I screamed, long and loud.
It was more or less my thing. That, and collecting souls—a harbinger of death. No prissy, pink bows for this girl. My life was darkness, the afterlife, and souls.
Twelve years ago, on my sixth birthday, I saw my first ghost. To this day, I didn’t know if it was a spirit or a hallow. There was a big difference. One wanted me dead. And the other wanted to aid or warn me.
Almost a year from today, my mom had been taken from me in the most brutal way a daughter could lose her mother—murder.
I came to Raven Hallow because of her death, to spend a summer with my Grandma Rose. A woman I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing until it was too late. Now, she was one of those spirits who abetted me.
It was strange how a journey could change you. That’s what coming to this island had been—a journey of self-discovery. The things I learned about myself couldn’t be taught in school. It was one of those life lessons you had to experience, and experience I did. I learned the truth about who I was and what I was capable of. Those two things were life altering.
My abilities were amplified since Zander had died, and I’d taken his soul, a formidable task that wasn’t my choice. I had tried to save him, but no matter how powerful I was, some things were still out of my control.
It didn’t really matter now. He was gone. The boy who was supposed to be my husband was dead.
A fire began to kindle inside me, a satisfying burn and purpose I’d never felt before. Losing Zander had snapped something inside me. Never again would I sit back in silence and do nothing. The hallows weren’t just dead, they were a threat to us all. And now I was personally invested, and I had the power to stop them. Being a banshee no longer seemed a hindrance. The hallows might have found a way to lift the veil between realms, but they hadn’t done so on their own. It wasn’t possible, not without help.
Time to weed out the traitors and clean house; if you weren’t on the side of the living, then you were dead. No more sweet, nice Piper— not that I was ever actually sweet. Despite all the unknowns, I was stronger and more focused than I’d ever been. For the first time, I didn’t doubt myself. I was going to kick some serious hallow ass.
The most immediate problem was how I was going to put the veil back in place. I had no clue, but hallows were sucking reaper souls, lapping them up like they were the last banana split on Earth. Someone had to stop them. I always got the short end of the stick, but lucky for me, I had one kickass, very hot, and dangerous boyfriend.
Speaking of Zane…
Holy Scooby snacks.
He was standing on the open balcony, the wind whipping through his dark locks, carrying in the night and the sea. His face was angled, a five o’clock shadow lining his jaw. I blinked. Seeing him, I felt like a different girl than the one who had stepped foot on the island just weeks ago, angry at the world. Zane played a big part in my transformation, he and the intense feelings he aroused inside me.
Then I remembered. The scream. Crash. It all came tumbling back in waves of fear, pain, and uncertainty. After what had been a train wreck of a night, Crash had snuck into my room, much like a stalker. He made it clear his sister’s death would not be forgotten, and the person responsible— in this case me— would pay. The whole conversation left me shaken and confused. Was he warning me or threatening me? No doubt Crash was long gone after his dramatic exit and threats, but he left me trembling in his wake.
Zane was a forced to be reckoned with, and those who knew him well, knew it. By the expression on his face, he was very much not okay. I wasn’t even going to ask. Pain and hurt refracted in his stormy blue eyes, yet he’d still come to my rescue. A little late, but who could blame him? He wasn’t in top form. I was honestly surprised he was here at all.
“You came,” I whispered, placing a hand on the wall to steady my racing heart. Between Crash’s unexpected visit and Zane’s presence, my heart was overtaxed.
His voice was gruff when he replied, “I will always come.”
It meant a thousand times more to me, hearing him say it. Zane was bound by an ancient oath to protect me. “I-I just thought with everything that happened—” My voice caught as tears begin to swell in my eyes, closing off my throat. The sight of him broke down my walls. I didn’t have to be strong or tough.
He stepped inside, closing the double glass doors behind him. “I’m not taking any chances with you. What happened?”
I swallowed, forcing the tears to remain at bay. “Crash. That’s what happened,” I said, and waited for him to turn green and go Hulk. I wasn’t disappointed, minus the green skin.
His eyes went dark, veins exploding down his face. “He was here?” he rumbled from deep in his chest. “He dared to show his face?”
I picked the half-peeled black cherry nail polish from my fingertips. “He came to give me a warning…I think.” I was honestly left a little perplexed by Crash and his actions.
Zane clearly didn’t trust him. “I’m going to kill him. His soul is mine.”
This was pretty much the reaction I’d expected. I circled around the bed to the center of the room, where he stood rigid and unyielding. Tonight of all nights, was not the best time to piss Zane off. Crash must have a death wish, because I wasn’t certain I’d be able to stop Zane from sending him to an early grave. Against the reaper rules or not, Zane was angry enough to act now and screw the consequences. Luckily for him, I was the White Raven. “Normally, I would argue with you, but maybe you’re right.”
His lustrous eyes glowed eerily in the dark. If I didn’t know him, I would have been frightened. “I’m always right, princess.”
And just like that, his arrogance became part of his armor. Zane was a complex guy, and under the hard shell and temper, he was hurting. And that brought on the guilt. “I shouldn’t have sent the distress signal. You should be at home with your family, not here. Crash didn’t hurt me. I’m not in danger at the present moment.” Other than my shaken nerves and the uncontrollable need to feel safe, I was fine. Although, I wasn’t sure I’d ever truly be safe again.
His icy eyes thawed. It was possible he caught a flicker of my unease, but it was misplaced. It was him I was worried about. As if my skin was made of porcelain, he lightly ran a finger along my jaw. “I should have come sooner.”
“He didn’t hurt me,” I reiterated before Zane got any ideas about going commando on Crash. I shouldn’t have felt the need to object. Yet, regardless of what had transpired, I understood Crash’s actions. I would have done anything to make the people responsible for my mother’s death pay. Suffer even.
Maybe that was what he was doing. Taunting me, before he made his final move to strike me dead.
I knew now that muggers hadn’t killed my mom, but instead reapers, probably Red Hawks. Knowing the truth didn’t diminish the anger or desire for revenge. It had once blazed inside me, spreading until I thought of nothing less, and in my rage made some pretty stupid mistakes I could never take back.
Zane shook his head, wisps of his windblown hair partially obscuring his eyes. “That’s not the point, Piper. He could have hurt you…or worse. Apparently, it doesn’t matter how much security we assign, unless someone is stationed by your side twenty-four seven, you’re exposed.”
A deep ache filled my chest. Looking at Zane, I was glad I hadn’t screamed sooner. He would have killed Crash. The glare in his eyes was murderous. There had been enough death in the last twenty-four hours, and I didn’t want more blood on my hands, not until I was certain where Crash’s loyalties lay. The odds were stacked against him, but I couldn’t afford to jump to conclusion and risk making monumental mistakes. We needed all the facts before condemning someone to death. There’d already been too much bloodshed.
Zane…not so much.
But I’d always known who Zane was, what he was, and none of it changed my feelings for him. He might be a ruthless reaper with a rap sheet longer than even the most prolific serial killers, but when I saw him, I didn’t see a destroyer of souls. I saw the guy I was hopelessly in love with.
And feeling his fractured pain, I wanted to wrap my arms around him, and absorb his agony. The only thing worse than death was being the person left behind to deal with the loss and the anguish. It was times like this that made our linked souls overwhelming, when emotions were tremendous. His hurtled into me, and my blood pressure escalated. “And that someone is going to be you?” I assumed.
“For tonight,” he responded in a strangled voice.
I reached out, grabbing his forearm before he could turn away from me. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m okay. Really. I don’t need a babysitter.”
He wasn’t convinced, maybe because I was gnawing on my lip to keep it from trembling. “I’m not leaving.” And to prove his point, he kicked off his shoes.
We could go back and forth all night, but someone was going to have to cave. And he’d already been through too much for me to be a thorn in his backside. “Zane, what about your family—”
“They’ll understand. Trust me. I need to be here tonight, with you.”
I think my heart stopped. “Okay,” I agreed, pressing my forehead to his chest.
His arms immediately encircled me, enveloping me in his cool, midnight scent. It felt like I’d waited forever to be able to be with Zane and have him return my affections without pushing me away. I was afraid it wasn’t real; that in the morning, I would wake up and nothing would have changed.
“Thank you,” I whispered against his shirt, my hands flattened on his chest.
“For what, princess?” The deep timbre of his voice vibrated against my face.
I lifted my head and gazed into his startling eyes. The dark reaper veins had faded. “Coming back.” I wasn’t talking about tonight, but coming home and back to me.
His fingers weaved through my slightly damp waves. “I never should have left.”
We stared at each other. The cuts and bruises from our fight just hours before gone from his face. A wealth of emotion transpired between us. Neither of us knew what to do or say next. I could have offered him one of the spare rooms to sleep in, but we both knew he wasn’t going to let me out of his sight.
Time lapsed, neither of us budged. It was that kind of night. Emotions high and my mind and body were not in sync. I imaged he felt the same.
“Come on,” he urged. “You should try and get some sleep.”
I stepped back, but his hands remained at my hips. “What about you?”
“I don’t think I could if I tried.” His jaw flexed. “I’ll keep watch. Make sure you don’t have any other unexpected intruders.”
Always the tough guy, but he didn’t need to be with me. “Or, I could slip you a bottle of sleeping pills,” I mumbled.
He sauntered across the room. “It wouldn’t do anything.”
“Because human drugs have no effect on us?” I guessed.
Bending down, he tugged back the covers. “None.”
Well, that explained a lot. I slipped the robe off and threw it on the chair. “Fine. Will you at least hold me?” I asked, padding across the room.
He was silent for a blink. “It depends.”
“On what?”
“Is that what your wearing to bed?” he asked with a trace of his Celtic accent.
I arched a brow. “Do you have a problem with my nightshirt?”
“Not the shirt, just how short it is…” His eyes roamed down my legs. “…and the fact that I’m not certain you have on anything else.”
“Perfect. I was going for distraction.” I climbed to the edge of the bed, snugging my feet under the covers, making sure to leave plenty of room in hopes I’d persuaded him to join me. I looked up, his entire face shrouded in darkness. “Don’t steal the covers.”
The bed dipped with his weight, and a second later I felt him give a yank on the blanket. He was really something else. Without thinking, I grabbed the ends and pulled them up to my chin, and maybe I took more than my share. He was too big or the bed was too small. Opening his arm, I settled in alongside him, my head nestled on his shoulder.
His body was firm as he held me. I hadn’t been able to save his brother, but maybe I could, for a night, calm his troubled soul and take some of the pain. Whether he was willing to admit it, he needed the rest as much as I did.
Cool lips pressed against my neck, a brief, light touch. “Get some sleep,” he murmured.
The only one sleeping was going to be him. I closed my eyes and drew my power around me, letting the tendrils trickle into Zane. I didn’t need pills. Our bond provided an IV straight to his bloodstream.
In moments, his body relaxed, and the even rhythm of his breathing filled the quietness. The hurt of losing Zander was still fresh and raw. He was drained, physically and emotionally. I was able to quiet his soul so he could fall into a sleep he desperately needed. I kept watch, unable to follow him into the unknowing bliss of slumber. Too well I knew the scars left behind from losing someone and how they didn’t ever quite heal.
Dawn was only right around the corner. A few hours would do him good. What I hadn’t expected was what it would do for me.
Regardless of the traumatic evening, being in Zane’s arms was nothing short of miraculous. A part of me had truly thought we’d never be able to be together. But I hadn’t given up hope, and though we hadn’t had a chance to discuss our relationship, he was here. And that was all that mattered in the world.
There was no denying the peace, tranquility, and harmony of lying beside him. Not to mention safety. It wasn’t only my soul that sighed; it was my heart as well. For the first time, the two were joined in mutual content, and a ribbon of happiness I hadn’t had felt since before my mom died twirled inside me.
I wanted to hold onto it, bottle it for a bad day, but it was hard to appreciate the glow inside me after the events of the past twelve hours. My guilt was overwhelming. How could I possibly feel a shred of happiness when Zander was gone? But the small fragments of happiness couldn’t completely mask the agony and anger that lived inside me. I wouldn’t forget what had happened, or who was responsible. I wouldn’t forget my role in his death. I vowed to myself, to Zane, and to Zander, his death wouldn’t be in vain. It was a promise I meant to keep at whatever costs.
The world sort of depended on it.