.

I set the nourishment down on the dusty crates and turned my back to them as I pretended to search my bag further.

As I pretended not to hear them being stolen from under my nose.

Only when the rapidly fleeing footsteps sounded did I dare to risk a peek over my shoulder.

For the love of angels… Just a young girl.

Could not be more than five.

Practically a babe and wasting away.

Despite her empty stomach that I felt as keenly as if it were my own, she did not dig into her pilfered treasures with the ravenous indulgence she very well deserved. Rather, she held the prize close to herself as she ran.

Undoubtedly to share when few others had extended that same consideration to the starving child.

An ocean away, and yet the same toxic rot has spread more so.

I find I loathe this time and place.

It did not used to be like this.

I had a wealth of time to compare to. For centuries, I had roamed the Earth with my siblings. Though we had once worked together, we had long ago been forced to separate into territories in order to fulfill our duties.

Keep the growing use of magicks in check.

Keep things fair.

Balanced.

Most importantly, we were tasked to prevent the end of the world.

Even as the humans did their best to hasten it.

Dark magicks were a danger to all—including those who wielded it—but growing greed was the real crux of humankind’s undoing.

For as long as my siblings and I had existed, humans had always suffered from greed and envy. The more years that passed, the worse it became.

Especially in that time and place.

Where death lurked and evil resided.

I shuddered, that darkness entwining in the spot where half a soul resided. My steps resumed with the need to reach my brother’s home.

To be with my siblings after far too many years apart.

No longer caring if my rapid steps drew attention, gossip, or fear, I increased my strides as I followed the connection that pulled at my very being. I paused outside of Thanatos’ door long enough to give a quick knock before entering to find I was the last to arrive.

Thanatos.

Juno.

Lenuson.

Death.

War.

Pestilence.

And me.

Famine.

A feeling of fullness settled in my chest, but it was not whole. It never was. It never would be.

Not until my soul was finally complete.

Not until it found its other half.

My mate.

My one.

“Brother,” Thanatos greeted, pulling me into an embrace. I felt the matching emptiness in him become a little less vast in my presence. “Just in time.”

“Took you long enough,” Juno interjected, tucking her red hair behind her ear.

My brows lowered. “We were just summoned.”

“And I’ve been here for five whole minutes.” She oddly glanced at her bare wrist. “Almost six minutes. And in these scratchy AF clothes, that’s basically an eternity. Haven’t they heard of the joys of fabric softener? I’d settle for a polyester blend.”

My gaze moved over her head to my other brother. Lenuson eyed Juno with the same confusion, clearly also wondering if she was unwell.

Perchance she has picked up an ailment from the islands she patrols. A brain-eating amoeba of some sort.

Lenuson looked as though he wanted to examine her, but she spoke before he could suggest so.

Adjusting her skirt with a scowl, she said, “Explain to me again why we’re here.”

Utilizing his copious and thorough notes, Thanatos started at the beginning. He spoke of the surge of dark magicks. The growing mistrust and suspicion. The fearmongering that had begun to turn violent.

He shared that Absolve was there in Salem.

Soul stealers hiding amongst the church.

Hypocrisy within the righteous.

His discoveries echoed what my instincts had already shown.

The pious had been led to condemn each other, leaving those in need to suffer while they cast judgment around them. Turning a blind eye to the destitute in order to keep tabs on the comings and goings of their neighbors.

Building their worth on the backs of others’ misfortune.

Looking down on them as though they were better for letting others go without.

After informing us of all he had learned during his time there, Thanatos left his notations open to review while we planned.

Juno voted in favor of destroying the entire town.

Though many had done nothing to earn his consideration, Lenuson’s concern lay with the safety of those who inhabited the damned town.

My own opinion fell somewhere between the two. While I didn’t want senseless destruction, I was too aware of the emptiness that resided within many and the potential for catastrophe to make wishful demands of peace.

Despite the bickering and the battle we strategized for, I allowed myself to enjoy being with my siblings. I had missed them almost as much as my soul missed its counterpart.

Even when they would not listen to reason that we should separate once we breached Joseph Martin’s hiding place.

Or when Juno said odd words that made no sense.

Or when Lenuson and I locked in a heated argument about the potential loss of life.

It was a balm to just see the three of them again. To be together in a way we often could not be due to the widespread use of magicks.

While we considered every possibility of attack and counterattack, I prepared what food Thanatos had stocked—serving some but packing most into my bag. If anyone noticed, they did not question it.

Hours later, the sun had fully set. We had gone through the variables. Planned for the unplannable. It was time.

We set out for the church.

Lenuson and I took the lead. As we traveled, I pulled the provisions from my bag and left them in various spots. I did not mind if an animal came upon the little feasts I left in a trail. They were in need of sustenance like any other living being. I only hoped those with stocked cupboards and full bellies did not discard what they did not require.

That kind of waste when so many went without…

It was unconscionable.

“That is a surprising amount of effort and care you are expending forth for the same lives you were just willing to sacrifice,” Lenuson pointed out.

I glared at him. “To save the lives of many, I could be forced to shoulder the loss of few. Not willingly. Nor happily. We would do our best to prevent any deaths. Yet that sacrifice would be preferable to the devastation of all because we were too preoccupied with saving those few. Would it not, brother?”

His clenched jaw and the rapid flipping of the coin between his knuckles were the only signs of his concession.

When simply walking became too arduous, I removed my satchel and left it open near a home in immense disarray. I softly tapped the door before continuing onward, ignoring the calls of gratitude from the inhabitants whose hearts were full despite their empty bellies.

One step at a time.

One foot in front of the other.

One breath in.

One breath out.

Each small movement was a chore that drained my physical and mental energy.

A clear sign we were going in the correct direction.

And that the fight would be all we had overprepared for.

Potentially more.

Once we reached the church, the dark power pulsed over my skin and into my veins. It churned my stomach until it was an effort just to keep it from revolting.

The building of salvation for souls was lacking in both salvation and souls.

Juno attempted to use her magicks to get inside but was prevented.

“I told you,” Thanatos told her. “I have never experienced anything like that.”

“I have.” Juno shared about the wards that protected the holy grounds in her island territory by blocking all magicks, not just the kind rooted in evil.

“Will we be able to defeat him if our powers are useless?” Lenuson asked, echoing my own thoughts.

“Together. As I said.” Shaking her head, she added, “You act like I’m not the smartest one here.”

“And the most bothersome,” I said.

She lifted her hand to playfully swat at me, as though we were normal siblings. When I caught her wrist, I felt it.

Her emptiness.

Her aching desire for her own mate.

Her fear she hid behind arrogance and unusual words.

Her despair at… something.

I did not know what because she also did not know.

I gave her what I hoped was a comforting squeeze as we shared a look.

Releasing her, we entered the building and followed the path of hallways Juno had set on Thanatos’ map. The difficulty of simply walking grew worse the closer we got to the room.

The despair.

The hatred.

The evil.

The emptiness.

I felt it. Tasted it. It invaded my senses and my thoughts so completely that it made me feel hollow. A dried husk with nothing inside. No heart nor soul.

Empty.

With immense effort born of centuries on Earth, I focused on our powers. On our togetherness. On the brightness that filled us like a sunrise cutting through the inky darkness of a long night.

Juno grabbed the door and froze. As Thanatos pried her hand free and checked it for injury, she blankly said what we already knew.

We would not win that day.

We would not lose that day.

We would fight.

Together.

As we should be.

The door burst open, and we rushed in, arms out.

As expected, Joseph Martin was inside, nervously pacing.

Only he wasn’t alone.

Concern pinched Thanatos’ face. “John, you should not be here. You have done your part, dear friend. You have helped me track the leader. Run. Now.”

He did not feel it.

I, however, did.

The emptiness in John’s chest.

The place where his soul should be.

“He is not your friend, brother,” I said.

John’s brows furrowed, and he blinked with earnest and exaggerated innocence. “I am. Your only friend. The only one you can trust with your secrets. Trust to take down Absolve.” He erupted in a cruel laugh. “So easy to fool and beguile.”

Juno tossed her arm out toward him. “Who the fuck is this douche?”

“We will defeat you both,” Thanatos bit out, ignoring our sister.

“It will be rewarding when we succeed. Not because I will get a share of your power, but because I will no longer have to listen to you whine.” A cloud of acrid greenish brown smoke swirled over John’s body. His eyes grew panicked. “No. No!”

And then his body slumped to the floor.

No longer breathing.

“Is he dead?” Juno asked, kicking at him.

Before anyone could confirm, Joseph Martin was moving.

Charging at us.

That same filthy green floated from his hands. It wasn’t magicks. It was something different. Visible.

Powerful.

“The power is mine and mine alone.” The smoke filled the room. Swelled outward still, pushing at the windows. Threatening to overtake the town.

We could not let it happen.

Raising our arms, my siblings and I fought.

Together.

As we should be.

Apart.

As we were never meant to be.

The battle had come and gone.

We did not lose.

We did not win.

My lids shot open. I was not sure how much time had passed. Scanning my surroundings, I saw nothing but heavy woods. Even still, I knew I was no longer in Salem.

No longer in Massachusetts.

I closed my eyes and mentally reached for my siblings. No matter how far spread we were across the continents, I always felt them. That presence had been a reassurance in the face of evil. Yet suddenly I could not find our links. Not even a thin thread of them.

All that was left was three jagged connections that had been violently severed.

They’re gone?

I refused to entertain the thought.

Rather than channeling my focus outward in search of them, I directed it upward to the powers-that-be.

Silence.

I will hunt for my siblings. I do not care how long it takes or how far I need to go. No corner of this Earth will go unexplored.

I will find them.

There is no other option.

Aurora

MODERN DAY, SIX YEARS AGO

“We still going to the mall after youth group?” Annabelle whispered to the group.

I might have been standing with them, but I wasn’t included in the trip or their discussion.

I knew better than to assume I was.

Bethany nodded excitedly. “I have the car and told my mom we’re spending this beautiful Saturday afternoon volunteering at the shelter like good girls.”

A dirtiness at just hearing that lie spread across my skin, but I pushed it away.

“I heard Hunter talking at school yesterday that he’d be there with his friends.” Claire tugged at the buttoned cardigan she wore. “Before we look for them, I’m gonna buy a crop top.”

It wasn’t my business what she bought or wore, but her father was a different matter.

The pastor preached on a pulpit of fire and brimstone about everything, but especially the immodesty of women. Revealing clothes were the modern version of the apple that Eve used to tempt man.

To damn humanity.

If he were to find out his own daughter was exposing her skin—skin that, according to his sermons, belonged to her future husband—she would face his wrath. It would be worse if others from the congregation witnessed her disrespect.

And they would.

Images flashed through my head.

Claire choking on a soft pretzel until she lost consciousness.

Old Ms. Crane as her emergency room nurse.

The retelling of Claire’s worldly clothing spreading through the pews like wildfire.

Pastor Gideon’s violent wrath.

I tried to hold the words in. I swallowed past the thickness of them lodged in my throat like I was the one choking.

This is just my imagination.

This is why I have no one.

Why I’m stuck in the Gideons’ care.

It’s none of my business.

I just need to shut⁠—

“Don’t eat any pretzels,” I blurted out in a quiet rush, trying to protect the girl who tormented me.

Despite all the materialistic items she’d been spoiled with, it was never enough.

Despite the cruelty she faced from her own father, it never stopped her from dolling it out herself.

Animal droppings in my lumpy bed.

Added holes in my already worn clothing.

Stolen schoolwork.

Stolen everything.

Gossip and rumors she spoke like truth and gospel until our entire school thought the worst about me.

In the six months I’d lived with the Gideon family, Claire had made my life hell. I could’ve let her face the consequences of her actions. Maybe I should’ve.

Because at my bizarre warning, the three of them glared at me like the freak I was.

“Okay, Satan,” Annabelle muttered.

Claire laughed, but it was nasty. “She wishes. Satan is powerful. He runs hell. Auro-rolf”—she made the end of my name sound like she was barfing—“is just a little demon. She’s a no one.”

Her words cut.

And those cuts grew into gaping wounds when she leveled me with a demeaning stare. “She’s nothing. It’s why none of her family wants her and why she had to come torture me.” She put her hand to her chest. “If God gives his hardest trials to his most loyal warriors, then I must be truly special since he sent me a weird-eyed freakazoid.”

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t.

Because for all I knew, she was right.

I didn’t know who I was or where I’d come from. I didn’t know whether I had a loving family searching for me.

Or one avoiding me the same way my foster family did.

Even just the basics, like my favorite color or what kind of personality I’d had, were a mystery. Had I always loved to read? Had I always wanted food so spicy, it gave me the hiccups? My guess was no because, according to Pastor Gideon, that was the devil’s fire at work. But what had my favorite food been before? Had I always been quiet, or was Claire’s treatment of me my own damnation because I’d been a mean girl? Was my… imagination because of the accident, or was it something I’d always been cursed with?

I had no idea.

I only knew two things for certain—or as certain as I could be about anything.

My name was Aurora, and my accident happened on my sixteenth birthday.

Everything else from before that day six months prior was gone.

Try as I might, I couldn’t stop Claire’s verbal blows from landing as violently as her fists might’ve. Actually, I was pretty sure it was worse.

Physical bruises healed a lot faster.

Claire reached out to give my blonde braid a vicious tug before the three of them walked inside, giggling as they went.

I didn’t move.

I squeezed my eyes closed like that would magically change the bizarre color difference of crystal blue and the darkest black.

I inhaled like that would magically bring me peace.

I prayed like that would magically make my real family appear.

For the millionth time in the six months I’d been there, I thought about running. My legs literally tingled with the need to flee into the woods I’d been rescued from. Not that I would. I couldn’t even get near clusters of trees without panic freezing my breath in my lungs.

“You okay, Aurora?”

I jolted at the question spoken from close to my ear. My lids shot open, and I turned my head to see my youth pastor. “Uh, yes. I’m fine, Pastor Jackson.”

He gave a soft chuckle. “I’ve told you, call me Ryan. If you insist on formality, I’ll settle for Pastor Ryan. But Pastor Jackson makes me feel like I’m a decrepit old man.” He grinned. “Which I am, but I don’t want the reminder.”

He wasn’t an old man. Not like Pastor Gideon or the other elder members of the church.

In his mid-twenties, Pastor Ryan didn’t dress in the same stuffy suits the other men wore at all church functions. He favored stylish suits for Sunday service and casual clothing for everything else. His brown hair was always just a little overgrown and messy, even right after a cut. He was six feet tall—towering over my five foot nothing—lean muscled, and… hot.

He was so hot.

It felt wrong to notice it, and I would never say it out loud. Not like Claire. She and her friends talked in detail about how staring at the sexy pastor was the only good thing about attending church and youth group.

But that wasn’t true. He was nice to look at, but everything he said was worth listening to. He was smart. Kind. Sweet. The way he spoke so sincerely made it feel as if he was talking only to me.

It took me an awkward moment to find my equally awkward words. “Right. Pastor Ryan.”

“You sure you’re okay? Is there anything you’d like to share?”

I nodded before shaking my head, leaving me looking like a bobblehead. “I mean, yes, I am okay, and no, there’s nothing to share.”

His jaw clenched. “You know you can trust me, right?”

I didn’t know that.

I didn’t trust anyone—including myself.

How could I? I was clearly insane.

A freak.

“I know,” I lied.

He smiled, but it looked forced. “We better get inside. I’m available to talk later if you change your mind.”

When he gave my arm a friendly squeeze, an image of him kissing me popped into my head.

Unlike the other glimpses I got, I didn’t have to tell myself it was my imagination. I was absolutely certain it was my own sinful creation.

That didn’t stop it from spiking my heart rate and my temperature.

Feeling unworthy in so many ways, I followed the pastor inside.

Maybe today’s topic will help me feel less alone in the crowded room.

I shot awake.

Blinking sleep from my eyes, I sat up and tried to figure out what’d woken me.

A booming shout echoed through the large house, followed by a slam and the squeaking floor.

Claire.

Why wouldn’t she just listen?

A high-pitched cry mixed with the rumble of insults and fiery damnation.

I wanted to hide my head under the pillow, but it wouldn’t help. It wouldn’t stop my imagination from forming the image I’d had earlier that day.

The one of Pastor Gideon shoving Claire to the ground as he screamed in her face, all while Mrs. Gideon watched on in her numbed stupor.

The house quieted, but it wasn’t peaceful. It never was. The air was always tense like shards of eggshells lined every surface, impossible to avoid.

I braced even before I heard the footsteps.

Before she filled the doorway of the tiny room in the back of the large house that’d been designated as my own.

Her pretty brown hair was tangled in disarray, and tears streamed down her splotchy cheeks. Her voice was rough as she seethed, “This is all your fault. I only ate that pretzel because you said not to. And then you made this happen.”

“How? I’ve been asleep.”

“Of course you have. Always early to bed, early to rise. Quiet. Polite. Proper. The shining example of what a good child should be. Always so perfect.” Her face pinched. “If you’re so perfect, why hasn’t your family looked for you? Why don’t they want you? Because you’re a demon, and they know it.”

I rolled over and tried to ignore the hollow emptiness that filled me at her words.

But she wasn’t done.

“And one day,” Claire shouted, “everyone will know it!”

CHAPTER ONE

HELLISH PURPOSE

AURORA

“Give me more.”

There was a time when that order would’ve been said in a different tone. When it would’ve meant something entirely different.

When Ryan would’ve been sweetly demanding more of my stolen kisses. Or urgently demanding more of my body as he touched me with adoration and desire.

But it’d been years since that’d happened.

Years since he’d touched me in that way.

Years since he’d acted as a lover rather than a pastor and an inconvenienced guardian.

I couldn’t even remember the last time we’d kissed.

“That’s all I have,” I quietly admitted, knowing he wouldn’t be pleased.

“That’s unacceptable. This is the second week in a row that you’ve failed to deliver. Sunday services are tomorrow, and I have next to nothing.”

I can’t force the visions to come.

I’ve tried.

A shudder rocked through me at the memory.

If giving Ryan nothing was already bad, telling him a lie had been hell. I’d made a fool of him. I’d risked the life that he’d so carefully built for us.

I’d failed.

And I kept failing.

I tugged at the roots of my long hair like that would somehow activate my curse.

“Really?” His cold brown eyes glared into my own brown ones—courtesy of the colored contacts I always wore. “You’re starting with the dramatics like this is somehow my fault?”

Run.

I need to run away.

My brows lowered at the errant thought.

Leaving had never crossed my mind before. No matter how lonely I got. No matter how broken I felt. No matter how bad things were, I knew they could be worse.

So much worse.

Like he’d somehow read my mind and the insane idea that’d gone through it, his demeanor changed. His expression softened and warmed. His tone became gentle. “I’m just trying to help you, Aurora. I need to keep you safe from those who would harm you. If it weren’t for me…”

He didn’t finish his thought, but he didn’t have to.

The scar on my chest was a daily reminder.

Ryan pulled me into his hold, and I wanted to melt into him.

I tried to melt into him.

Starved for the connection I rarely got, I wanted to savor being wrapped in his arms, but my mind refused to cooperate.

Run.

Run in the woods.

The woods? I hate the woods.

At my rigid body, Ryan’s own body tensed.

Unlike Pastor Gideon, Ryan didn’t use violence to deal with disrespect.

There were more effective—and far worse—methods he utilized to get me back on my godly path.

An image of me in the prayer room popped into my head.

It was originally a broom closet, but Ryan had modified it into a soundproof space. I couldn’t stand upright in it due to the shelving. I couldn’t sit comfortably due to the size. My only options were to stoop or sit with my legs curled up until my body went painfully numb.

The darkened silence was meant to give me the opportunity to pray for forgiveness, but I couldn’t take the seclusion right then. Certainly not hours of it on the empty stomach that was supposed to bring me enlightenment.

Thankfully, that image wasn’t the only one I received.

Knowing I would make him happy—that I hadn’t failed at all my duties—I smiled up in the face of his irritation. “Mr. Daniels will be up on the second level, sitting in the third row. He is going to quit his job this week, but he shouldn’t. The company will be sold off soon, and he’ll get a severance package. He just needs to be patient.”

Ryan nodded, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. “That’s what I’ll focus the sermon on. Everyone could use the reminder that patience is a virtue to give.” He squeezed my upper arms, and it was one step below painful.

One very small step.

“And a blessing to receive,” he finished before using his hold to march me from his office and through the house that was far too big for just the two of us.

I’d tried asking for a pet to keep me company, even something small like a gerbil. But Ryan didn’t like the wildlife to step a paw, hoof, or claw onto his property outside. He’d laughed in my face when I’d asked to adopt something that would live inside.

He didn’t stop propelling me backward until we stood outside of the prayer room.

Panic filled me, tightening my muscles until my bones ached. “But I⁠—”

“You what? You waited until the last minute? You barely gave me anything? Agreed. And this isn’t the first time. It’s a pattern now, Aurora.” Ryan’s grip was firm, but his voice was tender. His wounded expression filled me with guilt because I’d let him down. But also because my evil thoughts had said to run. “I gave up everything for you. I left my family and life behind and moved to Georgia to help you. Because God said this is where you needed to be. I’ve been understanding, but it’s like you’re not even trying to repent for your wickedness. And clearly, I’m not the only one who feels that way. God is unhappy.”

“Maybe the lack of visions is because He is happy,” I tried. “Maybe they’re going away because God is ending my curse.”

“I wish that were true, but the decrease is because of you. You don’t believe hard enough. Your faith in Him and my purpose is faltering.” He inched me back. “This isn’t a punishment. This opportunity to connect with God without distraction and interruption is a gift. I only want what’s best for you. You’re lucky to have me.”

And then the door was closed, cutting off all light and sound.

I did the best I could to calm my sharp, frantic breaths as I reminded myself that Ryan protected me. He’d been doing so since the day he’d helped me escape the Gideons. He was simply doing his best to use my hellish gift for heavenly purposes in an attempt to save me. If it weren’t for him, who knew what would’ve happened to me.

Who knew what would happen to my soul.

“I need to go to church today.”

Ryan’s expression hardened at my uncharacteristic demand. “It’s my job to tell you what you need.”

I lowered my gaze to the stove as I cooked. “Of course. I’m sorry, I misspoke. Do you think I need to go to church today?”

He came up behind me, and it took everything in me not to tense. I held my breath, not wanting to smell it.

Smell her.

Whoever she was that time.

When he’d finally released me from the prayer room late the night before, the smell of perfume and sex had clung to him. It hadn’t been the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last.

Pastor Gideon and the others under him had taught that men were base beings. That God had created them to provide and produce, and if they were led astray, it wasn’t their fault. It was their wife’s job to keep them content and other women’s jobs to not be sinful jezebels.

Since Ryan and I weren’t even married, he wasn’t breaking any vows or heavenly covenants.

With no choice but to fill my burning lungs, I inhaled and only smelled fresh soap and his favorite cologne.

“Did you get a vision yesterday?” he asked.

I didn’t.

Usually in the solitude of the prayer room, I was overwhelmed with bizarre and nonsensical visions that left me with a splitting headache and an ache that ripped apart my chest. The day before was different.

Worse.

Like my brain wanted to remind me, the only bizarre thought that’d echoed through my head hit me again.

Run.

Run in the woods.

“Yes.” I wasn’t sure if I was a good enough liar for him to believe me since it wasn’t something I ever did, but I had to try.

Usually, I loved staying home by myself—so long as the prayer room wasn’t involved. I would watch the sermons as they streamed online. Then I’d read. Take a bath. Try to revive my fledgling, mostly dead garden.

I’d do whatever I wanted to do in the quiet sprawling house.

Faith Connections leadership believed people needed to see how God had provided divine favor to his voices on Earth. No one would trust a leader who struggled paycheck to paycheck. They would think that they hadn’t earned provisions or protections. The pastors needed to show off their joy and peace and material gifts like their homes, the newest fashion, and the finest cars because all of them were God’s blessings. It proved to the flock that they were worthy of being followed and gave them something to reach for.

Stay righteous and worthy, give and sacrifice, and you too will be blessed with a house of splendor.

One that, for whatever reason, was beginning to feel like a gilded prison.

I pushed the lie a step further. “It showed that I needed to be closer to your flock to connect with them.”

The silence stretched and grew tenser—or maybe that was just me—as I turned off the burner. As always, Ryan dished out the food. He loaded the single plate with the egg white and veggie frittata. Contrary to his insistence on healthy eating, he also added three pieces of heavily buttered toast and one dry slice. The dry piece would be mine, along with whatever he didn’t finish from the egg dish.

I reached for the plate to carry it to the breakfast bar for him, but he stopped me.

Cupping my cheek, he tilted my head. At the intense way he scanned my face, an apology began to form on my tongue.

For trying to deceive him.

For being ungrateful enough to want to flee the luxurious house he provided.

For being his burden.

“You can come,” he said finally. “But you know the rules. Stay in the back. Do not talk to anyone. Understood?”

That would be easy.

I hadn’t spoken a single word to anyone but Ryan in a long time.

Not since it’d almost cost me my life.

Climbing from the car, I used my hand to block the sun as I stared up at the massive building in front of me. It didn’t look like a church. There was no weathered signage that required someone to manually change the message from a box of letters. No small garden overrun with weeds because it was tended by elderly volunteers with bad knees. No cracked concrete and aged beauty of an old building.

With its staggering size and multiple parking lots, Faith Connections looked like an arena for concerts or sporting events.

It was a far cry from the tiny church in Arkansas where Ryan and I had met.

It seemed improbable that all that space was necessary, but it very much was. Within hours, every single seat would be filled by people who wanted to hear God’s voices on Earth speak. And none drew a flock like Ryan. Despite his young age, his impassioned and charismatic sermons had earned him the spot of lead pastor.

Maybe this is why something told me I should be here today.

I needed the reminder of how lucky I am that a righteous man like Ryan would help a cursed sinner like me.

As we walked inside, curious eyes landed on me. When they moved to Ryan, they changed to looks of awe and pity for the handsome pastor who was stuck with the mute ward.

It made my skin itch to feel their attention on me.

Panic spiked in my chest, and I pressed my lips tighter together so I wouldn’t accidentally speak. My colored contacts were in, but I kept my eyes aimed downward anyway. And though the neckline of my dress was high, I fought the urge to pull it up even more so to ensure my scar was hidden.

Regret clawed at me, but I pushed it down. I had to be there.

I just had no idea why.

Ryan guided me through the space to the backstage area. He pulled a chair from a stack and settled it out of the way so I could watch the services from the side. “Remember the rules.”

I began to nod before freezing. Flowing water filled my head.

It was followed by the random order to run, but I ignored that part.

Grabbing his wrist, I tugged him close to barely whisper, “Stream.”

His head tilted as his brows lowered. “There’s nothing special about this sermon.” His expression morphed to one of disapproval, and he kept his own voice low. “You didn’t give me much to work with.”

I widened my eyes in a silent plea.

For forgiveness, always. But also for him to listen.

Thankfully, he did.

“Okay, I’ll make sure it’s streaming,” he said distractedly.

I gave a firm nod and watched as he walked away.

A feeling of rightness settled in my heart.

CHAPTER TWO

TIME FOR AN OBSESSIVE WORKOUT ROUTINE

AURORA

Run.

Run in the woods.

Tears filled my eyes at the torturous refrain that made no sense.

Maybe it was some residual brain injury from my accident that’d grown worse.

Maybe it was Satan’s curse doing me in.

Or maybe the solitude had finally gotten to me, and I was losing my mind.

Whatever it was, I hoped it would hurry and finish the job. I couldn’t take it any longer.

It’d been three days since I’d known peace. Three long, loud days.

Like a cruel twist of fate, Ryan’s sermon had ended, and the bizarre thoughts of running had started on a continuous loop until I was out of the patience he’d just preached about. The words wouldn’t stop.

Ever.

Even my dreams were haunted by them. I’d started taking double the dose of both of the sleep aids Ryan had gotten me from a doctor in the congregation, but the words still broke through.

I’d tried obeying. I’d run on the treadmill. I’d run outside the house. I’d even convinced Ryan to take me for a run on a trail that bordered some woods nearby. All that’d accomplished was bringing back the memories of waking up scared and alone after my accident, with no memory of who I was.

None of it was enough for the demand in my head. It just continued to grow louder and more frantic until I wanted to rip my hair out.

After another mostly sleepless night, I glared at my mismatched eyes in the bathroom mirror. I clutched the sink and fought the urge to stab something into my ears. It wouldn’t do any good since the insane thoughts were in my head, but I was tempted to try.

Anything for some quiet.

I closed my lids and hung my head, inhaling deeply.

Run.

Woods.

Run.

Woods.

Email.

My lids popped open at the new addition, and my head shot up.

Email. Email. Email.

Emailemailemailemail.

Runrunrunrun.

I rushed from the room, nearly slipping on the polished floor in my hurry to get to Ryan’s office. It took everything in me to stop and knock first.

“Come in,” he called, and I practically threw the door open. His flash of irritation was quickly replaced with pure disgust as his lip curled. “Your eyes.”

In the beginning, he used to tell me how much he loved the unusualness of my heterochromia. He’d made me feel like it was something desirable. That it made me special. When we’d left Arkansas, he’d gotten me brown contacts to wear around other people so my distinct eyes didn’t draw too much attention.

Somewhere along the way, all of that had changed. The contacts became for daily use, no matter what. Like my eyes were something to be ashamed of.

Repulsed by.

“But—” I started as I closed my lids so he wouldn’t have to see them, but that wasn’t enough.

“Aurora.”

At the warning in his tone, a surprising amount of frustration filled my chest and threatened to rumble out, but I swallowed it down.

Choked on it.

His ire wouldn’t have been enough to stop me, but my reaction to it was. I never got upset like that.

I must really be exhausted.

Internally shaking my head at myself, I turned and ran back to the bathroom, nearly stabbing my eyeballs out as I rushed to put in my contacts with shaking hands.

When I returned, Ryan didn’t acknowledge me. And for the first time ever, I didn’t care. I couldn’t even force myself to. I was aware that I was being disrespectful and disobedient, but it didn’t matter.

I had more important things to focus on.

Moving next to the desk, I grabbed the small laptop from the shelf. Electronic devices were a distraction from the gifts of everyday life, so I didn’t have a cell, tablet, or anything else. It was all I had access to—and that was only when Ryan unlocked it for me. I used it to keep his schedule, review his emails, and a million other menial tasks that were below him. Basically, everything that kept his life organized. I set it on the very edge of his desk and excitedly opened it, my fingers still trembling as I turned it for him to unlock.

Curiosity must’ve overridden his desire to freeze me out and punish me for not wearing my contacts because he rolled his chair closer and pressed his finger to the scanner. “What is it?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, hoping my brain wasn’t messing with me. If all that waited were spam emails offering a discount on male enhancement pills, advertising the availability of hot singles in the area, or promising a large inheritance from a deceased mystery relative—a scam I’d once almost fell for out of desperation to learn about any family I had—Ryan would be annoyed.

More than that, it would be proof that my curse was getting worse. That it wasn’t going away as I’d hope but was instead finding new ways to torture me for whatever sin I couldn’t remember committing.

Whatever horrendous act I’d done to cost me my memories and earn me the hellish punishment.

My heart slammed in my chest, and my thoughts raced with possibilities of what had my brain so worked up—with a constant refrain of email and run alternating in the background, of course.

I knew better than to have even the tiniest sliver of hope that the email held some clue to my past. I’d long ago given up on that. As Ryan often said, my focus needed to be on my future, not my past.

The fate of my soul depended on it.

I scrolled the packed inbox, scanning subject lines as I went, but it was just Faith Connections communications. And all of it was the usual stuff, nothing attention-grabbing.

Come on.

Come on.

Do not do this to me, curse.

Embarrassment heated my cheeks as fear and disappointment swirled in my chest. Thankfully, I hadn’t said anything to Ryan that I would need to walk back, but that still might not matter. Not when I hadn’t given him anything for his upcoming sermon.

I need to think of an excuse.

Quickly, or he’s going to⁠—

This one.

This.

This.

Thisthisthis.

I clicked the email that lit the mental flare and skimmed it before going to the beginning again.

“Well?” Ryan snapped, aggravated that I’d ignored him.

I turned my smiling face from the screen to him before turning said screen also. “It’s an invitation to guest pastor across the New England area.”

He leaned closer to read the email that laid out the proposed tour. They even called it that, like he was a rock star.

Rhode Island.

Massachusetts.

New Hampshire.

And Maine—a place that was firing off sparklers in my head.

Beacon of Absolution wanted Ryan to speak at the largest of their churches in each state. Not just a virtual sermon that they showed, but an in-person appearance. They also wanted him to spend time at each location, meeting with their leadership and helping to strengthen their community.

And it was all thanks to the sermon on patience that I’d told him to stream. It’d landed on the correct screens, and something big was going to come from it.

Something massive.

I didn’t see that part in a vision. I just knew it in my bones.

“Do you see this?” Ryan scrubbed his palm across his eyes like he couldn’t believe it himself. “They want to fly me out first class. And look at these hotel rooms they’ll put me up in. And this stipend I would get.”

I didn’t flinch at his use of I and me. I was used to it.

He closed my laptop before standing to grab his own. After sliding it into his bag, he started for the door. My breath caught when he stopped suddenly.

Please don’t ask if I’ve had any sermon visions.

When he turned around, I kept my expression carefully blank so my panic wouldn’t remind him that I’d let him down again.

It was for nothing since he barely glanced at me when he said, “I need to research this and seek guidance. I won’t be home until late.”

And then he was gone without a kiss, a hug, or even a thank-you.

I knew when he returned, he would undoubtedly smell of another woman, but that didn’t matter.

I opened my laptop back up. My smile grew when I saw it hadn’t been closed long enough to lock. Bringing up the browser, I started researching Maine.

What’s here that’s making my chest feel so full?

“Because isn’t answer enough.”

At Ryan’s repeated response, it wasn’t frustration that brewed in my chest.

It was anger.

I felt guilty at the surge of emotion, but that did nothing to lessen it.

Ryan always pressed me for visions. It was to help me, but it was still a lot of pressure—especially when his disappointment and the prayer room loomed over my head if I failed. Yet he didn’t want to listen when I had a vision that slightly inconvenienced him.

I’d been the one to tell him to stream the sermon that’d earned the invite. Even with only one week’s notice, I’d arranged everything for the trip. I’d booked the house sitter, cleaning service, pool cleaner, and gardener. I’d packed the suitcases right down to his lucky boxers. All he’d had to do was tell Beacon of Absolution that our trip needed to start in Portland, Maine—not Salem like they’d set.

But he hadn’t.

He hadn’t even tried.

“But that is all I have,” I explained again. “We need to go to Maine first. I don’t know why.”

It wasn’t just that I’d become preoccupied with the state, though I totally had. I’d never been there—that I knew of, at least—but I couldn’t stop obsessing over it. The snow. The trees. The everything. It had replaced all my bizarre urges to run. And unlike those, these repetitive thoughts filled me with peace.

My visions said I had to go there first. The specifics were hazy, but something important was going to happen.

I just needed Ryan to listen.

“That’s not the schedule they set,” he gritted out. “I already had to ask for you to be included. I can’t make them rearrange everything the day before we leave.”

“It’s not rearranging everything. It’s one switch. And if you would’ve talked to them when I⁠—”

“Enough, Aurora.”

“No, this is impo⁠—”

“I said enough!” he roared in my face.

Ryan rarely raised his voice, much less yelled like that. It should’ve been enough to stop me.

It wasn’t.

My temper snapped, and I shouted right back, “I’m not going⁠—”

That time when he interrupted me, it wasn’t with a harshly shouted order.

It was with the back of his hand slapping sharply across my cheek.

The painful sting spread quickly, warming my skin as tears pricked my eyes. My bottom lip pulsed, and blood dripped down my chin.

But I didn’t swipe at the tears or the blood.

I didn’t speak.

I didn’t move.

I wasn’t even sure I breathed as my wide eyes stared at Ryan.

The only man I’d ever loved. The only person I’d ever trusted.

Regret mixed with the anger in his own brown eyes, and he took a step closer. I braced, ready to fight when he inevitably tried to force me into the prayer room.

But he didn’t touch me.

Abruptly changing paths, he stormed from the house, slamming the door behind him.

The mattress dipped behind me, but I didn’t react. I kept my body loose and my breaths even as I pretended to be asleep.

Because the real thing hadn’t happened. Even with an extra dosage of meds, I was wide-awake.

After Ryan took off earlier, I’d sat in my shock for longer than I cared to admit. I wasn’t sure what I was more surprised by.

That he’d hit me.

That I’d been insubordinate.

Or the sinful feeling of pride that had filled me at my defiance.

Something was changing inside me, and I wasn’t sure it was a good thing. It was like the curse had seeped from my visions to poison my brain. My very being.

Memories of Pastor Gideon’s sermons had haunted me all day until phantom burning spread across my chest.

Like the fires of Hell reaching out for me.

The fear of consequences had been far worse than the entire fight with Ryan.

I’d tried to pray for forgiveness. I’d tried to let the guilt swallow me in penance. I’d tried to beg God to return me to the status quo.

The place where I felt only gratitude and… nothing.

But my heart hadn’t been in it. My attention hadn’t, either. In the middle of my most fervent prayers, my thoughts had still drifted to Maine and what could be there.

It was yet another sign my curse was growing.

I’d been dreading Ryan’s return. I’d assumed he would wake me to continue said fight. Or maybe just drag me from bed into the prayer room—something I wouldn’t fight.

Instead, he stretched out behind me. His hand on my shoulder and his voice were both gentle as he rolled me onto my back. “Aurora.”

I pretended to wake, blinking up at him in the dim bedside light, though I remained silent.

“It took a lot of work on my part, but the itinerary is switched. We fly to Maine. The representative from Beacon won’t be there to meet us, though. He can’t get in until later.”

Maine.

Mainemainemaine.

That intoxicating feeling of… rightness settled over me. I couldn’t even explain it, other than I wanted more of it. Despite our argument earlier, I would’ve kissed Ryan for finally listening to me and—inadvertently—gifting me that fullness I so rarely felt in my chest.

It wasn’t my split lip that stopped me.

It was the strong scent of another woman.

I wasn’t surprised. What was unexpected, however, was how little it hurt. There was no painful jealousy or heart-wrenching inadequacy. It just was what it was.

His mouth still tipped at my happiness, and for a moment, he looked like the old Ryan. The one who stared at me with desire when he thought no one else was watching. Who pulled me into darkened rooms or secluded corners because he had to kiss me, risk be damned.

But he wasn’t that man anymore.

And I wasn’t the same woman, no matter how desperately I prayed to be.

His hand hovered over my chest, and I wondered if he’d touch me.

I prayed he wouldn’t.

His lip sneered, seeming to remember what marred my skin under that spot. When he used to touch me, he’d had the decency to hide his disgust behind gifts of nighties that covered my chest. Even in the dark, he’d never touched or kissed my breasts.

And then he never touched any of me, period.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was remorse in his expression. His voice stayed just as soft as when he’d said my name. “Everything I do, Aurora, is for God and for you. To protect you in my service of Him.”

It wasn’t an apology—I would never get one of those—but it was better than nothing.

“I know. I appreciate all you do.”

But even as I said the words…

I knew I didn’t mean them.

CHAPTER THREE

DOES A MOOSE STAND IN THE WOODS?

AURORA

Iwas in Maine.

And it was… anticlimactic.

Devastatingly so.

To be fair, I hadn’t seen much of it. After a long flight delay the day before, we hadn’t gotten in until late afternoon. I’d hoped we’d see something that would explain my brain’s excitement for the state, but the airport, car rental counter, and hotel hadn’t offered any answers. Since that was all I’d seen, I was anxious to get out of the room.

After a sleepless night, I’d been up before the sun and had showered, gotten ready in my best dress, and taken time to do my hair and makeup just right.

Ryan didn’t seem to be feeling the same urgency. He’d already gone out the night before to meet the representative from Beacon of Absolutions’ headquarters who would be traveling with us, so he’d seen more than blurs out a car window. I still thought he’d be chomping at the bit to get to services and thrive on the pulpit, but he’d done everything he could to stall that morning.

When time was nearly up, he finally set aside his notes and gave me his attention. “Maybe it would be better if you stayed here.”

No way.

“Why do you say that?” I asked instead.

“It’s a lot of new. New place. New people. It’ll be overwhelming. If you say the wrong thing, it would be disastrous. It would ruin everything.”

“I won’t say anything, even to you.”

It’s an easy promise to make.

“The guy they sent is…” Hesitating, he rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s intense. Stoic and old-school. He makes Gideon seem like a teddy bear. I don’t want you alone with him, and you would be while I’m working.”

I chose my words carefully since bruising his ego wouldn’t help. “But if I’m not there to see anyone, your sermon⁠—”

“Will be fine,” he snapped with a cruel glare, making it clear I hadn’t chosen well enough. “I was a pastor long before I met you and a damn successful one. I don’t need you. It’s the other way around.”

‘I don’t need you.’

Ouch.

He gathered his notes and leveled me with a scowl. Whatever indecisiveness he’d been experiencing was gone. “You’re staying here.”

I thought about pushing, but something stopped me. The urgency I felt was to get out of the room. It had nothing to do with the church.

Keeping the peace, I smiled. “Okay. Maybe we can go out to dinner later to celebrate the first day of your tour.”

I knew that was the right thing to say by the way Ryan’s chest puffed out. “It’ll likely be a long day, especially if the church is in the kind of disarray they mentioned. I’m only here for a few days, so I have a lot to fix in a short time.” He approached and squeezed my shoulder. “Stay in the room while I’m gone.”

“Right.”

Yeah freaking right.

Despite my intention to sneak out like I was some stereotypical teen heading to a Friday night party, I stayed in the room.

It wasn’t because of Ryan’s order. Shockingly, that had made me want to leave the room even more. But when I’d walked down to the lobby, there were people.

Too many people.

From the view I’d gotten when we drove in, the hotel was located in a city—not the heavy wooded nature I’d pictured in my head. Since getting anywhere would involve talking to someone, I’d retreated to the room to watch TV.

Allllll day.

I was bored. Beyond bored.

I assumed I’d have more stretching hours of it, but it was early in the evening when the door beeped and pushed open.

“How’d it go?” I asked, knowing he’d want to relive the experience.

Or so I thought.

“Hi. How’re you? Oh, I’m fine, thanks,” Ryan shot back in a snarky tone.

“Sorry. Hi.”

He mumbled something that I missed before rubbing his palm across his eyes. “It was a stressful day. The congregation here is a lot different from what I’m used to in Georgia.”

“No Southern charm?”

He barked out a short laugh. “Far from it.” With a sigh, he dropped his hand and looked toward me. Not at me. Just in my general direction. “Let’s go grab dinner, and I’ll tell you more.”

“Sounds good.”

Even though I’d done nothing but rot in bed watching mindless TV, I’d stayed in my nice dress. My hair probably resembled a blond tumbleweed, but whatever. I finger brushed it as best as I could, then slid my shoes on.

I started for the door, but Ryan didn’t follow. With his back to me, I could see the tightness in his bunched shoulders.

“Ry?” I called softly.

In a blink, the tension was gone, and he strode into the bathroom. He came out a moment later with my toiletries kit.

“Why do we need that?” I asked, something pulling at the back of my mind. It was the most bizarre sensation.

Like dread mixed with exhilaration mixed with fullness and terror.

He wrapped his free arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. “Because I’m in a new city with my best girl and want to explore. Celebrate, like you said. In case we stay out late, I figured you’ll need your meds.” He shook the pouch. “Grabbing the whole thing was easier than rummaging through for your pill bottles.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, not quite believing him but also not having any clue why he would lie.

I also didn’t spend too much time obsessing. I was finally getting out of the hotel.

“Where are we going for dinner?” I asked as we stepped outside. The busy street was packed with other hotels, shopping centers, and restaurants—and that was just what I could see. “I can run back in for my coat, and we could probably walk somewhere.”

It might have been winter, but there wasn’t any snow like I’d hoped to see. The fading sunlight and fresh air were already doing wonders for my head.

“One of the members recommended a small local place. It’s a bit of a drive.”

Yes.

My chest felt like it was tingling behind my ribs, and that restless energy zipped down my legs like I needed to stretch them.

To run.

I ignored both as I got into the rental car before he started driving.

“How’d it go?” I tried again when the silence stretched for too long. Even though he’d been peeved earlier when I’d asked, if I waited too long before asking again, he’d accuse me of not caring.

“They need a total overhaul, but they’re fighting me on the basics. They don’t even have a streaming setup.” His voice was filled with outrage, like not broadcasting the intimacy of a worship service was a sin that would earn the whole congregation an express ticket to Hell. “But I’ll work through it. It’s my purpose.”

It wasn’t the first time Ryan had said something like that, but it was the first time something about it sent a chill down my spine.

Tearing my gaze from the window, I shifted in my seat to look at him. Really look at him.

His jaw was clenched as he drummed his thumbs on the steering wheel. His usual pristine hair was messy, like he’d been ruffling it while my attention was locked outside.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I told you, they’re old-school here, and⁠—”

“Not with them. What’s going on with you?” When he glanced at me with something resembling sorrow and grief in his brown eyes, I amended, “With us?”

“Nothing.”

My gaze shot from him to look out the window to search for a sign of… something. Someone.

But we’d long ago left the city, and the only thing around us were trees. It was how I’d pictured Maine—but a lot creepier when that dread I’d felt returned tenfold.

“Tell me the truth,” I ordered.

But I didn’t need him to.

A vision of Ryan shaking hands with a burly man filled my head. I watched as he handed over my toiletries bag to him.

Right before he handed me over, too.

The vision faded, but the panic that seized my heart remained.

“Who is that man?” It was a stupid question since he hadn’t been able to see my vision. “Light brown hair, dark brown eyes. Looks like he’s in the military or law enforcement. Angry.”

“No one.”

“You’re lying.”

He pushed out a hard exhale. “Steve Jones. The representative from Beacon who’ll be traveling with me.”

It wasn’t uncommon for Ryan to subconsciously speak in I’s and me’s. His world was him, and I was just along for the ride. But the way he said it that time was different. Purposeful.

I tried to stay calm, but betrayal dripped from my words. “Why are you bringing me to him?”

“It’s my purpose. My divine purpose.” The angst he’d been grappling with shifted to excitement. I could almost feel his adrenaline and pride filling the car. “I’m going to save the world, Aurora. Not just your soul or the congregation’s souls. All of them. The entire world.”

Oh no.

He’s had some kind of break.

Even if he was delusional, my vision was very real. “What does that have to do with me and that man?”

“I told him about you.”

“What?” I shouted, more stunned by that than anything else that’d happened.

I’d always worried I’d accidentally slip up and say the wrong thing to the wrong person. It was why I never spoke. Silence was easier than measuring every carefully phrased word I said. But in all my stressing, I’d never once worried that Ryan might inadvertently spill my secret. I certainly never dreamed he would do it on purpose.

“This is just temporary. Leader Jones wants to make sure you’re ready and dedicated enough to God to help fulfill my destiny.”

Run.

Run through the woods.

Run!

“Stop the car.”

Ryan tilted his head to give me a patronizing smile. “He said you’d fight this. He speaks to God himself. It’s how he knows things.” His voice lowered, and something dark crossed his face. “So many things.” His expression smoothed out just as fast. “Like that the sinner in you would try to take control. But think of everything I’ve been able to do. To accomplish. Just imagine how I could serve the Lord with more reach.”

For a moment, his enthusiasm nearly got to me. It was the same magnetic charm and palpable faith that had an arena’s worth of people hanging on his every word each Sunday.

A month before… Heck, even a week before, I might’ve fallen for it. Actually, there was no might. I would’ve trudged along and done as he said because I believed in him.

And because it was easier than fighting.

But that little hint of rebellion in me had only grown stronger. I wasn’t numb enough to ignore the warning bells that sounded in my head. “You might as well stop⁠—”

Stop.

Stop.

Stop!

Run.

Run.

Run!

“—the car because I’m not going,” I said, my volume steadily increasing so I could hear myself over my literal running thoughts.

“You have no choice,” he shouted right back.

“Fine, but I’m not talking to him. Ever. I’ll sit in silence⁠—”

For the second time in just a few days, Ryan hit me. Only instead of a backhand, it was his full fist that connected with my jaw.

“I didn’t want to have to do that,” he said like he hadn’t sucker-punched me, “but Leader Jones is right. I’m too soft with you. I coddle you and protect you when I need to be protecting the world. They’re depending on me. God put me here to save them, and I can’t let you stand in the way.”

Shit.

Fucking shit.

I never swore, not even in my own head, but if that wasn’t a good time to start, I wasn’t sure when was.

“Ryan…” I began, but my words trailed off when nothing came to me. I had no plan.

Stop now.

Stopstopstop.

With a frantic impulsiveness, I reached for the steering wheel and wrenched it to the side. Ryan yanked it from my hold while adding another punch for good measure. For a moment, the car rocked so violently, I thought it would roll. Or slam into a tree.

Or worse, he’d get control of the car easily and punish me worse than he already had.

For once, I got lucky. He might not have slammed on the brakes like I’d hoped, but he did slow down.

Now!

After half a second of hesitation, I acted like I was going to grab the wheel again. The distraction worked, and he didn’t notice me unbuckling. Not until I threw open the door.

And threw myself from the moving car.

I tried to keep my feet going, but apparently, cartoons weren’t accurate representations of the laws of motion, gravity, or physics. My body crashed to the asphalt, scraping up my palms, knees, and who knew what else. I did my best to maneuver a last-minute tuck-n-roll, but I was too late. I ended up rolling in a painful mess of slammed elbows, shoulders, and knees.

Landing on the side of the road, I wanted to stop to catch the breath that’d been knocked from me, but I couldn’t. I ignored every ache and pain that had instantly set in and forced my body to move. My first few steps were unsteady, but I pushed on because the squeal of tires let me know he’d stopped.

It was time to run.

Finally.

Despite my fear of the woods, I took off into the trees that lined the road, waiting for them to break into a backyard or for a street to come into view. But the longer I ran, the denser the darkness became. The space between the trees grew narrower, and the dim light disappeared until I could barely see my own feet. Every time I thought about slowing, I’d hear a twig snap or brush rustle, and it would push me on.

It wasn’t easy.

I stumbled.

I fell.

I slammed into tree trunks and was scratched by sharp branches.

My memories of waking up cold and alone after my accident flooded me, adding previous traumas to the very current ones.

But I kept going because if Ryan caught me…

Run.

Run in the woods.

At least I finally understood my brain’s demands. It was to get me away from Ryan.

To save me from whoever that mean-looking man was.

I reached a small clearing and hesitated to pick a path. Not that there were marked trails or anything as helpful as a neon sign declaring that way to civilization. But there were multiple breaks in the overgrowth, and I was tempted to take the biggest one.

Not wanting to get turned around and end up running in circles, I decided continuing straight ahead was the smarter choice. I took a few steps.

And then I let out a strangled yelp.

Holy…

A beast moved from the darkness to block my way.

A giant beast.

It took me a long, panicked moment to realize that it wasn’t some magical, mythical creature.

It was a moose.

I read they were bigger than people pictured, but this is unreal.

I stayed rooted to the spot until something sounded in the distance.

Willing to risk a moose attack over a Ryan one, I inched forward. I hoped that my appearance would freak out the moose—because he sure as hell freaked me out—but he just blinked at me.

“Damn,” I whispered before jolting at a loud noise behind me.

A close noise.

I was about to dodge around the moose, but then he moved. Not away from the narrow path I wanted to take, just his head. He jerked it to the side like he was using his antlers to gesture to the other route.

I’m losing my mind.

I took another shuffling step forward, then jumped back when he slammed his heavy hoof down. He jerked his head the same way again.

Coincidence or not, he made it clear he wouldn’t flee from me, so I had no choice but to change my course instead. I took off in the direction his antlers pointed, throwing caution to the moose.

And then I immediately wiped out on slick mud, slamming my face into a protruding root.

“Stupid moose,” I muttered as tears spilled down my cheeks.

My arms shook as I pushed myself from the ground, and it didn’t improve once I was on my wobbly legs. I had to keep going. First at as fast of a run as I could muster. Then at a steady jog. When that became too strenuous, I slowed to a normal walk before a sluggish one.

I wonder if I can find a spot to rest?

Or would that result in a tortoise-and-the-hare situation, just with a lot more dire of an ending?

I continued forward as long as I could, hoping for the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. I would settle for another clearing.

But neither came. It was nothing but darkness, making me realize it wasn’t as bad as when I’d woken up in the woods after my accident…

It was so much worse.

This was a mistake.

I thought about Ryan’s plan and the vision I’d seen.

Never mind.

Dying in the woods is preferable.

When I found a dry spot, I sat and leaned against a thick tree to rest. The cold air against my flushed skin felt wonderful at first, but since my thin dress offered little protection, it quickly shifted from refreshing to feeling like I was an icicle. I didn’t want to think about the bugs and who knew what else that were likely inching closer. If I had any luck, my shivering would keep them off me.

My blinks became slower until my heavy lids refused to open, but I didn’t sleep. I stayed alert.

And that was how I heard it in the distance.

Rustling.

Loud rustling from something heavier than a cute chipmunk.

Ryan?

The moose?

Something else?

Of those options, I hoped it was the moose, but I wasn’t about to sit around to find out.

It took effort, but I eventually got to my feet. Not for the first time, I wished I’d grabbed my coat. Or changed from my dress and cute flats into something functional.

Like running shoes and a sweatsuit with full-body mesh bug protection.

I took off in a run, going the opposite direction of the noise’s source—or where I guessed it to be—before eventually slowing again so I could hear over my pounding heart, embarrassingly dramatic pants, and the blood rushing in my ear.

Shit, I’m out of shape.

Shit, shit, shit.

Stopstopstop!

Even as I swore in my head at the rustling that seemed closer than before—I was clearly not a skilled outdoorswoman—my exhausted brain tried to tell me to stop.

To stay where I was.

To wait.

For what, though?

If it was a wild animal, I would be waiting for death.

And if years of training were demanding I obediently wait for Ryan? It wouldn’t be so he could guide and help me—what he’d always claimed to do. It would be so he could hand me over to the man from my vision.

Not about to let that happen, I didn’t run, but I walked as fast as I could while being as silent as possible.

I thought I was doing a good job until I heard growling.

It wasn’t right behind me, but it was too close for comfort.

Stop.

Wait.

Continuing my stealth attempt would’ve been the smart thing, but instinct took over, and I bolted. Every ounce of willpower and strength I had went into fighting. First, against the repetitive demands my brain was issuing for me to stop and wait. And then fighting to keep moving when my legs wanted to give out and my stomach threatened to empty the small amount I’d eaten that day. I kept stumbling, my steps wobbling as I tried to look around while still moving.

There wasn’t light in the distance, but it was slightly less dark, so I took that as a good sign. I zigged to the left and headed for it. When I got closer, I could see it was another clearing.

I wasn’t sure what my plan was when I reached it, but it seemed like a good spot to pause and assess.

So close.

Almost there.

I’d barely finished my thought when I was tackled to the ground mere feet away. I braced for impact.

Or teeth and claws.

Or a fist.

It was unnecessary.

My attacker wrapped around to cushion the fall that they’d caused. I may have been protected from the ground, but whoever or whatever wasn’t exactly made of memory foam. The air was knocked from my lungs, and it took me a few tries to fill them again.

I scrambled, my fingers digging into the dirt as I worked to crawl out from under the heavy weight. When that didn’t work, I kicked and launched my elbows backward.

One connected, and I heard and felt a rumbled, “Oomph.” I tried to take advantage of any opening that might have given me, but whoever was on top of me didn’t budge.

Stop.

Wait.

My heart slammed painfully in my chest. Not from exertion, panic, or the impact from the fall. It was like it was trying to burst through my ribs. Reaching toward something.

Him.

Him?

My question went unanswered as my brain went uncharacteristically silent.

For a quick, terrifying moment, I feared it was Ryan, but it wasn’t the familiar scent of his cologne that surrounded me. It definitely wasn’t his body. It was too big. Too hard. And, oddly, too protective in the way it had acted as a buffer rather than using me as one.

I wasn’t sure if that should make me relieved or alarmed, and I didn’t have time to sort it out. Whoever it was lifted away just enough to roll me over.

In the darkness of the woods, I couldn’t see any details other than my attacker was more man than beast.

Barely.

Because the huge shadowy figure looming over me looked and sounded pretty damn beastly when he growled one word.

“Mine.”

CHAPTER FOUR

SOUNDS OF SILENCE

DEKE

Icouldn’t believe it.

I couldn’t fucking believe it.

I’d just gotten home from work and stepped out of my truck when I felt it.

Felt her.

My one.

My brain directed me into the woods around my cabin, and I’d thought the centuries of torture had finally broken me.

It wouldn’t have been the first time I lived in the woods.

I’d been tempted to teleport to where I felt the pull, but it’d been decades—maybe longer—since I’d used that skill. Hell, other than one time a handful of years ago, I hadn’t used any magicks that didn’t happen reflexively. It would be hard to explain if I materialized right in front of her. Or I might’ve fucked up and landed states away, missing my opportunity. I’d been unwilling to risk it.

After an hour of hiking, I’d wondered if it’d all been in my head. If I’d finally lost it. I would’ve kept going anyway. I wouldn’t have stopped until I’d been over those woods a million times. But it hadn’t come to that. I’d found her.

Mine.

I hadn’t meant to make the insane declaration, and I had no clue how to explain it away, so I didn’t try. I kept hold of her arm as I lifted to a crouch. “You okay?”

Silence.

Fuck.

I hurt her.

“Shouldn’t have tackled you, but I tried calling out,” I said like that meant shit all to her. “You were running straight for the creek.”

More silence.

“Where are you hurt?”

Nothing.

“I can’t see shit out here, and I left my phone in my truck. You got one?”

I was pretty sure she shook her head, and my gut clenched.

“What the hell are you doing hiking with no phone?” I bit out before wanting to kick my own ass.

The woman shuffled back, letting out a small whimper when I kept my grip on her.

“Swear to God, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

I’d rather cut off my left nut and present it to you.

I kept that thought to myself. “What’s your name?”

No answer, not that I blamed her.

Stranger danger and all that shit.

“I’m Deacon,” I told her, “but everyone calls me Deke.”

Still nothing.

“Where are you going?” At her continued silence, I tried for reassurances that likely would’ve gone a fuckuva lot farther if we weren’t alone in the dark woods. Or if I hadn’t just tackled her. “I only want to help. Swear it.”

Nada.

“Do you speak English?” If she didn’t, chances were I was passably fluent in whatever language she did speak.

I’d had a lot of time to pick most of them up.

She didn’t answer.

“Do you speak at all?”

She opened her mouth before closing it and shaking her head.

I’d met a lot of people during my time on Earth. Too many. She wasn’t the first person I’d met with some form of muteness. Hell, I could go weeks without speaking to another person. I preferred it—and that included people I knew.

I was a stranger.

I wanted to question her further about the cause, but she had no way to tell me. And as far as she knew, it wasn’t my business.

“I need to get you somewhere safe.” Her skin was freezing under my hand, and I could feel the hard shivers that rocked her body. “And warm. Your car on the main road?”

She shook her head.

I scanned the woods around us. There weren’t any marked trails, but there were a few worn paths near the border that ambitious hikers tried. They all ended after less than a half mile once it became clear that the terrain wasn’t safe.

How’d this tiny woman get so far and so turned around?

“Where’d you park?”

Back to no answer.

“Let me help you up.”

She didn’t fight me as I tugged her to her feet and guided her carefully around the creek and out to a grassy patch with fewer trees.

The sun had long ago set, but the moon shone bright enough to give us a little light.

For the love of angels, fuck.

Fucking shit fuck.

I ran my gaze down the tiny woman again, not believing what I saw. She wasn’t geared up in the hiking boots, thick socks, and warm clothes a trek in the uncharted environment called for. She wasn’t even wearing a thin and useless outfit that would be better suited for a workout in a warm gym.

She was in a dress. It had long sleeves and hung almost to her ankles, but still.

A damn dress.

“What’re you doing out here?” My muttered question was more to myself than her, which was good since I wasn’t getting an answer.

I ran my free hand down my face to my beard as I tried to figure out what the hell to do.

As far as I was concerned, there was only one option, but even I knew it would sound batshit crazy.

With no other choice, I reluctantly released my hold and took half a step back. I’d intended for it to be a larger one, but my body fought against the small amount I’d managed. “My house is a good trek from here, but it’s closer than the road.” Before she could get spooked, I rushed on. “You don’t have to come in. Like I said, my phone is in my truck. You can use it to call someone. Hell, you can take my truck. Keys are still in the cup holder.”

I’m rambling like I’m unhinged.

Christ, I’m nervous.

When was the last time that happened?

I had no idea. What I did know was I needed to get my shit together before she took off again. Because fucked as it was, there was no way I’d let her run from me.

Not when I’d spent centuries waiting for her.

Her brows shot up at my insane offer before she looked off to the side. She stayed like that for a moment, likely trying to decide whether she should risk it with the bugs and wild animals.

A hard tremble went through her, and I wanted to kick my ass twice as hard.

I’m a dumbass.

Taking off my work jacket, I held it out to her, but she didn’t make any moves to take it. She didn’t even glance at it.

“It’s worn out, but it’s warmer than nothing.” I stepped close enough to drape it over her, and she jumped a mile, letting out a choked yelp like I’d startled her. I snatched my hand away and took a few big steps back. “Shit, sorry.”

She shook her head, but with the distance, I couldn’t see her expression. It was probably for the best because if I saw her fear, I’d get it, but it would still gut me.

“You want, I’ll follow you until you get to your car,” I offered before adding, “far behind you. I just want to be sure you get there safely.”

And I’ll use that time to work out how to get you to see me again.

When the silence stretched, I tapped my chest. “Inside pocket of that coat. There’s a pocketknife. Carry it.” An image of her tripping sent panic through me. “Just walk carefully.”

She hesitated before shaking her head.

“Can’t let you go alone,” I said firmly.

She shook her head again.

I wasn’t sure what she wanted or what to ask to figure it out.

She let out a little growl that would’ve been cute as fuck had she not paired it with yanking at her long hair.

“Hey, whoa.” I closed the space between us to grip her wrists and pry her hands away. “Gimme a second, I’m slow on the uptake but stubborn. I’ll get there. Want me to walk with you?”

She shook her head before pointing over my shoulder with one of the hands I still held, but she didn’t try to get away from me.

I didn’t feel whole. I’d spent my entire existence as half a man with half a soul, and years as even less. I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel completely full again.

But at that small—and probably meaningless—gesture, I was closer than I ever expected to get.

Pushing down how good and fucking right it felt, I got back to trying to read her expression before the clouds shifted, and we lost the little light we had.

All the times I stayed in the darkness, and now I’d kill for a flashlight.

Hell, I’d take a birthday candle if it meant seeing her better.

“Is your car that way?” At her headshake, I asked, “Your house?”

Another negative. She pointed at me and then over my shoulder again.

“My place?”

That got a nod.

“Okay, my place.” I released her wrists. “Follow close, okay?”

Rather than another nod, she nudged me forward.

The first half mile was uneventful other than the few times I slowed too much for her liking, and she would nudge me again. After that, though, shit went downhill.

Literally.

The ground sloped, the brush and trees growing thicker until there was barely any space to navigate. I did what I could to clear the way for her, but she slipped and slammed into my back.

“You’re good,” I said when she made a distressed sound. I stayed in place until she got her bearings and inched back.

By the third time, she stopped putting that distance between us. She reached out and gripped the sides of my shirt, keeping hold as we walked.

If I were smart, I’d have taken that win.

But I was a selfish bastard. I couldn’t stop myself from pushing.

Pausing, I turned even though we couldn’t see each other in that level of darkness. She dropped her hold.

I wanted it back.

“This part of the terrain gets rough,” I told her honestly. “We can keep going like this, but it’ll take a while. It’ll go faster if you let me carry you.” It would go even faster if I could teleport us, but something like that might be a bit hard to explain. Especially if it didn’t work. “Already told you I won’t hurt you. Also won’t take it personally if you keep the pocketknife in your hand.” Panic hit, and I amended, “But only if you aim it at me, not near yourself. If you’d rather walk, we’ll have to slow down so you don’t trip and break your ankle or arm or neck or⁠—”

She grabbed my wrists the same way I’d grabbed hers earlier. She put them to her head so I could feel her shake her head.

“No about slowing down?”

She shook her head.

“We can’t go too⁠—”

She shook it faster.

“You’ll let me carry you?”

She hesitated before nodding.

Not giving her the chance to change her mind, I lifted her into my hold with no effort.

Feed her.

She’s starving.

She’s empty.

Feeling balance and fullness—or a lack thereof—was the only magicks I used, and that wasn’t by choice. I didn’t channel it. It was innate, as natural as breathing.

I ignored the compulsion as I situated her in my hold. If she was upright with her legs wrapped around me, I could’ve held her with one arm while keeping the other free to clear the stretching branches. But I wasn’t stupid enough to risk that level of closeness. Not when the faded nothing that was my soul already slammed against my rib cage like they were prison bars, screaming at me to tell her again that she’s mine.

I did the smart thing and cradled her in both arms—and that still pushed it.

“I meant it about the pocketknife,” I said when she remained tense.

She let out a soft noise that almost sounded like a laugh, and her body loosened.

It took a while since I wasn’t going full speed, but I went a helluva lot faster with her in my arms than we could’ve with her walking. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t speak the entire trek.

Did she fall asleep?

The overgrowth started to thin until the tree line came into view, and I had my answer.

She was awake. I knew because her entire body went so tight, she began to tremble.

“Hey, hey, it’s fine. I’ll wait here. Use my phone. Take my truck. Whatever you need.” I tried to lower her to the ground, but she clutched my shirt and scrambled closer.

I didn’t get it, but I still liked it.

She kept her tight grip on me as I walked us from the woods to the acreage at the back of my property. Not wanting her to fear I would force her inside, I kept my distance from the cabin and stayed along the perimeter until we were near the long driveway. It was the right choice because each step I took to follow it toward my cabin seemed to make her tenser.

“It’ll be okay,” I said. I wasn’t sure who I was trying to reassure—her or me. I couldn’t hold her hostage, but everything in my body said not to let her go.

When my truck came into view, I set her on her feet. I figured she’d race past me to it, but she didn’t. She dodged behind me, clutching at my shirt like she worried a moose, a bear, and Bigfoot would team up to attack at any moment.

“Go ahead,” I prompted.

She didn’t move.

I continued walking, and she shuffled after me while keeping her hold. When I reached my truck, I grabbed my cell from inside and offered it behind me.

She didn’t take it.

Turning around, I saw her for the first time in the light and was hit by a damn Mack truck—right in my chest, gut, and dick.

Sweaty and disheveled, she was still the most beautiful anything—woman, angel, demon—I’d ever seen. Wild golden hair surrounded a gorgeous but injured face. Her full lips were swollen and split, matching the bruises and scrapes on her cheek.

It took everything to keep my voice even. “Christ, how bad did I hurt you when I tackled you?”

Her already big brown eyes got huge as she frantically shook her head. Using her index and middle finger, she mimed them running and falling.

“All that was from falling?”

She pointed at the trees and mimed hitting them.

Her hand motions gave me an idea, and I did a few basic signs as I asked, “Do you use sign language?”

Another headshake.

Damn.

I handed her the phone, and she took it but didn’t use it. Her wide eyes stayed locked on me.

I’d never seen her before. I had no reason to think it. But something was off when I studied her. It wasn’t fake.

Not like with Marissa—or whatever her name had actually been.

I had no clue how to describe it other than…

Off.

Like a barrier. A mask. Something.

It wasn’t exactly a shock. I was a stranger. She was smart to keep her guard up. My body, mind, and soul didn’t show the same restraint. The longer we stared at each other, the louder my need became.

Keep her.

Don’t let her go.

Keep her safe.

Safe?

Fuck…

CHAPTER FIVE

THE PURITANS WERE RIGHT

DEKE

From the second I’d felt her, my focus had been on finding her. Keeping her. My mate. The other half of my soul that’d been promised by the powers-that-be. I’d long ago given up on meeting her.

I’d given up on everything.

I dragged my head out of my ass and thought about how I’d found her. Where I’d found her. That she had access to my phone and my truck, but she wasn’t using either.

Pieces clicked together, and the picture they showed burned like acid.

Humans did a lot of dumb shit, but voluntarily going for a nighttime hike without any gear in unmapped woods would take a special kind of stupid.

Not unless they had no other choice.

It took effort I wasn’t used to using since I normally didn’t care if people knew I was an asshole, but I forced my voice to soften. “Do you have someone to call?”

A headshake as she handed me back the phone.

I distractedly pocketed it. “Are you in danger?”

Her immediate headshake made my bunched shoulders loosen.

“Why were you in those woods?”

Her brows lowered as she gave a small shrug. She blinked up at me for a long moment before her lips curled down in a heartbreaking frown.

Like when I’d gotten out of my truck, that pull in my chest stretched, reaching out to her. I wondered if she felt it, too. If she’d been searching for me without knowing why.

The sensation was intense, and every damn part of my being knew who she was to me. I couldn’t imagine how confused she had to be.

How scared.

As badly as I wanted to unload the entire crazy-ass story to explain it to her, I had to tread carefully. She was already as skittish as the baby deer who wandered into my yard. If I made any sudden moves—or insane proclamations of mates, magicks, and the apocalypse—she’d take off right back into the woods.

That time to get away from me.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Tears filled her eyes as they darted around like she was thinking about running anyhow.

Panic shot through me in a way I hadn’t felt in centuries. Not with all the death I’d seen. The destruction.

The betrayal.

Not since I’d woken up alone with no sign of my siblings.

I’d thought I would be okay with her leaving—temporarily—but I’d been wrong. There was no damn way I could be away from her without losing my mind.

Like she shared my panic, her sharp breaths grew even faster until she nearly hyperventilated. She let out a frustrated groan and reached for her hair like earlier, but I caught her wrists.

“It’s freezing out here,” I said as she shivered. “Let’s go inside by the fire, okay?”

Assuming she’d decline, I scrambled to think of what I could offer that wouldn’t sound like I was one windowless van and a free candy sign away from being a total fucking creep.

It wasn’t needed—which was good since I had jack-shit—and she shocked the hell out of me by nodding.

I released her wrists but hovered close in case she bolted as we walked the rest of the way to the cabin. When we reached the door, I paused and rubbed my beard. “I have to, uh, warn you about Victoria. She’s possessive and loud about it. I’ll do what I can to keep her off you, but I’m sorry in advance.”

I wanted to say more, but the woman surprised me by throwing open the door herself.

No shit. She’s fucking freezing, and you’re keeping her in the cold for a little chat.

“Just watch where you leave your shoes, or she’ll steal them,” I rushed out.

The woman stiffened, her questioning gaze shooting to me, but it was too late.

Victoria knew we were there.

Her ridiculous bow bobbed on her head as she ran into the entryway, yelling her grievances that not only had I left her alone all day, but I’d been gone longer than normal. Her long body tumbled as she slid to a stop when she noticed our guest.

Here we go.

Victoria hated everyone but me—and even those feelings seemed tepid rather than warm. As expected, she launched into an attack, and I shifted to block the woman.

She got to her anyway because the woman dropped to her knees.

Sacrificing herself to Demon Dog.

The nickname was insulting…

To the demons. They were better behaved.

Rather than the loud mess of barking, growling, and chomping teeth that occurred every time Victoria was forced to be around people—like dog, like dog’s snack bitch—she let out little yips as she jumped around on her short legs.

She almost sounded… happy.

As did the genuine laughter from the woman as she ruffled Victoria’s freshly groomed white and beige fur.

If I didn’t already feel the connection to this woman, this would show she’s someone special.

I could’ve watched her play with Demon Dog for hours, but the need to feed her became too much to ignore.

And I wanted that laughter and grin aimed my way.

I’m jealous of my damn dog.

“Are you hungry?” I asked, though I knew the answer.

My question wasn’t aimed at her, but Victoria barked her affirmative anyway. Usually, she would race into the kitchen to wait by her bowl, but she went slower that time, bounding back to the woman and then forward again.

“I was talking to you,” I clarified, offering my hand to her. When she took it, I pulled her to stand but didn’t back away or release my hold.

I couldn’t.

Feed her.

“Are you hungry?” I repeated gruffly past the compulsion threatening to choke me. When she nodded, I thought about what I had to offer. “Do you like chili?”

Another nod.

“I’ll get a fire going first so you can warm up.” I started for the living room, but she tugged my hand. Stopping immediately, I looked at her.

She lifted the hem of her dress a little, showing more of her calf.

Maybe the Puritans were on to something, and some visible ankle is enough to make a man sin.

I dragged my attention from her leg to the soaked and dirty fabric she showed me. “Don’t give a shit if you sit on my furniture with muddy clothes, but I can give you something to change into if you’d be more comfortable.”

Even if that means I’ll be uncomfortable since the sight of you in my clothes will make me hard enough to split logs without my axe.

She made her eyes wide as she slowly nodded for emphasis.

I chuckled. “You want to shower?”

She did it again, somehow more dramatic that time.

“Hold on.” Going through the living room, I climbed the spiral staircase into the loft where my bedroom was and grabbed my thickest sweatpants, a tee, and a hoodie for her before returning to find her right where I’d left her. I handed her the load and pointed over her shoulder. “Bathroom is the second door on the left.”

She gave me a small smile before rushing off.

After I started fires in the living room and the bedroom, I came down to Victoria’s pissy barking. “I know, I know. You’re wasting away with only dry food.” I dumped a container of the expensive-as-shit wet food—the only one she deemed worthy—onto the dry food in her automatic feeder so she would eat both. I moved to the sink to wash my hands and could almost see the ink fading before my eyes.

Refresh these or let them disappear… Another decision to add to my list.

Normal tattoos didn’t leave a trace on my skin. I needed to use a special blend of ink to make it work, but even that eventually disappeared.

It worked in my favor. Changing tattoos helped when it was time for a new identity. I would still be disappointed when it was time to say goodbye to the tattoo of the sunrise over the tree line that covered my entire arm. It was my favorite piece in a long line of many.

Dumping the leftover chili into a pot on the stove, I scowled down at it.

Logically, I knew that my ability to cook for her wasn’t an indication of my worthiness as a mate, but that wasn’t what my culinary ego said. The chili would have to do since there was no way in hell I was making her wait. Not when she was empty.

While it warmed, I hurriedly cleared off the small table that was a catch-all for whatever shit I tossed on it then made a quick pico, shredded three different cheeses, and grabbed the sour cream from the fridge.

Be better if I had fancy bowls to put everything into, but these deli containers from Black Horse will do.

For the love of angels, I’m still fucking nervous.

“What else do we need?” I muttered. Wiping my hands on the towel hanging from my waistband, I stepped back and nearly tripped on the woman. “Shit, sorry. How long have you been there?”

The side of her mouth curved up, and she pointed at me before moving her hand to mimic talking.

In every kitchen I’d worked in—and there’d been a fuck lot of them—people always said that I talked to myself more than I spoke to everyone else combined.

I chuckled. “So I’ve been told.”

I grabbed one of the three mismatched bowls I owned, ladled chili into it, and handed it to her.

Her questioning gaze dropped from me to the bowl and back again. She pointed at me again and then to the toppings. It took me a few beats to realize she was asking what I wanted.

“That’s yours,” I said. “Fix it however you want.”

She looked at me with furrowed brows before handing the bowl back. I wondered if she didn’t trust the food, but she went up on her toes to grab a new one from the cabinet and ladled half a scoop in. It was barely enough to cover the bottom of the bowl.

“No.”

At my firm word, her face paled, and she froze.

Christ, I really am a dickhead.

I rushed on to explain before she decided to throw the chili at my face and haul ass. “You need to eat more than that. You’re starving.”

I can feel it.

She looked confused again but didn’t protest when I added more—but less than I’d originally given.

I moved out of her way and got drinks, but my eyes kept returning to her. I was tempted to drop some ice cubes down my pants because I’d been right earlier. Seeing her in my clothes triggered something primal and carnal in me. I could barely see her body in the oversized pants and the baggy hoodie that hung down to her knees, but it was somehow sexier than any overpriced lingerie.

Not that I wouldn’t want to see her in that, too.

I dragged my focus from thinking about what was under those clothes in time to notice she was carefully picking through the pico. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and held up the spoon with small pieces of jalapeño.

“Shit, I wasn’t thinking. I can make a quick batch without the peppers, but the chili itself has a kick.” I thought about what else I had stocked.

There wasn’t much.

Like most people who worked in a restaurant, my home meals were whatever I could shovel into my mouth with minimal dishes and effort.

“I can throw together a quick vegetable soup,” I offered. “Or a frittata. Frozen pizza. I think I have a couple of Uncrustables left.”

A shadow passed her expression as I spoke, but it was gone just as fast. If it weren’t for the fact I could feel her sudden hollowness, I would think I was seeing things. Before I could ask what was wrong, she smirked up at me. I didn’t need our connection or words to know it was teasing.

And not just in the way she intended.

“What?” I asked with fake defensiveness when what I really wanted to do was kiss that smile—something that’d earn me a deserved kick to the dick, hot chili to the face, and her running. “Uncrustables are damn good.”

She gave me a laugh that wasn’t as good as the one she’d given Victoria, but it still made my chest puff out with pride like I’d accomplished some great feat.

“What can I get you instead?” I asked.

She held the eye contact as she dumped the spoonful of jalapeño chunks onto her chili.

“I take it you like spicy,” I noted as she went back to digging through the pico. “I can slice another pepper. Or there’s hot sauce in the fridge.”

She nodded.

“Which one?”

She nodded again.

“Both. Got it.” I handed her the bottle of hot sauce, then ducked outside to grab a pepper from the garden, dicing it before fixing my own food.

Once seated at the small table, I aimed my face toward my bowl but lifted my gaze to watch her eat. I could’ve openly stared since her own attention seemed aimed anywhere but at me. She took a small bite, and my body tensed.

No matter what name I went by, where I lived, or what else changed in my endless existence, food was at the center of who I was.

But no other meal had felt as important as that one.

The woman’s lids drifted closed, and a small smile tipped her lips. She took a bigger bite and made a happy murmur that hardened my cock instantly.

Thank fuck for this table.

When her hiccups started, I nudged her water glass closer, but she didn’t take it. She continued eating, her hiccups mixing with the occasional soft laugh at Victoria’s dramatics.

I waited until she was done to grab a notepad and a pen. The pad was a mix of torn pages, jotted-down notes, and random recipes. If I’d been capable of dying—and my failed attempts to do that said I wasn’t—Black Horse would have a fuckuva time making sense of what I left behind.

The woman looked at the messy scrawl.

“Ignore that, it’s work shit.” I flipped to a blank page and handed her the pen. “What’s your name?”

She wrote quickly before turning the pad so I could see it.

Aurora.

“Aurora. Pretty.” Her cheeks flushed and my still hard dick jerked, but I ignored it. “Where do you live?”

Georgia.

“You’re a long way from home,” I forced out past the sucker punch of her answer. If I hadn’t wanted her to leave when I thought she lived somewhere close, there was no way I could handle that distance. I pushed that problem away to deal with a different time. “Why’re you in Maine?”

She pulled her split bottom lip between her teeth and didn’t flinch even though it had to hurt like a bitch.

Without thinking, I reached across the table to grip her chin and dislodge her lip. “Hey, it’s fine. You don’t have to answer.”

Her lids closed, and she tilted her head like she was going to lean into my touch before pulling away suddenly. She wrote again.

I want to move here.

Thank fuck.

“Are you staying at a hotel?”

She shook her head.

“Where then?”

Nowhere, I just got here today.

“What’s your plan?”

She shrugged.

If I had any chill when it came to her—or social skills in general—I would find a way to finesse the conversation.

But I didn’t.

I didn’t even have enough to ask her to stay. Instead, I opened my mouth and ordered, “Stay with me.”

Her eyes widened until I worried she would hurt herself.

I had a vague thought that something was… off. That her guard was up, and I needed to put mine up, too. That it could be a Marissa situation again. But my main focus was on clarifying that I wasn’t holding her hostage in my secluded cabin in the woods.

Christ. All those years imagining my other half, and this is how I act. I’m doing a bang-up job turning it into a clusterfuck of stalker serial killer proportions.

“At least for the night,” I tacked on knowing damn well one night wouldn’t be enough. “You can take my room upstairs, and⁠—”

My words cut off when she frantically shook her head.

“I get it,” I said honestly. “I’ll drop you off at a hotel.”

And possibly sleep in my truck in the parking lot.

Strike that.

Definitely sleep in my truck in the parking lot.

I didn’t share that part. “You got bags we need to grab first?”

She wrote quickly before stabbing at the paper to get my attention that she’d had from the moment I’d sensed her.

I’ll stay if you’re sure I’m not in the way, but I won’t take your bed.

“You’re not in the way. I get up early as hell, and I don’t want to wake you up when I’m banging around with the grace of a moose on ice skates.”

I don’t sleep much anyway.

“You’d sleep less down here.” I gestured to where my devil dog sat happily near Aurora’s chair. “Victoria sleeps on the couch.”

Then she’ll disrupt your sleep.

“When I fall asleep on the couch, she takes the chair. But she likes you. You’ll wake up to her butt in your face. Or her hot breath. And I’m telling you now, that’s worse.”

She gave me a soft laugh as she wrote again.

What breed of dog is she?

“Vet says part corgi, but no clue what else is in that mix since there’s no papers. Victoria just showed up here a few months ago and claimed the house.”

It’s a pretty name.

“I have my neighbor to thank for that.”

When the Demon Dog had shown up on my porch, I’d taken her to Mabel—my retired neighbor a few miles down the road—to see if she knew the owner. After she’d jokingly suggested the name Victoria, the stubborn dog wouldn’t respond to anything else. I couldn’t hold a grudge. Mabel helped out when I was working late by letting her out, feeding her wet food before she destroyed my furniture in a rage, and taking her to grooming appointments.

Though I was pretty sure she volunteered to do the last part because she liked the visual of me with a fluffy dog in the dopiest bow she could pick out.

“You didn’t answer me about your luggage,” I pointed out.

Her eyes dropped to Victoria as she shrugged.

My brows lowered. “You didn’t bring anything?”

That hollowness returned as I watched her write.

Stolen.

“Where? Did you file a police report?”

She let out a little scoff.

Not worth it. There was nothing important.

“Okay, we’ll figure it out tomorrow.” I had my theory on why she’d been in the woods, but now that she had a way to tell me, I was impatient to know if I was right.

If she felt our connection, too.

Before I could ask, I caught her wince as she rearranged the pen in her grip.

Shit.

Bolting up from the table, I rummaged under the sink. I didn’t get injured. I couldn’t. But I had an extra first-aid kit from the restaurant tucked away in case a visitor did.

Not that I had visitors.

Finding it, I pulled it out before soaking a paper towel in warm water. I returned to the table to see Aurora tapping the pen on the paper.

I already cleaned it in the shower.

“Well, I’m cleaning it again.” Kneeling in front of her, I ignored her attempts to reach for the warm towel and used it to rub across her scraped to shit palms before going over it again with an alcohol wipe. I knew it had to sting like hell, but she didn’t flinch. Not even when I repeated the process on her split lip and scratched cheeks. “What the hell happened?”

I told you, I fell.

“This is a shit-ton of scrapes for just falling.” I reached for her chin but dropped my hand when she leaned away. “Your face is bruised.”

I fell. A lot. And smacked into more than a couple trees. It was dark.

“Are you hurt anywhere else? Your legs?”

She shook her head.

I didn’t believe her, but since I couldn’t exactly force her to drop her pants, I had no choice but to move on. “Why were you in the woods tonight, Aurora?”

She loudly yawned and wrote again.

That chili was delicious, thank you. But now I’m full and exhausted. Can I go to bed?

“Right, yeah, of course.”

Aurora stood and tried to clear the table, but I plucked the bowls from her hands before she got far. She glared up at me, but I set the dishes to the side. “I got this. Come on.”

She followed me up the spiral staircase and moved right to the sliding glass door that opened to a small balcony. The view in the early morning was good, especially when wildlife ventured from the trees into the yard. But the one in the moonlight was something else. Her hand pressed to the glass, and I wished I’d grabbed the notebook so I could hear—or read—what she thought.

Of all the places I’d lived, that cabin was the only one I’d put thought into. I’d known it was more than just temporary shelter that didn’t matter. I’d wanted it perfect… I just hadn’t known why.

Now I did.

Looking over her shoulder, Aurora caught me staring at her. Like she knew what I wanted, she breathed on the window to fog it up before using her finger to write.

Wow!

I thought the same, but not about the view outside.

Turning away from her, I grabbed my clothes for the next day as I spoke. “There’s a bathroom through that door. Remote is on the side table if you want to watch TV. Wake me if you need anything.”

I looked at her long enough to see her nod, then got the hell out of there before I did something stupid.

Like kiss her in the moonlight.

CHAPTER SIX

SEVEN DEADLY SINS CHECKLIST

AURORA

I’d started my day in a hotel room beside a man I’d spent six years with.

I was ending it in the house of a stranger.

In the bed of a stranger.

And that wasn’t even the craziest part.

When I’d taken off into the woods, it was about getting away from Ryan. At least, that was what I thought my brain had been telling me. It wasn’t until Deke found me that I realized it hadn’t been demanding I run from Ryan.

Okay, not only that.

It’d directed me to Deke.

Before he’d startled me with his jacket, I’d been pulled into a vision of a large hand cupping my chin inside a rustic cabin I’d never seen—not until Deke brought me to his cabin. I knew it was a good touch and not him angrily gripping my chin like Ryan did because of the look on my face. I had no clue what the expression was, but the smile was small and happy and hopeful.

I never smiled like that.

That was all I got from my curse, and then it was silence. Actual silence.

And that was the craziest part.

I used to beg, plead, and pray for the chaos in my head to stop—especially once the incessant stream of run commands had begun to drive me insane—but I couldn’t remember the last time my thoughts were truly quiet. I wasn’t sure they’d ever been. If my brain was a TV, it was constantly flicking stations. There were always snippets of random words or microsecond visions or nonsense I didn’t understand.

It was just my luck that it would finally stop right when I needed guidance and reassurance the most.

Because even though something had steered me to Deke, that didn’t mean I should let my guard down and blindly follow along. I’d put my trust in Ryan for six whole years. My curse had never warned me that he’d one day hit me or try to hand me over to a scary-looking man.

And Deke was bigger and scarier looking than Ryan and that mystery man combined. I’d never seen anyone who looked like him. Ever. No model or spandex-clad superhero in a movie came close. He had to be over six and a half feet of solid muscle, with a thick beard, unruly brown hair, and eyes so dark, they were nearly black—though not actually black like my freak eye. It made him insanely attractive but also insanely intimidating. If I slipped up and said something that weirded him out, he could do a lot more damage than Ryan’s backhand or fist.

Not that it seemed like Deke would hurt me. Other than a couple of times when his already rumbling voice became gruffer—and even then, it sounded more like concern rather than anger—he’d been surprisingly kind and generous. He’d shown far more patience with my inability to talk than I’d shown myself. It was like he routinely took care of random crazy women he found in the woods.

A thought that made my stomach churn and my chest ache for some reason.

But if my curse was right about something happening, it was something big. Bigger than me and my sinner pride. A vision wasn’t going to chime in to tell me what, so I would have to find my voice with Deke.

Even if that meant he would learn I was a freak.

Would it be so wrong to wait a few days? Just long enough to be sure he won’t call an insane asylum. Or worse…

An exorcist.

It’s not that I’m a coward. I’m being smart for once.

With that decision made, I should’ve considered a million other things. Planned for a million other things. He’d offered to let me stay for the night, but what would happen in the morning? How would I explain if he pushed to know why I was there? What would I say if he asked why I didn’t talk?

But the longer I lay there, the more I thought about Deke. And the more I thought about Deke, the more I felt…

Period.

The more I felt my body heat until I had to remove the hoodie.

The more I felt my heart race until I wondered if I was having a heart attack.

The more I felt that restless energy zip through my body, but not like I needed to run away.

I’d never experienced anything like it. Tension and fire and agitation that was somehow good. It grew stronger with each ticking second. The pull in my chest returned, like my heart was clawing at my chest. It ached.

I ached.

With a mind of its own, my hand moved from the bed to my stomach before sliding past the waistband of the sweatpants I wore.

Deke’s sweatpants.

Him.

Something about that built the unfamiliar tightness that coiled in my lower stomach until I thought I would die.

Sex had never been a big thing for me. Or any kind of thing, really. It’d been years since I’d had it, and even back then, it was… whatever. An act of service to Ryan. A duty to be fulfilled.

Yet as my fingers tentatively touched, slickness already coated my oversensitive core as images flashed through my head. Not from a vision, just from my own imagination. Deke’s smile. The way he looked at me. The tattoos that covered his hand and crept under his sleeve, making me wonder where the ink led. His large body. Said body on me in the woods.

A light sheen of sweat coated my scorched skin, and my thoughts grew choppier. My muscles squeezed around my bones. My breath caught.

And then it was gone as a rush of cold water hit my flushed body.

I bolted up, sure a pipe had burst or the roof had leaked, but there was nothing. I was dry.

Most of me, at least.

The icy blast had been in my head, and the return to reality I clearly desperately needed.

What the heck am I doing?

I let out a frustrated groan and rolled over in the giant bed. The plush mattress was insanely comfortable on its own, but the added masculine smell of the bedding and the crackling fire made it that much more calming. Too bad it was wasted on me.

If I can barely sleep with a strong dose of meds, there’s no way I’m sleeping without them.

I slept.

Not only that, I slept well.

Usually, the sleeping pills made my body tense and my thoughts jittery until I crashed in an unpleasant half sleep. And that was considered a good night. Without them, there was no sleep at all. I stayed awake.

But in the big bed, I slept so soundly that I dreamed. It rarely happened unless it was a vision, so the random one about witches and a hospital and a lot of cotton candy was weird.

It was also normal.

If it weren’t for my insistent bladder and rumbling stomach, I would’ve been tempted to stay put and enjoy that normalcy a little longer. But I also didn’t want to be rude by lazing around all day.

Between how much I’d eaten and my thoughts about Deke, I was already guilty of gluttony, pride, and lust. There was no reason to add sloth to my deadly sins.

Forcing myself from the warm bed, I almost peeked over the half wall that overlooked the living room to see if Deke was still asleep. But with my luck, he’d look up right as I did and think I was watching him like a weirdo. Which, honestly, wasn’t far off because I did want to watch him. I fought that urge, too, and stayed quiet as I went to the bathroom.

The one downstairs had been small, with just a toilet, sink, and walk-in shower. The en suite, however, was almost as big as his bedroom itself. There was another walk-in shower, but there was also a bathtub the size of a small pool. A large window was positioned next to it so someone could relax and look out into nature for hours.

As I washed my hands, I glanced in the mirror and cringed. And not just because my hair was a mess—though that was true, too. And I’d always been a fast healer, but the bruises on my face were still ugly splotches.

Telling Deke the damage was from my disastrous nighttime hike wasn’t technically a lie. Even I don’t know how much is from my falls and how much is from Ryan’s blows.

The redness in my eyes didn’t help my appearance. Sleeping in my contacts made it look like I had pulled my typical an all-nighter.

I did okay without my meds, but how long can I last without a change of contacts and some solution?

Removing the lenses, I rinsed them carefully under the water before putting them back in. It wasn’t a good long-term plan, but it would have to do.

Once I was cleaned up as best as I could, I pulled back on Deke’s hoodie and headed to the stairs. Nerves settled in my belly at the thought of seeing him again. Not the unsettled kind where I wondered what kind of mood I would find him in. It was a giddy excitement.

My soft steps were for nothing because when I turned toward the kitchen, Deke was already sitting at the table with a mug in his hand and his eyes aimed at me.

His smile, too.

It wasn’t forced or polite—I’d seen enough of those to recognize them from anyone. His was real, like he was genuinely happy to see me.

My steps threatened to falter as my heart lurched in my chest, but I kept going.

Right up until he said, “Perfect timing. Frittata is almost done.”

My muscles tightened, and my fists balled as a wave of rage twisted around me so strong that it froze me in place for a moment. I inhaled deeply and forced my body to relax.

That was weird.

Frittatas were Ryan’s favorite breakfast. When Deke mentioned them the day before, the reminder of him had caused a surge of fear. That time, it was anger like I’d never felt before.

It might not have been saying much since I rarely got angry, but that was exactly why it shook me.

A surprising amount of guilt and confusion mixed with the other whirling intense emotions.

Not even a day away from him, and I’m adding wrath to my long list of sins.

I thought I hid my feelings well, but Deke’s smile instantly dropped away.

And I instantly wanted it back.

Actually, I wanted to kick myself for ruining the moment. For letting thoughts of Ryan ruin the moment.

“You okay?” he asked, his concerned gaze scanning me.

I wasn’t, but I nodded anyway.

He lifted his mug. “Coffee?”

I nodded again and started for the coffeemaker on the counter, but he somehow beat me there.

For a massive man, he’s surprisingly speedy.

Filling a mug, he passed it to me before opening a drawer. There was a mess of sugar packets, powdered creamer, and stirrers, along with plastic utensils, paper napkins, and every type of condiment package imaginable.

It looks like he’s been stealing from each restaurant table and coffee bar he passes.

I turned a questioning gaze his way.

“It’s easier to grab shit from work than to shop,” he said with a sheepish smile. It was an unexpected expression from a burly man who resembled a lumberjack—right down to the flannel shirt over his tee.

He’d mentioned his work the day before with the mess of notes on the pad, but I hadn’t gotten a good look before he’d flipped the page. I wanted to know more about it. For whatever reason, I wanted to know everything about him. It was yet another time I would’ve appreciated a vision, but since my curse was still giving me the silent treatment, I tried to convey my curiosity on my face.

Deke didn’t pick up on it as he moved around me to take the breakfast out of the oven. Even though it smelled amazing—especially since his version had the yolks and what appeared to be an obscene amount of cheese—my stomach churned at the thought of eating it. I felt ungrateful, but when he grabbed two plates, I put my hand on his arm to stop him.

“What’s up?” he asked.

I looked from him to the pan, then back and shook my head.

“Don’t like it?”

It wasn’t that I disliked it, per se. It wasn’t even the connection to Ryan. But I’d cooked and eaten it multiple times a week for years. I could happily go the rest of my life without ever seeing one again. It was rude and ungracious, but so was wasting food.

Since there was no way to mime all that, I settled for a thumbs down. I held up my coffee and hoped he understood that I was happy with that.

He got the message. He just didn’t like it. “Need more than coffee for breakfast.” Rather than telling me to get over it or being offended that I wouldn’t eat the food, he opened the fridge and pulled out a bundle wrapped in white paper. “Stuck with just cheese and a hot pepper blend in that since I knew you liked both, but I’ve also got bacon I can fry up.”

Spice was enough to briefly tempt me, but my aversion still said no. I nodded about the bacon, though.

He put a row of thick slices on a double burner griddle and added heavy presses on top. The moment they began to sizzle, Victoria ran into the kitchen. Her pretty pink bow was missing, and it seemed she’d spent the morning in the mud because her fur was no longer pristine white and tan. Her front paws tapped rapidly on the hardwood floor like she was dancing a jig.

“You heard the vet,” Deke said as he put four slices of crusty bread into a toaster. “No more people food for you.”

Victoria let out a pathetic whine and yipped.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s insulting him.

Her aim moved to me, and she must’ve recognized a sucker when she saw one. She tilted her head before starting her little dance again. It was followed up with happy tail wags when she sat.

And smiled.

I had no clue dogs could smile, but there she was.

“Don’t fall for her shit,” Deke warned me.

I nodded, even knowing that I would be sneaking her a piece.

At least a little one.

He nudged me to the side. “Sit.” When I hesitated, feeling like I should help in some way, he added, “There were just some rabbits out in the garden.”

I’d never been an animal person. Okay, I’d never been around animals to know if I was an animal person. Yet I found myself quickly abandoning my desire to be helpful in favor of seeing rabbits. I scanned out the window and didn’t spot any. What I saw was far from a disappointment, though.

What the…?

Deke had mentioned a garden, but it’d been too dark to see much the night before. In the light of day, I saw it wasn’t just the small, mostly dead plot I’d pictured—one that mirrored my own pathetic attempt in Georgia. His was an expansive spread as far as I could see. And despite the frigid temperatures, the plants all seemed to be lush, green, and thriving.

Most of the greenery at my house was the ground cover and neatly trimmed bushes that Ryan preferred. He’d allowed me to plant some veggies and flowers behind the house, but even with the weather, the landscaper’s help, and my tending, it didn’t look anywhere near as healthy as Deke’s.

I grabbed the pen and notepad, quickly jotting down my question just as he approached with the breakfast.

How is your garden still alive?

“Got a green thumb.” He set down a plate of bacon, two heavily buttered slices of toast, and three different types of jam in front of me before going back to grab his own loaded plate.

It was too much food for me, but I was more caught up on the fact that he’d served me first for both meals we’d shared together.

Meals he’d prepared.

That wasn’t the way the Gideons had ever done things. The one time Mrs. Gideon had tried to simply dish out her food before Pastor Gideon had begun eating his already prepared plate, she’d ended up locked away in her room with one of her migraines.

One that coincidentally lasted as long as a black eye took to heal.

Ryan had always said it was his job to provide and mine to serve and support. On the rare occasion we went out to eat, he never asked what I was in the mood for before ordering for me—that part was necessary since I didn’t speak to anyone else. At home, food was dished out onto a single plate, and it was up to him how much I got when he was done. If I’d done my job and had visions that helped with his sermons, I was left with enough. When I’d failed, though…

Physical hunger was supposed to drive my spiritual hunger for redemption in the prayer room.

Since it took the guesswork out—and even with an empty stomach in the prayer room, it was less painful than the Gideons’ system—I’d never thought twice about it.

Not until right then.

Deke set his plate down before moving to fill Victoria’s bowl. When he turned back, he scanned me and the table in front of me. “What’s wrong? What do you need?”

I smiled and shook my head before gesturing to his plate and him.

“Don’t wait for me. Especially when you’re so hungry. Eat.”

Something about the surety in his voice and the emphasis he put on the words caused a buzzing in the back of my head. It wasn’t a vision, but it was as close as I’d had since the one in the woods.

It also wasn’t the first time he’d said something similar.

And he’d been right.

I picked up the pen.

How do you know I’m hungry?

“Lucky guess,” he said as he sat. “Figured you worked up an appetite last night.”

He knows.

Oh my God, how does he know? Could he hear me?

Maybe noises carry over the loft.

My cheeks flushed—and not just from embarrassment.

“That had to be a helluva hike you took…” he continued before he moved his focus from his food to me.

Our eyes locked, and we both froze. I wasn’t even sure either of us breathed.

Him.

I didn’t know if that was my curse talking or my body, and right then, I didn’t care.

He released his fork, letting it drop to the plate with a clatter. I jolted as the sudden noise cut through the intensity. When I tried to drop my red face to stare at my breakfast like bacon was the most interesting thing in the world, Deke didn’t allow it.

His large hand gripped my chin and tilted my face back to him. His voice was a husky rumble. “Where’d your thoughts go right then, Aurora?”

Hearing my name in that tone was almost better than his expression.

Almost.

An involuntary whimper escaped me, somewhere between mortification and desperation.

Just as quick as it’d happened, Deke released his hold and sat back. His face was pleasantly neutral as he dug into his food like I’d imagined the whole thing.

I probably had.

Seriously…

What in the heck has gotten into me?

I couldn’t imagine stomaching anything past the swirling in my belly, but sitting in a lusty stupor of my own creation would’ve been awkward. I occupied my idle hands by cutting one of the slices of toast into three pieces. Then I slathered each jam option on a piece, taking care like the fate of the world depended on my thoroughness in the task. When each was completely coated, I forced myself to take a bite.

I expected it to be cardboard in my dry mouth, but even my unease couldn’t ruin the amazing flavor. I picked the jar back up and looked for a brand so I could stock up in the future.

Like, for all of eternity or so.

At least enough jars to make a fort with.

But the matte-black label only had the emblem of a shimmery golden horse.

Must be someplace local.

I took another bite of strawberry jam that tasted like it was made with only the juiciest, sweetest berries on the planet. Setting it down, I moved on and found the next spread was just as delicious. I wasn’t sure what mixed fruits had been used to make it, but they were heavenly. I grabbed the last piece and bit in. Sweet, savory, and fire burst across my tongue.

“Knew that’d be your favorite.” Deke jerked his chin toward the garden. “Raspberry habanero. Fresh made for work a few days ago.”

I was about to grab the pen to ask more when his phone beeped.

And beeped.

And beeped another hundred times—or so it seemed.

“Shit.” Eyes squeezed tight, he hung his head back. “Should know better than to mention work on my day off.”

Whatever was going on, it must’ve been catastrophic because his phone began to ring.

With a few muttered curses, he stormed across the room. “What?” he snapped with all the gruffness and none of the tenderness he used with me. He listened for a few seconds before saying, “I’ll be right there.”

And then he hung up on whoever and turned back to catch me just as I was sneaking Victoria a slice of bacon.

Oops.

His mouth tipped on one side before falling into a scowl again. “I’ve gotta go into work, and I’m not sure how long it’ll take. Once shit goes bad, it snowballs, and I’m there till after close. Want to come with?”

I did. A lot. And not just because I was curious about his job…

Plus, everything else about him.

But when I glanced down at myself, I was reminded that my only clothes were my torn and tattered dress and his oversized comfort wear.

You would only be in his way anyhow.

An embarrassing mute he’d have to field questions and garner pity about.

I grabbed the pen and started writing.

Is it okay if I stay here? I understand if you don’t feel comfortable. I can go⁠—

The ink was dragged across the paper when he stole it. “No, you can’t.”

Contrary to what I’d written, though, I clearly did not understand because panic and mortification tightened my body.

The former because I had no backup idea. No ID. No cash or cards. I had nothing but the clothes on my back.

And even those weren’t mine.

The latter was thanks to just how immediate and vehement his answer was. Logically, I knew it was weird to ask to be left alone in his home. Heck, it was weird that I was even there. He didn’t know about the force that’d guided me to him because normal people didn’t experience visions, voices, and forces. I was just some rando from the woods. That alone was sketchy. I could be a very bad cat burglar for all he knew.

But, ouch, his fierce rejection hurt.

What am I going to do?

This is why I should’ve spent the night planning and not…

Hoping I masked my emotions better than I was able to suppress them, I smiled and began to stand.

I knew I failed when a mirrored flash of panic went across Deke’s face.

“Shit, that’s not what I meant.” He crouched in front of me and halted my progress, forcing me to sit again. Even with me in a chair and him ducked low, he was taller than me. “You can’t go.” His eyes squeezed shut, and he ran a large hand down his face. “Not that you can’t… you’re not a hostage… but I don’t want…” With a heavy, frustrated sigh, he opened his eyes to meet mine. “It makes sense for you to stay here since I’m guessing your purse was with your stolen shit?”

It was easier to go with that instead of having to explain that I didn’t have a purse because I also wasn’t allowed to have any money or a phone to carry in said purse, so I nodded.

“You need to cancel your cards.”

Done and done.

Amazing how quick that was…

“I’ll leave my phone with you so you can deal with that today. Your bank should have an online chat you can use.” He hesitated before his tone turned stiff. “You’d rather go, I’ll cover your expenses.”

I put my hand on his arm and shook my head.

Misunderstanding, his eyes narrowed before he looked over my head toward the window. “You can’t just roam around with no money, phone, or clothes⁠—”

His words cut off abruptly when I moved my hands to his face so he’d look at me. His brows shot up until they practically reached his hairline before his lids drifted closed. Before his shoulders visibly relaxed.

Before he leaned into my touch.

I wonder if he’s lonely out here in the middle of nowhere, just him and his demanding dog. It would explain why he’s been so welcoming to a stranger.

Grudgingly, I released my hold to write.

No, I don’t want to go.

He looked like he might argue, so I told him the full truth.

I want to stay with you.

One second, Deke was in front of me. The next, he was across the room. He barely looked over his shoulder as he said, “Gonna shower and get ready. Eat that breakfast.”

And then he was gone.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE BEST MEN BUY BOOKS

DEKE

That was close.

Too damn close.

When Aurora had touched my face, the frayed thread of control I clung to nearly snapped. Not for the first time that morning—hell, that minute—I’d wanted to kiss her. And I almost had. I’d been seconds from yanking her close. Tasting those pretty swollen lips. Forcing her to tell me what’d made her flush so prettily when we first sat. Demanding she touch me more.

Touch me always.

Touch me everywhere.

It was a miracle I’d been able to get across the room without her seeing the very visible evidence of what she did to me.

Locking myself in the bathroom, I started the shower despite the fact I’d just taken one the night before. I hurriedly undressed and climbed into the water before taking my hard dick in my hand.

I’d done that the night before, too.

As the hot water had beat down on my sore, tense muscles, I’d stroked myself. Aurora’s image in my head had been so clear, it was like she was in front of me. Under me. It’d been so real, I could almost feel her. Taste her sweetness. Feel her rapid heartbeat pounding within my own chest. Touch the warmth of her skin as she grew wetter for me.

I’d been on the edge of exploding when realization set in and guilt followed. She was real. Not the faceless, generic woman I used to see when I’d imagine my mate. She was an actual person who was likely confused and terrified.

And I was a sick bastard.

Because that sobering thought hadn’t done a damn thing to lessen my need for her, I’d had to crank the shower all the way to cold. Even then, it’d taken too long for my dick to go down.

That was why I’d opted for a shower rather than just leaving. I knew the demanding hard-on would last and my control wouldn’t.

With icy water blasting down on me again, I forced myself to release my hold when all I wanted was to bury it inside my mate. I stayed under the water until my control returned before getting out to dry off and redress.

I returned to the kitchen to grab my keys and found Aurora with her face practically against the window as she stared out into the garden. Victoria was perched in her lap, enjoying the attention.

Still jealous of Demon Dog.

At my approach, Aurora turned to me and smiled.

And my cock instantly hardened again.

Will it always be this way?

Christ, I hope so.

Thankfully, it was positioned to stretch uncomfortably across my pelvis where it was hidden behind my flannel, though I moved carefully as I grabbed my cell from the counter.

“I’m taking the passcode off,” I told her as I touched the screen. “And starting a draft email that’ll go to me at Black Horse. Use it. Need anything before I go?”

Her lips parted, and for a moment, I thought she’d speak. Hoped like fuck she would. But she pressed them back together and shook her head.

“Help yourself to anything while I’m gone, okay? Anything at all. Want you to make yourself at home.”

Make this your home.

I didn’t want to leave. If it was anything but Black Horse, it would’ve taken literal black horses to drag me away from her.

But with Aurora showing up out of nowhere, I couldn’t shake the feeling that shit was about to get turned upside down. Too many people relied on me, and I didn’t want to leave them hanging. But if it was between them and Aurora, she’d win every time.

Easily.

The best thing I could do was get the wheels in motion before she learned the truth so I could focus on her.

And whatever was headed our way.

“Be back as soon as I can,” I said as I walked out the door, each trudging step like moving through drying concrete.

Getting into my truck, I headed down the driveway and out to the road, my thoughts on everything I needed to do in a short time.

I’ll see what’s up with the order and then start the conversation with Kevin. Unless the building goes up in flames, I’ll be out in an hour.

Less than that if it does since there’s no reason to stick around in the ash.

I made it a few streets away before making a sudden U-turn that almost took out a fence. Gunning it, I returned home and barely stopped long enough to throw it in park before taking the steps up my porch two at a time.

When I threw open the door, Aurora startled from her position standing in the entryway.

My urgency to return to her… She was trying to leave.

Leave me.

Not gonna fucking happen.

The panic that tightened my muscles until they squeezed my bones didn’t lessen even though she still stood in front of me. Even though I caught her in time. When I scanned her, she didn’t seem guilty or angry about her thwarted escape attempt.

She was happy.

Happy to see me.

“You’re coming with me,” I stated, not bothering to make it a request since it wasn’t one.

Her small smile grew, and Jesus, I couldn’t get over how damn beautiful she was.

The powers-that-be were pricks about a lot of shit. Most shit.

But they hadn’t fucked me over when they created my mate.

Only in every other way.

Her smile faltered, and she gestured to my oversized clothes she wore, her socked feet, and where her shoes sat caked with mud in the plastic tray next to my equally dirty work boots.

“I’ll run to the store and be back.” That time when I left, I didn’t even make it off the porch before opening the door to say, “We’ll stop on the way.”

That got her smile back. It erupted into a surprised laugh when I lifted her to carry her to the truck.

Everything was better—was right—when I began to drive again with Aurora next to me. Once we reached town, I pulled into the lot of a big superstore. “Anything specific you want?”

She pulled the neckline of the hoodie she wore up and then pointed at her throat.

I want to taste that skin and feel her pulse pound under my tongue.

I ignored my thoughts and focused when she repeated the gesture before pointing at the V-neck of my shirt and shaking her head. “No V-neck, just high ones?”

She nodded.

Better for my sanity.

“What size shoe are you?”

She held up six fingers.

“Got it. Be back.”

I hated shopping for anything unrelated to food—and even that was more tolerated as a necessary evil. If I found clothing I liked, I bought it in multiple colors and called it a day.

The women’s department might as well have been a labyrinth of alien objects. I had no damn clue what I was doing, so I just grabbed a variety of whatever was soft and warm, hoping at least some of it was wearable.

I was headed for the registers when I passed a book display on an endcap.

These. Get these.

I didn’t bother to check the descriptions before adding one of each to the cart.

Carrying the load back to the truck, I opened the passenger door and set a shoebox on Aurora’s lap.

Her wide eyes moved from the bags to me without looking at the box.

“Check if they fit,” I prodded.

She pulled the boots out and slid her foot in one.

“Not too tight or loose?” When she shook her head, I replaced the box with a few of the bags. Her lap was too small for all of it. “Any of this work?”

Sifting through the clothes quickly, she turned even wider eyes my way. She grabbed my phone and typed in the notes app.

This is too much.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll run back in and try again. Or you can come with since you’ve got boots now.”

I like it, but it’s just too much. I don’t need all this for one day.

“It’s more than one day.” I wanted to say more but left it at that as I stepped back. “Too many people here to change in the car.” I ignored the jealousy that made me want to stab their eyes out at the thought of them seeing her. “You can wait till we get to Black Horse or run in here.”

Here.

She put the other boot on and transferred stuff into one bag that she carried inside while I put the rest in the back seat of the truck’s cab.

When she came out a few minutes later, she’d changed into the black leggings, a fitted gray tee, and a black and blue flannel. The neckline might’ve covered everything, but the fit of the top showed her body that she’d hidden under her flowy dress and then my clothes.

I wasn’t sure which I liked better… The tightness of the clothes or the fact she’d grabbed a flannel that matched the one I wore.

The closer she got, the more I was certain it was both.

Her steps were bouncy, and she grinned at me as she neared. When I opened the door for her, she handed me the bag that held my clothes and climbed in, giving me a quick glimpse of her ass.

Definitely both.

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE NEXT CHALLENGE IS A DOOZY

DEKE

“Wait, whoa. Back up and run me over again—I mean, run that by me again,” Kevin ordered, sitting forward in the chair across my desk until I thought he’d slump to the floor.

When we’d arrived at Black Horse, I’d belatedly remembered the books and had dug through the bags to offer them to Aurora since it was going to be a boring as hell day. And then I’d vowed to buy her every book in the world at her squeak of delight. She’d scanned them before grabbing the first one that I’d grabbed from the shelves.

Based on her eagerness, I’d thought she would dive right in, but she’d sat in the office with me to watch as I worked. The clerical shit was the worst part of my job, but she’d seemed fascinated as I’d checked order forms and invoices to see why half the delivery was missing. And then she’d listened while I chewed out our distributor—which meant I was a helluva lot nicer to him than I normally would’ve been for such a colossal fuckup.

Talking to Black Horse’s general manager wasn’t something I could do in front of her without bringing up a million questions I wasn’t ready to answer. Since the restaurant wouldn’t open until late afternoon, I’d set her up in a booth with her book and a hot chocolate.

If her shocked reaction to breakfast earlier hadn’t clued me in, the one she had to the drink did it.

Aurora was not used to people doing shit for her.

Something as simple as mixing a packet of cocoa with steamed milk had made her eyes widen like I’d journeyed across the world to harvest and produce the powder before milking a rare cow—a task I would do if it would make her smile. I enjoyed cooking for her. The happy little noises she made and the way her eyes drifted closed filled the hollowness in me more than the countless number of people who’d visited my restaurants combined.

What I didn’t enjoy was the flood of guilt that filled her eyes or the way she got antsy like she needed to do something in return. And I straight up fucking hated the nervous way she tugged on the ends of her hair.

Her reaction was another item in the long list of mysteries surrounding my mate. One I intended to straighten out soon because I didn’t want my fulfillment to come at the expense of her comfort.

It was a task that would be a lot easier if I wasn’t working twelve or more hours a day, which was why I was talking to Kevin.

I dragged my eyes from the office door to meet his shocked ones as I repeated, “I’m stepping back.”

It was more absolute than my initial plan to just cut my hours, but once the words were out, it felt as right as having Aurora close.

“Why? What happens to Black Horse? What’s going on?” He didn’t give me the chance to answer and kept talking as he roughly rubbed his eyes. “If this is about me calling you in on your day off, my bad, man. But half the damn order was in the wind, and no offense, you’re a scary motherfucker. I knew you’d get the results quicker than I could. And seeing as they’re on their way here with the missing items and some seasonal veg for the inconvenience, I was right. But it’s handled now. You can go. Take tomorrow off. Hell, take a few days off.” He opened his eyes. “I mean, it’s your restaurant, so you can do whatever you want anyway…” Collapsing against the seat, he let out a long-suffering sigh. “Stepping back?”

“I told you from the beginning this would happen.”

Just as I’d told every other manager I’d employed over the years.

Staying in one place for too long was impossible. Eventually, people noticed that as they aged, I continued looking in my mid-thirties. The excuse of good genes and healthy living only got me so far before it was time to move on.

New location.

New name.

New style, new hair, new tattoos.

I still had a while until it reached that point, but Aurora’s arrival changed my timeline.

Changed everything.

“I know,” Kevin said as he rubbed his face again, “but… hell. I hadn’t thought it would happen. That was a problem for future Kevin.”

“It’s not a problem for any⁠—”

“Does this have anything to do with Aurora? Because I’ve never seen you so much as glance at any of the very willing women who practically throw themselves at you, and now suddenly you’re giving lovey eyes to this mystery woman. Who—no offense again—is way out of your league, so I can’t even fault you. I’d want to spend all my time with her if she was mi⁠—”

My magicks might not have anything to do with wildlife, but the growl that rumbled out was animalistic enough to cut off Kevin’s words.

Less than a day, and I’m already this bad.

I couldn’t say I was upset by that fact, either.

Kevin recovered and rolled his eyes at me. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

It was my turn to scrub a hand down my face. “To answer your other questions, I’m not boarding up the windows and ditching out. Black Horse will remain open, just without me involved in the day-to-day.”

“How’s that even going to work?”

“The same way millions of other restaurants do it.”

With about a hundred of those being my previous ones that’re still operational.

“Scales Restaurant Group”—also my company—“will handle payroll, taxes, maintenance and upgrades, and whatever other bullshit comes up. They’ll be there if you need them, but so long as everything is running well, they’ll stay out of your way.”

“So menu decisions, staffing⁠—”

“You’ve been handling most of that with Chris,” I said, tilting my head toward where the head chef was likely cursing in the deep freezer at the lack of ordered items. “Only thing changing is I won’t be here for the final sign-off.”

“Does this mean I can switch our supplier to the one the chains use and just serve cheap frozen food at an inflated price while pocketing the profits?”

Unlike a lot of restaurants, profit and coming in under budget never factored into bonuses. I had more money than I could spend, so we could’ve operated in the red for all I cared—and some of my other places did. It was about filling a need.

Filling stomachs with fresh food that nourished.

I knew Kevin was joking, but horror rippled through me.

My expression must’ve shown it because he burst out laughing. “I’m fucking with you. We’ve got a good thing going. I’m not stupid enough to mess with it.” He laced his fingers behind his head, and despite the casual pose, I could see the anxiety in his expression. “So how long until your new woman and wanderlust drag you away?”

“There’s still time.”

Hopefully.

My gaze went to the door before I continued. “I won’t be in as much. And when I am, I’ll be stuck in paperwork hell, getting my chaos in order. But that’ll give us a safety net window to make sure the transition goes smoothly before I’m gone. And, obviously, this role change for you comes with a raise.”

“I’ll probably regret pointing this out, but you already overpay me and everyone else here compared to industry standards.” He tilted his head. “Or any standards.”

“And look how well the place runs.”

All my staff were paid well and worked reasonable hours. It was part of why we were only open for dinner—there was no reason to take up their days for only a small lunch crowd to trickle in. During the summer, when tourist season hit, we also did a weekend brunch, but those were busy enough to be worth the staff’s time.

And for reservations to book up six months in advance.

My former restaurants ran the same way. Good pay and decent hours so the staff had a work-life balance.

Balance and fulfillment. It was ingrained in me.

It was the base of who I was.

Kevin studied me for a few seconds before seeming to come to a realization. He dropped his hands and leaned forward. “That’s it. It’s going too well, so you’re off to the next challenge.”

No, I’m off because my mate is here after centuries of searching.

And as fucking perfect as that is, it likely also means I’m off to fight dark magicks, dumbass humans, and evil bastards who want to steal souls.

So… yeah, fuck, you’re right. The next challenge.

I lifted my shoulder in a conceding shrug. Before I could say more, fear strangled my heart.

Aurora.

I was up and out of the office before Kevin blinked. Ignoring his calls after me, I stormed through the kitchen and into the front of the house just in time to see Justin place his hands on the table.

He leaned over, using his size and positioning to loom over her. “Are you stupid or just set on me calling the cops? The room for you is through the side door. It’s bad enough he insists on letting garbage in here⁠—”

“What the fuck?”

Justin whipped around at the boom of my voice, his mouth gaping. I wasn’t sure if it was that I was there or that I’d raised my voice—something I never did even in the middle of our worst dinner services—that shocked him. I also didn’t give a damn.

He recovered quickly, fighting to downplay what I’d seen. “Boss, hey. I thought you were off today.”

“Can tell that. What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

He gestured behind him without looking. “I came in early to prep for the day, and she was sitting in here instead of the side room like the sign says. The FOH staff will be in soon, so I was just trying to help⁠—”

I almost laughed at the emphasis he put on the word early, like getting there five minutes before his shift would save his ass, but the feeling of terror wafting off Aurora was still like a vise grip.

“Help by insulting her or by threatening to call the cops?” I asked and watched the defeat sink in as his shoulders slumped when he realized how much I’d overheard.

“Boss—”

I closed the distance, taking a small amount of pleasure at the way Justin darted to the side. He began talking to whoever was behind me, but I didn’t pay attention to what excuses he spewed. My focus was on my mate.

At some point after I left her, she must’ve gone out to the truck to get my hoodie because she wore it with the hood pulled up. Dirt smudged the sleeves where she had her arms wrapped around her bent knees, the book shaking in her trembling fingers.

A shielding position she should never have to be in.

Should’ve kept her closer. Protected her better.

Crouching so I was even with her and not looming like an intimidating dickhead, I tugged the hood from her head so I could get a better look at her face. “You okay, baby?”

She dragged her wide gaze from Justin to blink at me.

“Baby?” Justin asked before groaning. “I didn’t know. She’s dirty and bruised. I thought⁠—”

It took all my control to keep my voice even since more yelling wouldn’t help her. “I know what you thought, and it doesn’t make a damn thing better.”

Shortly after opening Black Horse, I’d noticed someone picked through our dumpsters for food waste during the night. Since that was a fucked thing for animals to have to do, much less human beings, I repurposed the side entrance that led into a small storage room. Anyone could come in, cool off or warm up depending on the time of year, get water, and help themselves to the leftovers or sandwiches we stocked with additional nonperishables.

The door into the restaurant had to be locked off, and there was a list of enforced rules to keep everything up to code, but we’d never had a problem. Not once.

If anything, the people who utilized that room appreciated it more than the ones who could afford to eat at Black Horse. They didn’t complain that their order came out without the special requests they forgot to make, that their well-done steak took too long during a slammed Saturday dinner rush, or that we wouldn’t accept a gift card to the restaurant that used to occupy the space.

Feeding them fulfilled me more, too.

If Aurora had been someone who’d ventured into the dining area, that wouldn’t justify the way he’d spoken to her.

“Get the hell out,” I ordered Justin.

Aurora’s lips parted, and she placed her hand on my forearm, shaking her head. I offered her a small smile that died the moment I looked over to see Justin still standing there.

His jaw dropped. “You can’t do that.”

“Just did.”

“I didn’t know,” he repeated. “Why didn’t she just say something?”

I bolted up and got close. He might have been tall, but I was taller. And, like Kevin said, a scary motherfucker. Looming over him to see how he liked it, I roared, “Because she doesn’t owe you jack-shit, asshole. Now get the hell out of here before I’m the one calling the cops.” I took another step closer and lowered my voice. “And that’s if you’re lucky.”

He scurried back, a scared, cowering pussy. His pleading gaze moved to whoever was behind me.

“You heard him,” Chris said.

Shit.

I didn’t regret the decision. Especially when I saw the shame coating Aurora’s red face before she dropped it to stare at her knees. Witnessing that, I was tempted to throw Justin through the damn window we’d paid a fortune to have etched.

Rage or not, though, firing a sous chef without the head chef’s input was bad form.

“You can’t threaten or insult your employees. It’s a hostile work environment,” Justin blustered. “I’ll sue and own this place.”

“Hostile? I didn’t witness anything hostile,” Chris drawled. “Did you, Kevin?”

“Not from Deke. Justin, though?” Kev gave a low whistle. “That’s gonna make it hard to give a good reference.”

“Fuck all of you.” Justin stormed into the back with Kevin following close to make sure he didn’t cause any more problems on his way out.

“Be in to talk with you in a minute,” I told Chris.

“You fix the stock order?” At my chin lift, he said, “Then nothing else we need to talk about.”

I waited until he left before lowering myself next to Aurora again. I touched the dirty sleeve. “You check out the garden?”

Her wet eyes dropped to the smudges before her lids drifted closed, hiding the guilt she clearly felt.

Wrong.

It’s all wrong.

Hiding.

Wrong.

Unease bristled in my gut, but I pushed it down to deal with later. “It’s fine, baby. It’s the same here as at the house. You can go where you want. Touch what you want.”

My food I create with my own two hands.

My garden I grow with my own two hands.

Me.

She gave a little scoff.

I set my cell in front of her so she could type.

I got cold, so I went to grab the hoodie. I shouldn’t have touched your garden, but I couldn’t help it. Sorry.

“Touch all you want. You also wanna pull any weeds that you spot, I won’t complain about that.”

You have a green thumb. I have a poison one.

I chuckled. “You won’t hurt anything.”

I hurt that guy. And maybe the whole business. You shouldn’t have fired him. I should’ve⁠—

My hand covered hers to still her typing. “He’s the one who fucked up. It’s on him, not you. Got it?”

She nodded.

I didn’t need words to know it was a lie.

She picked up her book and pretended to read, and I gave her that space.

For then.

Grabbing a menu and another hot chocolate, I brought both over. “Decide what you want to eat.”

She pushed the menu across the table without glancing away from her book.

“The charcuterie plate is served with the same raspberry habanero jelly I have at home.”

She dragged the menu back, still without looking at it.

I headed into the kitchen to see Chris typing on his phone. “Already got a few replacements in mind. I’ll have them each work a night, see who lasts and who gets voted off the island. That cool?”

Before I could answer, Kev came in. “He’s gone, but he tried to pull a Half Baked and ask if anyone else wanted to go with him.”

“And?” I prompted.

Chris did a jerk-off motion—because upscale or not, all restaurant kitchens were the same. “Like anyone would give up this gig for that douchebag.”

Kevin lifted his chin. “That about sums up their responses.” We started back to the office, and he waited until we were out of earshot to say, “Soooo about you stepping back…”

“I’ll wait till the position is filled.” I thought about how that would delay my plans with Aurora and take time from her.

Un-fucking-fortunately.

And then I thought about the apprehension still sitting heavy in my gut. Memories of Marissa’s fake laughter echoed in my head.

Or maybe not…

CHAPTER NINE

HEARTBREAK HOTE—CABIN

AURORA

“Go sit.”

I didn’t.

“Aurora,” Deke said, his deep voice filled with warning.

I ignored the warning and him.

Deke stood at the stove, prepping pasta sauce that smelled spicy enough to make my nose tingle. Unlike most times when he cooked, he actually had a recipe for this dish. I peeked at it again before grabbing the heavy cream he’d need soon. Pouring some into a measuring cup, I returned the carton to the fridge and ventured close enough to set the cup within his reach.

A critical error.

He snagged me by the hip and tugged me toward him. Some of the cream sloshed out, and I made a panicked squeak as I put my socked foot on the spill before Victoria got to it. I might’ve been willing to sneak her very small amounts of bacon, but I wasn’t sure if cream was dangerous. I’d never had a pet before, but Victoria seemed to have bonded with me. I didn’t want her to get sick.

Even if she was insulting me in her yippy bark language.

Not noticing the spill—or maybe not caring—Deke continued shifting me until my front was pressed to his side. I didn’t even think about how wet socks were a form of torture.

Because so was Deke’s arm around me and the tight way he held my body to his.

“Love it when we’ve cooked together,” he said, making me smile.

Because of all the good things we’d done that week—and there’d been a lot of good—that might’ve been my favorite. He was always patient as he walked me through each step, thoroughly explaining his techniques. It made it fun and not a frittata chore.

“But this is supposed to be a dinner to say thank you,” he continued, and I could literally feel the rumble in his voice with how close I was pressed to him. “Kinda doesn’t work if you’re helping to make it.”

I grabbed a small notepad and pen from the counter. Thanks to the way he’d scattered them all around his house and restaurant, there was always one nearby for me to easily communicate.

You don’t have to say thank you.

“The fuck I don’t.”

The first handful—or more—times Deke swore, my body had instinctively braced for expected anger. After all, why else would he be cursing every third word? After the millionth time, though, I finally got the message that he just had a potty mouth.

Since all that swearing was accompanied by tenderness, respect, acts of service done without drawing attention to himself, and about a billion other amazing qualities, I realized there were far greater sins than pairing a golden heart with filthy language.

“Don’t know what I would’ve done without you this week,” he continued.

When Deke had left for work that first day without me, an ache had formed in my chest until I’d been on the verge of chasing his car like a scene out of an angsty movie. It hadn’t made any sense since I liked being alone.

No.

I preferred it.

I never did figure out what my deal was, but it didn’t matter because he hadn’t left me behind again.

Like, at all.

While he was in the back office at Black Horse, I sat in there with one of the books he’d bought me. Once the restaurant opened and he moved into the kitchen to help Chris, a chair was set out of the way for me but still positioned where he could see me. And where I could see the chaos behind the scenes, which usually stole my attention from whatever I was reading.

When he’d initially set up the chair, my skin had grown hot and tight with shame. I’d assumed it was similar to how Ryan kept me close because he’d worried I would embarrass him. But it wasn’t. If I got up to help someone, Deke didn’t bark at me to sit down or get out of the way. Instead, I’d catch him giving me small smiles—even when it resulted in him burning the ahi tuna that was only supposed to be seared.

Chris, Kevin, and the others at Black Horse didn’t seem fazed by my sudden appearance. I would go so far as to say they might even like me. No one gossiped about me—or if they did, it was behind my back and not in raised whispers that they knew would carry. No one told me I was in their way or yelled at me for trying to help. No one called me a sinner, threatened damnation, or forced me into a prayer room.

No one made me feel like a failure.

I handled that last one on my own because I definitely hadn’t been doing enough to repay Deke’s generosity—hence why I was attempting to help with dinner.

I looked down at the pad to write that he would’ve been fine, but he didn’t give me the chance.

His large hand cupped my chin and tilted my face up to meet his intense gaze. “And it’s not just me who thinks that. Kevin said if I didn’t cook you something good, he’d have to. And, baby, there’s a reason he works in the office, not the kitchen, so be glad we’re avoiding that. Chris said to prepare your taste buds for tomorrow because he’s determined to make a recipe too spicy for you. Hell, every person in that place has pulled me aside to say how amazing it’s been having you there. Thought I was well-liked, but they’ve made it clear I’m chopped liver compared to you.” He squeezed my chin. “And they’re not wrong.”

His words—and the affectionate name he’d used a handful of times—traveled through me, leaving a trail of warmth that spread until I would have sworn I glowed like the fire in the living room. A smile that was quickly becoming ever-present spread across my face.

A buzzing hit the back of my swimming head. I quickly chalked it up to the lack of sleep because, after a singular good night, my sleep had returned to almost nonexistent. But the pain increased until my smile faltered, and the world went hazy.

I have the worst case of déjà vu⁠—

The vision.

This is the image from my vision.

When I’d initially seen it, I hadn’t recognized the emotion in my expression. But now I knew what it was.

Contentment.

It wasn’t something I experienced often.

Or ever.

The sensation began to ebb away before returning times a million. The buzzing suddenly turned to the stabs of a thousand bees stinging my brain. At least that was what it felt like. My fingers clutched Deke’s shirt as I swayed, my vision tunneling.

Going alert, Deke tried to release my jaw. “What’s wrong? You okay?”

I grabbed his hand and forced it back, not wanting the moment to be over despite the pain that split my skull. Like his touch was magic, the pain lessened, and I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

Deke’s lids lowered as something flashed in his dark eyes. It made the warmth in me stoke to a burn that overheated my body. My hand keeping his on my chin was unnecessary as his hold tightened again. His gaze dropped from my eyes to my mouth.

My breath froze in my lungs.

My heart froze in my chest.

My everything froze as anticipation hummed through my veins. Waiting.

Hoping.

Dark eyes raised to meet mine again.

In a blink, it was gone.

The heat.

The intensity.

The hold.

Deke released me to move away and turn the burner down to low. He took the measuring cup I belatedly noticed I still held, and I let out an involuntary gasp when his fingers grazed mine.

I wasn’t aware that fingers could be hypersensitive, yet there we were.

He tensed for a long second before continuing like nothing had happened as he put the cream into the fridge. “Gonna let this simmer while I chop wood before the snow starts.”

And then he was gone, too.

It seemed to be a pattern with him.

The little shot of joy at the mention of snow was overshadowed by my confusion.

What the heck was that?

I have a wild idea.

Maybe go ask him.

Use your words.

Running my fingers through my hair, I fought the urge to tug the length as I closed my eyes. And then I winced.

The pain had moved from a buzzing ache at the back of my head to a strained one at the front, courtesy of my burning eyes. Blinking only intensified the problem—like I wore lenses of sandpaper dunked in the ghost pepper-infused chili oil they used at Black Horse.

I checked the pot on the stove before going upstairs to try cleaning my contacts again. Plus, without Deke to distract me, I could no longer ignore the annoying wet sock. I flicked on the light, met my mismatched gaze in the mirror, and recoiled.

And I thought it felt awful…

No wonder he moved away so fast. It looks like I have the world’s most infectious case of pink eye.

Or maybe a zombie plague that starts in the eyes.

There was more red than white in each eye. Even without the lenses in, every blink scratched against the rawness until I honestly worried blood would drip down my cheeks.

It would really complete the horror movie vibe.

Earlier in the week, I’d written a message to Deke that I needed to run into the store alone for personal items. It wasn’t a lie, but while I was in there, I’d also grabbed contact solution and eye drops. They’d both helped, but the lenses themselves were made for single-day use—not an entire week.

I can’t put these back in.

My eyes had always been a source of embarrassment for me. After my accident, the nurses at the hospital had whispered about how unnerving they were. Pastor Gideon had told me they were the mark of a sinner and that I should be grateful he’d taken me in. Claire had often and earnestly called me a freakazoid. Ryan had initially acted like they were something special but had quickly changed his tune.

To them—and to me—they were a physical manifestation of my curse. Something to be ashamed of. To hide away.

Just like me.

Or at least that was the way I’d felt before Deke.

For the millionth time, I thought about his reaction to the man calling me stupid at Black Horse. Not just the way he’d fired the guy with zero hesitation—even though it’d clearly meant more work for him—but what he’d said.

‘Because she doesn’t owe you jack-shit, asshole.’

He hadn’t offered excuses for me. He hadn’t tried to explain away my muteness. He hadn’t yelled at me for causing a mess he had to clean up. He’d never even pressured me into telling him why I didn’t talk.

I simply didn’t, and that was a good enough reason for him.

The night he’d found me in the woods, I’d told myself that I should take a little time to make sure I could actually trust that he wouldn’t immediately turn on me when I tried to explain that the voice in my head led me to him. Those few days had stretched into a few more because I was selfish. I didn’t want to talk and ruin things. I didn’t want to make what we had explode in a hellfire blaze of fear. I didn’t want to change the way he looked at me…

Like I was a normal woman and not someone to fear, pity, or be saddled with.

I didn’t want to lose that or him.

I had no clue what I was even supposed to say to him. Did I start slowly, easing into it? Did I blurt out that a vision had shown me I should be there with him? I’d lived with my curse for nearly seven years—ever since waking up in those woods in Arkansas—and even I knew how insane that sounded.

But I had to do something. I’d stalled long enough. That feeling that something massive was coming had only grown stronger, and I couldn’t keep pushing it to the back of my aching head. I needed to trust that Deke would keep accepting me exactly as I was. I needed to tell him the truth.

And that started with showing him the truth.

Tossing the colored contacts into the trash, I raised my chin.

I can do this.

I trust Deke.

As I moved through the bedroom on my way to go outside, something forced my head to the side to look out the window.

Or maybe not…

Deke stood at the far edge of the garden, surrounded by stunning greenery and logs.

And he wasn’t alone.

Still holding his axe, he spoke to a woman.

I scrambled to grab one of the sets of binoculars he’d put near the bedroom and kitchen windows so I could watch the wildlife in the morning. I held them to my eyes and looked again, hoping I was wrong. Hoping that the damage from my contacts had ruined my vision, and it was actually a new scarecrow out in the field.

It wasn’t, of course.

A beautiful brunette in a flowing skirt stood next to him, unfazed by the cold and the snow that began to flutter down. She smiled, and my heart surged with fondness like even I was falling in love a little.

The very same heart that cracked as I watched her touch his arm.

Riled up and impulsive, I tossed the binoculars onto the bed and jogged down the stairs. I turned off the stove as I moved to the back door. But when I opened it, the beautiful woman was gone.

And so was Deke.

Did he go somewhere with her?

Is he going to return smelling like her perfume and sex?

The cracks in my heart split into chasms. I rubbed my chest as an emptiness filled me.

I’m not going to wait around to find out.

CHAPTER TEN

TARDY TO THE PARTY

DEKE

Islammed down the axe, using more force than was necessary to split the logs I had no use for. I could go the rest of winter and not put a dent in what I already had stockpiled.

But I had to get out of the house. I had to put my pent-up need toward something.

I had to get away from Aurora before I planted her ass on my counter and took her with the desperation I felt down to my bones.

Because when I’d looked down into her eyes, half a second away from finally kissing her full, fuckable lips, my instincts had flared brighter than before. Screaming that something was wrong.

Off.

The last time I’d ignored them, Marissa happened.

Aurora was different in every damn way. The bond we shared made it even more obvious that the one I’d thought I had with Marissa was nothing but fabricated bullshit woven together by a lying bitch. Even during the best moments, it hadn’t felt close to what I already had with Aurora in only a week.

In that week, though, she’d barely mentioned her life. The few times I’d tried to ask about her home or her plans, she’d changed the subject. I’d told myself that she was likely still confused by the bond. Or that it was good she hadn’t mentioned returning home because I knew I wouldn’t let her—even temporarily. I’d been shocked yet fucking thrilled my mate had effortlessly settled into life with me, happily spending time in the cabin or at Black Horse. But as the days passed and her evasiveness grew, I couldn’t keep my head buried in the sand.

Or jammed up my own ass.

Aurora wasn’t simply the world’s most easygoing person.

She was hiding something.

I contemplated what that could be as I took my frustration out on the lumber when I became aware that I was no longer alone. Not that someone had approached while I’d been in my head. I still would’ve heard—like how I knew a family of deer grazed across the yard, gray foxes slept in the bushes right under the bedroom window, or hawks lingered just inside the tree line. It was instantaneous, as in materializing from one second to the next.

Staying alert, I kept hold of my axe as I turned to take in whoever it was behind me.

The woman looked around Aurora’s age, not that appearances meant shit since I looked in my thirties and was… a fuckuva lot older than that. Not to mention, the strongest magicks could easily morph every detail of a person until they were unrecognizable.

Shocked eyes stared back at me before darting around us.

Joy.

Fear.

Confusion.

Relief.

And a touch of grief.

It filled her chest. Wafted from her.

And that wasn’t the only thing I picked up.

“Whose are you?” My low voice may have sounded calm, bordering on bored, but a rarely felt emotion rocketed through me. It stole my breath, filling my chest with something far more vital than oxygen.

Hope.

I worked to extinguish the fuse that powered it, not allowing myself to believe it.

How long had I searched? How long had I waited? How long since I’d given up?

How long had it been since I could feel the connection to my siblings?

Not since the night we were cursed.

But there it was. Their presence surrounded her and tugged at my memories like a scent I vaguely remembered.

“What?” The mystery woman’s gaze lowered to the axe I still held before her body shifted subtly. It wasn’t defensive. It wasn’t offensive. It was somewhere in between, like she was ready to be attacked or do the attacking, whichever the situation called for.

Surprising.

Smart.

I dropped the axe to the ground, letting it land with a careless thud so she wouldn’t flee before giving me answers. The lack of screaming terror showed she had at least a passing knowledge of the magicks at play, but I still chose my words carefully. “Your mate.”

“Oh.” She smiled at just the mention. “Lennon.”

Lenuson.

“Who are—” she started.

“Did you do this or him?”

“This?”

I gestured around. “Who got you here?”

“Oh. Right. I, uh, walked from over there,” she tried, gesturing to the depth of the woods, “but you must not have heard me coming. See⁠—”

“Who teleported you here?” I knew I was being rude, but I also didn’t give a damn. There was no time for pleasantries, and I didn’t need or want explanations. If she wasn’t the one responsible for her surprise appearance, her disappearance could come just as suddenly. I could lose the first lead I’d had since waking up cursed. And since she was human, I was willing to bet it was someone else’s magicks in play—meaning time was damn sure of the essence before whoever decided to whisk her back away.

It was a bet I would’ve instantly lost when she answered, “I did. You know about teleportation?”

“Were you just with your mate?” I asked instead of answering.

“Yes, but⁠—”

“Can you take us both back there?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I still do better with my camera, but I can try.”

I had no clue what the hell that meant, and I wasn’t wasting time asking. “Do it.” I found enough manners to tack on, “Please.”

She didn’t look exactly thrilled to do it, and I hated to have anyone but Aurora’s hand on me, but she took my arm and closed her eyes.

The green garden dotted with falling snow swirled around us until the white flakes spun and spun, a dizzying vortex that blurred together. When the world righted, we stood in the entryway to a nice kitchen.

Or it would’ve been nice had it not been for the rotted, soulless remainder of what was once a corpse and now resembled a pile of filth.

Panic and devastation filled the air until I could choke on it. There was a rush of voices talking over each other, but I couldn’t process what was being said.

Because it was them saying it.

My siblings.

They were alive.

They were together.

They were empty with heartbreak and wrath.

With death and panic.

They were full with gratitude and love.

With belonging and fate.

“Find who?” the woman next to me asked.

One of the men didn’t hesitate. Not for a millisecond.

At her question, he moved before he’d even looked over, closing the distance between them to gather her in his arms. Desperation dripped from his expression, touch, and voice. It bled from him like she’d been gone for years. “My love. My soul. My everything. I thought I lost you.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she shot back with a forced lightness that didn’t land.

Tearing his focus from her, he belatedly noticed me. His brows rose as he blinked hard, like he expected me to fade away. “Dubhloach.”

One word.

A name I hadn’t heard in ages.

I almost didn’t recognize it as my own. I’d been through countless others since then, all of them starting with a D. A nod to my real self. A connection to the past.

But at the emotion that filled me at hearing the name after all that time, it was obvious they’d been no substitute at all.

I swallowed it down and dragged my focus from Lenuson—or Lennon, as his mate called him—to sweep it across the others.

Thanatos clutched a short woman with hair so light, it was nearly white. She clutched him right back, but not because they were happy to be together. Or not only that. She seemed to need help staying upright as she swayed. Guilt, gratitude, and relief were clear on her expressive face.

Another short woman took a tentative step forward, a somber man at her back. Even though her flaming hair was replaced by pink and blue strands, I recognized my sister. She gestured around. “Yeah, we can explain this whole thing. It’ll come as a shock, but you need to trust us. You need to know who you⁠—”

“I know who I am.”

There was so much I wanted to say and ask, but I’d already been gone too long. The ache in my chest that’d decreased since finding Aurora grew painfully strong at my distance from her.

There’ll be time soon. My siblings and my mate.

I’ve finally found them both.

I paused long enough to take them in again. My siblings and their mates, all who were noticeably familiar with each other.

I’m late to the party in every way.

The toxic void at the side of the room poisoned what would’ve been a damn beautiful moment. I tilted my head as I studied the dark rot of particles that I’d only encountered once before. “Who killed an angel?”

I didn’t wait around for an answer. I couldn’t. Pain seared through me as my heart shattered.

My mate needs me.

Out of practice, I worried I would land somewhere in the Sahara. Or that I’d be sent to the wrong Aurora and end up in Norway, standing under the aurora borealis.

But with a single blink, I was back beside the firewood like I’d never left. I scanned the yard and the windows, wondering if she’d seen me.

Explaining how I’d appeared was one way to start the overdue conversation, but it sure as hell wouldn’t be the way I’d choose.

I didn’t see her, and the devastation sitting heavily on my chest remained despite my return. Unsure what to expect, I grabbed the axe and ran toward the house, throwing the door open. “Aurora!”

Silence—other than Victoria’s yippy barks.

I paused long enough to see that Aurora must’ve turned off the stove—saving my house from torching—before I continued my quick pace to check each room of the cabin.

Empty.

Where is she?

Who has her?

And why does it feel like my heart has been pulverized until it resembles the dusty remains of that angel?

I closed my eyes and tried to transport to her—shock factor be damned—but I couldn’t.

What the hell?

I knew my magicks were rusty, but I didn’t think they would deplete from one transport. I didn’t think they could deplete period. They never had before.

A pit settled in my gut, growing by the second. It wasn’t about my magicks—though that wasn’t a promising sign when that same gut was telling me shit was about to hit the fan in a damn big way. It was about Aurora. If she’d seen me with Lenuson’s mate and got the wrong idea, she might’ve taken off.

She could be in danger, and thanks to said drained magicks, I was literally powerless.

Fuck, I hope I’m wrong.

I started for the back door to search the woods when Victoria bit the leg of my pants. Gently shaking it to try to dislodge her, I distractedly said, “Feed you in a minute.”

She kept hold of the dirty jeans and shook her head with a low growl, tugging me forward.

Not about to look a gift dog in the barking mouth, I was desperate enough to follow where she guided me. Once she saw I was with her, she released me and bolted for the front door before backtracking. Over and over again.

“I get it,” I assured her, but she didn’t stop.

Not until I was at the front door just in time for it to be thrown open with enough force to shake the windows.

Dodging to the side to get out of the way, my defenses raised.

My axe raised.

And when I felt Aurora on the other side of the open door, my dick raised, too.

A mix of emotions swirled through me. It took me a second to separate mine from hers.

Relief, lust, and possessive need belonged to me.

The anger and devastation were all her.

“What’s going…” I started, my words trailing off when she cleared the heavy wood obstruction, and I got a better look.

Her.

Mine.

Her.

My one.

My gaze roamed as I moved to stand in front of her, not sure where to look first. She was different.

Everything was different.

She didn’t have the same problem. She stared me dead in the eyes—and her expression said that wasn’t the thing she wanted dead. Her voice was soft and lined with a hint of a Southern accent when she spoke. “Deke.”

She spoke.

“Dubhloach,” I forced out instantly, needing to hear her call me by my real name in her beautiful voice.

“Dubhloach?” It came out a breathy question, but I didn’t care.

My lids closed as my brain seared the moment into my bones.

And then it was gone when something hit my chest and fell to the ground with a jingle.

Lids snapping open, I glanced down at the keys before my gaze returned to hers. To her eyes—which were no longer brown—and then down to her mouth. “You can talk.”

I waited for her to look as shocked and in awe as I was, but she didn’t seem thrown by the sudden ability. Because it clearly wasn’t sudden, and it wasn’t our bond or magicks at work.

Why didn’t she speak before? Not a single word in a week, even when she was frustrated with herself.

Before I could ask, the same venom in her expression filled her voice. “And you’re home.”

Even with the snapped attitude, it was still beautifully sultry.

And I was still sick because her unexplained anger didn’t lessen my hard-on. It made it jerk painfully against the confines of my jeans.

“Sooner than I expected,” she continued. A cruel smile slashed across her face. “A lot sooner. Hopefully, you told them you’re sorry.”

“Told who?”

“The brunette, blonde, and the one with the funky hair. I know they say it’s normal, and it happens to all men, but…”

So caught up in her eyes and voice, it took my brain far too long to catch up with her cutting words. My stomach churned at her insinuation, but my mind raced.

Did she hear me? See us? Feel what I felt?

Is our connection growing stronger already?

As badly as I wanted to know how she could talk—or why she hadn’t before—her distorted knowledge of where I’d been took precedence.

I took a step toward her, and she took one away. Another step, and another retreat. The pattern repeated until her back was to the open door. I came closer still, not stopping until my body was almost touching hers.

Close enough that I could feel the rise and fall of her rapid breaths.

Close enough that I could stare down into her mesmerizing eyes—one the prettiest sky blue and one the inkiest black of a night’s sky.

But far enough that she couldn’t feel the stretch of my hard cock.

“How did you know?” I asked.

“W-what?” she asked haltingly before the mocking steel came back into her words. “About your wild foursome partners?” Her eyes widened and then dropped to stare at my shoulder as she raised her own in a half-assed shrug. “Outside, I saw⁠—”

“You saw me with one woman. And it sure as fuck wasn’t in the way you think. How did you know about the others?”

She scowled. “It doesn’t matter. I just know.”

“And so you were going to what?” I stabbed a finger toward my discarded keys. “Take my truck?” My voice might’ve sounded casual, but the pain and panic shooting through me sure as fuck wasn’t.

“Well, you weren’t in the woods, so I thought you left. But the truck was here, so maybe you were having… fun in it. But then… And it wasn’t the cabin I… So I was going…”

“Going to leave?”

Leave me?

She raised a stubborn chin. “I was going to find you. But now you’re back.” Her words were slow and emphasized. “Very quickly.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Let it go the first time you said it, baby, but you want to keep making jokes”—I closed the last bit of distance so she could feel my hardness against her stomach for a different kind of emphasis—“I got no problem finally bringing you to my bed to show you exactly how long I can last.”

“Finally?” she whispered.

“Fucking finally.” I lowered my face toward to her upturned one, and fuck, I wanted to kiss her. “Bed. Table. Right here against the door. I’m game for any of it.”

“But the women⁠—”

“It wasn’t like that.” My stomach roiled at the thought of touching anyone other than her, but it revolted at the idea of being with Juno—or whatever name my sister went by. “Never like that.”

She gave a scoff. “You don’t owe me any explanation. You definitely don’t owe me any lies. I’m just a random woman you found in the woods who’s staying with⁠—”

“The hell you are. You’re mine.”

Breathtaking eyes widened briefly before immediately going into the most attitude filled eye roll I’d ever seen. “Riiiight. Well, that bit of fiction aside, I don’t care what you do in your free time. But the least you could do is not lie to my face like I’m a naive idiot who doesn’t know how you men are. Especially one who looks like…” She raised a hand to gesture to me.

It would’ve soothed the deep stabs she’d made to my pride if it hadn’t been for the continued insults.

She finally speaks, and it’s to call me a lying one-pump chump who can’t keep it in my pants.

“How are us men?” I asked.

“You have biological needs. Wandering eyes. Base urges you can’t control, blah, blah, blah.”

“Who in the hell did you waste time with that filled your head with that bullshit?”

The angry front she put up waned, and loneliness filled her so completely, I had to put my palm to the door before it took me down with her.

“Christ, baby.”

She rallied like she had practice ignoring that ache. Too much practice. “It’s a known fact.”

“No, it’s a pile of lies that small-dicked assholes use to justify being small-dicked assholes.”

She let out a frustrated noise and started to bring her hands to her head before catching herself. “This conversation is giving me whiplash, and it’s all unnecessary. None of this is what matters.”

“You’re right.” Before the pain could settle on her lowered face, I gripped her chin and aimed it back at me to clarify. “It doesn’t matter because the story you’ve built up in your head is bullshit.”

“I know what I⁠—”

The back of my neck prickled at the abrupt way she cut herself off. “You what?”

“Nothing. Can you give me some space?”

“No.” My focus flickered between her different colored irises. Each one had hints of different hues, and I wanted to spend hours finding them all, but right then wasn’t the time. I chose my words carefully so I didn’t scare her. “Your eyes are⁠—”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, my freakazoid eyes are weird and hideous. Thanks. Can we get back to you moving away?”

“First, no. Second, your eyes are incredible. And third, you know they changed?”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth for a second. “I, uh, saw. In the truck mirror.”

Lie.

“You know because they didn’t change. You were wearing contacts, weren’t you?” I rocked back at that revelation. At my relief. “The barrier I felt.”

Her face screwed up in horror. “Felt? You touched my eyeball?”

“What? No.”

“Then what’re you talking about?” Her wide, panicked eyes showed more of the bloodshot lines that dominated the whites. I’d assumed it was caused by her eyes changing, but since they hadn’t changed, it was a non-magicks injury.

“They’re pretty damn red, baby. Do they hurt?” I didn’t give her the chance to answer. “We need to get you to an eye doctor. Urgent care? Maybe the hospital? You could lose your vision.”

She muttered something that I didn’t catch as I tried to pull her from the door toward the porch. She dug her heels in. “I’m fine. It’s just from wearing the single use lenses all week. They already feel better.”

My voice came out a harsh shout. “You wore single—” I inhaled through my nose sharply, struggling to get my temper under control. “For the love of angels, don’t do something so dangerous again. If you need a refill or glasses, we’ll go get them now.”

“They’re not prescription,” she admitted before pressing her lips together like she regretted saying anything.

“Then why were you risking your health to wear them all week?”

She pointed a finger at her eyes and wagged it back and forth, nonverbally conveying a duh that I didn’t understand.

“And?”

“We went through this. They’re weird and hideous and⁠—”

“Beautiful,” I cut in.

She gave a joyless laugh and rolled those gorgeous eyes again. “No.”

“Are you always so argumentative?”

Her brows lowered, and she hesitantly shook her head. “No, actually.”

It says something that I get off on the fact that attitude is reserved for me.

A thought for later.

Preferably when my mouth is on her.

Once I convince her that I’m worthy to touch her, not a dickhead, and also her fated mate.

Or I could just beg.

Offer up a long lifetime of wealth, restaurants, a demanding dog, and a cabin.

Bargain my half a soul that’s already hers.

Whatever.

Aurora did a better job keeping her head focused on what was important—as opposed to me, who was doing all my thinking with a different head. Forcing her arms between us, she crossed them and demanded, “So who were those… I mean, who was that woman? And what were you saying about a barrier?”

“They’re… She’s… Shit, I don’t know where to start.”

“How about at the beginning?” she suggested, her walls going back up.

“Good idea. A thousand years ago⁠—”

“I meant the beginning of your story,” she said with a snarky laugh and snarkier air quotes, “not the beginning of a fairy tale.”

“That is the beginning. Of me. Of us.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ABRA-FREAKING-CADABRA

AURORA

“There are nicer ways to tell someone they need a skincare routine than implying they look a thousand years old,” I joked past the anger that still suffocated me.

I wasn’t sure what the heck had gotten into me. Deke might’ve been sweet. He might’ve looked at me like I was something special and talked to me in a gentle voice that wrapped around me like the comfiest blanket. He might’ve always seemed focused on taking care of me without running a scoresheet of what I owed in return.

But despite what I’d been foolish enough to imagine, he was evidently still a typical man. One with needs. One who wasn’t mine and didn’t owe me anything. One who was free to do whatever the hell he wanted with whoever the hell he wanted, bless all their damn hearts.

The vision of him with those women still filled me with so much pain and jealousy, I wanted to curl into a ball and die. Clingy and dramatic, sure, but it was the truth. Instead of giving in, I settled for lashing out with insults and fighting the urge to claw his eyes out.

Neither reaction was like me. In all the times Ryan had come home reeking of other women, it wasn’t the sex that’d bothered me. It was the reminder that I’d failed yet again. With my curse. As a sinner. And as a woman. If he had shown some discretion—and not locked me in the prayer room—I likely could’ve buried my head in the sand and enjoyed the quiet time alone.

I definitely wouldn’t have spoken to him the way I spoke to Deke. Not because I hadn’t cared enough to get upset at Ryan—though that was true. Not because it would earn me a long weekend in said prayer room and a longer week of passive-aggressive silent treatment—also true.

It was because something about me was different, and it had nothing to do with Ryan or even Deke. The colors surrounding me were literally brighter. The world was bigger. Louder. Good, bad, bored, lustful, jealous… All my emotions were heightened.

It was like after years of sleepwalking, I was awake.

I couldn’t explain it because I didn’t understand it.

“You’re not a thousand years old,” Deke said, his thumb tracing my jawline. “I am.”

Oh for heaven’s sake, he’s unreal.

And not in the good way I thought.

“Right. You’re an ancient being with long-rooted biological needs. Got it. Have to give you points for originality, but this is wasted on me. I already said you didn’t owe me an explanation.”

“How did you know who I was with earlier?” he pushed again.

The first time he’d asked, I’d begun to answer before realizing it would mean admitting my secret. That time, I opted for the smarter choice.

I kept my mouth shut.

His too-sharp eyes studied me. “Could you tell that there were men there, too?”

“No, but whatever floats your screaming goats. I don’t judge.”

He chuckled as he ran his palm down his face and over his beard. “You’d be cute as fuck if that wasn’t nauseating, and this wasn’t so damn maddening.” Hesitating for a long second, he pulled me from the door and slammed it closed. He’d always said I wasn’t a hostage, but his ironclad hold on my upper arms and the rattling of the door said otherwise.

Guiding me to sit on the couch, he didn’t take his usual spot in the chair. He sat right next to me with his body aimed my way. “The woman with the pink and blue hair is my sister. Juno. Or at least that’s what she used to go by. I’m not sure about now. The other women were my brothers’ mates.”

Okay, never mind. He’s not unreal. He’s insane.

Leave it to my curse to deliver me to a man who’s even nuttier than I am.

“Mates. Right.” I inched away, not that there was anywhere to go. The couch was oversized, but so was the man himself. “So if this is a sex cult, I am not your girl. I don’t like it, and I have enough sins on my tab already. Thanks, but no thanks.”

“You didn’t like sex with whatever losers you’ve wasted time with before me. But that’s not what this is, and I wasn’t kidding about that being nauseating.” True to his words, he looked green as he grimaced and swallowed hard. “And now I also want to take time we don’t have to hunt down whoever you were with to kick their asses for touching you and then thank them for being incompetent at it.”

Lucky for you, it’s a short list.

I didn’t share that. Ignoring the warmth that filled me at his crazy possessiveness, I forced myself to stay focused on his crazy craziness. “Welp, now that that’s cleared up”—I hooked a thumb over my shoulder toward the door—“I’m going to go for a quick walk. To, uh, enjoy the weather.”

He glanced out the window that showed the snow had picked up until white was almost all we could see before looking back at me with one brow arched. “Hell, I’m fucking this up. Just… Let me get this all out, and then we can go from there.”

“Even if go from there literally means me going out there?” I tested.

His jaw clenched, and I had to hand it to him, at least he was honest. “No.”

That should’ve been terrifying.

It should’ve made me run for the door, him and the storm be damned.

It should’ve made me grab a knife or his phone or even Victoria. She’d bonded with me. I’d put money on her biting him in my defense.

What his answer shouldn’t have done was surge into a spot in my chest, filling it until I thought my ribs would crack. It disappeared just as quickly, making me hyperaware of how empty it was.

How empty I always was.

“Don’t do that,” Deke ordered, but it wasn’t firm. It was pleading.

“What?”

“That hollowness. It breaks my damn heart. I’m sorry, baby, but I can’t let you go. There is more happening than you know, and that includes danger.” He rushed on to explain, though I was lagging a couple of sentences behind. “Not from me. Fuck, never from me. At least, not directly.” Another rough scrub of his palm down his face. “Shit, this is hard. All this time searching for you, and I never planned what the hell I’d say once I found you.”

“You’ve been searching for me?” I shook my head. “Wait, what did you mean about the hollowness?”

Because he was right. That was the perfect word for how I felt because it was more than simply empty. There was an echoing, cavernous depth to it.

But how did he know?

“Let me start from the beginning.” He kept a watchful eye on me.

And then he was gone.

“Why do you keep disappearing?” I shouted, my hysterical voice joined by Victoria’s angry barking.

It was a stupid thing to yell. He hadn’t just hightailed it away from me like he’d done before.

The man had vanished into thin air.

All six and a half feet of him, gone.

Poof.

Presto, change-o, abra-freaking-cadabra.

I stood and spun around, scanning for wires, mirrors, or something to explain the magic act.

Bent over, I was in the process of pulling the cushions from the couch to check for a trapdoor when he reappeared behind me.

Right behind me.

“It worked… Fuuuuck,” he bit out on a rough drawl under his breath, his hands going to my hips for a second before he dropped them and backed away.

I stood upright and spun around to face him.

“To answer your question,” he said like he hadn’t just pulled off an act worthy of a primetime TV special, “I disappeared the other times because you test every ounce of control I have, and if I stayed, I’d have given in and tasted your mouth. Since I wasn’t sure how that would affect our bond, it seemed smart to hold off till we had time to talk. Disappeared this time because I knew you wouldn’t believe a word out of my mouth till I proved it to you.”

“Where’d you go?” I scrutinized the room and him, still trying to work out how he performed the fun little trick.

Magicians have made it look like the Statue of Liberty vanished or their pretty assistants were cut in half. With practice, this was probably nothing.

“Don’t like to do that with anything in my hands, just in case.” He lifted his flannel and gave me a distracting peek at tanned skin, defined muscles, and the exact right amount of dark hair. I might’ve been in the middle of the wildest experience in my life—and that was saying something—but I wasn’t blind. He pulled a book from the waistband of his jeans and handed it to me.

I glanced at it.

And then my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the couch. “I forgot that at Black Horse yesterday.”

Him.

The part of my brain that I usually wished I could carve out seemed to wake up and stretch. And it stretched toward him. Like it was reaching for Deke. The sensation was even more disconcerting after a week of near total silence—other than the enraging vision of him with the three women.

Not that they were doing anything illicit in the barely formed image. From the little I saw, they were just standing in a kitchen, but so much of it had been clouded with a weird dust.

My history with Ryan had filled in those blanks.

“If…” I shook my head and cleared my throat. “If you were actually gone, how did you know I asked about you disappearing?”

“Could hear it.” He tapped his head. “In here.”

“And the hollowness?”

“Could feel it.” He tapped his chest. “In here.”

“Why? How?”

“Need the backstory to understand that part, baby.” He took a long, silent moment to gather his thoughts. “A thousand years ago, give or take a century, the use of magicks⁠—”

“Why do you say it like that? Magicks, not magic.”

“Magic is bullshit. Magicks is real. And people had begun to abuse it.”

“Like beaming across town to get a book?” I deadpanned.

“Dark magicks,” he clarified as he sat. Rather than returning to his spot on the couch, he took one on the coffee table in front of me. His long legs boxed mine in, keeping me in place. “Humans get a body. They get a soul. They get free will. And what they do with all three decides what their afterlife is. It’s part and parcel of the covenant between the heavens and humanity. Forces began to meddle with that format, stealing souls and using them to power dark magicks. Not only did that create an issue of breaking the promised package since stolen souls can’t reach their earned endpoint, it also left an unchecked evil to run rampant. Because Heaven and Hell and everything in between are dependent on balance, the powers-that-be were allowed to intervene to offset that evil. To save the stolen souls. To prevent the apocalypse.”

I was well-versed with the Book of Revelations. It’d been Pastor Gideon’s favorite scriptures to reference. The fear of promised damnation was how he kept his flock in line. It—along with the added threat of violence—was how he ran his home.

After a year living with the Gideons, I’d had the passages practically memorized.

The same dark cloud of doom I’d gotten every Sunday morning began to creep over me. A tension in my stomach. A bad feeling that lingered in the back of my mind to sour my mood even when I wasn’t directly thinking of it. Hopelessness that sank my heart.

Because I knew I was headed for the fiery hell that was described in vivid, horrific detail.

“So you were created to… what?” I prodded past the lump in my throat. “Fight off the Four Horsemen? I always interpreted them as more of an analogy rather than literal beings.”

Deke shook his head slowly. “Aurora, my siblings and I are the Four Horsemen.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

BURN

AURORA

“B-but they’re the harbingers of the apocalypse,” I stammered out.

It wasn’t just that I was stunned by the possibility of the end of days. Even hearing it preached week after week, I’d always assumed it was also an analogy. Or a worst-case scenario that was predicted to show what would happen to unrepentant sinners. Maybe something that would happen eons in the future.

It being real was surprising but not as shocking as finding out Deke was part of it. The cause of it.

Thoughtful, gruff, quiet Deke.

“That’s the way it’s been twisted.” He lifted his shoulder in a nonchalant shrug, but I could see the pain in his tensely clenched jaw and dark eyes. “It’s easier to let your urges run rampant when you have a boogeyman to blame. Or four of us. My brothers, Death and Pestilence. Our sister, War. And me.”

Famine.

I opened my mouth.

And then I closed it again because I had no argument to that.

Pastor Gideon had portrayed himself as a pristine vessel of God, doling judgment from his position on the elevated pulpit before going home to terrorize his wife and daughter.

At least Ryan had been slightly more honest about his shortcomings. He’d endeared himself to everyone—including me—with his relatability as a flawed man. He just hadn’t shown how flawed he truly was.

In the six years since my accident, I’d seen countless visions of countless sins. Not egregious ones from every person I encountered. Most people were good. Imperfect, sure. Misguided, definitely. But good. In every congregation I’d attended over the years, starting in Arkansas and ending in Georgia, a few were always different.

Alcohol.

Drugs.

Sex.

Violence.

Every vice ticked off over the years by people who sat in the pews, not as sinners connecting with God, but as haughty hypocrites.

Always angling. Always out for themselves. Always seeking more, more, more.

And that was just the limited glimpses my curse had shown me.

But Deke wasn’t like that. My mind reeled as I thought about how different he was from everything I knew about Famine.

I would’ve smacked myself in the forehead if it weren’t for the fact I was too stunned to move.

Famine on his black horse.

The name had been right there in front of me. I’d seen it dozens of times each day for a week, but I’d just assumed it was because of the farm area around.

But it wasn’t. It was a play on his depiction even though he used that restaurant and the room at the side to feed people. He kept expansive gardens of produce that he shared freely, including driving far out of his way to drop supplies off in areas that were food deserts.

He was fair and just with his employees. I’d heard them talk about how overpaid they were for the limited hours they worked. How he approved time off, even if it meant he was the one filling in. How balanced their lives were compared to when they’d worked in other restaurants.

None of that made sense with who he claimed to be.

Unconsciously echoing my thoughts, Deke leaned closer and said, “Know it’s only been a week, but think of everything you’ve seen from me. Everything you know about me.” He reached out and lightly tapped his fingertip to my upper chest. “In here.”

The familiar phantom burn flared to life under his touch. It didn’t just warm. It ignited across my skin until it engulfed all of me.

One moment, I was on his couch. And in the next, I was continents away.

Centuries away

I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I did. I thought maybe he’d brought me somewhere, but I was alone and overlooking a Deke who didn’t know I was there.

That’s not my—er, not the modern Deke.

It was just a vision. The warmth remained as I watched from my hazy space above, there but not—as that Deke fed small children, all of them frail and shivering in their thin scraps of fabric. The distorted backdrop of a sprawling castle shimmered with transparency, allowing me to see inside. To where it was packed with people in their pomp and finery who willfully ignored the suffering around them.

The heat and haze intensified before dwindling, leaving me further back in time. Deke stood with a small group of men and women. I couldn’t hear his words, but I could feel his anger. His regret. His longing for people to do what was right so he wasn’t forced to take action. More than any of that, I felt his protectiveness.

And his loneliness.

Warmth and mist pushed in again to wipe away the scene just as he moved to defend whoever was out of view. When it cleared, a series of images flitted in front of me like a flipbook. I only saw each for a millisecond, yet I was able to take in every detail. Every scent. Every emotion.

Different places. Different times. Different appearances, but all of them still somehow Deke. The same man he’d shown himself to be over the previous week. A man who was patient and kind, doing so much good in the world without ever expecting anything in return.

Another surge of heat and smoke—green that time—but it didn’t dissipate. It grew and grew, swirling around me like a tender caress. Nerve endings lit along its path until I could feel everything.

Pleasure, lust, need.

Companionship, fulfillment, belonging.

I gasped sharply, and the smoke flowed in, invading my body. My taste buds sang at the fire of the hottest pepper and the sweetness of the stickiest candy coating my tongue as the green smoke traveled down to fill my chest. I would suffocate without oxygen, but I still gulped in more. More of that contentment. That joy.

That fullness I’d never experienced before Deke.

Despite my greedy desperation to stay in whatever that place was, the smoke cleared. The burn on my chest faded back to a memory. And the visions disappeared. Even with my eyes closed, I could tell I was back on Deke’s couch.

Because I’d never left.

That didn’t stop a hint of fiery heat and sweet smoke from lingering in my mouth.

Needing to savor the scant traces of it before it disappeared, I ran my tongue across my lips.

I might not have moved during my vision, but Deke had.

Still speaking from his spot on the edge of the coffee table, he’d reached out to cup my cheek with his thumb resting near my bottom lip. When my tongue swept out, it ran across his skin.

My lids shot open at the taste of him. It wasn’t fiery or sweet like the green smoke. It was something far better.

It was Deke.

It was mine.

His previous possessive declarations suddenly echoed in my head with my own. They grew so loud, I nearly missed his groan. His gaze locked onto my mouth as he dragged his thumb across my bottom lip, his touch rough and branding.

More tentative than before, my tongue darted out for another taste.

I barely grazed his skin when Deke moved.

Not to hustle from the room.

Not to storm out the door to chop wood to add to the already towering piles.

But to close the nominal distance between us. His hand slid from my cheek to palm the back of my head while his other went to the back of the couch next to my head.

I had the briefest thought of how safe I felt—how right it was—with the gigantic lumberjack of a man looming over me. And then I lost the ability to think at all when his mouth covered mine.

My already heightened emotions grew loftier still until I was hyperaware of every sensation. Every scent. Every jolt of desire building in me from just a kiss. I tried to force my brain to jump-start because I wanted to focus on it all. Memorize it all.

But Deke wouldn’t let me.

Like he knew I was overthinking, he speared his fingers into my hair and tugged gently until my lips separated from his just enough for him to order, “Tell me you don’t feel it. This connection between us. Tell me you don’t want it.”

I didn’t say it.

Couldn’t.

Because it was true. I felt it all.

And Deke knew it. “Then open your mouth, baby. Gimme what I’ve searched centuries for.”

I wanted to ask about that again. I should’ve asked about that again. But my body obeyed his demand instantly, and my lips parted.

His tongue plunged in to take and taste with a desperation I never knew existed. Not in books. Not in my wildest fantasies. Certainly not in real life. I whimpered into the kiss, and quickly realized that Deke had been holding back. Because at that soft, involuntary noise, his grip on my hair tightened and his already bruising kiss became painful.

A beautiful, aching pain that I wanted more of.

No.

I needed more.

My hands went to his soft, overgrown hair just as his dropped from the couch to grip my ass. He easily lifted me with one arm, and my legs instinctively wrapped around his torso.

I thought he was making good on his promise to finally take me to his bed. The table. Or maybe the door.

Like him, I was also surprisingly game for any of it.

But he just turned and sat with me straddling his lap.

Oh.

My.

Wow.

I’d felt his hardness against my stomach in the entryway, but I’d been so wrapped up in my jealousy and our confusing argument that I’d convinced myself that what I’d felt was mostly jeans or his belt buckle. That there was no way it was actually his arousal. No way that I’d caused it. But with it pushed against my needy sex, there was no denying it.

Deke’s staggering height and fit muscles weren’t the only massive things about him.

I was intimidated and far out of my element.

But that didn’t stop me from wanting to touch him more.

Touch him everywhere.

Staying over my sweater, he moved his hand from my ass to span my side, traveling up before pausing with his thumb stretched just under the curve of my breast. It moved back down as he grabbed my hip and tugged me closer. Holding me against his hardness.

That time when it drifted up, he pushed under my shirt so it was skin against skin.

He stopped at the same spot and stroked back down, repeating the infuriating pattern until I nearly wept with frustration.

Frustration that spiked when he removed his hand from beneath my top to clasp my jaw while his other stayed firmly on the back of my head. Holding me in place.

Forcing my mouth open as he took what he wanted.

A muffled groan rumbled up his chest, and his fingers trembled when he violently tore his mouth away. His breaths came in heavy pants as he rested his forehead against mine. “You have no idea how much it kills me to do this, but we have more to talk about.”

“Can it wait?” I whispered without thought, my fingers running through his hair before dropping to clutch his flannel.

“Wish it could, Aurora. Fucking wish it could.” He released my head, but only so he could span my hips. “But I don’t know how this will change shit. You need to know the truth first.”

The ominousness of his words sank in through the fog of desire that clouded my brain and common sense. After everything he’d already shared—and what my curse had shown—I wasn’t sure what else there could be. Or how bad it must be to cause that somberness in his tone. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

But I knew I had to hear it. I had to tell him my own truths, too.

It still took me a few seconds and a lot of effort to release my hold on his shirt and shift back. My attempt to climb off his lap was halted when his firm hold didn’t loosen.

I raised my questioning gaze to meet his, but his fingers just clenched in response.

Rather than putting me out of my misery by telling me whatever I had to know, he stretched out the torture by asking, “Why didn’t you talk till today?”

His question practically rolled out the red carpet for me to share about my curse. I should’ve taken advantage of it.

But I was a coward, so I didn’t. I gave a partial truth instead. “Because I don’t ever talk. I haven’t for years.”

Except to Ryan, and he doesn’t count or matter.

Not anymore.

“But you spoke to me,” he said before tilting his head back and forth. “Spoke, insulted. Same thing.”

“I was pretty mad.”

And insanely jealous.

A small smile curved one side of his mouth. “I’ll take it.” His smirk fell, and his tone lost the teasing humor as it turned sincere. “But there’s nothing to be mad about. That woman outside was my brother’s mate.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, confused again by his phrasing since it wasn’t the whole sex-cult thing. “Like… his wife? His girlfriend? His partner?”

“More. So much more. Remember how I said that everything was built on balance?” At my nod, he continued. “When my siblings and I were created, the powers-that-be knew we would face eons of battles against an always-growing evil. They wanted to ensure we had a reason to keep going. To care about fighting for a humankind that was set on imploding itself. In their divine wisdom,” he sneered, making it clear the phrase was loaded with sarcasm, “they split our souls into two, placing half in a human somewhere in the timeline.” Not for the first time, he moved his hand to rub his chest, and it didn’t seem like he was even aware he did it. “We were promised that when the time was right, we’d get our reward for our efforts. Our balance. Our other halves. I know it sounds batshit crazy. And it’s a fuckuva lot to take in.”

Like my blood had been replaced by a toxic sludge, dread coursed through my veins. I quickly and fervently prayed with an intensity I hadn’t mustered since the early days after my accident. But rather than pleading for my memories or my own family, I prayed that I was wrong. That I misunderstood what he was saying.

But my worst fears were confirmed when he said, “But you’re my one, Aurora. My soulmate.”

I couldn’t help it. I tried to mask it. To shut down the pain lancing through me, but my ability to easily ignore my emotions was gone.

At his declaration…

I burst into ugly tears.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

TICKET TO RIDE

DEKE

How’d this turn into such a clusterfuck?

Back in the early days of my long existence, while I still fought side by side with my siblings, I would envision the moment I found my mate. Across a tavern. In a crowded town square. While strolling a market for spices and cured meats. We would sense each other, and our connection would be something instantaneous and sparking with magicks. The longer the years stretched on—the more I saw evil and greed become commonplace—that naivety gave way to realism. And that eventually hardened to cynicism.

I’d given up that I’d ever find my other half. That I’d ever find happiness. That I’d ever finally feel full.

With Marissa, I’d believed she was my mate. She’d seemed perfect. Created just for me the way I’d thought a mate would be. Because she had been. A carefully orchestrated act of bullshit nearly pulled off by the world’s best actress.

Well, not the world’s…

Even before I discovered that, I’d still kept her at arm’s length. I’d blamed my shitty social skills after so many years alone.

I had every reason to keep my guard up around Aurora. She was a stranger. One who hadn’t spoken until a couple of days prior. One I still barely knew anything about, thanks to evasive answers.

Or outright lies.

I hadn’t known about her colored contacts, but I had known something was off. Masked. The eyes being the window to the soul wasn’t a corny-as-hell phrase. It was the truth, and her lenses were a barrier to that. My soul had been reaching out but not quite able to connect with hers.

Despite all those warning flares shooting up like the damn Fourth of July fireworks, I’d had to work to remind myself to take it slow. To keep that distance. And I’d still failed. I couldn’t fight the connection. It was stronger than anything I’d pictured. The attraction and desire amplified beyond my imagination.

My fantasies.

But that part had jack-shit to do with fate or powers-that-be or anything other than Aurora.

Her small smiles, soft laughs, and companionship would’ve driven me feral, even if we weren’t mates. I’d assumed she felt the same way. She’d not only taken my kiss, she’d gripped my hair like she was just as desperate for it as I was.

For the love of angels, she’d ventured into the damn woods to find me.

But I was wrong.

So fucking wrong.

After Lenuson’s mate had brought me to my siblings two days before, I’d been eager to reunite with them. I’d also known that, unless they appeared with a dire emergency, it would be a few days before I returned with Aurora.

If telling her who I was—who she was to me—had gone smoothly, we would’ve used that time to explore and enjoy our mate bond because I was a selfish fucker. I’d been searching for my siblings for a handful of centuries. I’d been searching for my mate for my entire existence.

If it had gone as expected, it would give her time to push back. Ask a million questions. Hell, laugh in my face. I would’ve understood.

But I hadn’t planned for what to do if things went as fucking bad as they had. After crying, she’d shut down and hadn’t spoken since. She’d retreated emotionally and physically, hiding out in the loft. Other than a few quick trips down to the kitchen to return the dishes of barely touched food I’d fixed her, that was where she’d stayed.

I’d given her that space. The time she needed to adjust.

It’d been a lot to hear. I got that. I wasn’t expecting her to jump for fucking joy—even if that was how I felt. I’d thought she’d have questions about what all this meant for her. Or that she’d have questions about me. Not necessarily as her mate—though I wanted to know every damn detail of her life—but about my history. What I’d seen. What I’d been through. Lived through. A thousand-plus years was a damn long time. I thought she’d at least be curious.

She wasn’t.

Instead, I’d been painfully aware of her grief. Her hollowness. Her absolute fucking devastation. With each passing minute, those emotions only grew stronger until they filled the whole cabin.

Was being mated to me that damn heartbreaking?

I was out of my element. I needed help from people who’d been through it.

Which meant I needed my siblings right then. Not in a few days while shit continued going downhill.

Standing upright from where I’d been leaning in the doorway, I cleared my throat as I moved across the bedroom. Aurora didn’t startle at the noise, confirming what I suspected.

She’d known I was there.

She was just ignoring me.

Something she continued to do. Like it was the most fascinating view in the world, she stared out the window as the afternoon sun streamed in. It made her already golden hair seem to glow.

Christ, she’s beautiful.

I risked her wrath and wrapped an arm around her from behind. She didn’t lean into or return my touch, but she also didn’t insult my stamina or escalate to kicking me in the balls.

Small victories.

“Taking a trip,” I said.

The silence stretched for a few beats, and I wasn’t sure she’d speak. Her voice was soft when she finally did. “You are?”

“We are.”

She turned in my hold to look up at me. “Where? Why?”

“To see my siblings.”

Finally.

When she didn’t respond, I studied her darting eyes and the panic she was working—and failing—to hide. “It’ll be fine.”

Her gaze dropped to my shoulder. “Okay.”

Going against my better judgment, I let her off the hook—as much as I could, at least. “You need a few days, baby, we’ll wait. Can’t put it off forever. A lot is going on that you don’t know about. Hell, that I don’t know about. But I can give you a little more time.”

“No, that’s okay. Where are we going?” she asked again.

Mentally, I gently tugged at the thread in my chest. At the connection that’d been severed for centuries. One I’d thought was permanently lost.

“Don’t know,” I answered honestly.

Her brows lowered. “Then how will we get there?”

“Grab Victoria and a small bag of her stuff, then meet me by the front door,” I said instead of answering.

I could’ve asked Mabel to take the dog, but I got the feeling Aurora would prefer having her close.

Like the world’s most hostile emotional support animal.

My sullen mate happily dislodged herself from my hold like she’d been looking for any excuse to. Making my way through the cabin, I made sure everything was secure in case of delays. I paused in the kitchen to pocket one of the small notebooks and pens I’d spread around the house.

When I reached the entryway, Aurora already waited with Victoria in her arms and a packed bag hanging from her shoulder. She remained silent and didn’t so much as glance at me as she jostled her load to open the door.

I closed and locked it. She made a confused noise, but I wrapped an arm around them both. “Hold tight.”

I didn’t give her more warning than that. No chance for her to ask questions or freak out. I closed my eyes and followed that thread. Less than a second later, we weren’t in the cabin.

We were in the house where I’d seen my siblings.

I opened my lids and saw even more of one of them.

Too much.

“For the love of angels,” I bit out, closing my eyes again while I hurriedly covered Aurora’s.

Victoria’s, too.

No one else needed to be cursed with the image of Thanatos’ naked ass.

Ignoring the ruckus coming from the bay window, I kept my hands in place and shuffled us out onto the porch. Once we were safe, I lowered my palm from across Aurora’s face but kept my arm around her.

She blinked a few times, adjusting to the brightness. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she asked, “Is it always like that when you disappear?”

I’d never brought anyone on the journey with me, but it had to be physically straining and emotionally unsettling for a human to have their entire being materialize somewhere new. I’d already been unsure how she’d handle the additional chaos to our already uneasy situation, and that was before transporting into a sex scene.

I scanned her for any signs she was about to melt down or get sick.

Or both.

But she wasn’t green or pale. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright as she looked up at me expectantly.

It reminded me of when she’d been on my lap, and I could practically taste the memory of her heated kiss. My cock hardened instantly. It took me a few beats to remember what she’d asked. “What do you mean?”

“That was… exhilarating. I’ve never been on a roller coaster, but I bet that’s what it’s like. Worrying I’ll crash or plummet but still wanting to ride it again and again.”

She wasn’t wrong.

And her words, breathless excitement, and thoughts of what else I wanted her to ride again and again did nothing to help my hard-on.

Her focus moved to the door behind me. “I take it you didn’t call to let them know we were coming.”

“No.” At her questioning gaze, I gave an evasive answer. “It’s complicated.”

Belatedly realizing she’d let her guard down for a minute, she tensed and pressed her lips together before trying to shift from my hold.

I hooked a finger in her belt loop and tugged her back hard enough that her body slammed into mine with only Victoria separating us. I tuned out the dog as she alternated between barking at me and sniffing at Aurora like she was checking on her. “Get that this is a lot, baby. I do. But I won’t let you freeze me out forever. I can’t. It’s not you against all this shit. It’s us. We’re in it together.”

The hint of tenderness that had softened her face was gone in an instant. “That’s exactly the problem.”

Before I could ask what the hell that meant, the despair that’d clung to her at the cabin returned tenfold to hit me like a pallet of bricks. My arm loosened so I could reach out to prop myself up on a porch column before the heaviness of it took me down.

Aurora didn’t have that problem. Her head held high, she took the opening and pulled free to put distance between us. Walking down the steps, she set Victoria on the grass and stood watch.

Unfazed by the dark emotions that filled her.

How the hell is she still standing under the weight of that desolation?

And why does being mated to me make her feel it?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

AND THE AWARD GOES TO…

DEKE

The front door opened, and I turned to see Thanatos fill the opening with his mate held at his side.

Both were thankfully clothed.

His gaze was guarded, and he kept his voice low so Aurora couldn’t hear. “Last time you were here, you said you knew who you were.” His gaze flicked to Aurora and Victoria on the lawn, then back again. “And you poofed back with her. Yet she’s not screaming, crying, throwing up.”

“People don’t mean that literally,” his mate said before looking at me. “He’s been scrolling TikTok.”

“So many videos, so little being said.” He shook his head and then seemed to struggle with how to phrase his question. “So if you know… And she… What’s it you think…”

I stayed alert and just as guarded as I spoke because, for all I knew, it was his awareness that was impaired. “My mate and I both know I’m Famine, part of The Four.”

He rocked back, his voice low. “You really do know who you are. In all I had planned for, this wasn’t the reunion I expected. And not just because of what you interrupted. However…” His black eyes narrowed. I remembered them being the same color as mine, but in the sunlight, I could see thin lines of silver mixed with the darkness. He still wore his hair long, the dark blue, gold, and white-blond hairs—the same white-blond as his mate—hanging past his shoulders. His trimmed beard held the same colors. “Do they not have cell service where you live? Payphones? 1-800-Collect, dial it today?”

My brows lowered at the reminder of the annoying commercials from decades ago. “I don’t think calling collect is a thing anymore. Or payphones, for that matter.”

“Don’t mind him,” the woman with the nearly white hair interjected, touching his abs. The slight contact was enough to visibly relax him. “He gets a little, uh, possessive. Plus, he’s still working through what is around and what’s outdated. Like coming to terms with the fact Nu-Wave Ovens aren’t in every house.”

“Because it’s a brilliant idea.”

“Lula and Chase gave us one of the extra Instant Pots they got as a wedding gift.”

“It’s not the same.”

And now this isn’t the reunion I expected, either.

“The only thing I saw was your ass,” I told my brother honestly. I’d feel the same protectiveness if I put myself in his place.

With the way Aurora felt about me, I didn’t have to worry about them seeing her naked because I also wouldn’t be seeing her naked.

The rest of the tension left my brother’s body, and he closed the distance between us to pull me into a hug. “I worried we’d never find you, brother.”

At the thick emotion in his voice, my own words came out rough as I forced them through a throat clogged with relief, renewed anger, and happiness.

And guilt.

So much fucking guilt.

I’d given up finding them.

I’d given up.

Gripping my upper arms, he pushed me back to study me. “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

His mate gasped suddenly, and Thanatos went alert, scanning for danger.

“Sorry, sorry,” she rushed out, pointing at the space between Thanatos and me. “Didn’t mean to ruin the moment. But look. Oh, she’s way cuter than Tom. Please don’t tell Juno I said that, but Tom… He’s not cute.” She tipped her head. “Or maybe he’s so ugly, he’s kind of cute. He has a lot of issues. And I’m not just talking about his piddle problems. He’s always panting like he’s one moment away from passing out, and his breath is hot and smelly. Plus, his tongue just hangs there and gets dried out. It’s weird. Not like this beauty.”

I looked at the yard to see Aurora’s curious gaze swing from me and Thanatos to the woman, her expression morphing from confusion to confusion and horror.

She wasn’t the only one.

“Uh, is Tom Juno’s mate?” I asked, surprised she still went by Juno.

Has she been alive all this time, too? Were we constantly ships passing in the night? Why didn’t I feel her?

“Judas Priest, I’m really putting my best foot forward here,” the woman muttered, her cheeks flushing. “No wonder you’re both looking at me like I have two heads. Tom’s her dog.” She moved closer to Thanatos so she could clutch the sleeve of his hoodie and drop her forehead against his arm as she closed her blue eyes. After a long moment, she lifted back up and smiled. “Let’s start over. We can pretend you didn’t see us having… Yeah. And we can also pretend I’m not as awkward as a boner at prom and that I have some manners. Hi, I’m Denny.”

“Deke,” I said before amending, “or if anyone has mentioned me, it’s probably been as Dubhloach.”

“You really do know who you are,” Nate repeated.

“And trust me,” she cut in, “they’ve mentioned you. You’re a big topic of discussion. Deke, got it.” She gestured up. “I named him Nate when he was just a stalker voice. Lenuson is Lennon now. And Juno is Juno.”

Thanatos—or Nate, apparently—dragged his amused attention from his mate and raised a brow. “And she means that literally. Little has changed with our sister.”

Somehow, that didn’t surprise me.

The stalker voice part, however…

Denny’s gaze lowered just as I felt Aurora move from the lawn to climb the stairs. She stopped on the top one and positioned herself where she could be seen but was still partially blocked by my body.

Assuming her position was strategic, I didn’t shift out of her way.

I don’t want her to be uncomfortable.

But I can’t say I’m not relieved she’s dealing with it by seeking me out rather than booking it down the suburban street.

The familiar suburban street…

Before I could ask where we were or place why I recognized the area, her hand gripped the back of my flannel, and she gently pushed me. I took a wild guess at what she wanted. “This is Aurora. And the dog is Victoria.”

“Nice to meet you.” Denny leaned over to see around me and flashed a friendly smile. “Can I pet her?” Her words were a breathless run-on. “And before you get all matey about it, I was referring to the dog, not Aurora.”

“Did someone say matey?” A woman stepped out onto the porch as she spoke. “Naughty girl, have you been visiting the helm room in Novel Idea? I didn’t peg you for a tentacle pirate porn girly—pun very much so intended.”

Nate crossed his arms. “I thought we agreed it’d be best if you waited to come over?”

“And let you be the first again?” Juno held up her hand and dramatically counted off as she ranted. “First to find his mate. First to get his memories. First to uno-reverse his soul curse. First to be tallest.” She glanced at the top of my head and then back to Nate before shrugging. “Well, not anymore, but still. Why did my siblings get all the height?”

“This again?” I muttered since we should’ve been focusing on the other more important things she’d said.

Her green eyes widened, likely because she was surprised I remembered the constant—and senseless—point of contention. “Yes, this again. Would it have killed the powers-that-be to take an inch or two from each of you and give it to me?”

“Then you wouldn’t be fueled by disgruntled short spite and those ridiculous sugary coffee drinks, pixie,” a stoic man behind her pointed out.

At his calm voice, my sister deflated and grinned. “This is true. Never mind that last one. But the rest still stands. I’m not missing out on being first to hear about my brother.” Her attention shifted behind me. “And his lovely lady friend.” Her panicked and apologetic gaze shot to me. “I didn’t see her.”

“It’s fine,” I said before basically repeating what I told Thanatos. “We’re both aware that I’m Famine, and she’s my soulmate.”

“Oh, thank the gods. That would’ve been awkward.” She grinned up at me. “They might’ve been stingy with my height, but powers-that-be were certainly generous with our mates, weren’t they?”

I lifted my chin because she wasn’t wrong.

“And she might actually be shorter than me.” She turned to subtly fist pump before spinning back to introduce herself. “Also, hi, I’m Juno.”

“This is Aurora,” I said.

“And look at that cutie. We’ll have to do a doggy playdate. What’s its name?”

“Victoria.”

“I already told them about Tom… And they thought I was describing your breathing-challenged mate,” Denny tossed in.

Juno’s man scoffed. “I don’t snore that bad. I don’t think anyone does.”

Her lips tipped, but Juno’s focus remained on Aurora. “This family reunion probably seems insane. And it is. Totally and completely batshit crazy. But we’re also nice, I promise. Are you from around here? How long have you known my taller and more annoying brother?”

When my mate nudged my back again, I answered, “Georgia. And a week.”

Juno’s hyperactive happiness—or possibly her high since she acted like a few of my employees after their breaks—dropped to a zero in an instant. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she glared at me like I was scum.

And she wasn’t the only one.

Her mate’s neutral expression hardened as he studied me with eyes that were nearly the same shade of green as my sister’s, just with the addition of brown.

A coincidence? Or a mate thing?

Even Nate and Denny suddenly looked guarded again.

“There a reason you won’t let your mate answer for herself?” Juno snapped at me like I was a misogynistic, controlling prick.

For the love of damn angels.

Picking up on the tension in the group, Aurora shifted to step out from behind me. I reached back and gave her hand that still held my shirt a reassuring squeeze.

If she decided she wanted to talk eventually, it would be when she felt comfortable. Not when my hot-tempered sister forced her into it.

“Because she doesn’t speak. She communicates by writing.” Since it wasn’t their business—and I still didn’t know her reasoning—I left it at that.

With her hand still in mine, I felt Aurora’s hard shiver. I wasn’t sure if it was the cold weather or the frigid exchange, but I shook off my flannel and handed it back to her anyway.

“Huh. So this is what my own foot tastes like…” Juno murmured.

Denny bumped shoulders with her. “If it makes you feel better, they showed up in the living room when we were in the middle of having sex, so you didn’t have a lot of competition for best first impression.”

“No, just most douchey.”

“Is this a good time to chime in that we also came right away? Because I’d kind of like to swoop in now and take that easy win,” the brunette from my backyard chimed in as she stepped out of the house with a man at her back.

Lenuson.

Standing on the porch with all three of my siblings, those thin threads in my chest grew to thick ropes as our connections strengthened.

After all this time.

We’re together.

As we were always meant to be.

I wasn’t the only one feeling the magnitude of the moment. Despite the fact she’d just been two seconds from trying to kick my ass, when Juno came at me, it was for a hug and not to throw punches. “Sorry, I got distracted by thinking you were a dickhead for a moment there.” Her voice was choked when she shared, “We had no clue how to find you or if you were even here. We were so helpless. It’s not a feeling I’m used to.” She made a noise somewhere between a laugh, a hiccup, and a sob. “It fucking sucked.”

I squeezed her, breathing in the relief, happiness, and fullness—hers and mine. Plus, the cotton candy. That part was just her. “Know the feeling.”

She leaned back. “You do? What happened? Where have you been? What have you been?”

“On the porch with my nosy-ass neighbors probably isn’t the best place to get into this,” Denny pointed out. “Mr. Johannsen and Mrs. O’Leary both separately complained about how rude my recent party attendees were.”

Juno pushed away from me and turned her glare to Denny. “You threw a party and didn’t invite me?”

“No, I had those soulless assholes break in to try to steal our notes,” she said, making unease prickle in my gut even though no one else blinked at it. “And instead of calling the cops or trying to help, they assumed I was throwing an afternoon rager and made a lengthy list of what to complain about. Apparently, while those dicks approached the house, one littered. I’m now being held culpable for that heinous crime.” Denny rolled her eyes. “I’m just glad Mr. Johannsen didn’t send me a certified letter with an invoice for a cleaning fee.”

So much has happened that I’ve missed.

Now I get what Aurora meant about conversation whiplash.

This is going to be harder than I expected.

With Juno out of the way, Lenuson moved forward and pulled me into a thumping embrace like Thanatos had. And just like when Thanatos had, relief, renewed anger, happiness, and guilt surged through me.

We separated, and I got my first good look at him without his mate in front of him. His dirty-blond hair was cut neatly, and his hazel eyes were bright with happiness—brighter than I’d ever seen them. Unlike the casual way the rest of us were dressed, he wore slacks and a button-down shirt that was topped by a white coat. An emblem was embroidered on the chest.

“Doctor. I’m shocked,” I deadpanned since it was the least surprising thing about the entire situation.

“Over and over and over again,” he bizarrely said before his mouth curved into a frown.

“What?”

“His sabbatical starts in a couple of days,” Juno said, “and the big softy is sad.”

“Better sad than putting my patients at risk.” He shook his head as he scanned me. “I can’t believe it’s you, Dubhloach.”

At his awe, my guilt grew until I thought I’d collapse from it.

Choke on it.

Drown in it.

That time when Aurora moved, I didn’t stop her. She stepped onto the porch and pressed close to my side. I wondered if she could feel my shame by the way her worried eyes were aimed up at me. Even Victoria was silent as she put her furry head against my torso.

I pushed the emotion down and focused on the moment.

So much has been stolen from me. I won’t let them have this, too.

I gave her a smile I hoped was reassuring. Then I gave her a bigger one when I saw she’d put my flannel on over her hoodie.

And then I thought about how I would give my left nut to see her in just that flannel with nothing underneath.

I looked away before I got an uncomfortable hard-on and was forced to leave before I even spoke to my siblings.

Clearing my throat, I told Lenuson and his mate, “Everyone calls me Deke. And this is Aurora.”

The dog in my mate’s hold gave a little bark.

I rolled my eyes but added, “And Victoria.”

“I go by Lennon now. This is Lilith.” He stepped to the side to wrap an arm around his mate.

Without him in the way, her blue eyes widened as she inhaled sharply. I assumed it was with excitement about the dog like Denny’s gasp, but her gaze was leveled squarely at Aurora.

My mate immediately lowered her flushed face, and I had no doubt she’d been able to feel my shame because I could suddenly feel hers. The intensity of it knocked the breath from my lungs.

“Hey,” I whispered to her, unsure what was happening.

Lilith cringed. “Sorry, that was rude. And you probably think I was being dramatic because of your eyes, which I wasn’t. Not that they aren’t breathtaking. They’re unique and mesmerizingly lovely, and now I’m probably making you even more uncomfortable. Great, I lost the easy win for best first impression.” Her tone might’ve been light, but the way she stared at Aurora wasn’t. “It’s just… golden.”

Aurora lifted a shaky hand to touch the long length of her golden hair.

“No, your aura. It’s the most beautiful gold I’ve ever seen. Vibrant and illuminated.” Her lips tipped down, and her voice was filled with confusion when she added a whispered, “But also cloudy…” At Aurora’s matching frown, she quickly amended, “Not in a negative way. Iffy, bad, or even outright evil is smudgy. This is… cloudy. There’s no better word for it.”

Aurora gave an equally puzzled shrug.

“Well, obviously.” Juno gestured to us. “Her name. His tattoo. Wait.” She leaned closer to scan my exposed arms. “I’m guessing that’s real and not a temporary one you got from a mechanical rat, pizzeria, and children’s casino with your tickets from the Skee-Ball game. How’d you get ink to stick? The one time I tried, the whole thing wiped away like it was done in cheap, waxy crayons. All that pain for nothing. Which, honestly, was just as well because I was under the influence of some powerful gummy bears, and the homage to Loki’s scepter was probably a little, uh, phallic.”

Everyone looked at her with growing confusion the longer she spoke.

Except her mate.

He shook his head but did it while smiling at her like she was adorable.

Never seen anyone look at War that way.

Everyone examined my tattoo, Aurora, and then back, trying to work out the link between the two—myself included.

It wasn’t my area of expertise, but I was pretty sure there was a princess with the same name. And my Aurora was definitely pretty enough to be one. Animals seemed to flock to her, too.

But I had no idea what that had to do with a tattoo.

At the staring, she pushed in closer to me.

They’re your siblings.

Your long-lost siblings.

Play nice.

Ahh, fuck that.

Before I could tell them to back the hell off, they’d already picked up on her discomfort. Everyone’s attention shifted as they moved—and talked—at once.

“Let’s go …”

“Lots to discuss…”

“This calls for drinks…”

“Ohhh, I’m thinking piña coladas. You got cherries?”

They headed inside, but I banded an arm around Aurora’s waist to keep her in place. Once it was just us, I lowered my head so she could whisper if she wanted. “You doing okay?”

She nodded, but then it went sideways until it was more of a bobble.

“It’s a lot. And sorry, baby, it’s about to get even heavier. You need a break, just squeeze my hand, and I’ll take us home.”

Even with my stooped positioning, her voice was so soft that I had to strain to hear it. “Can we make it something else? I might do that just because it makes me feel better.”

I couldn’t help it. My chest and ego both puffed at that small thing. It was good to know that despite her complicated feelings at being mates, my touch comforted her.

Would’ve been a fuckuva lot better without those complicated feelings, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

And when it came to Aurora, I’d sure as shit beg.

“Pinch me instead,” I suggested.

Her smile bordered on a little too gleeful for my comfort. “I can do that.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT PIÑA COLADAS

DEKE

Placing my hand on her lower back, I guided Aurora and Victoria into the house.

Lennon sat on the far end of the couch with Lilith on his lap. Juno and her mate were in a similar position but on an office chair in front of an expansive computer setup.

As badly as I wanted to pull Aurora onto my lap, I’d have been lucky if she settled for pinching one of my legs and not what hung between them. I took the spot in the middle of the couch and tugged her to sit at the other end with ample space between us so she didn’t feel smothered.

She set the bag down before carefully placing Victoria next to it to sniff around the new room and people. I braced as Demon Dog made a lap, then rounded a spot near the fireplace a few times. When she finally sat, it was with her eyes on Aurora.

Not biting everyone’s ankles or yelling at them…

She’s a better emotional support than I gave her credit for.

Extra wet food for a week.

Juno’s lip quirked. “Since you won’t look toward the bay window, I’m guessing that’s where they were doing it.”

Lilith covered her mouth like she was traumatized. It would’ve been more believable had she done it before she’d started grinning. “Oh no, you walked in on them?”

“Poofed in,” Denny corrected as she came into the room carrying frosty beverages.

“Wait.” Juno waved her hand, and little paper umbrellas appeared in each drink.

It wasn’t that my sister hadn’t been powerful. I knew she had been because she’d reminded us every single chance she got.

But she never would’ve expended her magicks on something so frivolous.

She’s gotten stronger.

The mate benefits must actually work the way they’d claimed.

“It’s on them for not announcing themselves,” Nate added, following with more drinks that Juno umbrellaed.

“This is why we should all have entry music.” Juno paused and gave a slow, judgmental shake of her head. “But on the bay window in the middle of the afternoon?”

Denny arched a brow. “Oh? Because you’re strictly a missionary-in-the-dark kinda gal? Your stores never randomly lock throughout the day?”

Juno grinned.

“This is more detail than we need to know about our siblings,” Lennon muttered with a grimace.

As Juno and Lennon bickered like old times, Denny offered me a drink that I declined. She handed Aurora the biggest, fullest of her mismatched glasses. “I wish I had Levi’s refilling trick cup, but I figured this’ll do.”

My jaw could’ve hit the floor. “Levi is here?”

Juno stopped mid-insult to tell me, “Not actually here right now. You’d know because that lucky devil does get entry music. Plus, he always smells like cinnamon thanks to his little obsession with amusement park churros.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I said nothing.

“But he visits occasionally,” she continued. “I’ve already let him know you’re here. He’ll be in touch when he can. He’s been dealing with some… issues.”

Since Levi was the literal devil, I didn’t want to know what issues he’d been dealing with.

Aurora nudged me and lifted the glass.

“I’m good, baby.” When she did it again, I reached to take it from her. “You don’t want it?”

She pulled it back toward herself, nearly spilling the blended sludge.

Not understanding, I shifted and pulled the small pad and pen out of my pocket.

“What is that, a notebook for ants?” Juno scoffed. “You could’ve brought one we could actually see since you’re lucky enough to have functioning pockets. Unlike us women who can only hold one tiny piece of paper folded up until it nearly disappears.”

I pointed at a large stack of notepads in varying colors and sizes on the desk. “Toss me one of those instead.”

“I have a better idea.” Holding one hand flat with her palm up, Juno swept her other fingers slowly across it. Red smoke drifted along her skin.

Aurora took a shuddery breath and tensed next to me.

She’s not supposed to be able to see that.

“She’s not,” Juno confirmed, “but they all can.”

“Did you just read my mind?” I scowled. “Have you been doing it this whole time?”

Makes thinking about my mate naked even more awkward now.

At my question, Aurora didn’t just tense. She bolted up, ready to race down the street after all.

“Whoa, hey, nope. No. You’re good,” Juno reassured her, concern softening her face and voice. “That was the first thing I picked up on because your shock broadcasted it loudly across the room. Otherwise, you’re both like vacuums of silence. It’s wonderful to have the break.” Her head tilted as she scanned Aurora. “Even if it is surprising.”

I reached for her, and Aurora startled before hesitantly sitting.

Juno spun whatever she’d created between her fingers before tossing it over. “Test it out.”

She picked it up from where it’d landed on her lap, and the lingering red haze faded to leave a pen.

A normal, cheap-looking pen.

“Just pretend you’re writing on paper,” Juno instructed. “I have the speed kicked up, so don’t be freaked.”

Mismatched eyes met mine, and I shrugged.

Aurora mimed writing, but her hand moved quicker than normal. Gold shimmery letters in her pretty, looping handwriting appeared in the middle of the room for everyone to see.

Test. Test.

Gotta admit, that’s a helluva lot better than the dinky notebook.

I still left the regular one within her reach in case she wanted to tell me something without announcing it to the room.

“It was supposed to be black ink, but…” Juno gave a pleased nod.

“Told you,” Lilith said. “Golden.”

“Want me to take the drink?” I prompted when Aurora got understandably distracted by the magicks pen.

She hoarded it close again as she wrote.

What is it?

“A piña colada,” Denny answered. “It’s from a bottled mix, so it’s not the best, but it’ll do the job.” At Aurora’s blank face, she expanded. “Coconut, pineapple, and rum. And whipped cream, of course. You’ve never had one?”

I’ve never had any alcohol. I wasn’t allowed.

Something uneasy went through her and the room at her phrasing, but she rushed to explain.

I used to take sleep meds that warned about a bad interaction.

Everyone relaxed except Lennon. “How long have you been off them?”

More than a week.

She hadn’t mentioned missing medicine in her stolen luggage. We would have to figure something out.

He sank back. “Then it’s fine. But take it slow.”

“Before we dive in,” Juno said, “my mate helpfully pointed out that I got sidetracked by wanting to break your kneecaps and never introduced him.” She reached over her shoulder to touch her fingers to the stubble that covered his jaw. “This is Stellan. Detective Reddick if you’re nasty.”

He lifted his chin in greeting. “That wasn’t the intro I had in mind, pixie.”

“I know. It was better.”

Nate and Denny took their tainted spot on the bay window. Once he had her situated on his lap, he grabbed a notebook.

Possessive bunch, aren’t they?

Lucky bastards.

When I’d stashed them all over the house and Black Horse for Aurora, there’d been something familiar about them on every surface. Seeing my brother holding one brought it all back. His copious notes, etchings, charcoal-colored rubbings, and impressions. All in shorthand only he could follow.

My gaze went above his head to look out the window. From the porch, I hadn’t been able to see in—which made sense given what they’d been doing—but the longer I looked… “Where are we?”

“Salem,” Denny answered.

Aurora’s entire body went tight next to me.

Teleporting might’ve felt thrilling, but it still had to be disorienting to know she’d traveled all that way in less than a second.

After a moment, she slowly relaxed. Or as relaxed as she could be, all things considered.

“This is where my house stood,” Nate filled in when I kept staring.

That was part of it, but there was more. “I had a restaurant nearby.” I tilted my head and amended, “And still own the building.”

That I didn’t rent it out because something said not to…

“Wait, what?” Juno sat forward. “Lilith said you felt far away when she poofed to you. Have you been this close the whole time?”

So close, but so far at one time.

I shook my head. “I’m in Maine now. About forty minutes outside of Portland.”

“But you’re from Georgia,” Denny said to Aurora. “Where were you when you met? What happened?”

Aurora looked at me, but I didn’t answer for her. I wanted to know her version as badly as everyone else did.

She slowly raised the pen and then hesitated before writing.

Maine. I went by some woods and… I’d… There’d… And…

“Shit, is the pen glitching out?” Juno asked.

She shook her head.

And something just told me to go into them. Then a moose directed me down a path.

She stopped writing again and chugged some of the drink as her cheeks flushed and her gaze darted around. But no one blinked at her confession.

“I’ve heard moose are giant.” Juno’s lips curved down as she tilted her head. “Mooses? Meese? Meeses? I’ve been around forever. I should know this.”

They are. But I kept going, and eventually, Deke found me.

Minus the moose—continuing the animal trend we would need to look into later—her story was what I’d assumed.

Happiness at our shared bond went through me, but it was a shiver that went through her. I tried to take the icy drink, but she pulled it back and drank more before setting it on the table.

“Why were you in Maine?” Denny asked.

Aurora’s hesitation lasted longer that time. A helluva lot longer. Her free hand moved, and for a second, I thought she’d pinch me.

After all she’d heard and seen, that question seemed to rattle her most.

But she just dropped her hand and wrote with the other one.

Something said I should go there.

“The powers-that-be aren’t usually so heavy-handed,” Juno noted.

“That’s what I was just thinking,” Nate agreed before looking at me. “Did you know she was there?”

“I’d just gotten home from work when I felt her,” I shared. “Took off into the woods till I found her.”

Tackled her.

Fighting a hard-on, I shifted uncomfortably at the reminder of Aurora’s body under mine.

“Hmm.” Nate tapped his pen against the paper. Actually, everyone shifted restlessly, wanting to talk but unsure where to begin.

It was like the adrenaline and chaos of our reunion were beginning to fade, leaving the daunting task of how much there was to say to sit heavily in the room.

“There is a lot to discuss, but we should start at the most pressing.” Nate’s expression was tense, his face gaunter even though he wasn’t starved—not physically or emotionally. “Absolve is here. In this time. In this town. Stronger than even before.”

“The soulless assholes you mentioned who broke in?” I asked to confirm my suspicions.

Suspicions that’d been hovering in the back of my mind for a few years.

“Bingo,” Denny said.

Nate took in my lack of shock. “You’ve had interaction with them.”

I lifted my chin. “Believe so, at least.”

What’s an absolve?

“A group of evil hypocrites,” I answered my mate. “They speak out and fight against anything they claim is ungodly. Anything different. Music. Changing fashion. People. But especially magicks.”

Juno regarded me. “You really do remember everything. Why weren’t you cursed in the church?”

Golden hair flung out as she whipped her head to look at me with wide eyes. I knew her heart was racing as she wrote because I could feel it in my own chest.

Curse? Church?

“Remember, just pinch,” I said softly before inhaling.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

PREVIOUSLY ON AS THE CHAIR SPINS

DEKE

With my siblings there to fill in the gaps, I dove into the deep history that I’d barely skimmed the surface of during our previous conversation.

I explained how Absolve used stolen souls to become powerful. How they’d used the witch trials to see how quickly hysteria could catch on and how far people were willing to go to fit in.

How much people were willing to hate when they were presented with an innocent target while the actual guilty watched on without consequence.

And then I told her about the battle in the church after Nate’s friend betrayed him and set us up. The evil that coated the entire building. Emanated from it to taint the town.

The emptiness.

Aurora took my hand, and I waited to see if she was going to pinch me.

She didn’t. She just squeezed me tightly, easing the ache and filling the spot in my chest.

Juno jumped in at my pause to confirm what I’d long assumed. “Joseph Martin was warded, not just the room. Our own magicks bounced back against us. Or did you already know that? Were you left there?”

“I woke up a few hours later in the middle of nothing. Come to find out, I was partway across the country and had to hitch a ride with a French explorer to get back to Salem even though I already knew you three were gone. I felt it.”

That time, Aurora didn’t just squeeze my hand. She reached her other hand over to touch my chest.

I shook off the loneliness that’d haunted me and asked my siblings the question I’d been dying to know for centuries. “What happened to you?”

Nate spoke first, telling us about how he’d spent the stretching years living as a ghost without his memories. Invisible, he’d been rooted to the house. Once she’d inherited it, he’d been able to leave with her. And then eventually speak to her. She told us about how she’d sought help to get rid of the stalker voice.

First, with the kind of con-people who took out late-night ads on local TV.

Next, with a man they eventually learned was a soul-stealer, human trafficker member of Absolve.

Then finally who she believed was a real witch.

“That’s me, baby.” Juno did jazz hands before deflating. “I’m still mad I couldn’t get rid of him.”

Nate held his arms out. “What did I do?”

“Nothing. But you’re a challenge I couldn’t best, and those are rare. My ego isn’t happy.”

“Your ego is fine, you pick-me,” he shot back.

Juno’s angry glare cut to Denny. “Didn’t I say to block his TikTok access?”

Denny rolled her eyes. “Anyway, thankfully, she wasn’t successful because he got his body back. And eventually his memories.” Her cheeks flushed, leaving little doubt what had brought on the change.

Juno took over next, sharing that she’d been adopted and grew up simply believing she was a great and all-powerful witch. She hadn’t known who she truly was until Nate had called her his sister.

“While she was high as a kite after her stores had been destroyed,” Stellan added.

Genuine heartbreak wafted from my sister. “Those Absolve bastards destroyed priceless art.”

You own an art gallery?

That’s the most shocking discovery today.

“Better,” Juno answered my mate’s question before it’d finished illuminating across the air. “A comic store.”

That checks.

“Plus, a bookstore and candy store. All three interconnected. They’re amazing. But those bastards tried to take them from me.”

“Yeah, well, they tried to take you from me when they shot you,” Stellan growled.

My voice was just as rough. “They shot you?”

Juno just waved that off. “I was fine.”

“You didn’t know you would be,” Stellan grumbled as he held her tighter.

Juno backtracked, filling us in on meeting Stellan when he’d been the detective assigned to the destruction of her stores. He’d suspected her involvement at first before giving in to his attraction. Juno had continued to fight it, him, and the entirety of the world on her own.

Especially when she thought she’d put a target on her mate’s back because mindless Absolve lemmings continued to try to take them out.

And when she thought she was losing her magicks.

“But I wasn’t weakened.” She gave a cocky smirk that quickly fell. “Wait, this would be better with a chair spin.”

Stellan gave the slowest, most half-assed spin.

It was good enough for her because her smirk returned. “My mate made my powers grow. I know, I didn’t think it was possible, either. But thanks to him, everything comes easier, and I barely have to try.” She waved a hand.

And an asthmatic dog appeared.

Breathing heavily before it even started running, it quickly toppled ass over head.

Victoria let out a small bark as she eyed it with disdain from her spot near the fireplace.

The dog ran over and sniffed her. It shook like someone had set it on vibrate. Victoria gave a haughty sigh before slowly trotting off with him.

“See?” Juno said. “No effort. Like breathing.”

“We believed you,” Denny said, fighting—and failing—to hide her lip curl as she watched the dogs go down the hallway.

“I like to show off,” she said, to the surprise of exactly no one. “Plus, he’s been lonely without Lea to come get him when I’m gone.”

The heartbreak about her stores was nothing compared to the grief that darkened her expression.

“Lea was Juno’s prematurely expired friend and employee,” Denny filled in. At my lowered brows, she mouthed, “Ghost.”

“And she was the best damn prematurely expired friend a gal could ask for,” Juno said before telling us about how Lea had sacrificed herself to a member of Absolve. It turned into a bizarre ramble about cotton candy flavors. I must’ve missed something because it also included cheese. She ended it by wiping at her eyes. “I just hope she’s shredding gnarly waves with Chamuel right now.”

“Or eating the cream cheese-filled mouse pretzels with Michael,” Nate said.

At Juno’s weird comment, Aurora perked up. But at Nate’s even stranger one, she frantically scrawled, her hand a blur even without the magicks assist.

Who is Chamuel? And Michael?

“You know how people talk about guardian angels?” Juno asked.

Aurora rapidly nodded.

“In our case, it’s literal. Guardian archangels, to be precise. Michael for Nate, Chamuel for me, and Rafe for Lilith. I wonder who you’ll get, Deke.”

And where’s that bastard been all this time?

I thought about her words again, and my brows lowered. “Why Lilith?”

“Wow, I’m not allowed to have a guardian archangel?” At my likely panicked expression, she let me off the hook. “I’m kidding. I’m still surprised, too. They gave me one because I was the only one who could reach Lennon.”

Aurora released my hand for the first time since the twisted story started. She brought her bent legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them in a defensive pose.

I leaned close and brushed her hair away from her face. “Let’s take a break.”

She shook her head as she wrote.

I’m good. Just getting comfortable. Keep going.

“You sure?”

A nod.

A lie?

I split my attention between my mate and Lennon as he shared about living over and over, each time as a doctor. Growing more cynical and removed with every lifetime until he lost a vital part of who he was.

Until he no longer cared.

The Four had our specific roles. Our places in the world. We fit together, four parts of a whole. We’d all been close, but Lenuson and I had shared a slightly stronger bond because of our similarities.

I never felt it more than at that moment.

The lengths he went to avoid people. How he’d secluded himself away. How he’d nearly taken a research job across the country just so he wouldn’t have to deal with patients on a daily basis.

It was basically what I’d done when I’d settled up in the woods in Maine. I’d planned to hide there, only leaving the cabin for what limited supplies I couldn’t have delivered. I hadn’t been able to fight who I was, though. Before long, I’d started Black Horse, but the intention had been there.

Luckily, Lennon hadn’t moved, or he wouldn’t have gotten stuck in an elevator with Lilith. He’d been what she needed on one of the worst days of her life, and she’d reminded him why those connections were important.

“To be fair,” Lennon said, “I thought I was dying at first. My memories were trying to push through every time I was near my mate. And they did it by stabbing my brain until I feared I had a brain tumor. I even got an MRI, but thankfully, Juno interrupted before I had to explain why my brain doesn’t look normal.”

Juno held her index finger and thumb close together. “It’s tiny. Like a shriveled raisin rolling around in that giant head.”

Lennon gave her the finger—making it even harder to unite the reserved, empathetic man I remembered to the modern one sitting on the other side of the couch—before wrapping his arm back around Lilith. His smile was proud as he spoke about how fiercely she protected those who needed it, and that he was lucky she didn’t kick his ass for being a cold bastard.

She patted his hand. “There’s still time.”

“Here’s what I don’t get,” Juno said as she stood to pace.

Stellan spun the chair to follow her movements, like he couldn’t stand to have her out of his sight.

Not that I could judge. I’d set up a spot for Aurora in the kitchen at Black Horse because having her in the office was somehow too far away.

Juno gestured to the couple at the bay window. “Nate got stuck in place, turned invisible, and lost his memories. Not to mention his soul.”

My head snapped to look at my brother because I didn’t feel that kind of void from him.

And I would’ve. I’d felt it in others. Not because they were victims of Absolve.

Some people were just born without one.

“Don’t worry, brother,” he reassured with a content smile. “When Denny gave me her love, she shared hers.”

“It’s a weird feeling, huh?” Stellan asked. I thought he was talking to me or Nate, but his focus was on Aurora. He tipped his head to where she rubbed her sternum. “That pull of your soul. Even once you know what it is, it takes some getting used to.”

Aurora swallowed hard and dropped her hand.

“Baby?” I whispered, but she just grabbed her drink and knocked off the last of it.

Something is wrong.

Through everything my siblings shared, she’d asked for clarification but had barely blinked at the ludicrousness. Now that they were done, though, something was eating at her. It wasn’t the same despair or hollowness from before.

It was worse.

My chest burned like I’d swallowed acid.

I rested my hand on the top of her bent knee to teleport us out of there, but Juno said the only thing that could stop me.

“I was in purgatory, and⁠—”

“What?” I asked. “You went into how much detail about your damn cotton candy, but you left out that you were in purgatory?”

“Have you never heard of saving the twist for the end?” She shook her head like I was the foolish one. “It’s called good storytelling… And also, I forgot.”

“You forgot you were in—” I ran my palm down my face and beard before gesturing to her. It wasn’t worth the fight, and the less I interrupted, the less likely she’d be to forget another minor detail.

Like maybe one of them had been reincarnated as Elvis.

“Sorry, continue.”

“Thank you.” She put her nose in the air and resumed pacing. “As I was saying, I was in purgatory, also lost my memories, and then they were worried I was no longer immortal. Which I’m pretty sure was the curse goal, and I just lucked out. Or I’m so powerful, even pure evil couldn’t take me down.” She gestured to Lennon. “And this bleeding heart became a cold-hearted bastard, along with the aforementioned memory loss.” Halting, she put her hands on her hips and studied me. “But not only did you keep your memories, you weren’t cursed at all.”

“Yes, he was.”

Everyone’s attention shot to Aurora when she spoke. Not with her pen, but with her beautiful voice that was hoarse from underuse.

“I don’t know how,” she continued, “but I can feel his emotions. He missed you. He’s relieved. He’s thrilled to be reunited. But it’s so much more than that. The longer you’re here together…” A ghost of a smile touched her lips, there and gone. “It’s like a big meal of comfort food and Christmas morning and a favorite book, all rolled into one. Family clearly means an immense amount to him, but for centuries, he had no idea where you were or whether you were even still alive. Do you know how that unknown can eat at a person? It becomes an obsession. Wondering each morning if it’ll be the one. The day when he finds one of you. Or even just a hint. A lead. Something. Anything. You hope and you hope and you hope until there’s nothing left. Until you give up.”

I wanted to reach for her. Pull her into my arms. Wipe away the tears I doubted she knew she was crying. Ask her how she knew exactly what I’d experienced and why sorrow dripped from her voice. But I kept my mouth shut, assuming that getting it out would make her feel better.

She stared blankly ahead and kept going. “Then there’s the loneliness. This bone-deep ache that you can try to ignore, but it doesn’t work. Not when every single day is a reminder that you’re alone in the vast world. That even if you find someone you get along with, you can’t let them in. That you have to build walls on top of walls and then line those with barbed wire.”

“Baby—” I started since I’d been wrong. Talking was doing nothing more than filling that hollowness in her with the poison rot that burned in my chest.

Her feet hit the ground, and she sat up. “Keeping his memories was his curse. It was the cruelest thing they could’ve done to him, but the universe or the devil or maybe those powers-that-be you mentioned weren’t done. Because his siblings have beautiful mates. A detective. A selfless woman who protects the vulnerable and has an angel. No.” She frantically shook her head. “An archangel. I don’t know what Denny does, but I’m sure it’s something as lovely as her. And noble, of course, since she shared her soul.” Aurora’s hauntingly beautiful eyes met mine and broke my damn heart because all I saw was pain

So much fucking pain.

“While they get those, you’re stuck with a freak like me. A fucked-up sinner who was created by the devil”—her palm pressed to her chest—“who bears his mark because she’s also cursed. Not in an honorable fight, but by God. And I’m not egotistical enough to think that being paired with me is worse than losing your siblings. Unlike all those unanswered questions you’ve had to live with, I will be easy to ignore. But on top of all you’ve been through, it still sucks for you, and I’m sorry.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

UNDO

DEKE

Fuck.

Fucking hell fuck.

Like she hadn’t meant to blurt any of that, her brows shot up her forehead, and her lips parted before pressing together like it would somehow get the words back in.

I reached for her, but she dodged me as she rocketed to her feet. She took advantage of my outstretched hand and quickly pinched it before my fingers could grasp her.

“Sorry, excuse me. I need to take Victoria out. Thanks for the drink and… sorry. So, so sorry.”

I hadn’t noticed the dog had returned to comfort her until she bent to pick her up before rushing from the room. I wanted to follow. I tried to follow. But I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

The front door slammed. Mental brick by brick, I could feel her try to build her walls. Not to keep everyone out but to block herself off.

That’s why I couldn’t teleport to her.

Her dark emotions stayed, and the seconds dragged before I could move again. Go to her. Help her.

Nate grabbed my arm as I passed, halting my progress.

“Let me go, brother,” I bit out, trying to dislodge my arm from his tight grip.

“Give her a minute.”

“That’s easy for you to fucking say. Your mate is sitting on your damn lap not running down the street to get the hell away from you.”

I knew my point was made when his other arm wrapped around Denny’s waist, but he still didn’t release me.

“She’s not bolting,” Juno said from right beside me, her focus and her magicks aimed out the window. A thin layer of red gauzy smoke stretched out to hover near the banisters, ready and waiting. “Did you know she could talk?”

As badly as I wanted to get out there to Aurora, if there was a chance my siblings had insight, I needed it. Then more than before.

And I’d already really fucking needed it before.

Knowing that Juno’s magicks would stop her from fleeing and protect her, I lifted my chin. “Don’t know the specifics. She went a week without saying anything. Not a single word, even when she was clearly frustrated about it. She finally spoke a couple of days ago.”

“She must’ve realized she could trust you,” Lilith said, her voice wistful like it was something romantic.

“She saw you in the yard, thought we’d disappeared to hook up, and spoke to insult me and insinuate I was a minute-man.”

Juno shrugged but didn’t look away from the window. “So she has realistic expectations.”

“It wasn’t just Lilith. Somehow, she knew about Juno and Denny being in the kitchen, too. But not Lennon, Nate, or Stellan.”

“The mate bond?” Stellan suggested.

“It is stronger and more intuitive than what I’d ever imagined,” Juno agreed. “The longer we’re together, the more it develops.”

“Like being able to talk in each other’s heads.”

I ignored the way my sister’s face flushed at her mate’s words and asked, “I thought only The Four could do that?”

“Nope. We can all communicate like that, though brain-to-brain signal can be spotty.”

I tried talking to Aurora that way. “Baby, are you okay?”

Nothing happened. Not that she was ignoring me. My message didn’t go through.

Maybe because we’re not fully bonded.

Juno glanced away from the window just long enough to skewer me with a look. “When’s the last time you let your magicks out to stretch?”

I had to think. Not since Marissa, and that had barely been anything.

“I teleported here,” I reminded her.

“Pfft. That’s like saying you counted to one. I mean really stretch and flex.”

“My gardens. The ink I use for my tattoos.”

“Counted to three. Great. Child’s play. But I do want the recipe for that ink.” She gestured to the side of her eye. “I’m thinking a face tattoo like Tyson.”

“No,” Stellan called, but she just made a fart noise at him.

“I can still feel people’s balance and fullness,” I added to my pathetic list.

“Does it take any effort?” she asked.

“To block it out.” But even that was minimal effort since I’d been doing it for so long.

“No wonder you’re all pent-up with magicks blue balls.”

Magicks was rare. Protected. Two of the most powerful beings could be right next to each other, and they would never know they shared that commonality. The Four were different from any other magicks-wielding beings. We could see each other’s magicks in use—and Juno had always been more skilled—but she shouldn’t have had a clue what was happening inside me.

But Aurora and the other human mates also shouldn’t have been able to see Juno’s red tendrils of magicks, so most of the shit I thought I knew was already out the window.

“How do you know?” Doubt and unease prickled at the back of my neck, making the hair there stand. I never used my magicks because there was no reason to rush any processes.

I had all the time in the damn world to do it the long way.

After ages of neglect, I’d stopped feeling it swell inside me. I no longer felt a connection to the deep well of it. I wasn’t sure if it was still there or if I could tap into it.

“It’s radiating from you. I’m surprised everything you touch doesn’t automatically come to life from the excess and do a little jig.”

I glanced down at Nate, but he just shrugged, not seeing whatever she did.

That means it’s there, at least.

“Not to mention, no one is this uptight if they’re getting a release.” She tilted her head back and forth. “Magicks. The other kind. Whatever.”

I didn’t have a response to that since I wasn’t about to admit she was right. Instead, I shared the reason I’d come there in the first place. “Aurora’s not happy about being my mate.”

“It’s a lot to take in,” Lilith said. “I had previous, uh, knowledge of fate and magicks, and I still struggled. She might just be in shock.”

“I got drunk,” Denny tossed in.

Stellan’s expression was still tight with rage. “I saw Juno heal herself after getting shot and thought she was an X-Men.”

“You also yelled at me,” Juno said with a sad pout.

“Which I apologized for. Repeatedly, that night alone.”

She smirked.

And I fought the urge to dry heave all over their happiness.

“I told her two days ago,” I shared instead. “She burst into tears, and then went back to silence.”

Nate opened his mouth, but I cut him off with a Mabel saying.

“If you’re gonna offer bullshit platitudes to try to spin this, can you at least put water in so I can do laundry?”

He closed his mouth again.

“You’re snarkier than I remember,” Juno said with a joyful laugh. “I like it. You’re now my favorite sibling.”

“An honor,” I deadpanned. “I need to get my mate home.”

“You can stay here,” Denny offered. “We have extra room.”

“No—”

“Maine is too far to transport back and forth,” Nate interrupted. “What if something happens, and you’ve expended your magicks just to get here? Or you aren’t able to get here at all? Absolve won’t sit around and wait for you to take a road trip.”

Leave it to him to bluntly lay out my own hidden fears.

“There’s a vacant apartment in the building I own in town. We’re going to stay there.”

“That’ll work.”

“Better than sharing a house and him getting another glimpse of your ass,” Lennon said.

“Don’t be a hater because you’re a beanpole, and I’m thick with three Cs.”

“Okay, that’s it.” Juno held out her hand. “Fork over your phone. I’m blocking that damn app myself.”

“No.”

“This is why Deke is now the favorite.”

“Was I not even in contention?” Lennon asked.

Another wave of sadness crashed over me, and I rushed from the house without another word, leaving them to squabble. Bypassing the steps completely, I jumped from the porch and didn’t stop until I reached where Aurora sat in the grass. Her back was to me, and her body was curled protectively around Victoria. I crouched behind her, and the little dog let out a fierce growl until she saw it was just me.

“Why can’t I do it?” Aurora cried, burying her face in Victoria’s fur.

I rubbed my hand down her back. “Do what, baby?”

“Turn it off. Everything is so strong. So powerful. It was never like this before, and it hurts. I don’t want to feel these emotions. This curse.”

Her words were like a cannonball to the gut. I rocked back and lost my balance, falling to my ass.

“My one.” It came out a tortured whisper as my heart shattered in my damn chest. Eviscerated me from the inside out. Guilt—far worse than the already heavy amount I felt toward my siblings—ate at me. It gutted me to do it. Fucking killed. I’d take a million battles over what I was suggesting, but I forced the offer out even though it felt like swallowing shards of glass mixed with rock salt. “I’ll talk to the others. See if there is a way to undo it. Unmate our souls.”

“No. No, it’s not… I don’t want to feel my curse.”

“I don’t get what you’re saying,” I told her honestly. “What curse?”

She opened her mouth and then closed it. Glancing to the window, she lowered her head to snuggle Victoria. “Take me home, please.”

She was asking me to carve my chest open with a dull, rusty spoon and tear my heart free to leave it behind, but I would still do it.

I would sacrifice the world for her happiness.

It took longer and more effort for me to force my question out. “What’s your address?”

Her alarmed gaze shot to me, and she frantically shook her head. “No, your home.”

Thank fuck.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

STOP DOING THAT

AURORA

Deke didn’t say anything else. Helping me to my feet, he guided me to a secluded spot near the house. Since we’d been there for hours, it was dark enough that no one could see us. I could barely see him, and he stood right in front of me.

That twisting, thrilling sensation spiraled through me like we were on a roller coaster with endless corkscrews.

Upside down.

Right side up.

The highest heights.

The steepest drops.

All in a matter of milliseconds.

I was breathing heavy when the world snapped into place around us. Being back in the cabin was enough to make my muscles unclench.

It looked nothing like the house I’d shared with Ryan. There was no meticulously manicured landscaping. No pool that was cleaned three times a week. No endless rooms that went unused.

It was small and cozy, and it might not have been mine, but after only a week, that cabin felt far more like home than the giant house in Georgia ever had.

Than anywhere ever had.

The world suddenly felt right, but I still couldn’t stop the tears that flowed down my cheeks. I’d never been a crier. Whatever dam had held them in was apparently blown to rubble because everything—all the pent-up emotions—came rushing out in nonstop tears.

They came even harder when Deke asked, “What curse?”

I tried for silence.

“Aurora, I asked you a question.”

I set Victoria down and forced a yawn that was mixed with the stupid tears. “It’s been a long day.”

I expected sweet, tender, patient Deke to let me off the hook. After all, he’d offered to delay his reunion with his siblings until I was ready. Siblings he hadn’t seen in centuries. Siblings he’d missed fiercely but was still willing to put me first—something that filled me with equal parts warmth, shock, and guilt.

Compared to that, I figured a brief reprieve was nothing.

I figured wrong.

His large hand wrapped around the front of my neck, and he tilted my head so I was forced to meet his eyes. “What curse?”

“N-nothing,” I stammered through my shock.

And something else.

Something that chiseled away at the heartache, mixing with the other rushing emotions to leave me a jumbled mess.

Using his firm yet still gentle hold, Deke backed me up until I was pressed to the rough wooden wall. His dark eyes blazed at my answer.

At my lie.

I inhaled sharply.

Not from fear. Never from fear where Deke was concerned.

But he didn’t know that. Guilt slashed across his face. It slashed through his stomach, and it echoed in mine. Dropping his hand, he started to step away. “Go pack.”

“Don’t make me go.”

“Wh—”

“Please,” I interrupted as I wrapped my trembling fingers around his wrist and shoved his hand back to my throat.

I wasn’t talking about Georgia. I knew Deke would never force me to return to a place I hated. To a man I hated.

I didn’t want to go anywhere else. Not unless it was with him.

But sick of my lies, he might not want to deal with the hassle of being my mate.

And that? That terrified me worse than Pastor Gideon, Ryan, and the scary man from my vision combined.

Times a million.

Panic outweighed my shame and fears and self-hatred, and my secret spilled out in a hysterical rush. “I was cursed to see things. Visions. Random peeks at the future. Like when you cupped my cheek in the kitchen, and I was content for the first time in my life. I saw that while we were in the woods, and that’s how I knew I could trust you. I don’t want to lose that.”

At just the thought that I was too late, more of those damn tears spilled free.

My words were a whispered, earnest truth. “I don’t want to lose you.”

I was up before my sentence was finished, and my legs and arms instinctively wrapped around his thick, muscular body. He stormed through the house and up the stairs, not quite transporting us but still moving faster than humanly possible.

Which made sense since he wasn’t human.

My mind caught up with our bodies, and defeat sank into my bones until I wanted to crumble like my walls.

Dissolve into nothingness.

But I had to keep trying. I couldn’t take the coward’s way out with silence. I had to fight.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” I hurried on. “Please don’t send me away.”

He stopped so abruptly, I thought we’d topple from the momentum. “What?”

“Don’t send me away,” I repeated.

“Never. God, the archangels, and Levi him-fucking-self couldn’t pry me away from you, my one.”

That mostly extinguished flame of hope flickered inside me.

I tried to snuff it out before I got ahead of myself.

“But you told me to pack,” I pointed out.

“We both need to. We can’t stay. It’s too far from the others,” Deke said softly. “It was a risk to even come here. If I’m bouncing us back and forth every day and something happens, I could be no use to anyone.”

“Your magicks can run out?”

“Don’t know.” He lowered to sit on the side of the bed. I tried to unwrap my legs from his torso, but his hands spanned my thighs to hold them tightly in place. “How long have you had visions?”

“Don’t know,” I repeated his words. Not giving him the chance to think I was lying or being evasive as usual, I rushed on to share the story I’d only told one other person. “When I was sixteen, I woke up in the middle of the woods in Arkansas.” I was vaguely aware of his fingers reflexively tightening around my legs, but I kept talking to get it all out. “I was at the bottom of a bluff, so the working theory was that I fell while hiking.”

“You don’t remember?”

I shook my head. “Somehow, I knew my name was Aurora and that the accident happened on my sixteenth birthday. Everything else was gone. Doctors said I might eventually regain my memories, especially if I saw people I recognized.” That isolation that came from the rejection swirled in my churning stomach. “No one ever came looking, and I never got my memories back.”

Understanding dawned on his handsome face. “That’s how you knew how it felt when my siblings disappeared.” He cupped my cheek. “The loneliness. The frustration.”

I swallowed harder and nodded.

“Fuck, baby. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I said automatically even though it very much was not. “I’m not sure if I had my curse before the accident, but I woke up with it.”

“Why do you keep calling it a curse?”

My fingertips instinctively went to my chest. His sharp gaze followed the movement, so I dropped my hand. “Because that’s what it is.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I know it.” I gave a quick shake of my head to clear the guilt that threatened to overwhelm me, but it didn’t help. “And now you’re forced to be with me because of our souls, and I’m so⁠—”

“Our souls don’t make me want you,” he cut in.

In that split second, embarrassment flared through me so completely, I thought my red cheeks would start on fire.

And then it changed to a different kind of heat when he gripped my hips and tugged me closer. “It has fuck-all to do with fate, the heavens, or our souls. Even if we weren’t mates, I’d sacrifice the world and my left nut for a single night with you.” His cock began to harden beneath me as he lifted a hand to tangle in my hair. He fisted the strands, and a bite of pain went across my scalp to zip down like those nerve endings were connected directly to my sex. His head lowered until I thought he’d kiss me. Until I was ready to beg for it. Until he was all I could see. “I want you because you’re you.”

And then his lips finally crashed against mine, the power and desire in his kiss confirming what his words had claimed.

That he wanted me.

That he needed me.

Not as his mate.

Not as his burden.

But as a woman.

He tugged my hair again—rougher that time—and forced my mouth open to give him more access. Plunging his tongue in, he dominated my mouth as his hips rocked with a tormenting, brutal intensity. His hardness pressed against my core, and arousal surged to leave me pathetically soaked.

Desperation on a level I never knew possible stole my common sense. Doubt. Breath. Thoughts. My hands released their grip on his worn tee to shove between us. Needing more.

Needing everything.

My fumbling fingers had barely skimmed his belt when he released my hair and hip to grip my wrist, halting my valiant effort.

I worried that he was stopping me before we got carried away, but it was just so he could take over to efficiently undo the buckle and the button on his jeans, all while still tormenting me with skimming lips and a teasing tongue. His zipper remained up as he spanned my ribs with one hand and palmed the back of my head with the other. He left the space between our bodies.

Left the choice up to me.

I didn’t have to think twice.

With a decisiveness I rarely felt, I unzipped his jeans and tried to get my hand inside. Or free him from where his cock was angled down his leg in a way that couldn’t be comfortable. I didn’t care which option happened so long as the end result was touching him.

But my sign of surety was all he needed.

Standing, Deke turned and lowered my back to the mattress. He bent to keep our mouths connected as he hastily pushed off his jeans.

Like it pained him to do it, he tore his mouth away but stayed dipped low.

First to kiss my neck.

Then the strip of skin that was exposed between where my hoodie had ridden up and my waistband.

Then lower still as he unfastened the button to tear my jeans and panties down my legs.

The giant man who wasn’t really a man.

Who was literally made from the heavens.

Who was good and giving and so unbelievably sexy.

All six and a half feet of solid muscle gracefully lowered next to the bed.

Kneeling before me like I was deserving of his worship.

I tried to stop him. “You shouldn’t⁠—”

“Hush, baby.” His palms started at my knees before caressing up. Slowly, savoring it, he used his hold to spread my legs. Exposing me. At the intensity of his stare, I tried to close them again, but his fingers tightened as his gaze stayed locked on the most intimate part of me.

He reached one hand behind his neck to clutch his shirt and pull it over his head. His muscles flexed at the motion.

No wonder he’s able to lift me like I weigh nothing more than a dried, fallen leaf.

My view was cut short when his head dipped, and his beard and lips lightly teased along my thigh. Then the other one. Anxiety and tense desire battled until I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to shift away or pull his head to where I needed it.

I gave a weak push on his shoulder. “You don’t have to do this.”

But it wasn’t my choice.

Positioning my legs over his shoulders, he gruffly rumbled, “The fuck I don’t.”

And then he buried his head between my thighs. No teasing. No tenderness. No hesitation.

Like when he kissed me, his tongue speared in to taste and take and own.

Tangling one hand in the sheets and one in his soft hair, my hips ground shamelessly against his face. His groan vibrated against me, adding another surge to the sensations that rippled across my nerve endings, igniting each like a string of Christmas lights.

He followed the noise up with movement, and I lifted onto my elbow to peer down my body. Like it was him being pleasured, his eyes were closed in bliss as his tongue, teeth, and lips greedily worked me.

Feeling my gaze on him, he snapped his lids open, and we locked eyes. He held the intense contact as one of his arms dropped from my thigh and began moving.

It took me a long moment to realize what was happening.

He’s stroking himself.

I had a brief thought that I should be ashamed. That it was my job to satisfy him, and I was failing that duty by selfishly accepting his attention while he was forced to take care of himself.

But nothing about the moment seemed like a compulsory obligation to him. He wanted to do it. He was getting off on doing it.

Because of me.

Even if I wanted to stop—which I very much did not—I couldn’t. Random tremors went through my body, tightening muscles and making my breath catch. Sweat slicked my skin, made worse by the fact I still wore my tee, hoodie, and his flannel.

Heart racing, I forced myself to move away.

His grunt of displeasure was more animal than man as he tugged me even closer.

“I’m…” I couldn’t get the words out.

“Stop fighting it,” he bit out against me before literally biting my clit. His tongue rapidly flicked across the oversensitive nerves. He released his hold on my upper thigh to slide a finger into my slick sex and crook it.

My eyes rolled, and my back lifted from the mattress like I was possessed.

Like I needed an exorcism.

Again.

It would’ve been distressing had my brain held the capacity to think.

But the only thing I could focus on was the Carolina Reaper pepper that’d infused my veins to burn through my body until I erupted. Not in fire or magma. But in blinding pleasure that eviscerated me just as completely.

I wasn’t sure the euphoria would ever fade. I hoped it wouldn’t. Not until my clit grew painfully oversensitive and my body turned needy.

Empty in a different way than I was used to.

My attempt to move was again stopped by Deke’s bruising hold and rough growl of warning.

“I need…” I started before my burning lungs forced me to breathe.

To pause.

A break.

One minute to stop my sex from twitching and clenching because every touch and brush and graze is overwhelming to the point of near pain.

“More,” I finished instead.

That was apparently the right thing to say because Deke eased back, kissing down my thigh as he slid his finger free. Standing, I finally got a view of him.

All of him.

His tight black boxers were partially in place, trying—and failing—to restrain his hard-on. The waistband cut across where it was stretched up his stomach, leaving the rest exposed. And there was a lot of rest.

It was longer and thicker than I’d expected.

Feared.

Hoped.

Nope. Definitely not human.

I prayed his magicks wasn’t depleted from transporting us because I got the feeling we would need it to get that thing to fit.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Deke rumbled as he rubbed a palm over his beard, which was shiny with my arousal.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re even half as addicted to me as I am to you.”

I was about to tell him that I was. That with my limited experience to compare to, I already knew how wrong I’d been when I’d said I didn’t like sex.

That everything was different with him.

But thief that he was, he stole my ability to think again. Because with his eyes locked onto me, he ran his tongue up his hand. The same one that’d just wiped my arousal from around his mouth.

My eyes must’ve been as big as dinner plates at the filthily erotic act, but all he said was, “Waited centuries for you, and your taste still surpassed my wildest fantasies. Not wasting a single drop, baby.”

How did I get so lucky?

How did he get so un⁠—

The thought was abruptly cut off when Deke hooked his thumbs in his waistband and pushed his boxers off.

Giving me the full view of the swirls of black ink and dark hair that led down to the proud, thick erection that sprang free like it was reaching for me.

Rude or not, I couldn’t stop staring at it as he put his knee on the mattress.

Right between my legs.

The pressure didn’t ease the ache there, but it helped. Then I lost that, too, when he rearranged my body up the bed.

Leaning back, he gripped the edges of the unbuttoned flannel I still wore. “Gonna fuck you while you’re wearing only this one day. But not today.”

So caught up in the heady lust that filled his hooded gaze, I didn’t argue when he pulled the shirts off.

No.

Desperate and distracted, I helped.

My tee cleared my head, leaving me in just a bra. The mood in the room changed rapidly and broke through my haze.

Belatedly, I noticed his tense body.

The way his jaw clenched so tight, a muscle in his cheek twitched.

When he studied my breast, it wasn’t with longing.

It was with anger.

His hand splayed across my chest. “What the fu⁠—”

And then he was gone.

“Again?” I shouted, crossing my arms as I scanned the room for his return so I could kick him.

I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Whatever hope I’d had that he’d gone to get ointment or a bandage or even makeup to cover the ugly scar I’d somehow forgotten about faded with each stretching minute.

Tears burned in my eyes, spilling over as I crawled out of bed to put my shirt and hoodie back on.

I’m never taking my clothes off again unless I’m showering.

And even then…

Regret for getting carried away ate at me. I’d never forgotten the mark before. Not for a moment. I never wore clothes that could expose it. Even my swimsuit had a high neckline.

With Deke’s rejection settling into my shattered heart, I curled into a ball in bed.

It was weak. Sad. Pathetic.

But so was I.

Tears stained the pillow while I cursed fate, Pastor Gideon, the powers-that-be.

And Deke.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MAGICAL COCK…TAIL

AURORA

Where is he?

It’d been a day and a half since Deke had disappeared while we were in the middle of…

Yeah.

At first, I’d been blinded by rejection while waiting like a simpering fool for him to return. Knowing how gnarly the scar was and what it represented, I’d been willing to extend the benefit of the doubt to him.

With memories of Ryan staying out for hours or even days at a time still fresh in my scarred heart, I’d stewed in my anger while contemplating my revenge. But as the hours ticked by, unease had begun to dilute it. I’d taken Deke’s big truck to check Mabel’s, his preferred grocery store, and Black Horse.

He was nowhere to be found.

After a second sleepless night and still no sign of him that morning, my worry had fully overtaken my hurt feelings.

Something was wrong.

I grabbed his cell from where I’d plugged it in and unlocked it. Scrolling his contact list, I looked for one of his siblings, but they hadn’t exchanged numbers.

Maybe he left because something was wrong with one of them.

Or those evil soul-stealers returned.

Guilt and disgrace prickled at me that I’d allowed more than a day to go by. If something happened to him because I was wallowing, I would never forgive myself.

It didn’t take much searching on Google to locate Juno’s neighboring stores since Novel Idea was a pretty distinct trio. I pressed the call button, but it just rang.

“What do you think, girl?” I asked Victoria as I paced the downstairs.

She trotted next to me, though she didn’t seem overly concerned. I wasn’t sure what it said about my mental well-being that I took that as a reassuring sign rather than the more likely option—that she was still being fed and thus hadn’t noticed or cared that the big, burly lumberjack was gone.

I eyed his keys.

Victoria barked.

“Yeah, that’s what I think, too.”

Going up to the loft, I opened Deke’s closet to see a variety of clothing.

Flannels in blue.

Flannels in black.

Flannels in gray.

Jeans in blue.

Jeans in black.

End of list.

A couple of duffels were tucked underneath, and I pulled them free to pack my limited belongings in one and some of Deke’s clothes in the other. I threw together another little bag for Victoria since I’d forgotten the first one at Nate and Denny’s.

Grabbing the load—plus Deke’s phone and wallet—Victoria and I headed out to the truck. I brought up the GPS directions to Novel Idea and hoped the disappearing act wasn’t a sibling trend.

The drive took longer than the quoted time. I knew how to drive—Mrs. Gideon had needed frequent rides home from the bar a few towns over—but by the time I’d been able to get documentation with an exemption after my accident, Ryan had claimed I didn’t need a license.

Between breaking the law and the fact I hadn’t slept a wink in two days, I stuck close to the speed limit—to the chagrin of my impatience and every other driver on the road.

Eventually, I made my way through the small town lined with shops and restaurants before parking in front of the stores. I kept Victoria in my arms as I entered.

Wow.

Games, collectibles, and comics were displayed on shelves and in cases. The scent of sugary sweetness hung in the air like I could pluck cotton candy from nothing. It mixed with the smell of strong coffee and chocolate until my stomach rumbled.

A woman a little older than me smiled from the entryway into one of the other shops. “Can I help you find something?”

“Is Juno here?”

Her smile stayed in place, but something in her demeanor shifted. A protectiveness. “No, she’s out. Can I take a message?”

Helpless frustration mixed with my growing worry.

Contrary to her claim, a back room opened, and Juno stepped out. “Can we make today a holiday and close early? I’m wiped and still have training…” She glanced up from the giant monstrosity of a coffee she held and did a double take. “Aurora, hey. I was hoping to see you.” Her gaze went over my shoulder. “Where’s the big guy?”

Oh no.

“Oops. Sorry for lying,” the woman said, though she didn’t look the least bit apologetic. “Never know these days.”

I didn’t know what that meant, and I didn’t care—right then, at least. My focus was on Juno’s question. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m here. I tried calling here, but no one answered.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Stellan stopped by, and… Phew. Good timing.”

I was about to ask what she meant when the door chimed behind me. My breath caught, but when I spun, it was just Denny and Lilith. It whooshed out in a rush.

“Wow, first your mate doesn’t think I deserve an archangel and now you’re disappointed to see me,” Lilith said. “It’s giving me a complex.”

Denny glared at her. “Now you know how I feel.”

“Deke is missing,” Juno said.

Their playful smiles fell as they went alert.

She tilted her head toward the room she’d just come from. “Come in here. We’ll figure it out.”

I wasn’t sure how being in a storage closet helped, but I did as she said. When I stepped past the threshold, the room changed. Gone were the metal shelves and plain cardboard boxes. An intricately carved table dominated the center of the space. Beads, jars, scraps of fabric, and beautiful metallic cards were dotted around shelves that lined the walls.

The sweet smell from outside was completely replaced by herbs and flowers.

“It’s a spell,” Denny answered my unasked question as she gestured around the doorframe. “The scent barrier.”

I forced my feet to stay rooted to the spot when all I wanted to do was run. “Did you read my mind?”

“No, but it was what I wondered when I first visited, so I went out on a limb that you were curious, too.”

“You were right.”

“How long has he been gone?” Juno asked as a book’s pages began flipping without anyone touching it. She gathered some jars—thankfully bypassing the one labeled praying mantis scrotum—and set them on the ornate table.

“Day before last.”

She froze and skewered me with a look of barely restrained suspicion. “And you’re just now coming here?”

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth before sharing, “I have a really, uh, unsettling scar that he’d just seen for the first time.”

“Ahhh,” Lilith drawled. “So you thought he left to⁠—”

“Make whoever was responsible rue the day until they wished they were never born,” Juno finished.

“I was going to say get the supplies to treat the wound.”

“Oh. Yeah. Boring, but probable.”

“I actually thought he was grossed out,” I admitted.

Juno’s face softened like she knew what it was like to be unwanted. Since she was gorgeous—all three of them were—I highly doubted it.

“Anyway,” I continued, “I gave him time, but then I started to get worried. I thought maybe those soul-stealers had returned, and he’d come to help.”

“Nope. It’s disconcertingly quiet here.” She sighed before tacking on a dramatic, “Unfortunately.”

Denny made a murmur of disagreement, but Lilith was on Juno’s side. “Waiting sucks. I’m ready to kick ass.”

It didn’t take long for Denny to come around to their way of thinking. “It would be nice for the other shoe to finally drop. I haven’t been able to see Lula at all. And it’s been too long since we’ve annihilated anyone.”

A proud, maniacal smile spread across Juno’s face.

“Murder?” I whispered.

“Catch Phrase. It’s a game.” Denny gave a wistful sigh. “My bestie and her husband throw awesome game nights, and teaming up with her to dominate is the best part. I miss them, but it would be too risky to hang out right now.”

“So he saw the scar and…” Juno’s gaze dropped.

I followed her line of sight to see I was touching my sternum—something I kept doing without meaning to. It was where the scar was, yes. But it was more than that. The ache that’d formed there seemed to be growing worse and worse with each passing second.

Her line of questioning changed. “What were you doing at the time?” At my likely flustered face, she shook her head. “Never mind, got it. As gross as this is to even think about, I saw the way he looked at you. Scar or not, he wasn’t leaving voluntarily.”

“He saw it, started to say what the fuck, and then he just disappeared,” I shared.

“Wait, he disappeared disappeared? Like poof, gone?”

I nodded.

“Does it feel like he’s super far away?”

“Yes.”

And it makes everything hurt.

At that, she started putting the supplies back. “Why didn’t you say so?”

“What? You know where he is?”

“Yup. Heaven’s corporate offices.”

I wanted to be reassured that he hadn’t fled from the sight of the ugly blemish, but him being in Heaven didn’t sound good. “He’s in Heaven? Is he dead?”

“Their corporate office. Boring place. He’ll be back in a few days. Time passes differently there.”

I could’ve sunk to the floor in relief.

Juno didn’t miss that, either, and her expression softened again. “He’s good. Promise.”

Deke wasn’t kidding about the way The Four Horsemen—er, Horsepeople had been twisted.

None of the siblings were what I expected.

Juno wasn’t battling her siblings for a spot at the top or whispering mistruths to sow seeds of instability and hostility. She just talked a lot of smack, but in an oddly endearing way. Not that she was defenseless. I had no doubt she was powerful and dangerous when it came to people who deserved it. But she wasn’t waging war against random adversaries and taking them out for the hell of it.

Not unless her opponent was the bag of the gummy bears she talked about…

Nate hadn’t seemed wrathful and ready to wipe out humankind. And I doubted his hoodie qualified as the cloaked robe he was often depicted in.

Lennon certainly wasn’t spreading plagues. He’d been genuinely sad about taking a sabbatical, but even more alarmed at the idea that something could happen to his patients. He’d even been concerned about a possible interaction between my sleeping pills and that delicious tropical cocktail.

A glimmer of hope began to form.

Maybe Deke was saddled with me because all that good can save me.

Juno has mentioned her powers are stronger now.

Frequently.

Maybe she can figure out how to cure me.

Before I could ask, she brushed off her hands. “The sasquatch fur always sticks to the outside of the jar. Anyway, you can stay at Stellan’s while you wait for him.”

They’d been welcoming. Kind. Confusing, yet incredibly entertaining.

But I didn’t want to live in close quarters with any of them—and not just because of the risk of catching them in the middle of passionate… well, passion.

My heart couldn’t take the daily reminder of my multitude of shortcomings.

“Thanks, but I should probably wait for him at the cabin,” I tried.

“He’ll go wherever you are,” Denny assured me. “Trust me.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting you stay with any of us horny couples. Stellan and I live in the apartment above the stores.” Juno hooked a thumb toward the door. “Beth was finally ready to return to the apartment she shared with Lea, so his house is sitting empty.”

Oh.

That I can do.

“Okay,” I agreed.

“And since you’re right in time for training, you can join.”

“You know…” Lilith started before I could answer—which was good because I had no clue what to say since I also had no clue what training entailed. “The past couple of days had to be hard on poor Aurora. Maybe instead of overwhelming her with more, we should go upstairs, pour some drinks, and get to know each other. To give her a break.”

Juno’s green eyes narrowed. “You’re only saying that because you don’t want to be stuck reading my book while Denny and I spar.”

“That is correct.”

“Son of a bitch, I’m in anyway.”

“So…” Juno singsonged as she flopped on the couch and handed me a glittering beverage. “What did you think when my brother told you who he was?”

I took a sip. It tasted like a carnival. Not lemonade or treats from one. Not even cotton candy. But the excitement of one. A date on a balmy night. Holding hands. Riding dangerous rides for the thrill. Playing overpriced games but still treasuring the cheap prize.

All of that was somehow encompassed in a liquid.

“I’ve been practicing,” she said as she tapped her glass with mine. “Now answer the question.”

“Honestly? He said stuff about his brothers and mates, so I thought it was a sex cult.”

Lilith burst out laughing and raised her drink. “Same, girl. Same.”

“And once you found out he was Famine?” Juno asked.

The sharp way she watched me set off little bells in my head. Not warnings, per se.

“He told you I cried,” I surmised.

“He may or may not have mentioned it. But I’m just making conversation.”

And giving me the perfect opening.

It went against everything I’d done for six years, but for the second time in as many days, I shared about my accident. Waking up in those woods without my memories. And my curse.

Once I was done, I asked, “So… Do you think you can help?”

Juno bobbed her head side to side, her pink and blue bun flopping, too. “Memories are tricky. More subjective than what you might think. Messing with them could result in instilling what you wished would happen. Or what you fear happened. And once they become implanted as fact, it’s harder to correct the error.”

“No, not help with my memories.”

At least not now that I know it could go so wrong.

“Can you help get rid of my curse?” I asked.

“I’m still lost on that,” Denny said. “Which part is the curse?”

I reared back.

I got that they had their own stuff going on, but she must not have listened to a word I’d said.

Speaking slowly, I tried to jog her memory without letting my irritation show—much. “I get visions of the future.”

“I got that part. But not why you think it’s a curse.”

I would’ve understood why Juno felt that way. She was a powerful being. But the mates were human. That was what Deke had said. Denny and Lilith should’ve been horrified—or at least confused—by my ability.

“Because it’s made my life a nightmare,” I said.

“The visions or the people in your life?”

“The visions. And the people. Both.”

“Why?” she pushed.

“Because when I paid attention to the curse, it got me in trouble. It made people hate me. Pastor Gideon said it was a punishment from God because the devil created me, and nothing I said or saw could be trusted. He said if it was a gift like the visions given to Paul, Peter, or the others, He would protect me.” I lifted my shirt to show them the upside-down cross that marred my chest, made of puckered flesh.

I could almost feel the fire.

Smell the burned flesh that clung in my nose for days after.

Hear the sizzle as it scorched into my skin.

My voice was weak as I unnecessarily pointed out, “But He didn’t.”

Grief and understanding mixed on Denny’s face. “That asshole. Cherry-picking through the Bible to suit his needs. Claiming to be a voice of holiness while torturing me.” She shook her head and amended, “You.”

“Freud would like to know if you hurt your back during that slip,” Juno said.

Denny laughed. “Fine. I might be speaking from experience. My dad was a religious zealot like that. Hateful and horrendous throughout my life. He told my classmates I was Satan’s spawn, and they called me Demon Denny until graduation. Actually, after that.” She shook her head. “Joke’s on him. Heaven doesn’t take kindly to their direct orders being ignored.” She swayed her glass like she was doing a toast but aimed downward. “And now he’s the one in Hell.”

My brow lowered. “He had orders from Heaven and still thought you were from the devil?”

“Someone let it slip that I’d be working for the devil. I’m technically Levi’s employee. Assistant? That area.”

“Wait.” I remembered them mentioning Levi. Juno had even called him a lucky devil. But I hadn’t realized… “This Levi is the devil?”

“Yes, and a charming one at that,” Juno confirmed. “But nothing like what you think you know. Not fallen. Not evil. He can be a snarky asshole, but some would count that as a positive and not a character flaw.” She pointed at herself. “Me. I’m some.”

“How are you an employee?” I asked. If it were a month ago, I would’ve run from the building, screaming my head off. But a week with Deke had been enough to prove that I had things wrong.

So many things.

That little flame of hopefulness inside me stoked brighter. I wanted to believe them, but voices of doubt spoke cruel words that made the flame flicker.

Voices that sounded a lot like Pastor Gideon’s shouted curses and Ryan’s insistence that I hide away to save my soul.

At my question, it was Denny’s turn to point to herself. “Haden Underwood. The name was another fun gift from my dad. As in, Hades and Death.”

I reeled at that revelation. “Deke said all of the mates were supposed to be human. Something about ensuring The Four cared enough to keep fighting for them.”

“Yeah, well, we were wrong about a lot.” Her displeasure at admitting that faded to a cocky smirk. “Stellan can slow things down in his head. It makes him a skilled and attentive⁠—”

“Ayy, we don’t need the details,” Denny interrupted.

“Detective. A skilled and attentive detective.” She raised her glass toward her mouth before adding, “And an even better lover.”

Denny rolled her eyes.

“If Levi is the devil, I’m guessing you’re not timeshare splitting the throne for king of the underworld,” I said.

“I’m also not a philanderer who kidnaps my lover and still can’t keep it in my pants. Even after we defeat Absolve, Nate and I will continue finding missing or lost souls before they become vengeful. We’ll work with Levi, but not because all those souls are headed for Hell.”

“Do you have magicks?”

“I can turn the soulless to dust. If Nate is with me, we can make them disappear completely. But not magicks like Juno or even Lilith.” She crossed her arms and pouted. “And I’m basically only like ten percent bitter about that. Hardly at all. A simple thirty percent sad. Which, honestly, that fifty percent is barely anything.”

My gaze shot to where Lilith sat on the loveseat. “You have magicks?”

“I told you.” I gave a slow blink, and she gestured to me. “Your golden aura.”

“I thought that was just feel-good, horoscopy BS,” I admitted. “Like when people say they’re moody because they’re a Libra born under a supermoon or that they’re going to have a good day because the stars aligned for them.”

“Or a bad day because Freddie Mercury is in the microwave,” Juno added with a cackle.

And honest-to-goodness cackle—albeit a pretty one.

“Yes. That. No offense.”

“None taken,” Lilith said. “I thought it was just nature’s magic, too. My parents are—were—hippies.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said, referring to the recent death of her father.

“It’s okay.” She smiled, but it was wobbly. “Like I was saying, when I took pictures, I thought I could read people’s auras because I was just more in tune with nature and the universe.” That time when she grinned, nothing about it was wobbly. “Lennon says I’m a hippie goddess.”

“Who then turns into her namesake to avenge others.” Juno’s gaze flitted to me, and she gave a disgruntled sigh. “No one knows name meanings these days. Lilith means night monster. She went out at night to kick ass.”

“Literally?” I asked, unable to picture the pretty brunette in the crop top and flowy skirt hurting a fly.

She nodded. “We’re still working through the details and the limits of what I can do. Juno says I’m an empath who reads emotions not auras, but I think it’s a mix of both. I also have strong intuition, which helps me avoid getting hurt while I do my thing.”

Death.

War.

Pestilence.

Famine.

A soul helper Hades.

A detective who can slow time.

A photographer who can read auras and fight.

And me.

A woman with visions.

None of us were just human. And none of us were evil or wrong.

For the first time ever, I didn’t feel like a freak. Or a sinner. Or cursed.

I felt like I belonged.

I can’t wait for Deke to get back so I can tell him.

CHAPTER TWENTY

THE CARPET MATCHES THE DRAPES IN HEAVEN

DEKE

“Where the Heffalump am I?” I asked as pixelated pieces of the world’s most boring beige puzzle clicked together around me and sharpened into focus. “What the fuel is a Heffalump? Frank. Hemp. Ships. Cunning.”

My attempts at swearing failed, and my questions went unanswered.

No.

Ignored.

They were heard, though. Filled cubicles stretched as far as I could see, keyboards clicking away to create a steady din that set my teeth on edge.

“Hey.” I took a step toward the nearest one. Then another step. Then countless massive ones at an Olympic runner’s pace.

And I ended up exactly where I’d started. In the middle of that damn beige office building.

“You can all shuck my fudgy drink,” I shouted when they ignored me. “I can’t even say such?”

“Not in that context,” a voice said from an open doorway that hadn’t been there a moment ago. “Though you are dressed the part.”

I turned to see a sharp-dressed man in a suit leaning against the jamb.

No.

Not a man.

A sharp-dressed devil.

“They were generous with the rectangle, huh?” he asked before going into the room.

Glancing down to see a black rectangle censoring my nudity, I hung my head back. “For the love of angels.”

That they all heard.

Happy little whispers went through the room, and the fast-walking angels with their towering stacks of paper got a bounce in their step.

With a disgruntled mutter, I followed Levi.

I had to blink rapidly to get my eyes to adjust to the stinging brightness that illuminated the office. It was like staring at a sun during the eclipse.

Or at Aurora’s blindingly beautiful smile.

The walls of the already large office were lined with shelves, each packed with books. It would’ve been impressive enough, but when I raised my eyes, I saw they kept going.

And going.

And going.

There was no top shelf in sight. No ceiling, either.

Aurora would love this.

My attention was pulled from my surroundings and thoughts of my mate when Levi slammed his hand as he argued with whoever it was behind a desk. I had no clue what they said since they weren’t speaking English. Or any of the other Earthly languages I knew.

The man—or rather angel—had a head of wild red curls that seemed to crackle and ignite into small flames before extinguishing. The flaming sword mounted on the wall to the left of him didn’t do that. It stayed blazing, and the longer Levi ranted, the more the angel’s gaze darted to it.

Like he was tempted to use it.

I hadn’t had much interaction with Levi. Nate and Juno fell under his purview and were supposed to work closer with him.

At that moment, I related to the devil. I was pissed as hell to be dragged away from heaven to stand around in… Okay, in Heaven.

But it was nothing compared to the one I’d left behind on Earth.

Rubbing my chest, I said, “If you’re just gonna sit there beaching at each other, do me a favor, send me back.”

“If it were up to me, I’d say yes,” Levi said. “You’re not the one I wanted to see anyway.”

“Go suck a churro,” the angel behind the desk muttered, a fiery curl bursting brighter before extinguishing.

Wonder if the carpet matches the drapes…

Levi burst out laughing.

The angel finally tore his focus away from Levi to glance behind him and then at the floor. “Of course they match. They’re both white.”

Levi laughed harder. “I’ll explain later.”

Thoughts are easier to read here.

Ship.

Shill.

Shift.

What the hunk? Not even in my own head?

“Why am I here?” I asked.

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Levi casually strolled over to the flaming sword and lifted it from the wall.

The angel reached for it. “Eh⁠—”

But Levi spun it with practiced ease.

“Ahh,” the angel gasped, making a grab for the hilt.

And nearly getting his hand removed and cauterized in one swift motion when Levi swung the blade down.

The angel yanked his arm back, pressing his fingers to his mouth. “Will you please put that back?”

“Nope,” Levi said, putting emphasis on the p with his mouth and also a stabbing motion.

His handling of the heavy sword was smooth and showed his familiarity with a blade. He hefted it with ease.

But that didn’t stop him from accidentally touching the flames to the wall, carpet, papers, and anything else he wanted to ignite.

The angel watched with wide light-blue eyes that grew more panicked at each mini pyro show.

“Enough,” I rumbled, still naked. Still needing my mate.

Needing her in every way.

I stormed forward and grabbed the sword by the flaming blade before placing it back in the wall mount.

“Your skin,” the angel worried.

“Is fine.” I held my hands up, palms out. “Years of working in kitchens have dulled the sensation there.”

“No, it’s your connection to me. I’m pleased.”

Levi wasn’t looking at my hands. Head tilted, his focus was aimed lower.

To where the censor bar was failing to keep up with my movements.

“Never mind,” he said with an arched brow. “Guess they weren’t being generous. Good for you.”

“Oh, for light’s sake,” the angel said before flicking his wrist. A white, three-piece suit that matched his covered my body.

It wasn’t my taste, but I couldn’t deny it was quality.

“Well, now I feel left out.” Levi’s dark suit changed to a light one. “I wasn’t going to change my rectangle to match yours. No use losing a few inches in the name of solidarity.”

Ignoring him, I looked at the angel and wagered a guess. “Why am I here, Uriel?”

A delighted smile spread across his face as more flames kindled to life in his hair. “You know me.”

“Had a lot of years on Earth to learn about a lot of different shrimps.”

“Shrimp? I’m taller than you,” Uriel pointed out.

I shook my head. “That was supposed to be a swear word, not an insult.”

This is getting old.

“The light, the fire, and the books clued me in.” I repeated my unanswered question. “Why am I here?”

Levi shrugged as he walked around the room, picking up books from the stretching shelves just to toss them haphazardly back down. Or to the floor. “I asked for Aurora to be brought here.”

I went alert as jealousy seared in my gut like I’d been stabbed by that damn sword. “What business do you have with my mate?”

“Juno sent a message that your mate is under the impression she was created by me. I’ve had my fair share of parties down there, but I feel like I would’ve remembered creating a child.” He shrugged. “Or not. Happy hour and body shots were definitely two of my better ideas.”

Uriel shook off his confusion. “Juno also got in touch when you found them. Where have you been since we lost sight of you in Salem?”

“Everywhere.” I took a seat across from him, and we both tuned out Levi’s destruction as I shared about my search for my siblings across the globe and my frequent moves. “I tried to put out word to the powers-that-be for help, but the only angel I was sent was one trying to destroy me.”

“Communication with Earth and our view there has grown strained.”

Levi moved over to a couch and flopped down, waving his hand over the coffee table in front of him. A French press, delicate mug, and a large churro appeared. At Uriel’s raised brow, he lifted a shoulder. “You’re the one who mentioned them.”

Uriel kept staring.

Letting out a long-suffering sigh, Levi swirled his finger until a small vortex appeared. He reached in and pulled out a fluffy pastry covered in powdered sugar. Both the pastry and the plate were shaped like the head of a mouse.

Juno mentioned a churro obsession, but I didn’t take her seriously.

“You should’ve,” Levi said. “Who doesn’t love the happiest place on Earth?”

“Tell us about this angel,” Uriel ordered, powder smeared across his pale face as he dug into the snack.

Levi gave another sigh as he repeated the vortex process and pulled out another pastry, handing it to me.

As I ate, I thought about Marissa.

She’d been ballsy and independent.

Not shy and sweet.

Tall and classically beautiful.

Not short with mesmerizingly beautiful and unique features.

She’d sworn almost as frequently as I did and had boldly pursued me.

No cheeks flushing at every muttered half swear. No tentative touches.

We could go days without seeing each other because we were both driven—me with my restaurant and her as a partner in an investment firm.

It hadn’t felt like I was leaving behind half my soul and losing my mind just by being in a different room.

She’d thought she’d crafted herself to be my perfect mate, but she’d been wrong.

Because she hadn’t been Aurora.

“A handful of years ago, this woman showed up in my restaurant in Mississippi, claiming to be my other half. That she’d been guided to me. She knew things I thought only my mate would know.” My gut clenched when I remembered the way she’d tried to play me.

How she’d almost succeeded.

She’d made a massive mistake, though.

“We were seeing each other for a few months when she came over one night. She excitedly told me she thought my siblings were over in the UK where I’d been stationed when our territories were split before the curse. She said that was where we needed to be, and that she would leave behind everything to go with me. That she’d help me sell the restaurant. I’d already ignored my instincts when it came to her because I was desperate for my mate, but I was completely blinded by my desire to find my siblings. I began packing immediately.” I felt like a fool all over again, but I pushed on with my story. “I was supposed to leave the following morning, but at the last minute I decided to stop into Barley to let them know I was stepping away. When I got there, she was showing it to someone. I heard her say how well it would franchise. That they could switch to cheaper ingredients, raise prices, and cut the wages to increase the profit margins.”

Marissa had always been materialistic. She ate and drank and splurged. Her house had always been filled with takeout containers in the trash and stacks of unopened deliveries. She’d made her own money, so why the hell should I care what she did with it? I’d viewed it as a positive.

After living so long on my own in the dark, she’d been a strobing disco ball who loved life and lived it to the fullest.

Blinding me.

Disorienting me.

Not a steady light that guided me through the darkness like Aurora.

“My mate would never suggest any of that. Her own greed aside, she knew that wasn’t what I wanted or who I was. I went to confront her, and I was hit with this…” I rubbed my chest. “This void. Torn edges surrounded it, but the man no longer had a soul. I didn’t think. I knew my magicks wouldn’t hurt my mate or an innocent human, so I sent a blast into the room. They both turned to dust.”

Marissa’s had fallen with a heavy thud, the particles dense and black like the ones in Nate and Denny’s kitchen.

The man’s, though? It’d spread.

And then ignited.

“Wasn’t until I was staring at the powder that used to be my girlfriend that I figured out she wasn’t full of a soul. There was no spot for one because she wasn’t a human. Not a demon, either. That left angel. It also made me realize I’d never told her where I’d been before the curse.” I leveled a raised brow at Uriel. “Heaven’s having a loyalty issue.”

“We’re aware.” And his clenched fists showed what he thought of it. “What happened next?”

I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Her soulless Absolve partner had torched my restaurant on his way out. I took that as a sign, finished packing, and headed up to Maine to hide in a cabin till the world ended, or I worked out how to die.”

Uriel sat back, stunned. “Your visions didn’t guide you back to your siblings?”

“What visions?”

“You’re supposed to have visions.” He stabbed a finger to the shelves at the side. “Light. Fulfillment. Prophecy. Visions.”

“You got me on fulfillment. I can easily sense when people are physically or emotionally full.” I thought about what Lilith had said about Aurora’s aura—how it was golden—and pride filled my chest. “But the light and visions are my mate.”

“Told you we should’ve summoned her,” Levi said with a dramatic swing of his churro that sent cinnamon across the white couch and carpet. “You robbed me of a reunion with my daughter.”

“You don’t have a daughter,” Uriel snapped.

“Not with that attitude.” He kicked his feet up on the table and sent the French press tumbling, adding coffee and soaked grounds to the cinnamon mess. “I’ll have you know, plenty of women have called me Daddy.”

“Are we done here?” I asked, impatient to get back to what I’d been doing before they’d forced me to beige hell.

Uriel stopped praying for Levi to get amnesia and leaned forward again. “I thought you’d be happier, Dubhloach.”

“I am happy. When I’m with my mate. Which is where I’d like to be right now.”

“In just a flannel shirt?” Levi gave a low whistle. “Between you and Lenuson, I’m starting to think you’re all more me than heaven sent. Why be an angel when you can be a sex god, amirite?”

“Get out of my head,” I gritted out.

Ignoring Levi completely, Uriel tilted his head. “But you love angels. Isn’t that what you always say? For the love of angels.”

“I said they’re loved. Not that it’s deserved.”

My irritation changed in a blink. A shudder rocked through me as fear—no terror—skittered over my skin. Crawled up my spine. Its tendrils wrapped around my throat until no air was in my lungs.

“Send me back,” I wheezed out. “Now.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A KNIFE TO A MAGICKS FIGHT THIS TIME

AURORA

Five days.

It’d been five very long days since Deke disappeared.

Which, coincidentally, meant it’d been five days since I’d had a good night’s sleep.

A decent one.

Just any, really.

Surprisingly, I was doing okay on very little rest. Or sleep deprivation had kicked in and was making me think that.

Either way.

What I wasn’t handling well was Deke’s continued absence. I missed him. I wanted him back. I wanted to finish what we’d started.

Badly.

Lilith bumped her shoulder into mine, her gaze on where I was yet again rubbing my chest. “He’ll be back soon. Time passes differently there.”

“Did you or Lennon go to Heaven?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Rafe—Raphael, my archangel—came to Earth. It was right before my dad passed away, and they didn’t want me gone when that happened.”

I expected to see anger or even hurt on her face. After all, her mate was Pestilence and she had an archangel, yet her father was still gone.

But there was no bitterness. Just appreciation that she hadn’t missed that goodbye.

“I went,” Juno said. “Hell, too. Stellan only went to Heaven.”

“Nate went when he got his memories back,” Denny added. “He was able to get a message to me through his mind connection to Juno, but it was still a long wait for him to return.”

I tried forcing a message through my thoughts. “Where are you?”

Like when his siblings had tried over the previous few days, nothing happened.

“Where is that bossy bastard of a mate?” Juno asked Denny. As the only one without a mortal job, he usually accompanied her to the training sessions.

“At the station with your mate, actually.”

Lilith pretended to check a watch. “Oh, is it Take Your Death to Work Day already?”

“There’s been another surge of missing people,” Denny said.

“Well, damn, why didn’t you tell me before I made that heartless joke. Now I feel like an asshole.”

“Says the princess of joking at inappropriate times,” Juno said. “The queen is still your mom for making that boner joke at the hospital.”

Lilith tried to force a scowl, but there was too much warmth. She smoothed it out. “Okay, missing people.”

“Stellan says he isn’t sure if they’re related to this or just an unfortunate side effect of normal, everyday evil. Nate went to look through the files to see if anything jumped out, just in case.”

From what I gathered, Lennon was almost done at the hospital, but it’d been decided that Stellan should keep working as a detective since it gave him access to possible clues and connections.

I wonder if Deke will be able to open another restaurant. I hope so. That’s the only time I’ve seen him look fulfilled.

Well, other than…

“What’s on the training agenda today?” I asked, needing a distraction.

Since returning to Salem without Deke, I’d spent my sleepless nights watching TV at Stellan’s cute house with Victoria. I’d spent my days training with Juno, Lilith, and Denny. Lilith was usually parked in front of one of Juno’s magicks books, testing out what magicks she could do. While she did that, she guided a boot camp in kicking ass.

Juno and Denny weren’t as established in fighting as Lilith, but they were still miles above me. It made me more determined to catch up.

I didn’t want to be the one dragging everyone down because I was an easy target.

Denny also worked on trying to create a larger, more powerful electric surge from her palm, but she hadn’t had much success.

I, on the other hand, had no success bringing on a vision. Not a single one.

“Stellan’s hung—” Juno started.

“We know, we know,” Denny muttered with a teasing smile.

“Ha, ha. It’s true, though.” Juno got a dreamy look on her face before giving her head a shake. “Anyway, he hung a couple of punching bags in the back room because we need to work on hitting without holding back. Denny and I will do that. I want you to read one of my books with Lilith.”

“I’m so bad, I’m being benched from fake fighting?” I asked.

“No, you’re being benched because you haven’t had a vision since you got here. I’m hoping something in one of those passages can trigger one.”

Since the accident, I’d prayed for my curse to go away. Now that I’d accepted the possibility that it wasn’t a curse after all, it was still radio silence.

I just had to hope my prayers hadn’t worked, and it wasn’t permanent.

While Denny and Juno were distracted by whether they should wear boxing gloves since they wouldn’t have them during a real fight, I asked Lilith, “Is Lennon done at the hospital?”

“Today is his last day. Why?”

“Is he still able to prescribe medicine?”

“I think so. But again I ask… Why?”

“Do you think he’d be willing to write a script for my old sleeping pills?”

“Probably. What’re they gonna do, fire him?” She pulled her phone out. “What’re the names?”

I rattled off the names and doses from the bottles, likely butchering the pronunciation since they always made them weird.

“Sent. We’ll see what he says. Are you tired? We can probably use that to get out of training today.” She grinned. “Kidding… Kind of.”

“I’m not tired, but I haven’t really slept.”

Her face softened. “It’s got to be hard with Deke literally a heaven away.”

I shook my head, but it turned into a nod. “It’s not that. I mean, it is. But I’ve never been a good sleeper. It can’t be healthy.”

“None of us require much sleep,” she shared. “And it gets less the longer we’ve been together. But we’ll still see what he says, just in case.”

It helped knowing I wasn’t alone. Not with my weird sleep. Not with my powers. And not at all. I had Deke—whenever he returned—and friends.

Actual friends.

Leaving Tom and Victoria in the apartment to snore the day away in their still uneasy friendship, we made our way down the steps that led to the street.

Lilith’s phone beeped, and her steps slowed. “Uh, Aurora?”

Dread swirled in my stomach, mixing with something else unpleasant. “Yes?”

“Have you ever been diagnosed with anxiety?”

“I’ve never been diagnosed with anything. I’ve never even been to the doctor. Why do you ask?”

“Lennon said only one of those pills is a sleep aid. The rest are strong benzos.” She whistled. “And much higher quantities than someone your size needs.” She halted abruptly on the sidewalk outside of Novel Idea, her gaze rising from the screen to look at me. “He said if you were a normal human, you’d be dead. Did you never look them up?”

“I wasn’t allowed to have a phone or full internet access.”

“Whhaaaaaa…”

Together.

Together.

Togethertogethertogether.

Their voices warbled behind the refrain in my head before fading completely. Hazy edges of my sight brightened. Pushed in as a vision took over. Not of the future, but of the past.

Ryan talking to a doctor in the congregation at one of the smaller churches we’d attended after fleeing Arkansas. Condescendingly laughing at my fragile female disposition. Portraying me like I was overwrought, and he was the selfless man who shouldered the burden.

Then him with other doctors from our different churches or neighborhoods, each conversation the same. The longer I watched, the more the color faded. Everything slowed. Voices were dull and emotionless.

Pleasant, obedient smiles curved Ryan’s mouth, and it was echoed in my memories. It was my automatic smile.

The brighter colors.

Stronger emotions.

My disobedience.

The fog that’s lifted without my nightly regimen of sleep meds.

The image rippled like a rock thrown into still water.

That time when I saw Ryan, he wasn’t artfully disheveled in his usual way—the curated persona that framed him as the cool everyman. He was just disheveled. Stressed. Angry.

Scared.

Overpowering me, he worked to shove those pills down my throat. To drug me back into submission.

A booming voice filled my head. Not Ryan or Past Gideon. It was my own voice, but different. Stronger.

It isn’t the future written as fact, but as a choose-your-own-adventure. Flip to page thirty or page ninety-two.

Which way it goes depends on…

Together.

Together.

Togethertogethertogether.

Together!

“You think there’s some water around her we can throw at her? I can’t see shit down here.”

“There is, but it’s stagnant rainwater that’s leaked in and probably contains brain-eating parasites.”

“Eh, she can survive that. At least she wouldn’t be catatonic.” Someone harrumphed. “How can I be all powerful but not have night vision?”

“You’re not the night monster.”

“La-de-da.”

“And you were there,” I muttered to the familiar voices as I came to. “And you. And you. Together.”

Togethertogethertogether.

I rapidly blinked, my dry eyes burning with each rise and fall of my lids. I could barely see the three of them in the dark, dank room. “What happened? Where are we?”

“We were talking on the sidewalk, and you just went blank,” Juno said, pacing the dark, dank space. “What happened?”

“A vision.”

I think.

“If that was a vision, I take back what I said. I don’t want you to trigger one. Ever. We’ll figure something else out. How are you at stabbing? Maybe a flamethrower⁠—”

“Where are we?” I repeated, cutting her hysterics short.

“While you were frozen, an Absolve dick-pickle squealed up in a van to grab you. We jumped in, too.”

That was… oddly touching.

Stupid.

Idiotic.

But I couldn’t deny it made me all warm and fuzzy inside.

“Can either of you transport us out of here?” I asked.

“We tried. There are wards carved into the wall,” Lilith said.

“They’re not invisible? Odd. Primitive. And another perk of your night vision. I’m doing two-day delivery on some goggles as soon as we get out of here.” Juno put her hand on my forehead. “Are you okay? You didn’t blink once. And then you got this creepy Stepford Wives smile. My heebies are officially fucking jeebied.”

“I’m fine. That was… different. My visions are usually short. Fleeting little glimpses.”

“Something to look into later. Once we’re out of this basement, my goggles are on their way, and… Oh no, she’s frozen again. It’s starting.”

“Shh,” I whispered seconds before footsteps sounded above us.

“What’s happening?” Juno asked Lilith, but she just shrugged.

“You don’t hear that?”

Everyone shook their heads.

My mind raced.

These women—the first true friends I’d ever had in my life—were there because of me. To protect me when I’d been vulnerable. I couldn’t let something happen to them.

My chest tightened at the thought, but before panic could fully flare, it seemed to kickstart something. The right half of my vision went fuzzy.

Oh hell, I’m having a stroke.

Isn’t it supposed to be the left side?

And I don’t smell toast.

When it came into focus, I still saw the dark basement on the left side. On the right, though, two suited men stood in a nasty kitchen. Dishes were piled high, all of them caked in moldy food and crawling insects. Rodents scurried by, but the men didn’t notice.

Not even when a massive rat went over one of their feet.

I hadn’t been cognizant, but I somehow knew the scrawny guy was the one who’d taken us.

My suspicion was confirmed when the bigger man shoved him and shouted, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Your assignment was to watch them. Watch. That’s all.”

“I was watching. But all of a sudden, the one the boss wants was just standing there.” Weasley guy shuddered. “Weirdo eyes totally blank like she was dead. It was my chance to fulfill my destiny.”

“So you decided to try to take all of them?”

Our kidnapper’s chest was puffed out as he gripped his lapels and bragged, “There was no try. I grabbed the one, and the rest followed. They must’ve known they had no chance against me.”

“A and Z are not gonna be happy about this. We need all eight. Together.”

Togethertogethertogether.

Scrawny shrugged. “So we’re halfway there.”

The angry one took out his phone. “I already called the boss to tell him we have her. He’s sending help.”

“What do you mean we?”

“Well, we’re both here. You’ll need me in case those devil spawns call in demons or—” His words cut off, turning into a gurgle. His sharp inhale was a wet squelch as his lungs flooded with blood. It traveled up to pour from his mouth. He stumbled, knocking filth from the counters before falling to the stained linoleum.

Roaches, rats, and who knew what else descended instantly on the warm feast barely clinging to life.

Our kidnapper pointed his bloody dagger down at the prone body. “You think you can treat me like I’m stupid and then try to take credit for my service? I am God’s servant against evil. I am mankind’s protector. I am the one who apprehended Satan’s jezebels. The honor and the glory and the accolades are for me and me alone.”

Then, like he hadn’t just murdered someone from his own side of the perilous game, he tucked the dagger into the sheath at the waistband of his dress slacks and began whistling the theme song to a sitcom from the eighties.

My partial view of the kitchen faded to just the basement.

What the hell was that?

“Aurora, if you don’t answer us, I’m waterboarding you in that hot water tank,” Juno threatened, shaking my shoulders. “And I can already tell it’s rusty as hell.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” I grabbed her arms to stop the shaking, but I kept hold of her even when she was done. That feeling of gratitude and friendship went through me again. If it weren’t for the dagger-wielding murderer headed our way, I might’ve hugged her.

“Two smudgy auras turned to one,” Lilith frantically whispered to fill me in.

“I know. He killed his buddy. I’ll explain later, but he’s coming.” I took a shaky breath and pushed my shoulders back. For the first time since my accident, I didn’t feel alone. And I also didn’t feel like a coward. “He wants me. As soon as he takes me upstairs, find a way to get free.”

“If you think we’re handing you over without a fight, you’re out of your mind.”

“But he has a knife.”

“And I have magicks.” She held her arms. “What kind of thundercunt brings a knife to a magicks fight?”

“But if he’s warded⁠—”

“We’ll figure it out,” Juno said.

“Together,” Lilith added as she stepped next to her.

Togethertogethertogether.

“What they said,” Denny agreed, taking her place on the other side.

Juno gave a firm nod that I could barely make out in the dark. “That was corny as shit and very Lifetime movie special of us, but I stand by it.”

A door creaked open, and the light buzzed, flickered, and eventually turned on to illuminate the small space.

I wished it hadn’t.

The kitchen had been bad, but double the amount of bugs and rodents scurried in the dilapidated basement.

I need ten showers.

“You.” The man pointed at me. “Let’s go.”

“Good luck with that,” Juno scoffed as she inched over to block me. She gestured to the single bulb that hung from the naked light feature. “I give you points for committing fully to the creeper theme, but have you never heard of a mop? Broom? Raid?” She lifted her chin in a slow, exaggerated show of understanding. “I get it. You use bug spray, you disappear. Makes sense.”

He whipped his suit jacket back like a cheesy magician doing a flourish. His hand hovered over the dagger. “You got a death wish?”

“If I wanted to die, I’d just jump from my IQ down to yours.”

“You asked for it.” He unsheathed the weapon and wiggled his fingers. “Who first?”

Someone started laughing in the face of danger but, shockingly, it wasn’t Juno.

It was Lilith.

She gasped and softly snorted, which just made the other two laugh.

They’ve lost their minds.

“Sorry,” she wheezed. “Do you think this is a bad action movie where we’ll attack you one at a time while the others patiently wait their turn? Fuck that.”

Finally giving in to my brain’s demands, Juno, Lilith, and I charged the man together.

And we weren’t the only ones.

The rats and mice moved, too.

He scrambled as he tried to kick the rodents and lash out at the three of us at the same time, missing each time. Lilith ducked and weaved, easily dodging his lunge. Moving faster than his eyes could track, she knocked his knife from his hand before kicking the side of his knee to drop him.

Red smoke shimmered out of Juno, a tentative tendril to assess for blowback.

And I was also there.

Not that I was totally useless. I’d seen the conversation upstairs. Plus, I’d landed a kick to his shin. It’d probably hurt me more than him, but it’d been a good distraction so the other two could do their thing.

I really need more training.

No more getting distracted talking books with Denny.

Or drinking piña coladas with Juno.

Or bonding over tuna melts with Lilith.

As the red fully encompassed him, the rodents stopped biting his exposed flesh to retreat.

“What the hell is with that?” Denny asked, kicking out her feet like she was worried they’d scamper up her leggings next.

Juno’s gaze darted to me, but she shrugged before focusing on the man. “Who is coming to help?”

“Fuck you.” He spit, but it hit red and bounced back on him. “I die knowing I’m going to heaven while you cunts will burn for eternity in⁠—”

“The preachy hypocrisy. I can’t listen to it again.” Denny finally stomped forward and paused with her hand outstretched. Waiting.

“I don’t have Lennon’s truth lasso skills, but I don’t think we’re getting anything out of this guy anyway. He’s too far gone.” Juno dipped her head. “Have at it.”

“Any last words?” Denny asked.

“Burn in⁠—”

“Hell. Yes, we know.” She ducked down so her face was level with him. “This gives me great pleasure to inform you that the soulless don’t go to Heaven. Or Hell. You will just cease to exist, and the world will be better for it.”

“Z and A⁠—”

“Will make our lives miserable. Torture us. Grind our bones to make their overnight oats. Heard it all before.” Denny touched the man’s forehead.

And he turned to dust.

She stepped over the pile of soot. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Moving quickly but quietly, we climbed the steps, pausing every so often to listen for movement or feel for presences. We were nearly to the door when it opened.

And my nightmare began.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

VIOLENCE IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL

AURORA

No.

No, no, no.

Ryan stood in the doorway, blocking our exit.

Our escape.

Like in my vision, he looked tense and disheveled. His suit was rumbled, but his face softened the instant he saw me. “Sweetheart. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. We need to go.”

“What’s it look like we’re trying to do?” Juno asked. “If you’d get out of our way.”

“Aurora, come here. I’ll protect you like always.”

“You’re not supposed to still be in Salem.” It was the only reason I hadn’t pinched Deke the moment I’d found out where we were. I mentally recalled the tour list in the email. “You should be in Providence right now.”

Shock coated his handsome features at my spoken words before they softened. “And leave you? No. Never. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“I left when you were in Maine.”

“But he had a feeling you’d be here.” He grinned, but it was… off. “And he was right, of course.”

“Th-that guy,” I stammered out. “The angry one from Beacon.”

“Not a concern. I won’t let him get you. I won’t let anyone get you,” he vowed.

“Okay, who the hell is this dude?” Denny asked. I could see her head tilt out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Ryan.

My Ryan.

“Her fiancé,” he answered. “She shouldn’t be talking to you. Or anyone. She was in an accident, and she’s not fully there, you know? What she says shouldn’t be trusted.”

Memories of Pastor Gideon’s screaming echoed through my head. Spittle spraying from his mouth as he called me a liar. A sinner. A heathen who couldn’t be trusted because my curse was trying to take down the righteous.

“She needs me,” Ryan continued, so earnest and convincing. “So, if you don’t mind, I’m taking her home with me where she belongs.”

“Not happening.” In my peripheral, I saw Juno wiggle her fingers by her side in preparation.

But my gaze stayed locked with Ryan’s, and he gave me the same smile he used to. The one that said he knew what was best for me. That I needed to trust him. That he would take care of me.

“We need to get you away from them. They’re leading your sinner’s soul astray. Your curse is worse, isn’t it? Hitting you harder?” His hand went to his chest. “I was worried about this. As soon as the leaders from Beacon said that these monsters were trying to weaponize you by claiming you were mates with one of them, I knew I had to get to you.”

“It’s a lie?”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but yes. They’re using you.”

I followed the pull that drew me to him, shaking off the women’s attempts to hold me back.

Once I stood in front of the man I’d shared a life with for six years, I stopped. I let the hurt saturate my voice. “Juno, do you know how that makes me feel?”

“He’s lying,” she seethed. “Holy shit, he’s not even good at it. He’s like a smarmy used car salesman, a fuckboy, and a finance bro all rolled into one douchey package. He’ll try to sell you crypto while he roofies your drink.”

“Do you know how that makes me feel?” I repeated.

Ryan reached for me, and it wasn’t scary.

It was terrifying.

Juno’s voice was pissed. “No because⁠—”

“It makes me wish I was seeing red,” I rushed out as his hand wrapped around my wrist.

“It also makes me fucking see re—Oh. Ohhhhh.”

Before he could get a secure grip, gauzy magicks quickly blanketed his body.

A slimy fish caught in her net.

He didn’t even realize something was amiss until I dropped the docile kitten act and glared up at him.

“What’re you doing?” He wiggled but didn’t get far. “Hey. Why can’t I move? Aurora. What’s going on?”

“They’re using me?” I snapped once I knew he couldn’t hurt me—I was angry, not stupid. “You mean how you did? You used my visions to make it seem like you had a connection to God, all while shaming me. Scaring me. Making me believe I was a sinner doomed to Hell. You kept me isolated. You locked me in a closet when you deemed me a failure. I only failed because you were drugging me, you asshole. You knew.” My voice grew thick, and I had to clear my throat. “You knew what I’d been through, and you capitalized on that pain to benefit yourself.”

“I was helping your soul,” he tried.

If I had a dagger, I would’ve used it like the men in the kitchen because I also wasn’t a fan of stolen glory.

“My soul is just fine. It always was. You preyed on me and my insecurities, taking credit for what I could do while forcing me into the silent shadows. It was never about saving souls or reaching others with your faith. It was about the big house. The prestige. The payday and the praise.” I sneered at him. “They say pride cometh before the fall, but I would have no idea. You never made me cometh at all.”

“Oh shit,” Lilith whispered from behind me.

Having my back.

They all did.

Lifetime special or not, it was the truth.

I patted his pockets and found the pills stashed there so he could drug me. Dull me.

Force me back into the obedient daze.

My fingertips skimmed upward, and I ignored the repulsive—and unimpressive—bulge that pressed against his slacks. The pull I felt was to an area farther north.

Mouth twisting in disgust, I muttered, “It’s gone.”

“What is?” he asked, arousal flaring in his eyes.

It was more than I’d seen from him in years. The meaner I was, the more he seemed to get off on it.

Gross.

“Your soul. You’re empty.”

Like Deke, I could feel it. Under my fingertips, there was a noxious void in his chest, like a corrosive disease that was slowly spreading.

Poisoning him.

“A small price to pay for what matters.” Unlike the man downstairs, there was doubt in his pinched expression and shaky voice. “A sacrifice for the greater good.”

“The greater good? You sacrificed your afterlife for duplicity.”

“No. No way. Steve Jones is a prophet. He was moved by my streamed service. He knew that no one could speak like that unless they were special. I’m special, Aurora. But you’re the one with the visions. Your knowledge and my words… We need both to fight the battle of good and evil. It’s the end of days.” He looked pleadingly at me. “He really does speak to God. You have to believe me. He knew about the girls. What I’ve done. My sins.”

“Or he followed a two-minute tutorial to infect your electronics with spyware to learn everything,” Denny said before rearing back. “Wait, did you say girls? Not women. Girls? Oh, it’s time. Tell me it’s time.”

Years. I’d spent years following that man.

Loving him—or what I thought was love, at least.

Ignoring the red flags he threw around like confetti.

Letting him tear me down, hurt me, betray me, all while he made me feel responsible for it.

Like a failure.

He’d dulled my world.

Thanks to his missing soul, we would end his.

“One last thing.” I glanced over my shoulder at Juno and flicked my finger back and forth. “Please spread his legs.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said with a sassy mock salute, her red magicks forcing him to stand with his legs apart.

Once there was enough space between them, I hauled my leg back. “You ruined my life.”

I kicked.

Hard.

I hadn’t learned much during training, but I had learned that effective move.

“Fuck,” he wheezed, turning green.

But I wasn’t done.

“And used me.”

Another kick.

“And made me feel like a failure at everything.”

Another kick.

“And made me scared for my soul.”

A harder kick.

Inhaling, I thought I was done.

I thought wrong.

My harsh, clipped words were each accompanied with a fierce kick. “I. Fucking. Hate. Frittatas.”

Breathing hard, I backed away and felt better than I ever had. There was long-overdue vengeance and violence in my heart, but peace in my soul.

My bright one.

No, my golden one.

“Denny,” I said without a second’s doubt or remorse. Ryan had brought it on himself the moment he’d bartered his soul for his secrets.

“Yippee.” She put her hand to his forehead.

In an instant, none of his body remained, yet the dust—far lighter than the other man’s—almost formed the shape of one.

Right until Lilith sneezed. Then it scattered to mix with the actual dust that coated the disgusting house.

“Oops, sorry. Sorry.”

“No dust off my ass,” I said just as a tremor went through me. Not a bad one, but a powerful one.

I glanced behind us to see the rodents and bugs hovering nearby. Looking forward, I saw birds.

A lot of birds.

Too many fucking birds.

Another shudder. “We need to leave.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Juno bolted out the door, her magicks creating a protective tunnel for us, but it didn’t seem necessary. The birds weren’t interested.

Once we were a safe distance from the rickety house in the secluded area, she grabbed my arm and Lilith grabbed Denny’s.

“I hate this part,” Denny groaned.

“Not me,” I got out before we were suddenly in Denny’s living room.

“Where the fuck have you four been?”

If anyone was going to yell, I would’ve put money on it being Nate, but it wasn’t his booming voice.

It was Stellan’s.

No longer calm and stoic, his normally tidy hair was sticking up like he’d been running his hands through it. His eyes were distraught as he rubbed his chest and scanned his mate.

The other two men had matching looks, moving quickly to close the distance and reassure themselves their women were okay.

“You cut your last day short,” Lilith said to Lennon.

“Snuck out before the going-away fuss I did not want. Are you okay?”

Guilt that they’d been in danger because of me swirled in my churning stomach. Gratitude that they’d been there battled with it.

And grief at Deke’s continued absence.

That was what I selfishly felt most of all.

“I asked you a question, pixie,” Stellan said. “Victoria scratched a hole in your front door to get down to the stores. She wouldn’t stop barking until Lea called me. None of us could feel or get messages through to you all. So again, where were you?”

Victoria did all that?

That dog deserves the fanciest of feasts.

Or is that just a cat food?

“House party in a warded basement,” Juno answered. “Very exclusive. Just us, a few dozen rats, a thousand roaches, and like a million birds. Plus, a few soulless bastards.”

“Training in the back room. That’s what you said you were doing. I was good to go to work because you’d be training in the back room.”

“And that was the plan. But on our walk in there, Aurora froze, and an Absolve bastard grabbed her.”

His gaze tore away from his mate long enough to give me a clinical scan to check for injury or trauma. “She froze?”

“I thought she’d seen the asshole, and it was just her four-Fs response to being scared.” At everyone’s confused faces, Juno lifted a hand to count off. “Fight. Flight. Freeze. Or… mate. The four Fs.”

“How did he overpower all of you?”

“By the time we realized what was happening, he had her. So I jumped in the van, too.”

“You—” He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “You jumped in the van? Willingly?”

“Yeah.” The duh went unsaid but was heavily implied.

“And you?” Nate asked.

Denny shrugged. “Juno was my ride, sooo…”

Juno put her hands on her hips and leveled Stellan with a fierce look. “If you think I’m the kind of woman who doesn’t take ovaries-before-broveries as gospel, then you don’t know me at all, Detective. I am their ride. Their ride or die.”

“It’s the die part that’s giving me grays and reflux.” His shoulders relaxed slightly, and a hint of a smile played at his lips. “I’m well aware of your stubborn loyalty. I’m asking why you didn’t use magicks to stop him, oh powerful one.”

“I love when you talk dirty to me, and flattery will get you out of trouble for raising your voice.” I wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline draining or the concern on Stellan’s face, but Juno dropped the jokes and turned somber. “I wasn’t sure if he was warded. There were people out shopping. Customers in the store. And by the time we realized what was up, he had her.”

“What happened?”

Juno quickly recapped us fighting the scrawny Absolve guy. “Then Aurora’s fiancé showed up and tried to force her to go with him.”

I opened my mouth to correct her, but I didn’t get the chance.

“Her what?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

FULL

AURORA

Spinning, I saw Deke storm across the room wearing a fancy white suit.

Heaven must have a dress code.

Anger tightened his features as he headed straight for me. I didn’t back down, cower, or flinch. I knew I didn’t have to.

Deke would never hurt me—even if he did look murderous.

Sure enough, his touch was firm but tender as he cupped my cheeks and pulled me to him, his mouth covering mine in a rough kiss. We were both panting by the time he tore himself away, but he didn’t release me. He plastered my body to his. “I thought you’d be at the cabin.”

“When you didn’t return, I loaded Victoria into the truck and drove here.”

“Spiffy suit,” Juno said. “You’ve been gone for five years.”

At his flare of panic, I put my hand to his chest. “It’s been five days.”

“This is exactly why I said you shouldn’t return to Maine,” Nate put in.

Denny wrapped her arms around him. “No one likes a know-it-all.”

“But I do know it all, my little hellion. Yet no one wants to listen.”

Other than a quick glare at his brother, Deke ignored everyone but me. “To me, it felt like hours, and even that was too long to be away. I’m sorry, my one.”

“They let me know time passes differently there. I’ve been okay.”

He tilted my head up. “You were terrified.”

“That must’ve been when her fiancé grabbed her,” Juno not-so-helpfully filled in.

“He’s not my fiancé,” I rushed out.

At the same time, Deke’s face darkened, and his quiet voice still seemed to echo. “He touched you? I will rip his head from his body.”

“Too late.” Denny lifted her hand. “Already dead and dusted.”

“But if you want your bits to remain outside of your body, heed my warning.” Juno jabbed a finger toward the kitchen. “Do not make Aurora a frittata.”

He blinked, completely lost, but that didn’t stop him from agreeing. “Of course not. She hates them.” He scanned me again like he didn’t trust I was okay. “We’re leaving.”

“There’s much to discuss,” Nate started before sighing. “Tomorrow.”

“Victoria—”

My words were cut off by Juno. “Lea has her and Tom. Have fun releasing some of that pent-up… magicks.”

Her lovely cackle faded along with the room. When everything sharpened again, we weren’t at the cabin, Stellan’s house, or even the truck I’d left parked outside of Juno’s.

We were in some woods.

Still breathing heavily from the thrill ride, I turned.

And what little air I had in my lungs was pushed out in a scream.

“It’s okay,” Deke reassured me. “It’s just a monument.”

“Where are we?”

“An abandoned cemetery.”

That’s not ominous.

I scanned around us. “What if someone was here? If they saw us? Do you know the kind of unhinged conspiracy theories you could’ve created online?”

“Felt that it was empty before I brought us here.”

“Oh.”

With a hand on my lower back, Deke guided me the short distance to the exit and down the block. He remained tense and silent the whole way. When we neared a row of businesses, he finally whispered, “It’s okay.”

I didn’t have the chance to ask what he meant because he opened a glass door to reveal people. A lot of them. It wasn’t dinnertime yet, but the restaurant was already packed. Not an empty table or barstool was in sight.

I was comfortable with Deke. And, thanks to a few days in their company, his family.

Strangers was a different story, though.

I stayed quiet and pressed to his side.

Despite the busy day, the hostess had a genuine smile as she hurried over. It made a matching one spread across Deke’s face.

“Hi,” she greeted. “Sorry, we’re booked for the night. If you’d like, I can set you a future reservation.”

“Not needed. Is Monica here?” Deke asked.

“One moment.” She disappeared into the back, and I wanted to ask Deke who Monica was, but it would have to wait.

A minute later, an older Black woman came out, wiping her hands on a towel. It didn’t help the puffs of flour—or maybe powdered sugar—that’d mixed with the gray in her curly hair. “Someone’s looking for…” Her words and her steps both faltered as she spotted Deke.

I had the same reaction to him, but hers wasn’t because of how hot he was. Her mouth dropped open, and she looked like she’d seen a ghost.

“Daniel?” she shakily whispered.

“Was my grandfather,” Deke said.

It was a lie, but so smooth and undetectable, I nearly believed him.

“I’m Deacon.” He held out his hand. “Deke.”

She took it and forced a laugh that was no less shaky than her whisper. “Right. Of course. That was… Sorry. I knew him when I was a little girl. Before my daddy took over Limos. God bless both their souls.” Seeming to realize she still shook his hand, she released it and nervously fluffed, folded, and refolded the towel. Her gaze was stuck on him the whole time. “You just look so much like him.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“I should have a picture around here of the two of them. My daddy and your granddaddy. I can get you a table and see if I can find it.”

That time when Deke smiled, it didn’t reach his eyes. “That’s okay.”

“Right. You know what Daniel looked like.” She cleared her throat. “What can I do for you?”

“Wanted to let you know that my girlfriend and I will be staying up in the apartment. So if you hear anything, it’s not raccoons that broke in again.”

The woman’s expression turned panicked even though she tried to hide it.

That was okay. Mine probably looked the same.

Girlfriend.

He just called me his girlfriend.

It was a silly thing to freak out over. Obviously, girlfriend would garner fewer follow-up questions than calling me his fated-by-the-universe soulmate.

Less of a tongue twister, too.

And a girlfriend wasn’t even that powerful of a title compared to the whole mate thing.

But it was a more common word. One my brain instantly recognized and reacted to.

“The apartment,” she said. “Right. I don’t think there’s anything in there. It hasn’t been rented in a few months, but the cleaner recently came by, and there’s…” Her nervous rambling trailed off, and she cut to the chase. “Limos?”

“Is yours. I just inherited the building.”

For the first time since she’d seen Deke, Monica visibly relaxed. “Oh, thank goodness. I was worried you’d found out Daniel sold this place to my daddy for a dollar, and now you were here to contest it, and I’m just now realizing I should’ve kept my mouth shut in case you didn’t know that.”

Deke chuckled. “I knew. It’s still yours. Like I said, just wanted to let you know we’d be staying upstairs.”

“I just made a batch of beignets. Want a baggy to go?”

Deke looked down to check with me. Still queasy from the nasty house, I shook my head. He did, too. “I’m beignet’d out today. Maybe next time.”

Why is he beignet’d out?

“Well, call down if you change your mind. I’m gonna get back into the kitchen before I put my foot in my mouth again.”

Deke used his hand on my back to steer me outside and to the side of the building.

“Your key ring is still at Juno’s,” I told him.

“Not necessary.” Green smoke drifted into the lock, turning it.

The fiery sweetness from my vision.

It’s his magicks.

“What’s Limos mean?” I asked as we walked up the stairs.

“Famine in Greek Mythology. Hunger.”

Fitting name for a restaurant.

And the man knows how to stick with a theme.

At the top of the stairs, he did his green smoke thing again and swung the door open.

I’d anticipated a small one-bedroom apartment or maybe a tiny studio. Instead, it was an expansive spread with aged brick walls, exposed beam ceilings, and shiny hardwood floors.

“Wow,” I breathed. “I mean, it’s no cabin, but wow. We lucked out that it wasn’t being rented.”

Deke ran his palm over his beard. “Not luck. Something told me not to list it when the last renters moved out.”

“Oh.” I walked farther in, my steps echoing.

I didn’t get the chance to ask about furniture—though I would sleep on the floor if it meant being with Deke—before that green smoke filled the room.

I let out a happy giggle as joy and fire and fullness swirled around me.

When it faded, it didn’t leave me bereft with a reminder of how hollow I always was. Because that wasn’t how I felt thanks to Deke.

I looked around to see furniture that was similar to what we had in the cabin, just newer. “How’d you do that?”

“It was empty. I filled it.”

I’m empty, too.

Fill me.

Take me.

Make me yours.

My voice came out thick. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Been a long time since I have,” he said from right behind me, his rumble just as gruff.

Heated.

I barely had time to turn toward him before I was up and being carried through the space. His mouth covered mine as he walked, dominating it in the way that set fire to my veins.

Releasing his tight hold on my ass, he lowered me to stand before gripping the shirt I wore and tearing it over my head. His hand spanned my ribs right under my breast, and he tugged me toward him as he ducked to trace my scar with his tongue. Not avoiding it. Not focusing on it until it made me uncomfortable. Just showing me that he wasn’t disgusted by it before moving on to tease the swells of my breast, following along the line of my bra.

I frantically pushed at the white suit coat. He looked good. But he looked better in his flannels and jeans.

And I knew for a fact that he looked best in nothing at all.

Clothes were hastily tossed aside as our hands and lips connected with any skin within reach. Running my fingertips down the hair that lined his abs, I shoved his slacks off to find he wasn’t wearing boxers. His already hard cock sprang free.

Okay, heaven has a dress code that doesn’t include underwear.

Once we were both naked, his hand fisted in my hair as he backed me up until we reached the bed. My body went down, his following to cover it.

I was instantly surrounded by the smell of woods and a crackling fire and something better.

Something Deke and me.

“This is yours from the cabin,” I said.

It wasn’t a question, but he raised his chin anyway. “The first time I have you, it’ll be on our bed.”

Our bed.

Deft fingers teased my nipples as he kissed down my jaw. Neck.

Lower.

I knew where he was going.

And I wanted him to get there. I did.

But not right then.

Clutching his hair, I halted his progress. “It’s been hours for you, but it has been five very long days for me.” I swallowed hard. “Please don’t make me wait any longer to be yours.”

“You were mine from the first moment I felt you. Since long before that.”

“Prove it.”

The challenge lit his hooded dark eyes, and like in the woods that first night, his growl was more beast than man. He reached between our bodies to fist his cock, his hand sliding up the length and back down again. Positioning himself at my entrance, he pushed the head in.

Just the head. He was barely in, and it already felt like I was going to be split in two.

His body lowered against mine with one hand pinning my hip while the other wrapped around my shoulder.

Keeping me in place where he wanted me.

Under him.

With him.

His fingers shook with restraint as he rocked his hips to ease in.

Inch by very long, thick inch.

Slow.

Shallow.

Tormenting.

“More,” I begged, desperate for it. For him. “I trust you. Don’t hold back.”

His inhale was sharp as his body tensed. “Fuck. Fucking hell fuck.”

I ruined it.

Regret clawed up my throat like it could reach out to grab the words and yank them back in.

I had no clue why what I’d said was bad, but I could backtrack with the best of them. I opened my mouth, but Deke spoke first.

“You trust me?” he asked.

He’s not mad.

He’s full.

“You’re my soulmate,” I said since there was no better answer.

“Fuck yes, I am. Hold tight, my one,” he forced out through clenched teeth. In one brutal thrust, he filled me.

Physically.

Emotionally.

Completely.

He stayed planted there, but my hips began to undulate despite the sting of being so stretched.

His fingers dug in as he immobilized me—which just stoked the fire inside. “Gotta give me a minute, my one. Waited centuries for you. And that torture was nothing compared to the week with you close, wanting you but not able to have you. Surprised my dick didn’t chafe with how often I stroked it while picturing this moment.”

It might not have made it into a Lifetime special movie, but as far as compliments went, that was pretty much the most effective one he could’ve given.

My chest felt like it was going to burst from happiness, but the rest of me would perish if he didn’t move.

I tried again to shift, but he held tighter. “Now that I finally fucking have you, I’m trying not to come embarrassingly fast. But you’re not making it easy on me here, baby.”

“Because I need you.”

“Fuck it. I’ll make it up to you next time.” He started moving, and I quickly realized every ounce of his control was gone. Snapped.

Crumbled to nothing like the walls I’d built around myself.

Power went into his brutal thrusts as he took me. Owned me.

Made me his.

Releasing his hold on my hip, he splayed his hand across my pelvis. “Spread your legs wider, baby.”

I did as ordered.

And he rewarded my obedience by stretching his thumb down to circle my clit.

Body tightening, sweet fire scorched through my veins. Not from magicks or anything like that. Just for Deke and how perfectly we fit together.

Which was its own kind of magic.

With no other warning, I imploded until it felt like my body was being torn apart by pleasure. Eviscerated down to my bones, never to be put together the same again.

I was vaguely aware of Deke’s guttural, “Thank fuck.” His thrusts grew savage as his come filled me before being pushed out each time he plunged in.

Spent.

Sated.

Blissfully happy.

My legs turned to jelly as I tried to drop them and my arms to the side, but Deke stopped me. His lips skimmed from my shoulder to nip my jaw before grazing my own lips as he spoke. “Not yet, baby. Let me savor this a minute longer.”

Who was I to argue?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

DEALER’S CHOICE NEXT TIME

AURORA

As badly as I wished we could remain in that bubble, I knew our time was up when Deke slowly eased out of me. My body fluttered around him, and the groan he gave was nearly enough to make me want to go again.

Almost.

But then the oversensitive ache kicked in, and I decided I needed a couple of hours.

Deke didn’t climb from the bed to move on to whatever more important matters he had to handle. Instead, he pulled me to cuddle. His fingers toyed with my hair, and my eyes grew heavy.

Right until he asked, “Who the hell was the guy Juno mentioned?”

“Tom?” I evaded. “That’s her dog.”

“Aurora Ford.”

Uh-oh. Not my one or baby.

Real name.

Kind of…

Aurora Ford sounded cooler than Aurora Smith—the generic surname the Gideons picked for me when they’d filled out the paperwork for new documentation—but I had no clue where he’d pulled it from.

“Ford is my last name,” he explained before I could ask.

Oh.

First, he called me his girlfriend, and now he has us sharing a last name, all in one very eventful day.

Is it possible to die of happiness?

“Your actual last name?” I asked, partially because I was curious and partially to stall.

“No. Just the one tied to this identity.”

I went up on an elbow to look down at him. “Do you have a last name?”

He shook his head.

“Dubhloach. One name, like Prince or Cher. Very cool.” I started to roll away, but his hand wrapped around my neck in the way that made my stomach clench like I was on the rapid descent of a coaster.

But a coaster wasn’t what I wanted to go down…

Maybe only an hour of recovery time.

Using his hold, he aimed my face so I was looking at him. “I asked you a question.”

“Ryan was my… ex?”

His fingers flexed.

Half hour recovery.

I could hear the jealousy in his tone when he ground out, “You don’t sound too sure about that.”

It probably didn’t make me a good person that his possessiveness hit me with a heady rush of power, but I also couldn’t find it in me to care.

“It’s complicated, but not because I’m harboring any feelings other than disgust and loathing. I don’t know why he said he was my fiancé. We weren’t even really together in a romantic way.”

The familiar ice water rushed down my spine to tense my body when he grazed a knuckle across my scar. “Did he do this to you?”

I fought the urge to run—or at least cover myself—but I knew Deke wouldn’t let me.

More importantly, I was sick of hiding.

My eyes.

My curse.

My scar.

Myself.

It took a lot of effort, but I stayed where I was and answered him.

“No. Well, kind of. But no.” In the comfort and safety of Deke’s arms, I let my mind wander into a past I tried to block out. One I wished I could forget like the first sixteen years of my life.

Starting from the beginning, I told him about my time with the Gideons. How awful they’d treated me. Mrs. Gideon’s drunken indifference. Pastor Gideon’s tyrannical reign. And Claire’s mean girl torture.

Day in and day out, for six long months.

“By the time Ryan moved to town and became my youth pastor, I was already damaged. I had no answers to the mystery of where my family was or who I was. Everyone either avoided me like I was a freak or pitied me—and I’m not sure which was worse. But he was sweet to me. Funny. Normal. Looking back, he had to have known about my curse.”

“Your gift,” Deke cut in, giving my hair a tug.

A soft smile curved my lips. “My gift. I wasn’t good at hiding it then. Even when I knew I should hold it in, if I got a vision, I blurted it out.”

“You wanted to help.”

“Badly. I knew what it was like not to have any support, so…” I shrugged and pushed on. “Anyway, when Ryan started pursuing me a few months later, I was flattered. He was handsome. All the girls and women wanted him. But he wanted me. And I desperately needed to be wanted.”

I still do.

I didn’t say the words out loud, but Deke knew. Of course he did.

Pressing his lips to the top of my head, he whispered, “That’s why you have me.”

I have him.

Not for a while. Not temporarily.

Not…

A thought hit me, instantly tightening my stomach in a way I couldn’t suppress. Bile burned in my throat, and the vengeance and violence I’d experienced earlier returned.

Times a million.

Deke’s hold tightened like he expected me to bolt and was ready to restrain me. “My one?”

Even though he’d clearly felt the change, I did my best to hide the homicidal intent that filled me at just the idea of Deke coming home smelling like another woman’s perfume. I forced my voice to be nonchalant. “I get that we’re soulmates, destined to be paired together. But I just want to make sure we’re on the same page about what that means.”

“I’m yours. You’re mine. For all of our immortal lives. End of fucking story.”

“I’m immortal?”

“Not anxious to test that, but I would guess so unless Absolve or someone else grows strong enough to change shit. The powers-that-be wouldn’t give me you just to take you away a short lifetime later.”

Huh.

“And you’re okay with just me for all that time?” I asked.

I might’ve, maybe, slightly, kind of been fishing for reassurances.

Deke didn’t let me down.

“There is no just when it comes to you, Aurora. Waited centuries, and now that I have you, I’d have waited centuries longer, and it still would’ve been worth it. If I ever lost my damn mind and even looked at another woman, you have my permission to cut off my left nut and throw it to the moose.”

“Only the left one?”

“Or the right. Dealer’s choice.” Roughly fisting my hair, he tugged me so my body was half on his and his knee was pressed between my spread legs. “But know this… If another man touches you, I will rip his hands off, beat him with them, and then take my time killing him. It’ll be slow. It’ll be painful. And I’ll enjoy every second. Whatever you did to that bastard today, it wasn’t enough.”

“I kicked him in the crotch a few times, and then Denny turned him to dust.”

“Wasn’t enough,” he repeated.

“At least he’s dead, baby.”

His dark eyes lit, a small smile playing at his mouth. “You called me baby.”

Fifteen minutes.

His smile disappeared. “Tell me more about your relationship with that prick.”

“We snuck around for a while. It was exciting. I thought I was happy. Wanted. One day, he pulled me into one of the empty meeting rooms to fool around, and we got caught by Pastor Gideon. He lost his mind. Not at Ryan, even though he was the adult. At me and only me. He dragged me from the building, calling me every name and then some. Once we were at his house, all hell broke loose. Screaming. Pushing. Hitting.”

Staring at the brick wall, I saw every vivid detail like they’d just happened.

My lip had been split. My eyes were both swollen, and I’d known there was blood in them by the red film that’d coated everything.

I’d heard the floor creak. Bleary-eyed, hope had swelled in my chest that someone was there to help. That Ryan had followed us. But it’d been Claire. She’d watched from the doorway as he continued his abuse, smirking at me the whole time.

“I got a vision while he was beating the harlot slut out of me,” I continued. “Him with various members of the church in prayer meetings where their oh-gods were far from holy. Like always, I hadn’t been able to hold back. What I’d seen spilled from my bloody mouth. I think, on some level, I’d wanted to scare him. Show I had some power. Something to hold over him. But it backfired. He lost his mind. He dragged me to my tiny bedroom at the back of the house and tied me to the bed. Bible in one hand and his other a tightly clenched fist, he’d performed an exorcism that’d ended with him burning me with the cross until I lost consciousness.”

“Fucking hell, baby.” His words were muffled as he held me tighter and repeated, “Fucking hell.”

“That’s exactly what it was. I was positive Pastor Gideon would be back to finish me off, and it wouldn’t have taken much. I was weak, in pain, and had given up all hope. Ryan snuck in later that night and took me away. I thought he was rescuing me. He told me it was more than that. He was saving me and my soul. We bounced around for a while to different churches, each growing progressively bigger. I fed him info about the congregation from my visions, and he worked it into his sermons. Helping to build people’s faith was my penance for my curse. And I didn’t talk to anyone else until I met you.” I let out a forced, self-deprecating laugh. “I feel so stupid now.”

“You were young. And lonely. I get that last one. Really fucking get it.”

I did something I rarely did. I gave myself the benefit of the doubt. “I was drugged, too.”

He went alert. “What?”

“I’ve never been a good sleeper, so Ryan got me sleeping pills. According to Lennon and then the vision I had earlier, they were strong meds to keep me in a stupor. An obedient stupor.”

I wasn’t sure how my defiance was able to break through such heavy dosages, but I had a feeling it had something to do with fate, the balance of the universe, and the powers-that-be.

And a certain sexy lumberjack I needed to find.

I moved on, telling him the truth about that night. How I’d been in Maine after my brain wouldn’t shut up about the state and how I needed to run in the woods. How Ryan had hit me because I’d fought him when he’d wanted to give me to someone who I was certain was an Absolve member. How I’d jumped out of the car to get away from him.

And to Deke.

“His death was sure as hell not enough,” he said, low and even. “Are the Gideons dead?”

I shrugged. “No idea.”

“They’ll wish they were. And then once they get to Levi, he’ll make them wish their souls no longer existed.”

It wasn’t an empty threat.

I was surprisingly okay with that.

“Tell me about Heaven,” I said, ready to move off the past.

“It’s wet.”

Huh?

“And tight.”

What’s that even mean?

“And I’m ready for it again,” he finished before grasping my wrist to lower it down his body. His hand covered mine as he wrapped it around his hard-on.

I gave it a tentative squeeze, and he groaned, his hips rising from the mattress.

That heady high shot to my head.

He just had me, and he already wants me again.

It was evil, but I wanted to ride that rush. After all, I’d waited five days. He could wait a little longer—while I teased him.

I kept my hold on him. “I actually want to hear about it.”

And get off on tempting you.

“Was it beautiful?” I asked.

He ran his palm down his face to his beard. “It was beige and boring. Couldn’t swear. Couldn’t get back to you. Couldn’t get inside you.”

“What about an archangel? Do you have one?”

“No.” At that bombshell, I started to release him, but he covered my hand again and used it—used me—to stroke himself. He stopped after a moment, which was good because my plan to tease him was backfiring. “We have one.”

Jump-starting my brain enough to remember what we were talking about, his words clicked. “What? We?”

“Grip me tighter, and I’ll tell you every-fucking-thing you wanna know.”

My smile grew to a grin as I did the opposite, loosening my hold to graze up his length.

“You’re cruel,” he groaned.

“Who’s our archangel?”

I have an archangel.

Or joint custody of one, but still.

“Uriel.”

My lips curved down as I tried to recall any information past the lust fog that’d settled over my brain. “I’m not overly familiar with him.”

His words were stilted, coming out with rough, heavy breaths. “The archangel of fulfillment—my gift. And light, prophecy, and visions—your gifts. Our archangel.”

Our archangel.

Because I wasn’t a sinner damned to hell.

I slid my palm down to the base of him. “Then what happened?”

“That was it. Talked to Levi and Uriel about where I’d been and how angels were defecting. Ate a beignet. Felt your terror and demanded they send me back.”

“They have beignets?” I asked, though that was far from the most important thing he said. It did explain why he declined Monica’s offer, though.

“Levi smuggled it in.”

“Why are angels deserting Heaven? It’s literal Heaven.”

“Your guess is as good as mine, baby.”

I mulled it over, my nails teasing through the trimmed hair above his cock. Then the hair below. The sides.

Basically, anywhere but where he wanted me most.

Where I wanted to touch most, too.

Is mutual torment still even torment?

At the surge of arousal that mixed with the wetness already dripping from me, another realization formed.

We hadn’t used protection.

And I wasn’t on birth control. Not unless that was one of the pills I’d secretly been given.

“Hey, so… Can The Four, um, reproduce?”

Deke’s brows furrowed, his mouth a bitter slash. “Our purpose is hazardous, and our lifetimes are never-ending. Bringing a child into that would be fucked.”

His words were matter of fact, but his tone and the expression were both resentful.

He cupped my cheek. “Are you upset?”

“No,” I answered honestly. I’d never thought having children was a possibility for me. Why would I want to drag someone innocent into my messed-up life?

Maybe that might’ve changed with Deke, but I would never know.

Deke reached for me again. Rather than putting my hand on him, he hauled my whole body up until I straddled him. His grunt mixed with my moan when his hardness pressed against my soaked sex.

“I wasn’t done talking yet,” I protested—though not that fervently.

“Made a promise, and I intended to keep it.”

“Which was?”

“That I’d make it up to you next time.”

I didn’t bother to tell him that it was unnecessary. That there was nothing to make up for because he’d already given me more pleasure than I’d had in my entire life combined. I kept my mouth shut.

When it came to Deke, I would greedily take anything and everything he had to give.

He palmed the back of my head and pulled my mouth to meet his. With my ass in the air, he reached his other hand around to slide his fingers through my wetness from behind. He froze suddenly, and I thought it was his turn for revenge.

Turnabout being fair play—and a fun cycle of teasing.

But then his eyes narrowed. “The night in the woods, I asked if you were in danger, and you said no.”

“I wasn’t. Even then, I somehow knew you would protect me.”

He shifted me until his cock lined up with my core. In one brutal, vicious drive, he thrust up into me at the same time he yanked me down to meet him.

My neck arched, my scream coming out as a soundless wheeze.

“Next time,” he grunted, setting an intense pace. “I’ll make it up to you next time.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

EYES LIKE FIRE

DEKE

“Ready?”

After having my mate in my arms—in my bed—the whole night, the last thing I wanted to do was go see my siblings. Not when there were so many places left on her perfect body to kiss.

Taste.

Mark.

Un-fucking-fortunately, Nate had been correct. There was a lot to discuss.

Aurora looked up at me from where she sat on the couch.

Christ, she’s beau⁠—

My thoughts were interrupted by her loud cry, and my muscles tensed, ready to fight whatever was behind me.

“Your eyes.” She jumped up and closed the distance between us. “I didn’t notice them this morning.” Her cheeks burned red, but her lids went hooded. “It was dark in the bedroom, and my thoughts were otherwise occupied. Didn’t you see them in the mirror after your shower?”

“Mirror was fogged up. What is it?”

But she was already dragging me through the apartment to the bathroom.

Not that there was much dragging necessary. I would follow my mate anywhere.

“Look.” She jabbed her finger toward the mirror. “You said my curse was a gift, but it’s not. It’s a curse. And the curse spread.”

“Aurora, if you call it a curse one more time, I’m gonna fuck you so hard, you don’t doubt your perfection again. Or it permanently knocks the word from your vocabulary. Whichever comes last.”

Her mismatched eyes met my own newly mismatched set. In a soft, sultry voice, she slowly said, “Curse.”

I reached for her and hoped the bathroom sink was sturdy since I intended to give her the fucking of a very long lifetime on it. But she dodged me, throwing a carefree laugh over her shoulder.

“Your siblings are waiting.”

“Let ’em wait.”

“Evil is lurking.”

“Let it lurk.”

“You already had me during the middle of the night and this morning.”

“There’s a limit now?” I caught her belt loop and yanked her back to me. Her breathy oomph when her body hit mine was enough to harden my cock. “The day I stop craving you is the day you can⁠—”

“Let me guess, it’s something with your left nut?”

“You have a filthy mouth,” I muttered, my gaze dropping to stare at that filthy, fuckable mouth.

She tried to keep us on track. “Your eyes are exactly like mine now.”

“Opposite.”

“What?”

“My black is your blue and your blue is my black. Completing each other. Balance.”

“Oh. Why do you think it happened? And why aren’t you freaked?”

“No idea and nothing to be freaked about.”

She let out a cute growl. “Well, I’m freaked enough for both of us about this damn curse. My eyes⁠—”

Fuck it.

Palm to her head, I gently pushed. There was no hesitation or resistance. Aurora folded to her knees, the pupils on those gorgeous eyes blowing with her desire.

Her need for me.

Grabbing her chin between my thumb and crooked index finger, I tilted her head back and looked down at her. I let myself take the time we didn’t have. “Your eyes are like the darkest night and the brightest dawn. Each beautiful in its own way. If you think I’m disappointed to share something else with you, you’re wrong.”

My hands went to my belt buckle, and she dropped her gaze to watch the way the tendons and veins flexed. I could feel her attraction to them.

“They’re hands, my one.”

At my words that weren’t spoken out loud, her head shot back so quickly, I thought she’d keep going and tumble.

“Don’t eavesdrop on my thoughts. And they’re good hands. Touch me, and I’ll prove it.”

Her attempt to talk was choppy, cutting in and out, but I could piece it together.

Another layer to our bond.

Another expectation exceeded.

I finished undoing my jeans and reached in to free my cock. Pre-cum dripped from the tip as I watched her tongue swipe across her bottom lip.

Holy fuck, she’s gonna make me blow my load just from the way she looks at me.

I squeezed the shaft before releasing it to skim my finger down it. A tremor went up my spine and tightened my balls as I swiped at the sticky liquid that steadily leaked. “What did I say would happen if you called it a curse again?” I pressed the coated fingertip past her lips. She swirled her tongue around it, her lids lowering as she let out a happy moan.

The same noise she made when she ate my cooking.

A noise I’d fantasized about hearing when her mouth was full of something else.

I pulled my finger free, and she tried to get up.

I didn’t let her.

“You said you were going to fuck me,” she pouted.

“I am. But I never said what I would fuck.” Wrapping her golden ponytail around my hand, I gently jerked her closer. “Open wide, baby.”

“You’re late.”

“Sue me,” I said to Nate as Aurora and I entered his house.

Through the front door.

After knocking.

“Another attack?” he asked. “Did something come up?”

Denny and Juno both snickered, but it was Denny who said, “Something came up all right…”

“Ha.” Juno grimaced. “But also, eww.”

Nate looked between them. “What am I missing, hellion?”

She pointed at me. “His eyes.”

“I noticed. The mate bond. It happened to all of us.”

Confirms what I suspected about the changes in theirs.

“Do you remember what we were doing to bring on that change?” Denny asked.

A wide grin spread across his face. “You gave me your love.”

That hasn’t happened with Aurora.

Yet.

I risked a glance at her, but her expression was blank.

“Yes. And once you had a soul again”—Denny waggled her brows—“I gave you something else, and your eyes changed.”

“Oh. Ohhhh.”

“We done?” I bit out.

“Nope,” Juno said, but she walked into the living room and flopped onto the couch next to Stellan.

I wasn’t going near the bay window, so I took the desk chair and pulled Aurora onto my lap—without fear of her doing bodily harm to my dick.

I’d assumed it was over, but Juno smirked at Aurora. “So… worth the five-day wait?”

For the love of fucking angels.

Expecting my mate to get embarrassed, I opened my mouth to tell my sister to cut it out, but Aurora answered first.

“Worth joining a cult for.”

“Nice. Again, also eww. But nice.” Thankfully, she turned her focus on our brother. “How’s retirement? Picked up golf yet?”

“Today is my first day off. I’d hoped to spend it in bed with Lilith, but those Absolve bastards have to ruin everything.”

“Don’t cross those plans out yet,” Lilith said. “Everyone talk fast.”

The other two took their default spot, and Nate grabbed a notebook.

“We need more than that.” Juno lifted her arms and spread them, and a shimmering whiteboard stretched across the entirety of the room. The timeline with all our individual variations was mapped out. No matter where we sat, the entire thing could somehow be seen. It was impressive.

It also had an unhinged-serial-killer edge to it thanks to the scrawled notes, photos, and length of magicks yarn.

Aurora stood and pointed at one of the photos. “I know him.”

“You know Thomas Hale?” Nate asked.

“Or maybe as Corey Willard?” Stellan added.

“No. I know Steve Jones. And I don’t actually know him. He’s the guy from my vision.” Adrenaline or fear—or both—made her tremble as she paced in front of the expansive data.

I was going to go to her, but I didn’t have the chance to move.

She sought me out.

Sitting on one of my thighs, she lifted her feet to my other one and wrapped her arms around her bent legs. I added my own arms, holding her tightly.

Her tremors stopped, but she remained rigid.

Hesitating for a few beats, she gave the room the bullet points of her relationship with the dick bag. She didn’t go into the same detail with them as she’d shared with me, but it was enough to make me tempted to reanimate the dust and bring the sorry bastard back to life, just so I could slowly and painfully take it away.

That wasn’t in my skill set, but I was sure I could find someone capable of giving me a hand.

I didn’t say any of that to Aurora. She didn’t need me interrupting the story that was already difficult to tell, and it wasn’t about me. My job was to comfort her, so that was what I did.

She continued by telling them about the vision of him handing her over to Steve Jones—the representative from some church.

Through the whole thing, her back went straight. She released her defensive hold on herself. Her legs lowered, and her chin lifted.

Fuck, she’s strong.

She might not have needed support, but she still got it. And not just from me.

“He groomed you,” Juno seethed.

Aurora shook her head. “No, he⁠—”

“He isolated you, groomed you, and abused you.” She bolted to her feet. “Let’s go back to that house so I can kick that dust around. No, let’s swing by to get Tom and Victoria from Lea and then we’ll let them shit in his ashes.”

“That’s a nice offer. A gross visual, but a nice offer. But I’m at peace after getting that closure.” She smiled, and nothing about it was forced. “I will take my dog back, though.”

“They’re at the dog park now, but later. For the shitting-in-the-ashes thing.”

“The house was empty,” Stellan reminded her before speaking to the group. “We swung by and checked.”

Juno grimaced. “Right. Well, still. I want to do something.”

“Maybe we’ll luck out, and you’ll get your chance for some mayhem.” He tore his smiling focus away from her to pull out his phone as he asked Aurora, “What was the name of the church?”

“Beacon of Absolution.”

His thumbs moved across the screen at a blur, like he’d been souped up by Juno’s magicks. “Nothing.”

“There has to be something.” Denny got up and nudged our chair out of the way before starting her computer. She spoke as she typed. “I’m not an IT expert or anything, but I’ve had to find accidentally deleted files or website landing pages before. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that the internet is forever… Except apparently this. There’s no record of any church by that name. Not a trace of anything online. Not even old data.”

“There has to be. I saw the emails. He went to a service in Portland.”

“There are churches. An abandoned one. But nothing by that name.”

“The abandoned one,” Aurora said.

“What about it, my one?” I asked.

She shrugged. “I didn’t get that far. But it’s making something fuzz at the back of my mind. I think maybe they held the service there to make him think it was legit?”

“We need to focus on finding a way for you to get these visions without going catatonic,” Juno said, surprisingly serious as she looked from Aurora to me. “And test if the mate bond gave you anything.”

Nate turned his attention to me, too. “What did you find out from Heaven?”

“Not much,” I said. “Levi wanted Aurora, but⁠—”

She whipped around. “The devil wanted me? Why? What’d I do?”

I could feel her heart pounding since mine sped up to match it. “Juno sent a message to him when you said you were his creation. He wanted to see if it was true, that’s all.”

“Who’d you draft on your angel fantasy league anyway?” Juno asked.

“Uriel.”

“Of course. Her name. His ink. The light archangel. As in, the archangel of light, not like a weird diet angel.”

“All the uptightness, half the calories,” Lilith whispered.

Everyone else looked at my arm despite the fact my flannel covered my tattoo.

“We go through this every time, yet no one else has bothered to pick up a baby name book or research the archangels.” She sighed, throwing her head back onto Stellan’s arm. “Aurora means dawn. His tattoo is of the sun at the tree line. The light angel is… Well, that one’s self-explanatory.”

Nate tried to steer the conversation back on topic, but I lowered my mouth to Aurora’s ear. Keeping my voice low so only she could hear, my lips brushed her skin. “My dawn after a lifetime of darkness.”

A small tremor went through her. I wasn’t sure if it was my words or the gentle touch. I liked it either way.

“You mentioned a possible Absolve encounter,” Nate said to me as Juno added Aurora’s info to the board.

I told them the gist of my relationship with Marissa. Even though I didn’t go into much detail, Aurora’s jealousy radiated from her until she looked as murderous as I’d felt.

I was a sick fuck because her possessiveness had me fighting a hard-on.

I was contemplating getting us out of there when the song “Sympathy For the Devil” blasted in the room.

“What the hell?” Denny grabbed her phone to see if that was where the music came from.

“More like who in the hell,” Levi corrected, standing in the corner of the room.

“What happened to the little jingle?” Juno asked.

“You mentioned entry music. I decided to lean into it.”

“I approve. Can you hook me up with some?”

“Maybe. We’ll brainstorm later.” Unbuttoning his jacket, he put his hands in his pockets and crossed one of his ankles over the other. “Right now, I’m here to meet my daughter, who isn’t actually mine. I’m sure of it now. I’ll still answer to Father—though that’s usually reserved for heavenly roleplaying. Dad. Papa. Papi? Daddy⁠—”

“How many deals do you think you can make if I cut that tongue out?” I gritted through clenched teeth. Because devil or not, if he kept flirting with my mate, I’d make Hell look like a playground compared to what I’d do to him.

He held his hands up in surrender. “I just wanted to meet the last mate.” He scanned Aurora, but it was clinical. “You’re old.”

“I get you’re the ruler of Hell…” Aurora muttered, scowling at him.

“Not like that. At the risk of your mate taking an axe to my legs—or the slightly shorter third one hanging between them—you’re as beautiful as the others. But your soul is old. Much older than your body.” His head tilted.

And then he was gone.

“Where the hell did he go?” I asked.

Aurora crossed her arms. “Now you see how it feels.”

“Sorry, my love.”

My words were barely free of my mouth when they swirled. Twisted. Spiraling around the room and through my head like something physical. Sentient.

When they faded to an echo, Aurora and I were no longer at Denny’s. We were in an unfamiliar house. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed we were up on a cliff with crystal-blue waters crashing below us. As far as I could feel, no one was around for miles.

No one except Levi.

“Know you’re here,” I called.

He entered the room. “You called her your love. She’s enjoying that—along with a slight freak-out. I wasn’t sure if it would turn into a fight or a fuck, so I was giving you privacy.” He gestured to a table on the other side of the room. “If you opt for the second one, that table is reinforced and unbreakable.”

Continuing to be a sick fuck, I was tempted.

Un-fucking-fortunately, Aurora didn’t seem to be. She scanned out the window. “Where are we?”

“One of my homes,” Levi said.

She inched closer to me. “Why?”

“A private matter that I didn’t know if you’d want to discuss around the others.” He raised a brow at me. “But I knew better than to take you without your mate.”

“What is it?” she asked.

“If it were possible, would you want answers about your family and your accident?”

Her jaw dropped. “What?”

“If a devilishly handsome man. A smart man. A man with raw sex appeal and a giant⁠—

“We get it,” I cut in.

“Heart,” he continued, “had information, would you want to know it?”

She nodded so quickly, I worried she’d give herself a headache. “Yes. Of course. Tell me.”

“Even if it’s unpleasant?”

“Nothing can be as unpleasant as not knowing. Nothing.”

“You were in an accident,” Levi started.

Aurora’s body deflated. “I already knew that.”

“Not the hiking one. A car accident fourteen years before that. On your sixteenth birthday.”

“Math has never been my best subject, but this definitely isn’t mathing.”

“You’re originally from New Hampshire. You were heading home after a birthday dinner with your parents. Your car was hit, and all three of you were killed instantly.”

“Absolve?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Death isn’t always nefarious. Sometimes it’s just stupid and reckless and pointless. Unfortunately, the plan for The Four and their mates was created long ago. No one knew to take into consideration how destructively stupid humans would become.”

Panic seized my heart. “I thought she was immortal.”

“She is. Now.” He tipped his head. “At least, we think. But that builds due to the mate bond. At the time, she was just human.”

She threw her arms out. “The two things I confidently knew were my name and age. And it turns out half of that was wrong.” She sighed. “Though I guess this explains why I never felt my age. So how did I end up in the middle of Arkansas fourteen years later?”

“When your soul reached the intake desks, the angels knew there was something special about it, but not what. They brought you into Purgatory. It was actually how they found Juno’s soul hanging around. Anyway, you were placed there for safekeeping. Once the universe said it was time, you were brought to Arkansas.” He gestured to me. “To the same spot you were blasted to after the battle in the church.”

“A few centuries apart.”

He lifted a shoulder. “It’s not a perfect science.”

“My parents… Are they with you?” When Levi just looked around, she clarified. “In Hell. Are my parents in Hell?”

“Oh. No. They’re lovely people. Lilith’s father has been teaching the angels about history from a human’s point of view. They join in some days. Denny’s lovely grandmother runs a raucous book club that your mother frequents. Reading is a shared love between the four of you.”

Aurora grinned. But it fell as quickly as it’d formed. She looked like she was battling between crying and anger. She landed on both, tears streaming down her cheeks as rage made her voice tremble. “Why did they have to wipe my memories of them, though? Couldn’t I have kept something? A blurry image. Their laugh. Something.”

“That wasn’t us. That was the accident.” She opened her mouth, but he beat her to it. “I wish I could give them back to you, but unfortunately, some things are so severely damaged, no one can fix them. Not even me.”

“Is that it?” At Levi’s chin lift, I wrapped an arm around Aurora and tried to take her home.

Nothing happened.

“Wards,” Levi explained. “Before I send you back, why did you think you were my creation?”

Aurora told him about the exorcism, the foster fuckhead’s words, and the scar on her chest.

“How I got linked to an upside down cross, I’ll never know. I’m not one for jewelry to begin with, but especially not something so tacky. I am, however, one for righting wrongs where I can. Do you want to keep the scar?”

“What?”

“Is it a badge of honor? A reminder of what you’ve overcome?”

“I have that reminder just by being here,” she said. “By being alive.”

He waved a hand over her chest. “Then another wrong is righted by yours truly. Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a matter in Arkansas that needs my full attention. The apartment or Nate and Denny’s?”

Since our meeting had been cut short, it would be smart to return.

But Aurora answered for me. “Apartment.”

A sharp smirk curved his mouth, and he winked. “Have fun.”

Less than a second later, we stood in the apartment.

In the bedroom.

Naked.

I was, at least.

Aurora was naked underneath one of my unbuttoned flannels.

I would’ve sent a prayer of thanks to the generous bastard, but all thoughts left my head when I raised my gaze to see Aurora’s was locked on me. And not my eyes. My dick surged at her hungry stare.

“Come here, my one,” I rumbled, taking a step toward her.

She stepped away.

“Aurora.”

Raising her gaze—slowly—she met my eyes. “You called me your love earlier.”

“I did.”

She opened her mouth before closing it again, seeming to choose her question carefully.

I didn’t make her.

Closing the distance, I speared my fingers into her hair and used my hold to tilt her face and pull her onto her toes. Keeping her as close to me as we could get without me being inside her.

Which I would be.

Soon.

But not before I laid it out so there was no misunderstanding. “Do you want to know if you’re my love, Aurora? You are. Not because of the universe or being mates or any of that shit. I told you I wanted you because you’re you, and I love you for exactly the same reason.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered, blinking back tears.

Blinding dawn.

Having her was already brightness after centuries in the dark. But at having her love, it was a searing brightness that surged through me to warm that spot in my chest that I never thought would be filled.

That always felt hollow.

Not any longer.

My lids closed, and my head hung back as I savored that moment. That fullness. And then my mouth took hers in a desperate kiss until I couldn’t wait any longer.

But she wasn’t done tormenting me.

Grabbing my hand, she pressed it to her tit. “Can you believe the scar is gone? I thought I’d be cursed with it for the rest of my life.”

“What did I say?” I asked.

She blinked up at me, forcing innocence despite her lust-blown pupils. “I don’t remember.”

“On the bed, ass up.”

She didn’t hesitate. Not for a second. Positioning herself as ordered, I skimmed a finger through her pussy.

Soaked.

Always soaked for me.

Pushing the flannel out of my way, I gripped her hips to position her how I wanted. My fingers dug in as I slowly sank into her. Taking my time. Watching as she stretched around me. Loving the way she tried to rock back, greedy for more.

Once planted fully inside her, I ordered, “Say it again.”

“I love you.”

“And I fucking love you.”

It was fast.

Rough.

Ruthless.

Unable to hold back even a little, I fucked my mate with brutal intensity. And she took it all.

Loved it all.

Because she was made for me.

Mine.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

GOODNESS GRACIOUS, GREAT BALLS OF EVIL

AURORA

Now.

Now.

Nownownow.

It felt like I’d just fallen asleep when the word began repeating in my head. For a moment, in my sleepy haze, I thought it was my body demanding Deke.

It did that.

A lot.

In the week since we’d shared our love, I seemed to have grown insatiable. Not just sex but being with him. Any distance felt like I was being ripped in two.

Thankfully, we hadn’t had to spend much time apart. Deke always joined our training sessions since he’d begun getting random memories that seemed off. Luckily, he was more in control of himself when they hit than I’d ever been. And I couldn’t even practice that because I couldn’t trigger a vision.

At all.

I’d tried.

I’d read their Absolve board over and over. I’d stared at the pictures. I’d researched anything and everything.

But there was nothing. I would be of no use to anyone if something happened. And based on the dread that snaked through to squeeze my heart, that time had come.

“Now.” Deke sat up and repeated, “Now.”

“You hear it, too?”

He was already climbing from the bed to get dressed. “Something is happening. Do you see what?”

“My brain is just repeating now.” Guilt and worry warred inside me.

Deke tilted my head. “It’ll be okay, my love. Get dressed. The others will be here soon.”

He walked out into the living room, and I heard voices as I rushed to throw on clothes. Leggings and a sweater seemed insufficient for what we were facing—what every molecule in my being screamed we were up against—but I didn’t have magicks armor.

I didn’t even have regular armor.

“Where are we going?” Juno asked. Contrary to the violence she usually seemed to thrive on, her mood was as somber as the occasion.

Like she felt it, too.

That urgency that was electric in the air.

“I don’t know,” Deke answered. “I just know something is about to happen. Something big.”

“Something massive,” I corrected.

“Do you see anything?” Nate asked me.

I shook my head and raised my hands to my hair without even realizing I was doing it.

Deke gripped my wrists and stopped me from tugging at the strands in frustration. “We’ll figure it out, my love. Together.”

“Together.” Juno slapped her forehead. “You need to do it together.”

I raised my brow at her phrasing, but she wasn’t making a dirty joke—surprisingly.

She pointed at Deke. “You ignored your magicks for centuries.” She spun her finger to aim at me. “And you spent years ignoring it, praying for it to stop, and being drugged. Your gifts are not flowing because they’ve been neglected. Together, as the mates should be, you need to work for it. Channel it.”

Deke kept his hold on me and closed his lids, clearly willing to try.

I was also willing.

I just had no clue where to start.

Juno walked me through it, her melodic voice like the more effective mediation instructor. “Close your eyes. Good. Breathe in. Breathe out. Deeper in. Slower out. Feel your mate’s heartbeat in your chest. Feel their breath in your lungs. Powering you. Follow that connection. Trail it through your body to the center of your being. Tap into it. Let the walls around it crumble as it flows⁠—”

“In town,” I interrupted, seeing it perfectly. Even when I opened my eyes, turned, and looked at the three couples, I still saw the sprawling room with concrete walls and evil. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I could do it because Deke kept me centered in the moment rather than overwhelmed in the future.

“The museum downtown,” Deke added, zeroing in on the exact location.

“I thought those were just tourist traps?”

“Based in history,” Juno said. “The accused. Absolve’s. And ours.”

Deke closed his eyes. “The alley to the left is empty. Inside is not.”

“There’s our meeting spot.”

Couple by couple, we poofed into the alley.

I wanted to go back. Run away. Get as far as possible from that alley where foreboding coated the thick air.

Stellan took an authoritative step toward the metal door.

“Wait,” Nate and I said at the same time. I gestured to him to continue.

His clenched expression was dark and sinister, especially with his head covered by his hood. “It’s been ages since we fought like this. Together. But last time did not end well.”

I forced out the words I didn’t want to speak. “This is a trap.”

I couldn’t see anything. I didn’t have a vision. But like Deke, I could suddenly feel the fullness of that underground room.

And they were waiting for us.

“We know,” Lennon said. “But if we don’t go in, whatever this sensation is will grow. Spread. I don’t want to think about how many innocent lives will be lost.”

“We won’t let it.” Lilith took his hand. “We’ll just have to make sure their trap doesn’t work.”

Determination went over our small group as we silently filed in and down a dank set of stairs.

Well, everyone was silent but Juno.

She was singing “Push It.”

“Again?” Denny hissed.

“You know what it’s like when I get a song stuck in my head. Plus, this one helps me focus.”

We walked through an open doorway into what looked to be an expansive bunker. Lilith paused, scanning the room even though it was too dark for a normal person to see. She wasn’t normal, though. “No one is here. Are we in the wrong place?”

“No,” Deke said.

The oddest sensation rippled over me. It was a familiar one. What little power I’d finally tapped into at the apartment was smothered.

Dulled.

It reminded me of when I’d been in the drugged haze, just far more powerful.

Lilith took another step in, and it was just in time. Otherwise, she would’ve been cut off from the group when the heavy door closed suddenly, the tumblers echoing as they slid into place.

In the dim lighting, I could just barely make out the cots, chests, and metal shelves stacked with food lining the wall right next to us.

It’s like a military base mixed with a nuclear bomb shelter.

Military.

“Steve Jones,” I whispered. “Or Hale or whoever.”

“Whoever is right,” a gravelly voice called out. From an open doorway across the room, Jones strode in.

And he wasn’t alone.

Dozens of men and women filed in after him. More. I lost count, and they still weren’t done.

Unlike Jones’ pressed cargo khakis and tucked-in beige tee, the others wore suits and pretty dresses. They looked… normal. Like they could be someone’s neighbor. Friend. Church member.

But they were evil. All of them.

“I’ve never seen anyone so full.” Deke shook his head. “I don’t understand it.”

“Maybe being a dick is his dream job, and he finds it fulfilling,” Lilith said, joking past the fear evident on her face.

“We can’t poof back out,” Juno whispered. “No way to retreat and reassess.”

“There’s no time anyway,” I said. “You heard Lennon. If we leave, others die.”

I met Deke’s gaze. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him so distraught. He wasn’t scared for himself. He was terrified for me.

But I’d spent enough of my life being scared. I wanted to be brave.

Or at least fake it.

I gave him the most reassuring smile I could muster.

Then Jones stole our attention as he dramatically leaned to the side to see Lilith. “Good, you made it in before the door closed. That would’ve been inconvenient. It’s impossible to get you all in one place outside of the warded houses.”

“Well, you have us here now.” Juno held her arms out but inched back to touch the wall. “What’re you going to do about it?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Steal your souls.” Jones stepped back, and the others attacked.

Not with guns or knives. They must’ve known those would be useless.

But balls of gray fire. They weren’t big, but I knew that didn’t mean they wouldn’t hurt.

“Be careful!” Lilith leaned toward me to confirm my suspicion. “You weren’t there to see, but those are similar to what almost killed me.”

Then we dove apart before one took us both out.

While only a few people were launching those, the others were trying to corner us. Pin us down so we’d be easy targets.

“Fuck,” Juno said, narrowly avoiding a grabbing arm—one that Lilith swiftly broke—as she ran her hand along the wall. “I can feel their warding. It’s suppressing our magicks. But with these bastards trying to play flaming pickleball, I can’t focus long enough to fix it.”

Still dodging and weaving, we formed a protective half-circle around her without making it obvious. Deke lifted a man to throw him into another group, but it was too late.

One of the men caught on to what was happening. “Sir!”

“A distraction,” Juno’s voice pleaded in everyone’s head.

I assumed someone would kick or scream or knock something down.

Or go bowling for Absolve again like Deke had just done.

Instead, Denny began singing “Push It.”

Loudly.

And not particularly well.

I didn’t know all the words. Or really any outside of the chorus, but I joined in. As did Lilith.

Juno’s motions picked up, and I wasn’t sure if it was because the song helped her concentrate or because the Absolve assholes had slowed to try to figure out why we’d started an impromptu karaoke.

“Get them, you dumb fucks,” Jones screamed.

It kick-started the attack again, but they were too late.

“Got it.” Red flashed from Juno’s hand and seeped into the cement wall until the whole section turned red. It did nothing to slow the barrage of fireballs and violence, but it lifted the weight holding down the magicks.

We might’ve been outnumbered, but with our powers…

We were still outnumbered.

But there was at least hope, and I clung to it.

“We need to cut these numbers without risking blasting a ward,” Nate said, touching a man’s arm with Denny.

I thought that could cause a potential explosion—though maybe it’s worth the risk.

But the man didn’t turn to dust like the others Denny had touched at the nasty house.

They disappeared completely.

That would’ve been an effective way, but it was unlikely Absolve would line up in a single file, lift their sleeves, and patiently wait their turn to vanish.

Even if they all really did look like people I’d see in line at the market or bank.

It’s seriously disconcerting how normal they look—minus the hatred aimed at us, of course.

If only we could reason with them, but they’re gone. Empty.

I moved as the vision of Deke filling the apartment hit me. As it played, I tried to force it into his head, too.

“Explode them by filling them with furnishings?” Deke asked back in my head, catching a fist and twisting the arm back to break it.

In multiple places.

“No. Well, maybe? You said you can fill empty things. Can you return their souls?” I asked.

He shook his head and then froze.

Not in thought.

In a vision.

I wasn’t a fighter. I didn’t have smoke or magicks.

But I did have Deke.

And I’d be damned if anyone was going to take him from me.

Launching myself to where he stood, I guarded his prone body. I kicked out. I swung my arms like windmills. I… I wasn’t sure what the move would be called, but it probably resembled a rabid opossum trying to fight off a moose.

And then I had actual rodent help.

Mice scurried across the floor, helping me attack my target with vicious squeals and sharp teeth.

Right until some monster kept fireballing them to explode.

If we could get that door open, maybe there’s a less explosive animal around. I bet a bear would help a moose kick their asses.

Arms wrapped around my chest from behind, and I jabbed my elbow back. Hard.

The grunt in my ear was a familiar one.

“Like the night we met, my one,” Deke wheezed.

Only he could make that tackle in the woods sound romantic.

He reached over me, and the fiery sugar of his magicks filled my nose even before I saw the green smoke. It coated a guy, but he didn’t even notice it, much less fall to the ground in a heap of pain.

“He’s a void. Fully and completely soulless,” Deke said.

I was out of ideas. And as we knocked them down just for them to rise back up, I was also running out of hope.

“Bald guy is less smudgy,” Lilith said before doing a flawless, graceful roll. She landed up on her knees behind a guy and slammed her fist up into his crotch.

It was equally flawless and graceful in a badass way.

Deke tried that guy.

“What’re you doing?” I asked as I ducked the fireballs.

Ones that were traveling less distance and flaming smaller.

We’re tiring them out. We just need to keep this up for three to four… business years.

“My humanity,” Deke said.

I didn’t know what that meant, but it wasn’t time for him to draw me a diagram.

“It’s not enough. Lace your fingers with mine and hold tight.”

I did as he said, and his magicks changed. The green twisted with gold, separate but connected.

Complete.

The man stopped mid-punch and fell to the ground, but not in pain.

Not physical at least.

“Why?” he cried, holding his head. “Why did I do that? I just wanted a better life.”

We moved on to the next target, but he didn’t react as he created a fireball and launched it at the man sobbing on the floor.

Thinning their own herd.

Hopefully, none of these assholes are so brain-dead, they take out a warded one.

“Blond hair about to get Juno,” Lilith rushed out before adding a shouted warning. “Juno, behind you!”

Juno ducked from where she was using her magicks to restrain anyone she could touch, but Stellan was already there. His demeanor and body language looked slow and calm, but he was moving fast.

Deke sent the green and gold magicks to the man, but that one didn’t fall to the ground crying. He grabbed the Absolve guy next to me. “You said we’d be powerful. That women would be throwing themselves at us. I just wanted to drink beer and play video games, but you dragged me into this with lies and empty promises.” As he yelled, he punched him. Over and over and over until his face was mush.

“Beard,” Lilith said next before gagging.

I looked over to see that Lennon had his hand wrapped around the forearm of an Absolve that’d been reaching for Lilith.

The man wasn’t dead from Lennon’s hand on his bare skin. That was too dangerous when we didn’t know who was a bomb waiting for their fuse to be lit. But his green-tinged skin hung from his bones. Puss oozed from his eyes, nose, ears… Basically every orifice. He fell to a weak pile but still breathed.

“Which beard?” Deke asked.

“The patchy pube hair one,” Lilith said.

Another shot of green smoke. The guy—who couldn’t be older than me—stopped. His eyes widened.

He pulled a knife from his back pocket and ended his own life in a gruesome way that belonged in a horror movie.

A banned horror movie.

“Close your eyes,” Deke ordered, but I shook my head.

“Keep going.”

We continued, his humanity mixing with my light to wake them up. It wasn’t everyone. But combined with those that Juno had subdued in her red nets, Lennon had rotted to just a few porch steps from death’s door, and Nate… well, him being actual Death, we were able to dwindle their numbers.

“Bravo,” Jones called, giving up his spot as a reserved commander. “I’d hoped we could do this the easy way. It’s been a long time coming. Don’t you agree, Thanatos?”

Other than shuffling their bodies so his protectively blocked Denny, Nate ignored him.

“We had to do it the hard way last time, but I’m rather fond of this body. As I recall, your mate found it attractive when she called me to get rid of you.”

“What the fuck did you say, Hale?” Nate bit out.

“Hale?” The man let out a loud, taunting chuckle. “You still don’t know who I am, do you?”

“An asshole member of Absolve.”

“Maybe this will jog your memory.” His brows furrowed, and his voice changed. Smoothed out. “Of course I’ll help you, Thanatos. I’m your friend. Your only friend in your long, miserable life.”

Nate looked like he’d seen a ghost. Worse, actually, since I doubted a ghost would faze him. “No, John Wilmot is dead. I saw him die. Joseph Martin⁠—”

“Joseph Martin was a pawn. A nothing. Easier to manipulate than even you. I’ve always been good at blending in as a low-level follower while I pull the strings from six moves ahead. Isn’t that right, Detective?” Stellan didn’t give the reaction he hoped for—or any reaction, so he returned to taunting Nate. “I planted the idea in his head just as I planted the clues that led you to him. I timed everything to perfection, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, you four didn’t die. The curse was probably hell for you all, so that’s some consolation. But now I have you four. Not only that, you have your mates. It was worth the wait.”

“It can’t be him. This man isn’t empty. He’s full,” Deke said in our heads.

“How? He was soulless last time. You can’t regrow a soul,” Nate shot back.

Deke lifted his head in understanding, and rage tightened his body. “No, but you can steal them. That’s why he’s so full. It isn’t just his soul. It’s countless ones.”

Despite Juno knocking out part of the wards, we still couldn’t get free. Even if we could, we wouldn’t leave.

We were created to fight.

“Worth the wait how?” Nate asked to keep him talking as Juno’s red crept along the floor and ceiling.

“Because you’re more powerful now that you’ve found your mates.” He looked gleeful, like a kid on Christmas. “Do you know how easy that’ll make the rest of this? Not that humans are particularly hard to control.” He pointed up. “People go through these museums daily, taking pleasure in death. Some of the accused weren’t even exonerated until recently. Can you believe that? Yet people joke about how the bitches deserved it. About how they’ve got a list of people they want to accuse next. But it’s not a joke. Not really. The way hatred and fear spread then is nothing compared to now. It’ll be beautiful.”

Revulsion filled me, the feeling of doom returning like I was still sitting in a pew.

“And everything you went through was for nothing,” he continued. “When we end this shitty world, no one will even know what you’ve sacrificed.”

The only thing that kept me from collapsing—other than we didn’t have time—was Juno’s magicks working their way over.

Almost. Almost.

“Uh-uh,” Jones-slash-whoever said with a condescending wag of his finger. “If you’re thinking of using your magicks on me, I’d think again. Kill me, and this whole city goes. Maybe the state. Maybe more.”

“You’re not a demon,” Nate stated, stalling for time. I could see it in the darting of his eyes. “You’re human.”

“Correct.”

“Then how did you die? How are you alive and in this different body?”

“I can’t give away all my secrets and powerful allies.”

“I have nothing,” Nate said in our heads.

“Neither do I, dammit,” Juno added.

No one did.

But still Juno’s red crept along.

“Kneel,” Jones ordered. “Give up your souls, and I’ll let you keep your life. You can be together.”

I wanted a life with Deke more than anything in the world.

Almost.

But never at the expense of other lives.

Once the ceiling, floor, and walls were covered in red, I knew what that meant. We all did without saying anything.

The Four were going to take out that monster. End Absolve. Save the future souls while Juno’s magicks contained the blast.

And we were going to die while doing it.

Mates reached out to squeeze hands. Or touch butts, since Juno grabbed a handful of Stellan’s ass.

We made peace with what was about to happen.

The sacrifice we would make.

I said I wanted to be brave…

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

TOGETHER

DEKE

“Not yet,” Aurora said in everyone’s head. Her eyes went unfocused, but she still spoke. “Not yet.”

I had no clue what we were waiting for, but I knew we were running out of time.

The body-changing bastard approached. The temperature dropped rapidly until we could see our breath. Despite the fact there were no windows in the bunker, his hair whipped around in a breeze.

“Not yet.”

He stopped. That sewage-green smoke from our last battle surrounded him.

“Now!” Lilith and Aurora shouted at once.

Juno shot another blast of her red at him, but he was already frozen.

“What the hell?” Stellan asked.

An assist?

We didn’t have time to piece it together.

“The wards.” Aurora rubbed her head. “Lennon, you have to melt the wards from his bones.”

No one argued. If she was wrong, we died anyway. But if she was right?

Juno guided him as Lennon touched every spot with a ward. It had to hurt like fuck. His magicks was eating away at the bone. Melting it.

But the fucker didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink.

“That’s it,” Juno said, quickly scurrying back. “Let’s light this motherfucker up.”

Her red protection stayed in place as all four siblings blasted him with magicks.

He moved, taking a jerking step toward us.

And then he shriveled, his skin a rotted husk as it fluttered to the ground.

“That’s it?” Juno looked around to where the remaining Absolve members were empty, rapidly decaying corpses. “That can’t be it, right?”

“Maybe?” Denny said.

“No,” Aurora and Lilith said at the same time again.

“My intuition is telling me something else is happening here.” Lilith slowly approached the body. “What the hell is wrong with his eyes? Is he a cyborg?”

We rushed over to see.

The rest of his body was scorched earth, but his eyes remained the normal size. What wasn’t normal was the things floating in them.

“Worms? Was this whole thing because of brain worms?” Denny asked.

That fullness.

“Souls. Thousands of them.” I crouched down to look closer. Black, gray, golden, dimmed. Some stolen and some bartered. All of the pilfered or sacrificed souls were in his being. And once he died, the windows to the soul…

That stupid fucking saying strikes again.

“I tried to send a message to Levi, but I don’t think it’ll go through from down here. Hopefully, I have War to Satan roaming because I really don’t want to touch those.”

“That’s fine. We’ll take them.”

We whipped around.

For the love of⁠—

“Angels,” Lilith said.

Two of them stood in the now open doorway. Both looked to be men in their late thirties, but neither was true.

They weren’t men.

And they were much, much older.

“We were sent to retrieve the souls.” Wearing a burgundy suit, he styled his black hair like Elvis. He gave a kind and peaceful smile as he held a hand out.

The other was dressed much less formal in ripped jeans, a cut tee, and scuffed leather boots.

They were angels but… not.

I scooped the eyeballs up and was grateful they didn’t feel like eyeballs. Instead, it was like marbles in my palm. “We’re set.”

“You can’t keep those, Dubhloach. You know that.”

“And you can’t have them, fallen angels.”

It was a guess I tossed out because the greedy, lustful way the one in the casual clothes was eyeing the death and destruction in the room was far from fucking heavenly.

Aurora’s expression of pure awe fell to stark terror.

“Fuck.” Suit angel let out a long groan. “First, we had to deal with that bastard for centuries. Do you know how annoying it is to spend time with someone who always thinks they’re the smartest person in the room? Of course, you do. He made you sit through his villain monologue so you’d understand how intelligent he was before you died. Now imagine dealing with that for centuries. We’re literal angels. I’m the one who told him about how powerful souls were. An angel from Heaven with a divine order to create Absolve. But did he just obey? No. He had to make everything so damn convoluted so he could prove how clever he was. He warded his body to make sure we didn’t cut him out once we had enough souls for paradise. Which, yes, fine, was the plan, but still. It was a frustrating obstacle. And thanks to all that preservation, he knew he couldn’t harness your souls until he’d gained enough power, or they would rip him apart. It took forever. When we were still in Heaven was one thing. It felt like a few months for us, so no biggie. But now that we’ve been banished here? Human Earth is Hell. And…” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Look at me. Doing a damn soliloquy myself.” He shrugged. “Whatever. You took care of him and his warding in the wall, so thanks for doing us that solid. And he came through in the end by finding you. The great and wonderful Four. Hand over the souls—the ones in the eyes and your own—and we’ll uphold that deal he offered. We’ll let you live in our new paradise.”

“Isn’t that just Heaven?” Juno asked.

“Fuck no.” Anger pinched casual one’s face. “You of all people should get that, War. Created to help humans who would rather kill themselves and each other. Cursed to live amongst them. Forced to serve them. Your entire purpose is stopping those hairless primates from pressing the self-destruct button. And for what?” He threw an arm out toward the devastation, his eyes going hooded. “For them to trade their eternal afterlife for a few years of authority or money or pussy or whatever.”

The other angel held out his hand again. “With those souls and yours, we’ll finally have enough power. Humans want to wipe each other out? Perfect. We’ll hasten the process. Once God’s pet project is flushed down the toilet where it belongs, we’ll turn Earth into a utopia. A place for angels to live in peace and not in service to ungrateful morons.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Juno lifted her arms into a defensive pose.

Lennon, Nate, and I followed.

Casual one grinned and readjusted himself. “Then your fate will match theirs.”

They both pushed outward, and a wave of the magicks rushed through the air hard enough to knock us on our asses. Green and brown, mixing to make the disgusting magicks John Wilmot and Joseph Martin had used.

Angels had powers, but nothing like that. Nothing that should’ve been transferable or that powerful.

But thanks to the souls, who knew what they could do.

And who knew what they would be capable of if they got ours.

“Last chance,” the suited one said as we climbed to our feet. “Join our side voluntarily or lose your souls and die regardless.”

At our silence, they locked eyes and shrugged.

That time when they launched their magicks, we were waiting. We met it with our own.

Gray.

Red.

Blue.

And dark green.

All four came together to hit against theirs. Pushing. Resisting. Fighting. But it wasn’t enough.

Slowly, we began to lose coverage as theirs jammed ours back. Overpowering ours.

Overpowering us.

And unlike with whatever his name was, it wouldn’t be a noble sacrifice of our lives to take him out, too. We would be gone, and the angels’ plan would go unchecked.

Tapping into everything, we struggled forward. I thought about Aurora. How I finally had her.

How I was nowhere near ready to part from her.

“My one, come here.”

She hurried over and wrapped her hand with mine like before. Gold infused my green, and she gasped. “Together like my gift has been trying to tell me.”

The others followed suit. Silver and gray. Navy with red. Purple and blue.

We gained more, but it was temporary. They were angels. Soul-sucking angels. They got the advantage back as quickly as they’d lost it.

Fuck.

Fucking hell, we’re gonna die down here. In a bunker under a damn tourist trap.

Puke green had nearly wiped out all traces of our vibrant color. I could feel the sludge of their magicks. The weight of their malevolence. It burned my palm.

I didn’t want to admit defeat. I knew my siblings felt the same. But whether we were ready or not, it was about to be over.

“I love you, my one,” I forced out, channeling everything I had into my words and my magicks.

My siblings and their mates spoke, but I only heard Aurora.

“In just a short time, you already gave me more than I thought I’d have in life. If I die now, I do it happy.” She choked on a sob. “I love you.”

I closed my eyes and waited, feeling peace in my soul.

Feeling whole.

For a moment, I thought I heard music over the clashing magicks.

“And I also love you, even if you’re not my daughter. And before you turn your green smoke my way, big guy, I love all of you like you were my children. Even though you’re not. We can still play a nice game of catch, though, sport.”

I’m dead, and Levi is taunting me.

My lids snapped open, and a glittery white was added to ours.

“We have the power of souls,” one of the angels said.

Levi yawned like he was bored. “Okay, and? I have the power of big dick energy, and you don’t see me bragging.”

“Yes, you do,” Juno said. “All the time. I’m pretty sure you’d put it on a Christmas card if you could.”

“I could, and I will. The stocking isn’t the only thing hung.” His white surged. “Thanks for the idea.”

“Choose your side wisely, Levi,” the angel continued screaming over the buzz and crackle of the warring magicks. “Or we might come for Hell next.”

“Please, do. I’m up to my giant dick in paperwork.” He turned to face Juno but still aimed his magicks across the room. “Hmm, I guess you’re right. I do talk about it a lot. It’s like a parent with their kid. I’m just so proud.”

“Once again, you don’t have kids,” another voice joined in, adding his glittery white magicks.

The brown and green receded momentarily as one of them gasped. “Uriel. What’re you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same, Asbeel and Azazel.”

“Oh, it’s so obvious,” Juno called. “Asbeel eye-fucking the carnage as the angel of destruction, and Azazel the angel of death and fetching souls. Nate, he’s like your Bizarro World twin.”

Nate just grunted, sending more gray.

Juno kept talking like we weren’t in the middle of a battle for humanity. “Remember when those fuckers broke into your house? This is who they were talking about. A and Z. Phew, that unsolved mystery would’ve driven me crazy.”

“You’re not supposed to be down here,” Azazel said to Uriel, ignoring us. “You’re forbidden from getting involved in these matters.”

“The universe demands balance,” a booming voice echoed around.

“M-Michael,” Azazel stammered.

I expected one burst of shimmery white.

There were three.

I glanced to the side to see Michael was joined by two other angels—Raphael and Chamuel. Contrary to what Juno had said about her stoner angel, he looked as fierce and angry as the others.

“You physically got involved,” Michael said, his words carrying like they were being played through surround sound speakers. “Which opened the door for us to do the same. Balance. And you must know, Azazel and Asbeel, there is no winning here.”

The fallen angels didn’t give up.

“Your powers are tainted by evil,” Michael’s voice continued over all the clashing. “Poison. Even if you manage to defeat us, it will rot you from the inside. There will be no paradise. You will decay before you see your selfish plan to fruition.”

A and Z pushed on, Asbeel shouting, “The souls will heal us. Fuel us. Power⁠—”

Another, grander burst of white interrupted him as it joined our side. It burst through the darkened room, reflecting and shimmering like a thousand tiny crystals catching the sunlight.

“You can’t be here!” Azazel screamed, panic lacing his words. “They’re not yours. This has nothing to do with you. Why’re you here?”

He didn’t have the chance to hear an answer.

Gray, silver, red, navy, blue, purple, green, gold, and glittery white came together. It didn’t mix to blend into one sludge color like the other side. It swirled, each component its own important piece. Individual and vital, working together.

Like The Four and our mates.

The smoke stoked. Inflated and deflated as life was breathed into it. It crept over the greenish brown, eating away at it until none remained. And then it swept over the two fallen angels.

Shrouded in the tapestry smoke, Asbeel’s eyes were lit with glee. It didn’t matter that the destruction was his own—he got off on it either way.

But Azazel’s gaze was pleading. His voice echoed through the torrent of smoke, “Brothers, please. There is so much evil in humankind. So many souls going to Hell. You need me. Please⁠—”

His words were cut off as the technicolor magicks swallowed them completely.

And they disappeared.

It’s over.

It’s actually fucking over.

Stunned frozen, no one moved. It was like we didn’t believe it was done. Or we were afraid that moving would bring about the next disaster.

We waited for another shoe to not just drop but for it to be torpedoed at us.

It didn’t come.

“I’ve never been down to Earth,” Chamuel said, breaking the heavy silence. “Does it always smell like this?”

He was answered with a mix of yeses and nos.

“The souls,” the mystery angel said in a soothing voice that filled the room with peace. He held out his hand.

I looked at Uriel, who lifted his chin. I handed them over.

“I hope to see some of you again.” He scanned the room, but his eyes seemed to pause on Aurora. “Very soon.”

And then he was gone.

“Who was that?” Juno asked. “He gave me nothing to go on.”

“Gabriel.” Michael glared at the spot where his brother had been. “That self-important ass.” He paused and wiggled his tongue. “Oh, no wonder the defectors use such filthy language. That feels wild. Ass. Shit. Fuck.” His eyes lit. “That one is my favorite.”

“So,” Chamuel drawled as he grinned at Juno. “I’ve heard tales of houses internationally that are made of pancakes.”

She burst his bubble. “Not literally.”

“So the ones made of waffle…” At her headshake, he deflated. “Then I’m heading back where I belong.”

I moved to my mate just as Uriel did. His eyes darted between us and the flames in his hair sparked brighter. “I’m happy to see the light in you, Aurora. Beautiful. Just beautiful.”

He and the others disappeared until only Michael and Levi remained.

“I never would’ve imagined that together included angels. Or that evil did, either.” Aurora shook her head and looked at me. “What did you mean about your humanity? And how did you do… whatever you did?”

“I’ve lived for a long time as just a human while I neglected my magicks. It led to a surplus of humanity. I was able to use it to fill the ones who weren’t completely void yet. Speaking of…” I turned to Michael. “What will happen to the souls?”

“The stolen ones will be sent to their rightful afterlife,” he said. “The bartered ones, given freely for greed and clout, will be disposed of.”

“What I’d like to know…” Levi turned to point out the door. “Which one of you brought a dog to a magicks battle?”

Aurora’s head snapped to look. “A dog?”

“Yes. Short legs, big bark, fluffy ass. Nearly bit my ankles off.” He flicked his wrist, and a door opened to let Victoria come bounding in. “I’m surprised she didn’t scratch through the concrete to get to you.”

“She must’ve already done that to our door to get to Aurora,” I said, releasing my mate just long enough for her to scoop the dog up. I ran my fingers through her fur and apologized. “Sorry for calling you Demon Dog all this time.”

“My demons do pant and hump things a lot,” Levi said with a head tilt.

Aurora buried her face in her fur before looking at Levi and Michael. “Do I have a gift with animals or something?”

“Yes,” Michael answered. “But not a magicks one. Animals are intelligent⁠—”

“Far more than people,” Levi muttered.

“They’re drawn to light. Your pure soul.” Michael scanned the room. “We will be in touch soon.”

Then they were gone, too.

“Angels,” Aurora whispered. “Those were actual archangels. And Levi’s magicks matches theirs because he really isn’t resentful evil incarnate. And one called me beautiful. Not a sinner. Not a heathen. Not an abomination.” She squeezed her body into mine and looked up, sharing her joy with me. “Other than when you tell me you love me or want me or call me your one or… Basically, outside of anything with you, that was the nicest compliment I’ve ever gotten.”

“I’m glad, my one.”

“Yup, that’s still better.”

“Is it actually over?” Denny asked, her body plastered to Nate’s in a similar way. “It doesn’t seem possible.”

He cupped her cheek and tilted her head. “It’s over with Absolve and those fallen angels. But there will always be evil who try to use black magicks to gain power.”

“Oh. That’s depressing.”

“But we will fight it together.”

“That’s less depressing.”

“And for now, I am taking you home.”

“That’s the least depressing.”

“Good because I intend…” The rest of Nate’s words went too quiet to hear before he teleported her out.

Lilith and Lennon left with barely a goodbye.

I heard Stellan say, “Poof us home, pixie, or I’m dragging you out of here in handcuffs.”

“Promises, promises, Detective,” Juno whispered as they disappeared.

Aurora tilted her head. “Take me home.”

“Anything, my love.”

When I did, it wasn’t to the apartment. It was to the entryway of our little cabin in the woods.

“I missed it here,” she breathed, that small smile on her face. The one that said she was at peace.

Content.

Full.

But not as full as I needed her to be.

Taking Victoria from her arms, I set her guard dog—who was no longer a Demon Dog—down before backing Aurora against the door. “You know, I never did fuck you against this door.”

Her arms wrapped around my shoulders as she pushed onto her toes. “It’s not too late.”

I didn’t bother undressing her. I pulled a page from Levi’s book and used my magicks.

Lifting her into my arms, I pinned her between my body and the wooden door. I positioned her at the tip of my cock but kept her planted there, loving the little moans she made as she tried to move.

“Centuries of darkness, my love, and all of it was worth it for you. You are more than my wildest fantasies. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She licked her bottom lip and peered up at me with gorgeous eyes. One black as night. One the morning sky. “But I’m so empty.”

Using my hold, I slammed her down.

After all, that was my purpose.

Keeping my mate full.

EPILOGUE

AURORA

“When you said you’d see us soon,” Juno said to Michael as she paced in front of his desk, “I thought you meant in a few months. Helium, in a few weeks, given how time passes up here. Not the very next day.”

“There are important matters,” he said, leaning to the side to look around her. “Must you always trash every room you’re in?”

“Yup,” Levi said, not even being subtle about it as he tore pages from a book.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Michael sighed.

“Is evil fluffery afoot already?” Juno asked. “Because if so, I might be on team let-it-torch after all.”

“No. As I was⁠—”

His words cut off when the door opened.

Michael’s eyes snapped open, but when he saw who it was, he relaxed. “Just in time.”

The other archangels were already there, so I wasn’t sure who it could be. But it was the one from the battle.

Gabriel.

He lifted his chin as he walked into the office. As he stepped, flowers bloomed to life under his feet. Lilies.

Weird.

But pretty.

“As I was saying, there is something important to discuss.” Michael cleared his throat—and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was enjoying a little dramatics of his own with the lengthy pause. “You are being released from your duties.”

“What?”

“What does that mean?”

“Will we be dead?”

“I can’t be dead. I just restocked on gummy bears.”

Everyone spoke at once, talking over each other, but Michael’s booming voice carried over all of them. “No one is dead. When you were created, we had no idea the way that humanity would develop. Or that you would face such a lengthy curse. You’ve more than upheld your end of the celestial bargain. You defeated Absolve. You took down those two fallen baccarats…” His lips curved into a frown. “It’s not as much fun now that I know how it feels to swear on Earth. Anyway, you took them down, which has restored order to the ranks.”

“The demons were reminded who the biggest, baddest force around is,” Levi put in as he ripped a torn page into smaller bits.

“And you were willing to lay down your lives yesterday to shield the humans. You have sacrificed enough.”

“But what about the next evil that tries to harness dark magicks?” Lennon asked. “Who will protect humankind?”

“Another round of The Four. With modifications from what we’ve learned.” Nate opened his mouth, but Michael lifted a finger. “Including not making them wait so long for their mates.” He got a smug look. “Even if the powers-that-be were correct on the timing and what kind of partner you would need.”

“He has a point,” Deke whispered to me.

“What would happen to us?” Juno asked. “Would we get sick? Die? What about our powers? How would this even work?”

“Your powers are yours, always. You just wouldn’t have to use them for defending the world because you’ve already done that. You wouldn’t get sick. You would die of old age with your mate.”

“And then that’s it? No forever together?” Nate sat forward like he was going to storm out. “Food no.”

“You would go to your perfect afterlife,” Michael said. “Together. Always.”

Nate sat back again.

“You would also be able to start a family,” Gabriel said.

“That explains why the archangel of fertility is here,” Juno muttered.

“There is no rush. Think it over and send word when you decide.” Michael gave a flourish, and Levi was gone. The couples were returned to Earth.

Everyone but Deke and me.

I looked at him.

I’d been ecstatic when I thought we’d be fighting new and different evils for all time. It wasn’t the traditional happy ending, but it was still one.

But a chance for a real life together? Neither of us had ever had that. Not that I remembered, at least.

I didn’t have to ask Deke’s thoughts. I could feel them. His desire. His happiness. I knew what he wanted.

And apparently so did the angels because we were still there.

Gabriel smiled. “When you’re ready, come stand over here.”

Deke pulled me into a quick kiss—his mouth curved into a smile the whole time—before I went to stand in front of Gabriel. As he waved a hand over my stomach, I glanced down at the garbage Levi had left behind. In ripped letters resembling something from a serial killer, there was a message.

Name him after me, fake daughter.

Deke

FIVE YEARS LATER

“No running around Uncle Deke’s cabin.”

“They’re fine,” I tried to say, but Lennon’s glare cut to me.

“We might be impervious to death, but kids are very much not injury proof. Broken bones. Stitches. Concussions. Brain bleeds. CTE.”

“Lucy is two.” Lilith wrapped her arm around my brother. “She has at least a few seasons of football before we have to worry about CTE.”

He relaxed. Well, as much as a centuries-old father of a toddler could relax. “I don’t want her to slip.”

“Hey, hi, we’re here,” Nate greeted as he threw open the front door.

“You’re capable of teleportation. How are you late?” Juno asked from her spot on the couch as she lifted a big piña colada at Denny.

“We drove,” Denny said. “Now that she can talk, Persephone has been telling everyone that her dada and Uncle Levi can poof her across the country for a churro. I mean, she’s three, so they just think she’s being cute. But if it continues as she gets older, people will think she’s a liar. Or they’ll believe her. Neither is good, so we’re drivers now.”

“Have the other drivers always been incapable of maintaining speed or signaling?” Nate asked me.

“Yes. Since the invention of the car. Actually, the horse and buggy, too.”

“Damn.” He moved over to the couch. “Sister of mine, how’re the new recruits?”

Of all of us, Juno and Stellan were the only ones who decided against having kids. They still took The Four retirement plan and would age, but Juno split her time between overseeing Novel Idea and training our replacements.

“Not as good as us, but they’re getting there. We just closed on a property outside of the city where we’ll have more privacy. Stellan is going to get it set up so we can kick their asses more efficiently. It’ll be like we’re running Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, except Professor X and Magneto are boning. Finally. As it should’ve been in the comics.”

Stellan pulled his wife closer, still looking at her with love and adoration even when most would cross the street to avoid her insanity.

“Your retirement sounds like a lot of work,” Lennon muttered.

“Says the man who went back to working at the hospital as soon as he could,” Lilith said with a laugh as she sank into her mate’s side.

“Limited hours,” Lennon pointed out. His lips quirked. “Maybe we should take up golf.”

Stellan paused with his beer partway to his mouth and shook his head. “If being a detective didn’t pack the same punch after the clusterfuck we dealt with, I’d die of boredom by hole three. I’m much happier training the next gen to be prepared.”

“Clusterduck, clusterduck,” Lucy repeated—or tried to.

“Quack, quack, ducker,” Liam joined in, his blue and black eyes lit with pure joy.

“How does my kid sound more offensive than the one actually copying the swear?” I asked.

“He gets it from you,” my wife called from the kitchen.

It’s been too long since I’ve touched her.

Leaving the others to catch up, I went in and found Aurora fussing over the cake. I wrapped an arm around her from behind and grazed my mouth up her neck. “It’s fine, my one. Come visit. Everyone is here.”

We still saw my siblings at least a couple of times a month. Except instead of planning for attacks or barely making it out of them alive, we hung out. Took the kids to do whatever stupid shit kids wanted to do. Played board games—something that Denny was very competitive about, especially when her best friend joined us.

It might not have been thrilling, but after years on my own, moving constantly with no attachment, I was good with simple.

“The cake is uneven,” Aurora whispered as she worked to nudge it.

I turned her in my hold. “No one will notice. All they’ll care about is how it tastes.”

She threw her hands up, fondant and frosting launching across the room. “Well, of course it’ll be good. You baked it. It’s me who messed up the decorating.”

“Our kid picked a knife block for his cake. There’s really only so much we can do with that.”

“He likes cooking with his dada. I don’t blame him.” She smiled up at me. Small and genuine.

I cupped her cheek like in the vision she’d had all those years ago.

Content.

Whole.

She spun back around before I could taste her mouth—something far sweeter than cake. “I just want it to be perfect. How often does our son turn four?”

“Only once.” My hand slid down to rest low on her stomach. “But then you’ll have another fourth birthday to plan for him.”

“Her,” she corrected.

I twisted her again, her golden hair flying out. “Did you get a vision?”

She bit her lip and shook her head. “I just know.”

Nate came in and headed straight for the blender of piña coladas—not from a mix. “Don’t mind me. My mate is thirsty.” He grabbed a glass and then hesitated. “Is there alcohol in this batch?”

“No.”

“Good.” He poured and then stopped suddenly to stare at me.

I stared back.

More staring.

And then he finished fixing the drink without adding any rum, neither of us speaking what we both clearly knew.

“Looks like Liam is getting a new sister and a new cousin,” I whispered before grabbing Aurora’s untouched non-alcoholic drink and her hand. “Come on.”

Tugging her out into the living room, I settled my wife onto my lap. My son and nieces chased our dog. My siblings chatted, laughed, and bickered.

It was the perfect day with my family.

Together.

As we should be.

The End

ALSO BY LAYLA FROST

THE FOUR

Styx

Stoned

Broken

Bones

THE HYDE SERIES

Hyde and Seek

Best Kase Scenario

Until Nox: Happily Ever Alpha World

Wild Wicked Obsession

Ring Around the Posey

COURT OF MAYHEM

Until Mayhem

Finding Mayhem

THE DILLON SISTERS

Deathly by Brynne Asher

Damaged by Layla Frost

BLACK RESORTS

Little Dove

Little Sunshine

Little Goddess

STANDALONES

With Us

Give In

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Growing up, Layla Frost used to hide under her blanket with a flashlight to read the Sweet Valley High books she pilfered from her older sister. It wasn’t long before she was reading hidden Harlequins during class at school. This snowballed into pulling all-nighters after the promise of “just one more chapter”.

Her love of reading, especially the romance genre, took root early and has grown immeasurably until it was time to write her own stories.

When she’s not writing, Layla Frost is an insomniac with a deep love of iced coffee, tchotchkes, plants, and her hens. She’s also the world’s okayest mom, but her kids think she’s cool... ish.

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