White Raven (17 page)

My body felt like it was shimmering from the inside out, murmuring with energy. I snatched my hand away, but not before I felt the power of destroying a soul. Scrambling backward, I gasped, falling on my backside.

When the light of his humanity finally flickered out completely, the body was gone as if he had been made of nothing but smoke and air. Not a trace left behind but the aftermath of bruises on my neck and cuts on my back.

I had wanted the truth, but actually seeing it—totally different than hearing or imagining it. I knew Zane was dangerous. I knew what he did. Yet witnessing it, feeling it… All I could do was stare at him. “You really are a weapon.”

Zane let out a strangled laugh. “That’s what I’ve been telling you.” Offering me a hand, he asked, “Are you okay?”

He’d killed him. I mean, yes, he was technically already dead, but he had ripped out his soul without hesitation. And as I examined how that made me feel, I realized I was grateful. He’d saved my life. Again. I put my hand in his without hesitation. “Thank you.”

With an angled brow, he pulled me to my feet. “I never thought I’d hear those two words from your mouth.”

There was comfort in him razzing me like old times. “Have you killed before?” I winced. “Sorry, dumb question. Of course you have.”

“I’ve lost count. And there will be more. Many more.” There was regret. He accepted what he did, but he didn’t enjoy it.

Listening, there was only silence. No fireworks. “Guess we missed the show.”

He glanced at his phone. “And you didn’t run.”

Searching his face, I asked, “Was I supposed to?”

Looking just a tad disheveled, he murmured, “You should be shaking in your boots, Princess.

I dragged in a deep breath that still tasted of Zane’s kiss. “We’re all full of surprises. Like you. You are prone to moments of great dickdom, but then you go and do something unexpected.”

He touched me; a whisper along my cheek, sending a charge through my body so strong it stole my breath. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.”

Thousands of tiny molecules surged inside me, a mixture of pleasure and pain. I didn’t know what was happening, but it wasn’t normal. My belly started to roll, my vision turned fuzzy, and my lashes flickered in an effort to clear the haze. Pointless. Before I had the chance to question Zane, I tipped over the edge into the unknown abyss.

He damn well better catch me.
It was my last thought.

Chapter 17

More and more I’d been dreaming about the night my mother was murdered. I relived that moment as if I’d been there, watching her life being yanked away. The sounds of gunshots echoing down the street. The numbness that took over my body when I realized the wretched truth. And her blood staining my hands as she left me alone.

I screamed, desperate for help. Her body motionless on the blacktop, twisted at an odd angle. Fear and panic had made me useless.

But in my dreams, Mom blinked open her eyes, moaning in pain as she looked at me, a tear rolling down her cheek. She reached out a trembling hand, covering the side of my cheek. A river of warmth and love flowed through me. Weakened from the loss of blood, she couldn’t hold her arm up, so she let it rest on my shoulder.

“Piper,” she said. “It will be okay. You are stronger than you realize, much stronger than I.”

My head swung back and forth, not wanting to here this. She was wrong. So wrong. I was not strong.

Her hand squeezed my arm. “There is so much I never got to tell you, but there isn’t time. Piper, wake up—”

My eyes jolted open.

Panting, beads of perspiration dotted my body, a fuzziness clouding my brain. Every limb felt leaden. I saw walls of purple and ivory, an antique dresser snuggled into the corner, and a furry white rug covering the floor beside the bed.

Not my bedroom. Not home.

I was in my room at Raven Manor, which meant my nightmare was still very real. My mom was gone.

I forced the dream to the back of my mind. It was then I heard the heated voices just outside my door. I knew them well.

Rose and Zane.

Even dead, I would recognize that holier-than-thou voice of Zane and the commanding voice of Rose. Like slugging through murky water, fighting to break free, the memories of what happened tonight swam to the surface. There was no denying what I had seen. If I had been harboring any hope that Zane wasn’t what he claimed to be, tonight shattered that itty, bitty sliver of hope.

Curiosity got the best of me. Listening, I zeroed in, attempting to hone my snooping skills. They weren’t that great to begin with, but luckily, Zane and Rose were making it easy, their voices rising.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Rose reprimanded.

I cringed, feeling a tad bit sorry for Zane.

“If I hadn’t been there, she might not be safely tucked into her bed,” replied Zane. “Someone has to look out for the brat.”

Brat?
I flung back the covers.

He was going to pay for that later, after I finished eavesdropping.

“What do you think I’ve been doing?” Rose countered. “I brought here her for that exact reason. To keep her alive, not for a meaningless fling.”

Ouch. The hostility was evident; however, it was difficult for me to understand. That was more than a bee sting, and not in the least bit true. Whatever was going on between Zane and me, it was not meaningless.

“How long are you going to keep doing this? Lying to her? Keeping her in the dark? She deserves to know the truth, for her own protection,” Zane argued. I could feel the increase of his anger.

Calm and collective, Rose replied, “Don’t question my methods. I know what she needs, and right now she can’t handle the truth.”

“Shows how little you actually know your granddaughter,” he scoffed.

She clucked her tongue. “You let your feelings clog your judgment. Feelings you shouldn’t have, I remind you.”

“It’s not necessary. I know where I stand, but I’m done lying. I won’t stand around and watch her suffer.”

“And that’s why you are not the right choice for her.”

I was on the edge of the bed, literally, afraid I might miss something imperative.

Frigid air seeped under the door. The chill rang in his voice as he spoke. “That’s not what our souls say.”

Huh? What did that mean?

Rose was silent for a fraction of a minute, absorbing the comment about our souls. I didn’t understand what he meant, but it made my heart quicken. “That might be, but it doesn’t matter. It’s too late. The choice has been made.”

“Bullshit,” Zane spat. “You have the power to alter or even dissolve the agreement.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, and I nearly fell out of the bed trying to hear what she said. Damn it. Just when things were starting to get good, she had to go and ruin it.

The hinges on my door squeaked, and I scampered back on the bed, snapping my eyes closed. I pulled the covers swiftly back up to my chin just in time.
Clunk. Clap. Clunk.
The scuffle of shoes sauntered across the wood floors, followed by the mattress dipping, but it was the scent of a misty rainforest that aroused my senses. Why did he have to smell so stinking yummy?

Soft lips brushed across my forehead. I kept as still as a corpse, forgetting to breathe.

“Piper.” He rolled my name off his tongue. “I know you’re awake. Piper?” Concern stamped his voice.

I opened just one eye, making sure the coast was clear. No Rose, but I didn’t delude myself into thinking she had gone far. After what I’d heard, I was actually shocked she let Zane in my room at all.

A rush of air exuded from his slightly tilted lips. “I thought I was going to have to perform CPR.”

I smirked. “I just bet you would have liked that.”

“And you wouldn’t?”

I scooted up, resting my back on a pile of fluffy pillows. “Guess you’ll never know,” I said with satisfaction.

His lopsided grin spread an inch. “I could knock you out again if that would help.”

A flutter took up residence deep in my belly and chest. “Just try it. You’re already on my shit list.”

His brow did that irritating and charming arch. “How much did you hear?”

My hand clutched the end of the blanket, twiddling with the knit. “Enough to know you owe me an explanation.”

Ice blue eyes narrowed. “It would do well for you to learn to not stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

I was going to fly off the bed and kill him. “I heard her tell you—”

He pressed a finger to my lips and leaned forward, murmuring in my ear, “Be careful what you say. The walls here are thin, and you are treading dangerous waters, fiery one.”

The warmth from his breath made me shiver, sending a ripple of annoyance down my back. I wanted to argue, patience not being one of my virtues. “Fine,” I said reluctantly. “But I won’t be put off for long.”

“Tomorrow. Meet me at the docks of the club after hours.” He flicked the end of my nose.

Frowning, I hugged a pillow to my chest, glaring. “You better not blow me off, Zaney, because I promise I’ll hunt you down.”

Standing up, a small grin pulled at his lips. “I might actually look forward to that.” He walked backward toward the double glass doors. “Either way, Princess, just remember…” his hand touched the doorframe “…I warned you.” Then he slipped out the door as quietly as he had slithered in.

“Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out,” I yelled.

The sound of his damn laughter carried in the wind as he strutted down the terrace stairs.

~*~*~

I peered out the large double doors, finding a sense of calm I hadn’t felt in a long time. Despite the picturesque view—a garden flourishing with bold flowers and lush greenery, thriving in the summer’s heat—my heart twisted.

Now that I’d had a taste of Zane, it was all I could think about. I was a smart girl, most of the time. I should have known that even a simple kiss with Zane would be earth-shattering. I wanted more. I wanted
him
.

Crap.

I was in trouble. Big, big trouble.

My heart was in jeopardy to a guy who I wasn’t positive I liked. Okay, I found him irresistibly sexy. Yes, I was drawn to him. But, as a person, Zane was dark, moody, reckless, and dangerous. He killed. They might already be dead, but it still counted. He took souls. Zane was on another plane than me. I was still in high school, for God’s sake. I wasn’t prepared for him or the feelings he enticed.

He was complicated. He would complicate my life.

Speaking of, I was struggling to believe I had actually fainted. There hadn’t even been blood or guts. I collapsed for the first time because Zane touched me. It was laughable.

Night was in full bloom.

Fog brewed on the horizon, spilling into the ocean, gliding closer and closer to the house. I pressed my nose to the glass, the round, big moon set ablaze to my face. Zane was somewhere out there, possibly extinguishing and absorbing another soul. It was what he did.

And I was alone.

Doing nothing.

Just twiddling my thumbs, cursing his name, and trying to forget his face. I had no purpose. No meaning in life. I hated that I was stuck here, caged on an island, while my mom’s killer ran free. I should be out there, looking for answers instead of pacing my room, cursing the four walls that kept me captive. Raven Hallow had the answers I needed.

Zane and Zoe, they could help. They had secrets. They had answers.

Making a rash decision, I crossed the room in purposeful strides, snatching my phone off the bed, and dialed Zoe. If I couldn’t get what I wanted from Zane, then maybe I could get something out of Zoe. Like I said, patience wasn’t a quality I possessed. It was going to be my downfall.

As I hovered over the send button, I rationalized my impulsive behavior by convincing myself that I needed “girl time.” Utter bullshit, yet it didn’t stop the muscle in my finger. Other than Zoe, I didn’t have a single
girl
friend. All the girls I knew were petty, snobby, backstabbing bitches. None of those were qualities I looked for in a friend. Parker was so much simpler. He never tried to steal a guy from me. There was never competition for who was prettier. He loved to gossip, but never behind my back.

Zoe was the exception.

She didn’t make me feel self-conscious about who I was or how I looked. I didn’t feel judged when we were together. Although, I had only known her a short time, I felt a connection, a kinship. Zoe and I, we could be besties. She was the kind of girl I understood. I wondered if that was because she was sort of not human.

While I pondered the inner workings of female friendships, Zoe’s voice came through the other end. “You better have a helluva good excuse for ditching me. And your tongue down my brother’s throat does not qualify.”

I giggled nervously. “I saw a hallow,” I replied tentatively, the word sticking oddly on my tongue. “A reaper hallow to be precise.”

“No shit,” she said genuinely surprised. “You’re alive, so that’s a plus. And I would definitely know if you had died.”

Dead air.

“Don’t worry. Zane mentioned he told you,” she informed me.

How could she be so casual about this?

“He’s got such a big mouth, but at least that explains his shiteous mood,” she chattered on. It was one of the things I liked about her, the constant stream of babble. “What I really want to know is what you guys were doing before the dead showed up.”

“Uh.” This was not the direction I had wanted this conversation to steer. “What makes you think we were doing anything?” I buried my head in the pillow, letting out a silent scream. My lameness had no bounds.

“When I asked Zane, he got all weird. More weird than normal, so it must be something big. And I’m putting my money on you, girl.” There was no question. She was not going to give up.

This was not happening. I could always lie, but that was not the kind of friendship I wanted with Zoe, so I just blurted out, “He kissed me.”

“Two scoops of shit.” I heard her wrestling with the phone, taking it off speaker. “Sexy I-can’t-live-without-you kiss or friendly your-like-my-sister kiss?”

I groaned. “Are those my only two choices?”

“Stop stalling and spill your guts,” she ordered.

She asked for it. “It was definitely friendly. Very friendly.”

“Tongue down your throat?”

I made a face into the phone. “I can’t do this.”

She whistled. “Score one for Zane. So how was it?”

“Why do you have to be his sister?” I grumbled.

“Bitch, don’t make me hurt you.”

I sighed, finally giving up on the idea of privacy. “He is an exceptional kisser. There, are you happy?”

“Not quite. Man, getting dirt from you is worse than a takedown with a scorned soul.” Zoe’s voice crackled over the phone.

“He’s your brother. You don’t find this awkward?” I asked, propping myself up on my elbow.

“If it was Zach, totally gross. I’d question your taste in men.” Her voice sounded closer to the phone. “But Zane, not so much. He’s a damn dark mystery that attracts everyone with tits.”

Doing a little wiggle dance in the bed, I sat up, pulling my knees to my chest, all while keeping the phone clutched between my ear and shoulder. Skill. “Are you guys allowed to date humans?”

“I take it you want to know if you can do the nasty with my brother?”