Chapter 3

I sat on the bed, back against the headboard, ankles crossed, and waited for Abby to get out of the bathroom. She hadn’t said more than a handful of words the entire way back from Sophie’s, and I didn’t pressure her to talk. Though I was dying to know what Isach had said to convince her to leave without him.

The entire purpose of this trip was to get Isach back and bring him home, and now she was just walking away. Why? Granted, Isach’s return meant a war with Ivy, but so what? We’d faced Rector and the entire Zoya Coven. Surely, we could face Ivy and win, too. Either way, that witch was dying when I got home. No way would I allow her to keep amassing power and destroying lives.

Abby walked out of the bathroom, climbed onto the bed, and sat beside me.

I handed her a strawberry flavored wine cooler. “Start slow. Food will be here soon.” I twisted the top off my own drink and held it up. “To broken hearts, unkept promises, and the inability to move on.”

“That has to be the worst toast I’ve ever heard.” She shot me a dirty look.

“Don’t think of it as a toast but more like a list of grievances spoken aloud so we can get them off our chests.”

She rolled her eyes and took a long drink. Lowering the bottle, she ran her finger around the opening. “I had to say goodbye.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lame answer, but what else was I supposed to say? Barraging her with questions would only cause her to stop talking, and I had a feeling she needed to get some things off her chest. So, I’d be the friend she needed and listen.

Abby nodded. “At least I got to do it in person this time.” She shrugged. “You know we can’t tell anyone that he’s alive, right? Not even Chloe or Trent.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.” I took a drink. “We’ll tell them we tried everything to resurrect him but just couldn’t make it happen.”

Not that I was happy about having to lie to Chloe and Trent, but telling them the truth would only hurt them more. And now I wanted to strangle Isach for so many more reasons.

“Okay.” Abby took another drink, then another and another until the bottle was empty. She leaned over the side of the bed and set it on the floor.

She was sucking those down fast. Not that I was judging. I held out another bottle for her. On the way back to the hotel, she’d said she wanted to get drunk, so that’s exactly what we were going to do, and I would ensure nothing happened to her. She’d be perfectly safe. Too bad I couldn’t do anything to mend her broken heart. There was only one person who could do anything about that, and he was choosing to hide. What a coward. My hand tightened around my beer bottle.

“Considering everything, you’re handling this remarkably well,” I said.

“Don’t really have a choice, do I? Besides, I’m pretty sure I’m in shock. Like, the reality of all this hasn’t fully hit me yet.” She went to take another drink but realized the bottle was empty. She set that one on the floor next to the first, and when she straightened, I had another drink waiting for her.

She took the bottle, and her fingers brushed across mine. She hesitated for a moment, her gaze locking with mine. What was going on in that head of hers? I fully expected a lot more crying, maybe some yelling, definitely some destruction. But she was calm. Too calm.

“So, about that thing that happened between us…” she said.

I was wondering when she’d bring that up again. “You mean when you kissed me.” I gently nudged her shoulder with mine and winked.

She rolled her eyes. “No, I mean when you kissed me back.”

I laughed. “What about it? Is this your way of asking for a repeat performance?”

I probably shouldn’t have kissed her back, but I knew utter desperation when I saw it, and she’d been hovering near rock bottom. Pushing her away would have been cruel. And if I were being honest, I’d been curious what kissing her would be like.

“What?” Her eyes widened. “No.” She shook her head. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. It was good, and I can totally see why Gina and Chloe never shut up about kissing you but—”

I laughed even harder. That’s right—I’d kissed the hell out of her friend Gina on a dare, and to make Chloe jealous, which had worked better than I could’ve imagined. Gina hadn’t been a very good kisser, probably because she was in shock. Not many humans knew how to handle kissing a vampire.

Chloe, however… I nearly groaned at the memory of her kisses. No wonder Trent was always slobbering all over her. Abby was a good kisser in her own right, too. I’d bet anything Piper could give me a run for my money in the kissing department. Ugh. Why was I thinking about kissing her? She was a witch. And an annoying one at that.

“Relax, Abby. I know that kiss didn’t mean anything. We can forget all about it if you want.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, I mean, you might not be able to forget about it but…”

She yanked the pillow out from behind her and smacked me with it. “You’re a real jerk, you know that?” She laughed. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” I grinned as I brought the bottle to my lips. Her aura was starting to brighten a bit. Finally.

“Make me laugh. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve hit rock bottom. I’m below rock bottom, actually. I lost my job, dropped out of school, I’m living with my cousin and her husband. After this trip, I’ll be broke, and I just had to say goodbye to my fiancé for literally the rest of my life. And yet, you make me forget for a little while.”

“It’s a gift,” I said with a shrug.

“Well, whatever happens, don’t ever lose this part of yourself.” She momentarily rested her head on my shoulder. “You’re a good friend, Jax.”

I leaned my head against hers and sighed. All I wanted to do was comfort her, make her see that this wasn’t the end of the world. She was strong. She’d get through this. I knew she would.

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way you wanted, but I’m glad we had a chance to get to know each other better,” I said.

“Me too.” She straightened. “I have to pee.” She stumbled off the bed and into the bathroom.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I didn’t bother checking it, knowing either Chloe or Trent was texting me. Again. Or possibly Colt. He’d been out drinking with Wyatt last night, and the two of them had sent me a dozen messages, harassing me about babysitting Abby. They were both going to get an ass-kicking when I got home.

Abby returned to the bedroom. “We should probably call Chloe. She’s been blowing up my phone, and I’ve been avoiding her.” She climbed onto the bed and resumed her position next to me.

“Yeah, her and Trent have been blowing up my phone, too.” I set my drink on the nightstand. “Let’s call them right now.” I reached for my phone, but before I could get it out of my pocket, a knock sounded on the door. “Must be our food.”

I got out of bed and strode across the room. I yanked open the door and immediately stepped aside so the room service cart could be wheeled in, but then I froze.

“Isach?”

Just how much did I drink? Because I had to be seeing things. No way was Isach standing in front of me.

Abby was across the room in a flash. “What’re you doing here?”

“I came to talk to you, but you’re clearly occupied.” He sliced an accusatory look at me.

I glared at him. Was he seriously accusing me and Abby of doing something? Didn’t he realize he’d broken her heart—again—and I was left to pick up the pieces? If anything, he should be thanking me.

“We’re just hanging out waiting for food. I wasn’t exactly in the right frame of mind to be alone. Come in,” Abby said.

Isach stepped into the room, his murderous glare still directed at me. My lip curled in a snarl. Let him say something else… I flexed my fingers so I wouldn’t be tempted to punch him square in the nose.

A split second later, Piper followed Isach into the room.

My heart stopped. I wasn’t drunk enough to deal with this. “Great. You brought Pippy the Perky Witch,” I said, my tone dry.

“It’s Piper to you, vampire.” She tapped the tip of my nose, and I swatted at her hand, but she flitted out of the way before I could make contact.

But that tiny, inconsequential touch had my blood turning to lava in my veins. I swallowed hard and forced myself to remain calm, to act like she didn’t completely upend me in every way imaginable.

I swung the door closed. “Seriously, why is she here?”

“Protection,” Isach said. “Now, if you two don’t mind, I’d like a moment alone with Abby.”

Oh, hell no. No way was I going to be alone with Piper. But then Abby gave me a small nod. I sighed. She needed this time with Isach, and I couldn’t rob her of that.

I opened the door. “You know where to find me if you need me.” Then I left. Piper was right behind me.

My back was rigid as I unlocked the door to my room. I held it open and nodded for her to enter. She gave me a flirty smile that twisted my insides, then sashayed into the room like she owned the place. Yeah, no way this wasn’t going to go horribly bad for me.

I followed her into the room, and the door swung shut with a loud click. Piper was wandering around, studying the décor. Arms crossed, I watched her through narrowed eyes. Head tilted back, she stared up at the ceiling for several moments before settling her gaze on the far wall where a framed painting of a field of snapdragons hung. She didn’t hover near that too long before dragging her fingertips along the wall as she continued to peruse the room.

“Never been in a hotel before?” I asked.

She stopped, twisted to glance at me, and smirked. “I’ve been in plenty of hotel rooms before. Just never this one.”

“Yeah, well, if you ask me, this one is tacky.”

Her light laughter seemed to echo in the room, seeping deep into my pores. I dug my fingers into my biceps to stop myself from doing something stupid. I knew why she had this effect on me, but I hated it. I hated how completely enamored I was with her. She was a stranger. A witch. Abby and Isach had better hurry the hell up.

“So, why’s Isach here anyway? Thought he was going to keep hiding from the world?”

Piper gracefully crossed the room, eased down onto the bed, and leaned back so she was propped up on her hands. “He had a change of heart.”

My chest constricted with a sharp breath. The sight of her in this room, this space that was mine, was bad enough, but to see her sitting so casually on what was currently my bed… It was all sorts of right and wrong. My nostrils flared with a heavy exhale.

“I’m assuming you had something to do with that?” I raised a brow.

Her answering flirty smile was a kick straight to my heart. “I may have said something to him.”

“Right.” I nodded. My entire body was stiff from how hard I was tensing my muscles so I wouldn’t close the distance between us and make her a permanent fixture in my bed. And my life. “And your sisters? They just agreed to let him go?”

“They were reluctant at first. But I can be very persuasive.”

“I’m sure you can,” I said before I could stop myself.

She caught my gaze, her eyes twinkling with shared knowledge. Too bad I had no idea what that knowledge was. Did she know who she was to me? Was she trying to tell me without having to say the words? Or maybe she just got off on taunting me. She was a witch, after all, and witches were notorious for the games they played.

“Isach said you were here for his protection.” I moved a little farther into the room and leaned against the dresser. “Are you his personal bodyguard now?”

“Something like that.” She lay flat on her back, hair fanned out around her, and her arms above her head. She let go of a sigh that was full of restlessness.

I remained rooted in place and stared at her. Which was my first mistake, because seeing her on the bed like that, all I could think of was slowing crawling over her, lowering my mouth to hers. Her tangling her fingers in my hair as she held me to her, demanding more of me.

My gaze slowly raked down the length of her body, and that was my second mistake, because now I could feel her beneath me. The heat of her wrapping around me, drawing me deeper and deeper under her spell. I could hear her soft moans and whispers for more.

“It’s rude to stare,” she said.

My attention jerked back up to her face. She’d turned her head and was now looking directly at me, her lips curved in a tantalizing smile.

“It’s rude to make yourself at home in someone else’s bed without an invitation, too, but there you are.” I jutted my chin at her.

“Is that your not-so-polite way of telling me to get out of your bed?” She eased up into a sitting position, hands once again propped behind her.

My body tensed. No way in hell I wanted her out of my bed. But I wasn’t telling her that. “No.” I shook my head. “You can stay. If you tell me why Isach’s here.”

“Why do you think he’s here?” She stood and sauntered toward me.

I straightened and pressed tighter against the dresser. Not that I was afraid of Piper. She was half my size, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t dangerous. Who knew what sort of magic she could unleash on me? But more than that, I was horrified of what I might do if she came any closer.

I shrugged, fighting to exude an air of confidence I wasn’t feeling at the moment. “I don’t know, but if he came here to hurt Abby, I will kill him.”

Piper stopped and tilted her head. “Why would he hurt her? He loves her.”

“Have you not been following along?” I crossed my arms and shifted my weight. “He faked his death, left her, then when she finds him, he tells her to go home. To go on with her life. Without him. That’s not love. That’s him being a coward.”

“I disagree.”

“Of course you do.” I rolled my eyes.

“Isach made a sacrifice for those he loved. That’s the ultimate act of love, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not.” I pushed away from the dresser. “If he truly loved her, he’d fight for her. For them. He’d move heaven, hell, and earth just to be with her.” I took a step closer, then another, until there was very little space left between us. “You don’t run and hide from the people you love.”

“You’re telling me you’d risk the lives of everyone you loved just to be with someone?”

“I’m saying I’d stay and fight.”

“That’s good to know.”

My instincts were telling me there was a whole lot she wasn’t saying right now. And I wanted to pry, to demand answers, but my thoughts were a jumbled mess. And I had a feeling that demanding anything from her would be as productive as ramming my head into a brick wall.

“You really should lighten up.” Piper turned on her heel and strode toward the painting on the far wall. “All that anger and distrust you carry around can’t be good for you.”

I scowled and curled my hands into fists. “Yeah, well, my distrust of your kind is warranted.”

“Not my kind,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at me. “I’ve done nothing to you.”

“Yet,” I grumbled, and she laughed in response.

“You know, I have no reason not to trust you.” She turned to look at me, one brow raised, a challenge playing across her features. “You really should afford me the same courtesy. Y’know, that whole idea of trusting someone until they give you a reason not to.” She shrugged.

“Doing that only leads to trouble. I much more of a “I’ll trust you when you give me a reason to” sort of guy.” I grinned.

“And I haven’t given you any reason to trust me?”

“Nope.”

She let out a soft hmm that was deadlier than any retort known to man. My insides became instantly electrified, and every nerve twitched with the need to touch her. But, before either of us could say anything else, a knock sounded on the door. I didn’t need to open it to know Abby stood on the other side.

I zipped across the room and swung open the door. “About time,” I snapped.

Abby’s aura was a blinding yellow, and I squinted. “You got him back, didn’t you?”

She smiled. “I got him back.”

“Good for you.” I hugged her, and she laughed with pure joy. At least I wouldn’t have to kill Isach now. “Does this mean I don’t have to witch-sit anymore?”

Stepping back, she shoved her hands into her pockets and rocked on her heels. “Yeah, about that… we need to talk.”

I scowled. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

“No, probably not.”

Piper appeared behind me. I felt her there, every inch of her calling to me like a siren. I remained in place, refusing to turn around and acknowledge her.

“The vampire is very cranky.”

“The vampire has a name,” I snapped. “Use it, or I’ll rip out your tongue so you can’t say anything ever again.”

“See?” she said to Abby as she stepped around me. Her shoulder grazed mine, and my entire arm tingled. I bit back a groan. She moved into the hallway. “Cranky.”

She had no idea what cranky was. I moved to go after her, to show her what the consequences were for poking at a vampire, or maybe I just wanted to kiss the daylights out of her so she’d be too breathless to keep taking jabs at me, but Abby put her hand on my chest to stop me and shook her head. I glowered at Piper, then at Abby, though my ire wasn’t quite as strong toward her.

“Can you two please knock it off long enough to come to my room so we can talk?” Abby turned to Piper and held out her room key. “Can you give us a second?”

Piper took Abby’s card, unlocked the room, and disappeared inside without any further snarky comments. As soon as Piper was out of my sight, my body relaxed a little. But then, just as quickly, I was a bundle of tightly wound nerves. Not having Piper close was both a relief and pure torment. She drove me insane and got under my skin, but the longing to have her near me was all-consuming.

“What the hell is going on Abby?”

“I’m not sure. Isach hasn’t told me much, but he did say these witches are very powerful and that we need them as allies against Ivy.”

I muttered under my breath. Isach kept alluding to the fact that these witches were powerful, but he had yet to offer any real proof. Or explanations.

“I can see you don’t like her, and that’s fine. Whatever. But I need you to be nice until we figure out what’s going on and how we’re going to stop Ivy,” she said.

If only Abby knew how wrong she was. I didn’t dislike Piper. Just the opposite, actually. But I wasn’t the one she needed to lecture about being nice. Piper was as snarky as I was, maybe more so.

Sighing heavily, I raked my fingers through my hair with frustration. “Fine, but only because Ivy deserves whatever she gets, but once we’re done with her… no promises.”

“Deal.”

“Let’s go, then.” I motioned her out the door, knowing whatever hopes I had about leaving New Orleans—and Piper—behind were about to be dashed.