When the Grave Calls Page 9

  Miles’ ears turned red as his cheeks turned pink. “Well, not just that. There are other options. A diaphragm, an IUD, the ring. There’s a lot to choose from.”

  “A diaphragm or cervical cap would be annoying,” Ethan stated. “And she’d have to leave it in for hours after.”

  Isaac looked at his brother, horrified. “How the hell do you know that?”

  “Are we really fucking talking about this?” Zeke muttered.

  Ethan shrugged. “I have a lot of friends that are girls. They talk.”

  This was the strangest conversation of my life.

  “There are potential side effects of an IUD,” Miles added as he turned to me. “Including damage to your uterus.”

  My uterus. I was talking about my uterus with four of my boyfriends. God, this was weird.

  “What about that implant under your arm? That thing lasts for like three years,” Ethan asked as he turned to me. “Or the shot?”

  Miles shook his head. “She’d have to be sure to get an appointment on time every three months. That might not always be possible.”

  I couldn’t stay silent anymore. “Okay, first, what goes in my body isn’t up for debate. I’ll decide if I go on any form of birth control, not my boyfriends.”

  “Beautiful, we’re just wanting everyone on the same page,” Ethan said carefully. “No one is telling you what you should do. Condoms work fine.”

  “We just think we should add a back-up,” Isaac added softly.

  “Oh my God.” My face caught fire. “Okay, look. If everyone gets tested, I’ll add the pill or the shot or … something as a back up to condoms. Okay?” I looked at each of them. “Good.”

  Isaac was the first to laugh, but within a heartbeat Ethan followed.

  My face continued to burn as they stared at me. Miles was the next one to chuckle. Followed closely by Zeke.

  I dropped onto the mattress and held a pillow over my face. “Shut up!”

  “I’ve never seen you so red, Red,” Isaac teased.

  “You’re all assholes and can go sleep outside!” I pulled the pillow off my face and shot a glare at Isaac.

  When they kept chuckling, I threw the pillow. It hit Ethan in the face which just made him laugh even more.

  “Screw you all, I’m going to sleep.” I rolled onto my side opposite them and proceeded to try to ignore them.

  In the end everyone ended up staying in Miles’ room with blankets or sleeping bags. Miles and the twins took the bed with me, while Zeke propped himself up against the door.

  It was quiet and warm. I smiled to myself. “I think we need a bigger bed.”

  Chapter 6

  It was early morning, and I was at Rory’s drinking coffee when he came out of his bedroom.

  He paused on the other side of the table. “Lexie, what are you doing here?”

  I lifted my head and met his gaze. “We need to talk.”

  He sighed as he moved to the coffee maker. “About what?”

  I shook my head. “It’s about Tara, Jess, Maria, and you.”

  He finished pouring his coffee and sat down across from me as the early light filtered through the window and across the pine table. “What’s going on?”

  “A few hours ago,” I began, “a girl appeared in the house who we think was taken in New Orleans. We think she astral projected to us.”

  He rubbed his eyes with one hand. “I thought the house was warded?”

  “So did we.” I half shrugged. “I think you guys need to leave town. Even Aunt Susan.”

  “Susan’s on the lecture circuit in Europe.” He frowned at me. “What do you mean you want us to leave?”

  “It’d be the best way to keep you safe in this.” I looked down at my coffee, hating that this conversation was even happening. But I’d rather be the bad guy than watch them end up hurt or dead.

  “Because I was compelled?” he asked, the lines of his face deepening.

  Letting out a low breath, I couldn’t lie about it. “Partly. Not because it was you, but because it could happen to anyone.”

  “You can fight compul—”

  “Rory, you almost died,” I growled. “If we hadn’t gotten that magic off you, you would’ve died fighting it. Imagine if something like that happened to Tara? Or Jess, or Maria? I can’t. I can’t risk you guys.”

  “You’re saying we’re liabilities.” He frowned, his facing darkening as he took a sip from his mug.

  “I’m saying, you are non-combatants in an area that’s quickly turning into a battlefield.”

  “I’m not a civilian,” he countered.

  “This isn’t the military, Rory,” I shot back. “Can you block magic? Can you throw fireballs? Because that’s the kind of weapons we’re talking about here.”

  “I can’t say that it hasn’t occurred to me.” He sighed and met my gaze. “But I’m not leaving you here. Maria can watch out for Jess and Tara. I’m staying.”

  No. No, that couldn’t happen. I appreciated that he wanted to protect me, but … “Rory, you have the best chance of protecting them. You have to go too.”

  His eyes squinted as his jaw worked back and forth.

  “They’re talking about attacking Jadis. To stop her before she’s ready. I don’t know what that means, or when that is, but it’s probably sooner rather than later.”

  He scrubbed his hands down his face as we sat silent in the dawn light.

  “I don’t want you to go, but I don’t want to lose you guys,” I said through a tight throat. “And I don’t want you to lose Tara.”

  His haunted eyes met mine. “You’re my kid too, Lexie. You may not biologically be a daughter to me, but you’re my kid.”

  My heart threatened to break as I looked down at my mug. “Even more reason for you to leave.” My eyes filling, I focused on the mug. “You’ve done so much for me that I can’t stand the thought of something happening to any of you.”

  “You’re a good girl. You deserved more than the mother you had.”

  Tears slipped from my eyes and rolled down my face. It was a relief. Hearing those words patched a crack in my heart that had been there so long, I hadn’t even noticed it was there anymore. My mother may not have wanted me, but Rory did. My tears continued to fall.

  We sat there in comfortable silence collecting ourselves.

  It was a while before Rory cleared his throat. “You may be right. We have to leave.”

  “The guys are staying, I’ll be safe,” I promised.

  He met my gaze. “Maybe you and the boys should go, too.”

  I gave a slight shake of my head. “The guys won’t go, and even if we did, I think the witches would just follow me. It would be a hell of a coincidence that they came here after Louisiana.”

  “Not if we could keep a low profile, hide you.” He leaned forward onto his elbows. “It may be the answer to keeping you safe.”

  I thought about it. For the first time, I really thought about running, but in the end I dismissed the idea. “Here I have back up, protection. I know the area. We have the advantage.”

  “It was worth a shot.” He ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more.

  “Sorry.”

  “What about the boys? They’re human,” he said as he met my gaze.

  I shook my head. “Not so much anymore. Asher is a shifter, Isaac developed some kind of sixth sense about people, and who knows what Ethan is.”

  “But Zeke and Miles still are.”

  My heart ached at the thought. “They won’t go. I already tried this morning. Miles says he can hire an army of bodyguards if he has to, and Zeke is just plain stubborn.”

  His eyes ran over me. “Which one of them are you dating?”

  My heart skipped a beat. “What?”

  “Which one are you dating?” he asked again. “I’m not blind, Lexie. It’s got to be one of them.”

  I turned my mug on the table. “That’s not why. They just won’t go.”

  He sighed. “Asher will
need to have Jessica get into online classes.”

  “He’s already talking to her about it,” I admitted. “We’re hoping you guys could be off tomorrow.”

  “Maria’s not going to want to leave the twins.” He took a drink of coffee.

  I cringed. “Yeah, about that. I was kinda hoping you’d talk her into it.”

  He set his mug down leveling me with his gaze. “So, I’m the sacrificial lamb?”

  I held my fingers up less than an inch apart. “A little bit.”

  “You brats.”

  “You’re the only one she might not kill,” I countered with a grin.

  He shook his head. “I’m not so sure about that.”

  To be honest, I wasn’t so sure either.

  “Just make sure you have your vest on when you go.”

  Asher

  “If this is about Lexie, I already told the others last night. I’ll leave her alone and not tell anyone about your … arrangement.” Jess scowled at me before reaching up to grab the box of cereal out of the cabinet.

  “Jess,” I said, my voice firm. “This isn’t a discussion. You’re leaving.”

  She slammed the box onto the counter and turned around to face me. “You’re my brother. And the guys are close enough to be family. I’m not going anywhere. I belong here.”

  I shook my head. How the hell could I make her understand? “Jess, they could kidnap you, torture you, change you in ways we can’t imagine. Control and manipulate you. This isn’t a game.”

  She scoffed. “If I go, you go.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t. This is my fight, not yours.”

  She stepped closer and poked me in the chest hard. “Knock that off. You’re all the family I have and I’m not about to abandon you.”

  I couldn’t help the small smile that was tugging at my lips. This wasn’t the scared little girl she had been shaped into by a father that abandoned her and a boyfriend that abused her. I was seeing my little firecracker of a sister for the first time in I don’t know how long. I was just grateful to see that stubborn set of her shoulders, even with her heart pounding, the scent of fear coming off her in waves. She held her chin high and the light was back in her eyes. She would still stand by me even if it terrified her. It was humbling.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t laugh at me.”

  “I’m not. I’m just seeing the person you’re becoming and”—I shook my head— “I’m in awe.”

  “There’s nothing good about who I became over the last couple of years.” Her cheeks tinted as she looked down at the floor.

  “What do you mean?” I asked softly.

  “I did some messed up things. Said so many cruel things.”

  I reached out and took her hand. “Do you regret them?”

  Still looking at the floor, she nodded.

  “Then you can apologize for them.”

  She peeked up at me through a curtain of blonde hair, the confidence slipping as fear seeped back into her eyes. “I don’t think I can.”

  I huffed. “You can do anything, Jess. If you want to.”

  Tears brimmed her lashes. “Apologizing won’t erase everything. It won’t unsay the things I said.”

  “But it’s a start,” I countered. “And sometimes starting is the hardest part.”

  Her head hung slightly as her shoulders curled forward. “I don’t think I can.”

  I stepped closer. “You can.”

  “Why do you think that? What makes you so sure that I could be anything but a waste of space?”

  I pulled my little sister into my arms and held her tight. She buried her face in my chest and clung to my shirt.

  I ran my hand up and down her back as her shoulders shook. “You’re not a waste of space. You’re my beautiful, talented sister.” I squeezed her gently. “You just got off course for a while.”

  “I lost myself, Ash.” She sniffed. “I’m so confused.”

  “I’ve got you. I know who you are, even if you don’t.” I held her even tighter. “You’re a stubborn, outgoing girl who can be fierce when needed. You love Hello Kitty. You love fashion. And you are smarter than you let anyone know.”

  My shirt grew wet against my skin as she took a deep, shuddering breath.

  “You’re scared of spiders,” I whispered. “And you’re terrified that you will never be good enough.”

  “How do you know that?” She sniffed against my chest.

  “Because I was too,” I said softly, still running my hand up and down her back. “I thought I had to be what Dad wanted. That it was the only way I’d get approval or be valued.”

  “But it’s bullshit, Jess,” I continued. “I have value because I’m me, just like you have value because you are you. No one else in this world is like you.”

  I continued to hold her as she pulled herself back together.

  Eventually, she pulled back and wiped her face. “I’m still not leaving you here.”

  “Jess. I’m not asking,” I stated firmly.

  She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes.

  “You are going to leave with Rory and Maria,” I told her. “I need you safe, and this is the only way. I can’t keep you safe here. I can’t protect you. We can’t protect you. Even Sylvie took a vacation and left the state.”

  Her eyes rounded in surprise. “Sylvie left?”

  “Last week,” I said. “Zeke let her know what was going on.”

  It was several heartbeats before she nodded.

  “Pack your things and take your laptop,” I said before leaving the kitchen.

  Lexie

  As I left Rory’s, I was walking back to my Blazer when I found Hades leaning against my truck.

  I slowed my step as my shoulders tightened. Mixed emotions ran through me. Anger, indignation, but underneath all of them was a thick layer of sadness. I didn’t like how things were with Hades. In fact, I hated them.

  “Hi,” he said, his posture rigid. “Can we talk?”

  I nodded. “In the truck.”

  He moved to the other side while I climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door.

  The Blazer rocked as he shut his door.

  The silence stretched.

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t want you to kill people.”

  “Some people need killing,” he countered.

  I turned to him and asked him directly. “Why did you kill him?”

  “He was obsessed with you still.” He turned to me with soulful blue eyes. “And his parents were trying to get him released early.”

  My heart plummeted. “What?”

  “His mother was trying to bribe his doctors to say he wasn’t a danger to you anymore,” he explained.

  I gaped at him. “How do you know that?”

  “I kept an eye on the situation at the hospital,” he said.

  Stunned, I looked out the windshield. Cars went by on the street as usual. As if we weren’t in my car having a conversation about a murder. Yeah, perfectly normal. Nothing to see here.

  “He was going to try again,” I said, just so I could hear it out loud.

  “Yes.” His voice was certain.

  I shook my head as the situation sunk in. He was going to get out again. “So, you really were protecting me?”

  “Why are you so angry with me?” he demanded.

  My eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? You killed someone.”

  “In your defense,” he countered. “And it can’t be just that.”

  “It’s not,” I snapped, my fists tightening around the steering wheel. “You kept seeing things that were private. That should have been between two people.”

  He scowled at me. “Like what?”

  “Isaac and I for a start. Our first time,” I hissed. “You have no idea how humiliating that is.”

  “I’m not a human, Lexie,” he snapped.

  I turned to face him.

  “I may look it, but I’m not,” he said. “My animal form is my true one. It’s who
I am. I protect. That’s all I do. That’s all I care about.”

  “Then why do you care if I’m mad at you?” I asked.

  He blinked several times before looking out the passenger side window. “I guess I shouldn’t care.”

  Something about the set of his shoulders, the way he hung his head, had guilt eating at me, as if I had kicked a puppy. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “You said you’re not human, what does that mean?”

  “My instincts and priorities are more animalistic,” he said. “I protect, hunt, and when needed, kill. I don’t think the way you humans do.”

  Yeah, that wasn’t ominous at all. “What does all of that mean exactly?”

  He sighed as he turned back to me. “It means that I don’t understand you humans that well. That you and Isaac being together in front of me was of no interest other than you two were vulnerable and I needed to guard the door.”

  Wait, back that up. “What?”

  His eyes met mine. “I don’t care if you’re naked or having sex, Lexie. I only care about protecting you. Why do you think I was guarding the door that night?”

  So, he wasn’t getting his jollies. “You don’t think of sex?”

  His eyebrows shot up as a blush spread across his face. “What? No. My species is only sexual with our own kind.” He turned away and started surveying the area around the car.

  Tucking that piece of info away for later, I decided to try and dig further. “So, you were a puppy when you came to me. Were you actually a puppy or was it an illusion or something?”

  “No illusions,” he said. “Our species doesn’t usually go to our witch until we’re two years old.”

  “But I got you at two months.”

  “You were a special case,” he said.

  “How so?”

  “Your Reaper grandmother told my mother the situation and my mother made an exception,” he muttered. “They sent me early.”

  “But you were a baby.” It didn’t seem right.

  “And you were saving the world,” he countered.

  So, we both had jobs that we weren’t ready for. He was just following his instincts and doing the best he could. Perhaps I needed to let this go.