Eerie (37 page)

He cupped her face in his hands. When she looked up at him, her eyes pooled, and he brought his lips to hers, nipping her gently, and softly kissing her sobs. She put her hands over his on her cheeks and stroked them lightly.

“I'm so sorry, Asher,” she cried. “I feel like such a fool.”

“Don't.”

His soothing voice was welcome, and he traced his thumb down the side of her cheek to her jaw. “Pádraig was tasked with bringing you here and keeping you here. He did it the only way he knows how—with charm and seduction.”

Hailey shivered. It was downright frigid outside, and she wished she had a hat. And pants. And boots.

Smiling kindly, Asher extended his warmth around her. She sighed, all of her muscles relaxed by the sudden reprieve from cold.

“Did you tell him to humiliate me, too?” she asked bleakly, as another round of tears swam in her eyes. “Because that's what he just did.”

He drew her into a tight embrace.

“Of course not, Hailey. I told him his job was done and that I no longer expected him to look after you. I had no idea he would hurt you so deeply. Forgive me.”

So Asher had put Fin up to it. Fin had played her, and she'd fallen for his deceptive charm—hook, line, and sinker.

She felt sick.

“Hailey, I've neglected you, and I'm sorry. I will be around more often now.”

More often? What does that mean?

“Every day,” he whispered as if he'd read her mind. “There is no other for me.” Her heart found a handhold, and pulled itself partially out of her stomach.

She wasn't sure how to respond.

“What about Cobon's plan?”

Way to kill the mood, she thought, but that was what really worried her...that Asher would even consider—no intend—to hurt her.

He stroked her cheek and lifted her chin.

“Cobon aims to kill you. Soon.”

Her heart hit the basement again.

“I know you're afraid,” he said gently. “And you should be. If I'm to save you, I have to release your energy to him, and the pain will be excruciating.”

Excruciating
. She let the word sink in, and her blood ran cold.

“I don't understand it, Asher.”

He tilted his head and placed his hand over her heart.

“Your body and soul are bound.” He flipped his hand over and stroked her with his knuckles.

“The energy that binds them resonates and was collared in the instant your mother gave you her necklace. Cobon needs that energy—
your
energy—to bring to fruition a centuries-old design. The black rock will open a gateway. Through that gateway, the Envoys will go home.”

He stroked her cheek.

“I can hold your soul, release your energy, and rebind your soul and your body with a different energy. The Envoys will leave this place, but I will stay. With you.”

Even though she already knew all this, hearing it out loud and in no uncertain terms shocked her brain. It took a few seconds to reestablish the gray matter-to-mouth link. All the while, Asher gazed intensely into her eyes, gauging her reaction. Finally, like a car engine in the winter, her brain revved and sputtered and finally spit out a thought.

“He's already waited centuries. Why can't he wait another fifty years?”

“He's gone mad.”

“Oh.”
Like you.

“He wishes to speak with you. Tomorrow.”

Asher regarded her carefully. Frankly, she was still shell-shocked from Fin's cruelness and now Asher's cool explanation of why exactly he wanted to rip her soul out. She couldn't register any more shock, so she went with it.

“What time?” That was the normal thing to ask, right? But there was something . . . Oh, why wouldn't her brain work!

“Evening. He's invited us for dinner.”

Hailey pushed him away. The arctic air assaulted her skin.

“I thought you said you hadn't spoken to him!” she yelled. Guess her holy-crap-meter wasn't pegged after all.

“I hadn't.” He said it coolly and offered his hand again. As it hung between them, he explained, “He beckoned me from the ball. That's why I left you.”

Oh
. It was ten below outside his warmth, and she accepted his hand, letting him pull her close and out of the frigid night.

“You eat dinner?” For some reason she found the thought amusing, and she shook her head, stifling what would otherwise be a welcome grin.

“No, I don't eat dinner,” he said smiling back at her. “But
you
do. And you need to rest. You're exhausted.”

He led her back to the dorm with his arm around her shoulder, his hand gripping her upper arm and her body pulled close.

“You haven't taught me to use my gift,” she said, looking up at him. Maybe he regretted giving it to her. “I gotta tell ya, I don't feel any different . . . Haven't seen any evil coming . . .or heard any . . .discord...”

She remembered her premonition dream. “Although . . .”

Asher's eyes darkened. “What is it?”

Jeez, was he angry again?

“I had a premonition dream. Weeks ago.” She looked up at him. He waited to hear more. “You and Fin were . . .arguing, like usual . . .”

“Arguing about what?” he asked forcefully, but she couldn't help get the impression he already knew.

She shook her head.

“I couldn't make your voices out.”

Asher's expression softened immediately.

“I'll teach you how to use your gift properly. Soon.”

“It better be, because I'm not sure I'll survive your assault on my soul.”

Asher sighed.

“Don't call it that,” he said, sounding irritated.

“What shall I call it, then?” Asher bowed his head.
Yep. Assault
. Hailey thought so. Eureka was close, thankfully.

“Did you enjoy your night?” he asked exasperated.

They stood outside the door, facing each other.

“Not really,” she told him apologetically. “Except for the dance. And the kisses—your kisses.”

Asher grabbed her right arm and pulled her to him, grasping her hair in a fist with his other hand. He pressed his lips to hers and unleashed a slow, deliciously reassuring warmth, which quickly spread across her face, down her neck and into her shoulders, releasing all of her tension and dazzling her into a groggy stupor.

“Whoa,” she breathed when he released her.

She wobbled, dumbfounded.

“Sleep well, Hailey. I'll see you tonight. In the Aether.” He ushered her inside and disappeared into the shadows.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

An Invitation to Dinner

“Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.”

- H. G. Wells

Parent's weekend at Bear Towne University was in full swing the next day, and Giselle's mother and sisters had flown all the way from Hell to collect her for the winter break. Hailey only went to the luncheon at Chinook Hall because: she had nothing else to do, was avoiding Fin, she hoped to see her roommate once more before she left, was avoiding Fin, and—oh, yeah—she was avoiding Fin.

Not even close to hungry, she stared blankly at the buffet, completely engrossed in counting the serving spoons when a disinterested voice rang through the hall. “Hey, Prostitute.”

Instinctively, and she had no idea why, she turned to look, and when she did, Giselle, who had done the yelling, pointed and laughed.

Hailey rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a weak smile.

Her roommate stood with three supermodels next to absolutely nobody. It was funny. Even the professors gave them a wide berth. Hailey caught a shiver just looking at them, though with their crystal eyes set into porcelain skin, they were a vision to behold. Like Giselle, the other three banshees were beautiful, tall, and thin, but unlike Giselle, they had long flowing golden-white hair, which was constantly ruffled by an invisible wind that didn't affect Giselle's blondish-gray locks. They almost looked angelic.

Until they smiled.

Hailey wouldn't have thought it possible, but Giselle's family were much paler than she was, and as she drew near she heard them—ringing like crystals. It was beautiful.

Giselle threw her arms around her and lifted her off the ground in a powerful, frigid squeeze.

“Okay,” Hailey wheezed. “Put me down!”

Giselle dropped her and smiled.

Her family looked disgusted.

“Where's your uncle?” asked Giselle.

“Ireland,” she mumbled. All of her uncles went back to the homeland for Christmas that year, satisfied that Hailey'd be safe under the watchful eye of an Envoy. Her original plan had been to spend the holiday with Fin at his cabin, an idea Uncle Pix abhorred but had finally accepted. But she was pretty sure her invitation had been rescinded sometime between the “don't touch me” and “weeping cesspool” comments the night before. Besides, she'd probably be dead before Christmas anyway.

“Are these your sisters?” Hailey asked, trying to sound upbeat.

“You mean the skanks?”

“ . . .uh . . .”

“Yeah,” Giselle said finally. “My sisters, Marrakech and Amelina.” She jabbed her thumb at two of the supermodels.

Hailey extended her hand.

In response, they glared, and Hailey held her hand out for several uncomfortable seconds before finally dropping it.

“My mom, Lorelei.” Giselle motioned to the third supermodel.

“Who is this . . .girl?” Lorelei demanded of Giselle.

Her lip curled as she looked Hailey up and down.

“She's my roommate,” Giselle spat in response. “And my
friend
.”

Aw
, thought Hailey.
She called me her friend.

Lorelei grabbed her daughter by the shoulders. “Banshees don't have friends.”

“I'm not a banshee, mother,” said Giselle as she wrenched herself out of her mother's grip. “I'm just a big fat nothing,” she said smiling. “And I have a big-fat-nothing friend.”

Hailey straightened up and smiled.

“I'm going to stay with her in Pittsburgh this summer.”

Whoa. That was news.

Giselle looked at Hailey in a way that let her know she'd better play along.

“Oh, uh . . .yeah. Giselle is coming to work at our family pub...in the . . .in the pub.”

She looked to Giselle to see if she'd gotten it right, though she had no idea how she would pull this off. Hiding a banshee in plain sight inside the most popular pub on the South Side? Madness. Though contact lenses and hair dye seemed like a logical place to start, and if she never smiled, then maybe . . . What would her uncles think? She shuddered. Pittsburgh was not ready for an un-activated, mal-tempered banshee.

But, Hailey probably wouldn't survive the school year, so it made no difference to her.

Lorelei, however, radiated thermonuclear disgust.

“If you insist on fraternizing with humans, why don't you just stay here with
them
this winter?”

“Fine!” Giselle yelled. “I didn't want to come home anyway!”

“You're an abomination, Giselle, and a disgrace,” said Lorelei dryly. She put her grimace next to her errant daughter's face. “The sooner you lose your soul and die the better for everyone.”

Mama Banshee looked at Marrakech and Amelina.

“Girls,” she beckoned as she swept toward the door.

The sisters obediently followed their mother without even saying goodbye.

Giselle flipped them off. Hailey shivered and waved dumbfounded as the three disappeared outside.

“Why does your mother want you to lose your soul?” said Hailey.

Giselle turned to her and raised her arms like Frankenstein. Hailey put her hands up defensively, but Giselle threw her arms around her and squeezed.

Another hug.

Embracing a banshee was like standing shirtless in an icy breeze, and it cut right to Hailey's core.

“Because they hate me,” Giselle said as she released her. “They always find an excuse to leave me here. I can't remember the last time I spent Christmas with those Gorgons.”

She's a Christmas orphan this year too.
Hailey smiled and felt her eyes sting again. She was so relieved Giselle was staying. It was her first Christmas without Holly, and she didn't want to be alone.

“You're not alone, you have Asher,” Giselle said, and Hailey tsk'ed.

“You mean the omnipotent, bag-of-cats-crazy Envoy? Stop reading my emotions or mind or whatever.”

Being with Asher made her feel more lonely sometimes than when she was alone, if that made any sense. Maybe it had something to do with his burning desire to save her by killing her, which still wasn't making sense. She missed Fin.

“Glad you're staying,” she muttered, and Giselle smiled, looking rather pleased with herself. She was up to something. “What?”

“So is David,” she said proudly.

“Just don't drink the Kool-Aid,” was Giselle's advice when Hailey told her about dinner with Cobon. That and wear flats—in case she needed to run.

Asher arrived right on time as usual, looking forty shades of hot as usual, but wearing a rather unusual, troubled, slightly guilty expression when Hailey invited him in. He kissed her cheek and then took her hand in his and slowly brought it to his mouth, gently grazing his lips across her knuckles.

Her breath hitched.

Such a small gesture, and yet it sent a buzzing, tickling comfort down her arm through her heart and all the way into her stomach.

She looked up at him. It felt good, safe in Asher's presence—most of the time—and he was gorgeous. He wanted her to be with him. It was never a secret. He always wanted her next to him.

Except when he wants you dead,
her subconscious reminded.
Fin never wanted you dead . . .
Well, maybe he did now.

She dropped her gaze, pressing her lips together as she caged another wayward synapse.

When she lifted her eyes, she could see that Asher was itching to tell her something.

“What is it, Asher?” she asked after he led her out.

“I've been thinking about what you said to me yesterday. About laughing.”

Hailey straightened up.
Really?
She was desperate to hear more, but Fin's stupid voice rang inside her head.
You can't have love without laughter.
She hit her mental mute button.

“In fact, it turns out, it's one of the reasons I search for Kiya.” He shook his head, looking baffled. “She embraced her . . .emotions.” He said the word carefully and without disgust, which made Hailey raise her eyebrows. “You see, she wasn't mad, yet she laughed and loved.” He looked down at her with confusion and—what was that? Pleading?—etched in his eyes. “I wish to be like that, and I regret destroying her.”

“Maybe she avoided insanity,
because
she embraced her emotions.”

“I arrived at the same conclusion.”

That explained the passionate kissing. Her heart fluttered, and she couldn't stop her smile. When she looked up at Asher, he was smiling too.

It was sweet. For the first time, he actually seemed . . .young, almost carefree. Without the weight of the Aether on his shoulders, he looked like just another college student.

“So, where are we going?” she asked.

“Pittsburgh.”

Pittsburgh?
And her uncles were in Ireland, dammit.

“How are we getting there?” It was already after noon. No way they'd make dinner on the East Coast. “You're not gonna throw me, are you?”

Asher flashed a fragile smile. “We'll melt.”

Hailey nodded once then looked to Asher. “What does that mean?”

“It means I'm taking a risk. The others might see us.” He tilted his head down at her, one eyebrow raised.

“ . . .so, not via Luftzeug?”

“No, Hailey. Not via Luftzeug.” He was leading her into the White Forest, and she felt perfectly safe. Not even a carnivorous tree had the wood to challenge Asher.

Hailey tried and failed to stifle a giggle at her private joke. It was her nerves making her goofy, she knew it, but if she didn't laugh, she'd have to cry. She was scared to death of Cobon.

Asher stopped walking and studied her closely. “Have I said something . . .funny?”

Oh, no. This was too stupid to share.

“No, Asher, I just had a fleeting thought . . .about the trees . . .”
And wood—oh, God! Please don't ask me to share.
“So, is melting like being whipped?” Oh, no! Did she really just say that? She could feel her whole head burning up.

Asher's lip twitched.
Was he amused? Fine time to embrace humor
. She shook a lock of hair loose and did her best to hide behind it as she stared at her boots.

“Actually, I don't know what to call it. I'm going to pull you through the energies. I heard it in a song once, and it seemed appropriate. It will feel like the world has stopped, like time has stopped.”

He looked down and must've noticed her worried expression.

“It doesn't hurt, so don't be afraid.”

Spinning her around so she faced him, Asher wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. “Ready?” he breathed into her ear, which sent a pleasant shiver down her arms.

“Let's get this over with,” she whispered, resting her head against his warm chest.

“Melting” felt a lot like being suspended above a movie stuck on fast-forward. The world did stop and drop out from under them. Then it spun in a blur, halted and slammed into their feet.

Cobon's residence sprawled over twenty acres of snow-covered gardens and tailored-to-look-natural forest, with a modern barn situated next to a frozen lake in the distance. His house looked more like a palace and stood on a hill overlooking the Ohio River.

“I know this place,” she said, and Asher cocked his head. “Uncle Pix used to take us driving at Christmas time to see the lights on all the big houses. This house . . . This was always our favorite. We'd save it for last, park on the street, and just sit in the car and gaze at it.” She looked up at him. “This was Holly's dream house,” she said sadly.

Sliding his arm around her waist, Asher pulled her close as they walked to the porch.

“Remain calm in here, Hailey,” he advised. “Do not feed into his madness. Do not enrage him.” He paused along the walk, taking her chin in his hand and planting a soft kiss on her lips.

“Ready?” he asked her, and she nodded boldly.

“Yes, Asher. Let's go meet the monster that killed my sister.”

Cobon opened the door ceremoniously wide as they approached.

“Ah, Asher.” Cobon bowed, looking his creepy, crusty, octogenarian self.

Asher nodded, but almost imperceptibly, and Cobon turned to Hailey.

“At last, Miss Hartley. So glad you accepted my invitation. Please, do come in.”

Dinner with two Envoys. What was she thinking?

Cobon had set only one place at his expansive stone table, and he pulled the chair in front of that place out as Asher led Hailey into the dining room. There were four plates, each covered by a silver lid, three forks, three knives, two spoons, four glasses of different shapes and sizes, each filled with a different colored liquid and, finally, there was one napkin.

She focused on the napkin.

At least I know what that's for,
she muttered to herself.

In the presence of Cobon, the murderer, she had plenty fuel for anxiety, but in that moment, she fretted over which fork to use for which course. She wondered if Cobon had set the table this way on purpose just to shame her.