Voodoo Kiss

Chapter 19



The screech piercing my eardrums came out of nowhere. If it weren't for Thrain to jump up and run outside, I would've thought it was all happening in my head again, which wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. My palms pressed harder against my ears to drown out the noise as I followed a step behind Thrain. He turned and frowned at me.

"What?" I mouthed.

"Please, stay inside." His voice was low, barely more than a whisper. I was amazed to find I was able to hear him over the shrilling screech coming from outside.

I shook my head. "There's no way I'm staying here and you get to have all the fun." For a moment, our gazes locked in a fierce battle for control. The corners of his lips twitched, and I found myself smiling with him. He seemed to find my defiance endearing just as much as I found his protective nature one of the most attractive features about him. I grabbed his hand and dragged him behind me out the door. "Come on. You're wasting time."

He sighed but didn't argue, which suited me just fine. I had enough distractions already and didn't need another one. The noise came from the woods, near the gate. My shoe soles barely made any noise on the cobblestones as we took off down the declining path. For a moment I even felt a bit like the immortals, until my breathing started to sound like a whistle and I vowed to give up smoking. By the time Thrain and I reached the gate the noise had stopped. Aidan and Amber were already there, searching the thicket.

"Did you hear that noise?" I asked. "What was it?"

Aidan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. "What noise?"

I groaned inwardly. It had all been a figment of my imagination. The fact that I couldn't distinguish between fact and fiction was slowly starting to piss me off. "You didn't hear it?"

"Nope." He cocked a brow. That didn't make any sense. Why would they be running out like maniacs if they didn't hear anything? Aidan pointed behind him at the gate. "I felt their presence."

"And I picked up his thoughts," Amber said, touching the wall. "Shadows."

"I thought so too," Aidan said. "But it's different. Look—" He leaned forward to smell a stone in the wall. I inched closer and took a whiff. All I could smell was rain and dust.

"I smell it too," Amber whispered. "It's strange. So similar to their scent and yet not quite. What bothers me though is the fact that it's on the inside of the wall."

I followed her line of vision from the wall to Aidan whose face had just turned into a mask of fury. "They wouldn't dare enter my property."

"Last time I checked they literally couldn't enter so maybe it's just a coincidence," Amber said.

Coincidences were nothing but poor excuses to shrug off the unbelievable, my grandmother always said. My gaze scanned the trees and bushes around us as the others decided to get back to the house and start searching the area for any intruders. But they didn't need to.

He was waiting for us in the living room, sitting on the couch like an invited guest. Lost for words, I blinked several times, unsure whether I was seeing a ghost. And yet I knew it was Gael because no ghost would ever regard me the way he did. Cold. Arrogant. Accusing. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling guilty for dumping him via email. He didn't deserve it.

"So you're Gael, and mortal. That certainly explains how you got in," Amber said, planting herself in front of me.

I appreciated the concern but pushed her aside and took a step forward. "How did you find me?"

"There's a lovely invention called IP address, which is quite easy to track. Obviously, I took the first flight because you just disappeared and we were worried sick about you." Gael inched closer and reached out for me. I hesitated for a moment, then decided that not grabbing his hand was just rude. So I touched his skin, marveling at how cold it seemed. As though he had just stepped out of a freezer.

"I thought you knew how to avoid tracking," Amber said to Thrain.

"He does," Aidan said, his gaze still focused on Gael. "He just chose not to."

I turned to Thrain, my gaze throwing daggers. "Why would you do that?" I wished he would've told me so I could prepare myself for my ex starting to stalk me.

"You both need closure. I don't want to be the rebound." Thrain's hesitation told me he was lying. I felt there was something else he chose to keep from me. I liked him mysterious but not secretive.

I narrowed my gaze at Gael. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going to spend some time with a few friends."

"Why did you disappear?" The accusatory tone in Gael's voice made sense, and yet there was something else I couldn't quite pinpoint, something dark and angry.

"I needed a break."

"Come on, let's give them some privacy," Amber said.

Thrain shook his head. "No." His attitude surprised me. I had fulfilled my mission of returning Dallas's soul into his body so, according to our bargain, I was free now, even though not freed from danger. Whatever the Shadows wanted from me, they were probably still after me. Thrain's concern touched me deep within my heart. I shot him a reassuring smile, then turned back to Gael.

"I'm really thankful for everything you've done for me, but you and I are over. Nothing you could possibly say will change my mind. I'll call you a taxi." I turned away when Gael's hand clasped around my wrist, hurting me. "I want you to come home with me."

"It's over." I pulled away, but he didn't release his grip. His expression resembled an angry mask. He looked like he'd drag me behind him all the way to the airport.

Thrain lunged at him and sent him flying against the couch. They both landed on the floor with a thud, Gael on his back and Thrain on top of him, his fists clenched around Gael's shirt. Given his short temper, I thought Gael would at least attempt to strike Thrain, but he just raised his hand, palms stretched out.

"I'm sorry, man. I didn't know you two were—" Gael's eyes gleamed with something, and for a moment I thought I saw that black glint again that seemed to shine through every now and then. It was gone in the blink of an eye.

Thrain got up and moved away from him, only to stop in front of me as though to protect me. I was slowly starting to get into this alpha thing. It sure was sexy as hell but so not appropriate right now.

"Go away." I pushed him aside and reached out to help Gael up.

"Thanks." He stood but didn't touch my hand. "A taxi would be great."

I nodded and hurried out into the hall, eager to escape the pained expression on his face. To dump him was one thing, but to let him see me with my new conquest just a day after breaking up was another. I felt horrible for doing this to him when he had stood by me after my sister's death.

"Let me help you," Amber whispered, taking the phone receiver out of my hand. I nodded thankfully and pressed my back against the wall. My feelings of guilt and shame threatened to choke me, and yet I knew there was nothing I could do to soften the blow. Gael was a catch. Every girl would be happy to date him. Just not me.

Gael appeared in the doorway. Amber put down the receiver and said to no one in particular, "A taxi will be here in an hour."

"So you're staying?" Gael asked. I didn't need to look up to know he was talking to me. I nodded. He took a deep breath. "Okay. Come to think of it, I won't need the ride. I forgot I told the taxi driver to wait down the street. Goodbye, Sofia." The melancholy in his voice cut a big hole in my heart.

"Take care." My eyes searched his. I thought I would find something there, maybe love or sadness, but there was nothing like it. For a moment, his lips curled into a smile—and not a nice one. A glint appeared in his eyes again, giving him a menacing look that made me flinch. A shiver ran down my spine.

And then he turned and disappeared with Aidan following behind probably to escort him out. For the first time, I breathed out, relieved and happy to see Gael go.

"You okay?" Amber asked.

I nodded and straightened my back. A feeling of urgency grabbed hold of me, as though I knew I didn't have much time left to finish what I had started. "Let's go back to the library, shall we?"

Amber seemed taken aback but didn't comment as she accompanied me, then disappeared to get the others. I stared out the window at the woods stretching behind the house. The crow was there again, regarding me intently, its beak slightly open. And then the screeching in my head resumed.